Note! This is an old article posted earlier at Entropia Forums, and my old blog.
S.Y.M – Or How to Do Proper Mining
Maybe you have noticed there are skill gains popping up now and then while mining. Debates over the significance and meaning of skill gains and the interpretation of what effect they have been numerous. While I have been mining now for almost 4 years there have been some major structural changes to the mining matrix, and consequently also changes to the methods used for proper mining.
I will through this first paper on mining methods try to reveal some of the research thats been done by me and others, under the supervision of UPC|Mining research. As always – this is a theory, even though it works in the field. There are many interpretations of facts and the outcome from different approaches to knowledge and gathered data. So keep on searching…
First I will give a short background to some of the major changes which have affected mining. Most parts can be read elsewhere on the forums, or my blog. But its important to have at least read some parts of my Matrix Theory – to understand the elementals.
Mining Matrix – a retrospective
The Gold-period
At first the matrix had larger deposits, smaller HOFs. What was important back then was the so called â€veins†– linear behaviour of the matrix. There where location coordinates from which you generated deposits from a default base+tool combination, however what really affected the output, in relation to size and type, was very clear. If you had good Mining Xp, your deposits became bigger. Prospecting and Geology pointed out if the area was rich and if you had different or deeper deposits nearby. The general deposit was a â€Mediumâ€-deposit. The behaviour of the spawn within mining fields were pretty obvious. There was a physical relocation of deposit-locations, and you had a time countdown on how fast you could run over the same area again.
Importance for the miner lay on geographical analys of the field. To map the fields boundaries, to avoid non-resource areas, and to note the type of ores and enmatters whitin the boundaries were the main focus for miners. Within this framework was a major work to also note where the so called â€veins†were generated.
Not much changed during the years after this. Some minor changes, with new minerals, Amethera-mining, removal of bomb-craters, change of rods, and a reduction of the sizes of the deposits – downsized in steps from, medium to modests, to generate larger HOFs came during this period. The possibility to buy skills also came into play which radically changed the oppurtunity for newcomers to become professional miners within a short timespan, they could now rely on income regarding the output. (You still needed to have a set of knowledge around the mining).
The Matrix Change
With the 7.6.x came a very major change within the mining system. At first they revamp the way skills work. Instead of focusing on active skills, the system now rely on passive skill-behaviour. One of the major changes to the matrix was the introduction of ASD, depth now matters – but not to the size of deposits, but for the type of ores you can expect to reach.
What really made sense now was tools – with new statistics, and new behaviour, personlized output became much more obvious. What skills and tools you use and on what field totally affects the outcome. Unfortunately all this was released at the same time as â€the Metor†crashed into the safety perimeter defense system of Calypso, creating a very unbalanced output of major HOFs. Also the introduction of a new mining ground at the Asteroid – Club Neverdie Domes – with its very unique mining matrix – downsized 4 times regarding of the extension and clustering of locations, but upsized 400% in regard of the deposit sizes, made a huge impact on miners. It was a time of great confusion as well as more clarification about the changes to tools, skills and what to expect as a miner.
New dimensions to tools and skills.
With the introduction of the Attachment-based mining and the so called â€Amped-miningâ€, a new dimension has come to the mining matrix. Deposits are now downsized, and the general output is also downgraded, following the impact â€Amp-mining†made on the matrix. Skill gains are affected and the â€Capsâ€, the progressive development of skills are changed. With the introduction of new tools, such as the (L)-limited versions, you now can greatly affect your chances to get certain types of ores and matters, with the right skills and with the right attachments. Mining as an activity for a professional miner have become more expensive. The future of mining is still a bit blurred, the crafting system has made a great impact of the demand on minerals and ores, even some other professions within Entropia now rely on the â€minersâ€. However there is great uncertainity what will happen to mining if the economical risk gets bigger with the â€Amp-miningâ€. Veterans are a bit disappointed about their status loss, and the loss of an exclusive advantage from skills, tools and knowledge, which they have aquired during hard efforts and lots of time.
Future guidelines
It seems theres a new setup for professional mining now. Its more industrial, its fast, with high costs, a greater economical risk, and with a setup that could give major profits for those who can afford the initial costs. Where will this end?
Theres another setup for professional mining – freerunners. Where the costs are low, the output just over the margins, and very time consuming. It is mining the old way, with a slow progress, and low risk and the hunt for cutting expenses is the major issue. This mining is heavily knowledge based.
For the future there should be more of a diversified context for miners. Right now we are seeing some small steps to the introduction of a real mining industry. We have a proper market behaviour, we have a lot of miners, a complex setup for the professional miner. What we still lack in my opinion is more land to explore, and new tools for surveying, we need factories and we need actually a new landscape and a sub-matrix that lets us go underground, and to new asteroids. I think that this is the way to make mining industrial – open up the underground for automated, and semi-automated machinery. Refining ores within factories. Also expand the frontier to asteroid belts, where automated, even robotized, mining plants with domelike and underground fields could make mining more interesting.
We need machinery. I would like to go out in a machine, almost looking like â€Warrior 05â€, or a Sentinel, and getting advantage in time, output, and the range. This could be a new dimension of crafting, and also a sub-profession of â€Mechanicsâ€, that invents new components, repair the machines from decay, and that could use the vast number of different robot-parts, and other mechanical, electronical and metal combinations that could be made.
We need power within the mining industry – machines need to run on something. Heavy-duty engines may run on fission or fusion, charged with enmatters or nexus, simpler machines can run on fossil-fuel, maybe there could be even water, wind or solar-powered engines.
One thing I think would definately make the mining more interesting is the introduction of new skills. Compared with the skills you need for proper hunting or crafting, you really could use a lot more skills, with more explicit definition of how they work.
S.Y.M – method: making mining locational
Is there a method that can be developed from the skill gains you get while out mining? Even though many answer no on the question, I will put forward a framwork which you can use, and which can be tested. Its a modell which I call the SYM-method, from Skill-based Y-formation Mining.
There are at least 4 dimensions to the skills and what they affect. Let me list the skills that is in play here and elaborate some on the issue before we go into more practical techniques and how to use the modell. Also note that the skills dont make a difference between enmatter or minerals. And also make it very clear that â€Detection Rangeâ€, and â€Skill-Rangeâ€, aint the same. On Calypso the closest â€Skill-range†is <200m. On CND its <80m. This compared to â€Detection Range†which is 53-55m on Calypso, and 20-22m on CND. However the general function is the same for both. Under each skill i will explain what you can espect from the skill.
Some basic facts at first:
Quick Matrix-knowledge about fields:
The matrix is the system – its virtual, its the action and reaction of what you do out on the mining trip. At first the matrix consists of fields – it has boundaries, mostly the fields are rectangular, they vary in size – from the huge fields on Amethera, to small fields like some on Eudoria, and ultimately specially designed very small fields on CND-asteroid.
Within the fields you can expect to find a setup of ores and enmatters. These are fixed and doesnt change, as long as MA doesnt change the output, I dont know of any player controlled setups yet, this could be a future implementation. The setup of ores always have 3 levels. Low-level, Mid-level, and High-level (Rare) ores and enmatters. Within these levels you have 2 grades – a low and high. That means you can expect to find between 2-6 oretypes within a field. What defines the Level is of course the type of ores that you have within that field. But mostly a low-level ore is Lysterium, Belk, Blau, a mid-level Iron, Cumb or Duru, a high-level Azzurdite – Tridenite- Rugaritz.
Now – location- is never set as a â€real depositâ€, its just coordinates, however these can be located and you can get a notion of the whereabouts, even the direction to a location, and hence also actually the deposit which is generated from a mix of tools, skills and the economical rebalance-system.
Using skill-gains methodically
You have to depict a circular and a 2 ½ dimensional virtual matrix. Remember that depth comes into play only as the limit for getting the high-level type of ores. Now you can use the skill-gains like this, looking at the figure below:
Range, Skill and Location:
| Perception: <800mGeology: <200mProspecting: <160m
Calypso Groud Control: <80m
Detonation <55m |
 |
If you drop a bomb and get Perception it means that it can be somewhere within the 800m perimeter. Also you can get a double skillgains, even triple, and you can hit a deposit and get a skillgain. However you dont get skillgains everytime, even if there is a location nearby. This is decided by your other skills affecting tool-usage, for instance computer, and engineering, and maybe even such general attributes as Intelligence. Even if you pindown a location, you can still miss to generate the deposit too, this is most likely dependent on your tool and skills. Remember that “SHOWS”, means actually increase the chance of….
What the skillgains means for Perception, Geology, Prospecting, CGA, Surverying,Mineral Sense:
Perception
*
Location: Points out something extra-ordinary in the surroundings
*
Direction: Shows thats its far away
*
Matrix: Getting 2-3 of them can be used in a triangulation
*
Output: Affects your chances of actually generating them
Geology
*
Location: Shows thats theres another mineral or enmatter at another depth (Could be out of reach.)
*
Output: Affects the output of high-level ores and enmatters
*
Tool: Pushes up your skillbased ASD so you can get deeper more often. (Not tool ASD)
*
Direction: Shows you that there are a deep location, thus also a more surfaced location of a deposit near often within 200m.
*
Matrix: Very hard to use for triangulation. Cause of the â€bowlâ€-like clustering of locations at certain depths.
Prospecting
*
Output: Affects the output of midlevel ores and enmatters
*
Direction: Shows that you have a deposit very close
*
Location: Shows that there are more than one deposit nearby
*
Tool: Pushes up the ASD for your tool-usage to a maximum.
*
Matrix: You can use these in a triangulation to pinpoint the location
Calypso Ground Control
*
Output: No known usage. Could be an add-on to very rare ores, or mid-level ores.
*
Location: increases the chance of gettin numerous deposits nearby
*
Matrix: Can be used for triangulation to get a prospecting skill-gain
*
Direction: Shows that the deposit is within range (on Calypso however its <200m, CND its only 80m.)
Mineral Sense: N/A
Surveying: Same as prospecting
Using the method out in the field
To use the method properly you should carry both bombs and probes. Its more effecient and gives a proper usage of the skillbased method. Working out there you should look for skillgains, especially prospecting skillgains which are useful for deciding if the area is good or not. The figure down below shows how to do it but let me first tell you some practical advice.
* Always do the fields systematically , follow a straight main heading, dont leave this path too much.
*
Always try to keep at least 80m between the bombs until you get a skilllgain
*
Always switch after 40m, between bombs and probes, when you get a skillgain like prospecting, surveying, geology, cga.
*
Getting a Perception is good but dont go out and havoc-bomb the area, just follow the method.
Mining Method Y
This is a modell of a field, not real size.
*
The detonation is shown in red.
*
The circles are detection range.
*
The larger circle are Skillgain of locational function – prospecting, geology, surveying, cga.
*
The arrows are the direction you should go.
Its important to try to keep the main heading, and to hunt for additional skillgains, and of course hitting the deposits…
Some of them echoes from a turbulent past with arguments that doesnt count as constructive, I would recommend that past to be past. 
Silver di Avlo