How to Set Up Mining

What it is and why it matters

Mining gives you raw material at the belt's fixed unit cost, not at the market price. It is a separate move: a belt is not part of the list of trade offers, and the deputy names it separately.

While mining, the selected ship is busy: it stays at the berth and cannot travel or do other work. When mining starts, the server reserves ore in the belt, and the cost is charged as the ore is actually loaded into the hold. If you stop, any reserved ore not yet extracted is returned to the deposit.

How to start

1. Bring the ship to the belt's port and free up the hold.
2. Ask for a calculation.
3. Confirm the quantity. You can leave it out: the server takes the maximum from the belt's remaining stock, free hold space, and credits, and tells you which of them limited the volume.
4. Wait for the job to finish or stop it early. Ore already extracted by that point is loaded and paid for.

Example

"Check Helios Iron Belt and calculate how much iron we can mine given our free hold space and money."

"Start mining the specified batch."

Starting-world example as of November 6: 40 units of Iron Ore from Helios Iron Belt cost 160 CR and keep a Courier busy for 2 world hours (4 real seconds). After loading, the treasury holds 9,840 CR. Sale prices change, while the belt's unit cost is set when the belt is created.

Common mistakes

• Assuming two operations can use the same ship at once.
• Starting mining with a full hold: without free space it will not start.
• Forgetting about credits during loading: if they run out, less ore is loaded and the remainder returns to the belt.

What's next

The articles on storage and ships explain where to put the ore. You can refine iron into steel in a workshop.