Mining Platforms

**Location:** Infinite Lagrange Wiki -> Game mechanics

## Introduction

Mining Platforms are unlocked by the appropriate base improvement (see table below), which allows building a single platform of the respective type at level 1, and a maximum of two platforms at level 2. They offer bonuses to mining speed and can improve the efficiency of utility ships dramatically once advanced platforms are unlocked. In addition, mining platforms offer the player a free, 20Gm by 20Gm operation and they serve as a warp point for al members of the player's organization.

## Building

To build a mining platform, players must first have an idle utility ship of a size able to reach the target location (e.g. only large utility ships can pass the radiation belt, while they cannot access scattered asteroid fields). Next they have to click in open space - preferably at or near the location they want to build the platform, select the BUILD command and choose the appropriate mining platform from the choice of build options available to them. Since mining platforms cannot be docked, trying to build on a docking point or resource node will not give the choice of building a mining platform.

After selecting the mining platform to be built, players can adjust the intended build location of the platform. Just like outposts, platforms cannot be built on top of other structures or in the restricted areas around planets. Optionally, the player can also provide a custom name for their future platform.

After confirming the location, players have to assign a fleet comprising at least one utility ship to build the platform. The fleet will then travel at cruise speed to the designated location and start the construction process, at which point the construction costs are deducted in full.

Players can retreat the utility ship fleet at any point to either create a ghost platform or an unfinished platform. An unfinished platform provides a warp point for the player but not for their organization, and can instantly be reclaimed at any time, even under attack, reimbursing 80% of the resource cost.

The **construction time** depends on the sum of the engineering points of the constructing fleet(s), a property of utility ships. Minimum construction time is achieved with at least 3100 engineering points. A single X20 - Large Utility Ship with its 3500 engineering points is sufficient, otherwise the X10 - Medium Utility Ship provides 1000 engineering points and the X8 - Small Utility Ship only 300. The overview table below lists both minimum and maximum construction time.

## Upgrading

* Upgrade button on existing mining platform
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Upgrading requires the same time and resource cost as building a new mining platform - the player does not get any refund on the existing platform. The current platform will stay in place until the upgrade is complete, then it is replaced.

A player starts the command sequence for the upgrade by clicking on the existing mining platform, and then on the  upgrade button.

The first step of the sequence is to select the type of platform to which the existing platform will be upgraded.

The second step of the command sequence is to select a fleet to perform the upgrade. This fleet must comprise at least one utility ship.

The final step is the confirmation step. The costs for the upgrade will not be deducted until the fleet reaches the mining platform and begins the construction of the upgrade.

## Sharing

The construction operation provided by a mining platform restricts access to resource nodes within to the player and members of the player's organization from the moment the construction starts. Any ongoing mining operation of other players is able to continue until their fleets stop mining (usually to return to their base to unload their cargo), at which point access is lost and cannot be restored without removing the platform.

One "edge case" in the literal sense of the word are resource nodes located on the edge of the platform's operation. While there are no structures next to the platform it is usually possible to mine these nodes from within the platform. However, as soon as another player not of your organization builds a structure bordering your platform, then depending on the node's exact position access to the node may be lost in favor of the newly built structure.

Even though members of the player's organization are able to mine within the platform's construction operation, its bonuses and effects apply only to the player who owns it, except if the player is a member of a clan with any or all of the following clan talents allowing other clan members to share some of the platform's benefits:

* SHARED JOY (Level II): The reduced Mining Level of Mining Platforms can be shared among Clan members.
* MI CASA SU CASA (Level IV): The increased Mining Speed of Mining Platforms can be shared among Clan members.
* SYNCHRONOUS MINING ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (Level IV): The distributed collection effects of the Advanced Mining Platform can be shared in the Clan.

## Costs and Benefits of Different Mining Platforms

### Mining Rate Bonus

All platforms provide a mining rate bonus. This bonus applies to the **base mining rate** of the utility ship used, and is added to mining rate bonuses provided by upgrades to its engineering UAV system. Thus the **actual mining rate** is calculated as *base mining rate \* (1 + sum of Engineering UAV System mining speed enhancements + platform bonus)*.

For example, a maxed out large utility ship in an AMP has an hourly mining rate of 80,000 \* (1 + 0.6 + 0.3) = 152,000 metal.

In Trojite systems, a further bonus is added when mining level 3 or level 4 Trojite crystal nodes.

### Decrease Resource Node Level

Intermediate and advanced mining platforms decrease the resource node level by 1 and 2 levels, respectively. The reason is to enable smaller utility ships to mine higher level resource nodes. Note that lowering the resource node level does not have any other effect, in particular the amount of resources contained in the node remains unchanged as well as the mining speed bonus associated with Trojite nodes of levels 3 or higher.

For example, if the resource node level is reduced by 1, a level 5 node becomes a level 4 node, which can then be mined by an X10 - Medium Utility Ship. If the resource node level is reduced by 2, a level 6 node becomes a level 4 node, mineable by a medium utility ship. This can be particularly useful in a Scattered Asteroid Belt, which large utility ships cannot enter.

### Two Utility Ship Fleets per Resource Node

Intermediate and advanced mining platforms allow two fleets to mine each resource node. This used to be important when only one utility ship per fleet would be able to mine, but now that this limitation has been removed all that this platform feature offers is a bit of flexibility when retasking fleets in particular in an autonomous advanced mining platform.

Note that using a single fleet will see a very slight improvement in mining rate over the two fleet option due to easier pathing.

## Advanced Strategies

### Technique to Speed Up Travel in BMP and IMP

Mining platforms are a large area and ships traveling through them will travel at "cruise" speed, which, for utility ships, is quite slow. The time required to traverse the mining platform can actually reduce net productivity enough to negate the mining bonus offered (definitely with a BMP).

There is an advanced technique that can be used with BMPs and IMPs on resource nodes that are close enough to the edge of the platform that a circular operation can contain the resource node **and** extend partly outside of the platform. See the graphic for an explanation on how to execute it.

It works for two reasons:

1. Even though the mining ship is no longer assigned to the platform's operation, the platform's benefits apply to all resource nodes contained within regardless of the operation the utility ship that mines them is assigned to.
2. Ships enter warp when they reach the edge of the operation they are **assigned** to. If a utility fleet is assigned to a circular operation, even if it is mining inside the platform, it will enter warp at the edge of the circular operation, significantly lowering travel time back to the player's base. This technique works well with using tech points for the warp speed enhancements of the player's utility ships.

### Farming Battle Experience and Microchips

Privateers love to hang out in areas with resource nodes, especially when players are actively mining. So, if a player is fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to build a mining platform on an area that privateers find irresistible, they can use this situation as a way to farm battle experience and microchips.

The advantage of the mining platform is that, despite its size, it can be blockaded using only two fleets. For this purpose, it is best to use "mirrored fleets" as no mechanism has been found that guarantees that the fleets will attack in a particular order (although typically the fleet that was last added to the blockade will engage first). If a player is planning on leaving the fleets unmonitored over night then it is best to have fleets with healers and/or extreme levels of damage-per-minute.

## **Platforms and PVP**

During any kind of player-versus-player conflict, mining platforms in general, and especially AMPs, are popular targets for enemy fleets because:

* destruction of the platform disrupts the owner's mining operations, reducing their resource income and curtailing their ability to develop their base and wage war
* it removes a large, stable warp point, curtailing movement by the fleets of the owner's organizaton
* the value of the mining platform itself - the metal equivalent cost of an IMP is 2.1 million metal and of an AMP is 7 million metal.

At the same time, mining platforms are popular staging points for organizations because:

* they offer a warp point for the entire organization
* the large construction operation provides enough room for the fleets of other organization members
* the large construction operation makes it easy to layer blockades of both the platform owner and other organization members while keeping other enemy fleets not caught in the blockade at a safe distance (except for strategic strikes)

## Patch Updates

### 2023-06-21 - Mining Adjustments

```
1) Adjusted the size of the mining fleet, allowing any number of utility ships to be enrolled into the same fleet and carry out the mining task altogether when mining resource nodes.

```

```
2) Adjusted the effects of Mining Platforms. Changed Intermediate Mining Platforms and Advanced Mining Platforms' effect of "Increases the number of utility ships that can hold at a resource node within the Construction Operation by 1" to "Increases the number of utility ship fleets that can hold at a resource node within the Construction Operation by 1."

```

### 2023-01-04 - Main Mission Change

```
1. Adjustments to Main Missions of Dawn Exploration Agreement star systems:
Changed the completion condition of the Chapter 14 Main Mission
"Finish building 1 Basic Mining Platform"  to "Finish building 1 Mining Platform" instead.

```

### 2022-10-26 - Mining Platform Upgrade feature

```
1.Added new feature of Mining Platform Upgrade,and explorers can send Utility Ships to upgrade mining platforms to a higher level.

```

## Related Content

* Mining
* Maximizing resource production