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Aug
02

Mining Changes

Tonight's update is entirely server-side, and is a very small tweak to the algorithm that controls how quickly asteroids will heat up, and cool down.

There have been some long-standing exploitative issues that have recently been coming to light, wherein particular mining beam and asteroid combinations could yield situations where the asteroid would be mine-able indefinitely (never heating up).

The mathematical model that governs the thermal properties of our asteroids is somewhat complex, so we've made the smallest and most minimally-invasive change to the algorithm that we can, removing only cases where the efficiency of certain beams and the lightly-randomized thermal properties of certain asteroids could interact in a nonsensical way.

This was an important issue for us to fix, particularly as we approach the Universe Redux and the potential for new ores and minerals, along with vastly greater quantities and types of asteroids. We don't want the underpinnings of a production-driven economy to have any issues like this.

If people run into other unexpected mining behaviour in the future, please let us know via a Support Ticket (if exploitable) or a forum Bug Report (if not). As always, exploitation of a flawed game mechanic is grounds for administrative action, so please, make the game better and more balanced for everyone, and report the issue.

Thanks everyone, have a great weekend!