Planet Resources and Scanning

[XLjedi]

I just started tinkering with the big planet scanner and have a couple questions...

I scanned Minmus for instance and found there was Ore in some places to drill for and convert to fuel.  ...but I also notice a bunch of other minerals and so forth listed.  I am wondering if any of these non-ore deposits are more efficient to drill for and convert to fuels?   Is there something that converts more efficiently to Oxidizer or Liquid Fuel for instance?  If the answer is NO, is there currently any gameplay related to the different resources?  ...are some more profitable?

Secondly, I haven't quite grasped how to use the scanners.  I have a satellite in orbit with the big expanding dish one, and the little hexagon that spins around.  I realize the hex gives more detail on a sector, but not sure if that info is getting stored or transferred via Kerbnet?  How do I use that one correctly?

 

[Draalo]

All non-ore deposits are coming from Mods. The Stock drills and ISRU can only handle ore.

You may not have a Mod installed that uses those other types, but you may have a Mod installed that provides Mods using them.

 

Planetary Base Systems came to mind. (Can scan for water and brings a waterdrill - if you are using TAC lifesupport you can drill for water and use it instead of bringing it to the landingsite for example)

Post a list of all your Mods and we can figure it out. Or just ignore those deposits.

[nascarlaser1]

All those other ores come from the community resource packet. The other deposits are completely useless as a stock resource, unless you have the corresponding mod for. as @Draalo mention, TAC and PBS are 2 that allow the usage of water. Metal is used by EPL to build ships off site. I'm not sure what the others are for (I only use EPL and PBS)

[XLjedi]

That makes sense...  These are the mods I have installed and I'm a little surprised that any of these would've changed the planet resources?  I don't recall any of them mentioning it and I certainly didn't go out looking for something to add new planet resources.

Chatterer
DistantObject-default
EditorExtensionsRedux
CommunityResourcePack
TriggerAu-Flags
ModuleManager
HyperEdit
CommunityCategoryKit
EasyVesselSwitch
KIS
WaypointManager
USITools
MechJeb2
DistantObject
KAS
KVVContinued
DockingPortAlignmentIndicator
KerbalAlarmClock
KerbalEngineerRedux
EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements
TextureReplacer
EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements-HR
 

...and I think one of them might be messing with the graphic color overlay maybe?  Does the resource overlay mapping only work in "map mode" because I don't see anything when just hanging out at the satellite and toggling the display on/off unless I then press "M" and check it on the big map. Is it the Environ Visual Enhancements that breaks the visual overlay outside of the map maybe?

Edit: follow-up, confirmed EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements mod completely hosed the resource heat map overlay in the normal view.  I could see it in map view, but nothing from orbit.  Uninstalled EVE today and presto! ...resource maps work from orbit.

Edited July 10, 2017 by XLjedi
Confirmed: EnvironVisualEffects mod conflict

[bewing]

There is a minimum altitude limit for seeing the color overlay. You may have to scroll out a ways.

[Weywot8]

Community resource pack (CRP) adds definitions for all the  non-stock resources used by many (all?) of the KSP mods. USI Tools might trigger the appearance of all non-stock resources used by the USI pack including things like Karbonite, Gypsum, etc. ( sound familiar or am I really off-base here?) To make use of those, the are parts in the full USI suite of mods.

[XLjedi]

Ahhhh!  I see...  I guess it does have the word "resource" right there in its title.  I think I picked that one up as a suggested complimentary mod by the Ckan mod manager without fully appreciating that the "resource" reference was literal. 

I understand the various resources now and just need a little advice on using the spinning Hex-O-Matic gadget...

4 hours ago, XLjedi said:

Secondly, I haven't quite grasped how to use the scanners.  I have a satellite in orbit with the big expanding dish one, and the little hexagon that spins around.  I realize the hex gives more detail on a sector, but not sure if that info is getting stored or transferred via Kerbnet?  How do I use that one correctly?

 

[Spricigo]

3 hours ago, XLjedi said:

CommunityResourcePack

CommunityCategoryKit

USITools
 

Those are common dependencies for several mods (often bundled together for convenience) . AFAIK nothing in your list need those, so I wonder why CKAN suggested it.

[XLjedi]

Just now, Spricigo said:

Those are common dependencies for several mods (often bundled together for convenience) . AFAIK nothing in your list need those, so I wonder why CKAN suggested it.

Dunno...  it's possible that I may have tried a mod along the way that did need it and it's just a residual? 

Good to know though.  I think I'm gonna uninstall and reinstall what I really use as there are more than a few on the list that I don't really use and are probably bogging down my startup sequence.

[bewing]

39 minutes ago, XLjedi said:

I realize the hex gives more detail on a sector, but not sure if that info is getting stored or transferred via Kerbnet?  How do I use that one correctly?

The NBS info does not get stored. It gives you isobars (I think) for resource levels, and you can put a waypoint somewhere that the map indicates has a good concentration. There are tutorials around that try to describe how to use the NBS, but I've never understood the map, and I find that parking on a fairly flat spot is much more important than trying to get a few extra hundredths of a percent ore concentration.

 

[XLjedi]

5 minutes ago, bewing said:

The NBS info does not get stored. It gives you isobars (I think) for resource levels, and you can put a waypoint somewhere that the map indicates has a good concentration. There are tutorials around that try to describe how to use the NBS, but I've never understood the map, and I find that parking on a fairly flat spot is much more important than trying to get a few extra hundredths of a percent ore concentration.

 

I think what I may be missing is... 

Is the NBS intended to be an orbital or land-based tool? ...or both?  I'm guessing maybe both?

And your comment about flat parking; does that influence the actual ore extraction percentage or just more convenient for your drilling rig?  ATM, I'm on rather steep incline in what should be a decent location according to the big scanner, but not doing too great with the extraction percentage.  I think I need that third little ground scanner installed to pinpoint a drilling location.

Edited June 26, 2017 by XLjedi

[bewing]

48 minutes ago, XLjedi said:

Is the NBS intended to be an orbital or land-based tool? ...or both?  I'm guessing maybe both?

And your comment about flat parking; does that influence the actual ore extraction percentage or just more convenient for your drilling rig?  ATM, I'm on rather steep incline in what should be a decent location according to the big scanner, but not doing too great with the extraction percentage.  I think I need that third little ground scanner installed to pinpoint a drilling location.

Mostly orbital. As I recall it has a minimum height requirement of a few hundred meters. Once you've picked a spot with the NBS, you're supposed to use the Surface Scanner device on a rover or hopper to find the most perfect spot.

If you try to mine on a slope, your drilling rig will slowly slide downhill. It can be very hard or impossible to dock with. It may fall over. So it depends on your precise definition of the word "convenient".

The big scanner only identifies which biomes have the most ore. You need to visually match the changes in intensity with the biomes. The changes in intensity on the color map do not match any local fluctuations in ore concentration.