Minigame: Mining

Various star systems within the Galactrix universe contain asteroids, which may be mined for resources. Resources can be sold for money, or used to craft Items. Other than the main quest Ore Run, mining has no effect on the main storyline.

Note: Starting with the quest Ore Run, the player can mine asteroids. Upon successful completion of this quest, the player will be joined by Lydia and can then mine any asteroid at any time.

Gameplay
As with battles, the player must create matches with gems. However, instead of gems that cause damage or increase energy levels, the player must match gems that represent resources. The mini-game ends when there are no more possible moves.

Asteroid Reserves
Every asteroid has a unique combination of resources it will give, as well as how many of each resource the player can mine. For example, a mine may have 20 Polymer, 10 Alloy and 5 Medicine. The player may not mine more than the stated number of each resource, and any matches beyond that limit are ignored. However, if the player successfully mines the maximum amount of all resources, a 4x bonus is given. Following the example above, the player would receive 80 Polymer, 40 Alloy and 20 Medicine.

Resource Storage
Each ship has a specific cargo capacity, given in tons. Each unit of resource weighs one ton, regardless of which resource it is. The player's total cargo capacity is the total of the cargo capacity in each ship in their fleet (the player may have a maximum of three ships in their fleet). If the player mines more cargo than they can carry, the excess is discarded.

Tips

 * While Contraband may be the most profitable resource to mine, it will also attract the attention of local law enforcement and cause the player to be attacked with the message "Contraband Detected". Sell contraband as soon as possible to avoid unwanted encounters.
 * Make matches from the outside in. This way, a match in the middle won't ruin any possible matches on the outside.
 * If you are looking to mine to capacity, focus on the resource with the highest total.
 * The Beta Centauri system is the best place to mine for profit, as it has six asteroids with a mix of all resources except Medicine.
 * Medicine, one of the rarest resources, can be found on Sargon, Hades, Caelum, Navi, Procyon and Sirius.

Mining for Profit
While mining can be profitable in and of itself, it can be much more profitable when combined with crafting. For example, the item Point Disruptor requires 4 Polymer, 8 Minerals and 9 Isotopes to craft. The average selling price of those resources is 920 credits, but a Point Disruptor can be sold for 5,390 credits - a profit of 4,470 for what is a very easy crafting. Point in fact, the Point Disruptor is the most profitable item in the entire game to craft for sale.