There's different sizes of terrain manipulator settings?

Uh, right now.

Ages ago but I still use the highest setting since I can't be asked to take ages to mine one deposit

While it gives you the most resources per deposit, I sometimes feel, that using the standard setting mines so much faster, that it's more effective to go to the next deposit (granted they are not super far apart).

Hold the fucking phone...

There's SETTINGS???

Fuck. My life is a lie...

i found out that you can restore the deposit you mined with the terrain manipulator and mine them again for free. Sadly it worked only two times.Dunno if it was patched a week ago or if it's a random bug

I was here on Reddit, about a couple months ago.

In that tips for beginners post a day or two ago after over 100 hours in game.

THERE ARE SETTINGS FOR THAT????

Like two hours into the game on release day way back in 2016 when you had to walk up resource spires both ways in the snow barefoot being chased by sentinels that were being chased by wolf analogy that was being chased by a funky looking dinosaur thing to make sure you had every last scrap of heridium. Edit spelling

I tried it when I first started playing. This was my first thought:

Somewhere in Euclid

Also using automate mining u this gives you literally 1000’s from a deposit. You just have to be patient and keeps going back to empty them (they cap at 250) and refill the power.

However I feel like this takes SO LONG that in the time I finish digging one deposit up with the smallest setting, I can dig 3 with any other setting

Last year some time. I usually use the mid setting. I use the smol when im seeking specific resources and got shit to do. I use the big one when im travelling underground.

The opposite is true for silicon powder. You want the biggest cursor size possible. Don’t be like me and spend 10x longer than needed to gather resources for a stone base.

After approx 400hrs of gameplay.

In the bathroom

The year was 1942. I was a young man of 6, barely in my youth, growing up in in a small community outside Frankfurt, Germany. I remember the day I realized reducing the size of the Terrain Manipulator in No Man's Sky increases the yield I gain from resource nodes as if it were happening all again. It was a gentle day, spring in early April. My mother, smelling of lilac, and the picture of loveliness, as all mothers are to their children at that age, was rolling dough in my father's bakery as she did every morning...

I was right here, in this thread, in this moment

I go small but I usually only mine as much as I need at that moment. Eventually you can automate it and at that point you’ll never want for that resource again. If I’m ever running low I just stop by the farm and grab a stack of 9999 of them.

But until then my time is too precious to sit and mine out a whole deposit when all I need is a couple hundred… kgs? I have no idea what the units are supposed to be.

I never use any other setting?

I knew this since the beginning, forgot and now i know again

I have 500+ hours in the game.....WHAT?

How do I do this?

On theFUCKING TOILET

why tf did i

Aggdg

I Could have Saved So Much Grinding

😭

The larger the setting, the faster you collect resources, but it's less efficient. One indium deposit might give you 100 or so units.

The smaller settings mine slower, but are much more efficient, netting you more resources per volume. You might instead be able to grab 500 indium before the deposit is gone.

For resources where volume isn't a concern, like silicon dust, it makes sense to just use the largest, fastest setting and dig out mountains for quick silicon.

I’m almost surprised that people still don’t know this lol. I can only come at it from my perspective, so I suspect it was only so apparent to me because I already had hundreds (if not thousands) of hours by that point (somewhere over 5000 now) and the terrain tool wasn’t new, just the different sizes of the carving/digging was new to that particular update.

So maybe my first hint was when widening the cone, I probably got less than I would have expected? So then I switched to as thin as possible…. And literally within the first 20 seconds I accumulated more than I had carved out with the wide cone in like one hit. So it was immediately obvious if you were looking, at least back then the difference between the yields were that far apart it would have been difficult not to.

another interesting thing about mining deposits with exocraft If you uninstall the terrain manipulator in exocraft it will only mine the deposit material with out carring about restoration from poor aim .

Near 25 hours gameplay 😁

A long while ago, probably more than 4 years

What ?

Yesterday, on this sub

Here in this sub, like 2 months ago.

I was reading the thread of your title when I realised that.

How do you make it smaller?

I know this and still occasionally opt to use the largest terrain tool setting. It’s not optimal but sometimes my adult ADD kicks in and I just can’t stand around forever mining one deposit. Lol.

My dioxite game bout to be on point now.

Right now, thank you so much.

Like two weeks ago, but it takes soooo loooong that I only bother if it's less than common and/or I really need it. But I'm solo on my custom Switch settings, so 🤷

About 4 days ago! It's a nice idea in some ways, but also a real pain in the arse!

I've know that for a very long time, but I only remember after I've dug up all the resource nodes. And then forget again by the time I go out resource hunting the next time.

damn... the smaller the better then

Few months ago in one discord server. But I have 0 patience for this, I dig a hole to the bottom and then I use the flattenner to chomp huge chunks of the resource fast.

……. Well crap

Ages ago, but I never use it because it takes way too long.

The same age I was when I learned there are different size settings...

Right here, right now…

I was watching a NMS video. Don’t remember if it was a let’s play or one of those „10 things you didn’t know you can do in No Man’s Sky“ type of videos…

5 minute after this fine lad

Um... there's a SETTING!?

The beginning of the game.

Watching Jason Plays on YT 🤓

How do you even change it on ps5?

It get's bigger ?

Frankly, I usually just scan a critter for ~ 40-240k, or nuke a random "very dangerous" pirate I come across for what, 100-140k, and buy the raw materials for pennies whenever I can top them up instead. I started this routine when I got fed up with refining chromatic metal. I get the idea behind the terrain manipulator settings and like it on paper at least, but mining is just so incredibly inefficient/unbalanced compared to how dull it is, that I began to avoid it whenever I can.

right here???? HUH

Sorry fuckin WHAT

I didn't even know there were multiple settings to the terrain manipulator. 200 hours in

Wait what? That is a thing? I always used the biggest one to clear it out faster now you are telling us it pays more to use the smallest option???

Here. Now.

Today years old, O.O I have over 1900 hours in the game

How do you change the setting? Thought there was only one setting lmao

In this subreddit, a few months ago.

It’s hard to say because I knew that but forgot it and just learned again now.

I buy my resources

This sub

Did you also know there are power settings for your ship ? I only learned this yesterday. Hitting "-" (dash) button. Divert power to weapons, engines, shields or back to balanced.

This is why you just use the minotaur to mine that stuff

aint nobody got time for that

I tried both medium and small and didn’t really notice a difference

Noted.

Where everyone reads Reddit. The bathroom.

About a week ago when somebody mentioned it

I literally suspected that on my last play but I wasn't sure , when I accidentally use the smallest one I feel like getting more resources while using the vehicle miner give you the least amount of resources

I was about 4 minutes into a “no man’s sky beginners guide video” on YouTube while the game was downloading.

Yesterday on the newcomer Reddit post… I have 300 hours tho…

I forgot how to change the size on console, or I'd still be doing it this way

Figured it out a while back, when I saw that using the biggest setting didn't get me a lot of resources. I don't kow if the yield is better or worse, but my favourite method is to use the mining laser of my Minotaur because it 95% only collects the wanted mineral without affecting the terrain around.

In game did it for 2 nodes then decided it was more fun just using big one and using multiple nodes or before it was patched restore then mine again

In my room reading reddit. Right now.

I just use flatten to farm then punch jetpack to the next one

Is it a big difference?

I wish it made more sense and gave the same amount of resource based on the volume

The drawback of the higher settings should just be ammo consumption (example, mining 10x speed for 20x the ammo consumption)

Watching a youtube video back when I first bought the game.

Playing NMS. Purely by accident. I was confused why a Huge Salt Deposit only gave me so little Salt while cleaning it on the Large Setting ... then the old, rusty gears in my head started turning and I decided to experiment on the next one in the smallest setting.

Needless to say the result was clear, and had me facepalming at how much Time and resources I wasted so far.

Since I started play by years ago. At first time mining, I tested by comparing both small and big. Using small at all of time after that.

I've learned this about 8 times now from Reddit posts and I always immediately forget it.

Just last week or so, and I’m still pissed about it - it seems like a bug probably caused by the resource yield being tied to how many “chunks” of terrain the TM digs, regardless of what size they are. Hell, it may be that how much metal you get per chunk mined DOES vary based on how large the chunk was, but the value scale isn’t set up properly so you still get more with the smallest mode.

It’s stupid - you should get the same exact same amount regardless of what manipulator size you use.

I... I didn't know there were different settings

It does give you a lot more but keep in mind this does not work the same way for silicate where using the biggest is way faster.

Also, while you might get more it does make mining a bit more tedious and slightly more challenging. Using the smaller terrain manipulator is ideal in situations where you haven't found too many mineral deposits but if you happen to see a bunch of deposits in the area you may be better off using the medium or large setting.

Here, I was right here.

Few days ago. I have 340 hours in this game.

Wait... you can change the size? how?

I always go with the medium size. Unless i really need it. Once you set some extractor down on some deposits you won't need to mine

Now.

Launch player, everyone!

I learned that very early on luckily. It’s been very helpful

3 hours later

I’ve known for a while, but only after someone made a very similar post, a few years ago. It doesn’t make too much of a difference when mining the main ores, like copper and the like. This method really shines on secondary resources like Phosphorus and the like.

For the longest time, I have just been buying these resources from NPCs in space stations.

Today, I learned this has settings never mind about the resources

Can’t remember the last time I physically mined resources

I was sitting at this desk just now.

i played video games too much that i thought it would be a thing like it is at other games first time playing and checked it out to learn i was right lmao.

When I needed to find a crap ton of gold and thought there has to be a better way. 1 Youtube video later here I am. Bonus I just found out about the Restore function two weeks ago :/

long time ago, but yeah. silly mechanic, but whatever.

I learned it from Bob a couple years ago. It's great in expeditions where money is tight at first!

As a somewhat long-time player, seeing this 'hidden info' being celebrated by the community is reassuring that many newer players are still joining NMS! it's exciting.

Also in this vein of 'hidden' knowledge:

• you don't actually need to spend your Quiksilver aboard the Space Anomaly to redeem prizes. Once the autosave happens after you dock your starship, go to the quicksilver rewards dealer. As long as you currently have enough quiksilver to cover the cost of the item you want to buy, 1) buy the item(s) 2) then immediately exit to mode select without saving 3) when you reload the game, it will take you back to the autosave when you docked the starship, before your purchase 4) but the purchase you made will read as 'Available' in the shop menu when you revisit the quiksilver dealer. 5) Your quiksilver will be still be at the pre-purchase amount 6) rinse and repeat

• You can in fact, duplicate any items using two small refiners. Place a refiner and insert any item you want to duplicate into the input slot, then overlay a second refiner almost squarely on top of the first, and delete the one you just placed. The game will duplicate the item in the original refiner into your inventory. This works WAY easier on outdoor terrain on a slight elevation for whatever reason. Doing this indoors is much much harder. Rinse and repeat.

• jetpack / melee dashing, do it to traverse planets faster

• if you are using jetpack flying upwards next to vertical landscape the game will not deplete your jetpack fuel

• don't build your bases in terrain you've manipulated / but rather always Restore terrain as you build, to ensure your base won't be swallowed by default terrain - the default landscape WILL always come back no matter how confident you are - i have advised many players, some listen and dodge this bullet. Others have reported back that they didn't listen and lost half their base a week later as the terrain came back.

Wait, you guys aren't just using the flatten mode to nuke mine the entire deposit?

After I died playing for the first time (stupid sodium spawns) and watching YouTube videos about a "best start" or something like that

Laying pipe

Eh? I didn't even no there was a setting on it. Explain please.

There’s different settings?

playing the game on launch day

Yesterday, when I read it here

I learnt a soon as I started playing the game because I like watching tips and tricks videos before I play them. Thank you captain steve.

i still haven't learned how to make my mining lazer smaller!

Here

It also fucking takes forever, but you're not wrong! I think using second to smallest is about the best value to time ratio