Where the ore is

Ore coordinates are not written out by hand: everybody's map is different, and the search is one line

mediumYou need: Mining, Binding by type

steptick 0

Unit Bind0

type

Unit Locate1

locateoreflagcoreenemy?oreout Xout YoutFoundoutBuild

Unit Control2

typeminexy

Sensor3

=

 in

Sensor4

=

 in

@counter0number

oreXnullnull

oreYnullnull

foundnullnull

buildingnullnull

cargonullnull

whatnullnull

ubind @mono
ulocate ore core true @copper oreX oreY found building
ucontrol mine oreX oreY 0 0 0

Two lines find copper and send the mono to mine it. On this map the nearest copper lies on tile 12 7 — that is where the unit flies, and cargo starts growing.

Field	What is in it when searching for ore
first	ore
second	a block flag — unused when searching for ore
third	“search for an enemy” — also unused
fourth	the item: @copper, @lead, @titanium
fifth and sixth	where to put the tile’s coordinates
seventh	whether it was found
eighth	the building — ore has none, emptiness arrives

ulocate has eight fields for all four kinds of search at once, and the spare ones are simply not looked at. The game’s editor shows this plainly: some fields go dim as soon as you choose ore.

It finds the one nearest the unit

steptick 0

Unit Bind0

type

Unit Locate1

locateoreflagcoreenemy?oreout Xout YoutFoundoutBuild

Unit Locate2

locateoreflagcoreenemy?oreout Xout YoutFoundoutBuild

Stop3

@counter0number

oreXnullnull

oreYnullnull

foundnullnull

buildingnullnull

missXnullnull

missYnullnull

titaniumFoundnullnull

building2nullnull

The same map also has lead — on the other side. The search gives 5 3, because it measures distance from the unit, not from the processor and not from the core.

So two units running the same program fly to different deposits: each to its own nearest one. There is no need to spread them over the map separately.

Silent failure

The ore may not be there at all. There is no titanium on this map, and ulocate ore … @titanium answers with a zero in the “found” field while leaving the coordinates from the previous search.

So found is checked before an order is given: ucontrol mine with somebody else’s coordinates sends a unit to mine an empty spot.

ulocate ore core true @titanium x y found building
jump 0 equal found 0
ucontrol mine x y 0 0 0

What counts as ore

The search looks for a tile the wanted item is mined from. It looks not only at the overlay — the map layer where ores are drawn — but at the floor itself: a sand floor drops sand, and for the search that is ore like any other.

Note

The tile found is not checked against the mining tier. A mono will find a titanium deposit and hand over its coordinates, and then be unable to mine there — mine will say nothing. The mining tier is the program’s business: either search only for what the unit can take, or check @mining after the order.

Remember

• ulocate ore finds the tile with the wanted ore nearest the unit.
• The item goes in the fourth field; the other fields are not needed for this kind of search.
• The coordinates come in tiles and go straight into ucontrol mine.
• No such ore on the map — “found” is zero and the coordinates stay as they were.
• What is found is not checked against the unit’s mining tier.

Task

In the first example change @copper to @lead: the mono turns round and flies the other way — to the lead on tile 5 3.

Then set @titanium: found becomes zero and the coordinates stay empty — the search did not touch them at all. ucontrol mine with emptiness in its fields sends the unit to mine the corner of the map, and nothing happens: you have to work it out from the variables. That is exactly the mistake the “found” check saves you from.