Late game idea: Advanced ore detector/ gammaspectroscopy

Hey everyone,

I had an idea for Space Engineers 2 that could add some late-game depth to resource hunting by introducing a more scientific way of scanning for ores, inspired by real-world technology. Instead of just using the classic Ore Detector, players could eventually unlock an advanced system based on Gamma Spectroscopy.

In real life, gamma spectroscopy is used to analyze the composition of materials by detecting the specific energy signatures they emit when exposed to radiation or cosmic rays. In space, surfaces like asteroids or planets are constantly bombarded by cosmic radiation, which theoretically allows for remote analysis of their material makeup, assuming you have the right tools.

In the context of SE2, this could mean that after progressing far enough, players gain access to a high-tech scanner that can analyze asteroids, moons, or planetary regions from a significant distance. The scanner could provide detailed information, like the exact types of ore present, rough estimates of the amount, or maybe even insights into material purity or other special properties. This would make mining much more strategic, as you could plan ahead and only approach targets that actually contain what you need, rather than randomly flying around hoping to get lucky. To keep things balanced, the scanner would likely require a lot of power and have cooldowns or limitations on how often or how far it can scan.

I don’t know how the developers plan to structure ores, materials, and their properties on a deeper technical level in SE2, but I imagine if each material had some specific physical characteristics — things like density, radiation response, or unique elemental traits — a system like this could fit really well both mechanically and thematically.

It feels like this would add realism without making the game unnecessarily complicated. It also pushes the sense of technological progression, giving players another meaningful milestone as they advance. Plus, the whole engineer and scientific vibe of Space Engineers really lends itself to a tool like this.

An interesting extension could be remote probes equipped with the same scanner technology, or maybe integrating it with a planetary map system. I also thought that in multiplayer, using such a scanner could produce detectable signals, adding risk for players who use it to locate valuable resources.