Give drones and ships different jobs
Use drones to collect ore near a mining outpost and a cargo ship to haul it between stations. In one recorded playtest, a player showed drones collecting titanium near a base and set up a ship route to bring nickel back from another outpost. The official Main Sequence Steam page describes automated supply routes between stations as part of building a fleet.
Verify that the local mine produces stock
Start with one resource near the outpost. Watch whether the drones return it and confirm that it accumulates where the station can use or load it. If no ore reaches storage, inspect the local collection first. A cargo ship arriving on schedule will still leave empty if there is nothing to pick up.
Connect the outpost to the receiver
Set up a pickup for that one resource and send a ship through the route. Check the outpost stock before loading and the receiving stock after unloading. If the pickup works but the delivery does not, inspect the receiving dock and downstream belt before touching the drone setup.
Once both links work, you can identify the slow part by watching stock. Ore sitting at the outpost points to the transfer leg. A dock that runs out before each pickup points back toward the local supply.
FAQ
Can drones do the whole job?
The playtest example used drones for local collection and a ship for the interstation haul. That division gives each leg a clear purpose.
What should I test first?
Confirm that your target ore reaches the mining station. Then check that the ship can load it.
How far can a drone go?
The playtest example does not establish a range. Check the controls and available resources for the bay in your build.