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I'm struggling to translate
Every player has landed on the moon, searching for resources.
What is the grammar construction to be used here after the comma? If there isn't a subject in the dependent clause because it's referencing something from the first clause can I just leave it out?
In theory, you can use almost the same construction as in the orignal sentence:
Alle Spieler sind auf dem Mond gelandet, nach Bodenschätzen suchend.
Although this is grammatically correct, today nobody talks or writes like this. It sounds a bit like Goethe's Und an dem Ufer steh ich lange Tage, das Land der Griechen mit der Seele suchend.
There are several better ways to express this in German. One is:
Alle Spieler sind auf der Suche nach Bodenschätzen auf dem Mond gelandet.
If you don't like the double auf, Janka's sugestion ... um nach Bodenschätzen zu suchen is a good alternative.
Every player has landed on the moon, searching for resources.
The English subordinate clause gives a reason, this can be translated into German in different ways:
Jeder der Spieler ist auf dem Mond gelandet, um nach Bodenschätzen zu suchen.
A subordinate clause with um … zu is the typical way to give a reason.
Jeder der Spieler ist zum Suchen nach Bodenschätzen auf dem Mond gelandet.
Instead of a clause, the action suchen may be turned into a noun and the reason is given as a prepositional object with zu+dative or wegen+genitive.
A more free, but much better sentence however would be
Alle Spieler sind wegen der Bodenschätze zum Mond aufgebrochen.
That is because the reason "searching for resources" is clearly not connected to the action of landing but it was the incentive for the whole trip.
