Build 50, Sluice isn't worth it?

[Fizicks 3]

Does the current ore discovery rate with the sluice and gold pan work as intended? If so, I've built 32 sluices directly over a huge ore chunk and discovered next to nothing. The only thing it will find is zink and the discovery rate is horrible. There are only 3 methods to find ore before getting a pick axe and only picking up rocks will get you anywhere. I actually don't mind the exploration with this method but it puts the other 2 ore finding methds to shame.

As a suggestion, I think the sluice and gold pan should still drop the normal size ore chunks.

Also, it must be broken that the types of ores don't all drop from the sluice and gold pan. (Only Zink) I tried the gold pan for about 10 minutes straight and got nothing. This is a nice idea, but completly worthless for finding ore. Might I suggest the gold pan be used exclusively for gem finding? For the sluices to be worth the large construction project they would need to find a normal size ore chunk with every full cycle (50 dirt) Could we possibly increase the amount of dirt the sluice holds? Or maybe make the sluice run faster?

How about reworking the use of the sluice, maybe you throw ore chunks in it instead and it drops a more refind ore? A process necessary before smelting the ore? This would require a rebalance of the ingot size but I think that's dooable.

[BloodravenD 7]

Sluices are made to drop ore into them to get more refined ore. They're made to find ore through water and earth, kinda like using cheesecloth to filter impurities from water. I haven't tried 50 yet, but as of 49g or 49f, they work fine, just aren't as quick as drops from rock collecting. I'd say that the sluice is better, just because it has a larger scan area, nuggest found from rocks are only from surface deposits, but with the amount of gems, it's slower. I think either gems need a use soon, or the scale of gems to nuggets found needs to tip more in favor of ore.

[Just_Another_Guy_:) 1,066]

Eer... guys, you realize build 50 is unreleased yet, do you?

[EstebanLB 183]

You haven't given us numbers dude. What is horible rate for you? And take in mind that the sluice is a prospecting tool, not something you use to get ores, it's just for the first days. Also, it works for all the ores within it's scan radius, check that before

[Draco18s 46]

Also, it works for all the ores within it's scan radius, check that before

I'm not so sure about that, honestly. I've got a sluice (that's poorly performing compared to my others*) that if I use a prospecting pick on it (and nearby grass blocks) I'll find traces of gold, hematite, and copper, but the sluice itself is very, very slowly, finding cassiterite lumps. Another sluice running off the same water is also finding cassiterite. Four other sluices (in pairs) are finding silver and bismuthite respectively. Not a one of the 17 sluices I've built in any world (three) has ever plinked out multiple types of ore, but this pair is the only pair that I know for a fact has access to a minimum of three metals, one of which is detectable at "very large" quantity from several locations about 10 blocks down.

*Silver pair has found 17 and 3. Bismuth pair has found 12 and 8, IIRC. Cassiterite pair has found...3 and 4. All are the same age and all have had roughly equal amounts of gravel shoved into them. Silver is older by about 1 MC-day, only due to being built before I went rock-hunting, finding the mass-concentration of copper near Pair 3 via rock-pickup, and then building the sluices (Pair 2 was built near where I found some bismuth).

[EstebanLB 183]

I'm not so sure about that, honestly. I've got a sluice (that's poorly performing compared to my others*) that if I use a prospecting pick on it (and nearby grass blocks) I'll find traces of gold, hematite, and copper, but the sluice itself is very, very slowly, finding cassiterite lumps. Another sluice running off the same water is also finding cassiterite. Four other sluices (in pairs) are finding silver and bismuthite respectively. Not a one of the 17 sluices I've built in any world (three) has ever plinked out multiple types of ore, but this pair is the only pair that I know for a fact has access to a minimum of three metals, one of which is detectable at "very large" quantity from several locations about 10 blocks down.

*Silver pair has found 17 and 3. Bismuth pair has found 12 and 8, IIRC. Cassiterite pair has found...3 and 4. All are the same age and all have had roughly equal amounts of gravel shoved into them. Silver is older by about 1 MC-day, only due to being built before I went rock-hunting, finding the mass-concentration of copper near Pair 3 via rock-pickup, and then building the sluices (Pair 2 was built near where I found some bismuth).

Just do a test in creative and see for yourself

[damnedsky 0]

Guys! Help me out a little bit here please! So if I leave the sluice as is, does it do anything? or do I continuously have to feed it with gold pans? Also, what is the usual depth for finding ores? I found a large cave system that goes very deep but I can't find any exposed ores.... As you can see I'm very new to TFC

[LordOfWolves 514]

Guys! Help me out a little bit here please! So if I leave the sluice as is, does it do anything? or do I continuously have to feed it with gold pans? Also, what is the usual depth for finding ores? I found a large cave system that goes very deep but I can't find any exposed ores.... As you can see I'm very new to TFC

You "feed" it until it's full. Then it slowly becomes empty and it has a small change of giving you ores or gems. When it's empty, all restarts and you need to refill it. You can see how full is it looking in its gui.

EDIT: It gives you ores only if there are some spawned naturally in the surroundings. It gives you i.e. copper, and when you find the copper ores while miming and you mine them all, the sluice no longer detects copper, then no longer gives you copper.

[Draco18s 46]

Yeah, it does nothing passively, which is one change I'd make.

(That is, simply leaving it alone will eventually get you something, but it'd be better used filling it with dirt, as the passive would be the equivalent of 1 dirt every minute or less, rather than the 10 seconds when active).