Content: Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Background: Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Pattern: Blank Waves Notes Sharp Wood Rockface Leather Honey Vertical Triangles
Welcome to TerraFirmaCraft Forums

Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to contribute to this site by submitting your own content or replying to existing content. You'll be able to customize your profile, receive reputation points as a reward for submitting content, while also communicating with other members via your own private inbox, plus much more! This message will be removed once you have signed in.

  • Announcements

    • Dries007

      ATTENTION Forum Database Breach   03/04/2019

      There has been a breach of our database. Please make sure you change your password (use a password manager, like Lastpass).
      If you used this password anywhere else, change that too! The passwords themselves are stored hashed, but may old accounts still had old, insecure (by today's standards) hashes from back when they where created. This means they can be "cracked" more easily. Other leaked information includes: email, IP, account name.
      I'm trying my best to find out more and keep everyone up to date. Discord (http://invite.gg/TerraFirmaCraft) is the best option for up to date news and questions. I'm sorry for this, but the damage has been done. All I can do is try to make sure it doesn't happen again.
    • Claycorp

      This forum is now READ ONLY!   01/20/2020

      As of this post and forever into the future this forum has been put into READ ONLY MODE. There will be no new posts! A replacement is coming SoonTM . If you wish to stay up-to-date on whats going on or post your content. Please use the Discord or Sub-Reddit until the new forums are running.

      Any questions or comments can be directed to Claycorp on either platform.
Daeruin

Mine layout

6 posts in this topic

I spent some time today trying to come up with a good layout for a mine that will expose all available ore without cave-ins and with as little wear on my pickaxe as possible. I laid out about 10 different options in a text editor, and I tried using the one that seemed the best while playing today. It worked quite well.

----------------------------------N----------------------------------

- # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # X X X # . # # . # X X X # . # # . # X X X # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # X X X # . # # . # X X X # . # # . # X X X # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # X . # X . # # . # # . X # . X # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # .  .  . . X . . X .  .  .  .  . X . . X .  .  . . # # # # -

W # # # # . # X X X X . # X . # X X X # . X # . X X X X # . # # # # E

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # S S # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # X X X # . # # . # X X X # . # # . # X X X # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # X X X # . # # . # X X X # . # # . # X X X # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # . # # # # -

- # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # -

----------------------------------S----------------------------------

 

This is an overhead view. The hashtags are stone blocks, dots are tunnels, and Xs are support beams. The bold SS is the initial 2-wide shaft coming down from the surface. When I reach the spot I want to start mining, I put a support beam right next to the shaft. The red text is the area supported by the initial support beam (shown in bold red Xs). I start by digging out to the west and east to the edges of the supported area. Then I dig three parallel tunnels going north and south with two blocks between each tunnel. This exposes all the ore in the initial supported area and saves some wear on my pickaxe. I can keep going north and south, placing support beams every four blocks, until I run out of ore to mine in those directions.

 

If I want to expand east or west, I place support beams (underlined in red above) along the east or west edge of the initial supported area, tunnel three more blocks outward, place another support beam (underlined in blue above), tunnel three more blocks, and place a support beam (blue bold above) on the same line as my original. Then I make three parallel tunnels going north and south as before. This second set of tunnels is shown in blue, assuming I expanded east.

 

You can repeat this pattern forever, in any direction you want to go, until you run out of ore to mine.

 

I dig all my tunnels 2 blocks high. This exposes all ores except those directly above the support beams, which can't be mined anyway without risk of a cave-in. I only dig 3 high when I need to place another support beam.

 

I have only done one level so far, but I am planning mine out all ores in the floor, but only down 1 block. I will fill in those spots with cobblestone. If I want to go any deeper, I will return to my initial shaft, dig down 4 blocks, and start over. This would make the floor of the upper level the same as the ceiling of the next level down. All the cobblestone I place in the floor of the upper level will be supported by new support beams as I dig out the lower level. I hope that will work.

 

I'm curious what you think and if you have any suggestions for improvement. How do you mine to maximize how much ore you get while minimizing wear on your pickaxe?

Edited by Daeruin
1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nice solution. 

 

Aren't you risking loss on some ore though?  Each # has a potential ore block in the floor under it right?

 

I usually just bring extra picks and use max size supports, but can see where the efficiency would be appealing.  I do a top floor with max length supports.  Once that's complete, I chisel all the floor blocks and use those as a ceiling for the next level down (still throw up supports since it just looks better)

0

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nice solution. 

 

Aren't you risking loss on some ore though?  Each # has a potential ore block in the floor under it right?

 

 

Yes, good point! I hadn't thought of that. I suppose I could mine out all the blocks directly above the floor, too. Then I could chisel them all, like you do.

 

I usually just bring extra picks and use max size supports, but can see where the efficiency would be appealing.  I do a top floor with max length supports.  Once that's complete, I chisel all the floor blocks and use those as a ceiling for the next level down (still throw up supports since it just looks better)

 

 

So you mine out every single block? I'm still in the early game, and I'm limited enough on resources that I don't love the idea of using up several pickaxes on a single floor of my mine. When you say max length supports, are you talking about the width or height? I thought the height was unlimited.

0

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I like the layout, and plan on using it myself. As for the possibility of missing some, yeah you probably will. But I plan to do the standard mining, then after you have a good supply of resources/tools then go back to clear it out and get it all.

0

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

That's a very interesting plan.  I'm still on my first serious world, and got pretty lucky at the start, with a rich copper mine and nearby cassiterite, so I've not had to worry about materials like you have.

 

That said, I might suggest using a 4-high open level, with 2-thick floors between levels.  I've found this to be the most efficient vertical dimensions when clear-mining.   So in your context, you'd still start with your 2-high tunnels and so forth, but you'd space your levels such that you were planning for eventual clearing out of a 4-high clear space with 2-thick floors.  It's just that you'd come back and do it later.  I think you should still be able to expose plenty of ore initially, to get you to a point where you're comfortable using more picks.  Just make sure your first mine is a non-poor copper mine if at all possible, and the second(and third) are either cassiterite, or bismuth and sphalerite.  In that way you should be able to stock up plenty of ore I think, to be able to use picks more freely.   If your only option in the beginning is a poor copper mine, then your original plan is probably fine as you'll really want to spend as little time in that mine as possible anyway.

0

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites