Getting your first ore problem

[Shaard 0]

So apparently getting ore is the best kept secret since the location of the Ark of the Covenant.

-Originally there was flint tools to mine some stone, but they removed those

-Then there was stone pickaxes, but they removed those

So in pursuit of figuring things out (the wiki is pretty bad right now at actually explaining things, which is okay i suppose as its still new-ish) I decide "hey let's go watch some let's plays.

First one, walking around with a few sticks, server goes down with a "oh hang on gotta restart video brb folks!" comes back with same items except now he has an ore in his hands.

Get mad, go to another let's play. Server gets restarted, cuts to after rejoin and suddenly has 3/4 ores in his hands.

Me to myself: "Maybe it spawns in caves similar to rare coal and iron?" check a good 30-35 cave systems from small to large and its just bare dirt and stone.

So then I look up random forums posts and see:

-Make sluices and used gravel to increase ore chances

-Pick up stones from around the world

So I go out and dig up 700 stones from various areas around my base (in about a 2000x2000 square-ish area) and not a single ore, so then I try sluices.

8 sets of 12 sluices constantly refilled and running for 8 hours in 8 different surrounding biomes/locations to try to get an area with ore.

so 60 gems later (sad that they're useless right now, a little annoying they're so easily obtained if seeing as they're so useless) and not a single ore.

I guess they removed getting ore from sluices and rocks, I must have missed that and I apologize if I did.

So can someone somewhere tell me how to get some ore beyond all the guides, let's plays, and "Getting Started!" walkthroughs beyond "now you have fire. Once you have ore smelt it in here"

After hundreds of wood, charcoal, meat, plants, etc. etc. and still not having a single piece of ore this mod is very hastily going from "realistic and challenging" to "Unintelligable and terribly ill-informed" and it's really sad to see that happening.

[BloodravenD 7]

You probably just have bad spawns, yes sluices and picking up rocks are the only way to get ore, because of no stone picks. But they only work if there is ore close by, not sure on loose rock range, but the sluice will do up to 60m down and 100m radius or diameter, not sure which.

[Chezzik 22]

You're experience is atypical, but certainly not impossible.

I've used the sluice method in 4 different worlds. I've managed to always been lucky enough that the first place I build sluices produces ore. I have always gotten about 40-60% ore and 40-60% gems, whether I use sand or gravel (gravel is supposed to be a slightly higher ore ratio, but I haven't seen a strong difference). After comparing your results with mine, I think it's safe to say my luck has been better than average with sluices, and yours has been worse.

With the latest build, picking up rocks seems to be a better method than sluices for getting your starting ore. There are regions with ore and regions without, and both are fairly large. I assumed that a "region without ore" could not be larger than about 500x500, but that's just based on my experience of starting from scratch 3 times in v49+ builds. It is possible that your luck is just far worse than mine.

After playing through TFC a few times, I realize the most important part of picking a spot to settle is rock type. Unfortunately, I don't believe that the ores page on the wiki is correct. We've been asked not to look into the class files for updating the wiki, but I believe that copper can generally only be found in extrusive layers, and tin can only be found in extrusive layers and granite layers. Long story short, just look for extrusive-type rocks on the surface (Andesite, Basalt, Dacite or Rhyolite), and then you should be able to find everything you need to get into at least the bronze age.

The last time I "restarted from scratch", I started on a granite layer, which gave me plenty of starting metals (tin and bismuth), but then I was stuck without copper. I searched a ~1000m radius for extrusive surface rocks, and somehow found nothing. I eventually just began travelling in a straight line, and finally found Rhyolite 4300m from my home base. So, I certainly have a sense of the frustration you have felt.

I play on a public server, and have seen a lot of people that log on for the first time and immediately ask if they can move into a "town". A lot of people play the mod with the mindset that they will have to join a group to advance, and you may just want to do that, if you don't quit now. Good luck

[Shaard 0]

Alright I still doubt that my luck has been bad enough to miss with all my sluice setups and rock gatherings but I'll keep trying.

Another note: I've read and heard a lot about using a hammer on "naturally spawned stone types" to get the beginners anvil but so far regardless of the stone type right clicking the top of any stone types I've found (admittedly only 3-4) results in absolutely nothing happening. It this perhaps a bit glitchy or have I just not found the right rock type yet?

[abculatter_2 21]

Alright I still doubt that my luck has been bad enough to miss with all my sluice setups and rock gatherings but I'll keep trying.

Another note: I've read and heard a lot about using a hammer on "naturally spawned stone types" to get the beginners anvil but so far regardless of the stone type right clicking the top of any stone types I've found (admittedly only 3-4) results in absolutely nothing happening. It this perhaps a bit glitchy or have I just not found the right rock type yet?

Any form of igneous rock will work.

Look here for a list: http://wiki.terrafirmacraft.com/Stone