Mining and mine carts

[Viper3369 6]

I believe that Bioxx and the gang may be thinking about how to include mine carts into the gaming equation.

I was wondering if making mining operations (digging dirt and stone) would actually produce the items as now, but which are very large (hence not so stackable in your inventory) but also can no longer be "thrown" away (ie. changed into floating items using Q or dragging out of the inventory). They can only replaced back as cobblestone blocks in the terrain) would mean you have to put them somewhere.

If they could be limited to your hot inventory, or limited to 10 - 16 blocks total carried. Once you can carry no more, additionally you can't actually mine more blocks, ... or perhaps slightly more realistically since you can't pick them up, mining them simply moves them "down" (like falling sand/dirt), then you would have to constantly walk back and forth to get rid of the "junk" dirt and stone you've gathered to clear out mines, and/or mine into holes, or some other technique.

Thus eventually to get really going, you'd have to invest in mine carts - which should be able to carry dramatically more; especially mine carts with chests. If cart linking and... err... hmm... horses or some external power source could be used to move them... awesome.

Also with this mechanic; since you need mine carts, you should therefore probably need supports more often (?) - actually as it is now you can get away with a 1x3 tunnel, perhaps minecarts should only move through 3x3 tunnels? Not sure if a 3x3 tunnel could collapse, but if that's possible, then supports would be required (though supported 3x3 tunnels would still allow minecarts to pass).

Anyway, as it stands now I can get away with mining mostly without supports, and definitely without minecarts. Which is a shame.

Perhaps winches, ropes, pulleys, gears and windmills ala BTW could be used for further mining automation?

Lots of ideas... (and yes, lots of coding, so I'm happy to wait a long time for any of this :-D)

Cheers, Viper

[killster550 401]

heh, the execution is a BIT shabby (you talk about a ton of ideas but never flesh out a single one of them) but i kind of agree something should be done to ease low-tier players into achieving a basic mine, it takes forever to mine out stone with a bismith pickaxe

[Warlord2150 14]

This is great. Forcing the creation of a mining operation very literally is nifty. +1

[transcengopher 349]

The basis is fine. But when implemented, it will make mining very tedious process.

[aeroc 51]

But when implemented, it will make mining very tedious process.

You say this like it's a bad thing. Mining in TFC's current form is far too easy. Dig to a certain notorious Y-coordinate, and branch mine a few kilometers within a relatively short time to reveal endless amounts of all the ores and minerals you desire. Not very different from Vanilla MC, which is terrible.

Pickaxing should be slower and it should generate heavy rubble that must be disposed of or at least displaced. The shovel should be used not only for digging, but for displacing rubble (into minecarts, pack animal carts, off cliffs). And absolutely, the player should not be able to carry large amounts of dirt, sand, gravel, stone and ore.

[splatman1981 44]

how often would clearing out your mine need to happen? after every 10 blocks? 100 blocks?

i have mined THOUSANDS of meters without propicking a single ore. seems like a lot of hassle and it doesnt seem to add to the playability much.

[transcengopher 349]

You say this like it's a bad thing. Mining in TFC's current form is far too easy. Dig to a certain notorious Y-coordinate, and branch mine a few kilometers within a relatively short time to reveal endless amounts of all the ores and minerals you desire. Not very different from Vanilla MC, which is terrible.

Pickaxing should be slower and it should generate heavy rubble that must be disposed of or at least displaced. The shovel should be used not only for digging, but for displacing rubble (into minecarts, pack animal carts, off cliffs). And absolutely, the player should not be able to carry large amounts of dirt, sand, gravel, stone and ore.

Yeah, right. Let's also make it so you can't have in your inventory more than a single block at a time, and can't drop blocks - only place them. That'll make mining hard, now will it? Not tedious to walk back and forth carrying a single block of cobble from mines to the surface or nearby cave, not at all.

You know what will also make mining harder in similar respect? Making it so blocks take at least one minute to mine with steel pickaxe. It's a cubic meter of stone after all, and you but a tiny human, we can't expect mining to be as fast as it currently is.

[aeroc 51]

Yeah, right. Let's also make it so you can't have in your inventory more than a single block at a time, and can't drop blocks - only place them. That'll make mining hard, now will it? Not tedious to walk back and forth carrying a single block of cobble from mines to the surface or nearby cave, not at all.

You know what will also make mining harder in similar respect? Making it so blocks take at least one minute to mine with steel pickaxe. It's a cubic meter of stone after all, and you but a tiny human, we can't expect mining to be as fast as it currently is.

Way to take down setup that strawman!

[ECC 508]

nice idea, however it would not make for overall good play. I am sorry, but I can safely say this will not be happening, or if it does, not in the core game.

[Sda215 8]

I believe that Bioxx and the gang may be thinking about how to include minecarts into the gaming equation.

Bioxx already discussed this in the TerraFirmaCraft Website. He states this will come eventually. Also, limited inventory? Err.... UNFORTUNATELY, NOT QUITE. Too tedious and frustrating in my standpoint.

Also...

WELCOME TO THE TERRAFIRMACRAFT FORUMS, VIPER3369!

-Sda209

[renadi 258]

ECC are you a developer?

Half of your posts I see are saying what will and will not be in the game

[Kimbblesrath 503]

ECC are you a developer?

Half of your posts I see are saying what will and will not be in the game

No, a lot of people do that...He isn't a developer though, LOL. But yeah, I don't see his reasoning for that.

[ECC 508]

No, I am not a developer, however I sit in the IRC most of the day and for the most part am taking what i learn there, upcoming features, attitudes towards ideas, and relay them. sometimes nicely, other times, not quite. If I am asked to stop by the staff I will stop, until then I will play a little PR.

[renadi 258]

Are you interpreting the feelings or simply repeating what you are told?

If the first you really should qualify your statements as such or you're not doing very good PR at all.

[bsb23 303]

We talked about an inventory overhaul quite a bit that would make this possible and not absolutely horrible at the same time. Although it was shot down for a number of very, very good reasons that you will have to go to the thread to find.

[dunkleosteus 2,425]

we are looking into minecarts in the future, but we're not going near this suggestion. It opens a can of worms we don't wanna touch.

[ECC 508]

not to mention upcoming vanilla features centered around minecarts... that I am sure you all will hate because they imply automation

[Just_Another_Guy_:) 1,066]

upcoming vanilla features centered around automation

Isn't it, like, always like that...? o3o

[Viper3369 6]

we are looking into minecarts in the future, but we're not going near this suggestion. It opens a can of worms we don't wanna touch.

Ewww... no worms thanks. They'll eat all our chiselled wood furniture.

But seriously, glad to hear that mine carts will get a look in the future. I've not got far enough up the metal food chain to use them yet. I must confess I wrote the idea when I was somewhat ill - perhaps the fever made me over eager on making life *too* hard for poor miners. Probably best to stay away.