Do prospector picks from higher-tier metals work better?

[mayaknife 82]

By the time I get to the steel age I have an excess of one or more of the lower-tier metals like bismuth, tin or zinc. I use them for tools which I tend to go through quickly anyway, like shovels, axes and prospector picks. I know that higher-tier metals wear out more slowly and make some tools, like pickaxes, work better. But I've always wondered if the higher-tier metals also made prospector's picks any better. Have I been missing out on finding ores because I'm using cheap metals for my propicks?

I decided to check it out.

In the current game I have an excess of bismuth. I haven't deliberately mined bismuth since I found my first copper deposit, but I've been running into so much of the stuff that I've filled a chest just with the ore that got in my way while mining for other things. So I took a bismuth propick and a steel propick down into my nearest bismuth mine, dug out a fresh face of rock so I'd know it hadn't been prospected yet, then began prospecting on each rock block which was immediately adjacent to a block bearing bismuthinite. I started with the bismuth propick then carved out another fresh rock face and repeated the process with the steel propick. I found no statistically significant difference between the two: the bismuth propick detected ore 23 times out of 35 while the steel propick got it right 24 times out of 35.

Now it's still possible that higher-tier propicks work better on higher-tier ores, so I repeated the experiment with magnetite. In this case the steel propick did show a significant advantage: it detected the magnetite 23 times out of 35 (66%) while the bismuth propick only managed 17 out of 35 (49%). However, as I continued the advantage narrowed a bit: the steel proprick stayed at 66% but the bismuth propick came up to 57%. So I suspect that their abilities really are the same and I just happened to have a run of bad luck. However, I'll have to add more sample points the next time I'm mining magnetite to see if that's true.

That's too bad, really. It would be nice to be able to improve the propick's abilities. Next up on my list is to start going through recipes to see if there are any of those which improve prospecting ability. I doubt it, but it gives me a reason to fiddle with recipes.

[HiddenSage 39]

Interesting report. I'd been using weaker ores for pro-picks for no better reason than they don't wear out as slowly, and I'm fond of conserving iron ore. Zinc and bismuth pro-picks are popular with me for that reason. I tend to only make chisels, shovels, picks, and saws out of the highest tier I have at a given time (thoe break fastest, and I like having one that lasts a bit longer).

The one I'm curious about is the scythe-- if it affects drop rates, using a higher-tier scythe could make tree farming much easier. I've had far too many instances of running out of hickory saplings, despite shattering every leaf available (in fact, willows are the ONLY tree I've never had that problem on, and they have so many leaves it's impossible to not find enough saplings). But you'd have to count the leaves before breaking them to run a similar experiment, methinks. I may go try that, soon as I get to Steel on my latest world.

[halfmaster1 77]

I am fairly certain propicks give a false negative a specific percent of the time. Even if steel give that negative less often, it is so easy to check for, and if false negatives a rare, it may become harder, because when there is a false negative, you will trust it.

[dunkleosteus 2,425]

You know, you coulda just asked if higher tiers produced better results instead of experimenting. The answer is no, btw. Higher tiers only affect picks, axes, swords, maces, and knives, and only in terms of damage/mining speed. All other tools just increase in durability.

[mayaknife 82]

You know, you coulda just asked if higher tiers produced better results instead of experimenting.

Where's the fun in that!

But since you're in a question answering mood, are there any meals which improve prospecting ability?

[Gil 61]

Is there a reason why you want to improve the prospecting ability? In my experience, the current pro-pick is already VERY accurate (only 40% false negatives) and dead easy to use. If you're looking to upgrade it, it's far more likely that you are not using it correctly.

[mayaknife 82]

Is there a reason why you want to improve the prospecting ability? In my experience, the current pro-pick is already VERY accurate (only 40% false negatives) and dead easy to use. If you're looking to upgrade it, it's far more likely that you are not using it correctly.

I was thinking more of something to extend a propick's range. Really I'm looking for anything to reduce the tedium of the mid-game grind. I've dug over 40km of tunnels and walked another 20km or so of underground caverns in my current seed looking for gold and have so far only found enough to get me to blue steel. So I'm looking for something that will make it easier/faster to find gold. I don't mind a game being difficult, but I do mind it being boring.