Mining updates: Gems and Accidents

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Rias
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Mining updates: Gems and Accidents

Post by Rias »

Per the changelog:

- Mining now has a chance to occasionally produce gems (or other gem-like items). Gems can occur in any stone chunk, barren or ore-bearing. The miner's Stoneworking skill will determine whether they detect the gem's presence when a chunk of stone is mined, as well as skill rolls when using the chisel command on a chunk of stone to try and safely extract a detected gem. A "gems" section has been added to the "mining" helpfile/wiki article with this information.

- Mines now occasionally suffer mining accident events. The Stoneworking skill reduces how far a miner progresses a mine to its next accident event, but will never prevent the accidents completely. Stay alert, wear head protection, trust your nose, and run if it seems like something bad might be about to happen!

A little more profitability for mining, and more reasons to invest in the Stoneworking skill! Rates of both gems and accidents are likely to be tweaked as we get feedback, so please share if you have any thoughts on these updates.

There are more related updates in the works, but if anyone has any ideas to further build on mines/mining, feel free to share them here! (Abilities to give some bonuses to numbers/rerolls and give a little specialization opportunity for those who want mining to be Their Thing are on the way as well.)
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Edoras
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Re: Mining updates: Gems and Accidents

Post by Edoras »

Yay mining! I have a couple thoughts!

1. Separate but similar to mining accident events, I think it would be neat if builders had an option to add mining specific enemy encounters: It's one thing to have a mine in an area that happens to have dangerous spawns, but if the act of mining itself was also likely to draw unwanted attention from dangerous entities, especially ones more powerful than what might normally spawn in the area, it would allow for adding some more flavor, encouraging interaction between miners and combat characters, and give builders more control over the connection between risk and reward.
E.G.
"Be warned traveler, there have been reports of unsettled spirits emerging from the platinum mine's walls when disturbed. If you see one, run if you value your life!"
"[ESP:YELLOW] Egads! There's an ornery balrog wandering the gold mine! Did someone anger it with their mining and then flee for their life? Are any brave souls willing to assist me in clearing it up... for a price?"


2. The wiki says that your stoneworking skill gives you rerolls to find ore containing stone. I would personally love seeing a message when a reroll caused me to find ore-bearing stone. As it stands it's not very easy to tell how much my mining skill is actually helping.
E.G.
You put a large chunk of marble(barren) into your oak-planked handcart.
"Your keen eyes catch a subtle streak of silver in the next layer of stone!"
merin
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Re: Mining updates: Gems and Accidents

Post by merin »

Is it possible to take a look at the time we have to act when accidents happen?

I've been mining today and have 175 stoneworking. I have had several cave ins and have avoided zero of them. This is with me sitting at the keyboard literally waiting for them to happen and acting. I get queued for movement and then take 30 damage (with armor) to the head. Without armor it's usually high 60s to probably fatal--I got one in the high 90s damage wise, although that one was a week or so ago.

I understand that mining accidents are supposed to happen and that sometimes you're just going to get screwed and not make it out, but every single time? Totally am willing to accept that I have the crappy luck and just...have to suffer, but i feel like if I react in time I should be able to avoid them.

I also don't feel that wearing a full set of armor is a viable solution. It feels silly to me to suit up in encumbering armor to do something, like swinging an axe, that requires range of motion. This part is purely deduction as I've never swun a pickaxe into a wall before.

Also, dorun doesn't seem work when getting smashed by rocks!
Dennis
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Re: Mining updates: Gems and Accidents

Post by Dennis »

I second this. I have 400 stoneworking and the delay to react to the rocks falling is rather short, and if I'm sluggish in any regard my poor character suffers a terrible wound. Thankfully, these cavein's haven't been immediately life threatening and have happened while I'd still had some energy, or I'd have to awkwardly shuffle off the mortal coil because of a barren chunk of stone.

Addendum:
It just happened to me again. It seems like injury while mining isn't a chance to avoid, it is a guaranteed damage at the moment. My mining RT is 7 seconds, and this happened on the 6th second post rumble, and there's no possible way for me to reduce my RT further to react to the rocks falling. The escape command was already in the game queued.
Last edited by Dennis on Thu Jul 27, 2023 6:11 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Navi
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Re: Mining updates: Gems and Accidents

Post by Navi »

It does seem like greater mining skill would alert you to the dangers of mining in a given area. I don't know if there are any pity like counters that engage with mining for a long time in a single room, but if perhaps the longer you mine in a room increases the chances of a mining accident, then giving the player forewarning of such chances sounds like a good thing for their investment in the trade and skills. The first thing that comes to mind with this is the theft system for crowds. If you steal enough in a single room you'll eventually see NPCs whispering about it, which is a hint to move on to a new room. Something like this might be perfect to help miners continue to evade death. Just my two cents.
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Dahann
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Re: Mining updates: Gems and Accidents

Post by Dahann »

I am unsure whether this is deliberate or not, but chiseling a gem-containing ore block does not seem to provide any experience or Stonework practice. Is this deliberate, or just oversight? (or perhaps a bug my character is experiencing?)
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