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Author Topic: Safest way to mine out pillars and stalactites in the caverns  (Read 840 times)

parlor_tricks

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How do you mine out all the annoying stalactites in your cavern layers, without causing massive depopulation due to cave ins?

I remember discussions on using stairways as the optimal method, is this still true?
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Mitchewawa

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Re: Safest way to mine out pillars and stalactites in the caverns
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2012, 05:42:28 am »

The same as any multi-zlevel channel, such as those you do to make above ground farms; start from the top, mine out a layer at a time, keep an eye on it.

In this case I'd do one stalactite at a time.
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FrisianDude

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Re: Safest way to mine out pillars and stalactites in the caverns
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2012, 05:43:38 am »

The same as any multi-zlevel channel, such as those you do to make above ground farms; start from the top, mine out a layer at a time, keep an eye on it.

In this case I'd do one stalactite at a time.
Not really an option if they are only connected at the top, though.
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AWdeV

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Re: Safest way to mine out pillars and stalactites in the caverns
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2012, 05:45:46 am »

Then build a support/-ing wall underneath it.

I don't generally bother removing stalactites. I dig a staircase inside it if I know there's gems to be had but unless it's made of ores or gems entirely it's not really worth the bother.
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Naryar

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Re: Safest way to mine out pillars and stalactites in the caverns
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2012, 05:48:46 am »

You make caves with large openness and small passage density !

parlor_tricks

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Re: Safest way to mine out pillars and stalactites in the caverns
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2012, 06:56:39 am »

I could have genned a world, but what can I say, I want to beat my head against a wall.

That said, the individual column mining techniques is possible, but its excruciatingly slow.

I recall a particularly amazing map where he had carved all the Z layers below the ground into a cavern = before cavern layers were introduced!

I was wondering if anyone else has had any experience in mass mining out of those columns.
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Crossroads Inc.

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Re: Safest way to mine out pillars and stalactites in the caverns
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2012, 07:28:36 am »

You make caves with large openness and small passage density !

SMALL passage density?
I thought that meant how big passages are.
How does decreasing size make a more open cave?
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Triaxx2

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Re: Safest way to mine out pillars and stalactites in the caverns
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2012, 07:43:18 am »

That refers to how many are within an area. So higher density means more individual passages. While lower means fewer passages. Thus larger caverns.
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Nameless Archon

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Re: Safest way to mine out pillars and stalactites in the caverns
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2012, 09:29:40 am »

If the issue is avoiding this problem, try lowering density and openness. This will tend to create caverns mostly consisting of scattered single-tile halls connecting small chambers.
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