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[fleacircus]

I'd like to have a new type of mining designation, exploratory mining.

If you designate an area 'exploratory mining', then dwarves will dig into it somewhat like normal mining.  They will mine completely the tetrahedrite, marble, gems, etc. but will not waste time mining out the mundane stone if they can help it.

Implementation-wise, I guess the rule would be that an x-mine designation on mundane stone will self-undesignate when it is touching 0 hidden squares; then there is no point to mining out the stone.

For example, let's say I designate a 4x4 pillar in the middle of a larger room for x-mining: (D=designated, H=hidden, top view)

code:

DDDD
DHHD
DHHD
DDDD

a dwarf comes along and mines out a square on the west side. Some squares undesignate (U) because they are touching no hidden squares.

code:

UDDD
.DHD
UDHD
UDDD

The dwarf digs in further and the exploratory mining is complete:

code:

UUUU
..UU
UUUU
UUUU

Note that hidden, undesignated squares still count, so if you designate a 10x1 corridor into unknown territory for x-mining, of course the whole thing will be mined.

(Apologies if this has been suggested before.)

[Core Xii]

Interesting... but redundant. Just do strip mining and mine the tunnels at 2-tile intervals, and everything will be revealed.