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[That Guy Over There]

I have been thinking about this lately and was wondering if Toady considered if the material and quality of a pick will affect mining speed and how much material is left. For example a masterwork steel pick should mine faster and drop more material than a standard copper pick. I think that this could add more uses for iron and higher quality metals than strictly weapons and armor. Perhaps if more tools were added this could be even more important. Other tools could also be implemented for use in other areas. For example, plows could be used to plant seeds in fields for faster and more productive farming.

[Bohandas]

This is a valid point.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Yeah, something like this would be nice.

[Tharwen]

Now... does a mining pick use blunt damage or blade damage? Basically, Adamantine or Bronze?

[Silverionmox]

Now... does a mining pick use blunt damage or blade damage? Basically, Adamantine or Bronze?

Both, depending on the judgment of the miner what is needed. A pick has a sharp and a blunt end for a reason.

Let the quantity of the material be dropped always be the same (conservation of matter, how novel), but let the size of the pieces vary: if you have a good, sharp pick, you can take big pieces out of the wall; a bad pick necessitates you to chip away small stones one at a time.

[Alternatecash]

If this is implemented, I would be very happy.

[Neonivek]

I have been thinking about this lately and was wondering if Toady considered if the material and quality of a pick will affect mining speed and how much material is left. For example a masterwork steel pick should mine faster and drop more material than a standard copper pick. I think that this could add more uses for iron and higher quality metals than strictly weapons and armor. Perhaps if more tools were added this could be even more important. Other tools could also be implemented for use in other areas. For example, plows could be used to plant seeds in fields for faster and more productive farming.

Actually it really depends on the trade, however for the most part when you are dealing with "Non-quality" tools (as in when the tool has no bearing on the quality of the work unless it is defective) then its quality isn't in making the job faster or easier but in its reliability.

A good shovel doesn't lift dirt any better then a decent one, however the good shovel will be the one used long after the decent one wears away. (A bad shovel would have problems mind you)

[Neowulf]

Actually it really depends on the trade, however for the most part when you are dealing with "Non-quality" tools (as in when the tool has no bearing on the quality of the work unless it is defective) then its quality isn't in making the job faster or easier but in its reliability.

A good shovel doesn't lift dirt any better then a decent one, however the good shovel will be the one used long after the decent one wears away. (A bad shovel would have problems mind you)

Lift dirt no.
Have a sharper edge, more uniform blade, and a more secure joint between the blade and shaft so the shovel can cut into the dirt easier and doesn't wiggle, wasting energy, yes.

Every tool can have some sort of quality determination that affects it's usefulness.

[Caz]

Huh. For some reason I thought this had already been implemented (regarding picks and axes)... so it's fine to use a -copper axe- when I've been churning out masterwork steel ones to chop faster   

[Neonivek]

Have a sharper edge, more uniform blade, and a more secure joint between the blade and shaft so the shovel can cut into the dirt easier and doesn't wiggle, wasting energy, yes

A Shovel that lacks those features is "defective" or "poor", hense why I stated that I was ignoring defective examples.

A Shovel that can't move through the earth and that wiggles when you move... is a horrible shovel

[Catastrophic lolcats]

A shovel is generally used to shift dirt while a spade is used to cut the surface of the earth. Generally a shovel is blunt.
Ergo: Steel shovel doesn't work any faster than iron but might not wear out as quick. While a steel spade would work faster (since it keeps a better edge).

[Neowulf]

Yet that's the industry standard of consumer grade shovels anymore.
A shovel from walmart is good enough to get the job done, but the exact same materials in the hands of a competent manufacture can get you a snow shovel that doesn't have a wiggly joint, shaft that looks like it was designed to give you as many splinters as possible, and a blade so damn worthless it has issues with garden soil.
Their snow shovels are just as bad, just substitute a worthless "ergonomic" shaft for the splintery one and you've got a shovel that can't cope with anything deeper than 1/4" of new snow, let alone the 3-4" wetpack we get regularly over the winter here.


Quality IS a factor. DF doesn't have a "worthless scrap pile" end result for crafting, so you have to assume -- and lower is that.

[Neonivek]

Well then step it up a notch

What is the difference between an Excellent Shovel and a Masterwork Shovel?

Rather then the different between terrible and... decent

[Neowulf]

Same as with a sword. Perfectly balanced, a handle that has small bumps and ridges in just the right places to help you keep a better grip, shaft and blade joined so perfectly you'd think it's always been a single object.

[sockless]

Back to pickaxes:

Material matters a lot in real life. An iron pick will wear out and go blunt (well it's already blunt, but blunter) and bend a lot faster than a steel one will. Weight is also a factor, a lightweight pick will be a lot less effective at chipping stone than a heavy one, in that way, a titanium pickaxe would be almost useless.

Quality also matters a lot with forged items.