Timber Supports whilst Mining

From playing Terraria it became such a frequent habit of digging straight lines underground and not worrying about the consequences, I was presented with what some might consider a particular dastardly idea that some people will most likely not enjoy. So I will assert now that I do not think this should be added as a permanent feature for all players.

That said, to the point:
Whilst mining away through your planet I pondered the real life idea of being nice and snug in your 500m tunnel mining away without a worry in the world, when suddenly the tunnel collapses and the collapse can occur at any point of the mineshaft without warning. Whether it be blocking your path out, forcing you to re-mine the blocks out, or it falling on you and possibly suffocating you.

So to combat this issue you would have a sort of wall item which would essentially be a timber support that would be placed on ceilings and walls depending on the direction of the shaft (horizontal or vertical) ; the ones they use in modern mineshafts these days. Of course this sort of preventative measure would only need to be undertaken in certain substances such as dirt, snow, sand and other less sturdy blocks than simply rock, which should be trusted to be able to stay in place.

Critique welcomed, negative response expected ^^

As I said this is simply an idea, as this is the suggestion forum, to give some people the option of adding some realism or difficulty to the game.

 

If we need to use timber supports as early in the game with dirt, it would be harsh on new players. I'm thinking that nicely decorated mineshafts are an option, though.

 

As I said, I do not advocate that it be a feature that all players must endure. Only for those who want a slightly more realistic way of playing. Obviously the age old argument of adding realism to video games can be turned both ways, however going by the same general route, other realism aspects could be included as long as the option to not have them on during the game would be essential.

And I already agree that it sounds like a lot of work for the Devs on something that many players may not use, but a suggestion is a suggestion ^^

 

This would work assuming that A. They're easy to make B. They're not necessary often and C. They're in the background, not the foreground.

Assuming that all three are true, these would work and be an interesting addition.

 

I like this idea.
The whole "mineshaft collapsing" thing has been in my head since I played Terraria the first day it was released.

While I agree with the need for these to be cheap and not resource intensive, I would like to add the idea of tiers.
Eg:

• light wooden supports for dirt
• stronger wooden supports for light rock
• steel/concrete supports for the deeper stuff
• etc

This keeps new players at an easier state. While providing a bit more in-depth experience for end-gamers.
This also pushes players in the direction of exploring the surface for materials before delving into the depths of the planets too soon.
Just an idea.

 

I was contemplating higher tiers of supports, it definitely adds a new and challenging mechanic to the game but I personally thought that with stone etc it may be unnecessary to require supports (there are a plethora of natural caves which require no support to hold themselves up) but with something like Light Rock as you suggested I can see why it may be more of a safety aspect, if such a thing as light rock or an equivalent is included in the game.

 

I agree.
But I'm hoping for some natural disaster events to occur.
Floods, winds, but more to the point, earthquakes.

Think of exploring a natural cave system and you're hit with an earthquake!

 

Well Black Holes were confirmed by Devs however to what extent of a role they play is up to speculation at the moment, however I think it's got to be a sign of more natural disasters so to speak. We may very well be expecting things like earthquakes ruining your day while mining ^^

 

I just think it would be neat to have some sort of item in the likes of a seismograph.
You would need to craft this before mining and maybe it could send a signal to a wrist-watch-type item to let you know of incoming earthquakes and other seismic activity. (volcanoes anyone?)

 

Or you could simply brave it and go without one ^^

I honestly wouldn't expect things like Earthquakes to be horrifically frequent, unless of course the planet you're on is notes for being particularly prone to them.

Also, volcanoes.

 

This brings up a physics layer to the games building side.
You would need to earthquake proof your creations.
Hmm...

 

Yes! These "earthquake prone" and dangerous planets could hold hostage the higher tiers of items and ores.
Maybe the trees that grow here are super strong and useful for building other things.
Or maybe no trees at all... Stock up on supports!

 

I approve of this. It sounds fun and will add another way for me to see if I've explored an area or not instead of torches. Especially if there's items that allow you to glow and produce a light source without placing things.

 

I approve of you

 

If this were the case then there should be some sort of "Support Beam" system, putting these up would make it so tunnels going in certain angles besides up and down would stay supported and would be less likely of being caved in.

 

Yes, this was implied in the general suggestion of having wooden support to hold up mine shafts while tunnelling to the left or right, and obviously can be implemented for vertical shafts (i.e. hellevators).

 

I must have missed that derp

 

No worries, I'm glad you were able to point out the distinction between the two so I'll edit my post to make it a bit more clear ^^

 

I like the fact that is is not guaranteed that there will even BE dirt on most planets. I'm pretty sure that the planets primary component is randomized as well, possibly by layer.

 

What if this only happens on level 60+ Planets? That could fix the "Newbie" issue and make getting those end game items all the harder.