Fire in the hole

So, this is a thread to discuss whether we will use TNT to shortcut much of the digging in the farm caves. A couple of players have suggested that we do, so it's up to a vote to decide. What's your opinion on using tnt?

I am against using TNT personally, as I feel it will take away a lot of the digging, and the spirit of what we are aiming for here. The large amounts of digging will give everyone something to do, and for quite a while as well. It allows for much greater accuracy, and less chance of disaster in the process.

I know that even if there is the general conclusion of using TNT, I will still dig absolutely everything out by hand, with the good ol' stone pickaxes, just like we did in the dome, and the throne room, and the housing.

My vote is for no TNT

We have tons of TNT on hand last I checked, and a sure and steady supply of more gunpowder. Unless we're gonna make a crapload of splash potions or flame charges, we have little other use for the gunpowder. We have a desert handy, both near our city and above the chosen site for the farm caves, so sand is not a major bottleneck, either.

Personally, I don't normally use TNT. But I figure that, once we get the sand and sandstone layer peeled off the desert above the cave area, and we got a nice smooth surface, we could do at least one or two iterations of digging a grid of TNT just a couple of blocks beneath that surface in tunnels, then blow it all at once. We don't have to do it more than a couple of times, and it's more for the oooh-ahhh factor of a big series of explosions, coupled with the relieve-the-monotony factor of giving us something a bit more complex than "dig a big hole here".

Alternatively, we could use TNT-drilling rigs set up around the rim of the dig site to quickly dig an outline trench down to bedrock level, then clear out the central mass by hand.

The farm caves can, should, and will be mostly dug by hand with stone picks, but there's nothing wrong with a supporting role for TNT.

But if we do use TNT, don't use it on the surface sand/sandstone layers, as both are technically still non-renewable resources, and if nothing else we'll need them for covering up the dome afterwards.

1. TNT isn't very effectful vs. stone if you use only a few blocks, remember that it only takes away a 3x3 cube.
2. If you're going to use lots of TNT at once, it will LAG.
I'm fairly sure our poor 'ol server can't take that.
3. It is also dangerous. Unless you're really really good at TNT course prediction, the blocks WILL shoot away and probably WILL hit things you don't want to hit.

As you might see I'm against TNT, and I prefer digging by hand. Although it might take a lot longer, you know for sure you're not going to blow up things you don't want...or yourself.

I don't really see what could go wrong. We're going to dig out a huge area and we have no structures around it. "Oh no, that TNT just destroyed 3 blocks of smoothstone outside the digging radius *sobs*" ...I don't think so.

I've always wanted to try TNT, because frankly... blowing stuff up is fun, and it adds another depth to the mining process, so using a few blocks here and there would be cool.

On the other hand, I hate the fact that it destroys blocks (if it hits a mineral vein I'll probably shed a few tears) and I prefer to dig everything out the good ol' way, just like Bren.

In conclusion; I voted no because I want it done properly, everything dug by hand, but if people want to use TNT (obviously not too much) then I don't mind and I will enjoy it.

I guess a couple of little spots here and there would be appropriate... for... "experimentation". Maybe just somewhere in the middle, with a small grid of TNT designed to explode simultaneously, to give us that BANG we're all looking for

Exactly.


Btw, this thread reminded me of the dwarven mining project. To be honest I haven't "felt" Minecraft at all lately but now I'm super anxious to get digging! My vacation starts on friday so it'd be really cool if we can start this soon because at the end of august I will most likely hardly have time to play at all anymore.

Well, I need to try and revive the farm caves thread, and get sorted how we are going to get started the digging out. Do you think I should create a new thread, or do we go from the old one and hope for the best?

I think the old thread will work unless you have stuff you specifically want to put into a big sorted post that nobody can miss.

That's what I'm not sure about... Meh, I'll use the old one and see how it goes

I vote yes on TNT since it speeds up digging and blowing stuff up is fun. But uncontrolled explosions are quite bad and could cause problems.

For the guts of the big cave, a few explosions won't go astray, right in the centre, but let's not go overboard

How about using it in annoying gravel pockets

Everybody hates dealing with them and it will destroy a minimal amount of minerals

Genius!!! Everyone hates digging gravel