Since I restarted with 1.8 I've found that most caves I enter are massive mazes that are difficult to navigate with lots of branching paths. I don't want to keep getting lost during my exploration trips so I wanted to know what tips people have for making these journey's easier to understand despite this cave system having quite possibly hundreds of branching paths.
One tip: If you isolate a single cave branch and follow it all the way to the end, when you return to the beginning of that branch, just wall it off, put a sign on it saying 'explored' and go to the next branch.
I've restarted blocking off dead ends, something I wasn't doing originally, but a lot of these paths lead to branches, which lead to more branches, which ... you get the idea. These branches are part of the reason I'm not putting too much faith in right or left sided torches, although I'm going to be trying to clean up my caves so that they do stay on one side.
Use redstone torches and redstone wires (redstone torch on the ground as center, redstone wire placed next to it so it gives you a direction) to point at the way back to your mining base, so if you need to head back, just follow the redstone.
I don't usually spelunk much; I did get lost once and didn't relish the experience. I usually create my own branch mine system and if I hit caves along the way I just plow right through to the other side like they don't exist. Once my branch mine is all constructed I can explore the caves more easily because I always have rows and rows of long corridors that I built to refer to for orientation.
I love cave exploring. In my last world the caves were much simpler though and far easier to traverse, but now I'm running into all kinds of things down below like the aforementioned branches to massive (completely underground) ravines. A lot of the time I'm completely lost because its not been uncommon for any given branch to have 4 or more branches, and then a lot of them loop into each other! Currently moving all torches to the left, and blocking off paths.
I really like the redstone idea but I don't want to use up my precious redstone, I will need it for other projects.
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I fine 1.8 caves difficult to navigate even with the torches on the left technique... I have started marking explored branches, but there are so many deep holes and tall ceilings that I feel like my caves are not nearly as secure as they were pre 1.8. (not complaining, just observing)
Can't say I have a technique for perfectly exploring caves from start to end and back to start in a clean sweep, but I do like using the map to guide myself from section to section.
Once I've created a map, I like to head straight down to the underground with its caves and abandoned mines. I just roam about aimlessly, going from branch to branch, hallway to hallway, without so much concern as to where I have/haven't been. If I see torches, I know I've been there. If I don't, I go into it. And if I miss a few branches? Oh well. There's simply so many areas to search underground with 1.8 that I'm okay with missing a few spots here or there.
Back to the map, as I move about underground I can see where I have/haven't been. If a spot isn't colored in on the map, I move in that direction through the caves and mines. Eventually, I'll have uncovered most of the map just from being underground and have explored most of the more valuable areas of the underground. Then, you can use your now fully/mostly uncovered map to find your way back to your home (if you have one, I assume you would have crafted your map at your home and thus it would be the middle point of the map).
For me, it's a more fun technique than it is intelligent. I like it, and it has proven successful in finding me mass quantities of Diamonds (which are apparently somewhat rarer with 1.8).
it may feel like too much effort, but i just grab a blank sheet of paper and a pencil, and just make lines in general shape of my branches and caves :tongue.gif:
kinda gets useless with multi-level cave branches, but meh :tongue.gif:
Well the tips have helped a bit, even though the torches I put up before are making it easy to get lost. I'm guessing I'll have to keep these as best practices for exploring going forward.
I use a minimap mod. Then run around like a madman gathering stuff and placing torches, and when im bored/satisfied i just make a staircase up.
I use the minimap mod to be able to return to my home, i dont have a sense of direction.
i can also make waypoints if i need to leave a chest full of stuff in a mine.
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PostAblindmind1:Tnt can also be uses to see caves underground...unless they removed that bug.
Malacodor: With enough TNT you can see caves without using bugs.
also block off explored braches
Ought to try one of these ideas sometime...
I really like the redstone idea but I don't want to use up my precious redstone, I will need it for other projects.
In Minecraft, you stick your head in the dirt to find problems.
Once I've created a map, I like to head straight down to the underground with its caves and abandoned mines. I just roam about aimlessly, going from branch to branch, hallway to hallway, without so much concern as to where I have/haven't been. If I see torches, I know I've been there. If I don't, I go into it. And if I miss a few branches? Oh well. There's simply so many areas to search underground with 1.8 that I'm okay with missing a few spots here or there.
Back to the map, as I move about underground I can see where I have/haven't been. If a spot isn't colored in on the map, I move in that direction through the caves and mines. Eventually, I'll have uncovered most of the map just from being underground and have explored most of the more valuable areas of the underground. Then, you can use your now fully/mostly uncovered map to find your way back to your home (if you have one, I assume you would have crafted your map at your home and thus it would be the middle point of the map).
For me, it's a more fun technique than it is intelligent. I like it, and it has proven successful in finding me mass quantities of Diamonds (which are apparently somewhat rarer with 1.8).
kinda gets useless with multi-level cave branches, but meh :tongue.gif:
wood stacks
crafting tables are portable
wood -> sign
uwin
I use the minimap mod to be able to return to my home, i dont have a sense of direction.
i can also make waypoints if i need to leave a chest full of stuff in a mine.
Malacodor: With enough TNT you can see caves without using bugs.
Yes, plain old sand.
Since most caves I explore are nowhere near the surface level, it's a rare block to find, unless you're under an ocean or desert.
It also makes a good, cheap water filler, though it doesn't work as well for lava anymore.