Hi I'm currently digging a mine a layer 6 using the peek-a-boo method. I'm wondering if you have any suggestions to improve my mine. Different strategies, types of mines or just things I could add to it to improve it or make things easier like rooms and contraptions. Maybe make it profesional looking. Any Tips?
As you are digging, and exploring, it gets dark, so you put torches down.
Use that to your advantage. Keep a specific pattern. As you are digging
deeper in to the mine, place torches ONLY on your right. That way, when
you are trying to get out, you know that if the torch is on the left, you are
exiting the mine. if the torches are on the right, you know you are
going deeper into the mine.
I used to explore caves and get lost all the time, now I do that, I have no problems.
If you move your mine up to say lvl 11 or 12, you will miss all the lava. There's almost nothing worse than digging a mine and opening the bottom of a lava lake with a full inventory lol. My mines mostly all consist of a large entrance room 3 high and 10x10 square. Each shaft is 3 high with two blocks between. This has yielded the best results by far in the year or so I've been mining. so one wall of the square would look like so:
x__x__x__x, where x=shaft and each _ is one block skipped.
This seems to give the most coverage with the least amount of actual digging. Also, having the shafts directly opposite of each other makes less clutter in the main room when adding minecarts for transporting goods back to the holding area. Stingray's torches on the right idea is a good one for cave diving, I've used that as well and it works
I've started to use wool blocks as a trail. I've got every color sheep, and have harvested wool from each. Use different colors. Last night I used red to take me to an abandoned mineshaft I found, green to take me to a ravine within that mineshaft. Easy to get turned around in so many tunnels. Just dig out a block and put the wool in the floor. Can even use it on the right side of your tunnel if it's at least 2 wide, same thought as using torches on right. You can even put torches on floor or wall in an arrow shape to point to exits or what not. Be sure to keep a bucket with you so if you do find lava, just put down water and turn the lava into obsidian.
If you move your mine up to say lvl 11 or 12, you will miss all the lava. There's almost nothing worse than digging a mine and opening the bottom of a lava lake with a full inventory lol. My mines mostly all consist of a large entrance room 3 high and 10x10 square. Each shaft is 3 high with two blocks between. This has yielded the best results by far in the year or so I've been mining. so one wall of the square would look like so:
x__x__x__x, where x=shaft and each _ is one block skipped.
This seems to give the most coverage with the least amount of actual digging. Also, having the shafts directly opposite of each other makes less clutter in the main room when adding minecarts for transporting goods back to the holding area. Stingray's torches on the right idea is a good one for cave diving, I've used that as well and it works
This is my preferred method as well. I also keep a bucket of water in my hotbar right next to the pickaxe, so if i do hit lava, I can quickly throw some water on it.
If you move your mine up to say lvl 11 or 12, you will miss all the lava. There's almost nothing worse than digging a mine and opening the bottom of a lava lake with a full inventory lol. My mines mostly all consist of a large entrance room 3 high and 10x10 square. Each shaft is 3 high with two blocks between. This has yielded the best results by far in the year or so I've been mining. so one wall of the square would look like so:
x__x__x__x, where x=shaft and each _ is one block skipped.
This seems to give the most coverage with the least amount of actual digging. Also, having the shafts directly opposite of each other makes less clutter in the main room when adding minecarts for transporting goods back to the holding area. Stingray's torches on the right idea is a good one for cave diving, I've used that as well and it works
You mine would be more efficient if you spread out your shafts a little more.
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I don't make YouTube videos. I play minecraft to have fun.
You mine would be more efficient if you spread out your shafts a little more.
how so? I always assumed that digging four rows and being able to see 10 rows was pretty good.....I'm always on the the lookout for better ways to do things, please explain.
To improve your mine simply make a stair case down to level 10 (using stairs). If you want to expand on this, you can make a fast railway next to it also. After you get to the bottom mine a 2x2 forward walkway. Put a chest with food, torches, etc. Then put a clock down in an item frame to tell what time it is. And lastly branch off every 3 side blocks on the wall in 1 straight line on both sides. Wallah!
I've started to use wool blocks as a trail. I've got every color sheep, and have harvested wool from each. Use different colors. Last night I used red to take me to an abandoned mineshaft I found, green to take me to a ravine within that mineshaft. Easy to get turned around in so many tunnels. Just dig out a block and put the wool in the floor. Can even use it on the right side of your tunnel if it's at least 2 wide, same thought as using torches on right. You can even put torches on floor or wall in an arrow shape to point to exits or what not. Be sure to keep a bucket with you so if you do find lava, just put down water and turn the lava into obsidian.
Using colored wool to help point out which passages go to what and where in your mine...
I like that suggestion. I only recently thought about having a sheep farm for building, but using wool in that matter sounds pretty good to me. I'll try that sometime.
how so? I always assumed that digging four rows and being able to see 10 rows was pretty good.....I'm always on the the lookout for better ways to do things, please explain.
You are leaving 2 blocks in between your shafts, doing this will allow you to see every block but its not necessary. Minerals are in viens, typically 2-3 blocks wide. So if you spread your you shafts out to leave 3 blocks in between, you won't miss anything.
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I don't make YouTube videos. I play minecraft to have fun.
Jack-O-Lanterns also make great navigation tools. It always faces back at you when you place it, so its easy to just place them facing the exit at each intersection without having to stop for long.
As far as mining tips. Same as a lot of the above. I will say that I strongly recommend a base-camp / storage-area near your mine entrance. Fast access is also important. I used to use spiral staircases, but I got tired of going in circles. Now its either a ladder/water column combo or a straight stairway if I intend to add a railway later. If this is a community mine, then you may want to think about having 3-wide main hallways with 1-wide branches off of that. It makes things easier when passing each other going in/out.
Accents are all up to you, but remember if you want to have a darker mood, you can consider using half slabs to prevent spawns instead of torches. Provide visual breaks in all of that smooth stone, and mix up your lighting techniques. I love the way falling lava looks behind iron bars. Glow stone in a vaulted ceiling looks nice as well.
At lava level, I like getting creative with lava lakes. I recently spent an hour or so making a checkerboard pattern with obsidian and glass over lava. Nice lighting and a cool pattern when you round a corner. With a little bit of practice you can create a single obsidian block practically anywhere you want, then its just a matter of filling it in with glass.
I like to make a long tunnel usually 5wide by 3 high to locate slime chunks I do this at level 12 for diamonds.
Then I dig tunnels outwards of each side with two spacing blocks between each one to see each sides of the two blocks when the next tunnel is mined. Put torches down on the right whenever you notice it getting dark.
You can also have a underground tree, crafting table and furnace. So there's no reason to leave.
I also like to put a few melons down there because of how quickly they grow.
Also make a 2x2 infinite water supply if you ever need it.
That's about all I currently do /know to keep myself safe in the mines.
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I put my shirt on one leg at a time, just like everybody else.
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It works for gathering resources and finding Slimes without using those stupid Slime finders...
Stay fluffy~
As you are digging, and exploring, it gets dark, so you put torches down.
Use that to your advantage. Keep a specific pattern. As you are digging
deeper in to the mine, place torches ONLY on your right. That way, when
you are trying to get out, you know that if the torch is on the left, you are
exiting the mine. if the torches are on the right, you know you are
going deeper into the mine.
I used to explore caves and get lost all the time, now I do that, I have no problems.
Can you please explain further, in greater detail?
x__x__x__x, where x=shaft and each _ is one block skipped.
This seems to give the most coverage with the least amount of actual digging. Also, having the shafts directly opposite of each other makes less clutter in the main room when adding minecarts for transporting goods back to the holding area. Stingray's torches on the right idea is a good one for cave diving, I've used that as well and it works
This is my preferred method as well. I also keep a bucket of water in my hotbar right next to the pickaxe, so if i do hit lava, I can quickly throw some water on it.
You mine would be more efficient if you spread out your shafts a little more.
how so? I always assumed that digging four rows and being able to see 10 rows was pretty good.....I'm always on the the lookout for better ways to do things, please explain.
Using colored wool to help point out which passages go to what and where in your mine...
I like that suggestion. I only recently thought about having a sheep farm for building, but using wool in that matter sounds pretty good to me. I'll try that sometime.
You are leaving 2 blocks in between your shafts, doing this will allow you to see every block but its not necessary. Minerals are in viens, typically 2-3 blocks wide. So if you spread your you shafts out to leave 3 blocks in between, you won't miss anything.
2- I also seal off dead ends after mining resources out so there are fewer caves to get lost in. Just leave the torches in those sealed off caves.
As far as mining tips. Same as a lot of the above. I will say that I strongly recommend a base-camp / storage-area near your mine entrance. Fast access is also important. I used to use spiral staircases, but I got tired of going in circles. Now its either a ladder/water column combo or a straight stairway if I intend to add a railway later. If this is a community mine, then you may want to think about having 3-wide main hallways with 1-wide branches off of that. It makes things easier when passing each other going in/out.
Accents are all up to you, but remember if you want to have a darker mood, you can consider using half slabs to prevent spawns instead of torches. Provide visual breaks in all of that smooth stone, and mix up your lighting techniques. I love the way falling lava looks behind iron bars. Glow stone in a vaulted ceiling looks nice as well.
At lava level, I like getting creative with lava lakes. I recently spent an hour or so making a checkerboard pattern with obsidian and glass over lava. Nice lighting and a cool pattern when you round a corner. With a little bit of practice you can create a single obsidian block practically anywhere you want, then its just a matter of filling it in with glass.
Then I dig tunnels outwards of each side with two spacing blocks between each one to see each sides of the two blocks when the next tunnel is mined. Put torches down on the right whenever you notice it getting dark.
You can also have a underground tree, crafting table and furnace. So there's no reason to leave.
I also like to put a few melons down there because of how quickly they grow.
Also make a 2x2 infinite water supply if you ever need it.
That's about all I currently do /know to keep myself safe in the mines.