Smelting could work, but I really like my version of this idea in a recent Nether biomes type thread. Netherstone (could use a better name) is highly compressed netherrack that forms towards the bottom of the Nether. It's uncommon, not terribly rare. The easiest place to find is Sunken Valleys. This isn't exactly a biome, but rather a terrain type, as I'm leaning towards the nether being like pre-biome Minecraft, as it would be a more chaotic landscape than the more ordely biomes. It could be a little more common, but I don't want it to be super common and getting it from a few netherrack or even one smelted netherrack sounds too easy. I know it's more of an aesthetic block, even aesthetic blocks can be semi-hard to get.
Adding Sunken Valleys and other biome-like areas to the nether would add to the exploration aspect of the Adventure Update (of which the Nether update kind of was part of.. ie Nether Ruins). Netherstone would give you a reason to find these areas, as it was save on the amount of netherrack you'd pile into your inventory to try and get to it. Not to mention, it'd make sense, because netherrack is relatively easy to break (yet seemingly eats up picks faster), netherbrick is more like cobble or stonebrick. Netherstone's supposed to be compressed netherrack, hence the hardness of netherbrick.
"I don't plan to add a new dimension at the moment. It's just to performance heavy on servers, and the current dimensions need more attention before we start adding new ones." < Yeah, like biomes or actual varied terrain in the nether. Nether ruins didn't do the trick at all.
Although very creative and i do support more Nether terrain, i think adding netherstone/smoother netherrack wouldn't be necccasary. My main problem is that how it would look, I don't think it owuld look good. If you could prove me wrong by providing a pic of what netherstone should look like, and it looks good, then i will add it to the OP.,
Adding Sunken Valleys and other biome-like areas to the nether would add to the exploration aspect of the Adventure Update (of which the Nether update kind of was part of.. ie Nether Ruins). Netherstone would give you a reason to find these areas, as it was save on the amount of netherrack you'd pile into your inventory to try and get to it. Not to mention, it'd make sense, because netherrack is relatively easy to break (yet seemingly eats up picks faster), netherbrick is more like cobble or stonebrick. Netherstone's supposed to be compressed netherrack, hence the hardness of netherbrick.
We provided a large list of crafting ideas, so you should be able to decide how you would want it to be made.