It's not intended that you are supposed to find them all. It's not intended that you mine every block in the game. Therefore, ore is overly common to compensate for the fact that you won't find them all.
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"'Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!"
It's not intended that you are supposed to find them all. It's not intended that you mine every block in the game. Therefore, ore is overly common to compensate for the fact that you won't find them all.
In particular, up to 1.7% of all blocks you mine can be diamond ore - a percentage that is about 17 times higher than the percentage of all blocks that are diamond, and this was based on a version from 2012, as the concentration of diamond is now over twice as high near the bottom of its range (the main difference is that back then you'd find every other ore as well, only lapis had a non-uniform distribution which peaked a bit above the most common level for mining, 11-12, so you still found plenty):
A good efficiency is reached at a spacing of around 6 blocks (that is, 6 solid blocks left in-between the tunnels). At this spacing, efficiency is about 0.017, corresponding to 1.7% of blocks removed being a diamond.
Note also their conclusions - it is not efficient to try to remove every block, instead prioritizing the number of blocks exposed per block removed, and spacing your tunnels far enough apart that there is no possibility of ores bridging between them (in practice a spacing of at least 3, or a tunnel every 4th block, is enough; I average about 0.9% diamond, which is about what their chart shows for a spacing of 3 and while I've never tried higher spacings a doubling in yield seems high unless you are doing additional tunneling like making 1x1 pokeholes in the walls*):
In summary:
The term "efficiency" is often applied to the practice of making every block observable, however this is not usually the objective of a miner.
A more practical definition of "efficiency" describes the percentage of blocks removed that are ores, in other words efficiency = (ores removed / blocks removed).
A significant portion of the efficiency comes from the size of an ore cluster, or the chance of having already mined that ore from an adjacent tunnel.
A good efficiency, for diamonds, is reached at a spacing of 6. Since other ores are usually collected in copious amounts compared to diamonds, this spacing is recommended for every-day mining operations.
Maximum efficiency is reached in the case of infinite spacing between the tunnels. Or in other words, the humble single straight tunnel.
*This post goes into more details on the efficiency of various mining methods, including what they call "up-dig", i.e. making 1x1 pokeholes in the ceiling (can also be done sideways if tunnels are further apart). "Chunk mining", or avoiding chunks that had diamond, is no longer useful since there are multiple deposits per chunk instead of only one:
Don't underestimate caving either, the amount of ores exposed in a relatively small area can be huge, at least in this analysis based on an older version where there are a lot more ores per chunk and caves had a much greater surface area (the percentage of blocks that are air is pretty similar but large open areas will have a lower surface area for the same volume due to the square-cube law):
The amounts of ore I regularly collect are considered insane by most players but amount to an area of only about 100 chunks (160x160 blocks) with only 5-10% percent of most ores removed, although the majority are coal and iron, more so than when branch-mining (diamond was around 3.7% of all ores on layers 11-12, or about 7 times higher than what I collect while caving):
I think these ways based by original minecraft algorithm.
All the advice here except for "chunk mining" is still applicable - the point is to expose as many blocks as possible for the least amount removed, reducing the amount of time and tool durability spent (( always upgrade to iron, then diamond as soon as I find them, then enchant; a diamodn pickaxe with Efficiency IV, Unbreaking III is much faster than the even stone tools that some seem to use just to "save" on resources, with Unbreaking III increasing the durability enough that the diamonds needed to repair it are less than the additional diamonds you find over time, even without Fortune, which I don't actually bother with because of diamonds, only a much rarer ore in my mod).
For example, I found 91 diamond ore out of about 9800 blocks mined in this branch-mine (only from the tunnels, not other ores in the walls, which were filled in with waste blocks); simply applying the increase in ore density since 1.18 (or 1.20.2) gives about twice as much diamond, which only depends on the concentration since the deposits are more or less the same size (what matters most is the extent of a deposit; coal is much larger and thus gives a relatively higher yield than its abundance suggests, I found about 2/3 more than expected while caving; conversely, emerald ore (as it used to generate) is only single blocks so it only benefits from the exposed/mined ratio and contributes towards its rarity):
This is the current diamond generation, the old generation was a single vein of 1-10 ores uniformly distributed between layers 0-15, averaging about 0.1% of blocks between layers 5-12, the chart on the Wiki shows it is currently about 0.22% across layers -59 to -56 (directly exposed by a 2 block high tunnel while standing at y=-58), a linear scale better shows how the concentration rises to a peak on layer -59:
7 blobs of 1-5 ores per chunk, from Y=16 to Y=-63. There is a 50% chance to not generate an ore block if it is next to air.
1 blob of 1-23 ores every 1⁄9 chunks, from Y=16 to Y=-63. There is a 70% chance to not generate an ore block if it is next to air.
4 blobs of 1-10 ores per chunk, from Y=16 to Y=-63. Ore blocks do not generate if they are next to air.
2 blobs of 1-10 ores per chunk, from Y=-4 to Y=-63. There is a 50% chance to not generate an ore block if it is next to air.
A fact :
If X-ray is a cheat why there is so many ores underground like this:
If we shouldn't use X-ray how can mine these ores underground ? random ?
It's not intended that you are supposed to find them all. It's not intended that you mine every block in the game. Therefore, ore is overly common to compensate for the fact that you won't find them all.
"'Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!"
If you're having performance concerns with Minecraft, I hope this may prove useful.
A retrospective of the most important game to me (or, a try to stay awake while I never stop talking about something challenge).
Good fact
The Wiki has a good article if you need help on mining effectively:
https://minecraft.wiki/w/Tutorial:Mining#Efficiency_vs_Thoroughness
In particular, up to 1.7% of all blocks you mine can be diamond ore - a percentage that is about 17 times higher than the percentage of all blocks that are diamond, and this was based on a version from 2012, as the concentration of diamond is now over twice as high near the bottom of its range (the main difference is that back then you'd find every other ore as well, only lapis had a non-uniform distribution which peaked a bit above the most common level for mining, 11-12, so you still found plenty):
Note also their conclusions - it is not efficient to try to remove every block, instead prioritizing the number of blocks exposed per block removed, and spacing your tunnels far enough apart that there is no possibility of ores bridging between them (in practice a spacing of at least 3, or a tunnel every 4th block, is enough; I average about 0.9% diamond, which is about what their chart shows for a spacing of 3 and while I've never tried higher spacings a doubling in yield seems high unless you are doing additional tunneling like making 1x1 pokeholes in the walls*):
*This post goes into more details on the efficiency of various mining methods, including what they call "up-dig", i.e. making 1x1 pokeholes in the ceiling (can also be done sideways if tunnels are further apart). "Chunk mining", or avoiding chunks that had diamond, is no longer useful since there are multiple deposits per chunk instead of only one:
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/2567915-diamond-mining-efficiency-revisited
Don't underestimate caving either, the amount of ores exposed in a relatively small area can be huge, at least in this analysis based on an older version where there are a lot more ores per chunk and caves had a much greater surface area (the percentage of blocks that are air is pretty similar but large open areas will have a lower surface area for the same volume due to the square-cube law):
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/discussion/2529746-how-many-ores-do-caves-expose
The amounts of ore I regularly collect are considered insane by most players but amount to an area of only about 100 chunks (160x160 blocks) with only 5-10% percent of most ores removed, although the majority are coal and iron, more so than when branch-mining (diamond was around 3.7% of all ores on layers 11-12, or about 7 times higher than what I collect while caving):
TheMasterCaver's First World - possibly the most caved-out world in Minecraft history - includes world download.
TheMasterCaver's World - my own version of Minecraft largely based on my views of how the game should have evolved since 1.6.4.
Why do I still play in 1.6.4?
Oh Good ideas ! Caver.
And Oh my God this topic was too useful !
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/2567915-diamond-mining-efficiency-revisited
I think these ways based by original minecraft algorithm.
Caver you have also in this topic! this subject is about 10 years ago !!!
bro where have you gone
I'm in private chat
All the advice here except for "chunk mining" is still applicable - the point is to expose as many blocks as possible for the least amount removed, reducing the amount of time and tool durability spent (( always upgrade to iron, then diamond as soon as I find them, then enchant; a diamodn pickaxe with Efficiency IV, Unbreaking III is much faster than the even stone tools that some seem to use just to "save" on resources, with Unbreaking III increasing the durability enough that the diamonds needed to repair it are less than the additional diamonds you find over time, even without Fortune, which I don't actually bother with because of diamonds, only a much rarer ore in my mod).
For example, I found 91 diamond ore out of about 9800 blocks mined in this branch-mine (only from the tunnels, not other ores in the walls, which were filled in with waste blocks); simply applying the increase in ore density since 1.18 (or 1.20.2) gives about twice as much diamond, which only depends on the concentration since the deposits are more or less the same size (what matters most is the extent of a deposit; coal is much larger and thus gives a relatively higher yield than its abundance suggests, I found about 2/3 more than expected while caving; conversely, emerald ore (as it used to generate) is only single blocks so it only benefits from the exposed/mined ratio and contributes towards its rarity):
This is the current diamond generation, the old generation was a single vein of 1-10 ores uniformly distributed between layers 0-15, averaging about 0.1% of blocks between layers 5-12, the chart on the Wiki shows it is currently about 0.22% across layers -59 to -56 (directly exposed by a 2 block high tunnel while standing at y=-58), a linear scale better shows how the concentration rises to a peak on layer -59:
TheMasterCaver's First World - possibly the most caved-out world in Minecraft history - includes world download.
TheMasterCaver's World - my own version of Minecraft largely based on my views of how the game should have evolved since 1.6.4.
Why do I still play in 1.6.4?