Easy Prospecting

[ChickenSlim]

I'm a first time miner, but I wish to share my "method" with anyone that cant figure out how to find anything.

My method:



Prospect until you get a hit... If you dont get a hit, walk 5-10 squares away (CTRL+G) and prospect again.

Prospect some where else until you get a second reading that would dissect a straight line through your first reading...

Hit PRINT SCREEN (PrtScr) on your keyboard, and then Start -> Run -> paint

Paste your screenshot with CTRL+V

Dissect the two lines, like I've done in yellow.



You now have the estimated location of your node.

Prospect once more in any square that is right beside where you estimate your node to be, and you should get the message: "There appears to be (a type of ore) below."

MINE HOLE!

[Windforce]

It doesnt always work this way. Prospecting doesnt point to one spot it points to a random ore-yielding node in the grp closest to you. I've had many different reading pointing to the same node that doesnt triangulate at all.

Trust me I've prospected alot, best way to do it is:

Dig a tunnel in 1 direction, find a reading, keep diggign straight till the reading is 90-degree from you (or close to), build a Suppport and dig in that direction till you prospect ore below.

And no you do NOT minehole on the spot you find ore. You do it bout 1/2 a map away so you dotn destroy precious ore-yielding rocks.

[ChickenSlim]

Dig until you get a reading, and then hit ore? Prospecting occurs on the layer beneath the one you're on, doesn't it?

[Windforce]

Dig until you get a reading, and then hit ore? Prospecting occurs on the layer beneath the one you're on, doesn't it?

I'll rephase that.

Keep digging till you find ore below.

[ChickenSlim]

I'll keep your method in mind. This is just how I did it, for the complete noobs that need it as simple as possible until it "clicks". If this method wont always work, feel free to close this post I guess...

[Windforce]

I'm not saying your method doesnt work, but you have to understand the theory behind prospecting.

I'll use your picture as an example.

Lets assume (theoratically) your 2 proespects are pointing at 2 different tiles in the same node, you could dig towards the triangulated spot and not prospect ore below.

P.S. (Reason I stated is cause I have done it before - find a triangulated spot, dug to it, and realising the actualy node was 1/2 a map away.)

[ChickenSlim]

Wouldn't you have to have hit the motherload, or have prospected really far away on your second attempt for that to happen though?

[Windforce]

Wouldn't you have to have hit the motherload, or have prospected really far away on your second attempt for that to happen though?

Nope. I've done numberous testing when prospecting. When standing in 1 spot your "needle" doesnt always point to the same node. (Stand 1 spot spam prospect over and over).

You really dont want to see the one tunnel I dug that zigzagged all over 1 area trying to find the ore node below for 1hr. I had triangualted it via 3 readings to one spot and dug to it around it and around it never found it. The actual node was much further away from where the triangulated spot was at.

This is just my experince with prospecting.

[MagicManICT]

I'm going to concur with windforce. Prospecting is very random and triangulation works only part of the time. If you get a solid reading, figure out where you can drop a hole and start digging in a cardinal direction. It might take a couple hours to dig to the node, but it beats wasting a couple of hours digging fruitlessly.

[cloakblade]

On this note. Don't build your minehole on top of the ore it will destroy part of the vein and get rid of that delicious ore.