Deeper Cave Levels Idea Compilation thread

[Zentetsuken]

I think it's been established at this point on various occasions that both jorb and loftar like the idea of expanding the depth of the underground but wanted to also expand the content of underground as well.

So here is my input -

Basically it's a pretty popular concept in many games with mining, from your average android digging game to Stardew Valley to Terraria. Mining levels come with themes attached to them. As you go deeper you pass through the "ice layers" or the "fire layers." This is what we need for endgame.

This idea would keep level 1-5 as they are and effectively make them the "standard, non-endgame" version of mining. If mines are fleshed out with more base level curio and forageables, maybe some small critters and whatnot I think that levels 1 through 5 could basically be themed as perfectly generic and stay just as they should be.

Levels after 5 could come in additional groups of 5 and be thematic. Perhaps going passed level 5 would need a very late game credo. Maybe after Cave Hermit, Strider and Scholar and Pearl Diver you unlock the Spelunker credo, which unlocks access to a new machine construction that can help you make the special level 5+ mineholes. I am thinking that after getting down to level 5 (especially if they add some difficulty to this like adding hardness restrictions to making mineholes), you should have some fair mining industry. So maybe in order to advance beyond level 5 you should have to construct a siege-like construction called a Bedrock Drill. Made from various glues and steels and woods and all that good stuff. Maybe you can sort of prospect for a weak spot in the bedrock floor of level 5 and construct this big drill in pieces and run it like you would run a wrecking ball or ram. Just have 1 or multiple chars on it with high strength stats, or even hook bulls up to it and have them turn a massive drill for many hours or days to create a hole that you can use to make a minehole construction on afterwards.

After that the expansion can be endless and left for future development since the requirements to actually progress this far should take some real time. This could easily make way for various mystical metals and gems at lower levels. Think orichalcum and mythril and adamantine. Also, way more insanely difficult mobs. Themed slimes and trolls and worms. Deadly terrain and atmosphere. Various new liquids, plants, cheese maturing environments.

Maybe level 6-10 is not fire or ice but rather like junglesque mesozoic theme with dinosaur bones to mine out, oil, petrified artifacts and crazy dinosaur mobs and ancient plants that can only be farmed in this environment.

SO MANY POSSIBILITIES

[AntiBlitz]

i still like the idea of the lower levels being a chained shut hatch to some sort of hell with the spoops in it.

[MagicManICT]

Would it be rude of me to say "inb4 clown level"? (The DF players will know to what I refer.)

I saw this mentioned in the stream, and would love to see a deeper world. Metal qualities need to be balanced over that depth better, though. (Yeah, I know that ore quality doesn't mean jack at this point of the world, but it's a early-mid game thing that needs to be done right.)

[uudon]

Would it be rude of me to say "inb4 clown level"? (The DF players will know to what I refer.)

In this case we'd need Bananium ore on the clown level as well.

[Fierce_Deity]

I'd like a layer themed around crystals/gems in some way. There could be golem with a crystal in their chest that guard a larger crystal of some sort. Sort of like ants, but not very common and significantly stronger than creatures we currently have. The crystal they guard can be smashed for its core or just curios, and the crystal in the mobs chest could be harvested. Smaller roaming stone/crystal based mobs on the layer would be neat too.

In the past I've thought of having some deeper levels generating expansively connected cave systems that have limited mining and building allowed. I've kind of wanted a permanent dungeon as our deepest level for awhile that would simply be called The Labyrinth. Enterable with a unique minehole that requires some resource for each hearthling to use it. It would be large, but small compared to the worlds true size. So players wandering in there could have a chance of meeting others even if they entered from a location far away. Not sure what would go in it asides from tough mobs or creatures from any dungeon. Just a thought, would need a lot of fleshing out to be a better idea.

[KeiKei]

whew boys how about we actually flesh out the caves we do have first

dripping stalactites onto rocks with divets worn into them...

bats that actually move around not just sleep for 24 hours...

big holes in the floor, you could use a rope around a limestone stalagmite to get down but you have a small chance of slipping to your death so people would use mineholes anyway...

keep your goofy fantasy themes to all those other games you play

i appreciate how down to earth and grounded in reality haven and hearth actually is

[Dakkan]

dripping stalactites onto rocks with divets worn into them...

Visual effect, no "fleshing out" of anything.

bats that actually move around not just sleep for 24 hours...

Bat do occasionally flap around.

big holes in the floor, you could use a rope around a limestone stalagmite to get down but you have a small chance of slipping to your death so people would use mineholes anyway...

Chasm, been suggested at some point.

keep your goofy fantasy themes to all those other games you play

*Cue list of fantasy stuff already in the game, and that Jorb likes how the underground has more fantasy stuff to be discovered, unlike the surface which is preferred to be kept somewhat grounded.*

[Granger]

Putting the (already stored but currently unused) elevation into use to make the ground non-flat, combined with no terraforming allowed down there it would be impossible to erect walls and building everwhere. Underground should be harder than the surface, currently it's quite the opposit.

[wonder-ass]

Putting the (already stored but currently unused) elevation into use to make the ground non-flat, combined with no terraforming allowed down there it would be impossible to erect walls and building everwhere. Underground should be harder than the surface, currently it's quite the opposit.

what would happen if we somehow found the perfect area to set a wall and you cant place any wrecking balls cuz of elevation?
it would be almost impossible to raid.

[azrid]

no towers, windmills in caves
poisoning/death from too much fuel burning in caves(ovens, smelters)