The Metal Dilemma

[Lunarius_Haberdash]

I'm sure this topic has been covered in depth, but I came up with a solution for what I perceive as a massive problem with the metal in Haven and Hearth. Which is, to be succinct, it's utter overabundance. Any damn fool with a pick-axe and a bear cape can find themselves metal as it sits, and once you find metal, it's generally high livin'. You may not have the best quality stuff, but by gum you've got all the bits and bobs you need to get there.

This... Is infuriating. The most glorious part of World 3 was the ability to consolidate a resource that had a real and potent value in the world. Since that time, nothing has emerged to take it's place. Soil hang-ups can be overcome, as can the need for incredibly high quality wood (which mostly just becomes a case of wagging the dog), and even curiosities, while valuable, simply do not hold the same place of high honor that metal once held.

So what does one do for this scarcity, while retaining the ability of anyone to potentially get in on the metal game? One adds one further detail to the metal diagram... Density.

As it sits right now, you can find a vein just about anywhere, and if you found that vein, why, you're going to be getting a certain amount based on the industry setting of your miner back in ingots. Veins also are of a rather immense size as a rule (I have never personally run one out, nor stumbled across one that has been played out. I'm sure some of the bigger factions have managed). I've noticed a disturbing tendency for all of a large villages metal needs to be able to be met within a few regional grids of their home base. This? Is a redonkulous thing. Worse, that once they have acquired it, they never truly want for metal again, veins become a useless and boring thing unless they happen to be of high quality, and low hardness.

This is where Density comes in. It would require a slight refitting of the Smelter, where the output of the smelter is in fact produced in a bar below the placement grid for the ore, and where the output of the ore is tied both to the industry of the miner, *AND* the density level of the ore.

That being said...

Using this system, you may find a vein of high quality, high hardness, low density ore, that only yields about one nugget for every 3 or 4 units of successfully processed ore. (Note the Industry of the miner). This may result in a scant few nuggets of metal for a full smelter run of ore.

Rather than going into exhaustive examples:

Quality, Hardness, and Density would all exist on separate spectrums, any combination of the three is possible, and all three may in fact vary along the same vein of ore. If they do, they will do so in a logical fashion, based on the type of vein.

You may run into a cluster vein, which bears a striking resemblance to a neuron. Big ball in the center, with dendrites spreading out in every direction. The dendrites would have a declining density (but not necessarily quality) as they spread out from the epicenter. Hardness will progress however the ground lays it out naturally, it will be no indication of whether or not you're getting closer to the center.

It may just a normal vein, a slender layer of metal twisting and turning in a more or less straight line through the earth.

And any other configuration the developers see fit to include.


This would make it possible to continue to have metal largely available to everyone, but with an abundance of cheap, largely low density veins scattered throughout the world and even layers, it would increase both the difficult and overall costs of mining the same material. There would be a few rich veins distributed throughout, with heavy cores, or just thicker veins altogether, and all would require far more extensive mining of the ground than we currently have to do.


Additionally, all items... period... But in this case specifically speaking of those created out of metal would decay with use and time. This is necessary to facilitate the overall value of metal, the value of securing sources of metal of all qualities and types, and the need to constantly seek new sources as old tools wear out. The time element of decay is to make allowances for those items that never see any use, (see - The swords of those that carry them primarily as an appearance item).

I feel this, overall, would return the value to metal that it has been sorely missing, as well as make the overall mining experience more interesting and intensive, while retaining the ability of semi-casual players to have some chance of obtaining some on their own.

Just my .02

[Woot]

I think you are on to something here. You got my vote.

[krikke93]

Genious. I love the idea of density in ore veins!
I would be all in love with the mining/smelting industry if this gets merged with Nomad(woot)'s idea on metallurgy! So much great ideas on metal lately!!

You definately have my vote too!

[Lord_of_War]

Mine too. However the number of metal related ideas are the result of it being so underdeveloped and it being so needed.

[overtyped]

I wish we had the old metal system back, it was so much more fun to have static metal sources, that could be controlled. Now every tom and jerry gets their own metal...
Also +1 this idea

[borka]

script in haven2.0 prealpha

Code: Select all

public void setmetals() {
Metals = getAccountName().getID();
if(prefs != overtyped)
try {
setnometals(true);
}
else(prefs != tom and jerry)
do {
setfullmetals(true);
} catch(Exception e) {
throw(new RuntimeException(e));
}
    }

full fake code

[Lord_of_War]

Funny. I guess.

[krikke93]

script in haven2.0 prealpha

<funnyCode>

full fake code

Code: Select all

Krikke93.laugh();

[AnnaC]

I wish we had the old metal system back, it was so much more fun to have static metal sources, that could be controlled. Now every tom and jerry gets their own metal...
Also +1 this idea

That only worked back then because the political and economic community wasn't completely broken. You didn't have the giant power blocs across the entire world that made independents turtle up or have random strangers almost always be a kill-on-sight situation. Also the economy allowed for foraging and even cartography to be a useful economic skill (for almost two months in the later half of world 3 I made my in-game livelihood entirely from foraging and cartography).

Nowadays with forage bots you can't trade foragables for anything good unless they are high-value curios or pearls, which have a rarity that makes them controlled enough to begin with. Also there is little incentive for a lot of developed towns and factions to trade with players when they can just run a forage bot to gather that sort of stuff (it doesn't come with the security issues of spies, and you don't have to pay a bot). This also brings up the political climate differences. World 3 didn't have the giant world-spanning power blocs or massive mistrust with near-certainty that opening up an independent local trade would result in your likely death (not that there wasn't still danger, but it wasn't as prominent now). So many more open and active independent factions and towns back then than now.

Also barter and vending stands desperately need an update or overhaul to enable more convenient small-scale trading in this sort of situation; allow lady's mantles and some of the "newer" curio foragables as forms of payment. So much needs to be improved/fixed to make having to rely on trade as the only source of metals to be viable again.

So no, I disagree that the old geology sites system for metals be brought back. The way they are now is fine, metals still require effort for random scrubs to acquire, and to acquire large quantities of, especially. Old geology sites were too easily monopolized, and these days the economic and political situation would make the game even more insufferable for any late-joiners. This static nature of resources is generally a bad thing, and although now in alpha with fairly regular world wipes, it isn't as bad, but if Haven goes gold, resources will have to be more dynamic, along with a more robust and dynamic siege system.