Spawn more mines?

[Fantastication]

What we need instead, IMO, is another stage of equipment that does not require metal. Hardened wood equipment using wax or oil, Higher Quality construction making a difference in things like plows, stone bladed scythes made with obsidian from mountain deposits, wooden shovels, etc.

This is the issue. It's not that everyone needs a mine, it's not that most people should be able to trade away metal, it's that there's basically two sorts of people, those with metal and those without. A metal plow is so very much faster than a wooden one at the moment, once you've used metal it's hard to use wood without cringing a little. Same with metal cauldrons (no wait? yes please!), same with shovels and scythes (both only available with metal), same with cellars, extra keys, keyrings etc (why I can't use a strip of leather as a keyring is beyond me).

Rather than just keep adding mines, I'd alter the metal gathering process or bring other options in, like BWithey has mentioned.

A change I'd like to see would be small amounts of metal findable by methods other than owning a buttload of metal in a mine. Instead of rustroot+prospecting only finding a motherload or nothing at all, maybe each use of rustroot has a chance of giving a random type of nugget or ore as well as point out where mines are. That way you can introduce small amounts of metals (enough for hermits/isolated people to get the quality of life metal tools and be able to maintain them, with a bunch of work), doesn't have to be enough to equip every villager with . Perhaps it could be quality limited or some other thing to keep mines as valuable as they are, while still offering some options for do-it-yourselfers.

I've spent the last two days searching for mines, including every cave I find, random wilderness spawning and travelling the outer supergrids, still nothing. Half the mines I come across are in dead/virtually dead villages and claims, all undetectable by prospecting. I don't think mine decay or more mines would fix the issue, since you'd still just get people claiming them for the sake of controlling them. Sure you can trade for them, if you can get somewhere without getting killed/lost/completely-bored-of-travelling-supergrids-until-you-find-someone-who's-active-enough-to-trade.


TL;DR: Do not need more mines. Need more alternatives to metal or the ablilty to scrape together small amounts for the quality of life tools.

[Jackard]

Need more alternatives to metal or the ablilty to scrape together small amounts for the quality of life tools.

which has already been suggested and they are already planning to implement

i don't think ive seen a single original idea lately

[Fantastication]

Need more alternatives to metal or the ablilty to scrape together small amounts for the quality of life tools.

which has already been suggested and they are already planning to implement

i don't think ive seen a single original idea lately

I, uh...

"Hay guis, I think the game could be changed a bit. <insert specifics>"
"Pfft, people have said the game could be changed a bit, abloo abloo, have an original idea!"

I have an original idea for you Jackard: You're intelligent, charming and witty.

I doubt anyone will have ever thought that before, so you're safe, you can be interested now.

[Wolfang]

This idea would under'mine' the entire economy.

[Fantastication]

What economy?

If you have a mine, you've got all of that type of metal you'll ever need, and there's not a great deal that you need metal for as an ongoing cost except repairing metal plows/cauldrons and making armour.

Cave bulbs are the defacto currency that I've seen, and since you can never have enough food (i.e. stats aren't hardcapped), cavebulbs and the like are a better currency. A couple of days ago in 'nople, nobody had stands up buying metal, there were a few selling metal, but there were far more people taking payments in cavebulbs than trading in metal (selling resources, clothing etc). There were more people buying chantrelles than trading in metal bars.

With a near infinte supply of metals existing already, there's no real difference if you add a bit more in. The only change would be that people without mines would have more options if they wanted a keyring.

[Wolfang]

Oh god, I don't even feel like explaining...

You want a mine? Go find one.

[Fantastication]

TL;DR: Do not need more mines. Need more alternatives to metal or the ablilty to scrape together small amounts for the quality of life tools.

I guess the TL;DR was too long, so you didn't read it.

[Wolfang]

I did read it, and it's the exact same post as every other noob without a mine(s).

[Fantastication]

I think you've still missed the point.

If you have a mine, you have no problem, but if you don't have a mine (and this will be more and more people as time goes on), then you need another alternative if you can't get to somewhere to trade for metal.

Alternatively: Other people having metal too isn't going to kill you.

Edit:
Second alternative: You're just saying what every mine owner says when the limited availability of mines is mentioned. Gogo jumping to conclusions!

[Wolfang]

Have you considered the devs have made mines scarce on purpous? To make it harder? So you HAVE to trade for metal stuff(=economy)?

This game should be made harder, not easier.