Prospecting

Main / Skills / Prospecting

Description

Prospecting is the locating of ore veins in rock. To start prospecting, activate a Pickaxe and right-click a rocktile, select Mining -> Prospect.

• 1.0 prospecting skill gives you the ability to see where veins are and see where you can mine flint.
• 20.0 prospecting skill gives you the ability to see the quality of the ore vein.
• 40.0 prospecting skill gives you the ability to prospect salt.
• 60.0 prospecting skill gives you the ability to see when a vein will be depleted.
• You cannot prospect gems.
• All ores are regional. This means that when you prospect for example copper ore in a certain spot, there is a large chance that there will only be copper ore in a large area, and no other types of ore.
• Ores on the homeserver are capped at 50ql.

Types of prospect quality

Pretty bad - 1-30ql

Acceptable - 1-40*ql

Normal - 1-50*ql

Good - 1-60*ql

Very good - 1-70**ql

Utmost - 99ql

Note: * means results may vary by 5 or 10more ql. ** means the ql can vary to asmuch as 15ql, raising the max ql to 85

Messages for tile depletion

In decending order, 4 has plenty left, 1 is almost gone:

4: "only a few weeks mining remain here"

3: "The ore is starting to deplete"

2: "The ore will run out soon"

1: "you should start to prospect for another vein of this ore"

Prosecting Guide (large rockface)

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   | o |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 
|   |   |   | 3 | 2 | 1 |<--| X |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

X = no prospect of that ore
<-- = last tile you did get a prospect
3 = I recomend you start mining here

Realise that the world is 2 dimensional. All the rock and ore tiles are pillars, they are not cubes. You can ignore the height of mountains when prospecting. Only North/South/West/East matter.

When you prospect on the surface, you can detect ore in an area of 7x7 area around you. That's 3 tiles in all directions from the tile you are prospecting. Prospecting inside a cave is not done to find ores, but to tell specific details about the tile you are prospecting.

When you prospect e.g. iron ore on the sruface that means that somewhere within a range of 3 tiles around you (including the tiles behind you) an iron vein is located. You then try to find the tiles where you can no longer prospect the ore. You need to find one North or Side edge, and one East or West edge.

Then count 3 tiles from both those edges and the tile you end up with is the ore vein.

You cannot mine the vein tile directly from the surface. If you try to mine the vein tile from the surface you will get the message You fail to produce anything, the rock is stone hard. You will have to start tunneling in the tile next to vein.

Sometimes grass, dirt or other tile types hinder the prospecting. Try to find a large rockface to ease prospecting.

Uzetaab's Guide

Alternative for if you do not have a large rockface to prospect.

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   | X |   |   |   | 3
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   | X |   |   |   | 2
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| X | X | X | X | X | X |X  | 1
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   | o |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
  3   2   1 | # | 1   2   3
            +---+

You will have to reveal all the tiles in a 7x7 area to find the vein.
‘O’ the tile you prospected
‘X’ tiles that need to be mined out
‘#’ you

Note that I left 2 rows of tiles unmined between mined rows. This increases your chances of finding a 2nd vein that is beyond the reach of prospect. As you expand your mine, this pattern should be continued and expanded reveal all the tiles in your mines area.
--Uzetaab 15:10, February 19, 2006 (CST)

Kiro's guide

Click here to read Kiro's guide ^^

See also

Mining