Alpha 15 - Mining

[NotArtyom]

If someone can help, how do i find ore, notrate and other veins, the new update changed something, thanks for the answers.

[...👑 JOST AMMAN 👑...]

You need to start a new game with A15 stable to have everything working right.

Once you do you can find iron, lead, coal and potassium nitrate in small quantites inside every small boulder you see on the ground. For larger quantities it's biome dependent (see release notes for details).

[Dies Fourth]

Gotta find gravel now, mining under your base in a random spot is ineffective and a waste of time.

Its all about the gravel now ( besides above ground teaser piles ).

[NotArtyom]

Originally posted by Jost Amman:

You need to start a new game with A15 stable to have everything working right.

Once you do you can find iron, lead, coal and potassium nitrate in small quantites inside every small boulder you see on the ground. For larger quantities it's biome dependent (see release notes for details).

Thank you bro, but if you can spare any tip about finding the veins...

Originally posted by Dies Fourth:

Gotta find gravel now, mining under your base in a random spot is ineffective and a waste of time.

Its all about the gravel now ( besides above ground teaser piles ).

Nice! Gotta look for gravel? Ok!

[ivor]

So, let me get this straight... right now i have a base on top of a hotel. i dug until rock bottom straight down and found gravel. following the gravel i ran into a lead vein. On the surface, i find a lot of spots (patches if you like) of lead as well. Does this mean i won't find an iron ore vein in this biome? or, say, cole? because in this stadium i need iron bad. lead will come later of course, but if i understand correctly, i'd better pick another biome for my mining for the moment? follows another question: what are the give-away's on the surface for iron ore biome's?

[identity001]

Originally posted by ivor:

So, let me get this straight... right now i have a base on top of a hotel. i dug until rock bottom straight down and found gravel. following the gravel i ran into a lead vein. On the surface, i find a lot of spots (patches if you like) of lead as well. Does this mean i won't find an iron ore vein in this biome? or, say, cole? because in this stadium i need iron bad. lead will come later of course, but if i understand correctly, i'd better pick another biome for my mining for the moment? follows another question: what are the give-away's on the surface for iron ore biome's?

I would like to know this as well.

[Sapper]

If people look in the journal entry for mining in game it will tell you which biomes for which ores, every ore has a small chance of spawning in each biome but but a higher chance in specific biomes.

not sure when people stopped looking in the help files

[ZomBeGone]

Iron ore veins can be found in all biomes. It is usually mixed in with and below the gravel. Further down below that will be the ore of that biome usually. Its all random so your milage may vary.

Also, its not good to dig too much under your base. I would suggest a side tunnel to the mine. Structual Integrity (or lack of it) might cause a building collapse.

Mountain sides where they cut into a mountain for a road will often show iron veins, and can be a good easy source.

[Dies Fourth]

Originally posted by Sapper89:

If people look in the journal entry for mining in game it will tell you which biomes for which ores, every ore has a small chance of spawning in each biome but but a higher chance in specific biomes.

not sure when people stopped looking in the help files

This is 100% correct.

The ingame journal gives all the info needed. We havent played in months ( waiting for 16 ) but if i remember correctly coal is found in the snow biome. Like sapper said its poddible to be in any biome but its always found in the snow.

In the snow you cant see or hear the gravel so you basically need to dig down/around until you find gravel then follow it wherever it goes. No matter what biome your in gravel is the key, find it and follow it. When walking or running gravel makes a " crunchy " sound thats very easy to hear once you figure out what your listening for.

[identity001]

I have 200 hours on this game and have never seen a gravel spot on the map.

[vv [FuMM]]

Gravel spots are really hard to see on the map or near impossible because you can't zoom in far enough to see them.

[YamaKami]

Originally posted by identity001:

I have 200 hours on this game and have never seen a gravel spot on the map.

Yes you have. You just did not know it was gravel lol

[Kunovega]

Originally posted by vv FuMM:

Gravel spots are really hard to see on the map or near impossible because you can't zoom in far enough to see them.

I can see them just fine, zoom in closer. they are a different shade of grey, like almost greyish-tan colored squares

Standard grey squares are boulders, black is stone, greyish-tan is gravel, tan or light brown is roads, etc

Unsure of the color I'm talking about? Find a gravel road, see that color? Now look at all the the little scattered squares of that color, thats gravel spots, they are everywhere, just dont confuse them with boulders

And no I'm not talking about "brown" brown is clay, sand is more of a light brown or yellow. asphalt is another shade, If you find a gravel road going through sand plains you'll see the color variation more clearly

Once you figure out the precise color of tan I'm talking about you'll find gravel eveywhere on the map

Here's some examples you can test yourself in game: find an asphalt road that has gravel along the edges like this:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=905991787

Notice how there's even a couple of blocks away from the edge of the road?

Now look at the map above where the character arrow is pointing at:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=905991866

See how the gravel along the side of the road is visible? See how the couple of gravel spots shown in the first screenshot are visible as the same color off to the side of the road?

Once you learn what color you are looking for, you'll notice that those patches are everywhere, and easy to find on the map. You are likely confusing them with boulders until you train yourself to see the different shades of grey and tan as actually meaning something

[ivor]

well in the middle of my hotel roof there's this topside window. if you look (or fall, as i did) you'll see all the way down to the lobby (and broke a leg of course, but did get the evel knievel thingy there) Below that is the parking lot and through it and the parking lot floor i dug a hole as big as the window all the way down. if a feral falls down there, one bash with spiked club is enough to kill it after that fall. all else just drops dead :) anyway, drifting off topic...

Thanks for the tip about the journal. now i'm just curious, is the little bit of iron i receive when i destroy a stone block all the iron ore i can expect? or should i keep going and find a iron ore vein?

Redundant to say, (then why do it? because i can lol) i did like the old way of mining better. usually in Alpha 12 & 13 i was already 15 blocks down on day 1. also, underground, in the light of my mining helmet, it's hard to distinguish anything nowadays where in earlier versions, it was clear what you were hacking at.

[Kunovega]

Originally posted by ivor:

well in the middle of my hotel roof there's this topside window. if you look (or fall, as i did) you'll see all the way down to the lobby (and broke a leg of course, but did get the evel knievel thingy there) Below that is the parking lot and through it and the parking lot floor i dug a hole as big as the window all the way down. if a feral falls down there, one bash with spiked club is enough to kill it after that fall. all else just drops dead :) anyway, drifting off topic...

Thanks for the tip about the journal. now i'm just curious, is the little bit of iron i receive when i destroy a stone block all the iron ore i can expect? or should i keep going and find a iron ore vein?

Redundant to say, (then why do it? because i can lol) i did like the old way of mining better. usually in Alpha 12 & 13 i was already 15 blocks down on day 1. also, underground, in the light of my mining helmet, it's hard to distinguish anything nowadays where in earlier versions, it was clear what you were hacking at.

Destroying stone blocks is among the worst ways to get iron

Even breaking up boulders (not stone) nets you more iron

And yes, beyond that there are actual iron viens that are 100% iron, they look like rust, you'll know them when you hit them and it will break like metal

You either need to find a mine/cave that has some exposed or just start diggind down, it's everywhere

I get bored and pick a mountain, then flatten the mountain and than keep strip mining the mountain into a hole in the ground

Or just chase any other ore, I'll make a nitrate mine in the snow biome and for every 1000 nitrate I mine there's typically 10,000 iron nearby (and even more stone...)

Once you get used to finding iron viens you'll be bringing it home 1000's at a time

[ivor]

ok, thanks. i'll have to be more persistant then.

Here's a view from my hotel down... for those who like it lol
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=905996862