How do reinforcement beams work?

[justsomeoneelse]

I've been digging for some time now and like to think that I got the hang of the game, but I can't figure seem to figure out what "Reinforcement Beams" do. They stay around after earthquakes, but there are new tiles above and below them. What are they supposed to do and how should they be applied? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[vivan]

Yes, staying after earthquakes is what they do. You can travel throught them. They don't protect anything around, only their own tile. Their main application is making vertical shaft (unneffected by earthquakes), so that you can travel between different depths faster.

[justsomeoneelse]

Ahh. Thanks for the pointer. I assumed that they somehow could be used to prop up a cavern to avoid cave ins. Thinking about it: if I put beam _everywhere_ that would do the job. Maybe overkill. Thanks!