Tips and tricks for digging passages for boats?

[Swato85]

Are there today any tricks or tools that help with building passages or making rivers bigger so that you can squeeze your ships through?
Is the manual digging with pickaxe and ground flatening (lowering) with hoe still the only option?

We have a nice big lake inland and we can broaden and deepen the river for longboat, but I have doubts whether we can adjust the river for drakar just by picking as deep as possible and then trying to affect further depths with the hoe.

Any tricks or something new that can be used for this? Have not played for approximately a year and half.

Basicaly the question is whether there is a way how to dig and pick in deeper water (hoe has its limits). Deeper-I dont mean sea/ocean deep but depth that forces you to swim.

[Calico-Jack]

use ladders - they let you stand in deep water and use tools

[JimmyEatSquirrel]

There are limits and yeah. this is tough to do. In some cases when there is a storm the water will rise and fall dramatically and you can pick a little deeper by swimming and then picking in the split second when your feet touch the ground, but its tough to get it right. Not always the case on rivers though.

Im guessing there is a way with mods or dev commands but I dont use those.

GL

[Calico-Jack]

Originally posted by JimmyEatSquirrel:

In some cases when there is a storm the water will rise and fall dramatically

I have a forward mini-base somewhere that turns into an indoor surfing establishment in stormy weather :D

Stick down a wooden pole, pop a floor tile on top of it and climb on to it, build out until the tile you place starts turning yellow, or you reach your desired point, slap a ladder on the side of the floor tile.

From there you can add either more wooden poles to support the tile (cycle through the build modes so the attachment point is "bottom") and /or more ladders.

[Swato85]

Originally posted by Calico-Jack:

use ladders - they let you stand in deep water and use tools

I can use hoe from raft I believe, and the pickaxe is not useable unless your feet are touching the ground.

[Swato85]

Originally posted by JimmyEatSquirrel:

There are limits and yeah. this is tough to do. In some cases when there is a storm the water will rise and fall dramatically and you can pick a little deeper by swimming and then picking in the split second when your feet touch the ground, but its tough to get it right. Not always the case on rivers though.

Im guessing there is a way with mods or dev commands but I dont use those.

GL

Yeah, I am also against usig dev tools and other cheats. The shore wave movement is highest at the islands edges, it does not change much in rivers and lakes. We had a base previously on the outer shoreline but with storms causing ships to crash all around and port getting suddenly submerged 4-5m, that was a quite a dumb location, but we learnes our lesson and went inland for a more stable port. Its just the paths that we will need to modify, or dig some artificial canal too 😁

[Calico-Jack]

Originally posted by Swato85:

I can use hoe from raft I believe, and the pickaxe is not useable unless your feet are touching the ground.

I mean ladders as in the building item. When you stand on them you are not subject to water physics, even if you are in water. The same technique is also useful for retrieving items.

Originally posted by Calico-Jack:

Stick down a wooden pole, pop a floor tile on top of it and climb on to it, build out until the tile you place starts turning yellow, or you reach your desired point, slap a ladder on the side of the floor tile.

From there you can add either more wooden poles to support the tile (cycle through the build modes so the attachment point is "bottom") and /or more ladders.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3573954403
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3573956329

[JimmyEatSquirrel]

Originally posted by Calico-Jack:

Originally posted by JimmyEatSquirrel:

In some cases when there is a storm the water will rise and fall dramatically

I have a forward mini-base somewhere that turns into an indoor surfing establishment in stormy weather :D

Stick down a wooden pole, pop a floor tile on top of it and climb on to it, build out until the tile you place starts turning yellow, or you reach your desired point, slap a ladder on the side of the floor tile.

From there you can add either more wooden poles to support the tile (cycle through the build modes so the attachment point is "bottom") and /or more ladders.

Wow i need to try this. I had to read this a couple times haha.

[JimmyEatSquirrel]

Originally posted by Swato85:

Originally posted by JimmyEatSquirrel:

There are limits and yeah. this is tough to do. In some cases when there is a storm the water will rise and fall dramatically and you can pick a little deeper by swimming and then picking in the split second when your feet touch the ground, but its tough to get it right. Not always the case on rivers though.

Im guessing there is a way with mods or dev commands but I dont use those.

GL

Yeah, I am also against usig dev tools and other cheats. The shore wave movement is highest at the islands edges, it does not change much in rivers and lakes. We had a base previously on the outer shoreline but with storms causing ships to crash all around and port getting suddenly submerged 4-5m, that was a quite a dumb location, but we learnes our lesson and went inland for a more stable port. Its just the paths that we will need to modify, or dig some artificial canal too 😁

I almost always build on the shore. But not any shore. The shore area needs the right type of drop off into the water for a good dock. If its a gradual slope with a shallow shore or reeds and lilly pads your boat will get tossed around during bad weather. I look for a deep water drop off and then build a dock using stone ( or core wood till i get stone). Using Calico's technique would likely be a big help. Tiny peninsulas that reach out into the water also work really well.

Hope it works out for ya. Skal!

[Calico-Jack]

Originally posted by JimmyEatSquirrel:

Wow i need to try this. I had to read this a couple times haha.

I posted pics a bit further down to illustrate what I meant. Usually if the ladder can reach the bottom you'll be able to pick away. Also good for dealing with rocks that are shipping hazards.

[Ironheart]

place a wagon jump in and ride it into the water. you now have a mobile aquatic platform to use a hoe or build out away from shore. to move it you just walk in the desired direction and collision physics force it in that direction.

[Faceplant]

Are you sure the Drakar has a lower draft?

I tried to test it, but it took me a while to find one of my Drakar, and then sailed to a sufficiently shallow spot, and realized that I didn't have a pickaxe!

That said, the spot that I bottomed it at at was still walkable. I believe (at least) the longship has a draft just less that what you can touch your tows onto, and this seemed similar.

I usually just dig around with the pickaxe until I start floating, in several places, then start at a lower spot that I can still touch, and start hoeing.

[JimmyEatSquirrel]

I think the Drakkar does have a bit more draft. But at this point its only purpose is to sail around the ashlands seas so dont see why OP would need to take it up a river or canal.

[Swato85]

Originally posted by JimmyEatSquirrel:

I think the Drakkar does have a bit more draft. But at this point its only purpose is to sail around the ashlands seas so dont see why OP would need to take it up a river or canal.

Its answered in the description. When you have a huge town serving as your Main base and port and its located around a lake INLAND so you can get there only over the lake, then your only route is over the lake if you want to deliver your resources. Building a second port, unloading stuff on to carzs and bringing them over roads to the mainland quite sucks and loses the atmosphere.

[knighttemplar1960]

Originally posted by Swato85:

Originally posted by JimmyEatSquirrel:

I think the Drakkar does have a bit more draft. But at this point its only purpose is to sail around the ashlands seas so dont see why OP would need to take it up a river or canal.

Its answered in the description. When you have a huge town serving as your Main base and port and its located around a lake INLAND so you can get there only over the lake, then your only route is over the lake if you want to deliver your resources. Building a second port, unloading stuff on to carzs and bringing them over roads to the mainland quite sucks and loses the atmosphere.

Still don't have to bring the Drakkar back. You only have to use it to get there. Once you are in Ashlands you unlock portals that will let you portal everything.

[Swato85]

Originally posted by knighttemplar1960:

Originally posted by Swato85:

Its answered in the description. When you have a huge town serving as your Main base and port and its located around a lake INLAND so you can get there only over the lake, then your only route is over the lake if you want to deliver your resources. Building a second port, unloading stuff on to carzs and bringing them over roads to the mainland quite sucks and loses the atmosphere.

Still don't have to bring the Drakkar back. You only have to use it to get there. Once you are in Ashlands you unlock portals that will let you portal everything.

We are not rushing the game. We revisit, do mining missions. Drakar is perfect Hauler so it befits us greatlyl. Portals are not everything and we like expeditions.