Cheers

I set an initial block scaffold (single-plate block), then right-click-drill in to clear ahead of it, set another block, then right-click-drill again...rinse-and-repeat...for as deep a tunnel as you want. The scaffolds become the guide for the tunneler.

Nice one Mr Spiff. How do you drill the guide hole so straight, I'd end up drilling a long horse shoe shaped tunnel. (done it before a face palmer) Cheers mate.

Yeah, I wanted a simple yet effective tunneling ship because I often build underground to protect myself from hostile NPCs when I'm playing a survival game. In many ways it's much more complicated than I originally intended, but this version will tunnel on planets and in space, unlike the earlier version. I had it glitch awhile back where it simply would not tunnel properly. I don't know what happened, nor has the glitchiness repeated itself.

Thanks. I use it all the time in all environments. If you want to dig a really big tunnel, check out Bob's Big Bore Tunneler :
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2422990346

I never knew I would've needed this until I tried to dig a 1.5k tunnel.
I love it.

@Mr.Niche i'm on single player so i use the first ship to dig a basic tunnel and weld the rail. than back it out of the way than use this Tunneler. Or when my buddy is on one of us will use each ship.

so do i ;) but as i say it was months ago

No, it shouldn't matter. I've run the tunneler down both unfinished and finished armor blocks. Perhaps it's a multiplayer issue? I only every play single-player mode, so that could be a problem. I just guessing.

well as i said - it was quite a few months ago that i used it and my issue - even with the *Downward thrusters* it used to jutter about a bit - haven't played SE much at all since

but them i didn't do the *single rail* i was building my actually base platform as i went bit by bit... maybe its because the floor was *too made*? at the time but i doubt it

I wonder why? I use it all the time without any problem. Lay down a row of armor blocks as a rail (can just be a scaffold of 1 steel plate), align the tunneler over the blocks, move downward until you know all the suspensions are engaged, then hit {F8} to kick in the down thrusters (they stabilize it on the rail); moving slowly forward after selecting drills and right-clicking to clear.

@Talos how do you have it *following* the ship which builds the rail? won't the ship be in the way? ;)

haven't tried this in months (even with making a platform for it - it doesn't like to keep *flat* ;) )

maybe that has changed....

works nicely , i have this following another drill ship that builds the rail . keep up the great work

I'll give it a shot, it doesn't need to be perfect

Yeah, a leveling script should help a lot, but I found in my experience that they drift a bit. So if you're OK with your tunnel not being perfectly straight, go for it. Just advance your tunneler really, really slowly so it doesn't get knocked off-axis. Then you should be OK. Or not.

I only do survival as well with lots of enemy npcs lol, I got a small server I plan on with 2-3 friends and we are building as massive burrow bunker with this thing. Maybe this isn't the place however I had an idea for this skipjack. I want to build a larger hanger further up the mountain, instead of having to place down those rails could you not use the level script you use on the miners so you could essentially fly this thing leveled into the side of the mountain?

I *do* know those ships. I thought you'd done a decent job on them..

My ideas for builds are usually born while I'm playing a survival game, and usually by me saying, "How in the heck do I do this?" Most of the time I'm playing with lots of enemy NPCs, so I usually burrow underground like a tick on a hound. Skipjack was my solution to building tunnels and underground hangars and facilities quickly. Most of my ships have a specific purpose, and mostly don't pay a lot of attention to making them pretty, but instead highly functional. All my mining ships, for example, will carry a full load of ore, including the drills fully loaded. Because why not? Anyway, that's my design philosophy.

no i mean i wish there was a game mechanic/script which made it (once connected/forced to the horotzinal then it will move as if it has the blocks (perfectly flat) lol **I AM LAZY BUILDER** (i have had this game for near on 3 years? and i haven't been a**d to build my own vehicles (other than *Borg Ships and Bases :P You know the ones lol)

Yeah, it's not automated to build armor scaffolds, so you've got to lay the track. Sorry.

ohhh i get it now lol, i thought it would do ALL the work for me :P now i understand the mod... i guess its fair that i have to mine out room for 1.8k blocks for the floor first...

as awsome as this mod is.... with (8) turned on *downward thrust*... once you get to the end (beyond) the scaffold... it starts to sink (because its lost a soolid footing, and is forced downwards... is there any fix?

You bet. Sorry for the oversight. I usually don't miss basic features like that. Senility is catching up with me!

Awesome work! Thank you Spaceman Spiff!