5 story Mine Basement question

Apologies if this has been asked and answered before, but I'm curious about the 5 story mine basement, and if it will be possible to actually mine ore in the basement.

Has anything been written or recorded about this?

Thanks in advance.

 

There have been some discussions amongst the community about such, however nothing involving anyone official.

Most consider it to be too exploitable, since it lacks any sort of risk factor... Unless one wants to start spawning monsters in your basement, that is. And even that could be used for exploitable purposes.

 

Why should there be a "Risk Factor?" And, are you talking purely PvE Risks or are we talking about a return to the bad old days of the early days of Ultima Online and getting ganked in the woods by anyone who happened to pass by, and losing your house because you had your key looted off your corpse?

 

Hmm... I believe we have significantly different concepts on what a "game" is meant to be, so I honestly cannot answer that question for you.

I'll let someone else take a stab at it.

As an aside: If you have Dev+ access, here is the other thread I was referring to : https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/village-mine-5-story-basement.4267/

 

I would say there's no PvE risk factor, no PvP risk factor (not trying to open a can of worms, just IF this exists at all for miners), potentially a lack of competition for resources (depending if just your mine spawns or if the area your mine is in has a finite amount of resources).

Even the time factor would help. Log on, be mining 5 seconds later, rather than running across to other areas to mine.

 

I'm not quite sure of the answer to this either, but I can understand the whole risk vs reward argument being thrown in here. The convenience factor is way up there. How can we "fix" this?

I immediately thought of Gargoyle Pickaxes. What if the deeper down you went in your basement, the more likely a monster would appear, but not just when mining but also just for being in the basement depths. Obviously timers, spawn amounts, home range, withdraw and other settings would have to tinkered with, but this would at least add a sense of adventure in your mining basement while providing the monster spawns some people wanted in player basements. This monsters that spawn would also be found throughout the world, so no crying foul towards home owners.

Being the avid miner I am, I can wield a pickaxe for hours but to be honest, I enjoy the random moments of excitement when I wandered upon a group of monsters and had to either kill them or strategically maneuver them away from where I wanted to mine.

 

I don't mind that idea but the pure crafter/miners amongst us may disagree.

I'm sure it can be balanced with longer spawn times or only basic ore being mine-able.

Interesting case though and I DO like the idea

 

Heh. I just had "fun" while mining in Felucca with my GM blacksmith. He can wield a sword - a bit - but he's not great. Then when a valorite elemental pops up it's a bit of a party pooper!!

Luckily this time I was able to send out a distress call and a few seriously powerful people came to my aid. I was immensely grateful

 

Here is a discussion from IRC in December regarding mining in basements, and the related issue of gardening. I have highlighted the mining specific stuff, but it's all worth reading for the context.

[15:38] <+vjek> DarkStarr: any chance for underground/basement/mine farming, if we want to have a big house?
[15:40] <+Envy> Talking about a mine. Is the plan that the village mine basement will actually be functional or is it deco?
[15:41] <~DarkStarr> Vjek: We have discussed such things but we have to balance that with the risk that players would never leave thier property and not interact with each other
[15:41] <+vjek> just having underground gardens?
[15:41] <+vjek> i mean, i know gardening can be attractive but... heheheh
[15:41] <+Death-Knell> What? I can't be a crazy hermit
[15:42] <+Belgeran> plants can't grow without light vjek, flame light doesn't cut it
[15:42] <+vjek> mushroom farms?
[15:42] <+vjek> magic lights?
[15:42] <+LoneStranger> With mining, I'd expect it to be limited to the lowest of the items, with extremely small chances of anything better. More of a convenience for low-level crafting.
[15:42] <+vjek> magic "full spectrum sun lights"
[15:42] <+Envy> Magic mushrooms?
[15:43] <+Astrobia> Actually flame light does cut it, but only for some plants. Potatoes will grow anywhere.
[15:44] <~DarkStarr> Envy: same answer. cool but has to be balanced with having players not get isolated from each other
[15:44] <+Brama_work> So, forced interaction is a design decision? I thought it was, play how you want?
[15:45] <+Belgeran> well flames can have the right spectrum, but their lumun output isnt going to cut it for much lol
[15:45] <+vjek> ------magic sun lights------
06[15:45] * +vjek waves his hands in a magicy gesture
[15:46] <+vjek> why is having more dirt to grow your stuff isolating yourself? how are we getting from garden to hermit in one step?
[15:46] <+Envy> DarkStarr: assuming that there could be different types/grades or ore, would it be an idea to allow the mining but the production would be the lowest grade ore with a low chance of it being useable (just seems cool for it to function in a limited way)
[15:46] <+Belgeran> farming does make sense though, but mining sounds perfect to afk mine in my house
[15:47] <+LoneStranger> Envy - That's how I'd envision it for mining. Lowest possible. Gardening, however, should not be limited. I'd expect some things to want the dark.
[15:47] <+vjek> LoneStranger: sure, and some things want magic light. magic things! like.. reagents, maybe?
[15:48] <+vjek> consumables... rare plants that grew under the glow of an obsidian moon shard?
[15:48] <+Brama_work> like IRL: nightshade?
[15:49] <~DarkStarr> Brama: Not forced but we want people to go out into the world, not just stay at home. We want some risk associated with gathering. The suggestion to limit to low grade might be the right balance.
[15:50] <+Brama_work> yeah make it "undesirable" just not forced per se
[15:50] <+Brama_work> you want to be a hermit, sure, you dont get the "great" stuff
[15:51] <+vjek> ok, but what other point is there to a garden, small farm, or dirt than to grow stuff. I mean, if you're giving up the above ground lot space for something other than a house, what are you gaining by that sacrifice?
[15:52] <+Astrobia> Oh that raises a question. DarkStarr will there be community gardens for those without access to a yard?
[15:53] <~DarkStarr> Astrobia: Good question. We will have to come up with something like that for sure.
[15:54] <+Death-Knell> way back in kick starter that was discussed, having farms for the masses that is
[15:55] <+Envy> Astrobia: They could create community allotments for a small rental price
[15:55] <~DarkStarr> vjek: It will be a balance. Some plants can only be cultivated while others only grow in the wild
[15:56] <+vjek> ok, so... hehehe, do some of the wild plants grow in caves or caverns, DarkStarr ?
[15:57] <~DarkStarr> vjek: Yes
[15:57] <+vjek> and, so, thusly, ergo... basements?
[15:57] <~DarkStarr> I like the idea so it will get some extra weight but let me discuss internally before getting your hopes too high
[15:58] <+vjek> no reason why it can't require consumables to restock soil, water, temperature, all that good stuff
[15:59] <~DarkStarr> vjek: I see what you did there

 

Thanks, LS. Looks like we're on the right wavelength

 

If they are going to let ppl with tiny lots have huge basements why not alleviate the biggest housing problem and let poor sobs like me that have to wait until launch buy a small footprint plot 2x2 hole in the ground that is a big cave underground

 

Fair point.

 

Your cave might be only as big as the size of the surface area. So on a 2x2 sq m plot this could be a really claustrophobic experience .

 

Not everyone needs a cave mansion sheesh. Oppulent aristocrats. A fire and a bucket is all a man needs

 

I still think they ought to have 'campsites'... take, say, one city sized lot, and split it up into ten or fifteen little bitty lots, and let people rent those by the week or so. Just enough size for, say, a tent, or a little gypsy varda. Then make those fully "self contained" so that when you're done in that location, you can pack it all up (into a deed) and move to the next town and when you rent a lot there, boom, all your stuff. Basically, make a "mini" sized lot and housing.

 

Yeah there is no reason to not do this other than restricting lots because they want to herd everyone into buying the expensive plots. Your and my idea fit within the lore franework and would give everyone else in the majority a chance to own something.

 

Gah... starting to regret that I dropped a load of cash on this, hoping that it would be better than what UO turned into... Hopefully they've learned from what went before.

And perhaps, NRaas, my concept of what a game is is different from yours, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I'd like a place where I can be the master of my domain, without fighting for it every time I leave my house like I did in UO. I do this for entertainment, and relaxation, and it's fantasy.

I step out into the real world every day where I work to make money and pay my mortgage, and feed my wife and kids and have all the normal responsibilities of an adult breadwinner in our society. I don't really want to recreate that for entertainment... That's one reason I dropped the cash to insure that I would have a rent free house and property in perpetuity (Until the servers shut down) where I could come and play or not as I choose, and not add and additional Job to my life to support another house.

Along the same lines, I hope that PvP will be entirely optional, and have to be consented to by all involved parties, without the complexities that were present in UO where people could be set up and/or tricked into PvP against their will.

In short, this is entertainment, and I don't find entering into a world where there is MORE strife than in my real life particularly relaxing or entertaining.

Thanks for the responses.

 

Never suggested that it was. We are all free to host our own opinions.

 

Are you referring this to the mine basement?

If so I don't see how you're missing what you're looking for?

Assuming you can mine in the basement on your own, unopposed, it just looks like it won't be a 'golden goose'. As in you will have to venture out sometimes? This is to leave mining balanced for the in game economy, as well as encourage the social aspect.

So it sounds like u can get what u want with single player online, plus your house/basement. It just may not be as lucrative as you hoped?

Not having a go at all so hope it doesn't come across that way. Just wanting to clarify your thoughts and give you reassurance if possible.

 

No, the basement is only a small thing that started me reading and thinking... My impression is that people are expecting and updated UO out of SotA, and my hope is that they've learned from the difficulties of UO, and not repeat the same mistakes... My fear is they haven't, or don't recognize those things I saw a flaws as flaws.

I owned the first non-single room house on Moonglow, Great Lakes server, I crafted bows to pay for it. I was one of the Original 9 Counselors. I was in the Alpha trial and was one of the Knights of the Silly Skirt... I loved the idea of UO, and was shocked at the reality it became. I'm hopeful that SotA will be better, and fearful that it won't.

The mine being able to function or not is tertiary... quintiary... septiary...