Print Page - Introduction to Mining on AF/EHM

If you're new to AF, or just having difficulty getting into mining, you might find the following guide helpful. Enjoy!

INTRODUCTION

Mining in the world of Anarchic Frontiers (AF) is very different from mining in vanilla Minecraft. AF runs in Extra Hard Mode (EHM), which in comparison to vanilla, can seem at first like a merciless and often arbitrarily spiteful mod. It significantly changes most game experiences, including mining.

The purpose of this guide is primarily to help new players understand the changes as they pertain to mining-related activities, although experienced players might also discover a few facts and tips. This guide assumes the reader knows the basics of mining, and focuses exclusively on mechanics unique to AF/EHM.

This book includes passages from the official AF website and forums. Authors include Intangir_V and Simon_theDigger_.

TL;DR

Mining is extremely dangerous on this server because of: stone's hardness, gravity, cave-ins, super-powered TNT, no torches below y30, increased mob spawns, more dangerous mob behavior. In response to these dangers you should: Plan your inventory, slow down, blast-mine with care, build safehouses as you go, stash your loot regularly, watch your back and your step.

CHAPTER 1: BREAKING STONE

It's likely that you've done some mining before you picked up this guide. If so, you might have been surprised to discover that Stone is extremely hard. This is the single most important change to mining in EHM, for there are several implications: First, Stone can't be broken with Wood or Stone pickaxes. Upon attempting to break Stone with these tools, you might have noticed a message explaining that you should find and break ore blocks (such as Coal) to “soften” the surrounding stone (that is, turn it into breakable Cobble).

When ore is broken, immediately adjacent Stone turns to Cobble. Diagonally adjacent Stone is not affected. If there is no support underneath the newly transformed Cobble, it will fall. If you stand directly underneath the ore you break, any Stone directly above will turn to Cobble and fall on your head.

The best-case outcome of which is slight damage and momentary dizziness (Nausea). However, you could be knocked off a high place, or into lava. Also, remember that most natural blocks fall in EHM, so it's possible for a large column of blocks to crush and suffocate you. Never stand directly under the ore you break, and be mindful of your position relative to the Stone surrounding the target ore.

This is the only way for new players to mine their own Cobble, although other methods, some better than others, will become available as more resources are acquired.

The first such method is through the use of Iron and Diamond pickaxes, although this is an inefficient solution that should be used with care. Stone's exceptional hardness will quickly wear out Iron and even Diamond pickaxes. Use pickaxes on Stone only when you need to clear no more than a few of them. Abandon all hope of extensive tunneling (and therefore, grid-mining) by pickaxe.

Keep in mind that Iron and Diamond picks have not been made weaker; it's Stone that's been made harder. This means that Iron and Diamond picks otherwise function exactly the same as they do in vanilla Minecraft.

The second method for breaking Stone into Cobble is through the use of TNT, which is far more abundant and powerful in AF. Gunpowder can be harvested as a semi-rare drop from Gravel, so new players can craft useful quantities without hunting mobs.

CHAPTER 2: TNT

In any serious mining endeavor, TNT will be your best friend. However, to get the most out of this friendship, it's important to understand how TNT works in AF.

In AF, Gunpowder can be acquired in all the usual ways, with some additions. First, Gunpowder is a semi-rare drop from Gravel. Second, Blazes now spawn in the depths of Overworld mines, usually near lava, and they can also drop Gunpowder.

When you craft TNT, the recipe now yields three blocks instead of one. Also, it's twice as powerful as vanilla TNT. This means more destructive explosions, more often. This makes blast-mining the go-to method in place of grid-mining. However, the devil is in the details.

TNT has a four-second fuse, which gives players sufficient time to run for cover in vanilla Minecraft, but AF TNT can trigger secondary blasts anywhere within the blast radius of the initial explosion. This creates a less predictable kill-zone, making it unwise to be anywhere near the TNT when it's detonated. Blasts not only cause damage, but trigger the Nausea effect for several seconds (if you survive).

A minimum safe distance of 25 meters is advised. There are several ways to safely detonate TNT from this distance. Flint and Steel is usually the worst option, but can work in certain situations.

If you want to blast in a downward direction, find or dig a 10m (or greater) vertical drop. Create a ring of blocks with a 1x1 gap in the center above the drop. Place the TNT inside the ring so that the top of the TNT is flush with the ring. Do not place the TNT on top of the ring. When primed, TNT “hops” slightly, and it will not fall straight down. It must already be inside the ring so that it's properly forced in a downward direction.

Light the TNT and move as far away from the edge of the drop as you can. Before priming, make sure you have a clear path away from the target area, preferably straight and flat. TNT can fall very far before it explodes, meaning deep pits can be created relatively quickly.

For lateral blasting, a 15m Redstone fuse, activated with one of the various switches, works well. For additional distance, place a block adjacent to the TNT and connect your Redstone fuse to that block (charge travels through one block). Similarly, at the switch-end of the fuse, you can place another block to which a switch can be affixed. This creates a 17m fuse.

Add a switch to the block, which can in turn be used from 4m away. You're now 21m from the TNT, and you haven't even primed it yet. Once you activate the switch, it will be relatively easy to move to a safe distance in time.

Also remember that buttons and pressure plates can be activated with arrows, meaning you can prime the TNT from as far away as your aim allows. You can pick up the arrow again after the blast.

Pressure plates can also be activated by dropping an entity onto them. However, Wooden Pressure Plates can also be activated by monsters, or other unintended inputs, so they're often less safe than the alternatives.

If you take Sand with you on your mining expeditions, you can combine it with the Gunpowder you pick up along the way from Gravel and mobs, and bolster your stock of TNT.

CHAPTER 3: SAFER EXPLORATION

Remember, there is no “safe,” only safer. A careful journey begins at home, with kit preparation. The following supplies will leave you prepared for most situations: picks, shovels, swords, bow and arrows, armor, TNT, 15 Redstone, 64 Wood (raw, not planks), 64 Dirt, Torches, Flint and Steel, Sand, and possibly a Bucket. You'll convert the Wood into a variety of useful things as the need arises. And there will be plenty of need. Everything else you'll pick up in the mine along the way.

Exploration begins topside, as you look for a place to start digging. Even with powerful TNT, starting your own shaft would be a tedious and expensive affair. Fortunately, the world of AF is scarred with deep chasms that will take you down to the lucrative depths of the earth. It's important to tread carefully every step of the way.

If you enter a cave, look up. Do you see dirt? That's trouble. Unsupported dirt will cave in if disturbed. If you break adjacent blocks, you could be buried under the domino-effect collapse. Place gravity-immune safety blocks overhead, and stand under them if you must break overhead blocks.

If you're at the edge of a chasm, use LSHIFT to prevent your avatar from walking into the abyss. Also, be wary of dirt blocks here, and any vegetation on top of them. If you break the wrong block, or harvest the wrong plant, it could disturb loose blocks and trigger a massive collapse. Placing and removing blocks can also trigger collapse. Find Stone to stand on before manipulating anything near a chasm edge.

So you've eyeballed your site and think it's a go. Wait. Build a topside mining station. This station will be the first of many. It should have four walls, a roof and a door for protection from mobs. It should have room for at least one double Chest, a Crafting Table, a Furnace, and a Bed. You'll want a series of mining stations as you move through your site. If you want to spawn near your site, the topside station is the safest option, as mobs can spawn inside subterranean stations, regardless of how much light you create (an EHM feature).

Your topside station is done, but don't leap into the first pool or waterfall you see. How are you going to get back out again? Remember: You can't build pillars under your feet in AF. The site might also be crawling with mobs, or the chasm walls might be prone to collapse. Make a stable, two-way, up-down path as you go. When you need to haul ass out of there, you'll be glad you left more than a trail of bread crumbs.

This is the key concept for mining in AF/EHM. It's no longer a mad, torch-spamming dash through winding corridors looking for anything that sparkles. Profitable mining requires methodical conquest of the site's geography through construction of secure paths and stations as you go. You need a nearby place to stash your loot and a place to fall back when combat turns ugly. Whenever you find valuable loot, stash it immediately. Immediately.

When you reach your first depth goal, build a second station. Think of it like base camps for mountain-climbing, but going down instead of up. Build more stations as you reach new thresholds in your site. Each base should be as secure, if not more secure, than the topside station.

Clear cobwebs as you go or you'll risk being ensnared when your life depends on your mobility. Don't take unnecessary risks around lava. If you fall into lava, all your stuff will be incinerated. If you can get your hands on fire resistance potions or armor, it could save your life.

CHAPTER 4: BELOW 30

As soon as you get below y30, regular torches stop working due to “lack of oxygen.” However, you can craft Wooden Slabs and ignite fires that burn indefinitely. You can also use Redstone Torches or Lava, but Lava is dangerous and often scarce, while Redstone's dim light doesn't keep as many monsters away as an open flame. Slab fires are the safest, cheapest, and brightest option.

Place your fires out of the way, preferably with a block immediately above them. You don't want to fall into your own fire, or be knocked into them during combat. Use the low-value blocks you acquire in bulk to fill in gaps, smother lava, make stairs, bridges, etc. It takes more time up front, but you'll be glad you did when the shit hits the fan. (Take Lava in Buckets, if you need it, before smothering it)

When you get to bedrock, turn around. You've gone too far, for several reasons. First, blast-mining and bedrock don't mix. If your TNT blasts are touching bedrock, you're wasting explosive power on indestructible blocks. Place your TNT above y10 to insure that all your explosive power is expended on destructible blocks.

This also keeps you out of Void Fog. With Overworld Blazes and EHM's Super Archers able to snipe you from the darkness, it's a nasty place to be. Stay above the Void Fog.

Finally, if you fall into a 1x1x2 bedrock pit without ladders or trapdoors, you're out of luck because you can't place blocks directly underneath you in EHM. You could always carry these supplies, but you've already got two good reasons to stay just above bedrock. If you fall in such a pit otherwise, you'll need a rescue, or you'll starve.

CHAPTER 5: GROUP MINING

Mining in groups takes a little bit of practice, but yields important advantages. Perhaps the single most important factor for successful group mining is knowing your role. Who is going to mine? Who is going to watch for mobs? Who is going to clear paths and light them? When you know your role, you can respond with the fastest possible speed to any situation, without having to say a word.

Which leads to the second most important factor: communication. Using in-game chat is problematic. It can be useful to develop shorthand, acronyms, or other codes for quick communication. TNT. Mob. Come. Run.

Determine key protocols and stick to them. Is everyone in the group expected to stay within sight of everyone else? Are you using a buddy system? Don't mine with people who aren't team players. They'll get you killed.

Be wary of friendly fire. If you have designated fighters, let them do their job—especially if you have powerful weapon enchantments that could do more damage to your allies than the mobs will. The most important practice is to establish expectations, then stick to them.

When mining in pairs, one miner usually stands watch while the other mines, clears paths, and lights the way. When in a trio, one miner usually stands watch, while the second miner mines, and the third miner clears paths and lights the way. Four miners can get cumbersome, and you might as well split into two pairs and cover more ground.

Be clear up front how you expect to split your haul. If you don't trust your partner(s) to give you your share at the end of the run, don't mine with them.

Groups generally make the same activity slower, but knowledge, communication, and adherence to expectations can give you the speed and agility of a solo run.

AFTERWORD

If you practice the principles in this guide, you can greatly reduce the number of unpleasant deaths, loot loss, and frustration. Sometimes, though, there are just bad breaks. When this happens, if you've planned ahead, you should be able to recover most or all of your loot.

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