[MUD-Dev] Re: AR Mining System

[John Bertoglio]

The following is the help text associated with the AR mining system.
Comments and improvments are sought.

Mining System
One of the many ways to prosper in the Realms is mining.
Mining skill allows characters to extract ore from known mines. Mines are
discovered by a fortunate accident or by using the PROSPECTING skill. (See
the PROSPECTING skill section for additional details.) A mine normally has
a single mineral found in it, but some mines with multiple kinds of ore
exist.
Ore can be sold to an ore buyer or taken to a smelter for processing. Ore
buyers are found in the assay office of in towns of sufficient size. Mobile
smelters exist and sometimes setup shop outside of particualy productive
mines. In addition, some general store owners ocassionaly trade in ore.
Some minerals are found in their native state and require no further
processing.
Mining can be done in any of the four cardinal directions (North, South,
East, West) In addition, some tunnel locations allow digging in the floor
and/or ceiling. Here the proper directions are UP and DOWN.
As you dig in a particular direction, the ore is depleted. When there is no
more ore, the digging will open up a new shaft. If you enter that shaft,
ore can be dug in there. Digging DOWN will send the mine tunnel deeper.
Digging UP may open a ramp to a new level. Eventually, the mine itself will
be depleted. A depleted mine can be PROSPECTED as well as an area location.
Occassionaly, a new strike is found in a mine thought to be depleted.
Often, another mineral is found in place of the original.
Mining tools improve performance. Tools like picks and shovels when wielded
or held increase the amount of ore found each hour. High strength and will
power also increase the amount of ore mined. Mining skill determines the
quality of the ore found and has a small affect on the quanity of ore
found. Note that miners with low skill levels will deplete the mine at the
same rate as highly skilled ones despite the fact that their ore will
produce less of the targeted material.
Character activity in mines keeps them generally free of the evil and vile
creatures that inhabit other dark spaces in the Realm. An abandoned mine
often becomes a breeding ground for these creatures. The bigger the mine,
the greater the potential danger. As mines grow, some branches become
depleted and therefore get little activity. These can begin to harbor
creatures who make their homes in deep caves and tunnels. This can create
danger for existing miners.
Note that ore is quite heavy and low in value for it size and mass.
Transporting profitable amounts of ore to a place where it can be processed
can be a challenge for any miner. Food and water are depleted at an
accelerated rate while mining. Use care to avoid starvation or dehydration.
COMMAND SYNTAX
Mining is done by issuing the comand MINE plus an optional direction and
time period. The full syntax of the command is: MINE [dir] [# hours]
[target]. The defaults are random direction and one hour. If a [target] is
specified, ore will be loaded into the container specified (ore cart, mule
with baskets, etc.) if it is possible.
Examples: MINE N 4 will dig ore from the north wall of the mine shaft for
four hours. The amount of usable ore found will be reported to the
character along and appear on the floor. Adding a target will automatically
load the ore. MINE N 4 pack horse will mine for four hours and load the ore
onto the pack horse. Once the pack horse is full, ore will begin
accumulating on the ground.

John Bertoglio



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