Suggestion: Tunneling Drill

Wouldn't I just be better off using the drills? If it's slower and has fewer charges, it would be easier to just make the tunnel myself. I see no need to go to that expense for something that does the job worse than an existing tool.

Quote from HeadHunter67

Wouldn't I just be better off using the drills? If it's slower and has fewer charges, it would be easier to just make the tunnel myself. I see no need to go to that expense for something that does the job worse than an existing tool.

Ok, Then lets remove the automated miner from the game. After all, Nothing stops you from manually using your drill to get those ores yourself, Far faster, and for less energy too. Unless that only applies to new ideas, and not ideas already implemented.

Oh, and a build-craft quarry is clearly useless! Look how slow it moves, unless you use an obscene amount of fuel to power it, I mean, I certainly could clear that out with my drill far faster than it would.. Now If only i didn't rather stay home and decorate my house instead....

Quote from Ranakastrasz

Ok, Then lets remove the automated miner from the game. After all, Nothing stops you from manually using your drill to get those ores yourself, Far faster, and for less energy too. Unless that only applies to new ideas, and not ideas already implemented.

Oh, and a build-craft quarry is clearly useless! Look how slow it moves, unless you use an obscene amount of fuel to power it, I mean, I certainly could clear that out with my drill far faster than it would.. Now If only i didn't rather stay home and decorate my house instead....

Your sarcasm would be amusing if you actually comprehended the difference beween a TOOL and a MACHINE. Miners and Quarries are set, powered externally and operate independently. The device in the OP is clearly intended (by the batpack reference) to be man-portable - and if you have to carry a tool, wouldn't you prefer one that would work quicker to do the same thing... and have a longer battery life?

Seriously, how long does it take you to make a 3x3x1 tunnel with a diamond drill? As for the Quarry (or the Miner) - I'd like to see you dig a 9x9 hole down to bedrock faster than either machine can.

If you're going to be snarky, first make sure you know what you're talking about - because as it stands, you just sound foolish.

Quote from raa1337

Depending on the speed, it would have a higher block/sec then the diamond drill.

Say, 1 second for the Diamond drill for one block.
Say, 3 seconds for the Tunneling Drill for 9 blocks.

That's 3 blocks a second.

Then I would suggest you rephrase your original post, because the phrase "slower than a diamond drill" does not in any way imply what you just explained. In this case, at least it does have a piurpose, though it's still not worth the expense. If you consider something that requires 16 diamonds and mines as fast as a diamond drill "OP as hell", I'm not sure what you think WOULD be a fair expense. Even the Quarry requires only 11 diamonds and the time it takes to make a 9x9 hole to bedrock is many times faster than a diamond drill, count on it.

Likely the best way to balance it is the simplest. It uses 5 diamond drills..... So now divide the time it would take a diamond drill to go through 9 blocks and divide it between those 5 used in the recipe and then add a small cut in time (and I do mean SMALL) so it is a better deal to use the tunneler and not just your diamond drill.

making something easy 5 times wont make it hard.

diamond drill is already overpowered, nice way to balance it - minor speed boost and 10 time higher energy consumption.

normal drill shoud work at speed of diamond pickaxe.

I personaly think this function would make sense on the mining laser, at least when it gets a revamp (and a larger energy pool)

I really like the concept, but I agree with Rana that this seems to be better suited for the Mining laser.

Quote from raa1337

The Mining Laser can destroy blocks, permanently, can it not?

Obviously. But In all honesty, the Mining laser is more of a Tunneling laser, as It is (In its current form) more useful for making tunnels, for that exact reason. (assuming you can actually aim it) since it bores though any basic materials rapidly, and is clearly not designed for mining, for the reason you said.

So Obviously this function would belong on the mining laser more so than on a mining drill type thinggy.

Quote from raa1337

Hm. I guess it comes down to if you want the cobblestone from the mining or not (recycling ftw ). I'd rather have this be slower then the mining laser, and let you keep all the blocks. That, and this is technically better (then the Diamond Drill) for mining for ore where the laser might accidently destroy it. Only named it 'Tunneling' as it makes a bigger hole, and you really can't make anything faster without it becoming the laser.

If the Laser is getting a drastic revamp, then I guess this would have to be ignored for now until we see what happens to it.

And aiming the laser is kind of hard... Off by a few pixels and you can go off track.

Yea. Hopefully the revamp will include some modes (such as the low focus mode) to not actually destroy the resources, Possibly that Tractor-beam extra, as well as A Tunneling mode, a Snap-to effect, and (extremely unliked) an actual weapon mode that does not punch holes in your garden, walls, Roof, And anywhere else trying to hit that creeper.(or possibly that simplly fabricates arrows when used, lol)

Tunneling mode would kinda be a Two-high laser modifier (makes me think we really need a UI for the laser) that clears out a walkable tunnel, so you dont have to use your drill, or rapidly cylce between laser modes if you want to actually use it. (since you have to dig a tiny hole to lower yourself, which is actually quite a pain)
Alternatively the quite simipler "shift offsets laser downwards one block) so two blasts make the tunnel.

As for snap-to effect, if you target a block, The laser will, assuming you are in line with the face, Force the shot to be perfectly perpendicular with the face, so as to make a clean close shave cut every time.