Just a minor nitpick, but just because you prefer to do something a certain way doesn't make it the optimal way. Optimal means most likely to produce the desired outcome. There are diamonds in every chunk. The "optimal" method then becomes to remove or expose every block from layers 2-16 in every chunk. This can be done quickly and easily with a mining laser, or more slowly with some thoughtful planning and your vanilla pick of choice.
Either way, finding diamonds is not difficult unless a person doesn't know how to do it, in which case they're apt to waste a tremendous amount of time for little/no return.
You are wrong, and here is why.
with your method of mining out the entire chunk you have to mine out a 14x14 hole trough the middle of the chunk. only leaving the blocks closes to the chunk boundrary.
that 14x14 hole only reveals 252 previously unseen blocks. and you had to mine out 196 blocks to do it.
That means that for every block you mine out you reveal only 252/196=1,29 blocks.
doing it my way reveals 6 blocks for every 2 blocks mined out, or more apropriately 3 blocks per block mined.
By the time i have mined out the same number of blocks as you i have moved 196/2 = 98 blocks in a single line. the number of blocks revealed by me is therefore a whooping 98*6= 588 blocks.
As you can see. i have seen 3 times as many previously unseen blocks than you in the same amount of time.
Now here is the real kicker in the works. since all unseen blocks have exactly the same chance of being a diamond ore block as any other unseen block residing at or below the layer of 16, that means that i have a 3 times higher chance at finding a diamond during the same timeframe of mining as you do with your method. (practical implementation of gaming theory)
I consider player time valuable, and i do not clear out entire chunks unless i am interested in gathering lots and lots of cobble. I only do so when it can be automated as well, that way I can go do other things instead. Like making my base look purdy.
The reason for not branching, but doing only the straight line, is that it maximizes time spent breaking blocks rather than fiddling around with going back to a central locus unless forced to by having either a full inventory, or being out of tools/food. over time the mine will become more and more like a branch mine, but i never care to make it all even and organized. because that actually does not matter. to your chances of finding what you are looking for.
The issue of most time efficient way to mine for diamonds was settled long ago. back in alpha even. I was there, and we looked at lots and lots of ways to mine for maximizing payoff. In the end, results from experiments showed that gaming theory was the correct one to implement in this case, since diamond is not a geological feature of minecraft, but a result of a predrawn chance based lottery. each block you reveal (as opposed to breaking) is equivalent to buying a lottery ticket. the prize has already been given a number, so all you have to do is buy enough tickets to find one with the correct number on it.
. So horrible luck on my part. By the time I had diamonds, I already had a bunch of forestry farms, a large high pressure railcraft boiler, and a max size, max efficiency reed farm, and several coke ovens. All while waiting for the IC2 miner to find diamonds. ugh. I ended up making 4 or 5 from coal during that time as well.
