Does Anyone Know of a Good Early-Game Prospecting Mod?

[abculatter_2]

Preferably one that is as close to a direct rip-off of TFC prospecting, with vanilla materials as possible.

Seriously, why has NOBODY made a prospecting mod designed for use with Custom Ore Generation? It's such an obvious complement, especially if you want massive but rare motherlodes of ore like in TFC...

First person to say "Greg's Prospecting" gets shot.
First person to say "go play TFC" gets shot twice.

 

[zilvarwolf]

Not familiar with the referenced mod. What does it do that you're looking for?

 

[SkyBoy96]

TerraFirmaCraft (Think that's how it's spelled) has a system where ores don't spawn everywhere, but generate in large chunks (And by large I mean LARGE), with greatly increased rarity. Additionally, there are pebbles or something all over the surface of the world, which give an indication of what ores lie beneath the surface. I believe OP is looking for one or both of these features.

 

[Tristam Izumi]

I'm not familiar with any mods that add a similar mechanic. Generally because people don't mess with oregen more than what TE provides, so there's not really a need for such a mechanic.

Honestly, the closest I can think of would be Thaumcraft's Pickaxe of the Core's mechanic of showing the highest aspect from the 3x3x10 volume in front of where you right click with it. But that requires you to be on the same y-level as where you're "prospecting", and for the ore you're looking for to have aspects assigned to it.

 

[abculatter_2]

TerraFirmaCraft (Think that's how it's spelled) has a system where ores don't spawn everywhere, but generate in large chunks (And by large I mean LARGE), with greatly increased rarity. Additionally, there are pebbles or something all over the surface of the world, which give an indication of what ores lie beneath the surface. I believe OP is looking for one or both of these features.

This, with the addition of the prospector's pick, which is a tool that tells you if there's any ore in a 25x25x25 area. (with a chance of false negatives, depending on the coordinate you use it at)
The surface rocks give you a rough indication of where veins are on the x and z axis, then you can use the prospector's pick to triangulate exact xyz coordinates until you eventually find the vein.
It's immensely fun and challenging, and the reward of MASSIVE amounts of ore just feels like the right way to handle metal distribution.

Alas, unfortunately too few people seem to enjoy this for there to be any real demand...

 

[Bashful Giant]

Thaumcraft 2's Pickaxe of the core has a weak version of TFC's prospecting- but is not very Early Game. Same goes for Modular Power Suits

 

[kaiomann]

There are these Goggles from ExtraUtils that show how much ores there are in ones vein and where they are.

 

[MigukNamja]

You should be able to generate said very rare, but very large, veins of ores using CoFH's custom ore gen. So, world gen is not the issue in MC.

The issue in MC is finding said large veins. The existing tools don't have enough range and are definitely not early-game.

 

[abculatter_2]

You should be able to generate said very rare, but very large, veins of ores using CoFH's custom ore gen. So, world gen is not the issue in MC.

The issue in MC is finding said large veins. The existing tools don't have enough range and are definitely not early-game.

SOMEBODY SEES THE PROBLEM, thank you!

Yes, there are mods which allow the generation of large veins. However, without tools specifically designed for finding those large veins being available early on, it really only adds tedium.

 

[EnzymeA113]

Gregtech is a pretty good early game mod. You can quite easily set up an Industrial Grinder hooked up to a fusion reactor, and get a handheld Ore Density scanner from IC2 in about five minutes of starting a new world.

 

[mushroom taco]

You should be able to generate said very rare, but very large, veins of ores using CoFH's custom ore gen. So, world gen is not the issue in MC.

The issue in MC is finding said large veins. The existing tools don't have enough range and are definitely not early-game.

Wasn't there a mod called better ore distribution or something that did exactly that? And allowed you extremely customized ore spawn?

 

[EnzymeA113]

Wasn't there a mod called better ore distribution or something that did exactly that? And allowed you extremely customized ore spawn?

Custom Ore Distribution does that too, and allows you to customise the distribution levels to your liking. http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1935710-164forge-custom-ore-generation-first-revival/

 

[ganon5069]

The Scenter mod is the best for vanilla ores. All you have to do is press a button (P for me) and it will not only show you a coloured sparkle effect in the direction of the ore you seek but also tell you how far off said ore is. Link for it is: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1630674-164forgespmp-scenter-241-scent-out-hidden-ores/

 

[abculatter_2]

To everyone recommending Better Ore Distribution and similar mods: I know. My question was never to ask for mods that actually change how ore generates, there are plenty of ways to do this. I was just asking if there were mods which would allow Terra Firma Craft-alike prospecting. Clearly, there are not, so this thread should probably just die.