COMMUNITY - FORUMS - GENERAL DISCUSSION
Filling holes and fixing landscapes

I read a while back that moving and disposing of dirt isn't going to be a factor in excavation, which got me wondering... will we have ways to fill holes and tunnels in the landscape with their source material? If, for example, a player buys land in a county that's been partially excavated, could they then refill the excavated space with dirt? If so, where would they acquire it?

It's convenient on the one hand if dirt isn't created by digging dirt up, but on the other, it means that we don't have the source material to fill/patch up unsightly holes in the landscape, or to repair damaged or sabotaged tunnels. In a fortified city, the latter could be a persistent and frustrating issue for a defender trying to repair their fortifications after a siege.


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5/20/2017 2:50:34 PM #1

That is actually a really good point, and something I'm sure the devs are considering. Tunneling - unless there has been an update since that I'm unaware of - will NOT be present on launch, but patched in after, but still. The dirt needs to go somewhere, and random holes need to be filled in.


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5/20/2017 2:52:48 PM #2

I was under the impression that tunneling was going to be in the game at launch and they were still deciding whether or not you would have to move the dirt. I'm probably wrong though I guess.


5/20/2017 2:55:01 PM #3

The last I remember reading is that they were going to focus on polishing the features that they already have working to a degree rather than adding new massive mechanics like digging right away.


Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

5/20/2017 3:08:52 PM #4

I cannot speak of whether tunneling will be present at launch. However, in one of the last Q&A's, they discussed the matter of moving dirt, and Caspian talked as if it is likely to be added.


5/20/2017 3:10:05 PM #5

I believe I heard them mention recently that they are thinking of revisiting the idea of not having the removal or disposal of dirt and perhaps instead go in the other direction and have it be a thing. Precisely because keeping said dirt could be a useful resource for many applications, including such as the one you describe. Time will tell which way they finally decide on.

Personally I enjoy nitty gritty details like that in gameplay, so I won't be upset if it turns that we'll have to factor in things like that when undergoing any excavation work. Others may disagree though.


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5/20/2017 3:17:01 PM #6

One of the reasons they were still considering moving dirt was for some reasons such as, if someone was tunneling under your city they would go undetected but if they had to dispose of the dirt it would make it more likely to discover them tunneling. You'd potentially find their piles of soil or notice them shifting it.


5/20/2017 3:21:17 PM #7

The Devs did make a comment that even though it was past the deadline for Stretch Goals that Tunneling will be in at launch. However the more advanced Tera-forming will not be in for a while but will remain as a stretch gold for the future.


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5/20/2017 3:30:51 PM #8

The last I heard was also that dirt would simply disappear, like in Wurm. I'm glad to hear that leaving it in is still being considered.

One factor having it in would be good for is in battlefield mechanics. There's a lot of ways simple dirt can be useful. If you know you're going to need to retreat after a protracted battle, you might use the rest period between assaults to fill in your trenches so the enemy can't use them against you. In a battle with elevated ground, digging out a large quantity of dirt and dumping it into a canyon to trap an enemy force between a wall and your soldiers, or drop it on top of the force itself to wipe out a good portion of it and render their equipment nearly impossible to reclaim upon respawn without defeating your army.

Terraforming is also an area of interest. While mines and player-made holes are the bigger issue that comes to mind - anyone who's played on a large multiplayer Minecraft server knows what they start to look like after a month or two - there's also the issue that landfill would look a lot better if it could be topped with dirt and smoothed over. This also allows greening of areas that might otherwise not be able to host plant life, or the filling of small channels to render a difficult-to-traverse area easier to pave and travel.

But above all... I feel that if you're digging, people should know. Anyone carting off massive amounts of dirt will rouse suspicion, and anyone taking note will know there's something of interest going on unless they're being very careful in how they dispose of it.


To touch Divinity, one must be prepared to brave Reality.

5/21/2017 10:13:52 AM #9

My view from what I heard and read is that you can only tunnel underneath parcels you own?

Otherwise yes, if you've played Minecraft or 7 Days to Die, after a few months there are player-made holes all over the world, abandoned, ruining the view and ruining the land.

Being able to tunnel anywhere, if that will be the case, is gunna end up being a bad thing IMO...

5/21/2017 11:32:36 AM #10

Posted By Rednaw at 05:13 AM - Sun May 21 2017

My view from what I heard and read is that you can only tunnel underneath parcels you own?

You can only legally tunnel under your own land. I believe they will let you tunnel under someone else's. That's why they are considering leaving dirt in, so you can catch people tunneling via disposal.


5/21/2017 6:39:57 PM #11

As someone who plans on working with herb growing and research I hope soil moving will be in for various reasons. Raised beds, soil for specific herbs if my soil doesn't support them etc.


5/21/2017 6:58:19 PM #12

Posted By Wolfguarde at 10:30 PM - Sat May 20 2017

The last I heard was also that dirt would simply disappear, like in Wurm. I'm glad to hear that leaving it in is still being considered.

One factor having it in would be good for is in battlefield mechanics. There's a lot of ways simple dirt can be useful. If you know you're going to need to retreat after a protracted battle, you might use the rest period between assaults to fill in your trenches so the enemy can't use them against you. In a battle with elevated ground, digging out a large quantity of dirt and dumping it into a canyon to trap an enemy force between a wall and your soldiers, or drop it on top of the force itself to wipe out a good portion of it and render their equipment nearly impossible to reclaim upon respawn without defeating your army.

Terraforming is also an area of interest. While mines and player-made holes are the bigger issue that comes to mind - anyone who's played on a large multiplayer Minecraft server knows what they start to look like after a month or two - there's also the issue that landfill would look a lot better if it could be topped with dirt and smoothed over. This also allows greening of areas that might otherwise not be able to host plant life, or the filling of small channels to render a difficult-to-traverse area easier to pave and travel.

But above all... I feel that if you're digging, people should know. Anyone carting off massive amounts of dirt will rouse suspicion, and anyone taking note will know there's something of interest going on unless they're being very careful in how they dispose of it.

How can I give a like and a dislike to the same post. Anyone that even thinks of comparing this to something like Minecraft deserves an instant dislike.

The comment "I feel that if you're digging, people should know" deserves a massive Thumbs UP


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5/21/2017 7:12:28 PM #13

Heh


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5/21/2017 8:07:12 PM #14

i was under then assumption there found be no terraforming