I see there are some old topics about digging which are now closed. I’d just like to say that it would be fantastic if that were made possible. I’d love to have the option of digging into the ground to make a deeper basement, and to terraform around my base. Or to dig tunnels (/mine) into a cliff side and construct a makeshift home there.
I won’t repeat all the contents of the other posts, but would it at all be possible to alter the game’s engine so that the flat and rigid landscape can be shifted downwards or outwards? If nothing else, then only in designated /predetermined areas? (to allow small pockets of expansion)
Think of a foundation-like hole which can be dug using a craftable shovel from the blacksmith’s bench. The hole would fit one foundation, and the graphics would snap to the edges of the foundation afterwards, closing any gap in the hole(s)…
You are asking for Funcom to basically to remake the game from the bottom up. That isn’t an exaggeration. Is it possible in the literal sense? Sure. Realistically? No.
What you want is a Voxel based game, and Conan isn’t that, nor is it realistically feasible to completely start over to change to that system. I suggest you look into 7 Days to Die, Minecraft, etc.
The way that is accomplished is by having multiple stacked mineable objects. I liked the way that worked, but I don’t think it is viable to implement that on a large scale in the game, unfortunately.
I cant see real free form digging and mining working with the game’s current engine, but it should be possible to fake it.
A basement, for example, could be “excavated” in cubes of varying sizes - say 4x4x4 would be the largest. If the cube is within the terrain (not on a cliff or overhang) it can be placed. The terrain within the cube becomes invisible and passable showing only the walls of the basement.
For immersion’s sake, players could be required to give needed materials to a thrall and then come back once construction is finished - similar to how you have to wait on a trebuchet.
Mines could be similar: Detectable resource markers might be placed on the under sides of the terrain texture. The mine could be built by placing a thrall on top of the marker and giving them the needed materials.
The only way to do this with the current engine is to fake it. They would have to make stone filled areas that you could mine. They could replicate the star metal harvesting. Meaning, you would have to blow off shells to mine the stone. There would be no return material when you harvest, thus it would give the illusion of clearing an area. If not built on, it refills by re-spawning. If you build on it, then the re-spawn doesn’t happen.