Game Mechanics Turn sand into sandstone

[crizyx]

Hello,

This title is an example for a new game mechanic but that's can be another way, my suggest is in following to this post :

PC - How to dig under sand (solo) in 11 easy steps.

Note: Sand behavior changed in 1.4, so this won't work anymore. As indicated by the title, this method isn't quick or simple. But when these steps are followed correctly it's very reliable. Before starting, you will need: Actuators, Switch or Lever, Wires, a Bucket of water, a Bucket of...

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Please read entire this post.

Since old game versions to yesterday we used an exploit mechanics for digging though the sand (this techniques was destructive) but since the new version (1.4) the wire mechanics it be changed for adding traps in desert undergrounds. Nowadays we no longer have the possibility of digging through the sand to try to save part of the desert form corupt, which would save some resources that can only be found in this biome.

I think adding a staff which turn blocks per blocks the sand into sandstone (to be precise) and a mount which transform the sand into sandstone before mining it (to large area) it's welcome !
Example RP mount : Antlion Charger ride able which can change the sand into sandstone with it spittle before mining it with its mandibles (5 blocs higher in face of the mount)

This post especially highlights the mechanics and not the items.
What do you think ?

 

[Planthair01🌳]

It's not a bad idea, but I highly doubt the devs would make this a Pre-Hardmode item, it's just too OP in the underground desert.

 

[crizyx]

Maybe or maybe not because the resource price of the item if it is cratable could be expensive or the item could be very rare.
For example the staff could be available in pre-hardmode because using it would take a long time while the mount available post-hardmode could be faster.

 

[Sora_92]

A mod (I think Vipix toolbox or something, but I'm not 100% sure) has an item called "Rattlesnake wand", which, turns sand blocks into hardened sand by clicking on them (one by one), and hardened sand into sand. (I think they are bound to left and right click respectively, but don't remember)

Anyway, I think that is the best approact to the problem, because, indeed, digging around sand is a huge pain. It's usually something that requires precision though, so turning sand to hardened sand (why sandstone anyway?) in an area, and using stuff like mounts to that... I dunno about that, especially not that it would work while mining (as opposed to turning sand into hardened sand regardless of mining, and after it you can mine what you want to mine).
It might would work, but I think a precision method would be better.
You don't usually need this anyway, you only would need this 1-2 times on a playthrough, but those times when you do want to tunnen through sand, you do would need such a thing.

That's why I think, a precision tool is better. So, yeah, we do need something like this, but I think the best approach of this problem is the same as the rattlesnake wand.