How Do Discoveries from Mining Work?

[Syphax]

Are new resource discoveries from mines discovered when a mine is created (even if not visible until later) or are they only discoverable while a mine is being worked (somewhere I saw a suggestion this was some small % chance each turn)?

In other words, should I have prospectors dig up hilly regions looking for ores or is that a waste of time unless the square is being worked?

Thanks.

 

[KingLoraxII]

In Vanilla it never happened to me - happens all the time in BTS - several times a game but I have big empires usually. Its to the point that I will often have workers mine hills that are in the cultural border but no fat cross because it seems the chance is worth it if I cant find anything worthwhile for them to do for a bit (I often have an army of workers)......It usually happens later - not when mining - it seems a mine can be there quite some time before something appears - like a random event thing.

 

[GeezerGamer]

If there is a resource on a hill, you'll see it before building a mine.

However, if you build a mine on hills without resources, there is a tiny chance of discovering gems, gold or silver.

 

[UWHabs]

I've heard you have to work them. Has anyone popped something from a mine not in a city's BFC?

 

[DanF5771]

The code (BTS 3.17) says you need to work them. Mines outside of BFCs are merely cosmetic .

 

[Syphax]

Thanks. I am playing BTS with Revolutions Tectonics and there was is this vast area of mostly hills with a few forested hills and plains between my first 2 cities that I dug up seeing if there was any resources there but not worth building otherwise. Sounds like it was a waste of time (and a vast patch of mines is an eyesore too).

 

[nbcman]

The only reason to mine or create a fort on a hill out of a city's BFC is in case the hill tile contains a resource type that may appear later such as coal or aluminum. But if the hill is forested, the hill will not contain a resource. Overall, I wouldn't do it unless I have idle workers. And I wouldn't mine/create a fort if the hill tile had forest next to it to allow the chance for the tile to spread to the hill tile (but not desert hill tiles which can't have forests on them)

 

[hexem3117]

It seems to happen most games to me that a previously discovered resource such as Copper or Iron will pop up much later in some random mine, be it in a BFC or elsewhere.

For that reason if I have spare workers, and this is usually before/after railroads, i just mine every single hill that's not in a BFC. Seems to help.

 

[BakingTheArt]

It'll only happen if it's in a BFC and being worked. So, the code itself says that's impossible. I'm guessing you just forgot about a city that was working it. If not, that'd be a glitch somewhere in your game. Anyway, it is a really small chance, but it's applied to every mine being worked every turn. So usually it happens 2-3 times per civ per game.