Miner Game Idea

gistfile1.txt

When you start a game, you get a small base in the middle of a cavern. You have one worker and low visibility. 
Surrounding your base, about 5 tiles away, are walls all around you.

###############       # = Rock Wall, able to be mined
#### ##########       B = Base
##     ##  ####       M = Miner
#             #
##     B M   ##
###        # ##
##### #########
###############

The worker will begin to walk toward the cave wall one tick at a time. Once it gets there, it will begin to mine. 
Mining takes several ticks to complete, depending on the hardness of the rock and the type of miner that is mining it. 
When the mining is complete, the wall will be replaced with ore, stone, or nothing.

The miner will then pick up the product. If it hasn't reach its carry-limit, it will continue to mine. 
Otherwise, it will try to return the ore to the base. As the miners mine the area around the base, it will take longer and longer 
to reach the mining areas. This is where you need faster workers and transportation methods.

Once ore is in the base, it will start to refine into materials. Some materials are currency variants, like silver and gold 
which can be used interchangeably to expand the base with new refineries, silos, living-quarters, factories, etc.

Refineries convert ore into materials. Low-level refineries cannot process high-level ores, and better refineries are able to 
process more ore at a time.

Silos store ore until the refinery is able to process it. If a worker returns with ore and all the silos are full,
it will turn around and drop it on the ground which blocks traffic. It is possible for workers to box themselves in 
permanently until the silos are emptied. Once it's cleared, the nearest worker will pick up its ore and place it in the silo, 
then try to resume its previous activity. 

If workers are travelling opposite directions and one is holding ore, they will hand it off and trade destinations. 
This allows ore to continue to travel in a situation where there is no room for the workers to get around one another.

Living-Quarters cap the total amount of workers you can have. Once they are full, you'll have to upgrade or wait until 
workers die before hiring more.

Factories create your new buildings and other equipment, such as mining machines and trolleys

Some trolleys have wheels and can be pushed anywhere by a worker. They can hold much more than a worker can. 
If a loaded trolley bumps into an empty trolley, they will trade contents and reverse directions.

Other trolleys use rails and do not need to be pushed by a worker. They automatically travel back along the 
rail once they are full. 

Workers are good at carrying ore and are capable of fighting and mining. They are the fastest walkers, but 
will mine by picking a tile and then randomly walking until they decide to pick another one.

Miners are good at mining and are capable of carrying ore and fighting. They will mine systematically in 
patterns determined by the level of miner. Better miners will optimize to expose as much ore as possible and to follow veins.

Fighters are good at fighting and are capable of carrying ore, but not mining. If a monster appears, workers and 
fighters will stop what they are doing to fight and protect the miners.

Some monsters are afraid of the light and will avoid it, so illuminating the area is a good way to stay safe.

As you mine the cave, there is the possibility of flooding the area with water, lava, or gas. Factories can produce 
equipment that will help mitigate and defend against these disasters.