Mining - using voxel

Unity Engine
1

Hi,
I started to develop an easy game, where you should be able to mine some resources a work with them to try my system of crafting I’m thinking of. But when i started to find way how to mine on map, I’m gonna create, I unfortunatly find out, that its not so simple in Unity. I found some terrain destroying but only surfice so I can’t make caves. I found some thread where man said, that this is possible with Voxel?!.. So I’m asking… is it good way, is there any better easier way, just asking because I don’t have much time and I really dont want to learn something not useful.
Thanks, Paul

2

Yes, Minecraft is a voxel game.

Here’s a good article on voxel game engines: An Analysis of Minecraft-like Engines – 0 FPS

If you don’t have much time, this type of game is probably not a good choice. Despite the “retro” look, which is just an artistic choice, these kinds of games are still complex and a lot of work. You might consider starting with a much smaller type of game first, perhaps building off of one of the example projects that Unity provides.

3

Oh… i forgot to say it wont be a minecraft type game a would like to have “natural” mining. So still use voxel?

4

It depends. I’m not sure what you mean by “natural” mining.

In games like World of Warcraft, “mining” is just an animation that the character plays, and then he gets an item in his inventory.

Voxels are just a way to model a 3D world. Everquest Next is supposedly implementing some kind of voxel technology for their changeable world, which might be closer to what you’re referring to. But that’s clearly even more ambitious than Minecraft.

Voxels aren’t the only option. It depends on what kind of game you’re designing.

5

You should check out “Marching Cubes”, if your looking for a smooth type of voxels.

This is pretty intense stuff if you don’t have much time.

Edit: Marching cubes is an algorithm you use to smooth block voxels, it isn’t a complete solution.

6

Exactly I mean this kind of “natural” mining: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSiFBJQ7heo
Or similar, its just for imagination. But thank you for posts.

7

I could be wrong, but it looks like one of two things:

  1. The world might be composed of sections of land that are models. When you mine, it swaps the model with a physics-modeled set of smaller rock models that tumble away.

  2. Or they’re using some kind of mesh decomposition like Exploder to carve out a volume.

Technique #1 would be easier than #2, but both might be a little too ambitious for a first project or if you don’t have a lot of time.