Driller

[stormvisions]

Just a random thought. It would might be cool to allow building a driller at some advanced level requiring research etc, and you would have to assign one of your characters who would travel in a straight line - one way - with a driller for a certain time and distance depending on material. You can append collection bins to the back and when the driller dies you are life with the material (or critters) etc you collected (if you attached the correct collection bins). Of course you could accidentally hit lava, or some other pocket.

 

Alternately you might create a smaller 'drone driller' that didn't require a character, and set that off in a straight line.

Maybe when the driller dies it could plug the hole where it lies, or maybe you let the water/lava/whatever free as a way to balance use of this tool. The fact that it eventually wears out, that it might create problems (lava/gas/liquid), and that it ties up one of your players, that it takes resources to build, research and you might or might not get enough good 'stuff' in the bins to justify all of this might provide the balance so it doesn't become so powerful it ruins game play.

 

[TheExceed]

You know what, I like this idea but make it used on difficult things to mine only to get extra out of the block.
It could then have a chance to drop a rare ore to be used on upgrading buildings like in the post I suggested.