wow, thanks! That would have taken some massive digging! I wondered who hired the Egyptians over the weekend!

Good idea with the torch.

Wish you guys were around last night when I was having a heart attack!

I was there till about midnight our time I think, so probably the afternoon for you.

Yeah I didn't get on until 3 or 4 AM your time. Peter was up for a bit, but not long enough to keep me from freaking out.

Oi! Don't make me feel guilty for having to go to bed! :p

Not your fault! Just wish someone was there to tell me what I was seeing!

 

I swear this game cheats. As soon as I get diamonds I end up in lava. Just about every time. 4 times last night. Grrr

How are you ending up in lava?

I dunno, it's like it just jumps up and eats me. And I'm serious!

:/

Just don't go near it - dig a path around it, with solid stone protecting you.

Yeah, I try to be careful but it isn't working obviously. I bet I've lost 20 diamonds to lava since I've started playing.

Try harder! :@

That should say /cry/ harder.

lava can be a bugger, it can set fire to you diagonally as well as if you fall in, and it's so often under something good (like diamonds)

I often dig all around diamonds, carefully removing everything dull, even under - you can drop sand or gravel into lava to get rid of it, or chuck water on - though that will result in obsidian (or cobble if thelava is flowing)

I try to be careful but I guess I need to pay more attention. I'm easily distracted by shiny things I guess.

I've taken to isolating the diamonds before I extract them. Had too many fall into lava in the past.

I didn't know that..! Should've thought that was the case, but never mind. Does that mean that if the lava is more than one square deep, you need to drop several squares of sand into it?

Thank you!

Yeah if it's more than one just keep dropping.

 

I swear you were doing that when you were with me in merica?

No, I was putting cobblestone down, smash, repeat if deeper :-$
Sand would make it much easier!

You can also put sand/gravel on top of obsidian, and (once it finally mines) the sand will drop before the lava can flow out.