Better Cave Miner
Better Cave Miner is a Fabric mod that adds a mining progression system to Minecraft.
The mod is focused on making ore mining feel more rewarding by adding Mining XP, levels, unlockable mining upgrades, mining statistics, a progress HUD, and a craftable headlamp for cave exploration.
It does not replace Minecraft’s mining system. Instead, it adds progression and utility features around ore mining.
When you break ore blocks, you earn Mining XP.
As your Mining XP increases, your mining level goes up. Higher mining levels automatically unlock mining-related upgrades.
These upgrades are designed to help with cave mining, ore gathering, visibility, and long mining sessions.
Mining Progression
The mod adds a separate mining level system.
Mining level is based on Mining XP:
- Every ore you mine gives Mining XP.
- Connected ores mined through vein mining give additional XP.
- Mining streaks can give a small XP bonus.
- Your mining level increases as your total Mining XP increases.
Mining progression is saved per player.
Vein Mining
Vein Mining allows connected ore blocks of the same type to be mined together.
This feature is limited by your mining progression.
At lower levels, only small groups of connected ores can be mined. Higher progression allows larger connected ore groups.
Vein Mining is not unlimited. It has a maximum number of extra blocks based on your current unlock level.
Ore Sense
Ore Sense scans the area around a mined ore block.
When enough nearby ore blocks are detected, the mod shows a small message telling you how many nearby ore blocks were found.
Ore Sense does not mark exact block positions.
It only provides a nearby ore count.
Mining Streaks
The mod tracks mining streaks when ore blocks are mined close together in time.
Higher streaks can give a small extra XP bonus.
The streak is shown as a short action bar message when it becomes high enough.
Mining Stats
Better Cave Miner tracks several mining statistics for each player:
- Total ores broken
- Completed veins
- Best mining streak
- Total Mining XP earned
- Average ores per vein
These stats can be viewed in the Mining Journal screen.
Mining HUD
The mod adds a compact mining HUD.
The HUD appears while holding a pickaxe and shows:
- Current mining level
- Mining XP progress toward the next level
- Remaining XP needed for the next level
The HUD is designed to stay small and only appear when relevant.
Mining Dashboard
The Mining Dashboard shows your mining progression in a larger screen.
It displays:
- Current mining level
- XP progress
- Skill unlock status
- Current levels for each mining skill
Default key: K
Mining Journal
The Mining Journal shows your mining statistics.
It displays your recorded mining activity, including ores broken, veins completed, best streak, total XP earned, and average ores per vein.
Default key: J
Caver’s Headlamp
Better Cave Miner adds a craftable item called the **Caver’s Headlamp**.
The headlamp can be worn in the helmet slot.
When worn, it provides client-side light while exploring caves.
The headlamp has durability and slowly loses durability while being used.
Its light range improves as your mining level increases.
Crafting
The Caver’s Headlamp is crafted using:
- Copper Ingots
- Redstone Torch
- Iron Helmet
The exact recipe is available in-game through recipe viewers or the vanilla recipe book when unlocked.
Commands
The mod includes the `/bcm` command for checking or managing mining progression.
Available command features include:
- Viewing mining info
- Adding Mining XP
- Setting mining level
- Adding skill levels
- Resetting mining progression
Some commands are mainly useful for testing, server management, or debugging.
Design Goal
Better Cave Miner is designed for players who want mining to feel more progressive without turning it into a completely different system.
