# What's the deal with coal?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [March 15, 2019, 4:03am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229 "2019-03-15T04:03:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 12\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Heartwawy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ce73a5/32.png) [@Heartwawy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Heartwawy)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 4:03am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/1 "2019-03-15T04:03:19Z")

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No seriously coal is pretty much useless. By the time I craft a pickaxe, the coal I can get from mining is pretty much useless compared to the more versatile charcoal. Is there a mod that gives coal some more usage?

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**Author:** ![Trigon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/trigon/32/2668_2.png) [@Trigon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Trigon)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 5:33am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/2 "2019-03-15T05:33:51Z")

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I mean you can use it in steam engines I guess.

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**Author:** ![Mecares](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mecares/32/2543_2.png) [@Mecares](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Mecares)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 6:28am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/3 "2019-03-15T06:28:48Z")

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Feel free to add additional realistic uses for it to the game, if you have a good idea just go to github and make a pull request.

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**Author:** ![Psychopathic\_Magno](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/psychopathic_magno/32/1351_2.png) [@Psychopathic\_Magno](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Psychopathic_Magno)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 7:42am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/4 "2019-03-15T07:42:47Z")

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Unless it’s changed or never was the case and I’m just miss remembering, coal can be put in a charcoal kiln to make charcoal from, fairly ironic if I am infact remembering right.

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**Author:** ![mlangsdorf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mlangsdorf/32/2462_2.png) [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 12:29pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/5 "2019-03-15T12:29:39Z")

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If you’re running a steam engine, coal has 20 times the energy density of charcoal.

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**Author:** ![FurryDegenerate](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/furrydegenerate/32/2274_2.png) [@FurryDegenerate](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FurryDegenerate)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 3:28pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/6 "2019-03-15T15:28:06Z")

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Wait, there’s steam engines now?

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**Author:** ![mlangsdorf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mlangsdorf/32/2462_2.png) [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/7 "2019-03-15T15:40:03Z")

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Yes, for months even.

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/8 "2019-03-15T16:32:00Z")

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Also _mining_ coal for fuel isn’t something I would expect to be worthwhile for a single survivor. The quantities involved are all wrong.

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**Author:** ![mr\_sep](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mr_sep/32/3049_2.png) [@mr\_sep](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mr_sep)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 11:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/9 "2019-03-15T23:18:29Z")

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Besides the absurdity of mining coal everywhere in game, why would it not be valid? In regions, where coal layers are accessible from the ground, often an illegal shafts are being dug out by individuals to get free coal. Rock coal is relatively soft, so you don’t need sophisticated equipment to mine it on a small scale, its layers are consistent, so you don’t sift through dug-out rock or use some special process like in gold mining etc., where you would need special machinery etc. And its relatively caloric as fuel, compared to wood, etc. In my opinion in a region where you could have access to coal, it would be valid even for a sole survivor. Of course its a game of opportunities and economics of time - if in a same time you could just get some wood, gas, etc. then you lose incentive to dig for it. But it’s still an option.

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**Author:** ![Mantar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mantar/32/42_2.png) [@Mantar](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Mantar)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/10 "2019-03-16T00:03:42Z")

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Yeah, from what I’ve read, once you actually reach a coal seam, you’ll have access to a lot of coal for a pretty reasonable amount of work. The seams are usually pretty thick and consistent, and soft enough to mine out large chunks without sophisticated tools.

> **Like this guy**
>
> ![Coal-Mines-underground-scenes-March-1946](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/cataclysmdda/original/2X/a/a0ac46eebbb998709907b136d5e992bf73cf5273.jpeg)

The trick is finding it.

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**Author:** ![Fris0uman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/fris0uman/32/8607_2.png) [@Fris0uman](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Fris0uman)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/11 "2019-03-16T14:59:21Z")

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I have no idea what is already implemented regarding mining, but we could have some OM tile containing underground coal and some `Geological survey of [town]` items that work like other type of maps but reveal only underground ressources.

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**Author:** ![Trigon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/trigon/32/2668_2.png) [@Trigon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Trigon)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/whats-the-deal-with-coal/19229/12 "2019-03-16T15:49:33Z")

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Isn’t mining for coal part of the mining mod? Not exactly base game stuff?