I find gravel
most useful for striking other pieces of gravel—it's barely slower than a shovel, it's
faster than a pickaxe, and unlike your shovel, that piece of gravel you're striking with will never break. On the other hand, a piece of glass or wood or sand or something is just as effective. Sand and gravel are also pretty useful for getting rid of water in enclosed spaces, particularly from above. That's how I made THIS:
This is a glass globe, partially submerged in the ocean near the spawn area. I removed the water from the inside using sand and dirt before digging downward, carving out a spire on which I planted a sapling. Originally, the globe had two entrances: there was a hole in the very top, and a tunnel into the ocean from the bottom; while the top has been sealed, the last gap from the bottom tunnel is the source of the water-fall to the left. After connecting this chamber to the first little space I carved out, Zaratustra turned the waterfall-capture pit into an express elevator (or an inefficient ladder) to the tunnels interconnecting a bunch of peoples' areas.
If you want to check it out, go down the stairs from the spawn area so that you're approaching the Sandy Bottom Bar. If you go past the restroom to the right, there should be a tree growing in the sand: turn 45 degrees and climb up on the sandbar to see the globe. Behind the tree you passed is the entrance to my area.
As proud as I am of my (unfinished) construction, I stumbled onto a project on our server that honestly kind of horrifies me. From the spawn point, it's back and to the left; just off the coast of LEGION. A vast wooden rectangle in the ocean, completely covered in torches—but it's the
inside that amazed me. Drop down the shafts in one of the corners to find
a fucking enormous room way,
way under the earth. Who made this? How did you make it so
big? It's absurd!
If you made something, tell me how to get there so I can check it out!