Multi-Player Robo Miner

Hi Peter, Hi Fans,

I've played Robo for so many years I can't remember when, etc. I'm not one for social pages either, and for that not likely to even take advantage of my own idea this post is all about, which is :
Multi-Player Robo Miner.
So really I just like this so much I thought I'd lay it out for You'all, and maybe you'll like it enough too, that it will come into being. It goes like this:

The rules are the same with exceptions.

A player must gather at least one field of ore every ten seconds (or so; to be arranged thru trials), or he loses his turn.

This rule gives the obvious disadvantage that skill is needed to stay ahead of the clock, but adds excitement, and the advantage that a skilled player can gather time to use; as each time an ore block is gathered the timer goes back ten seconds. A cumulative total is then always on the clock. At zero your turn is over.
At the very first of a game this will be hard, and turns will change fast. That's good, creates excitement while players build up money and time, and especially find ?-blocks, which will be more valuable in multi player than ever.

Each player will pick an individualized bot and ladder color in advance from a list. Maybe player-customizing would be good here. The point being that all players can tell the bots, and their ladders, apart. This not only lets everyone see what's going on, when your turn is coming, etc., but leads to the next rule.

No player can use another players ladders.

A bot can cross a ladder of a different color only, no up or down movement allowed. However, variations can apply. The game can simply refuse vertical movement, one rung only just to cross, OR, a player can use this as a trap, by setting his ladder, or ladders, to collapse at a set number of rungs up or down. If another players bot tries to cross at that level his bot falls. If that's on a path....

This will lead to a Lot of strategy ploys...the game being that there will be times when you can't afford to go around, and there's no way to know if it's safe or not!
A player can then use his ladders to cut off access to ungathered ore, essentially reserving it for himself. Rock falls can be left behind as trap/blocks by leaving key dirt in place, on a path say, where cutting it causes the fall, essentially blocking a left behind path. At the least that would cause time loss, since players can't see farther than their own purchased level allows. Strategy again: since the most money wins at the end of the game, do you buy more advantages or not?

The game will end with two possibilities. All the ore is gone, or one player retrieves the diamond. The Diamond is key. Once the diamond it's found it stops the game, but Only if it is brought back to the space ship. Thus a finder must be ahead in $ first, or choose to lose! A hard decision must then be made; as unless totally boxed in...almost impossible unless that player is lucky with the surroundings set-up, has all the ladders needed, enough time, etc...all players will then know where the diamond is, and capture it IF they are ahead. This could lead to team playing strategy.

There are all kinds of ploys that can be employed: Falling rocks will take out opposing ladders, Unless they are braced with pillars. Bombs would be needed then..but they cost $. Or, pillars are not color coded, so they can be stolen, but since you can't climb...well a ladder of your own side by side would do the trick... Then you could drop a rock on an opponents ladder and replace it with your own, and even a small segment would bar the owner's use of it. Say you put only three rungs at the bottom, all the rest is empty space above. No other player can even use that space without destroying your ladder first. That means a costly bomb, because they can't even climb up to a rock. You could force this issue by, say, lining a path with side by side two rung ladders. No other player would then be able to go up or down there without rocks, bombs, and or waisted time.

Well you'all get the idea. Kick it around, and maybe it will grow.

I can also see this as a TV show.
Players come from the audience and play for real money. Could be Big bucks in that one.

Hope you'all have fun with this,
BeOhBe