Basically, the title.
We all had been in a situation when you hunt for a particular level, and then miss it.
But what if we could spend some of the unused minerals to remedy the situation?
For each gate there would be one mineral that speeds up the level changing, one - that slows it down, one - that reverses it, and two that have no effect.
Of course, it would also create some potential for griefing, but I think this would still be appreciated.
Well, I kinda agree with Moonstone and Valestone being the most unused. It's one of the possible way to do it. Though many players propose other sprites that would consume those minerals, that's why I don't want to single them out.
But waiting is just what I'm trying to remove here. Right now you're often better off waiting for a better level. Which means that you're being rewarded for NOT playing the game. Which is certainly not a way to go.
What I suggest will provoke players into spending their minerals. But if the price of the level swap will be high enough, player will be forced to choose carefully when to skip a level.
For the whle slowdown thing, well, that's kinda right. Maybe there should be just "speed up" and "reverse" minerals.
And finally, depositing minerals. No, of course you'd need receptacles on every elevator. Just a bit of redesign, is all.
I've had the same idea, more or less. You would insert the two minerals of the specific stratum theme you were in (example: gremlin = moonstone + crimsonite) and it would rotate to the next item in the rotation. It could be a chance based thing, with up to 5 minerals of each type being put in to ensure a rotation.
Therefore you get a use for all minerals and you can speed up the process of waiting for levels you want! It also brings back the stratum theme connection with minerals, currently only indicated by gremlin knockers.
To do this I'd say add a small deposit for minerals on the right side of all elevator lifts. They would be closed for places that can't be changed.
Really, if minerals were at all returned to being used to mess with the Arcade, it should only be the two minerals that aren't used as pet food; meaning Moonstone and Valestone.
Maybe have one of them speeds the level changing and another that slows it down, but involving the other minerals just seems like a bad idea.
And even then it's not super needed, you can still always wait at the elevator for the level to change. Really I only see speeding it up being useful, slowing it down would require you to actively look at the gate map while on the level directly before the level you wanna be on, see that its currently there, and then somehow pump minerals into the gate to slow it down.. somehow? I just don't see slowing it down being helpful at all, considering the level switching isn't as simple as it looks. Levels will swap positions, and sometimes it'll skip one level and just completely go to the next one in line for example.
And where would you deposit these minerals anyway? You can't really do it in the Haven Arcade area because you'd really only find use in messing with level change timings when you're already there, but I can't exactly see just randomly *using* them without a dedicated place to do so.
Everything else involving minerals is pretty specific about that; the old Arcade had specific mineral deposits, you can only use minerals to craft petfood at certain alchemy stations, etc.
tl;dr I type walls, I think the idea wouldn't really work or be needed.