Keep the pickaxe. Fix the hand.

A first-person tool spends a lot of time on screen. Its shape, grip and position all affect the impression of a strike, even before the rock reacts. The development record includes repeated work on the pickaxe presentation and the hand holding it.

One constraint mattered: preserve the preferred tool and accepted pose while improving the surrounding work. A new effect was not a reason to swap the pickaxe, and a visual experiment was not a reason to alter the reward from a hit. Holding those decisions steady made it easier to tell whether the new work helped.

The mining image is a snapshot of that process, not a final character or animation showcase. The broader challenge remains connecting a believable grip, a convincing swing and a readable impact. A better hand and a better effect have to support the same action instead of pulling the view in different directions.