v1.2 is live, and it's a direct result of your diagnosis - thank you. You were exactly right that hardness divided everything by depth until the affordable tools added nothing. I kept the early-game hardness (so the v1.1 economy fix stays) but flattened it in the deepest strata, so late-game auto-dig now sits in a steady ~2.5-5 m/s band instead of collapsing toward zero. Upgrades visibly move the needle at any depth again. You're credited in the devlog. Would love your read on whether the deep game feels right now.