Before I go onto VaalDeth, who, might I just say, gets what I was going for, let me address the bucket/tools break so fast thing.
This is intended.
It's not really intended for this challenge to be easy, and I designed it so you have to stop and think about food, water, and other things you take for granted even in Vanilla Minecraft. If you want to skip right to Iron tools, I can see why that is. But you're intended to take a while. Yes, the wooden/stone tools break fast. But that will only make you appreciate the Iron+ tools even more once you get to them.
Age | Tech
1 - Wood
2 - Stone
3 - Bronze
4 - Iron | Redstone Dust (vanilla like, can make pistons etc)
5 - Gold | Redwire (no blutricity redpower machines) & MJs (Buildcraft/Thermal Expansion)
6 - Diamond | Redpower (blutricity), Electricity! (Basic EU, IC2)
7 - 'Final' | Gregtech / Applied Energistics / 'High-Tech' etc
that's essentially what I'm working on here. I do have to ask though, why is Bronze before Iron? Because Bronze is a mix of metals, while Iron is Iron. For my challenge, Iron is essentially the *Metal* stage, not just the *Iron Only* stage.
I haven't updated lately because I've been struggling with Redstone stuff (and my minecraft world sucked me back in). I wanted to get basic tech stuff going on the Iron level, but I realized I had designated the next section as the main tech start.
But I think I've got a basically clear plan in my head now.
Iron Stage you do rudimentary experimentation in Tech (pistons, jukeboxes, etc), with Redstone Engines/Iron Furnaces/Wooden, Stone, Cobblestone pipes (water and item, electric is next stage). Magic is pretty limited, with largely the Thaumcraft Alchemy, and one or two other areas. Again, this is the stage where I intended it to be introduced, but not fully explored.
Next stage will be switched around to Redstone Discovery, in which Stirling Engines (and other basic engines like Peat), IC2 Generators, and the most basic of Tech gets introduced. Generators/Macerators/Electric Furnaces, and their TE cousins. As far as mining machines go, Mining Well, the IC2 miner. Which means, of course, you get the basic Electric Drill. Diamond Tools are introduced in this stage.
Next up is the Glowstone Expansion. Like the title suggests, it's a Nether-centric stage. Glowstone, Potion Brewing, Enchantment Table, Compressors, Recyclers, and the Batbox/Solar Panel/Geothermal Generator equivalencies, tossing in Blutricity and the IC2 Diamond Drill
Gold City--Mass Fabricator, LV Solar Panels, Quarries, Mining Laser, etc, ramping things up, Modular Powersuits tool
Lapis Metropolis--MVs, Liquiducts, Redstone Energy Conduits, Energy Cells, MFFS, Modular Powersuits
Emerald--HVs, Nuclear Power, Tessaracts, Applied Energistics, Gravisuits?
Diamond--Nuclears required, MFFS required, etc etc etc
and through all these stages you are building, building, building, and expanding, expanding, expanding. Diamond is essentially the final stage, with a Myst 1-type ending. "You've helped me out, and fully explored the entire island. I give you the reward of..........continuing to explore the island you have studied thoroughly over the last 20 or so hours."
That said, this challenge does not take Gregtech into consideration. I don't really have much experience with Gregtech. yet. Again, you're free to use whatever mods (or don't use mods at all) you want to.
And no, I don't have a lot of stuff up there yet for magic, mainly because the tech stuff is easier to find information on and compare things with. Though one thing I DO want to add into this is Ars Magica support. I've only seen a few things for it so far, but it looks incredible, and looks like it would go a long ways to balance the Tech/Magic ratio I have in the challenge currently.
I haven't quite decided where I'm going to drop in Nano/Quantum armor yet either. I don't generally use them, so I'll need to do a bit more research.