[1.7.10][LISTED] InfiTech 2 Modpack v3.2.21 [HQM][GregTech balanced hard-mode modpack]

[codewarrior0]

So, if that is correct, then which is the best sword? Do we stick with Blue Steel just because that gives Sharpness V automatically even tho it's only a Tier 2 sword? Is that still gonna be our best weapon option right up until making Tier 4 metals? Perhaps a vanilla Diamond sword with Sharpness V enchant will be a notch better than Blue Steel? What about the Flux-Infused sword from Redstone Arsenal? That does 8 damage and has some "empowered" thing too... EDIT: ...and it can be enchanted. Looks like I found my sword then.

The Flux-Infused equipment is pretty good. My boss-killing weapon is a Flux-Infused Bow with Power and Infinity enchants. A good melee option is the Ender sword from EnderIO. Does 8 damage when powered up with a Vibrant Crystal, can be enchanted, and has a good chance of dropping heads and skulls which is increased even further with Looting enchants. That's what I used to collect a bunch of Wither Skulls and Enderman Heads.

Why would that matter for this multiblock, is there some sort of bug with it?

It's by design. It's basically to force you to use the Fluid Regulator cover. Different combinations of fuel and turbine rotor will have different flow rate requirements.

A side effect is that the turbine's EU/t is rounded down to the next multiple of 1L/t for that particular fuel. So even though the Large Fluxed Electrum rotor has a stated flow rate of 2,400 EU/t, the actual flow rate is computed from the fluid's fuel value. For LPG at 256 EU/L, this comes out to 9 L/t, which is 2,304 EU/t. Then, the rotor's Efficiency bonus of 30% is applied, for a total EU/t of 2,995.

 

[asb3pe]

Lol I wish I had that kind of iron reserves. Yesterday I hit the bottom of my barrel of iron. I've been slowly using my Magnetite to make gold but I'm shifting back to using it for iron. Also, knowing that, I'm going to have to upgrade my barrels then. I only upgraded one so far because of the costs of the tiers. I decided to just make multiple barrels and just set them next to each other. Looks like I know what I'll be doing tonight while I wait for my Kanthal to smelt and cool.

Yeah I don't use many barrel upgrades. Generally, when I see 8 regular barrels of Cobblestone, that's my cue (or my clue too) that perhaps it's time to make a few structural upgrades and combine all that junk into one barrel. LOL

And if you're short on iron, that can only mean one thing (and it's quite understandable given how much there is to do in this pack)... you're not digging and exploring enough for your ores. The reason I found so many Limonite veins is because I explored a 36x36 chunk area with criss-cross tunnels spaced every 3 chunks at elevation 25. So that's a 12x12 tunnel grid with each tunnel stretching 576 blocks. The idea with the 3-chunk spacing is (a) that's the average spacing for GT ore veins, and (b) it would be difficult (but not impossible) for a GT ore vein to fit between your tunnels. The solution to (b) is to make the OV Scanner and use it, that gives you a look at a small radius into the tunnel walls which should theoretically reduce the odds of missing an ore vein with your tunnels. The reason I was working at elevation 25 is because the Manganese vein height is 20-30 according to the book so I tunnel right in the middle of that range. It just so happens that's the same range for Limonite and also Chalcopyrite (among other ores).

 

[asb3pe]

I thought the fluid regulator allows you to configure what rate a fluid will be allowed to pass through it. (Maybe I'm thinking of a different cover) It basically acts as an intentional and programmable bottleneck. So you can put it on the pipe entering your turbine and control exactly how much will go into it.

Okay, I've never used one, I was only reading from the wiki which was apparently incorrect information. (Edit: Nope, it's my fault, I was reading the Fluid Detector cover instead LOL) But how would bottleneck on the incoming fluid prevent the Turbine from using 25% more fluid for zero power output? That's the part I don't get. It must be a bug, or some sort of exploit?

Also, does it only work on GT fluid pipes? I'm not using them in this play-thru because of bad experience with them in previous attempts. I'm using 100% Ender IO conduits for reliability and for less headaches.

 

[codewarrior0]

But how would bottleneck on the incoming fluid prevent the Turbine from using 25% more fluid for zero power output? That's the part I don't get. It must be a bug, or some sort of exploit?

Nope. Entirely by design. The turbine has an optimal flow rate that is based on the turbine rotor and fuel it is using. I gave an example of a setup that uses 9L/t earlier. Every tick, this turbine will consume up to 11L of fluid from its input hatch. If it consumes less than 9L, it takes on an efficiency penalty and produces a fraction of the nominal EU. If it consumes 9L, it produces 2995 EU that tick. If it consumes more than 9L, it will still produce only 2995 EU that tick. It's to encourage you to use the Fluid Regulator cover, and to set the cover's flow rate precisely depending on what kind of fuel and rotor are in the turbine. So it's not as simple to just switch the fuel or rotor in the turbine. It also discourages you from doing things like filling one hatch with LPG, filling another hatch with Naphtha, and filling a third one with Methane, and letting the turbine just burn whichever one is available. You can still do that, if you don't mind that the turbine will delete ~20% of the fluid because none of them are regulated.

...but you could always spend a cool 400 titanium on that big Diesel Engine instead.

 

[codewarrior0]

Also, does it only work on GT fluid pipes?

It works on GT pipes and machines. You can apply it directly to the Input Hatch, then put a BuildCraft Tank (the cheap one) next to the Hatch, and then insert fuel into the tank using a Conduit.

 

[codewarrior0]

Oh, in case it all sounds like a headache, you can just use the Portable Scanner on the turbine to find out what the flow rate is to set the Fluid Regulator at.

 

[Nezraddin]

One more question about ore-gen in gregtech.

I do understand so far that the ore-gen is in 3x3 chunks (that's why you should dig down every 3 chunks), but I'm wondering:
- What about empty chunks (so chunks that only have small-ores) do they follow the same 3x3 rule or can they mess up the counting of 3 chunks per digging hole?
(so like it will be, from west to east: 3x3 Quarzite, then 3x3 empty then 3x3 other ressource. Or can the empty on just be 2x1 chunks or so)

 

[codewarrior0]

The empty chunks aren't really empty. If you don't find an ore, that just means whatever ore was there had generated at a level above the terrain. So if you're in a plains (Y=70 or so), and you don't find any ore, it's usually because something like a Tin Vein wanted to generate at Y=80 or above. So no, the "empty" chunks follow the same 3x3 rule.

 

[Nezraddin]

The empty chunks aren't really empty. If you don't find an ore, that just means whatever ore was there had generated at a level above the terrain. So if you're in a plains (Y=70 or so), and you don't find any ore, it's usually because something like a Tin Vein wanted to generate at Y=80 or above. So no, the "empty" chunks follow the same 3x3 rule.

Ah that explains the empty chunks aswell, didn't think so far (still everything confusing for me).
Thank you alot for the information!

 

[asb3pe]

One more question about ore-gen in gregtech.

I do understand so far that the ore-gen is in 3x3 chunks (that's why you should dig down every 3 chunks), but I'm wondering:
- What about empty chunks (so chunks that only have small-ores) do they follow the same 3x3 rule or can they mess up the counting of 3 chunks per digging hole?
(so like it will be, from west to east: 3x3 Quarzite, then 3x3 empty then 3x3 other ressource. Or can the empty on just be 2x1 chunks or so)

The 3-chunk-guideline isn't very strict, you should think of it more like "on average". On average, you'll get one heads and one tails for every 2 flips of a coin, but that doesn't mean every 2 flips is going to consist of exactly one heads and one tails. Catch my drift? The easiest way to see this with GT ore distribution (its rare but it does happen) is when you find 2 intersecting ore veins. Right now in my own world I'm mining a Salt vein that also had Magnetite mixed in with it. Now quite clearly, when 2 ore veins generate pretty much in the same place, that's not a strict "3-chunk spacing"! That's why I say, think of it more like an average. Don't go out, find one ore vein, and then say to yourself, "Ok, now if I go 3 chunks in any direction I'm sure to find more ores there." On average, yes, there's a good chance. But no guarantee.

And also, Nezraddin hit upon another key point to understanding GT ores. Oceans is another place where his explanation comes into effect, because so many ores have spawn elevations which will be occupied by water blocks... meaning those ore veins won't be there, even tho they would have been there if it were land instead of ocean. If the oregen decides to place Ore X at Location Y, but Location Y is invalid, it doesn't repeat the process for that location and try to place a different ore there.

 

[codewarrior0]

Ah, I have to disagree. The 3-chunk guideline is very, very strict. I'd rather call it a rule than a guideline. The centers of the ore veins are at fixed chunk coordinates, across every world and playthrough. The one exception is for the veins that are close to the coordinate X=0 or Z=0 - veins on either side of that coordinate will be two chunks apart, rather than three.

If you know exactly what the chunk coordinates are for the centers of the veins (they are always a multiple of three, plus one), and you dig straight down in the center of that chunk, you will find an ore vein if one exists. Again, the one exception is when you are close to X=0 or Z=0. Digging down there will usually find the vein that is in that chunk, or it may also find the vein that is two chunks away, if that vein happened to be a type of ore that spawns as large veins, and that vein also got a lucky roll on its vein size attribute.

In other words, if you often find two or more veins when you dig straight down, it means you aren't digging straight down in the center of the veins.

 

[Nezraddin]

@asb3pe
Now the "..." sentence you wrote down is exactly what I thought until just now *chuckles*
I still try the hammer for prospecting in these "empty" chunks I find, just until now I didn't even get a single result that wasn't thaumcraft ore or one of the small ones. So not sure if I use it wrong to find actual big veins or it's just luck with prospecting.
(so pretty much digging down to bedrock and while going back up I use the hammer every 5~6 blocks upwards in at least two directions)

Never even thought about oceans... I'm kinda to used to completly ignore them in my ore-hunting. ^^"

---

Guess I do the 3-chunk digging for now and see what I find. Especially in the extreme hills I now found. Sadly the last one only had one tin vein... and I had the luck that the mountain had a big hole just where it should have been generated (so only got the outer parts of the tin x.x)

Still so much to learn about gregtech and I didn't even really start into any real tech from the pack, heh. Just finding the ressources to get forward is already a challange for itself. *looks at the two diamonds the first macerator needs*

[edit]
Didn't notice the "new messages" button this time.
Thanks again codewarrior0. At least I'm happy that the generation follows a stricter rule about these ressources.
In my first days I didn't find anything cause I tried digging tunnels like normal ^^"

 

[asb3pe]

Ah, I have to disagree. The 3-chunk guideline is very, very strict. I'd rather call it a rule than a guideline. The centers of the ore veins are at fixed chunk coordinates, across every world and playthrough. The one exception is for the veins that are close to the coordinate X=0 or Z=0 - veins on either side of that coordinate will be two chunks apart, rather than three.

If you know exactly what the chunk coordinates are for the centers of the veins (they are always a multiple of three, plus one), and you dig straight down in the center of that chunk, you will find an ore vein if one exists. Again, the one exception is when you are close to X=0 or Z=0. Digging down there will usually find the vein that is in that chunk, or it may also find the vein that is two chunks away, if that vein happened to be a type of ore that spawns as large veins, and that vein also got a lucky roll on its vein size attribute.

Interesting. I've used CoFH command "/clearblocks" to remove all worldgen except for the GT ores, so I could have a look at it, and I never detected any pattern to it (which probably wouldn't be very easy to do just by sight, but still).

How do you explain 2 different veins generating in the same location? Are they just massively large ore veins (at the upper end of the bell curve distribution) and that's why they are overlapping? You're claiming those veins will still have their centers exactly 3 chunks apart? I'm nowhere near the 0,0 coord, my base is at -1500, 1500 or so.

I don't think you're correct, but at the same time I'm not certain I'm correct either because I've never actually had a look inside, at the coding itself. Perhaps you have, you seem quite knowledgeable about the game, the mods and this pack.

 

[asb3pe]

@asb3pe
Now the "..." sentence you wrote down is exactly what I thought until just now *chuckles*
I still try the hammer for prospecting in these "empty" chunks I find, just until now I didn't even get a single result that wasn't thaumcraft ore or one of the small ones. So not sure if I use it wrong to find actual big veins or it's just luck with prospecting.
(so pretty much digging down to bedrock and while going back up I use the hammer every 5~6 blocks upwards in at least two directions)

Never even thought about oceans... I'm kinda to used to completly ignore them in my ore-hunting. ^^"

---

Guess I do the 3-chunk digging for now and see what I find. Especially in the extreme hills I now found. Sadly the last one only had one tin vein... and I had the luck that the mountain had a big hole just where it should have been generated (so only got the outer parts of the tin x.x)

Still so much to learn about gregtech and I didn't even really start into any real tech from the pack, heh. Just finding the ressources to get forward is already a challange for itself. *looks at the two diamonds the first macerator needs*

Instead of using the hammer to prospect, I highly suggest and recommend the OD Scanner from IC2, which I believe will scan a 5 block radius for ores, and then as soon as you can, I suggest you upgrade it to the OV Scanner, which can scan a 9-block radius I believe. The OD Scanner never revealed anything for me, but the OV Scanner found a few diamond veins for me (so it's worth its weight in diamonds!). I use it in conjunction with the Advanced Charging Battery for extended use in my tunnels. (OV Scanner might require the next tier, the Charging Energy Crystal, not sure).

 

[codewarrior0]

Perhaps you have, you seem quite knowledgeable about the game, the mods and this pack.

If you can trust that I've read the source code, then I will tell you that the positions of the vein centers is very precise and repeatable, and that the, well, I call it a "discontinuity" at coordinates X=0 and Z=0 is also just as precise. The ore veins do vary in size quite a bit - both because different types of minerals have different base sizes, and because the same type of mineral can vary in vein size by up to 16 blocks. So when you find what appears to be two overlapping ore veins, it is usually because the two veins straddle one of the discontinuities, but rarely it is because the two veins just happen to be very large. But for each of those two veins, there will always be an exact center of the vein, where that vein's ores dominate over all other veins' ores.

If you use "/clearblocks" to remove everything except GT ores and then look at the result from far overhead (or using an overhead map of some kind), the pattern should be very apparent.

 

[Nezraddin]

Instead of using the hammer to prospect, I highly suggest and recommend the OD Scanner from IC2, which I believe will scan a 5 block radius for ores, and then as soon as you can, I suggest you upgrade it to the OV Scanner, which can scan a 9-block radius I believe. The OD Scanner never revealed anything for me, but the OV Scanner found a few diamond veins for me (so it's worth its weight in diamonds!). I use it in conjunction with the Advanced Charging Battery for extended use in my tunnels. (OV Scanner might require the next tier, the Charging Energy Crystal, not sure).

Thanks for the tipps. Will write them down for later.
I hardly started into the steam-age (actually not even set down the steam boiler since I still try to build a bit of a starting building for it) and these scanners seems to be future plans for me.
Really nice to know that you later get such, more effective means to search for ores behind the stone.

 

[asb3pe]

Thanks for the tipps. Will write them down for later.
I hardly started into the steam-age (actually not even set down the steam boiler since I still try to build a bit of a starting building for it) and these scanners seems to be future plans for me.
Really nice to know that you later get such, more effective means to search for ores behind the stone.

Yes, I agree. Just so you know, eventually there will be a device (Seismic Prospector) that we can use to get information about what's in an area, and I'm pretty sure it covers the entire chunk right down to bedrock over a good-sized area (6 chunks by 6 chunks maybe?). If you want to know more, you can watch this video which I found when trying to learn about the Oil Drilling Rig and the Advanced Miner II. He shows the whole process of how to use the Seismic Prospector at the beginning of the video. It's a lot of work, but well worth it I think.

 

[Nezraddin]

Thank you again. Such tutorials will surely help me in the future.
Though I have to say: seeing his base inside with all the machines... I need to plan my base faaaar bigger than I'm used to O_O

 

[asb3pe]

Thank you again. Such tutorials will surely help me in the future.
Though I have to say: seeing his base inside with all the machines... I need to plan my base faaaar bigger than I'm used to O_O

I try to keep my base as compact and as small as possible... because in this pack, if you spread out too much, you pay for it, either in material costs for additional piping and wiring and stuff, or else you pay in electrical costs since you lose a tiny bit of power with every length of cable you place down. But you don't want to over-do it because trying to work in a small space can cause major problems such as "oops, I didn't see that MV cable would connect into my LV machines, and maybe that's why my entire base just exploded into a smoking crater?" LOL (it's really not all that funny tho!)

 

[asb3pe]

Wow, I was gonna complain about all these tiny Hydrated Coal dusts coming out of my Distillation Tower... until it suddenly hit me that each stack is basically a diamond.

So now I'm laughing to myself instead of complaining. Who knew processing Heavy Oil would result in a by-product of Industrial Diamonds? That is sweet, since my Steve's Carts tree farm has been using up 2 diamonds per day to repair the Cutting Blades. At the rate my Oil Drilling Rig is working, I'm gonna be making a lot more than 2 per day!

On the downside, all this oil processing is leaving me with a ridiculous amount of sulfuric acid and that's fast becoming my #1 priority, figuring out the best way to use it all up. Yes, I know the battery "trick" but I just don't know how to implement it, and where. But I gotta figure it out quickly, or else give in and build a Railcraft tank for it all. I think I'm up to 10 drums of the stuff now, yuck.

And yet another brainstorm... use the Hydrated Coal to make Diamonds, and use the Diamonds to make Bedrockium Drums, which will solve all my drum and fluid issues for a loooooong time. As much as I love the RC tanks... I think it's time to change course and go a different route. With each process I add to my chain, the place is just getting uglier and uglier because I've got fluid conduits going all over the place and lines of empty drums so nothing overflows and gets voided. It's a mess, and I don't like messes. haha