Best early game method of sorting?

[MoosyDoosy]

Extra Utilities. Go mining and exploring for one hour max and you'll have the tools necessary to make transfer nodes, transfer pipes, sorting pipes, mod sorting pipes, filter pipes, filters, and speed upgrades which is basically all you need for a good sorting system. And most of the stuff's pretty self-explanatory too.
General idea is Transfer Node from chest with Speed Upgrades leading to a filter pipe with two filters to make ores go one way and random stuff the other. Your random stuff will get sorted using pipes and the ores lead to machines to be processed.

 

[SatanicSanta]

If you are the sort that just piles a stack of unformatted disks into drives and calls that's that, then maybe its not sorting. But AE is so much more than that.

That's why I said it is very powerful. I know that it's powerful and capable of a lot, but that doesn't make it sorting. Not once have I seen someone use AE to actually sort; a standard AE system has everything in a few blocks, and everything accessible in another block- all meshed into the same block and able to be found via search.

 

[GreenZombie]

I think, AE gives you the searching facilities to make sorting unnecessary.

For me, sorting is moving items to be stored in different inventories. I use the word inventories, as inventories are individually accessible, and an AE system, however partitioned the disks might be, is not.

 

[casilleroatr]

Refined Relocation has been my main sorting system from early game to current. At first I used a load of Jabba barrels for my main bulk items fed by item ducts. The itemducts terminated in a sorting chest so that I had the rest of my stuff distributed automatically across about 10 other sorting chests (less than a stack of gold). When I had built up a good reserve of gold I upgraded all of my Jabba barrels with sorting upgrades. Now items that land anywhere in my refined relocation network automatically land in the right barrel. The lack of pipes required to supply my barrels meant that it was really easy to add storage buses to all of my barrels when the time came to use AE, (it did get very expensive though).

 

[asb3pe]

That's why I said it is very powerful. I know that it's powerful and capable of a lot, but that doesn't make it sorting. Not once have I seen someone use AE to actually sort; a standard AE system has everything in a few blocks, and everything accessible in another block- all meshed into the same block and able to be found via search.

This though process confuses me... if there's an item that basically eliminates any need for complicated "sorting" piping networks... then why would you insist on still making a complicated "sorting" piping network?

You don't have to answer, by the way... I already know the answer is simply "Just because." Why did Direwolf go with a logistics pipe sorting system in his 1.6 Let'sPlay? I think his logic was "just because I can" and also "because it looks cool".

 

[SatanicSanta]

This though process confuses me... if there's an item that basically eliminates any need for complicated "sorting" piping networks... then why would you insist on still making a complicated "sorting" piping network?

You don't have to answer, by the way... I already know the answer is simply "Just because." Why did Direwolf go with a logistics pipe sorting system in his 1.6 Let'sPlay? I think his logic was "just because I can" and also "because it looks cool".

Yeah, you pretty much answered the question there. "Just because I can and want to" and "because it looks cool". But also because I am so used to a time before AE (both Vanilla and modded) that I simply get annoyed with everything being in one spot. I've played vMC and modded MC way too long to get used to AE.

 

[b0bst3r]

What no sorting in AE, what... what... WHAT... lol it has some of the best sorting you can possibly want if you take the time to pre-format your storage disks and use me chests and not me drives. Then give the stuff you want at the top of the ME access terminal the highest priority, then work down. Then change the AE access terminal sort settings to the spanner and top to bottom.

That leaves you with a superbly sorted AE terminal listing. It used to be better cos the ME drives used to sort automatically based on highest chip first but Algo "broke" that and didn't want to fix it. Best feature of AE sorting went right there.

 

[malicious_bloke]

If you are the sort that just piles a stack of unformatted disks into drives and calls that's that, then maybe its not sorting. But AE is so much more than that.

I start off that way, but then the system does all the work for me.

- Transports ores via singularity into a little mystcraft dimension that houses my processing subnet and retrieves the finished produce the same way.
- Likewise mob grinders in the end and a co-opted nether fortress returning their goods to the central brain.
- Crafting subnet, housing my MAC and all of the automated machinery.

Each has its own storage setup initially and the central brain uses a combination of formatted drives and storage busses to keep each in its place.

 

[asb3pe]

I start off that way, but then the system does all the work for me.

- Transports ores via singularity into a little mystcraft dimension that houses my processing subnet and retrieves the finished produce the same way.
- Likewise mob grinders in the end and a co-opted nether fortress returning their goods to the central brain.
- Crafting subnet, housing my MAC and all of the automated machinery.

Each has its own storage setup initially and the central brain uses a combination of formatted drives and storage busses to keep each in its place.

I guess we can just define this as "end game sorting", and the OP's question is more about "beginning game sorting", before you get to Mystcraft ages and bees making infinite raw materials? Does that settle this issue once and for all, maybe? Remember, one of the first things Dire did in his Let's Play was make his logistics pipe sorting network, I think it was episodes 6 and 7? But then again, Dire seems to have a bias against AE, which I can sorta understand since AE is pretty unexciting in terms of a Let'sPlay video series (after all, it is sort of a "hidden box" as people have said). As I think Dire said, it's kinda cool to see items moving around and thru your base, that visual aspect is important.

Having said all that... I will always go straight for an AE setup right away if it's in the modpack.

 

[SatanicSanta]

I start off that way, but then the system does all the work for me.

That there is my main problem with AE. I prefer having to think about the way I do things, rather than just shove everything into some storage disks and it works perfectly.

This is also the reason I'm leaning more towards magic mods lately, but that's a different topic that we shouldn't get into right now.

 

[McJty]

That there is my main problem with AE. I prefer having to think about the way I do things, rather than just shove everything into some storage disks and it works perfectly.

This is also the reason I'm leaning more towards magic mods lately, but that's a different topic that we shouldn't get into right now.

For me the fun is in actually setting up AE to make everything automatically. For basic crafting that's fairly easy to do but it is a bit more work if you need to integrate new crafting mechanisms from other mods (but more fun).

 

[SatanicSanta]

For me the fun is in actually setting up AE to make everything automatically. For basic crafting that's fairly easy to do but it is a bit more work if you need to integrate new crafting mechanisms from other mods (but more fun).

Bleh. I've seen some friend's bases on servers where they had full-AE systems. One of them explained to me how it all works, and it really didn't seem that complicated. To each their own, though- it's your game- play it how you wanna play it .

 

[rhn]

That's why I said it is very powerful. I know that it's powerful and capable of a lot, but that doesn't make it sorting. Not once have I seen someone use AE to actually sort; a standard AE system has everything in a few blocks, and everything accessible in another block- all meshed into the same block and able to be found via search.

I don't get it. So because I use formatted Disks instead of chests and barrels with some sort of filter on them to store things it is not sorting? I really don't see the big difference other then their visual representation. And tbh I can and sometimes do use AE to SORT items into barrels and chests. Where exactly is the distinction between this not being sorting, but using BC pipes etc. is?

And if a search function eliminates something from being called a sorting system, does that eliminate LP as well?

 

[SatanicSanta]

I don't get it. So because I use formatted Disks instead of chests and barrels with some sort of filter on them to store things it is not sorting? I really don't see the big difference other then their visual representation. And tbh I can and sometimes do use AE to SORT items into barrels and chests. Where exactly is the distinction between this not being sorting, but using BC pipes etc. is?

And if a search function eliminates something from being called a sorting system, does that eliminate LP as well?

I didn't respond to your initial post because what you mentioned is sorting. What I am talking about is the only thing I have ever seen anyone do with AE (myself included), which is just shoving a bunch of disks in a drive, putting all your crap in there, and calling it a day.

On search function: You are only taking the last few words out of that sentence and thinking it is my entire point. "all meshed into the same block and able to be found via search."
"meshing" together all your items is not sorting.

 

[asb3pe]

I still say AE busses are the best sorting system in the game. With busses, you can send any item to any location, you can do it in bulk, you can do it in single quantity, you can send 39 at a time if that's what you need... you can do it non-stop and forever, or you can do it metered over time... you can stop it and start it based on how many you have in storage (so you don't run completely out of an item, for instance)...

The big reason people seem to hate on the AE bus is because... you can't see your stuff moving around? Is that it? Someone already pointed out you can have your bazillion chests, but still have them tied into one central "computer" where you can see all your items despite them being scattered all over your world inside those bazillion chests... I dunno. I don't get the point here anymore. I think I'll go play.

 

[SatanicSanta]

I still say AE busses are the best sorting system in the game. With busses, you can send any item to any location, you can do it in bulk, you can do it in single quantity, you can send 39 at a time if that's what you need... you can do it non-stop and forever, or you can do it metered over time... you can stop it and start it based on how many you have in storage (so you don't run completely out of an item, for instance)...

The big reason people seem to hate on the AE bus is because... you can't see your stuff moving around? Is that it? Someone already pointed out you can have your bazillion chests, but still have them tied into one central "computer" where you can see all your items despite them being scattered all over your world inside those bazillion chests... I dunno. I don't get the point here anymore. I think I'll go play.

It's that you can't see crap moving around, as well as how simple that is.

It doesn't take much thought to just have something do exactly what you want it to do in a single block; which is also the reason I dislike MFR.

 

[malicious_bloke]

For me the fun is in actually setting up AE to make everything automatically. For basic crafting that's fairly easy to do but it is a bit more work if you need to integrate new crafting mechanisms from other mods (but more fun).

This, basically. AE initially liberates me from the mundanity of having to hunt through endless different places to find items I want, which means I get to spend more time dreaming up ever more monstrous things for the network to do by itself.

 

[99.99%derpy]

Tip if i were to do AE then i need a back up energy cell full of RF so i can get my items out In case of a power emergency!

 

[99.99%derpy]

Please don't let Applied Energistics steal the show please!

 

[malicious_bloke]

Please don't let Applied Energistics steal the show please!

Too late for that. Colin has already won. Some people just don't know it yet