How do you get lots of apples?

[twisto51]

Then it's a clickfest on the apples on the trees instead of the obvious answers like "just grow some apple oaks with Forestry if you need apples".

Apple Oaks with forestry doesn't do much though, you have to crossbreed to get a fruiting tree that produces apples. Apple Oaks only drop apples on leaf block break, like saplings.

For people playing AS I suggest setting up an MFR oak tree farm as soon as possible and just leave it running for the entire length of your game. Everything it makes is useful, particularly the harvester sludge---mostly free dirt, soul sand, clay, and peat(you'll need 1000 peat near the end). Doing it this way you'll have enough apples for the various quests as you get to them unless you rush Hell's Kitchen. In that case just add more MFR tree farm sets.

 

[SynysterBear]

Apple oak planter harvester set up both with emerald upgrades is pimps.

 

[YX33A]

Apple Oaks with forestry doesn't do much though, you have to crossbreed to get a fruiting tree that produces apples. Apple Oaks only drop apples on leaf block break, like saplings.

For people playing AS I suggest setting up an MFR oak tree farm as soon as possible and just leave it running for the entire length of your game. Everything it makes is useful, particularly the harvester sludge---mostly free dirt, soul sand, clay, and peat(you'll need 1000 peat near the end). Doing it this way you'll have enough apples for the various quests as you get to them unless you rush Hell's Kitchen. In that case just add more MFR tree farm sets.

Only drops apples when the leaves break? Need a fruiting tree to get apples? Bro, do you even Multifarms?
Set it in the managed mode on your circuit board, add copper electron tubes, and enjoy the easy cheap apples.

 

[twisto51]

Only drops apples when the leaves break? Need a fruiting tree to get apples? Bro, do you even Multifarms?
Set it in the managed mode on your circuit board, add copper electron tubes, and enjoy the easy cheap apples.

That is just chopping down trees and getting the same apples you would with any other farm that chops down trees. I'm talking about Orchard mode, where the farm picks fruit/nuts. And no, I never multifarm for whole tree harvesting because it is like paying for a tractor trailer rig just to drive a bushel around the block. Straight up tree harvesting I use anything but Forestry nowadays, everybody else does it better for less.

Forestry farms were far more interesting back when they were individual blocks, IMHO.

 

[YX33A]

That is just chopping down trees and getting the same apples you would with any other farm that chops down trees. I'm talking about Orchard mode, where the farm picks fruit/nuts. And no, I never multifarm for that because it is like paying for a ferrari just to drive around the block.

...Did I name the mode incorrectly? No, I didn't name it, I said how to make managed Orchard mode.
Apple Oaks give apples in Orchard mode. Basic oak saplings are thus a easily source of apples.
And what's so expensive about Multifarms again? If it's the fertilizer again, I swear, I may just fly off the cuff.

 

[twisto51]

...Did I name the mode incorrectly? No, I didn't name it, I said how to make managed Orchard mode.
Apple Oaks give apples in Orchard mode. Basic oak saplings are thus a easily source of apples.
And what's so expensive about Multifarms again? If it's the fertilizer again, I swear, I may just fly off the cuff.

You said managed, orchard isn't a managed farm. I'm going by the official wiki... Orchard is a manual farm. Orchards won't pick apples from a plain old apple oak because those trees don't even have apples until you start breaking leaf blocks. Same way it won't pick saplings from any old tree. Additional discussion: http://forum.feed-the-beast.com/threads/multi-farm-orchard-help.24458/

The blocks are expensive. Creating them is expensive. Running the farm is expensive. All of this relative, of course. Steve's Carts and MFR are both cheaper to setup and operate and both are more flexible in layout/size, and much easier to change their layout as needed. Multifarms are more expensive and less flexible, not a winning combination for me. I don't need a soldering iron, thermionic fabricator, and a carpenter to make MFR/Steve's Carts farms. I don't have to pump water to either of them. Fertilizer is optional, not mandatory for both of them. The multifarm just doesn't bring anything to the table to make it worth the additional hassles other than its ability to better deal with Forestry's own trees.

 

[YX33A]

You said managed, orchard isn't a managed farm. I'm going by the official wiki... Orchard is a manual farm. Orchards won't pick apples from a plain old apple oak because those trees don't even have apples until you start breaking leaf blocks. Same way it won't pick saplings from any old tree. Additional discussion: http://forum.feed-the-beast.com/threads/multi-farm-orchard-help.24458/

The blocks are expensive. Creating them is expensive. Running the farm is expensive. All of this relative, of course. Steve's Carts and MFR are both cheaper to setup and operate and both are more flexible in layout/size, and much easier to change their layout as needed. Multifarms are more expensive and less flexible, not a winning combination for me. I don't need a soldering iron, thermionic fabricator, and a carpenter to make MFR/Steve's Carts farms. I don't have to pump water to either of them. Fertilizer is optional, not mandatory for both of them. The multifarm just doesn't bring anything to the table to make it worth the additional hassles other than its ability to better deal with Forestry's own trees.

Hm. Expensive to make? Yeah, maybe. More expensive then a Steve's Carts tree farm? Doubt that honestly. Expensive to run? Not even a little. Less flexible? True, I won't lie and say it's got MFR or Steve's Carts beat. I also won't say they are simply better. First off, MFR has always rubbed me the wrong way in being insanely cheap compared to other farming systems.

Plus, that thread is from around this time last year. I'm going to see if this still stands.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

Steve's Carts CHEAPER than a multifarm??
Hmmm- stack of tin & copper, 2 of redstone and some building stone VS making hardened metal?

Just because something is cheaper, doesn't mean its better.
If you minetweaker the recipes so all farm parts are crafted from dirt/stone would that be better still?

​

Mandatory fertilizer and water supply?

Yes having a varied and more complex farming mechanic is 'bad' right? A slightly less flexible shape is 'bad' right?
Except it makes for better gameplay. By having such limitations you engage the player, get them to think and build more creatively. It makes the game fun. There's a sense of achievement in building something complex that you don't really get with the easy option.​

 

[RealSketch]

Why not ask @Santa for christmas?

 

[YX33A]

Steve's Carts CHEAPER than a multifarm??
Hmmm- stack of tin & copper, 2 of redstone and some building stone VS making hardened metal?

Just because something is cheaper, doesn't mean its better.
If you minetweaker the recipes so all farm parts are crafted from dirt/stone would that be better still?

​

Mandatory fertilizer and water supply?

Yes having a varied and more complex farming mechanic is 'bad' right? A slightly less flexible shape is 'bad' right?
Except it makes for better gameplay. By having such limitations you engage the player, get them to think and build more creatively. It makes the game fun. There's a sense of achievement in building something complex that you don't really get with the easy option.​

Hence why I hate the steve's cart system, yet love Forestry's Multifarm. The carts are insanely expensive, yet beyond making them, they're set and forget. Unless you count the whole repair system and making anything less then a galgordian tool for any job that will need repairs, but then, it's a another nail in the coffin for Steve's Carts.

A multifarm isn't expensive to make. Bricks of various kinds(I like chiseled quartz), assorted metal bits here and there, and sand/glass plus energy. Not expensive, but not cheap either. Then it needs water(in items or pumped in somehow), fertilizer(manually added or pumped in somehow), energy(not a lot but it still needs it) pumped in somehow, to be configured(takes some energy to make the things you need to make the parts, and assorted other things), and it's still cheaper then a steve's carts farm, yet not as easy to run.

But you need APATITE to make fertilizer, and that's not renewable, QED Multifarms suck!

Oh strawman, you've never used a Multifarm before, what do you know about using Apatite in them? Ever seen a vein of that stuff? It's insane. Every mined some with a tool with fortune with a Dartcraft Bag with a item card that only lets Apatite in, and the bag is fully upgraded? Here's what happens. Before you're done the vein(and have a fortune 3 tool), the bag is full. Yup. A diamond chest minus one slot, filled with Apatite, and you haven't even cleared one vein.
Then what? You can use sand to make 4 fertilizer, or ash to make 6. Per apatite. Unless you use Magic Bees. Then you have the option to make the apatite into something more then that, a concentrated compound. Gets you 2 or 3 of those(forget how many). Each of those then can be made into fertilizer, 3 with sand, or.. 4 or 5 IIRC with ash. Not quite double, but more then 100% of what you get from apatite.

But it runs out! Then what genius?!

Oh strawman, you've never used a Multifarm, what do you know about the fertilizer running out in a multifarm?
Yes, it'll run out. Likely not before you are dead sick of the map, and that's from one vein, mined without fortune, and processed only with sand. Each step of greater refinement? You'll run another farm basically. Each tier of fortune? That's your first number in this equation. Fortune 0(aka normal tool), full vein, and only use sand to make the fertilizer. 1 farm before you delete the map. Fortune 0, full vein, use ash. Two farms. Fortune 0, concentrated compound, sand. 2 farms. Fortune 0, concentrated compound, ash. 4 farms.(multiplicative remember).
Fortune 1, full vein, concentrated compound, ash.... 8 farms. Fortune 2? 16 farms. 3? 24 farms. Until you quit the map and move on. A single vein will last you a VERY long time, even if you don't process the apatite fully. Longer then most people keep maps.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

The only thing I really find slightly annoying is the epic amount of crafting steps you need to make a cart. Autocrafting/Autosmelting upgrades for the assembler is the only thing it really falls short on.
That aside the rest of the mod is a decent design challenge, a lot of fun to actually build and play around with.

The repair cost with SC isn't overly different to the apatite cost with Forestry- its enough of a nerf to bring more into the game. Both can be made renewable and fully automated with some crossmod stuff, bringing out more creativity and gameplay. But doesn't deplete overly fast to shaft those playing the singular mod.


Just out of interest- any mods that give fortune as an area effect? That could also boost the apple/sapling drop rate.

 

[SatanicSanta]

I haven't seen this brought up yet, but Biomes O Plenty has that Apple Orchard biome, with Apple Trees. Those things drop tons of apples.

 

[Padfoote]

Well Biomes O' Plenty does add an orchard biome which adds apple oak trees, so that's another method you could look into

I haven't seen this brought up yet, but Biomes O Plenty has that Apple Orchard biome, with Apple Trees. Those things drop tons of apples.

 

[KingTriaxx]

The other thing of note with Fertilizer, is that it can be infinitely crafted from MFR Fertilizer, which is infinite in it's own supply via sewers/composters.

 

[WuffleFluffy]

I have an MFR planter that plants a 9 x 9 area with oak tree saplings and a harvester that chops them all down... it generates quite a decent number of apples.