How to control a "Cursed Earth" spawner?

[Methusalem]

I've set up a mob spawner with Extra Utility's "Cursed Earth" and it works beautifully. Simple 5x5 spawn area with MFR Grinder, it produces 85-90 Mob Essence per hour and a good supply of mob drops. (And enough Slimeballs to make resin and rubber for a lifetime.)

Now the question - how can I turn it off?

Light is out of question.
I've tried sticky pistons with slabs in the ceiling, this should only leave half a block gap between ceiling and floor. Apparently this also counts already as no gap at all and the earth turns into dirt.

What other ways could you think of? Magma Torch etc doesn't work, the mobs are still spawning. Which is actually awesome, since the spawner is in my base which has a torch as spawn prevention.
Water maybe? Would be easy to build a system that floods the area. What other ways would you suggest?

 

[casilleroatr]

You might not like turtles, in which case feel free to ignore this, but a mining turtle can place a tool dynamism tablet from thaumic tinkerer down below it and then drop a silk touch pickaxe into it. The tablet faces towards the turtle when it is placed so the turtle will have to place it from above and move backwards around the spawning area. You can place hoppers beneath the cursed earth to make sure they are all caught and then send them to a chest next to the turtles starting position. When you are ready to go again you can program the turtle to get the earth out of the chest and plant it around the spawning area again.

I tested water and after about 20 seconds the cursed earth starts turning back into ordinary dirt.

 

[RedBoss]

use drawbriddges to block your spawning area

 

[Methusalem]

You might not like turtles, in which case feel free to ignore this, but a mining turtle can place a tool dynamism tablet from thaumic tinkerer down below it and then drop a silk touch pickaxe into it. The tablet faces towards the turtle when it is placed so the turtle will have to place it from above and move backwards around the spawning area. You can place hoppers beneath the cursed earth to make sure they are all caught and then send them to a chest next to the turtles starting position. When you are ready to go again you can program the turtle to get the earth out of the chest and plant it around the spawning area again.

I tested water and after about 20 seconds the cursed earth starts turning back into ordinary dirt.

Thanks! It sounds like a lot of effort for a simple spawner, but might actually be worth a shot. And it would then need slabs or Aluminium blocks beneath the cursed earth or the result of picking of the earth would be a large dark area and mobs can still spawn there naturally.[DOUBLEPOST=1375723382][/DOUBLEPOST]

use drawbriddges to block your spawning area

Pretty sure that doesn't work. It would still count as blocks touching each other and the Cursed Earth would turn into dirt same as using half slabs and only leaving half a block gap.

 

[KirinDave]

use drawbriddges to block your spawning area

This is a good way. Another way is to flood the area.

Another way is sticky pistons on the roof. If they extend, nothing can spawn in 1 block high region.

But why would you want to turn it off?

 

[Methusalem]

This is a good way. Another way is to flood the area.

Another way is sticky pistons on the roof. If they extend, nothing can spawn in 1 block high region.

I was about to respond that spiders could be still spawning, but looks like they also need 2 blocks room height. If that is true, then the solution would be really simple using pistons and decreasing the room height down to one block with Cursed Earth at the bottom and some solid block (stone or whatever) as ceiling.

Something to try out when I get home this evening.

 

[whythisname]

While spiders do require 2 blocks high spawning space, if the top block is a "transparent" block (glass/slabs/ect) spiders can still spawn. So use solid blocks 1 block above the ground, that should stop any spawns.

Though you can also use a design Etho used, with a slab every so often on the ground to prevent spider spawns all together. They need a 2x2 space (or was it 3x3 for spawning?), so placing a slab in 1 of those 4 blocks prevents spiders from spawning while still allowing other mobs to spawn on the other 3 blocks. Without spiders to have to worry about it can make your trap design a lot easier and more effective.

 

[Aetherr_]

This is a good way. Another way is to flood the area.

Another way is sticky pistons on the roof. If they extend, nothing can spawn in 1 block high region.

But why would you want to turn it off?

Cause of witches?

 

[Revemohl]

use drawbriddges to block your spawning area

...This might actually be an amazing idea. Instead of blocking the spawn area with them, why not place the cursed earth with the drawbridges? Unless they turn back into dirt when they're retracted.

 

[Methusalem]

...This might actually be an amazing idea. Instead of blocking the spawn area with them, why not place the cursed earth with the drawbridges? Unless they turn back into dirt when they're retracted.

Genius idea! I'll be to able to tell you tomorrow, how it worked.

 

[Revemohl]

Ah uh I kind of forgot about this. Apparently this other guy forgot too so
Just tested using the drawbridge and it works perfectly, so there you go, a good way to turn that crazy spawn rate off.

 

[RedBoss]

You're welcome

 

[Dodge34]

Wow, was just looking for a way to turn off my cursed earth spawner and I already have a bunch of extra drawbridge in my system, will try different designs, looks like a great idea...

 

[Hoff]

Wow, was just looking for a way to turn off my cursed earth spawner and I already have a bunch of extra drawbridge in my system, will try different designs, looks like a great idea...

Saice had a really nice design in one of his LP threads.

 

[kaovalin]

Wow, was just looking for a way to turn off my cursed earth spawner and I already have a bunch of extra drawbridge in my system, will try different designs, looks like a great idea...

Pictures?

 

[Dodge34]

Pictures?

Will try to post some pictures really soon, my first attempt is a copy of Corjaantje youtube tutorial of course some changes to it to get the stuff but basically the same :

The 2nd one will be the same design except I may choose to have some different torture chambers for the mobs instead of the mob grinders, one is already a fall of doom that ends on a conveyor belt to some spikes, for the 3 other chambers its not clear yet... The only problem I found out with Cursed earth is you still need to be near it for it to work, even if a chunkloader is used.

 

[Dodge34]

Here is an album that show my 2nd base also, the last pictures show the mob spawner setup I have at the moment.

http://s43.photobucket.com/user/Dodge34/library/New base and mob spawner

 

[SmokeLuvr1971]

This may be nerco but I noticed it was never mentioned. Unless your farm's bigger than the radius of a magnum torch...um, magnum torch outside the farm [prevents spawning in a 64-block radius I believe].

 

[casilleroatr]

Magnum torches don't prevent forced spawns and cursed earth uses force spawns. They were designed not to conflict in that way.

 

[asb3pe]

This may be nerco but I noticed it was never mentioned. Unless your farm's bigger than the radius of a magnum torch...um, magnum torch outside the farm [prevents spawning in a 64-block radius I believe].

Nice necro, especially considering that your information isn't true. Magnum torches don't do anything to a cursed earth mobfarm, and I know because I've been running a huge one in my Monster world while I have multiple Magnum Torches keeping random mobs from spawning in my base.

I had a deja-vu moment which is always an odd feeling. I opened this thread and saw "August" for the posting date but missed the "2013" after it... so I start reading the first few posts and wow... have I been here before?