So, what exactly makes the Matter Fab better then the Mass Fab? I really don't get it. It costs more, takes more EU, and is generally more annoying to use. So, how is the matter fab more efficient then the mass fab.
Matter Fab vs Mass Fab
- Thread starter McToastyToast
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The matter fabricator is worse than the mass fabricator. That's the entire point of its existence 
It's sole purpose is to make the material and energy cost more expensive, as an attempt to balance the power of original Mass Fabricator.
and it needs scrap to be able to work, with no scrap it will not work
Similar to what others have said, the guy who developed gregtech has made it pretty clear that one of his goals was to extend the progression curve of IC2, the theory being that if it takes longer to be able to produce the best bits and pieces, people will be entertained for longer.
That particular notion (more grind = more fun) has been squarely obliterated in MMO circles as a logical fallacy that does nothing but alienate a huge segment of players. In the case of Minecraft mods, it isn't really necessary for a mod developer to be current on lessons learned in other segments of the industry because mod developers are essentially volunteers producing a free product. I don't blame the gregtech dev for making a mod that he feels adds interest to the game. I just don't share his views.
A perfect example came today when I was able to assemble my first Ultimate Hybrid Solar Panel. (If my maths are correct, it required a grand total of 460 UU Matter in addition to all the other bits). I didn't mind the process. I didn't mind the material cost. I actually found it more interesting than the Compact Solar Panels approach (all you ever really make are solar panels and then combine them over and over with transformers). Instead of just jacking up material and energy costs, if the gregtech developer had instead added to existing systems and made them more interesting I think I'd have a much different view of his mod. He didn't do that, however. I don't see a single addition that makes me feel all the other changes he made are worth the hassle. I don't even feel it's worth the effort to go in and disable all the jacked up recipes. The mod, in my opinion, is just not good enough to warrant more than selecting it from the FTB mod list and clicking "Disable".
There are ways to extend the entertainment value of a game that players will appreciate a hell of a lot more than just making familiar things take much longer to get and cost more to use.
That particular notion (more grind = more fun) has been squarely obliterated in MMO circles as a logical fallacy that does nothing but alienate a huge segment of players. In the case of Minecraft mods, it isn't really necessary for a mod developer to be current on lessons learned in other segments of the industry because mod developers are essentially volunteers producing a free product. I don't blame the gregtech dev for making a mod that he feels adds interest to the game. I just don't share his views.
A perfect example came today when I was able to assemble my first Ultimate Hybrid Solar Panel. (If my maths are correct, it required a grand total of 460 UU Matter in addition to all the other bits). I didn't mind the process. I didn't mind the material cost. I actually found it more interesting than the Compact Solar Panels approach (all you ever really make are solar panels and then combine them over and over with transformers). Instead of just jacking up material and energy costs, if the gregtech developer had instead added to existing systems and made them more interesting I think I'd have a much different view of his mod. He didn't do that, however. I don't see a single addition that makes me feel all the other changes he made are worth the hassle. I don't even feel it's worth the effort to go in and disable all the jacked up recipes. The mod, in my opinion, is just not good enough to warrant more than selecting it from the FTB mod list and clicking "Disable".
There are ways to extend the entertainment value of a game that players will appreciate a hell of a lot more than just making familiar things take much longer to get and cost more to use.
I know. I offered it as an example of how to "add" to the game properly. Read it again. Nowhere did I say it's from gregtech, and if you compare the context it's pretty obvious I'm not talking about an element of gregtech. I explain the reasons I don't like gregtech, and then I give an example of something that I enjoy as a comparison. See how that works?
If the Iridium requirement for the MatterFabricator were removed so that the player wasn't highly encouraged to maim their world to have a chance at making it, and so that making one was less luck based (Titanium and Chrome probably also need some find-able sources in more than just the biomes where Bauxite and Rubies spawn...) and more effort based (i.e. expensive is preferable over just plain rare), then I would probably feel a lot better about GregTech. But it doesn't really make the tier worthwhile, as Enigmius said, with most of what it's offering being overpriced equivalents to barrels, RP sorting systems, the auto crafting table, and the charging bench. If someone wanted those things, would it not be more preferable to go with the mods that have these features for so much more reasonable cost? This particular point is fairly significant for Feed the Beast which is only missing the Charging Bench. Even the Sonictron is going to be shoved into messy, overpriced obsolescence by Computer Craft.
P.S.: To explain my earlier complaint about the Sonictron, its GUI is entirely unhelpful in figuring out how to control it, there's no explanation of how to make different pitch notes, and at first glance, allowing you to have it show any block in the game is confusing, messy, possibly not needed, and makes it take that much longer to cycle through to the things you want to use. It's not user friendly in the slightest.
P.S.: To explain my earlier complaint about the Sonictron, its GUI is entirely unhelpful in figuring out how to control it, there's no explanation of how to make different pitch notes, and at first glance, allowing you to have it show any block in the game is confusing, messy, possibly not needed, and makes it take that much longer to cycle through to the things you want to use. It's not user friendly in the slightest.
The chrome requirement can actually be filled by macerating redstone, and bauxite is not hard to find. I dont know, a day after making this thread, I understand the need to make mass fabs more expensive, but at the same time, I don't think gregtech did it properly.
Gregtech adds a lot of things I like, the fusion reactor, centrifuge, grinder, automation stuff (which in some cases is better than pipes imo), mining-light helmet, etc
I felt that UU was always too easy and quick to get and then you run around lolquantum-stlye being OP and invincible.
Grind? Hmm not sure I don't see it as much as grind instead of a challenge to make my system work better so I get better output there
The difference here is that in MMOs you get XP from: Quest, Monster-Killing
Quests aren't even usually considered Grind except by the youngest spoiled MMO generation, but eh.
And you usually can't tinker or optimize too much about grinding kills there.
And while my UU cooks (automatically) I can do lots of other nice stuff, I don't have to sit and watch like you have to in MMO-Grind
I felt that UU was always too easy and quick to get and then you run around lolquantum-stlye being OP and invincible.
Grind? Hmm not sure I don't see it as much as grind instead of a challenge to make my system work better so I get better output there
The difference here is that in MMOs you get XP from: Quest, Monster-Killing
Quests aren't even usually considered Grind except by the youngest spoiled MMO generation, but eh.
And you usually can't tinker or optimize too much about grinding kills there.
And while my UU cooks (automatically) I can do lots of other nice stuff, I don't have to sit and watch like you have to in MMO-Grind