Oganizational systems

[Psychicash]

After having read many, many of the forums and watching endless videos on the subject I'm curious about something.

I know that, with few exceptions, if you ask someone "what's the best item sorting/storage system out there?" that they will undoubtedly answer "Why AE2 of course!" while looking at you like you have a third nostril.

I am curious though if there are other better ways to organize the items. What I mean is this. AE2, pipes, etc. are just sorting tools. I know you may think but I use AE2 for storage, I put items into my network and then I take them out. But eventually you have to upgrade the storage. In fact most if not all of the videos I've seen on the matter have cobblestone immediately removed from the AE storage and transferred to deep storage. Eventually this happens with dirt and subsequently each other item follows.

I actually miss the 1.6.4 BC pipes with their mk II sorting this and request that. Not only did they add a certain aesthetic, like a model train running around the wall at ceiling level of the nearby country buffet; but they also added certain functionality in sorting. The sorting in the ae system is all virtual, at least until you start using storage buses to move things around. Unless you go through the process of drive formatting etc.

The point I'm getting at is I can't seem to find a really great organizational system that isn't just "Throw all your items in the giant pile o' AE". What do you use? How do you bring organization to your base without setting up alter's to the great minecraft god Soaryn; bowing at his chests every time you pass them.

 

[jordsta95]

mkII sorting is part of Logistics Pipes.

You could also use Refined Relocation. I can't tell you a lot about it, as I don't fully understand it, but it is pretty simple item sorting.

 

[Psychicash]

Sorry I thought that LP was part of the BC pack , I'll tak ea look at RR.

I guess more what I was wondering is how do you prefer to separate things? everything in a soaryn chest, ae or not? Separated by mod? specific things like ores in this chest, metals in this, dust, gems, food items in this, flora, fauna, etc.

 

[yotus]

Separated by mod? specific things like ores in this chest, metals in this, dust, gems, food items in this, flora, fauna, etc.

Seems like a good start ! The key is to thing about how many items of a single sort/ID you'll end up with, and separate your chests accordingly !

 

[Ieldra]

Apparently, most people never use AE2 to do their organization and sorting. You can do it, and it's extremely effective. You just need to know what you're doing:

I have several networks. One of them is my storage network, which contains only formatted and named cells, where nothing ever goes in I haven't preconfigured, and all excess is routed to a trashcan. Eventually, I end up having dedicated cells for many different blocks and items.

I access the storage network through a storage bus from my control and crafting network. This storage bus has the highest priority, so everything that can go in there, including anything that would be excess and is defined in the trash storage bus, WILL go nothing but there. My control network has all the autocrafting mechanics attached and all the intermediate stuff and usually contains only 1k cells, since there I have a few of hundreds of different item types.

My cobble and such does get stored in the network, too. The only things I tend to keep out of it is NBT-differentiated items with effectivly unlimited types such as enchanted books and bees, which aren't stacked because the option to stack NBT-independently does not exist in AE2. More limited NBT-defined stuff like Thaumcraft aspected essence I keep in dedicated cells.

With such a setup, the typical "network overflow" accidents that motivate people to keep some of their stuff out of the ME network, those never happen to me. Except if I did something wrong.

 

[Psychicash]

Apparently, most people never use AE2 to do their organization and sorting. You can do it, and it's extremely effective. You just need to know what you're doing:

I have several networks. One of them is my storage network, which contains only formatted and named cells, where nothing ever goes in I haven't preconfigured, and all excess is routed to a trashcan. Eventually, I end up having dedicated cells for many different blocks and items.

I access the storage network through a storage bus from my control and crafting network. This storage bus has the highest priority, so everything that can go in there, including anything that would be excess and is defined in the trash storage bus, WILL go nothing but there. My control network has all the autocrafting mechanics attached and all the intermediate stuff and usually contains only 1k cells, since there I have a few of hundreds of different item types.

My cobble and such does get stored in the network, too. The only things I tend to keep out of it is NBT-differentiated items with effectivly unlimited types such as enchanted books and bees, which aren't stacked because the option to stack NBT-independently does not exist in AE2. More limited NBT-defined stuff like Thaumcraft aspected essence I keep in dedicated cells.

With such a setup, the typical "network overflow" accidents that motivate people to keep some of their stuff out of the ME network, those never happen to me. Except if I did something wrong.

I really wouldn't mind seeing that. Apparently there's more you can squeeze out o' the old AE that I'm not aware. oohhhH!!!!!!

 

[Ieldra]

I really wouldn't mind seeing that. Apparently there's more you can squeeze out o' the old AE that I'm not aware. oohhhH!!!!!!

You won't notice much from a screenshot, but I'll post a few when I get home. Also, there are problem areas you need to be aware of:

(1) Some AE2 addons (namely, Extra Cells and Thaumic Energistics) feature a bug that prevents fluid/essentia storage monitoring to be routed through a fluid/essentia storage bus. Which means that storage numbers you get from a terminal on the control network don't update, and I can't monitor my fluids and essentia from my control network. Autocrafting with fluids or auto-alchemy initiated from the control network may or may not work, I'm not there yet in my brand-new 1.7.10 world.

(2) You need to think it advance of channel management. Both my networks are designed to use a maximum of 512 channels, 16 sets of 32, each identified by color and all routed through a single dense cable system designed to cover most of my base. Even so, this means that I need to place two sets of dense cable (colored black and white) which occasionally overlap in areas where both resource extraction and autocrafting is set to happen, in addition to localized energy cable, item and fluid infrastructure. Things can get a little cramped.

 

[jordsta95]

You won't notice much from a screenshot, but I'll post a few when I get home. Also, there are problem areas you need to be aware of:

(1) Some AE2 addons (namely, Extra Cells and Thaumic Energistics) feature a bug that prevents fluid/essentia storage monitoring to be routed through a fluid/essentia storage bus. Which means that storage numbers you get from a terminal on the control network don't update, and I can't monitor my fluids and essentia from my control network. Autocrafting with fluids or auto-alchemy initiated from the control network may or may not work, I'm not there yet in my brand-new 1.7.10 world.

(2) You need to think it advance of channel management. Both my networks are designed to use a maximum of 512 channels, 16 sets of 32, each identified by color and all routed through a single dense cable system designed to cover most of my base. Even so, this means that I need to place two sets of dense cable (colored black and white) which occasionally overlap in areas where both resource extraction and autocrafting is set to happen, in addition to localized energy cable, item and fluid infrastructure. Things can get a little cramped.

1) I think that was fixed in later versions of the mods

2) 512? Is that it?

 

[Ieldra]

1) I think that was fixed in later versions of the mods

My modpack isn't that old, but I'll check.

2) 512? Is that it?

Two times 512. For now. I actually don't see the need for more at the moment, though I have my essentia management on a separate network because that will need 128 all on its own. It only interacts with anything else at two key points, so there's no need to route all those channels over from my main storage network.

 

[GamerwithnoGame]

To be honest, while AE is really useful (not had chance to play with AE2 yet), especially for something like Ag Skies, I actually really like the more "niche" storage solutions, such as the ones you find in Regrowth! I'm mainly thinking about the "Storage Drawers" mod in particular, with their compacting drawers and so on.

 

[jordsta95]

My modpack isn't that old, but I'll check.


Two times 512. For now. I actually don't see the need for more at the moment, though I have my essentia management on a separate network because that will need 128 all on its own. It only interacts with anything else at two key points, so there's no need to route all those channels over from my main storage network.

I dunno TBH with AE though, as I haven't really messed with it, I just know it works

And 512 is probably overkill, but it's always good to have more

 

[Linkero]

My tech progression is a bit wacky. I see people jump in to ae pretty quickly. I tend to wait till I can't find items anymore. My early game sorting system basically consists of a few jabba barrels in a line with an input chest and an output chest. I keep my barrels geared towards high amount items and ores. I end up sorting my output chest with about 5 iron chests(usually silver chests). Armor, tools/weapons, food, stuff I want to find easily, and lastly a soaryn chest. Usually I have about 20 chests before I upgrade to ae. only real reason is because I cba to make upgrades for my barrels or make more. Currently, all my barrels are in the ae system, with deep storage holding a few things. Before I get into any other organization, I want a bulk load of stuff in my ae. Afterwards, it'll end up being most things in deep storage with storage buses hooked to them


Back in crash landing, my favorite sorting system was, by far, Steve's factory manager. Very nice for early game and effective as well!

Edit: still early for me. Forgot to say that the barrels have the items pumped into them with itemducts xD

 

[ChemE]

I too like to go the extra mile with AE2 and keep my items physically/locationally organized instead of just virtually organized. I like to set up an aesthetically pleasing storage room which contains 30 banks of 7 DSUs + 1 ME interface. Each bank is its own mini network that does not require a controller since it only has 8 channels. A storage bus connected to each ME interface via dense cable ties all 210 DSUs together and to another ME interface and a storage bus on a trash can. The trash can's storage bus has the lowest priority and so protects from overflow in the pretty unlikely event that a DSU gets filled. From that interface my main network connects via 4 storage buses each maxed out with capacity cards so that all 210 item types are stored in the DSU banks. This only consumes 4 channels on my main network and lets me store all farmed and quarried resources.

Anything not defined in one of the 4 storage buses will bounce to a bank of ME chests each with a 4k drive. This lets me see at a glance what is making its way into the system that isn't defined in the DSU bank. Again these items are winding up in a chest rather than a drive somewhere unknown to me so I still consider them sorted by location. Anything that I do want to keep in small quantities (less than a few thousand) I usually format a drive for. Most of these items wind up getting sorted by mod so my TE4 64k drive holds all my gears, coils, augments, tesseracts, etc. I actually use an anvil to name this drive so I can easily find it again to add a new item that bounced to one of the ME chests. Naturally, once items get formatted to a drive, I pull that drive from the me chest and send it through an IO port to transfer those items to the drive bank and off the ME chest.

If you're feeling fancy you can place storage buses on each drive and tie them all together on a seperate system with its own terminal to make pulling a mod's drive that much easier/faster. Between the DSU banks, the ME chests, and drives I like to dedicate one face of my controller and extend it to the storage room via a p2p tunnel. So it eats one channel on my connectivity network and I am able to keep my 210 DSU's (highest priority), that overflow trashcan (highest priority -1 but only for the 210 types defined), 8 ME chests to catch temporary items (these have the lowest priority), and 16ish drives (medium priority) plus the IO port and various terminals (crafting, interface, etc). Within the storage room I can more or less walk to the block that holds any given item and know where it is being stored. I really enjoy the mental gymnastics required to set this up and maintain it and find it a lot more rewarding than just tossing items into the virtual AE2 heap.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I usually wind up with a separate network for storing mystcraft pages which get bounced directly there from my input ender chest. I also usually add a bank of filing cabinets to hold things like drones, queens, princesses, etc.

 

[malicious_bloke]

AE2 is the backbone of the system, but not the only part of the system.

- Input buffer for EVERYTHING is a bank of unsorted ME drives. There's no real point differentiating given the random and temporary nature of the stuff housed there.

From there:

- Debris is handled by my patented auto-upgrading JABBA barrel setup, although in my current playthrough i've almost maxed my cobble barrel out so a DSU is my next logical step. JABBA is enough to get me from the very start of a world deep into the endgame though.

- My ore processing system is separated from the central brain by a quantum link. Ores come from input storage and get shuffled to a set of segregated diamond chests while they wait to be processed. Ingots get returned to my main storage subnet in yet another dimension.

- Pursuant to the above, Exu drums for brine, Mekanism gas tanks for oxygen and hydrogen chloride. When I set up the system initially I made sure my ore processing dimension was a desert and in perpetual sunshine for the salination plant. This will become obsolete once I roll out my proper extractor setup.

- Extraneous fluids from automated processes (sludge, pink slime, mob essence, life essence from my well of suffering, jet fuel etc) are stored in openblocks tanks with overflow handled by fluid storage cells. This is my fourth extra dimension.

- Pam's incredibly varied dietcraft and Botania have their own sets of loosely sorted storage due to the sheer number of different item types involved. This is (quite unusually) in the same dimension as my base.

So basically, it's mostly AE2 but for specific uses I have many other options...

 

[Iluvalar]

The extra utility sorting and mod sorting pipes can do a pretty satisfying job to me.

But the reason why I hold AE2 so close to my heart is that you can craft from NEI using your entire inventory.

Binnie core compartement with storage bus were pretty fun to use along reitreval servos from TE dynamics. Last time I tried.

 

[rhn]

After having read many, many of the forums and watching endless videos on the subject I'm curious about something.

I know that, with few exceptions, if you ask someone "what's the best item sorting/storage system out there?" that they will undoubtedly answer "Why AE2 of course!" while looking at you like you have a third nostril.

I am curious though if there are other better ways to organize the items. What I mean is this. AE2, pipes, etc. are just sorting tools. I know you may think but I use AE2 for storage, I put items into my network and then I take them out. But eventually you have to upgrade the storage. In fact most if not all of the videos I've seen on the matter have cobblestone immediately removed from the AE storage and transferred to deep storage. Eventually this happens with dirt and subsequently each other item follows.

I actually miss the 1.6.4 BC pipes with their mk II sorting this and request that. Not only did they add a certain aesthetic, like a model train running around the wall at ceiling level of the nearby country buffet; but they also added certain functionality in sorting. The sorting in the ae system is all virtual, at least until you start using storage buses to move things around. Unless you go through the process of drive formatting etc.

The point I'm getting at is I can't seem to find a really great organizational system that isn't just "Throw all your items in the giant pile o' AE". What do you use? How do you bring organization to your base without setting up alter's to the great minecraft god Soaryn; bowing at his chests every time you pass them.

Apparently, most people never use AE2 to do their organization and sorting. You can do it, and it's extremely effective. You just need to know what you're doing:

I have several networks. One of them is my storage network, which contains only formatted and named cells, where nothing ever goes in I haven't preconfigured, and all excess is routed to a trashcan. Eventually, I end up having dedicated cells for many different blocks and items.

I access the storage network through a storage bus from my control and crafting network. This storage bus has the highest priority, so everything that can go in there, including anything that would be excess and is defined in the trash storage bus, WILL go nothing but there. My control network has all the autocrafting mechanics attached and all the intermediate stuff and usually contains only 1k cells, since there I have a few of hundreds of different item types.

My cobble and such does get stored in the network, too. The only things I tend to keep out of it is NBT-differentiated items with effectivly unlimited types such as enchanted books and bees, which aren't stacked because the option to stack NBT-independently does not exist in AE2. More limited NBT-defined stuff like Thaumcraft aspected essence I keep in dedicated cells.

With such a setup, the typical "network overflow" accidents that motivate people to keep some of their stuff out of the ME network, those never happen to me. Except if I did something wrong.

Yeah most people don't actually USE AE... They just throw a pile of disks into some drives and call it done. That is such wasted potential, that it is downright sad. It is like buying a sports car and driving it around at idle...

The way I do it is by using formatted/filtered storages and Priority. This enables me to have large "bulk" storages getting filled up first and once full excess gets handled by the next in priority.
For example Saplings will fill a small Disk first(8k)(I dont really see a need to store more), then sometimes I set up a storage bus exporting to Ethanol production with 1 lower priority so excess saplings are sent there. If Ethanol production fills up(temporary overproduction of saplings or full up on ethanol) then the excess saplings will go to the item deletion setup I have set up(Trash can, Recyclers etc.) that have priority 2 lower than the bulk storage.
Anything new or "unknown" that enters the ME network will not be able to enter the formatted bulk storage or the filtered deletion setup and therefore end up in a row of unformatted ME chests with the very lowest priority in the network. These ME chests are easy to check and I can get a picture of if I need to create new formatted disks for new items.

I made this little guide about how I like to set it up a while ago:
http://forum.feed-the-beast.com/thr...ild-journal-guide-collection-etc.42664/page-2
It is based on AE1, but principles is the same I believe.

Pics(somewhat old) of the storage room in my TPPI world:

Spoiler

 

[Inaeo]

Early game, I've grown to appreciate the Compartment from Binnie Core. Its a chest with tabbed storage, customizable, and upgradable. Max upgrade gives eight tabs of 50 item slots. I use it early to store ingot, block, nugget, and ore for each type. Once my ME system owns that stock, the compartments are relegated to individual mod use (RFTools dimlets sorted by type, Thaumcraft supplies, Botania flowers, etc.).

I usually use a JABBA barrel wall once my tree farm is set up (although TE caches are nice due to wrench functionality). As I transition over to an ME network, I storage bus the barrels. When they overflow, I upgrade them to max, then throw a void upgrade on them to finish them off - its like a built in trash can.

I like to put a storage bus on filing cabinets for items like potions, Mystcraft pages, armor drops from my mob farm. Decent capacity with small footprint.

I'm also a fan of hiding a double chest of sundries under a wall (where it meets the floor) and using a TiCo Crafting Station to access it. I use this setup primarily in guest quarters, and I try to provide some basics like food, torches, arrows, etc. I think it looks better as a bedside table, for instance, than a chest does..

 

[Type1Ninja]

Well, I'm going to turn all of you into a mob of medieval peasants holding pitchforks and torches, but I'll say this anyway: I use AE as the dropbox for everything we have, just dumping crap in and making an extra drive when necessary. I haven't even gotten into automation and autocrafting ever.
The reason for that is because I play on a server, and I can't get any of the people I play with to be that organized. I giant Soaryn chest with a search bar is pretty much the best I can hope for. XD

As to the other stuff I use: Refined Relocation looks really cool - it might even be the solution to my group of friends who refuse to organize things.
Here's how it works: Place down all of your (sorting) chests next to each other. Now, shift-right-click on each one and set it's filter - it's a whitelist by default, and you can set both large categories (i.e. ores or ingots) or specific filters.
Set up as many filters and chests as you want, in as great detail as you want. Now, just inv-dump your stuff into any of the chests. *BAM* it's sorted! Really cool and definitely overpowered. I love it.

My next favorite thing: Steve's Factory Manger! Although I've used it less for sorting and more for automation, and even then only testing the whole MFR Farming suite in creative (I was able to automate the breeding of cows, from gathering sewage, making fertilizer, growing food, making more cows, sorting the cows by baby/adult [including keeping a breeding stock], and then using a grinder to kill the cows. I even had the meat being smelted using a Redstone Furnace with SFM ). I haven't checked it out for sorting, but it looks like you could use it for infinite sorting filters.

Finally, this is a combination of mods I just recently discovered and would love to get into: Gany's End + SFM. Gany's End adds a bunch of End-themed stuff, which is pretty cool.
The best part, though, is the player inventory block (it's the only mod I found that adds it but isn't intrusive). It's a block which is like a chest that contains the player's inv, with live editing between the two (you can't open it, but machines can interact).
I plan on using that to keep my inventory permanently stocked with whatever I want - use SFM's ability to say "keep x many of y item in z inventory" alongside it, and then have "inventory z" be the player inventory block. I'll always keep myself stocked with 16 torches, 64 cookies, and a stack of cobble. The best part, though, is that it'll never be more or less - I'll always have exactly that many, if I set it up right.
You could also use that when you're mining to automatically pull out all ores.

... That last bit wasn't *really* on topic, but I'm really excited about it and wanted to share.

Shameless Self-Ad: Try my modpack! It has Refined Relocation, Steve's Factory Manager, AND AE2, so you're set (I plan on adding Gany's End in the next update, but the time frame on that update is a bit wiggly).
Link: http://forum.feed-the-beast.com/threads/1-7-10-colony-tech-automation-focus-spaaace.80124/
You may want to wait until version 1.1.0, though, as that'll add some "Getting Started" quests for basic info. It'll be up by Thursday for sure - I'm just waiting on the upload.

 

[ChemE]

...The best part, though, is the player inventory block (it's the only mod I found that adds it but isn't intrusive). It's a block which is like a chest that contains the player's inv, with live editing between the two (you can't open it, but machines can interact)...

Random Things also adds a player interface block that I routinely hook up to SFM+AE2 to keep my hotbar stocked with 8 berry medleys, torches, cobblestone, etc. It also pulls empty bowls from anywhere in my inventory and crafts them into more berry medleys. Random Things adds other useful stuff too; I really like using ethereal glass on approaches to my base. It is solid for players but not for mobs and they don't know that so they walk onto it and fall into lava/spikes/other assorted unpleasant stuff. Basically the inverse of ineffable glass from XU.

 

[Type1Ninja]

Random Things also adds a player interface block that I routinely hook up to SFM+AE2 to keep my hotbar stocked with 8 berry medleys, torches, cobblestone, etc. It also pulls empty bowls from anywhere in my inventory and crafts them into more berry medleys. Random Things adds other useful stuff too; I really like using ethereal glass on approaches to my base. It is solid for players but not for mobs and they don't know that so they walk onto it and fall into lava/spikes/other assorted unpleasant stuff. Basically the inverse of ineffable glass from XU.

Yeah, I looked at random things, and it looks cool. The only issue I have with it is that ~75% of it's content is stuff I would want to disable (I'm currently refining my modpack, which is tech themed, and I have rather strict self-enforced rules about themes).