Can someone please provide a way through indepth comparison of all the major sorting systems and what their pros and cons are? The systems I know of are RedPower tube, logistics Pipes, and Factorization Routers.
Sorting system comparisons
- Thread starter Crouchingmoose
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Routers with Barrels provide the most storage space to sorting machine space ratio by far. Going more complicated than that with Routers and you're probably better off with the other two more robust methods. I'm not familiar enough with the other two to give an accurate comparison between them.
Logistic pipes were the best for me in my 1.2.5 world. Now, I'm using diamond piping for "valuable" stuff and routers for cobble/dirt/sand/gravel barrels, but I can't wait to start playing with the new RP2 sorting machine. I think FTB is all about balancing, and LP looks a bit overpowerd at the moment, compared to the other methods, it looks like Manager + Sorting machine will be my choice as soon as RP get introduced in the Ultimate Pack.
Ok, I can't comment on the factorisation routers, as I've not played with them a huge amount, but the major difference between the other three (RP, BC, LP) is where the sorting occurs
In RP2, the sorting occurs in the sorting machine (go figure). The items are colour coded, and will only go through their colour coded tubes. This means that you can "push" certain items down certain directions (typically chests or processing routes). The other key feature here, is that the system is inventory-aware, which means that the item won't be pushed unless there's somewhere for it to go (this can be exploited by the barrels method).
In BC, the sorting occurs at each diamond pipe. Each pipe makes the decision of where the items are supposed to go. This means that there is a huge amount of effort needed on the setup. The directions are blocking, rather than drawing, meaning that if an item doesn't have a route, and there are no blank routes, it'll pop out. This means that any overflow is dropped, rather than being conserved in the system.
In LP, the sorting occurs on each pipe, but the pipes are inventory-aware. So, similar to the other BC system, the items are pushed around it until it hits somewhere that'll take it, but, UNLIKE the other BC system, the item won't be pushed out unless there IS a valid destination. The difference is that the pulling mechanism is more expensive (QuickSort modules ain't cheap!).
Overall, I prefer the RP system for a number of reasons:
1. It's stock. There is not a currently official release of LP (the working version is an unofficial port that, last I heard, will not be added to FTB).
2. It's inventory aware. No items go anywhere, unless there's somewhere for them to go.
3. It's top-heavy. The sorting and intelligent stuff is done on the machine end, so adding another route for cobble to go down (if you set up a recycling/voiding system, say) is a simple matter of a tube and some paint, rather than a diamond pipe, or another logistics pipe.
In RP2, the sorting occurs in the sorting machine (go figure). The items are colour coded, and will only go through their colour coded tubes. This means that you can "push" certain items down certain directions (typically chests or processing routes). The other key feature here, is that the system is inventory-aware, which means that the item won't be pushed unless there's somewhere for it to go (this can be exploited by the barrels method).
In BC, the sorting occurs at each diamond pipe. Each pipe makes the decision of where the items are supposed to go. This means that there is a huge amount of effort needed on the setup. The directions are blocking, rather than drawing, meaning that if an item doesn't have a route, and there are no blank routes, it'll pop out. This means that any overflow is dropped, rather than being conserved in the system.
In LP, the sorting occurs on each pipe, but the pipes are inventory-aware. So, similar to the other BC system, the items are pushed around it until it hits somewhere that'll take it, but, UNLIKE the other BC system, the item won't be pushed out unless there IS a valid destination. The difference is that the pulling mechanism is more expensive (QuickSort modules ain't cheap!).
Overall, I prefer the RP system for a number of reasons:
1. It's stock. There is not a currently official release of LP (the working version is an unofficial port that, last I heard, will not be added to FTB).
2. It's inventory aware. No items go anywhere, unless there's somewhere for them to go.
3. It's top-heavy. The sorting and intelligent stuff is done on the machine end, so adding another route for cobble to go down (if you set up a recycling/voiding system, say) is a simple matter of a tube and some paint, rather than a diamond pipe, or another logistics pipe.
Celestialphoenix
Too Much Free Time
Vanilla buildcraft
+Easiest one to setup
+Also the cheapest
-Pipes easily broken, I spend a lot of time replacing/reprogramming things
-'Dumb' system- pipes are not inventory aware, overflows occur a lot and tweaks/additions means editing a lot of pipework.
-Items get vomited everywhere in an overload
-Will not work on frames
Logistics Pipes
+Very easy to autocraft things
+Easy to add additional systems
+Can remote request any item from about anywhere.
+Works with teleport pipes
-Very expensive and time consuming to produce.
-Pipes broken in 1 hit
-Items will still be dropped if you overload your systems/machines.
-Will not work on frames
Redpower tubes
+ Probably the most intelligent item routing.
+ Items never drop.
+ Relatively cheap to manufacture
+ Works with frames and microblocks
+ Painted tubes.
+ You wont smash a tube by accident *glares at pipes*
+ Less lag than from pipes
- Can be a little daunting at first
- Only 16 splits/colours. (seperate sorting stations needed)
Generally I use redpower for mining and ore crunching, and logistics pipes for an auto-crafting/sorting network.
Factorization routers are a dark art I have yet to master....
+Easiest one to setup
+Also the cheapest
-Pipes easily broken, I spend a lot of time replacing/reprogramming things
-'Dumb' system- pipes are not inventory aware, overflows occur a lot and tweaks/additions means editing a lot of pipework.
-Items get vomited everywhere in an overload
-Will not work on frames
Logistics Pipes
+Very easy to autocraft things
+Easy to add additional systems
+Can remote request any item from about anywhere.
+Works with teleport pipes
-Very expensive and time consuming to produce.
-Pipes broken in 1 hit
-Items will still be dropped if you overload your systems/machines.
-Will not work on frames
Redpower tubes
+ Probably the most intelligent item routing.
+ Items never drop.
+ Relatively cheap to manufacture
+ Works with frames and microblocks
+ Painted tubes.
+ You wont smash a tube by accident *glares at pipes*
+ Less lag than from pipes
- Can be a little daunting at first
- Only 16 splits/colours. (seperate sorting stations needed)
Generally I use redpower for mining and ore crunching, and logistics pipes for an auto-crafting/sorting network.
Factorization routers are a dark art I have yet to master....
My 2c's.... LP's are by far and away the best system. All the above information is good but where I find LP's to come out on top is that they can auto craft, request things to be crafted and not have wastage or things being crafted when they are not needed.
The best example I can use is that I have a tree farm feeding wood into my system. I like having the wood but I use some of it for charcoal for my boiler. I have set up my LP's to auto craft charcoal at my electric furnace, but they will only make charcoal when the boiler requests it, otherwise it will leave it as wood. No other system as far as I know can do this.
Also having the polymorphic itemsink makes setting up the system a breeze.
The best example I can use is that I have a tree farm feeding wood into my system. I like having the wood but I use some of it for charcoal for my boiler. I have set up my LP's to auto craft charcoal at my electric furnace, but they will only make charcoal when the boiler requests it, otherwise it will leave it as wood. No other system as far as I know can do this.
Also having the polymorphic itemsink makes setting up the system a breeze.
Ok. So I read through all of these comments and people including myself love redpower2 (who doesn't? Elo is amazing) but actually router sorting is extremely easy. I have been interested in routers and since a lot of people are kind of stumped by them I decided to put some videos up explaining how to use them to automate things. Routers are powerful machines and it could give some diversity or improve the efficiency of some of your builds. I suggest you check out my channel to see some of what you can do with them.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DBLxxFEJ
http://www.youtube.com/user/DBLxxFEJ
Managers look like they can do a decent job of bringing tubes one step closer to competing with logistic pipes. The Sortron though... I'm no coder, and Direwolf's spotlight doesn't do much for me to figure out what its limits are. Anyone able to familiarize themselves with it and able to compare/contrast it to logistic pipes?
RP can do all of that. I think part of the reason there's such ongoing debate is because people figure out one system and they don't want to learn the others so they don't. Then when someone says RP is great because of its tubes and item sorters, everyone smiles and nods and yes that is why RP is good but this OTHER system does THIS that RP doesn't do...
RP does it all. Add in cleverly used filters and retrievers and you can run an auto-crafting system that pulls only what it needs, too, but a person has to have an understanding beyond "item sorters and tubes" to make it happen.
The Managers demonstration of Direwolf's makes it pretty obvious you don't need to be all that clever to pull that off. All that the manager seems to lack is an elegant request system, though as I have yet to use Logistic Pipes, I don't really know how elegant its request system actually is either.
The manager addition is just making existing functionality easier to manage. I had a full RP item processing and storage system set up in my Tekkit world (ie. pre-managers) that was both compact and elegant, and also allowed for items on demand very, very easily with a retriever and a thoughtfully defined tube network. I'm not trying to be mean or condescending, but every time one of these debates comes up I'm just awfully shocked at how many people don't know a fraction of what a given system is capable of, but they all have very firm opinions based on what they don't know.
Someone here on these forums mentioned that in lieu of RP, Railcraft approached that level of precision for sorting systems.
I started a new world in the Magic Pack and decided to go strictly Forestry/RC/TE as much as I could. Set up a Forestry tower for perpetual energy using rails and carts for item transportation, and it's amazing. It's actually a lot of fun watching carts whizzing around. The item loaders and unloaders come pretty close to the precision you can get out of RP Sorting Machines and filters. They'll never be as compact and not as speedy, but they're fun to build.
Here's a picture I took of said Forestry tower:
Not a single BC pipe to be seen.
I can see that. I'm not one of them. I'm just watching the debates and trying to learn what scraps I can about them until the updates come and I try to take a crack at them myself.
(I still have no blazing clue how a logistic pipe network is assembled though...)
(I still have no blazing clue how a logistic pipe network is assembled though...)
I agree with the bit about people only learning one system and been waiting for RP to be in FTB to learn it as I have both pipe systems down pretty well. But I have not seen anything that would allow me to use RP to deliver items from my storage to my current location like LP can (with teleport pipes if outside of my base).
Also a LP network seems a lot simpler to set up if you want to sort and request (not craft) blocks or items from your storage. Though I will admit that crafting the pipes and auto crafting with them might be a bit more complicated.
To me its really simple and can be brought down to 3 items/pipes if all you want to do if throw items into sorted chests and be able to remotely access those items, though can't remember their actual names at the moment.
1: Nornal Logistic Pipes
2: Input pipe
3: Output pipe
Put both a input and output onto each chest, on the input pipe you place the item/items you want to put into the chest and then connect all with normal logistic pipes.
I am not saying that is the best/cheapest way to use them or that using them it that way beats other systems but I think that makes them the easiest to set up and place. Though this is using the version of them that was in Technic and I have no idea how much the official version will have changed once it is finally updated.
That actually makes the Managers sound more appealing. Having seen Managers in action, except for the Blutricity wiring it would be more compact and elegant, I know how I can give a Manager a request, and I think I can get Managers to autocraft as needed as well. I need to go digging for a LP wiki or something and start making some cost comparisons or something. Get a better idea of how it all compares.
I understand what you're saying, but at the same time I don't even see LP on the list for mods planned to be included in an FTB pack, so I'm not even sure what relevance it has to an FTB discussion.
Logistic Pipes is in the list. They're waiting for the original mod author to finish his official update of the mod. The question is when it will be finished and included, not whether it will be included.
http://forum.feed-the-beast.com/threads/suggest-mods-for-ftb-here.727/#post-7559
http://forum.feed-the-beast.com/threads/suggest-mods-for-ftb-here.727/#post-7559
Based on the recent history with the mod, I would say it is very much a question of "if" it is finished.
I have not seen it directly but seen people post that a member of the FTB team has stated that if the original author of the mod stops working then they will use the version someone updated.
Also don't they have an updated version of the official one on the forgecraft server? Or are they using the unofficial update?
Also don't they have an updated version of the official one on the forgecraft server? Or are they using the unofficial update?