Steve's Carts Tree Farm - despawning cart

[TomT]

I'm not sure if this is a server specific issue, or something that has happened to others, but in the last week I have had my cart farm stop working out of the blue. In both cases I go out to the farm, and the cart is gone. Up until the last week or so, I haven't had any issues, in fact the farm has been running for over 6 weeks with no issues, and now, in the last two weeks I go out to the farm and the cart is just gone.

The server I play on is stable, and I haven't had any other problems. Is it possible that something is causing it to despawn? Like maybe a skeleton or zombie spawning on the tracks? I haven't made any changes to the layout, and in this most recent issue, the wheat farm that is under ground directly below the tree farm is operating fine with no issues. Except of course it is out of fuel because I was using a portion of the wood harvested from the tree farm to run the engine on the harvester cart.

Its not a huge deal, but having two LP boilers go out because the fuel system has dried up is somewhat disheartening. Any ideas?

We are running the DW20 pack, version 5.2

 

[ryetoc]

As the server admin I can confirm these details. There are no entries in the log that I can see, and the farm is properly chunk loaded. There doesn't seem to be any "configuration" issues with the farm it's self.

For six weeks the largest problem it has had is the over-production of wood, which after the first few hours was fixed properly (we used all/most of it). A chunk the farm was in suffered a chunk reset very early on due to a concurrent modification exception. But that was 6 weeks ago, and nothing like that has happened sense then. I don't see any errors in the log, and the server it's self has been relatively stable.

Any help would be appreciated. (I can provide logs if you can tell me what to look for).

 

[SkyBoy96]

I don't mean to be rude, but is it possible one of your members took the cart?

 

[ryetoc]

Of course, but there are far more effective ways to be annoying, and nothing else has gone "missing" (or at least nothing reported missing). There are far more valuable and damaging things around to be messed with or taken. None of them have been touched.[DOUBLEPOST=1364224125][/DOUBLEPOST]Plus with our server community taking the cart in question just ends up hurting everyone. i.e. Ha Ha I took your cart, wait, why can't I charge my jet pack?

 

[eXilir83]

Just try building a roof over the treefarm so the "metalic" cart cant get hit by lightning.

 

[tabs]

Then you can't use solar power.

Does lightning really have a greater chance to hit a cart?

 

[Christian Sinclair]

you could always use glass as the roof, that will protect the cart from lightning without blocking the sun

 

[baw179]

Just try building a roof over the treefarm so the "metalic" cart cant get hit by lightning.

As bizarre as this may sound I think there is quite possibly some merit in this. Like you other guys, our cart has been merrily trundling around the track through the tree farm outside for over 2 months without any hiccups whatsoever, and that's after numerous config file re-installs, server crashes and God knows what else. Never once had to pick it up and reset it or anything. But then today I logged on into the middle of a raging thunderstorm which set our wood roof on fire in several places and a few hours later I noticed an excessive amount of foliage from the tree farm and went to investigate. No sign of the cart! Vanished! I'm the server admin and I checked the log between last night and today and none of the other players had been online so that rules out any foul play. The server had been up for the duration too with no errors or 'cant keep ups' in the log so where has the cart got to?!! The only real answer that's left is that it got struck by lightning and blew up.

 

[MrHohenheim]

same problem only farm cart despawn nobody took we use mffs system so or lighting or something else ...

 

[crazy_fab]

I had the same issue too, and it's not the first time I see lighting proposed as the cause. I have no proof though.

 

[ryetoc]

Well at least were not the only ones with missing carts. It's nice to know there are others, but I would still like to know. Is there any way to turn off lightning damage? I don't really care if nothing ever catches on fire. There are some Ages were that might diminish the environmental effect but it seems a fair trade.

 

[TomT]

I can certainly remake our tree farm inside a huge building, but the building would truly have to be HUGE. Oak trees can grow to pretty epic proportions.

So the deal is (at least what folks think) is that either put your farm in side a building/under ground or run the risk of losing the cart via a random lightening strike?

 

[tabs]

I was 'struck' by this issue sometime last night. Nobody else has been on the server in that time. I've put a big glass viewer canopy over the top of the farm. Will report back if it goes missing again.

It would be nice if there was some visual indication, like a smoking wreck or something.

 

[TomT]

I was 'struck' by this issue sometime last night. Nobody else has been on the server in that time. I've put a big glass viewer canopy over the top of the farm. Will report back if it goes missing again.

I've done the same thing, will monitor and report back. Some visual indication would be nice for sure. It would be kind of cool to come across a twisted broken wreck of your cart sitting in a creeper explosion sized crater.

 

[nbc]

I've done the same thing, will monitor and report back. Some visual indication would be nice for sure. It would be kind of cool to come across a twisted broken wreck of your cart sitting in a creeper explosion sized crater.

Same problem here yesterday. I wonder if it could be the same problem I already had with turtle that disappear when tree grows (http://www.computercraft.info/forums2/index.php?/topic/262-13tree-leaves-destroy-computers/).

It shouldn't happen but who knows with bug !

 

[ryetoc]

I know the turtle issue, I am pretty good with turtles. That because a turtle and "leaf" entered the same block. For safety the lower ID number wins. (IE Leaves win).

 

[tabs]

I played a bit this evening, then left the server for an hour and returned. I found my cart stuck in a wall two blocks away from the track, and flashing black like suffocating mobs do. I rescued it by destroying the wall then picking it up.

Not sure what caused it, but doesn't look like lightning after all.

 

[ryetoc]

LOL, thats awesome, so the cart went flying off the tracks and into a wall.

 

[Duranis]

I have had this happen maybe 4 or 5 times over the course of the last 2 or 3 months. My tree farm is underground at bedrock level and my base it built over it up to around lvl 150ish with multiple floors so I don't think its lightening.

I have thought it might be leaf blocks as well but not sure how they manage to grow at the same level as the cart. Also I would have thought that it would have destroyed the track as well as the cart and track share the same block space?

The other thing I thought it might be was maybe a creeper? Not sure why it would explode when there is nobody there (they don't attack carts and the carts don't attack them). Mob grief is turned off on our server so it could maybe destroy the cart and not leave any evidence behind.

Interesting about the cart going off the track and into a wall... might have to take the walls back a bit further away from the track and see what happens.

It doesn't happen very often but I would suggest splitting your farm into 2 and using 2 carts. That way if one goes down your boilers shouldn't completely run out of fuel.

 

[baw179]

I can certainly remake our tree farm inside a huge building, but the building would truly have to be HUGE. Oak trees can grow to pretty epic proportions.

So the deal is (at least what folks think) is that either put your farm in side a building/under ground or run the risk of losing the cart via a random lightening strike?

You don't need to give them that much space. They will grow just fine in a 8 block tall space if you so wish.

After moving mine underground I've now moved them back outside again as I was getting some serious FPS issues and world hole issues with them underground, which I thought was odd as I didn't have any trouble with them above ground. I've got 4 running now so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled and report any further disappearances here!