As the title says, I am confused about why the IC2 miner is configured as it is in the Direwolf20 pack, and I strongly suggest that it be changed. For those of you who don't know, in this configuration file, there is a line, "S:valuableOres=...," which tells the miner what to look for and what each type of ore is worth when you scan an area with the scanner in your hand. The line starts off listing the standard vanilla ores (coal, iron, etc.) and ends with the block IDs for IC2 copper and tin.
However, for various reasons, the Direwolf20 pack (and probably others although I'm not sure) turns off IC2 copper and tin in favor of using Thermal Expansion ores. While this is convenient, as Thermal Expansion includes copper, tin, silver, lead, and ferrous ore, which can also be used in any other mods that require said materials thanks to the good old Forge Ore Dictionary, it means that the IC2 miner must be reconfigured to look for Thermal Expansion copper and tin instead.
Problem is, it hasn't been. The valuable ores list still has the block IDs for IC2 copper and tin. Not only that, I'm further confused by the fact that uranium has been removed, and block IDs 200, 220, 221, and 688 have been added. Those IDs are Thaumcraft ores, XyCraft ores, XyCraft crystals, and MFFS monazit ore, respectively.
This baffles me to no end. To put things in perspective, I'll explain the position this particular configuration puts me in. So one day, I'm out mining, and I decide I want to set up some automation. As I continue gathering my first resources, I ponder my options. At first, I think about a Buildcraft quarry, but decide against it due to the mess they make of the landscape and all the worthless junk they spit out. I also realize that I'm not in any position to be able to mine with a Steve's Cart yet - I'd need to set up the infrastructure to build rails. I ponder a ComputerCraft Turtle for a while. Tempting - no need for diamonds thanks to RedPower gems. But I toss out that idea too because I wouldn't be able to get all the resources in one easy go. With all those different spawn heights, I simply wouldn't have enough patience to write a program that much better than the standard "excavate."
At this point, I'd normally kick-start my mining operation with an IC2 miner, even if I know I'll be swapping it out for one of the other alternatives in a short while. But in it's current state, what's the point? I realize there's balance issues and such, but let's look at the big picture here. That thing is not as easy as it may seem. Sure, it's only three diamonds for the diamond drill, but let's not forget a pump to suck up any water and lava the miner might run into. Then you'll need some tin for the cells themselves, lots of refined iron for the mining pipes, and even glowstone for the scanner. And that's just from the resources perspective. You'll also need at least 20 EU/t, and ideally much more, as in 25 EU/t or maybe even higher. That's a minimum of two standard generators you'll need to keep running. Besides all that, of all the ways to mine automatically that I can think of, this is probably the slowest available in this pack, even when supplied with plenty of energy.
Still, all things considered, the IC2 miner is a very nice machine. I wouldn't call it my favorite automatic miner, as I can't really say that for any single one in particular, but it's definitely my preferred way to start on a brand new world. It's very smart, and it's easy enough to set up once you've gathered everything you need. Yet, taking into account everything it takes to make it and how relatively slow it is, I'd say it would still be pretty fairly balanced even if it looked for every single ore, vanilla or modded, in the entire game. But, as I said, in this pack at this moment, it's all but useless except for vanilla stuff and obscure ores that I'm not going to use until later on.
I know I could change the configuration file myself, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not alone in my opinion here. If someone provides me with an in-depth explanation as to just how this is indeed balanced, I may reconsider my opinion of the current settings. Otherwise, I would strongly suggest that the configuration be changed to restore this machine to its proper glory, so it may once again mine ALL the ores!
However, for various reasons, the Direwolf20 pack (and probably others although I'm not sure) turns off IC2 copper and tin in favor of using Thermal Expansion ores. While this is convenient, as Thermal Expansion includes copper, tin, silver, lead, and ferrous ore, which can also be used in any other mods that require said materials thanks to the good old Forge Ore Dictionary, it means that the IC2 miner must be reconfigured to look for Thermal Expansion copper and tin instead.
Problem is, it hasn't been. The valuable ores list still has the block IDs for IC2 copper and tin. Not only that, I'm further confused by the fact that uranium has been removed, and block IDs 200, 220, 221, and 688 have been added. Those IDs are Thaumcraft ores, XyCraft ores, XyCraft crystals, and MFFS monazit ore, respectively.
This baffles me to no end. To put things in perspective, I'll explain the position this particular configuration puts me in. So one day, I'm out mining, and I decide I want to set up some automation. As I continue gathering my first resources, I ponder my options. At first, I think about a Buildcraft quarry, but decide against it due to the mess they make of the landscape and all the worthless junk they spit out. I also realize that I'm not in any position to be able to mine with a Steve's Cart yet - I'd need to set up the infrastructure to build rails. I ponder a ComputerCraft Turtle for a while. Tempting - no need for diamonds thanks to RedPower gems. But I toss out that idea too because I wouldn't be able to get all the resources in one easy go. With all those different spawn heights, I simply wouldn't have enough patience to write a program that much better than the standard "excavate."
At this point, I'd normally kick-start my mining operation with an IC2 miner, even if I know I'll be swapping it out for one of the other alternatives in a short while. But in it's current state, what's the point? I realize there's balance issues and such, but let's look at the big picture here. That thing is not as easy as it may seem. Sure, it's only three diamonds for the diamond drill, but let's not forget a pump to suck up any water and lava the miner might run into. Then you'll need some tin for the cells themselves, lots of refined iron for the mining pipes, and even glowstone for the scanner. And that's just from the resources perspective. You'll also need at least 20 EU/t, and ideally much more, as in 25 EU/t or maybe even higher. That's a minimum of two standard generators you'll need to keep running. Besides all that, of all the ways to mine automatically that I can think of, this is probably the slowest available in this pack, even when supplied with plenty of energy.
Still, all things considered, the IC2 miner is a very nice machine. I wouldn't call it my favorite automatic miner, as I can't really say that for any single one in particular, but it's definitely my preferred way to start on a brand new world. It's very smart, and it's easy enough to set up once you've gathered everything you need. Yet, taking into account everything it takes to make it and how relatively slow it is, I'd say it would still be pretty fairly balanced even if it looked for every single ore, vanilla or modded, in the entire game. But, as I said, in this pack at this moment, it's all but useless except for vanilla stuff and obscure ores that I'm not going to use until later on.
I know I could change the configuration file myself, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not alone in my opinion here. If someone provides me with an in-depth explanation as to just how this is indeed balanced, I may reconsider my opinion of the current settings. Otherwise, I would strongly suggest that the configuration be changed to restore this machine to its proper glory, so it may once again mine ALL the ores!