Teach me about Buildcraft power :D

[Siigari]

Hey all o/

I just happened across an Ocean Oil Field. It's not like, jam packed with tons and tons of oil but it has at least 7 large spouts which I am very happy to see. It got me thinking that I'd really like to learn some Buildcraft

First off, is Buildcraft even still a viable mod? I'm doing a Tech World 2 game and I just kind of want to experiment around and see what's fun and what kind of things I can do. I always used to default to IC2 but with IC2 Exp it's not really the same, and even though Big Reactors is here, Buildcraft provides a seemingly more robust system.

Anyway, I'd love to hear about Buildcraft. God, I sound like such a noob.

 

[Staxed]

Have you typed "Buildcraft" into youtube yet...there are dozens of videos/spotlights about it that explain pretty much anything you want to know.

There are so many things you can do with buildcraft that it would be hard to sit here and explain it...do you have any "specific" questions about it?

 

[Siigari]

I guess my basic question, which I asked in the OP: is buildcraft still viable for power production?

 

[Wagon153]

Absolutely, as far as the oil goes at least.

 

[epidemia78]

I used buildcraft oil/fuel in my latest world for a long time before moving onto a big reactor which was a totally unnecessary change, the well hadnt even come close to running out yet. I wanted to use engines because I like the animations, but there were a few complications with that idea that forced me to use the less interesting TE3 compression dynamos which do accept BC fuel.

The main complication being that the whole RF to MJ thing doesnt work in reverse, I cant hook a BC engine up energy conduits like I used to in 1.4.7. I never really learned BC energy pipes to begin with...they are so damn explosion prone. What I need to do is set up a automatic shut off system but thats something Ive never had to do because of TE.

 

[trajing]

Actually, I would use the oil for reactant dynamos. They generate RF, but to convert that to MJ you just need to run a cable over to a BC machine.

 

[epidemia78]

Yeah but if you are using Dynamos you arent really using BC power generation.

 

[trajing]

Yeah but if you are using Dynamos you arent really using BC power generation.

However dynamos are superior to BC power gen in almost every way. They don't overheat and are simpler to use.

 

[Bagman817]

I guess my basic question, which I asked in the OP: is buildcraft still viable for power production?

Yes and no. Buildcraft oil/fuel is very efficient if you have access to large amounts of it. That said, it's unwise to produce 'pure' BC power (MJ) directly. MJ cannot be stored, and only works on certain machines. However, Thermal Expansion power (RF), can be stored, and can be converted to MJ for the few machines that don't currently accept RF natively.

As mentioned above, you can use oil in reactant dynamos. You can also convert it to fuel and use it in liquid fuel steam boilers, and use the steam to power steam dynamos (you can also use the steam for IC2 power, for that matter).

I guess the answer to your question is in your meaning. If the question is "Is it viable to create MJ (buildcraft power)?" , the answer is probably no. If the question is "Is it viable to create buildcraft compatible power (RF)?", the answer is definitely yes.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

Some of those bigger oil spouts should have an oil-spawn block in the bottom. (free bonus oil)

​

Buildcraft engines are still viable, and pretty fun to set up.

or a railcraft boiler.​

Its then a case of how much power do you need? for how long?

 

[YX33A]

~Its then a case of how much power do you need? for how long?

About a MegaThaum, and for as long as I can hold it steady.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

About a MegaThaum, and for as long as I can hold it steady.

A redstone engine should suffice then.

 

[malicious_bloke]

I once had over 200 combustion engines running at once.

These were fed by a bunch of pumps and tesseracts and all that jazz.

But I forgot they needed cooling.

This was a very shortlived experience.

I was a noob...with a crater.

 

[YX33A]

I once had a couple dozen... what were the stone engines called back in the day? Anyway, the engines that accept generic furnace fuel running once. Had them all powered by the max tier of alchemical star(long ass time ago, EE1 time ago). Turns out if you ran them too long they went boom. Lots of lost resources. Not exactly a good time.
Also I get the feeling that @Celestialphoenix may not be a fan of Terry Pratchett with the suggestion that a Redstone Engine would suffice for my experiment.

 

[malicious_bloke]

Steam Engines? The ones that became Stirling and allegedly stopped being an explosive deathtrap

 

[Celestialphoenix]

You live and you learn.

I managed to blow up my assembly table and a bunch of lasers with the old steam engines.

(Daisy chaining is an awesome mechanic though)

​

@YX33A I've Read a few of Pratchett's books. I get the feeling we missed each other's sense of humour.

 

[namiasdf]

Refine it into fuel and you're golden. From there you can combustion engine or even boiler (IIRC).