Tech mods: Why have a power system?
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Not really, because it used MJ to begin with
TE3 to be more exact then.
At least, I think that's the right number.
No.
Because storable MJ (early TE) rather than bursty on-demand MJ (BC, forestry et al) laid the groundwork for what RF eventually became.
*pokepoke*
Because storable MJ (early TE) rather than bursty on-demand MJ (BC, forestry et al) laid the groundwork for what RF eventually became.
*pokepoke*
I didn't think there were energy cells to begin with? (though I may be forgetting something) I know tesseracts were a thing in 1.4.7, but I can't recall energy storage outside of EU and Blutricity storage devices
TE in 1.4.7 had storage and a way to transport MJ. However I believe that at this point we where at TE2 already as I remember it also being in 1.2.5 where it only had the machines but I might be wrong about that.
Sweet, thanks.
But don't be jealous that I came out and said what everyone's thinking.
There seems to be an assumption that high-end RF generation is necessarily easy, which is certainly not always the case. Big Reactors is one mod, don't include it in the pack your using and then try to keep 40k RF/t running constantly. Granted, there are other mods that add high-end RF generation that don't require insane amounts of resources, however if you find their mechanic to easy or unrewarding, don't use it.
At the end of the day, Minecraft (modded or not) is a sandbox game. If you don't like the play style of rushing Big Reactors, plopping down some Laser Drills, and not have to mine ever again, then just don't do that. Force yourself to use something like a Railcraft tunnel bore and only generate power use TE (just as an example). Just because the RF API allows for "set and forget" wiring and generators, doesn't mean the collection/automation/distribution of those resources needs to be trivial or easy.
At the end of the day, Minecraft (modded or not) is a sandbox game. If you don't like the play style of rushing Big Reactors, plopping down some Laser Drills, and not have to mine ever again, then just don't do that. Force yourself to use something like a Railcraft tunnel bore and only generate power use TE (just as an example). Just because the RF API allows for "set and forget" wiring and generators, doesn't mean the collection/automation/distribution of those resources needs to be trivial or easy.
Curious, do you have a definition of "high-end" RF here?
I mean, I really do find it mindlessly simple to generate "lots" of RF in just about any RF-generating modpack. If I don't have big reactors, maybe I have Reactorcraft (via conversion), or extra utilities (via silliness), or any mod that facilitates draining the nether of lava, which is a lot of them.
But most of these (ReC excluded) are "thousands" of RF rather than tens or hundreds of thousands of RF/t.
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Yeah, converting to RF from high end ReC stuff is more in the region of "dozens of tesseracts with 6-faces of power output" due to cable limits designed by thumbless failmonkeys.
It will of course depend on the modpack and what your goals are. I think 40k RF/t is a good baseline for what I consider my end-game "goal" on the packs I play. That's enough to run a laser drill (or upgraded ender quarry, or frame miner) a handful of RFtools dimensions, spawners/farmers, ore processing, and a large AE2 ME system.
Even without Big Reactors(or without using it) as you mention there can be somewhat trivial ways to generate that much power, however they all require some level of planning, crafting, assembling, and automating. If the level of work a certain power generation plan requires is too little for your tastes (i.e. lava for anyone experienced with modded MC) then don't use that, figure something else out. Or think of a creative way to use the same resource, such as using Blood Magic to generate your lava to burn in dynamos.
With a sandbox game like this, the only limitations on your level of enjoyment will entirely depend on how you decide to play the game, something that will be different for every person and every fresh map they play.
High end RF generation is providing the power to turn 5000 drones into DNA using Gendustry without letting the machine run low on stored power.
I don't know why I am doing this. It seems a waste to trash bin the drones, and I've never used the DNA for any purpose.
I don't know why I am doing this. It seems a waste to trash bin the drones, and I've never used the DNA for any purpose.
Bursty, on-demand power? How did that system work?
Oh? I can think of a (relatively simple) tech mod that has item pipes (for short distances), long-distance item transport (Low frequency, high volume), item sorting as a multiblock (simple sorting as a small one, complicated sorting as a large one), automated smelting, etc. -- all it lacks is automated block breaking.
Only "power" that it uses is redstone and coal/charcoal. (Well, you could use blazerods or wood ...). And actually, I just realized that some people have even automated that power supply (automated wood for fuel).
There was no way to store MJ (apart from in engine's internal buffers), and when engines gave out power, although it was measured in MJ/t, that was an average as the MJ was only sent out when the engine reached it's most pushed out state of the animation.
Don't you consider the coal consumption to be a power system?
Gotcha.
And...is that your preference? I've re-read your opening statement a bunch of times, and I see you're just opening a discussion, but I can't really see any merit in NOT having more variations of power supply. You don't even need to say the word "realism" here: its just plain more fun to have more varied and complicated solutions to problems. A "power system" is just one of many challenges in a tech mod, and I'm not clear on why it should be singled out as a "why bother."
I'm not saying it is my preference. I was just responding to "tech mods must have a power system".
I actually started this thread just for the discussion. I'm trying to stay out, and listen to other people.
My personal preference is that RF is too simple for power transmission, too complex in it's choice of generators, etc. Since then, I've found that there seems to be no "set and forget" power generators, which I did not know.
And if it's not a challenge, then: why bother? (1)
The idea of tier N generators, with an N generator able to handle any number of N-1 devices, makes a lot of sense.
(1): For some people, the power system is secondary, and should not be a challenge. That there are people that play this way was not obvious to me before this thread. (With hindsight, it should have been).
For me, I am going to use RoC _because_ of the challenge.
(2): To clarify: I opened this discussion because I figured people came in two camps:
1- I want the challenge of a power system challenge, or
2- I don't want a power system challenge, I don't really want to deal with a power system at all.
That there are people in the middle was the surprise.
I actually started this thread just for the discussion. I'm trying to stay out, and listen to other people.
My personal preference is that RF is too simple for power transmission, too complex in it's choice of generators, etc. Since then, I've found that there seems to be no "set and forget" power generators, which I did not know.
Because so far, RF power systems seem to be nothing more than "Do you know the generators that are available to you, and how to use them", and not "Here's a challenge to actually deal with".
And if it's not a challenge, then: why bother? (1)
The idea of tier N generators, with an N generator able to handle any number of N-1 devices, makes a lot of sense.
(1): For some people, the power system is secondary, and should not be a challenge. That there are people that play this way was not obvious to me before this thread. (With hindsight, it should have been).
For me, I am going to use RoC _because_ of the challenge.
(2): To clarify: I opened this discussion because I figured people came in two camps:
1- I want the challenge of a power system challenge, or
2- I don't want a power system challenge, I don't really want to deal with a power system at all.
That there are people in the middle was the surprise.
I also have to be a bit careful in how I consider the discussion here, because I rarely use RF myself. I've been tinkering around in Agrarian Skies 2 lately, so I've been getting a refresher. Yes, its mindlessly simple power generation, and I tend to over-complicate things because I keep forgetting that it really just is that simple. But that's actually what its supposed to be: power generation for the casual techer.
My concern here, without really refuting anything, just discussing, is that the majority of what we do in minecraft can be boiled down to "plonk down A to get B", and its just a matter of getting good at memorizing all the steps and being able to do them quickly and efficiently. I try not to boil down anything in minecraft that far.
I use Gregtech for the same reason. Its a two-tiered power system (amps + volts), creating interesting logistical problems: how do I get power everywhere without losing it all to lossy cables? How do I run this high-voltage cable past my low-voltage machinery without accidentally overloading my wires or machines? Do I centralize my power storage, or have generators everywhere?
I liked ElectriCraft for the same reason, although sadly there's very little reason to use anything except the best cables in that mod. With GT, you'll find you have every tier of cable in common use throughout your base.