Thaumcraft 4 Impossible (edit: Without learning to combine aspects)

[Physicist]

I'm a really patient guy, but I can't even research a freaking block of wood.

What the heck am I doing wrong? I've got about 14 aspects of research points, and have run out of 4 of them. I got Infernal Furnace as a scroll, but it really doesn't look like it's possible to connect those dots with the aspects I had; then I ran out of fire, so it looks impossible now. Do I need to completely restart to do anything with thaumcraft now? I can't even get Nitor, because I got torches, but now besides glowstone and jackolanterns, I don't think there are any sources of light, so I can't connect any dots on that one. None of the basic TC3 researches seem possible, except Alumentum, but now that I've researched both coal and charcoal, I'm out of Potentia.

This... really needs better documentation, or something, because right now, Thaumcraft 3 seems infinitely better. I have researched EVERYTHING in my chests and around me, and most of it is unresearchable because I don't have some prereq.

I really want to give it a chance, but if I'm not missing something, TC4 = fail.

(I suppose it's possible that Gregtech4+ICExperimental makes Thaumcraft 4 unworkable, that would be good to know.)

 

[Omegatron]

I think if an item you are researching has an aspect you don't have the ingredients for you can't research that item.

 

[Malexion]

You might have a better time if you consume most of those early research points by combining them which will in turn unlock several other items that you may be able to scan.

Because 14 really leaves a lot open, and how on earth you got 14 without the aspect parts within wood planks/logs I will never know.

It sounds like your missing Lignum? Play around with combining terra and aqua with others.

 

[KnightOwl]

You can always create an aspect by combining the precursor aspects listed in your Thauminomicon.

 

[Ember Quill]

Sometimes you need to experiment with combining aspects in order to unlock other aspects that let you research more things. If you've unlocked an aspect before, the aspects needed to create it will be shown in your Thaumonomicon. Also, there are ways to passively generate more aspects. The location of your research table may cause it to regenerate a specific aspect over time, and crystal clusters placed nearby also passively regenerate their respective aspects. Although I'm pretty sure it only gives you more of the six "primal" aspects (the four elements and Order/Entropy), those six aspects can be combined and recombined in the Research Table to create all of the other aspects.

You can also go hunt for more aura nodes, since every one can be analyzed once with a Thaumometer to get more aspects.

 

[Yusunoha]

and here I am still stuck trying to get a thaumometer...

 

[MigukNamja]

I had to 'cheat' and refer to the TC4 cheatsheet to see what non-primal aspects could be researched by combining the primals. That unlocked a *lot* more things I could use my Thaumometer on.

I also setup a lot of crystal clusters around my research table and that has helped.

And, yes, connecting the dots is not intuitive. Even DW20 had to have Azanor on his server helping him with the research.

TC4 is not an intuitive mod. It pretty much requires watching or reading a tutorial. DW20 did a good job with a 3-part, the most important by far being the 1st one that covers aspects and research.

 

[Ember Quill]

TC4 is not an intuitive mod. It pretty much requires watching or reading a tutorial. DW20 did a good job with a 3-part, the most important by far being the 1st one that covers aspects and research.

The Thaumonomicon itself has a pretty useful entry about the research system. It's not perfect (it doesn't tell you how to passively regenerate aspects in the research table, for example), but it gives you enough information to understand how aspects and the research system work in the first place.

 

[MigukNamja]

Aye, the book does cover a lot. However, I don't think it does a good enough job of how the research table works with the rules of connecting dots and what-not. I burned a ton of research points and didn't "get it" until I watched a video.

 

[Physicist]

Thanks for the help guys. That's what that purple button does! I thought it was the heavy research and the green was the light research like the slider on the old research table. That really changes things.

 

[Physicist]

So as feedback to the mod author:

It was not obvious to me that I could combine aspects without something like an arcane alembic or warded jars.

There are pages with diagrams in every paper video game manual that say "This is the A button. You press it to jump. This is the Directional Pad. You use it to move." Those are obvious things, and I have been trained to ignore them, because buttons are intuitive: press it, and something happens.

Similarly, the pages describing the combining of aspects looked like that to me. It was tucked in before the other useful chapter that was how to move symbols around.

I think something needs to be done to draw more attention to that section; it deserves its own bubble in the Thaumonomicon.

 

[RedBoss]

The best source for information on TC4 has been Haighyorkie on YouTube.

I hate videos as a reference, but this guys is concise, informative, and stays on point. He doesn't hop about, warns of spoilers, and gives you what you need to know. Period. It's worth noting that outside of ForgeCraft he's the only youtube LP'er to get interviews with Azanor.

A frustrating note is that some research just is impossible. It's part of the random generation of research. It's best to discard a fruitless research and start with a new one. I despise this aspect of the mod, but it's there.

 

[The Mobius Archives]

Also check out the direwolf20 spotlights about Thaumcraft 4 research on Youtube. He touches on combining aspects among other things.

 

[Succubism]

YEP so I'm here.

TC4's by no means fail and I doubt you're failing either. Chances are you're just missing something. You CAN research things, just the things that are directly in front of you happen to be a little beyond your reach at first, IE: Grass and Wood aren't unlocked yet.
Start by scanning nodes, cobblestone, water, combine the primal aspects and see what you get. (Primal aspects are the ones in circles. Terra, Aqua, Ignis and such.) for all other issues, I refer you to my guide.

 

[Physicist]

I take back the title and the insinuation that TC4 might be fail. I'm loving TC4, now that I get it. Thanks for the tip about combining aspects.

(I still hope Azanor or a theoretical co-dev happens to stumble across my feedback post earlier... that was a frustrating few hours scanning EVERYTHING and getting 14 aspects before learning it was possible to combine aspects from the minute I made a research table.)

 

[MigukNamja]

Thaumcraft is one of those things with a steep learning curve and frustration until it 'clicks'. But, once it 'clicks' and forward progress is made, Thaumcraft is a very, very fun mod. One of my favorite and often one of the reasons I keep playing in a world well after I have near-infinite energy, resources, etc.,.

 

[Yusunoha]

Aye, the book does cover a lot. However, I don't think it does a good enough job of how the research table works with the rules of connecting dots and what-not. I burned a ton of research points and didn't "get it" until I watched a video.

could you link me the video perhaps? as I tried doing some research this afternoon, and it went bad... really bad. I ended up wasting alot of research points and started rage-quitting the world by deleting it. some of the research is easy, you just need to clear away some symbols, and move 1 active symbol inbetween, but the other times I get more then 1 active symbol, or even worse, more then 1 active symbol type. when that happens I have no idea anymore on how to connect the dots as when I try to link them they keep getting linked in the wrong way and I end up wasting alot of points. I don't know if you're require to use all the active symbols, or all active symbol types, in what order you need to connect them, or if a research paper even can be solved, because I've seen haighyorkie doing one type of research paper over and over till he had a good one... I really want to do things as efficient as possible and I don't want to waste tons of points to find out a research paper can't be solved

 

[Physicist]

I ran into two research papers (Lead Transmutation and another) that seemed impossible. When you get a feel for how many symbols are required to connect certain distances, count up the total on an entire paper. That can help you gauge a bad page from a good.

As to different kinds of symbols, I found that an active symbol is an active symbol; it doesn't matter what type it is, and it's only purpose is to connect dots. Once dots are connected, you're done. You don't need to use the extra symbols. Some pages have enough of a single aspect symbol on the pages to complete the research by only spending the 3 research points of the one aspect, despite having 2 or 3 potentially useable aspects.

 

[Succubism]

-Snip.-

Enjoy.

 

[MigukNamja]