Thaumcraft 4: More "fun" than fun?

[BeastFeeder]

I'm playing a modded version of vanilla MC that pretty much just has Thaumcraft 4, Mo' Creatures and Biomes o Plenty, plus a few other little mods like NEI and Inventory tweaks.

It's my first time playing with Thaum 4, and my experience is that its a real grind. I can hardly research anything because I'm running out of primal aspects. I'm trying to do it without using cheat sheets, but I think that with how limited aspects are, I'll just have to run around for hours to find as many nodes as I can before I can research much of anything.

Consequently, I'm not finding it to be very fun.

Azanor has done a great job of making this a very complex and deep mod with a lot of layers, but I'm afraid he's done it at the expense of pleasure.

Is anyone else finding that to be the case?

 

[Seraph089]

It does get a bit grindy, but it still feels better than the crazy resource burn that research used to be.

It helps to have bookshelves and crystal clusters around the table, they cause most aspects to regenerate a few points when they run out. The only weird bit is that they don't start working as soon as you place them

 

[Omicron]

I had the same issues you're describing, back when TC4 first came out. Then I updated to a newer version, and suddenly you got research points from scanning nodes. This changed everything for me. Scanning 10-15 nodes in my vicinity left me with triple digits of points for all six primal aspects, and it was all smooth sailing from there on.

A good way to search for nodes is to craft a vanilla map of a decent size, centered on your base. Because that map starts off unrevealed, it shows you where you have not searched yet. By patiently revealing every area of the map, you automatically come past pretty much every node nearby. But you really should do this with goggles of revealing, as they let you see nodes much better than the thaumometer does.

 

[The classless]

not really I think he made each layer fun infusion is lot more cool now so I feel like a wizard the only problem I have is research now it is bad and a little annoying

 

[ThatOneSlowking]

I felt this way at first, but after you hnderstand the research and combine a few advanced aspects it is very fun!

 

[thaile4ever]

At the very beginning it is a bit, once you unlock the deconstruction table, and research upgrades it gets easier. Growing Silverwood trees for nodes, crystal clusters, and bookshelves all help.

 

[Zaik]

Without other mod items to scan, yeah I would imagine it would be a bit of a pain, probably would have to run all over everywhere looking for aura nodes to scan.

With other mod items like an actual FTB pack it's not really an issue. Heck, you can(could in 1.5.2, anyway) scan the same ender tank/chest over and over by changing the colors on top, though they had to all be the same color so you could only do it as many times as you had dyes I guess.

 

[Mero]

I feel the same way. The only way I have found to make the mod enjoyable was to change the configs to put a node in every chunk.
Before I made that change almost all of my time was spent running around looking for nodes to scan and recharge my wand with. Of course after 1 or 2 wand refills I then had to spend even more time running around looking for even more nodes to use to refill my wand a second time then rinse and repeat.

The research points wasn't as bad as you are having but I did use the cheat sheet.

I personally find the deconstruction table to be useless.
First off you have to babysit it, which is even more of a colossal waste of time. Second, I burnt through more resources than I ever did with TC3. And since you only get primals you need vastly more resources to get any of the more involved aspects.

I love the mod, but it is just far too grindy in the requirement to have to spend so much time running around looking for nodes.

 

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I feel the same way. The only way I have found to make the mod enjoyable was to change the configs to put a node in every chunk.
Before I made that change almost all of my time was spent running around looking for nodes to scan and recharge my wand with. Of course after 1 or 2 wand refills I then had to spend even more time running around looking for even more nodes to use to refill my wand a second time then rinse and repeat.

The research points wasn't as bad as you are having but I did use the cheat sheet.

I personally find the deconstruction table to be useless.
First off you have to babysit it, which is even more of a colossal waste of time. Second, I burnt through more resources than I ever did with TC3. And since you only get primals you need vastly more resources to get any of the more involved aspects.

I found the deconstruction table enormously useful. The trick here is to only throw in things that give you base aspects. For example, Cobblestone for Perdito. Then just craft the higher tier aspects as normal.

I love the mod, but it is just far too grindy in the requirement to have to spend so much time running around looking for nodes.

I believe you can get some recharge out of killing mobs, but yea... until mid to late game, using your wand constantly really isn't an option. Once you can move your nodes around, though...

My problem were the Hungry Nodes, Tainted Nodes and Biomes in general, and other such unpleasant encounters.

 

[Mero]

I found the deconstruction table enormously useful. The trick here is to only throw in things that give you base aspects. For example, Cobblestone for Perdito. Then just craft the higher tier aspects as normal.


I believe you can get some recharge out of killing mobs, but yea... until mid to late game, using your wand constantly really isn't an option. Once you can move your nodes around, though...

My problem were the Hungry Nodes, Tainted Nodes and Biomes in general, and other such unpleasant encounters.

Yeah, that's where I hit the wall, trying to move the nodes around. You can pick up 1 node per wand charge, then you have to find even more nodes to recharge your wand with all aspects, so you can grab another.
And jaring anything below a bright node is a waste if it goes down because the recharge rate is so slow you'd be better off finding another node to recharge you wand with while the dim/fading/whatever below normal node is filling back up.

Didn't know about the wand recharging from mob kills, but then again I don't carry my wand on my bar and I do almost no combat in minecraft since I find that almost as boring as wandering around the world looking for nodes.

 

[MigukNamja]

The first time through TC4, it was extremely frustrating. I almost did not include it in my re-built server. But, I'm *very* glad I did and gave it another shot. The 2nd time through, I watched a lot of videos and took a new approach.

I wrote up my Thaumcraft 4 Research experience here. In my experience, *just* scanning items and blocks or *just* scanning nodes was nowhere near sufficient. I kept my TC4 research machine oiled also with burning mossy cobblestone in the Deconstruction Table and striving to keep Aer, Aqua, Ordo, and Terra at zero(0) at whenever the research table so I could gain "free" research points (that are only availalble at 0). I didn't focus on just burning mossy cobblestone or just keeping those aspects at zero(0), but would rather do them while researching.

Please see my signature for my experience and specific recommendations.[DOUBLEPOST=1386723395][/DOUBLEPOST]

It does get a bit grindy, but it still feels better than the crazy resource burn that research used to be.

It helps to have bookshelves and crystal clusters around the table, they cause most aspects to regenerate a few points when they run out. The only weird bit is that they don't start working as soon as you place them

Not *immediately*, no, but maybe ~30 seconds later. And, they only generate 1 research point when that aspect is at zero(0). Azanor wants you to use those aspect points ASAP and not bogart them. Fortunately, there are a few very good 2nd-tier and 3-tier aspects to combine them into:

Motus = Aer + Ordo
Victus = Aqua + Terra
Vacuos = Aer + Perditio
Potentia = Ordo + Ignis
Mortuus = Victus + Perditio
Preacantatio = Vacuos + Potentia
Spiritus = Victus + Mortuus

 

[Mero]

burning mossy cobblestone in the Deconstruction Table

I have to ask how you are finding these infinite amounts of mossy.

I had to search 3 different jungles before I found a temple to loot just so I could have more than 3 tools with regen on them?

 

[jokermatt999]

I have to ask how you are finding these infinite amounts of mossy.

I had to search 3 different jungles before I found a temple to loot just so I could have more than 3 tools with regen on them?

In Horizons at least, there's a mod that adds a recipe for Mossy that's just a 8 cobble around a water bucket. There's typically a few other recipes in any modpack too.

 

[Seraph089]

In Horizons at least, there's a mod that adds a recipe for Mossy that's just a 8 cobble around a water bucket. There's typically a few other recipes in any modpack too.

If it still works (haven't tried in the new version), cobble in a TE Liquid Transposer with water can do it too. Automated and unlimited.

Or, 10 minutes in the Twilight Forest will have you swimming in mossy cobble, everything there is made of it

 

[RedBoss]

I have to ask how you are finding these infinite amounts of mossy.

I had to search 3 different jungles before I found a temple to loot just so I could have more than 3 tools with regen on them?

How many times do i have to say this? The Twilight Forest solves ALL the problems of modded Minecraft. There are mossy structures all over that dimension.


Also you can craft mossy with cobble, wheat, and a bucket of water. Mossy stone brick can be crafted into repair moss iirc. Patches of moss can be found on trees that can be crafted as well. Plus TE flux capacitors can be used for rechargeable upgrades

 

[Mero]

How many times do i have to say this? The Twilight Forest solves ALL the problems of modded Minecraft. There are mossy structures all over that dimension.


Also you can craft mossy with cobble, wheat, and a bucket of water. Mossy stone brick can be crafted into repair moss iirc. Patches of moss can be found on trees that can be crafted as well. Plus TE flux capacitors can be used for rechargeable upgrades

I don't like the twilight forest and won't use it.

Never heard of the TE one, might have to add it just for that but without BC or forestry, won't use either anymore, I have little to no use for anything TE has to offer.

RP was what I used to use but that is no longer an option.

Don't know what this horizons is, might have to check into it.

 

[MigukNamja]

As for mossy cobble, the only reason I was burning that was:

1. For me, it was cheap (TE3 Liquid Transposer)
2. Aqua aspect
3. Terra aspect

Aqua + Terra = Victus and Victus is then used to make all sort of other useful and sometimes difficult-to-obtain aspects like Mortuus, Bestia, Humanus, etc.,.

If you can't get mossy in abundance, try anything that you have in abundance has aer, aqua, ordo, and/or terra or breaks down into those.

If you can't get anything like in adundance, don't sweat it. The Deconstruction Table is just 1 of 3 techniques to get Aspects, the other 2 being:

1. scanning
2. "free" aspect at the research table when an aspect has 0 pts in it (use those aspects ASAP !)

That should be enough. But, if you are *not* referring to a cheat sheet and doing it blind, then....wow. More power to you, but doing Thaumcraft research without a cheat sheet is an exercise in frustration that I don't have the patience for.

 

[MigukNamja]

... but without BC or forestry, won't use either anymore, I have little to no use for anything TE has to offer.

TE3 has long since moved beyond an "add-on" mod to other, major mods. TE3 is now a stand-alone, major mod in its own right that in no way requires BC, Forestry, or any other mod. Here's just a few of the things TE3 offers that few to no other mods do:

• configurable-sided machines
• portable tanks
• portable chests
• itemducts
• tesseracts (item, liquid, and energy all in the same block !)
• liquid transposer
• magma crucible
• cyclic assembler
• glacial precipitator
• florbs !
• custom ore world gen (from CoFH, which is part of TE3)

Yes, some other mods offer similar things, but not all in the same package.

As for what this has to do with TC4, the liquid transposer alone makes infinite mossy cobblestone (just supply it with cobblestone, water, and power) that in turn, makes TC4 researcht that much easier.

In general, the more mods you have to draw from to work *with* TC4, the easier TC4 will be. Scanning, for instance, becomes more useful when you have more/different things to scan. It also gives you more reason to get out and about in the world.

 

[RedBoss]

I think the majority of FTB users dont realize how much has changed in 1.6. They're missing out.

 

[BeastFeeder]

I am playing on 1.6. I sort of created my own mod pack with the vanilla launcher.

I'm going to have to try the config changes. That didn't make gregtech much more pleasant for me so I'm not optimistic.