Thaumcraft 4 what to do if you run out of aspects

[TheDataMiner]

I recently created my own magic pack with thaumcraft 4 included, I went around with my thaumometer and gained lots of research points. Unfortunately, I used them all up trying to research things. How can I get more research points?
Thank you!

 

[ewsmith]

the primals can be combined to create every complex aspect. the primals can be obtained from from deconstruction table or through passive regeneration. the deconstruction table is a research on the basic information page and passive regeneration relies on nearby blocks (ex: crystal clusters)
Edit: or scan lots of nodes

 

[apemanzilla]

You can, technically, get infinite aspects by running around checking nodes, but it will take forever and a lot of traveling. Crystal clusters are probably the easiest way as they just create research points from nothing.

 

[Tylor]

Where should clusters be placed to give research?

 

[apemanzilla]

Where should clusters be placed to give research?

Just near the table should work fine - next to it, on the ceiling above it, etc.

 

[PixelSupreme]

Bookshelves and patience. Says the code.

 

[Xellinus]

Bookshelves and patience. Says the code.

Bookshelves?

 

[King Lem]

I'm not getting aspects very quickly. I have a water cluster, two fire, two order, one air, a mixed crystal cluster, and five bookcases. So far, after many (many) hours of waiting, I have acquired a grand total of one (1) ignis aspect. In my honest opinion, this is far too slow.

 

[Yusunoha]

Bookshelves and patience. Says the code.

I don't believe bookshelves do anything, I think it's just the crystal clusters.
on that note, does it matter what type of crystal cluster you place down in the aspects you get? or will any type of crystal cluster give any type of aspect?

 

[angelnc]

I think I heard, you get the aspects depending on the crystal cluster type.

 

[CreepaCatcha]

Placing a fire crystal cluster in a deconstruction table often gives the water aspect more than the fire aspect.

 

[Tylor]

Jars of essentia give stars too. But you are better off just unmaking hoes.

 

[Fro]

In my opinion this running out of research points is really annoying.
So far I've tried bookshelves, which didn't change anything at all (at least I didn't notice anything), and the Thaumonomicon clearly states under "Infused Stone" that Crystal Clusters don't help.

"[...]Crystal clusters have no special properties beyond adding a touch of class to any home.[..]"

The only things that seem to regenerate Primal Aspects seem to be other blocks within some range of the research table, but in my experience they only regenerate 1 research point (and not more) once you've used up the last one of that specific aspect. So when you're near water, you'll get a star next to the primal aspect that represents water, and will regenerate exactly 1 research point of that kind once you've used up your last one.

Could anyone confirm, correct or elaborate on this?

 

[King Lem]

@Fro: That's pretty much been my experience with regenerating aspects.

I've yet to find a practical method of generating more research aspects. The only way I've been able to actually make a decent number of research points is through the deconstruction table, but that requires discovering cognito first, which was a major pain in the butt.

If you, like I, don't want to use a cheat sheet for performing your research, I suggest you just open up NEI and start scanning every vanilla item you can. Craft everything, explore to get the biome-specific stuff, backtrack to stuff you couldn't do after each new discovery. You should eventually get to cognito.

Once finding cognito, do research expertise and mastery, then the deconstruction table. After that, get ready to grind and sacrifice items like you've never ground before.

EDIT: Also, boring babysitting like mad. Thaumcraft 4 is a mod you 'play' while working on a project IRL.

 

[Eunomiac]

Watching Direwolf20's videos, I know the smartypants mod developers on ForgeCraft all have a set of six crystal clusters (one for each primal aspect) above their research tables, and The Great Azanor His Ownself (the Infusion Altar earned him that five-capital nickname) plays there and discusses mechanics. So I suspect what they're doing is the right way.

I can also confirm from my own experience, albeit circumstantially: I had a ton of trouble finding Fire Shards in my playthrough, so I have crystal clusters for every primal aspect except Fire near my research table, and my research table has stars on every primal aspect except Ignis. However, I don't have a source of Fire near my table, so it remains possible that other things are determining these research bonuses (though it's hard to think what would have given me an Order or Entropy star).

As a test, I just knocked down my Air Cluster to see if that would change anything. The star on Aer didn't disappear immediately (even after a relog), so maybe there's a delay, or maybe a star remains until it's used up... or maybe crystal clusters isn't the whole story, despite all the evidence above.

I'm also going to see if adding a mixed cluster will give me that Ignis star---I still don't have enough damnable fire shards!

 

[Eunomiac]

@Fro: That's pretty much been my experience with regenerating aspects.

I've yet to find a practical method of generating more research aspects. The only way I've been able to actually make a decent number of research points is through the deconstruction table, but that requires discovering cognito first, which was a major pain in the butt.

If you, like I, don't want to use a cheat sheet for performing your research, I suggest you just open up NEI and start scanning every vanilla item you can. Craft everything, explore to get the biome-specific stuff, backtrack to stuff you couldn't do after each new discovery. You should eventually get to cognito.

Once finding cognito, do research expertise and mastery, then the deconstruction table. After that, get ready to grind and sacrifice items like you've never ground before.

EDIT: Also, boring babysitting like mad. Thaumcraft 4 is a mod you 'play' while working on a project IRL.

Oh come now, you're doing the mod a disservice. Yeah, you do have to accumulate research points by exploring and scanning everything you find---but that's the intended purpose of the changes to the research system, and I quite enjoy it.

Just a few tips (I don't doubt you know at least some of these, but I'm sure they'll be helpful to someone):

• When you scan something new, use the "U" key in NEI to list all the things you can craft with it, and scan those. Then go in the other direction, and scan the things it came from. Gold Ingot = Gold Ore, Gold Ingot, Gold Nugget, Gold Block... plus a full set of gold armor, since you can smelt it back to ingots when you're done.
• If there are certain primal aspects you're constantly running low on (Ordo, for me), take note of the "kinds" of objects that tend to carry it, so you can be extra-vigilant for opportunities to accumulate more.
• Whenever you "don't have the knowledge for" something, put a sample of one in a "Mystery Chest" so you won't forget to rescan it later. (There's a bit of a research bottleneck that stops you from scanning even some very common objects, until you reach the Nether and are able to unlock a few important aspects there.)
• Periodically run your cursor over your inventory while holding "Shift", so you can see what items you haven't scanned---not fifteen minutes ago, I was shocked to discover I hadn't ever scanned an Ordo Shard (!)
• Definitely make sure you scan everything you make that comes from ThaumCraft itself, since all those items carry TONS of aspects. A lot of the higher-end vanilla items carry a ton of aspects too, like Enchanting Tables and Bookshelves.
• And don't forget to scan mobs (pro tip: put a Pumpkin on your head so you can look at an Enderman long enough to scan him).
• Don't spend too many aspects at the research table. Plan out your moves in advance, clear the dummy runes out of the way, and only then deactivate your runes and move them into place.

 

[RedBoss]

I just scan things. I got a substantial amount of points by scanning the items in my chests, mob drops, etc. I then simply crafted all the vanilla wooden & stone tools. To me, scanning items is a reward for leaving your base. So much research point potential is outdoors. I'm not in an extreme surplus by doing this, but I've not run out yet either.

Waiting for clusters to garner points is passive. Be active and go scan mobs and the environment.

 

[PixelSupreme]

I don't believe bookshelves do anything, I think it's just the crystal clusters.
[...]

Well, you don't have to 'believe' anything. As I hinted: I looked at the code. And code doesn't lie nor guess.

 

[Fro]

I actually don't think that the new research system is bad, the thing I think is tedious is just having to constantly combine aspects to get the compound ones. Also, I think if there is some method that boosts passive aspect regeneration, it should be mentioned in the Thaumonomicon.

I've now also experienced having a little star next to basically all of the aspects in my research table (including compound ones), but again, I haven't quite figured out why this is or what it means.

A tip from me: running around looking for nodes to scan can actually be quite efficient if you happen to find a large forest biome. You can easily find large numbers of Silverwood Trees that might have ~2 nodes inside them.

 

[Yusunoha]

I just scan things. I got a substantial amount of points by scanning the items in my chests, mob drops, etc. I then simply crafted all the vanilla wooden & stone tools. To me, scanning items is a reward for leaving your base. So much research point potential is outdoors. I'm not in an extreme surplus by doing this, but I've not run out yet either.

Waiting for clusters to garner points is passive. Be active and go scan mobs and the environment.

I'm actually right now trying to unlock all the aspects just by analyzing everything. I've come pretty far, but still have about a dozen aspects left to unlock.

btw, a tip for people wanting to know how many aspects that are left to research, search up "unknown" in NEI. it'll show you the aspects that are still unknown

Well, you don't have to 'believe' anything. As I hinted: I looked at the code. And code doesn't lie nor guess.

was just saying what I was thinking, nothing else.