You want feedback. I have feedback.
I've used Thermal Expansion since 1.4.7. I have always, and always will, use it in conjunction with Build-craft, Railcraft, and Forestry. The initial move to move RF sucked for me, but now that everyone is back on the same system, things are getting better. Unlike many others in this community, I don't find joy in becoming an all powerful, flying, indestructable, voxel god. I like my gameplay to be a gradual but rewarding progression. As such, I prefer my technology to require thought, and make room of the numerous amount of in game space minecraft provides. I strongly dislike blocks that simplify already simplified tech tasks. I could care less if they are less server intensive, single block OP machines are boring.
What I like
-the split into multiple mods
-RF's simplicity makes it easy to teach new users.
-Use of tabs to control and explain machines
-I can always rely on your mods to be stable, and monitored for lag.
-Textures are beautiful
What I dislike
-Long update times
-RF's simplicity is rather dull for long term players.
-All mods lack challenge and risk. Yes some people whine when faced with a risk, threat, or consequence. However, if I'm playing survival, I expect it. For exaple, Buildcraft's engines all use to blow when misused. This required players to design saftey systems using redstone, and gate conditions. Yes, some people cry, but a challenge isn't unfair if it can be solved with a little brainpower. In a game focused on exploration and design, I expect some sort of challenge that involves either exploration and/or design.
-Some old features, new mod. Minecraft 1.5 was, in my opinion, when Thermal Expansion blended the most with other mods. Your mods, and other buildcraft inspired mods all felt like one big family of tech, offering transportation, farming, construction, and processing. Everyone kinda did what they did best with the only exception being buildcraft's buggy energy system which everyone rightfully would overlook for TE conduits. Now everyone has taken it on themselves to out do each other. The results are a whole bunch of RF powered mods that all, more or less, do the same thing. An example of this unneeded feature clone/creep in TE was the addition of Caches. Given how many barrel mods we already have, why on earth does anyone need another one. Heck, even other COFH mods like Minefactory Reloaded had deep storage units.
What I miss
-The old engines from the MJ days looked absolutely amazing and far more interesting than the new static dynamos.
-FMP integration. Yeah I get that you have your reasons, but lost unity across mods still sucks.
What I'd like to see in the future
- an expansion of functionality in cofh's friends overlay. Why not expand this into a party/clan system. Given that most other tech mods depend on COFH, it wouldn't be hard for the community to receive it as the standard party/permisions implementation.
-Better integration with non thermal mods. Yes, everyone uses RF these day and that is fantastic but more gameplay mechanic integration would be nice. For example, Thermal Expansion once had build-craft gate support. That was awesome.
-A use for RF outside crating. Right now, most tech mods generate tons or RF but have nothing to do with it.
-I'd ask that you add a mechanic that converted Build-Craft, and Ae2 Facades to TD facades on placement, but I get the vibe your team still doesn't like build-craft. (Pssst... the cold war is over. RF won
)
Love your mods. Thanks for the hard work.
