Thoughts on MFR

[rymmie1981]

MFR has cheap recipes which let you get into it at a decently early stage. I think the sheer amount of infrastructure development required to make all the machines work together well helps balance the low cost of entry. I view MFR as something closer to Extra Utilities in many aspects since it fills a lot of gaps such as the liquid router or fruit picker. The Liquicrafter is something that has been sorely needed for a long time.

Looking on it as a whole, MFR doesn't give you the tools to do things you can't do anywhere else(except maybe the autoenchanter/autoanvil). It does give you the tools to make all those things--mob farms, tree farms, etc.--much more efficient. Mob farms can now give you fertilizer for your tree farms. You *must* have a mob farm in order to get the pink slime you need to make the mining laser. Your tree farm makes the fuel to power the engines that run these machines, which happen to run on MJ, EU, or UE so it doesn't matter which system you use. Of course, you can use BC pipes or AE for your logistics, but TE tesseracts can make things more compact and efficient. The fertilizers use every type of fertilizer in the game, not just its own.

I think MFR can be summed up with the name of one of its blocks, the Unifier. It's the diamond pipe of mods. Everything comes into it and gets sent to its proper destination from there.

 

[Chocorate]

It's unfortunate that people like to label MFR as OP, and somehow think it's a bad thing. It's true that MFR is more interesting and fun to use it than the (recently nerfed) alternatives , but those alternatives managed to get less interesting all on their own..

It's because people don't consider the idea of the other mods being underpowered. I'm just glad PC is kind of standing his ground and doesn't succumb to Gregtech's ruination of all our favorite mods.

I'd rather have an OP mod than a "balanced" mod. When I play modded minecraft, I want to create cool stuff and use the mods. I don't want it to be stressful whenever I want to do something.

 

[Shakie666]

It's because people don't consider the idea of the other mods being underpowered. I'm just glad PC is kind of standing his ground and doesn't succumb to Gregtech's ruination of all our favorite mods.

I'd rather have an OP mod than a "balanced" mod. When I play modded minecraft, I want to create cool stuff and use the mods. I don't want it to be stressful whenever I want to do something.

This. Hopefully it'll also encourage other mod authors to stop making their own work obsolete.

On a similar note, if it weren't for the macerator + blaze powder/bonemeal exploit EE2 would have been a good addition to FtB. Instead we have EE3 which hasn't been updated since its 'release'.

 

[GPuzzle]

Actually, Pahimar has been doing a lot of groundwork in EE3.
So he probably will release EE3 pr2 in a few months, with Alchemical Chests and Bags and his EMC system.

 

[Jakeb]

MFR is one of my favorite mods because of how much content there is. It just adds so many useful things, from the automatic farms to conveyor belts to laser drills. It's a shame that some people have to label it as OP, but there are actually different recipe sets for MFR machines. There's the vanilla recipes, the thermal expansion recipes (what I use), and the gregtech recipes.

 

[Saice]

there are actually different recipe sets for MFR machines. There's the vanilla recipes, the thermal expansion recipes (what I use), and the gregtech recipes.

Saddly like all mods that have configs few know of them or how to change them. And most are unwilling to do so.

 

[Hydra]

I also love how PowerCrystals is so responsive. I don't think there was ever a time where I posted something talking to him and he didn't reply. He's a great guy.

That. Although I don't agree with power convertors for example I think the community needs more modders like him (and King Lemming). I mean, King Lemming is my all time favorite; if biologically possible I'd have his babies, but PC comes a close second.[DOUBLEPOST=1371593976][/DOUBLEPOST]

Saddly like all mods that have configs few know of them or how to change them. And most are unwilling to do so.

That's why we need to separate "mod packs" and "config packs" in the launcher. Ultimate for example should come with a bunch of different sensible config packs.

 

[Saice]

That's why we need to separate "mod packs" and "config packs" in the launcher. Ultimate for example should come with a bunch of different sensible config packs.

This I totaly agree with. Or at lest have some way toggle in the launcher some predfined confrigs like Easy/Mid/Hard mode.

 

[Hydra]

This I totaly agree with. Or at lest have some way toggle in the launcher some predfined confrigs like Easy/Mid/Hard mode.

Exactly. Unfortunately so far it seems a "graphical redesign" (seriously, WHO CARES?) is more important

 

[Saice]

What would be Boss is if mojang could have servers push configs like they can push textures.

 

[Hydra]

What would be Boss is if mojang could have servers push configs like they can push textures.

Not just configs, also the mods themselves.

 

[Darknesschaos]

Not just configs, also the mods themselves.

That can be quite... problematic. Receiving untrusted code onto your system just begs for viruses and the like.

 

[Sadistical_satan]

I wonder if skeletons poop.

It is scientifically unconfirmed that skeletons actually poop in the native wild.
However, there have been reports of them pooting "dead air"

Back on topic....
I really enjoy how far MFR has grown since it's early day's. And c'mon,,, who can't say no to plastic?!?

 

[netmc]

Back on topic....
I really enjoy how far MFR has grown since it's early day's. And c'mon,,, who can't say no to plastic?!?

I try to make all my purchases with Ic2 coins or the barter system. no plastic for me.

 

[Chocorate]

Exactly. Unfortunately so far it seems a "graphical redesign" (seriously, WHO CARES?) is more important

Or a sequel to the modpacks nobody uses. I mean, Gabe Newell doesn't know how to count. The modpack people seem to just looove counting.

 

[power crystals]

How did I miss this thread?

There's not much to comment on technically - aside from the oddly persistent myth that rednet cables work with facades; while I plan to make that work it doesn't yet - but I'm glad to see the positive feedback. Oh and a smaller/cheaper PRC for when you just want a few gates is planned but I dunno when I'll get to that. I'm too busy adding poop and anvil guns, and even more things I haven't shown yet! This is a new major version now after all. But I think I will comment on my intentions as far as design and balance and that go, because it's a fairly frequent topic.

Basically, I have a few major goals in mind during design of any new block/item/feature/whatever:

• Does this allow me to do something useful?
• Is it reasonably easy to use and intuitive to the end user?
• Does it make sense in the context of what other mods people who use MFR tend to have installed (AE, TE, etc)?
• Most importantly, is it fun?

Costs are basically the very last thing I do. I start with an idea (most people seem to imagine this phase comes from some combination of fever dreams and eating drugs, I won't spoil this with the reality) and then usually sit on it until the texture guy (NATO) gets me something to make it look pretty. For some reason I'm incredibly unmotivated looking at a bunch of MISSING TEXTURE squares. Then I need to actually make it work; this usually gets to a workable state in a day for machines and a few days for something I haven't tried before. At this point I'll put it into the betas and everybody goes "oh god another build" in my IRC as they wait to see if I fixed another stupid mistake or if today's the day I added an automatic lever aligner or something else crazy like that. They then sit in the beta for a while, with a suggested power draw but usually no recipes for a while. Recipes tend to only appear near release, as I figure out what random vanilla components I can shove on top of a machine block that make sense and then Emy makes actually not terrible recipes for the TE and GT modes.

Ok, I'm being sarcastic for the sake of it again. I do actually put a fair amount of thought into that stuff, trying to decide roughly how difficult it should be to build a machine. But usually the difficult part is intended to be in integrating it into your base - there's a reason harvesters need three different connections (stack your farms for maximum ease), a fourth if you want redstone shutoff. At the same time, the harvesters don't burst if you don't drain the sludge from them - I don't think that that's fun, and while some people disagree, I'm not making a mod for them. I try to make stuff cost intelligence of base setup and power rather than liquid iridium or whatever's new this week, because you only pay the purchase price once. A fully-nonstop treefarm, assuming you have fertilizer to do that, actually drains a ton of power. It's still pretty easy to make a positive energy loop with it, but hey, the power draws are adjustable.

On the flip side of that I sometimes get asked to do things like make the planter use water or not automatically till, and to that I say no. The point is to be easy to use. It might need a nuclear reactor to run, but it's gonna be the Minecraft version of plug-and-play, or as close as I can get. That's why nothing explodes (except pink slimes...), because that's not easy to use. That's punishing the player for doing something wrong. Hell, even power converters respond to IC2 overvolting by just popping off instead of exploding. Again, not everyone will agree with that, but I'm not making a mod for those people and I'm ok with that.

Except NetherOres. That mod is where I'm an asshole. You haven't lived until you experience hellfish combined with infernal mobs.

I hope this is interesting to at least some of you, and I hope you'll stick around as I continue my crazy ride to.. wherever the hell I'm going. It's not like I actually know. But it's been a fun ride so far.

 

[GPuzzle]

NetherOres locked me in the Nether once.
In the other, it caused a chain reaction that threw me in the lava.

Yet I love playing with it, I dunno why.

 

[Saice]

I hope this is interesting to at least some of you, and I hope you'll stick around as I continue my crazy ride to.. wherever the hell I'm going. It's not like I actually know. But it's been a fun ride so far.

As a primary hand miner I really enjoy nether ores. Give you some risk for your reward much more exciting then caving.

You add Natura in that mix and you have crazy fun nether.

 

[Chocorate]

even power converters respond to IC2 overvolting by just popping off instead of exploding.

They so nice. c:

 

[rymmie1981]

I use MFR for fun. I use Nether Ores for FUN!

I've been a big fan of FUN! since stumbling upon Happy Fun Stuff in Dwarf Fortress. Nether Ores reminds me of that in a good way.