What mod do you use for early game ore processing?

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PhilHibbs

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Jan 15, 2013
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This time time around I used dartcraft for a while as my first mod. It was nice to have a pickaxe that would pulverize and smelt the ores for me (You can also use TiC for the same purpose). Of course, this is no needed once you have a quarry or something similar .
The TiC version needs blaze ingredients I think (so not early game, unless you find the desert flowers). What does the DC one need?
 

Celestialphoenix

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Nov 9, 2012
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Tartarus.. I mean at work. Same thing really.
Either smeltery or a slag furnace. It also helps if you only process what you'll need immediately. If you've got 4 stacks of iron mining its wasteful to whack it all through early on.
Next step would be the induction smelter (+extruder & pulveriser)- there's always a single metal you run low on which makes the slag more useful than a %bonus of one you have plenty.​
The grindstone is kinda false economy- it eats more out of your most precious resource (time) than what you get for it.
 

Novaflipps

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Jul 29, 2019
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I normaly use the Clockwork Engine from forestry and TE pulverizer with the TE Powered Furnace:p Clockwork emgine is a windup engine that makes 1.5 MJ on maks(red)down to 0.5(blue). Pulverized ores gives 2 pulver and smelt it in the furnace to get 2 ingots. Not the most Efficiency method but u dont need to use coal or any other fuel source:)
 

Hambeau

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Jul 24, 2013
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The only reason to keep them is that both Dartcraft and TiC leave smaller holes in the landscape than quarries do :D
 

Kitchen_Fire

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The only reason to keep them is that both Dartcraft and TiC leave smaller holes in the landscape than quarries do :D

You could place your quarries underground, a mystcraft age, or the twilight forest if you wanted to keep from making giant holes in your landscape.
 

SonOfABirch

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Jul 29, 2019
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Usually I would go for Thermal Expansion. The simple setup
[chest]
[hopper]
[pulverisor][pfurnace][chest]

but in my last few worlds I have been playing around with mechanism, and use that for the vast majority of my ore processingness (it gives triple, not double, see) and use TE just for the flint creation
 
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KnightOwl

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Jul 29, 2019
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TConstruct Smeltery .. It's fairly quick to get going with the added benefit that you can start making your tools :
 

Zexks

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Jul 29, 2019
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Did the grind stone this time, then the TiC smeltery once I had the mats. I think next time I'm just going to skip the grindstone all together and go straight for the smelter. What little bit of doubling i'll lose in the first less than 45-50 blocks of iron isn't going to bother me once I've got several thousand in an AE system. Especially once you get a hammer, iron is everywhere.
 

Vaygrim

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Jul 29, 2019
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I think this is an important point. Now that it can't be automated I'd rather just mine more ore too. :)


Another 'bad' aspect of the AE Grindstone: The crank handle now breaks if you try to turn it while nothing is loaded to be processed. It just snaps and leaves you with 1 or 2 sticks out of the 5 sticks required to create it. Yes sticks are not that hard to come by, but MAN is that a hassle. You have to keep stopping to check the progress on what you are processing with the grindstone otherwise *SNAP* time for a new handle. GRR!
 
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Methusalem

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I've tried GregTech's bronze machines. (He added a full set in 1.6.2. Macerator, Furnace, Compressor, Alloy Smelter etc, all running on steam.) That was painful as hell and felt completely unrewarding.

Now with GregTech thrown out, it's AE's Grind Stone for the first rare metals and then either Mekanism or EnderIO's SAG Mill. The power for it comes from Wind Mills and Hydrogen Generators (both from Mekanism).
 

Bihlbo

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In my most recent game I found a bucket in a nearby village, which is where I also filled it with lava, and so had everything I needed to use stone tools to get the stuff for a smeltery. I didn't bother refining anything until that was done, and it was far easier than I imagined it would be.
 

Russianranger

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Jul 29, 2019
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The TiC version needs blaze ingredients I think (so not early game, unless you find the desert flowers). What does the DC one need?


Nope, no blaze ingredients needed at all. The only thing you need is a bunch of sand, gravel and clay to create seared bricks. Also glass to make the lava tank (which if you have extra sand is no problem). Its really simple and straight forward. I have two fairly big smelteries that are 7 tall, allowing for almost a stack (63) ore to be processed. It works well this way as I get 14 blocks of whatever ore I smelt via the casting basins. Both my smelteries have 4 casting basins at their base, allowing for a faster acquisition of goods. (Just got to make sure I don't derp and start filling all 4 basins when I have less than 36 ingots present in the smelter...)
 

twisto51

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In my most recent game I found a bucket in a nearby village, which is where I also filled it with lava, and so had everything I needed to use stone tools to get the stuff for a smeltery. I didn't bother refining anything until that was done, and it was far easier than I imagined it would be.


I found a smeltery in the middle of a village once. Does that happen now and then or was it player-made and they just did a really good job of blending it into the village?
 

WTFFFS

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I found a smeltery in the middle of a village once. Does that happen now and then or was it player-made and they just did a really good job of blending it into the village?

They are in some villages, gives a good early boost if you happen to find one. (only the seared brick blocks not controller\tank etc)
 

Vaygrim

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I've tried GregTech's bronze machines. (He added a full set in 1.6.2. Macerator, Furnace, Compressor, Alloy Smelter etc, all running on steam.) That was painful as hell and felt completely unrewarding.

Now with GregTech thrown out, it's AE's Grind Stone for the first rare metals and then either Mekanism or EnderIO's SAG Mill. The power for it comes from Wind Mills and Hydrogen Generators (both from Mekanism).

I keep hearing people talk about Mekanism in various threads. Apparently I need to take a look at it.
 

PoisonWolf

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Jul 29, 2019
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The grindstone is kinda false economy- it eats more out of your most precious resource (time) than what you get for it.


I just put a block on the right click and throw a stack of iron ores in there early game. Then I proceed to do the dishes and return and voila, I have 2 stacks of iron. Lol.
 

Vaygrim

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I have officially started messing around with Mekanism and it has quickly turned into one of my favorite mods for starting tech! So cool!