Since I couldn't find a good way to automate the blood altar with ME anywhere that didn't involve multiple altars, I made a computercraft program for it. Requires Open Peripherals. However it was designed so that you don't need to know much about computer craft or coding to use it.
Just drop any computer/turtle beside the blood altar, and place an ME interface on the altar (NOT the computer).
Run the program and enter in the requested information. (For the altar position it is asking for in relation to the computer, for the interface it is asking for in relation to the altar.)
This mod is based around a cause and effect balance system, inspired heavily by Thaumcraft taint.
The core features will involve a risk reward system, as well as punishing the lazy. You can either build a safe set up that will rarely have issues or bad side effects, or you can rush through build a basic setup that is dangerous and might backlash viciously anytime to preform an action. I also hope to work on my own concept for magic, based around three forms of magical energies, which are purified out of a impure energy that is easily acquired. Lastly I want this mod to discourage having large stores of power or grossly exceeding your needs.
Below I have my own personal brainstorming notes, this is my first set of ideas for the mod, note nothing below is set in stone and is more of a peak at end product than anything to expect soon.
Purpose:
Adds magical devices to Minecraft, through use of mana and focuses that manipulate mana.
Basic concepts:
Mana fills the empty space between matter, including air, and helps hold the world together, as well as tear it apart.
Mana energy is found naturally in an “unrefined” state.
Mana can be purified into three forms: change, creation, destruction.
Mana can be used without purifying it to perform all basic tasks.
Purifying mana allows you to use it in advanced tasks.
Mana can not be controlled by the player without mana focuses.
Mana can be extracted from matter but the process is volatile and while it does not destroy the item it can create explosions and/or create a void area or an infused area.
A void area is empty of mana, and any mana stored here will slowly drain, and mana extraction will be less effective. As well mana costs for processes in this area will be increased. However dangerous side effects will not occur in all but the most complicated of process. It will return to normal over time, but will speed up if a large amount of mana is introduced to the area or an infused area comes in contact with it.
An infused area has increased mana levels. Mana storage will actually build up on its own, and mana extraction will be faster and mana cost will be lowered. However dangerous side effects will always happen on more complicated processes and will be far more common even with the safest of operations. It will return to normal over time, but this will speed up if a large amount of mana is used in the area or if it comes in contact with a void area.
Creation mana is the rarest type of mana, and will require the largest amounts in perform operations with it. However with it any resource type item can be created. This means ores, wood, or other world gen materials. But not finished products (ie. furnace, crafting table, machines, or tools). At more advanced stages it can also spawn mobs or allow you creative mode like construction.
Destruction mana is also rare, it can destroy large areas of blocks instantly but deletes them so you can’t retrieve them, it can instantly destroy an enemy, or with more advanced stages you can use it to deteriorate a material so that it breaks, destroying the block completely but causing surrounding blocks to be mined.
Change mana is the most common, and will exist in such large quantities that the player will be hard pressed to have a shortage near the end game. This will be used for the bulk of things, such as allowing you to fly, for basic mining, for most forms of combat, and things like that. All of this will be achieved by changing something, such as changing yourself so you have the ability to fly, or by changing the flow of gravity in an area to allow you to cause all entities to float upwards. Other things like teleportation will be here as well as water breathing, nightvision, or transforming mobs into other mobs.
Be able to transmute basic items into each other. This exchange however will be lossy and will be based on item density. It will cost 20% extra to make an item into something denser, and you will lose 20% when making something into something less dense. Making it so if you turn say cobble into diamond, then turn it back you lose cobble. (Might eventually consider using Pah’s DynaEMC system to make this work with more items and mod items). It will also use up a bit of change mana, equal to 1.3x the density of the items being transmuted.
You will earn new capabilities through a research system based on practice. As you use mana focuses and blocks you will earn theories, a theory will be based on a particular category. When you have a new theory you will “test it” a successful test will give you the next item in line for that particular branch. A failed test will result in a material lost and/or a negative side effect to yourself or the surrounding area. These theories will be recorded into your notebook, which will specify how and where to test it.
Items will have different densities. More dense items will provide less mana in extraction or when used for storage, but will be safer and less dangerous. Less dense items will provide more mana, but will be more dangerous.
Stored mana can cause more or less harmless effects in the surrounding world, limited to things such as blindness or mining fatigue to nearby players, or mobs changing into other mobs.
An area can be stabilized with anti-mana, a later game mechanic that stops the side effects of mana, but can also be used to create null zones, in which no mana can be used.
Anti-mana can be used to prevent mana use or to stabilize an area as well as make anti-mana crystals which can be used in anti-mana devices.
Anti-Mana must be transported manually.
Blocks:
Mana Harvester: Filters mana from the air and stores it, also transfers mana into nearby blocks for use or storage.
Mana Extractor: Extracts mana from items, speed is based on density of the item.
Mana Concentrator: Stores mana for later use, items can be added for increased mana storage, but also increasing the likelihood of side effects.
Mana Purifier: Purifies raw mana into creation, change, and destruction mana in a 3:20:4 ratio. (may be adjusted)
Focus Tuner: Tunes Mana Foci to perform a certain task, new focus theories are also tested here. A successful test creates a new mana focus, a failed test results in a negative effect. Focusing is done by selecting the desired effect and providing the correct type of mana and/or items to focus it.
Prototyping Table: Lets you test theories on new blocks, items, inserting the requested items into the inventory will give you either a new
Examining Table: Allows you to examine items (no loss) to get new theories or to unlock a entire research. Some things can only be found this way. You can also dismantle some items destroying it but instantly gaining the research from it. This only works with certain items. You can also share your research between friends or steal it from your enemies by dismantling their creations.
Focus Manipulator: Allows you to insert a focus and have its effect activated.
Mana Crystallizer: Crystallizes mana for transportation in item form, or to be used in storage or as a crafting material. 10% loss when crystallizing mana.
Mana Relay: Allows you to relay mana between relays and blocks. A relay must be touching a non-relay to receive or supply it with mana. Relays can transport mana wirelessly between each other, at a loss of 0.05+0.01(n-2)+0.0025b. n = number of relays and b = number of blocks.
Anti-Mana Collector: Collects anti-mana whenever mana is used near it. When enough anti-matter is collected a anti-mana crystal will form. Extra anti-mana will be added to an internal buffer.
Anti-Mana Field Generator: Creates an area where mana use is impossible and stored mana is rapidly depleted.
Mana Stabilizer: Uses anti-mana to decrease the side-effects of mana.
Mana Vent: Releases mana into the area removing a void or causing infusion.
Focus Concentrator: Allows a focus to be used on an item, allowing things such as smelting, repairing, or enchanting.
Item Concentrator: Holds an item for the Focus Concentrator to act upon.
Mana Gate: Allows for rapid transit between two points at massive mana cost.
Items:
Mana Focus: Allows you to manipulate mana to accomplish your goals. Comes in various tiers. (Primitive Focus, Mana Focus, Refined Focus, Bi-Focus, Intricate Focus, Perfect Focus, Divine Focus)
Crystals: A solidified form of mana from the crystallizer. Do not stack. Come in three tiers: shard (500), crystal (2000), cluster (8000). Made by crafting 4 of the previous tier together.
Focus Lens: Used to make foci. Higher quality needed to craft better foci.
Focus Frame: Used to make foci. Higher quality needed to craft better foci.
Focus Handle: Used to make foci. Higher quality needed to craft better foci.
Notebook: Allows you to review completed research and see where you may have a possible theory to test.
Mana exists in limitless amounts everywhere in the world.
Mana is essentially free, your ability to use mana is restricted by your ability to produce it.
Mana production causes a 0.2% increase in random chance for a processes to go wrong in that chunk and the 8 chunks around it.
Mana Storage creates a 0.001% increase per unit in random chance for a processes to go wrong in that chunk and the 8 chunks around it.
Chance of side effect = {{(process base) + (chunk production increase) + (stored mana modifier in chunk)} * (chunk stability)} / (density modifier)
Harvester Production = (base) * (chunk stability)
Extractor Production = {(base) / (density modifier)} * (chunk stability)
Mana is stored in a focus, better tier focuses use less mana, as well as can store more.
Concepts:
Mana will be a limitless resource, you will never find it hard to get nor find, however storing mana will not be easy nor safe, nor will producing it be safe. Therefore the challenge will be to have a large income that is safe.
Most tasks will require very little to run, but will require a constant income.
Large quantity storage will be expensive.
A task will drain extra mana rapidly if it is available even if unneeded, without any gain. This makes having a “mana battery” setup inefficient and only good for using it to complete tasks that you could not with your current mana income (ex. a task requires 600 mana over 10 ticks and you only have 50 mana per tick income having the storage will allow you to perform that task, however if the total of ALL connected storages is 3,000,000 then it will use up 3,000,000 mana to do that one task, and if the total is only 600 mana then it will only use 600.). This means mana costs are minimums. A crystallizer will only use enough mana to make the crystal and will wait until it is removed to begin a second crystal.
Could you add a farm that can handle mod crops? I would really like to have natura cotton farm that has NPCs working at it, as well as some farms for magic beans from Thaumcraft. Both should be easy enough to add, as the beans work like cocoa, and multiple other farms have figured out how to operate with cotton.
The only thing I feel it is missing with that is something like an Ars Magica spell book. I see huge galleries of spells in my future, and a place to store the casting item for them on my person.
I love your mod, it is one of my top favorite magic mods, and one of my favorite mods in general. I do however want to make some suggestions for it:
In game explanation: Some form of in game text or something to see how to make items, and what they do. I suggest either a book like Thaumcraft or Ars Magica 2 have, or NEI tool tips like Extra Utilities has, or both. Currently I often find myself opening your forum post to read how to summon certain demons, or how to make something, or to figure out how something works.
NEI look up: If you have time, add your recipes with your custom crafting machanics (altar and alchemy) into NEI please. Just a nice thing it could be to have.
LP Extraction: Is it possible to have a means to pull LP out of your orbs added? I find I would greatly appreciate the ability to gift LP to people, or the ability to steal it, or simply take some of my LP out of my orb and put it in the altar.
Orb pouch: Some kind of special item that I can keep all those orbs in, I seem to be swimming in them. Having a way to store them on my person would be great.
Multi-component spells: I love your spell system, I find I use your spells more often than most of my Ars Magica 2 spells, but I feel I would use them even more if there was the ability to combine multiple foci to make more complex spells. Not too sure on how this could actually work effect-wise, but I was thinking of surrounding the spell table with different items form more complex spells.
A low power mod on bound tools: I really wish I could lower the area of effect on my bound pick at times, like when I want to take out an area, but I don't want to take out the full area of effect.
Demonic Sacrifice: Demon summoning is cool, but sometimes I wish there was more I could do other than just slay them. I feel like maybe having a ritual that requires a particular demon inside of it which then produces a special item would be cool.
Morph mod compatibility: Implement iChuns Morph mod API so your creatures can have their abilities used in morph. Namely elemental flight, also I like to see mob names Localized so that they don't look funny in mods like Damage Indicators, and Morph.
Ritual of Multiplication: When a vanilla furnace is on the master ritual stone and it is activated the furnace doubles the ores it smelts for a LP cost. About 50-100 LP seems fair to me personally.
Ritual of the Spirit Vault: Only the ritual owner can destroy or open a special chest inside the area. These chests have a linked inventory.
I like your idea of bringing back this mod, however I don't think you should clone RP2 exactly, but instead take a look at how everything was done from a game play perspective as well as a programming perspective and say to yourself "How can I make this more effective than the old", for example the old RP2 tubing system felt kind of sloppy to me. The logic was good for when the items were in transit, but the piles of and piles of blocks like filters, sorters, retrievers, transposers, and so on just felt clunky and made it difficult to do anything compact and intelligent at the same time. I feel you could improve upon things like that, as well the old crafting system had way to many steps for some times. And could I suggest just getting rid of all the bluetric stuff, use MJ power instead to allow for better compatibility. Replace RP2 with something better, not a clone. Once you are further along I do plan on adding it to a modpack. Oh, and I suggest looking here: http://forums.technicpack.net/threads/1-5-x-redstone-in-motion-redpower-frames-1-2-0-0-1-july-7.47048/ for what I think is a far better frame system than RP2 ever had, could I suggest basing your system off that?
A rather obscure bug, but the disable vanilla tool recipes config option doesn't appear to work. I do have other mods but none apply to tools so I do not think that another mod is responsible. If this is just an unimplemented feature ignore this. Running 1.4.1.4 rather than 1.4.1.5 (only just saw the update downloading now), but your change log fails to address this issue so I figured I would just mention this anyways. I know it is improper to report this without updating and checking first, but considering you do not seem to have a fix for it and it is only a one version update I decided I would mention it.
So I have been abusing your mod horribly to make my life simpler and one thing I have found myself finding annoying is networks cannot communicate with one another. I like to have small isolated networks to automate certain tasks, for example my ore processing is on one network that doesn't interact with the rest of my networks so that I don't see it cluttering up my terminals and storage drives while it takes my ores, crafts them into blocks and exports them to a chest used as a midway point between ore processing and the main network. Now I don't want my ore processing having access to the rest of my networks resources, but I do want it able to send or receive certain things sent to it from the main network, right now this takes a clunky system of midway chests and coloured wire with input and output buses. Now I like to have another system like this for my bee breeding, one for my railcraft, my farming, etc. So these chest relays become rather annoying to build. So it seemed like a good idea to suggest a fix for this issue I am sure others have had, but I also thought of a way that could effectively fix it without being overly complex to use, I call it the ME subnet.
The ME subnet system would add to four five blocks and maybe one item (I came up with two ideas which one of which does not use the item and it is a more which one you would use if you liked this idea and implemented it at all). How it would work is you would need to craft an ME Master Controller (MEMC for short) which can only have one of which on your network, like the current ME Controller, as well as the ME Subnet Controller (MESC for short), which you need to have one per subnet but could have a limitless number of in a network but it must be connected to a network with a MEMC and will not run without one. The MEMC would do nothing special and act like the current controller in all respects until you had a subnet in your ME Network, then it would show what parts of your ME Network are members of which subnet. The MESC interface would allow you to assign the subnet a name, a frequency, and whether or not it can be over rode by the main network or not, if its items can be seen by the main network or not, if it can use things from the main network or not, however you can only have one MESC per subnet.
Now we reach whether or not you will have the additional item or not, to assign something to be part of a subnet I thought of two ways to do this, one is to add place in the UI of terminals, buses, etc (but not cable since cable is shared by the entire network and all subnets) which allows you to assign it to a subnet or just be part of the general network. The other idea is to have an item I am calling the ME Assigner which just means you have to craft something extra to assign something to be part of a subnet.
Now once something is part of the subnet it can only interact with other parts of the subnet or anything that it has permission to access, but will always prioritize using the subnet before general network. So if you have items required in both the subnet and general storage it will use up the subnet storage before the general storage, will store items in subnet storage before general storage, and will use its own ME Molecular Assembler Chamber before using the general ME MAC to prevent slowing down the general crafting system, subnet terminals will only show subnet items, and subnet crafting monitors will only show subnet processes
Now remember those other three blocks I mentioned? They are the ME Master Access Terminal, ME Master Crafting Terminal, and ME Master Crafting Monitor. These do nothing special other than always allow you to over ride, view, and take priority over subnet and general network activities even if the subnet is set to not be used my the main network. As well the ME Master Access Terminal would allow you to give a subnet access to certain resources out side the subnet so long as they were part of the general network and not another subnet, as well as tell the subnet which items to export to general network.
Now I don't expect to see this soon, in fact I expect it to be a major update that may even come after Mojang releases the offical API as it may be a challenge and would take some time to design and program. However I feel this would be the next big step in AE networking.
Now I had another smaller idea for cross network communication which was a wire that you could run from one network to another and wouldn't do anything other than let you drag items into a slot in the GUI and it would send that item out of the network and into the other, but I personally think the subnet idea would be better and allow for more to be done.
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Pastebin: http://pastebin.com/krjd5nfv
Just saying, I am most proud that this was done without any turtles. It is faster, and cleaner than having turtles handle it all.
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The core features will involve a risk reward system, as well as punishing the lazy. You can either build a safe set up that will rarely have issues or bad side effects, or you can rush through build a basic setup that is dangerous and might backlash viciously anytime to preform an action. I also hope to work on my own concept for magic, based around three forms of magical energies, which are purified out of a impure energy that is easily acquired. Lastly I want this mod to discourage having large stores of power or grossly exceeding your needs.
Below I have my own personal brainstorming notes, this is my first set of ideas for the mod, note nothing below is set in stone and is more of a peak at end product than anything to expect soon.
Purpose:
Adds magical devices to Minecraft, through use of mana and focuses that manipulate mana.
Basic concepts:
- Mana fills the empty space between matter, including air, and helps hold the world together, as well as tear it apart.
- Mana energy is found naturally in an “unrefined” state.
- Mana can be purified into three forms: change, creation, destruction.
- Mana can be used without purifying it to perform all basic tasks.
- Purifying mana allows you to use it in advanced tasks.
- Mana can not be controlled by the player without mana focuses.
- Mana can be extracted from matter but the process is volatile and while it does not destroy the item it can create explosions and/or create a void area or an infused area.
- A void area is empty of mana, and any mana stored here will slowly drain, and mana extraction will be less effective. As well mana costs for processes in this area will be increased. However dangerous side effects will not occur in all but the most complicated of process. It will return to normal over time, but will speed up if a large amount of mana is introduced to the area or an infused area comes in contact with it.
- An infused area has increased mana levels. Mana storage will actually build up on its own, and mana extraction will be faster and mana cost will be lowered. However dangerous side effects will always happen on more complicated processes and will be far more common even with the safest of operations. It will return to normal over time, but this will speed up if a large amount of mana is used in the area or if it comes in contact with a void area.
- Creation mana is the rarest type of mana, and will require the largest amounts in perform operations with it. However with it any resource type item can be created. This means ores, wood, or other world gen materials. But not finished products (ie. furnace, crafting table, machines, or tools). At more advanced stages it can also spawn mobs or allow you creative mode like construction.
- Destruction mana is also rare, it can destroy large areas of blocks instantly but deletes them so you can’t retrieve them, it can instantly destroy an enemy, or with more advanced stages you can use it to deteriorate a material so that it breaks, destroying the block completely but causing surrounding blocks to be mined.
- Change mana is the most common, and will exist in such large quantities that the player will be hard pressed to have a shortage near the end game. This will be used for the bulk of things, such as allowing you to fly, for basic mining, for most forms of combat, and things like that. All of this will be achieved by changing something, such as changing yourself so you have the ability to fly, or by changing the flow of gravity in an area to allow you to cause all entities to float upwards. Other things like teleportation will be here as well as water breathing, nightvision, or transforming mobs into other mobs.
- Be able to transmute basic items into each other. This exchange however will be lossy and will be based on item density. It will cost 20% extra to make an item into something denser, and you will lose 20% when making something into something less dense. Making it so if you turn say cobble into diamond, then turn it back you lose cobble. (Might eventually consider using Pah’s DynaEMC system to make this work with more items and mod items). It will also use up a bit of change mana, equal to 1.3x the density of the items being transmuted.
- You will earn new capabilities through a research system based on practice. As you use mana focuses and blocks you will earn theories, a theory will be based on a particular category. When you have a new theory you will “test it” a successful test will give you the next item in line for that particular branch. A failed test will result in a material lost and/or a negative side effect to yourself or the surrounding area. These theories will be recorded into your notebook, which will specify how and where to test it.
- Items will have different densities. More dense items will provide less mana in extraction or when used for storage, but will be safer and less dangerous. Less dense items will provide more mana, but will be more dangerous.
- Stored mana can cause more or less harmless effects in the surrounding world, limited to things such as blindness or mining fatigue to nearby players, or mobs changing into other mobs.
- An area can be stabilized with anti-mana, a later game mechanic that stops the side effects of mana, but can also be used to create null zones, in which no mana can be used.
- Anti-mana can be used to prevent mana use or to stabilize an area as well as make anti-mana crystals which can be used in anti-mana devices.
- Anti-Mana must be transported manually.
Blocks:- Mana Harvester: Filters mana from the air and stores it, also transfers mana into nearby blocks for use or storage.
- Mana Extractor: Extracts mana from items, speed is based on density of the item.
- Mana Concentrator: Stores mana for later use, items can be added for increased mana storage, but also increasing the likelihood of side effects.
- Mana Purifier: Purifies raw mana into creation, change, and destruction mana in a 3:20:4 ratio. (may be adjusted)
- Focus Tuner: Tunes Mana Foci to perform a certain task, new focus theories are also tested here. A successful test creates a new mana focus, a failed test results in a negative effect. Focusing is done by selecting the desired effect and providing the correct type of mana and/or items to focus it.
- Prototyping Table: Lets you test theories on new blocks, items, inserting the requested items into the inventory will give you either a new
- Examining Table: Allows you to examine items (no loss) to get new theories or to unlock a entire research. Some things can only be found this way. You can also dismantle some items destroying it but instantly gaining the research from it. This only works with certain items. You can also share your research between friends or steal it from your enemies by dismantling their creations.
- Focus Manipulator: Allows you to insert a focus and have its effect activated.
- Mana Crystallizer: Crystallizes mana for transportation in item form, or to be used in storage or as a crafting material. 10% loss when crystallizing mana.
- Mana Relay: Allows you to relay mana between relays and blocks. A relay must be touching a non-relay to receive or supply it with mana. Relays can transport mana wirelessly between each other, at a loss of 0.05+0.01(n-2)+0.0025b. n = number of relays and b = number of blocks.
- Anti-Mana Collector: Collects anti-mana whenever mana is used near it. When enough anti-matter is collected a anti-mana crystal will form. Extra anti-mana will be added to an internal buffer.
- Anti-Mana Field Generator: Creates an area where mana use is impossible and stored mana is rapidly depleted.
- Mana Stabilizer: Uses anti-mana to decrease the side-effects of mana.
- Mana Vent: Releases mana into the area removing a void or causing infusion.
- Focus Concentrator: Allows a focus to be used on an item, allowing things such as smelting, repairing, or enchanting.
- Item Concentrator: Holds an item for the Focus Concentrator to act upon.
- Mana Gate: Allows for rapid transit between two points at massive mana cost.
Items:- Mana Focus: Allows you to manipulate mana to accomplish your goals. Comes in various tiers. (Primitive Focus, Mana Focus, Refined Focus, Bi-Focus, Intricate Focus, Perfect Focus, Divine Focus)
- Crystals: A solidified form of mana from the crystallizer. Do not stack. Come in three tiers: shard (500), crystal (2000), cluster (8000). Made by crafting 4 of the previous tier together.
- Focus Lens: Used to make foci. Higher quality needed to craft better foci.
- Focus Frame: Used to make foci. Higher quality needed to craft better foci.
- Focus Handle: Used to make foci. Higher quality needed to craft better foci.
- Notebook: Allows you to review completed research and see where you may have a possible theory to test.
- Containment Sphere
Foci:- Vortex
- Damage bolt
- Poison
- Life Steal
- Weaken
- Fire Arrow (works exactly like a bow)
Other:- Ore Extraction (double ingot) [Focus Concentrator required]
- Mob Repel [Focus Concentrator compatible]
- Repair [Focus Concentrator required]
Creation:Utility:
- Summon Fire
- Lightning Strike
- Arrow Summon
Destruction:Utility:
- Destroy Block
- Destroy Area
- Destroy Block To Mine Nearby
Combat:- Instant Destruction
Mana:Mechanics:
- Mana exists in limitless amounts everywhere in the world.
- Mana is essentially free, your ability to use mana is restricted by your ability to produce it.
- Mana production causes a 0.2% increase in random chance for a processes to go wrong in that chunk and the 8 chunks around it.
- Mana Storage creates a 0.001% increase per unit in random chance for a processes to go wrong in that chunk and the 8 chunks around it.
- Chance of side effect = {{(process base) + (chunk production increase) + (stored mana modifier in chunk)} * (chunk stability)} / (density modifier)
- Harvester Production = (base) * (chunk stability)
- Extractor Production = {(base) / (density modifier)} * (chunk stability)
- Mana is stored in a focus, better tier focuses use less mana, as well as can store more.
Concepts:- Mana will be a limitless resource, you will never find it hard to get nor find, however storing mana will not be easy nor safe, nor will producing it be safe. Therefore the challenge will be to have a large income that is safe.
- Most tasks will require very little to run, but will require a constant income.
- Large quantity storage will be expensive.
- A task will drain extra mana rapidly if it is available even if unneeded, without any gain. This makes having a “mana battery” setup inefficient and only good for using it to complete tasks that you could not with your current mana income (ex. a task requires 600 mana over 10 ticks and you only have 50 mana per tick income having the storage will allow you to perform that task, however if the total of ALL connected storages is 3,000,000 then it will use up 3,000,000 mana to do that one task, and if the total is only 600 mana then it will only use 600.). This means mana costs are minimums. A crystallizer will only use enough mana to make the crystal and will wait until it is removed to begin a second crystal.
Research:Research types:
- Observation
- Prototyping
- Focus attempt
Research trees:0
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The only thing I feel it is missing with that is something like an Ars Magica spell book. I see huge galleries of spells in my future, and a place to store the casting item for them on my person.
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The ME subnet system would add to four five blocks and maybe one item (I came up with two ideas which one of which does not use the item and it is a more which one you would use if you liked this idea and implemented it at all). How it would work is you would need to craft an ME Master Controller (MEMC for short) which can only have one of which on your network, like the current ME Controller, as well as the ME Subnet Controller (MESC for short), which you need to have one per subnet but could have a limitless number of in a network but it must be connected to a network with a MEMC and will not run without one. The MEMC would do nothing special and act like the current controller in all respects until you had a subnet in your ME Network, then it would show what parts of your ME Network are members of which subnet. The MESC interface would allow you to assign the subnet a name, a frequency, and whether or not it can be over rode by the main network or not, if its items can be seen by the main network or not, if it can use things from the main network or not, however you can only have one MESC per subnet.
Now we reach whether or not you will have the additional item or not, to assign something to be part of a subnet I thought of two ways to do this, one is to add place in the UI of terminals, buses, etc (but not cable since cable is shared by the entire network and all subnets) which allows you to assign it to a subnet or just be part of the general network. The other idea is to have an item I am calling the ME Assigner which just means you have to craft something extra to assign something to be part of a subnet.
Now once something is part of the subnet it can only interact with other parts of the subnet or anything that it has permission to access, but will always prioritize using the subnet before general network. So if you have items required in both the subnet and general storage it will use up the subnet storage before the general storage, will store items in subnet storage before general storage, and will use its own ME Molecular Assembler Chamber before using the general ME MAC to prevent slowing down the general crafting system, subnet terminals will only show subnet items, and subnet crafting monitors will only show subnet processes
Now remember those other three blocks I mentioned? They are the ME Master Access Terminal, ME Master Crafting Terminal, and ME Master Crafting Monitor. These do nothing special other than always allow you to over ride, view, and take priority over subnet and general network activities even if the subnet is set to not be used my the main network. As well the ME Master Access Terminal would allow you to give a subnet access to certain resources out side the subnet so long as they were part of the general network and not another subnet, as well as tell the subnet which items to export to general network.
Now I don't expect to see this soon, in fact I expect it to be a major update that may even come after Mojang releases the offical API as it may be a challenge and would take some time to design and program. However I feel this would be the next big step in AE networking.
Now I had another smaller idea for cross network communication which was a wire that you could run from one network to another and wouldn't do anything other than let you drag items into a slot in the GUI and it would send that item out of the network and into the other, but I personally think the subnet idea would be better and allow for more to be done.