From 86e083c40973d7c4d450546659571f964b4bfefa Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: SmallJoker <mk939@ymail.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2023 20:43:06 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Document a few derived textures
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-Minetest technic modpack user manual
-====================================
+# Technic User Manual
-The technic modpack extends the Minetest game with many new elements,
-mainly constructable machines and tools. It is a large modpack, and
-tends to dominate gameplay when it is used. This manual describes how
-to use the technic modpack, mainly from a player's perspective.
+The technic modpack extends Minetest Game (shipped with Minetest by default)
+with many new elements, mainly constructable machines and tools. This manual
+describes how to use the modpack, mainly from a player's perspective.
-The technic modpack depends on some other modpacks:
+Documentation of the mod dependencies can be found here:
-* the basic Minetest game
-* mesecons, which supports the construction of logic systems based on
- signalling elements
-* pipeworks, which supports the automation of item transport
-* moreores, which provides some additional ore types
+* [Minetest Game Documentation](https://wiki.minetest.net/Main_Page)
+* [Mesecons Documentation](http://mesecons.net/items.html)
+* [Pipeworks Documentation](https://github.com/mt-mods/pipeworks/wiki/)
+* [Moreores Forum Post](https://forum.minetest.net/viewtopic.php?t=549)
+* [Basic materials Repository](https://gitlab.com/VanessaE/basic_materials)
-This manual doesn't explain how to use these other modpacks, which ought
-to (but actually don't) have their own manuals.
+## 1.0 Recipes
-Recipes for constructable items in technic are generally not guessable,
-and are also not specifically documented here. You should use a
-craft guide mod to look up the recipes in-game. For the best possible
-guidance, use the unified\_inventory mod, with which technic registers
-its specialised recipe types.
+Recipes for items registered by technic are not specifically documented here.
+Please consult a craft guide mod to look up the recipes in-game.
-substances
-----------
+**Recommended mod:** [Unified Inventory](https://github.com/minetest-mods/unified_inventory)
-### ore ###
+## 2.0 Substances
-The technic mod makes extensive use of not just the default ores but also
-some that are added by mods. You will need to mine for all the ore types
-in the course of the game. Each ore type is found at a specific range of
-elevations, and while the ranges mostly overlap, some have non-overlapping
-ranges, so you will ultimately need to mine at more than one elevation
-to find all the ores. Also, because one of the best elevations to mine
-at is very deep, you will be unable to mine there early in the game.
+### 2.1 Ores
-Elevation is measured in meters, relative to a reference plane that
-is not quite sea level. (The standard sea level is at an elevation
-of about +1.4.) Positive elevations are above the reference plane and
-negative elevations below. Because elevations are always described this
-way round, greater numbers when higher, we avoid the word "depth".
+Technic registers a few ores which are needed to craft machines or items.
+Each ore type is found at a specific range of elevations so you will
+ultimately need to mine at more than one elevation to find all the ores.
-The ores that matter in technic are coal, iron, copper, tin, zinc,
-chromium, uranium, silver, gold, mithril, mese, and diamond.
+Elevation (Y axis) is measured in meters. The reference is usually at sea
+level. Ores can generally be found more commonly by going downwards to -1000m.
-Coal is part of the basic Minetest game. It is found from elevation
-+64 downwards, so is available right on the surface at the start of
-the game, but it is far less abundant above elevation 0 than below.
-It is initially used as a fuel, driving important machines in the early
-part of the game. It becomes less important as a fuel once most of your
-machines are electrically powered, but burning fuel remains a way to
-generate electrical power. Coal is also used, usually in dust form, as
-an ingredient in alloying recipes, wherever elemental carbon is required.
+Note ¹: *These ores are provided by Minetest Game. See [Ores](https://wiki.minetest.net/Ores#Ores_overview) for a rough overview*
-Iron is part of the basic Minetest game. It is found from elevation
-+2 downwards, and its abundance increases in stages as one descends,
-reaching its maximum from elevation -64 downwards. It is a common metal,
-used frequently as a structural component. In technic, unlike the basic
-game, iron is used in multiple forms, mainly alloys based on iron and
-including carbon (coal).
+Note ²: *These ores are provided by moreores. TODO: Add reference link*
-Copper is part of the basic Minetest game (having migrated there from
-moreores). It is found from elevation -16 downwards, but is more abundant
-from elevation -64 downwards. It is a common metal, used either on its
-own for its electrical conductivity, or as the base component of alloys.
+#### Chromium
+Use: stainless steel
+
+Generated below: -100m, more commonly below -200m
+
+#### Coal ¹
+Use: Fuel, alloy as carbon
+
+Burning coal is a way to generate electrical power. Coal is also used,
+usually in dust form, as an ingredient in alloying recipes, wherever
+elemental carbon is required.
+
+#### Copper ¹
+Copper is a common metal, used either on its own for its electrical
+conductivity, or as the base component of alloys.
Although common, it is very heavily used, and most of the time it will
be the material that most limits your activity.
-Tin is supplied by the moreores mod. It is found from elevation +8
-downwards, with no elevation-dependent variations in abundance beyond
-that point. It is a common metal. Its main use in pure form is as a
-component of electrical batteries. Apart from that its main purpose is
-as the secondary ingredient in bronze (the base being copper), but bronze
-is itself little used. Its abundance is well in excess of its usage,
-so you will usually have a surplus of it.
+#### Diamond ¹
+Use: mainly for cutting machines
-Zinc is supplied by technic. It is found from elevation +2 downwards,
-with no elevation-dependent variations in abundance beyond that point.
-It is a common metal. Its main use is as the secondary ingredient
-in brass (the base being copper), but brass is itself little used.
-Its abundance is well in excess of its usage, so you will usually have
-a surplus of it.
+Diamond is a precious gemstone. It is used moderately, mainly for reasons
+connected to its extreme hardness.
-Chromium is supplied by technic. It is found from elevation -100
-downwards, with no elevation-dependent variations in abundance beyond
-that point. It is a moderately common metal. Its main use is as the
-secondary ingredient in stainless steel (the base being iron).
+#### Gold ¹
+Use: various
-Uranium is supplied by technic. It is found only from elevation -80 down
-to -300; using it therefore requires one to mine above elevation -300 even
-though deeper mining is otherwise more productive. It is a moderately
-common metal, useful only for reasons related to radioactivity: it forms
-the fuel for nuclear reactors, and is also one of the best radiation
-shielding materials available. It is not difficult to find enough uranium
-ore to satisfy these uses. Beware that the ore is slightly radioactive:
-it will slightly harm you if you stand as close as possible to it.
-It is safe when more than a meter away or when mined.
+Generated below: -64m, more commonly below -256m
-Silver is supplied by the moreores mod. It is found from elevation -2
-downwards, with no elevation-dependent variations in abundance beyond
-that point. It is a semi-precious metal. It is little used, being most
-notably used in electrical items due to its conductivity, being the best
-conductor of all the pure elements.
+Gold is a precious metal. It is most notably used in electrical items due to
+its combination of good conductivity and corrosion resistance.
-Gold is part of the basic Minetest game (having migrated there from
-moreores). It is found from elevation -64 downwards, but is more
-abundant from elevation -256 downwards. It is a precious metal. It is
-little used, being most notably used in electrical items due to its
-combination of good conductivity (third best of all the pure elements)
-and corrosion resistance.
+#### Iron ¹
+Use: multiple, mainly for alloys with carbon (coal).
-Mithril is supplied by the moreores mod. It is found from elevation
--512 downwards, the deepest ceiling of any minable substance, with
-no elevation-dependent variations in abundance beyond that point.
-It is a rare precious metal, and unlike all the other metals described
-here it is entirely fictional, being derived from J. R. R. Tolkien's
+#### Lead
+Use: batteries, HV nuclear reactor layout
+
+Generated below: 16m, more common below -128m
+
+#### Mese ¹
+Use: various
+
+Mese is a precious gemstone, and unlike diamond it is entirely fictional.
+It is used in small quantities, wherever some magic needs to be imparted.
+
+#### Mithril ²
+Use: chests
+
+Generated below: -512m, evenly common
+
+Mithril is a fictional ore, being derived from J. R. R. Tolkien's
Middle-Earth setting. It is little used.
-Mese is part of the basic Minetest game. It is found from elevation
--64 downwards. The ore is more abundant from elevation -256 downwards,
-and from elevation -1024 downwards there are also occasional blocks of
-solid mese (each yielding as much mese as nine blocks of ore). It is a
-precious gemstone, and unlike diamond it is entirely fictional. It is
-used in many recipes, though mainly not in large quantities, wherever
-some magical quality needs to be imparted.
+#### Silver ²
+Use: conductors
-Diamond is part of the basic Minetest game (having migrated there from
-technic). It is found from elevation -128 downwards, but is more abundant
-from elevation -256 downwards. It is a precious gemstone. It is used
-moderately, mainly for reasons connected to its extreme hardness.
+Generated below: -2m, evenly common
-### rock ###
+Silver is a semi-precious metal and is the best conductor of all the pure elements.
-In addition to the ores, there are multiple kinds of rock that need to be
-mined in their own right, rather than for minerals. The rock types that
-matter in technic are standard stone, desert stone, marble, and granite.
+#### Tin ¹
+Use: batteries, bronze
-Standard stone is part of the basic Minetest game. It is extremely
-common. As in the basic game, when dug it yields cobblestone, which can
-be cooked to turn it back into standard stone. Cobblestone is used in
-recipes only for some relatively primitive machines. Standard stone is
-used in a couple of machine recipes. These rock types gain additional
-significance with technic because the grinder can be used to turn them
-into dirt and sand. This, especially when combined with an automated
-cobblestone generator, can be an easier way to acquire sand than
-collecting it where it occurs naturally.
+Tin is a common metal but is used rarely. Its abundance is well in excess
+of its usage, so you will usually have a surplus of it.
-Desert stone is part of the basic Minetest game. It is found specifically
-in desert biomes, and only from elevation +2 upwards. Although it is
-easily accessible, therefore, its quantity is ultimately quite limited.
-It is used in a few recipes.
+#### Uranium
+Use: nuclear reactor fuel
-Marble is supplied by technic. It is found in dense clusters from
-elevation -50 downwards. It has mainly decorative use, but also appears
-in one machine recipe.
+Depth: -80m until -300m, more commonly between -100m and -200m
-Granite is supplied by technic. It is found in dense clusters from
-elevation -150 downwards. It is much harder to dig than standard stone,
-so impedes mining when it is encountered. It has mainly decorative use,
-but also appears in a couple of machine recipes.
+It is a moderately common metal, useful only for reasons related to radioactivity:
+it forms the fuel for nuclear reactors, and is also one of the best radiation
+shielding materials available.
-### rubber ###
+Keep a safety distance of a meter to avoid being harmed by radiation.
+#### Zinc
+Use: brass
+
+Generated below: 2m, more commonly below -32m
+
+Zinc only has a few uses but is a common metal.
+
+
+### 2.2 Rocks
+
+This section describes the rock types added by technic. Further rock types
+are supported by technic machines. These can be processed using the grinder:
+
+ * Stone (plain)
+ * Cobblestone
+ * Desert Stone
+
+#### Marble
+Depth: -50m, evenly common
+
+Marble is found in dense clusters and has mainly decorative use, but also
+appears in one machine recipe.
+
+#### Granite
+Depth: -150m, evenly common
+
+Granite is found in dense clusters and is much harder to dig than standard
+stone. It has mainly decorative use, but also appears in a couple of
+machine recipes.
+
+#### Sulfur
+Uses: battery box
+
+Sulur is generated around some lava patches (caves).
+
+
+### 2.3 Rubber
Rubber is a biologically-derived material that has industrial uses due
to its electrical resistivity and its impermeability. In technic, it
is used in a few recipes, and it must be acquired by tapping rubber trees.
-If you have the moretrees mod installed, the rubber trees you need
-are those defined by that mod. If not, technic supplies a copy of the
-moretrees rubber tree.
+Rubber trees are provided by technic if the moretrees mod is not present.
-Extracting rubber requires a specific tool, a tree tap. Using the tree
-tap (by left-clicking) on a rubber tree trunk block extracts a lump of
-raw latex from the trunk. Each trunk block can be repeatedly tapped for
-latex, at intervals of several minutes; its appearance changes to show
-whether it is currently ripe for tapping. Each tree has several trunk
-blocks, so several latex lumps can be extracted from a tree in one visit.
+Extract raw latex from rubber using the "Tree Tap" tool. Punch/left-click the
+tool on a rubber tree trunk to extract a lump of raw latex from the trunk.
+Emptied trunks will regenerate at intervals of several minutes, which can be
+observed by its appearance.
-Raw latex isn't used directly. It must be vulcanized to produce finished
-rubber. This can be performed by alloying the latex with coal dust.
+To obtain rubber from latex, alloy latex with coal dust.
-### metal ###
+## 3.0 Metal processing
+Generally, each metal can exist in five forms:
-Many of the substances important in technic are metals, and there is
-a common pattern in how metals are handled. Generally, each metal can
-exist in five forms: ore, lump, dust, ingot, and block. With a couple of
-tricky exceptions in mods outside technic, metals are only *used* in dust,
-ingot, and block forms. Metals can be readily converted between these
-three forms, but can't be converted from them back to ore or lump forms.
+ * ore -> stone containing the lump
+ * lump -> draw metal obtained by digging ("nuggets")
+ * dust -> grinder output
+ * ingot -> melted/cooked lump or dust
+ * block -> placeable node
-As in the basic Minetest game, a "lump" of metal is acquired directly by
-digging ore, and will then be processed into some other form for use.
-A lump is thus more akin to ore than to refined metal. (In real life,
-metal ore rarely yields lumps ("nuggets") of pure metal directly.
-More often the desired metal is chemically bound into the rock as an
-oxide or some other compound, and the ore must be chemically processed
-to yield pure metal.)
+Metals can be converted between dust, ingot and block, but can't be converted
+from them back to ore or lump forms.
-Not all metals occur directly as ore. Generally, elemental metals (those
-consisting of a single chemical element) occur as ore, and alloys (those
-consisting of a mixture of multiple elements) do not. In fact, if the
-fictional mithril is taken to be elemental, this pattern is currently
-followed perfectly. (It is not clear in the Middle-Earth setting whether
-mithril is elemental or an alloy.) This might change in the future:
-in real life some alloys do occur as ore, and some elemental metals
-rarely occur naturally outside such alloys. Metals that do not occur
-as ore also lack the "lump" form.
+### Grinding
+Ores can be processed as follows:
-The basic Minetest game offers a single way to refine metals: cook a lump
-in a furnace to produce an ingot. With technic this refinement method
-still exists, but is rarely used outside the early part of the game,
-because technic offers a more efficient method once some machines have
-been built. The grinder, available only in electrically-powered forms,
-can grind a metal lump into two piles of metal dust. Each dust pile
-can then be cooked into an ingot, yielding two ingots from one lump.
-This doubling of material value means that you should only cook a lump
-directly when you have no choice, mainly early in the game when you
-haven't yet built a grinder.
+ * ore -> lump (digging) -> ingot (melting)
+ * ore -> lump (digging) -> 2x dust (grinding) -> 2x ingot (melting)
-An ingot can also be ground back to (one pile of) dust. Thus it is always
-possible to convert metal between ingot and dust forms, at the expense
-of some energy consumption. Nine ingots of a metal can be crafted into
-a block, which can be used for building. The block can also be crafted
-back to nine ingots. Thus it is possible to freely convert metal between
-ingot and block forms, which is convenient to store the metal compactly.
-Every metal has dust, ingot, and block forms.
+At the expense of some energy consumption, the grinder can extract more material
+from the lump, resulting in 2x dust which can be melted to two ingots in total.
-Alloying recipes in which a metal is the base ingredient, to produce a
-metal alloy, always come in two forms, using the metal either as dust
-or as an ingot. If the secondary ingredient is also a metal, it must
-be supplied in the same form as the base ingredient. The output alloy
-is also returned in the same form. For example, brass can be produced
-by alloying two copper ingots with one zinc ingot to make three brass
-ingots, or by alloying two piles of copper dust with one pile of zinc
-dust to make three piles of brass dust. The two ways of alloying produce
-equivalent results.
+### Alloying
+Input: two ingredients of the same form - lump or dust
-### iron and its alloys ###
+Output: resulting alloy, as an ingot
-Iron forms several important alloys. In real-life history, iron was the
-second metal to be used as the base component of deliberately-constructed
-alloys (the first was copper), and it was the first metal whose working
-required processes of any metallurgical sophistication. The game
-mechanics around iron broadly imitate the historical progression of
-processes around it, rather than the less-varied modern processes.
+Example: 2x copper ingots + 1x zinc ingot -> 3x brass ingot (alloying)
-The two-component alloying system of iron with carbon is of huge
-importance, both in the game and in real life. The basic Minetest game
-doesn't distinguish between these pure iron and these alloys at all,
-but technic introduces a distinction based on the carbon content, and
-renames some items of the basic game accordingly.
+Note that grinding before alloying is the preferred method to gain more output.
-The iron/carbon spectrum is represented in the game by three metal
-substances: wrought iron, carbon steel, and cast iron. Wrought iron
-has low carbon content (less than 0.25%), resists shattering, and
-is easily welded, but is relatively soft and susceptible to rusting.
-In real-life history it was used for rails, gates, chains, wire, pipes,
-fasteners, and other purposes. Cast iron has high carbon content
-(2.1% to 4%), is especially hard, and resists corrosion, but is
-relatively brittle, and difficult to work. Historically it was used
-to build large structures such as bridges, and for cannons, cookware,
-and engine cylinders. Carbon steel has medium carbon content (0.25%
-to 2.1%), and intermediate properties: moderately hard and also tough,
-somewhat resistant to corrosion. In real life it is now used for most
-of the purposes previously satisfied by wrought iron and many of those
-of cast iron, but has historically been especially important for its
-use in swords, armor, skyscrapers, large bridges, and machines.
+#### iron and its alloys
-In real-life history, the first form of iron to be refined was
-wrought iron, which is nearly pure iron, having low carbon content.
-It was produced from ore by a low-temperature furnace process (the
-"bloomery") in which the ore/iron remains solid and impurities (slag)
-are progressively removed by hammering ("working", hence "wrought").
-This began in the middle East, around 1800 BCE.
+Historically iron was the first metal whose working required processes of any
+metallurgical sophistication. The mod's mechanics around iron broadly imitate
+the historical progression of processes around it to get more variety.
-Historically, the next forms of iron to be refined were those of high
-carbon content. This was the result of the development of a more
-sophisticated kind of furnace, the blast furnace, capable of reaching
-higher temperatures. The real advantage of the blast furnace is that it
-melts the metal, allowing it to be cast straight into a shape supplied by
-a mould, rather than having to be gradually beaten into the desired shape.
-A side effect of the blast furnace is that carbon from the furnace's fuel
-is unavoidably incorporated into the metal. Normally iron is processed
-twice through the blast furnace: once producing "pig iron", which has
-very high carbon content and lots of impurities but lower melting point,
-casting it into rough ingots, then remelting the pig iron and casting it
-into the final moulds. The result is called "cast iron". Pig iron was
-first produced in China around 1200 BCE, and cast iron later in the 5th
-century BCE. Incidentally, the Chinese did not have the bloomery process,
-so this was their first iron refining process, and, unlike the rest of
-the world, their first wrought iron was made from pig iron rather than
-directly from ore.
+Notable alloys:
-Carbon steel, with intermediate carbon content, was developed much later,
-in Europe in the 17th century CE. It required a more sophisticated
-process, because the blast furnace made it extremely difficult to achieve
-a controlled carbon content. Tweaks of the blast furnace would sometimes
-produce an intermediate carbon content by luck, but the first processes to
-reliably produce steel were based on removing almost all the carbon from
-pig iron and then explicitly mixing a controlled amount of carbon back in.
+ * Wrought iron: <0.25% carbon
+ * Resists shattering but is relatively soft.
+ * Known since: 1800 BC (approx.)
+ * Cast iron: 2.1% to 4% carbon.
+ * Especially hard and rather corrosion-resistant
+ * Known since: 1200 BC (approx.)
+ * Carbon steel: 0.25% to 2.1% carbon.
+ * Intermediate of the two above.
+ * Known since: 1600 AD (approx.)
-In the game, the bloomery process is represented by ordinary cooking
-or grinding of an iron lump. The lump represents unprocessed ore,
-and is identified only as "iron", not specifically as wrought iron.
-This standard refining process produces dust or an ingot which is
-specifically identified as wrought iron. Thus the standard refining
-process produces the (nearly) pure metal.
+Technic introduces a distinction based on the carbon content, and renames some
+items of the basic game accordingly. Iron and Steel are now distinguished.
-Cast iron is trickier. You might expect from the real-life notes above
-that cooking an iron lump (representing ore) would produce pig iron that
-can then be cooked again to produce cast iron. This is kind of the case,
-but not exactly, because as already noted cooking an iron lump produces
-wrought iron. The game doesn't distinguish between low-temperature
-and high-temperature cooking processes: the same furnace is used not
-just to cast all kinds of metal but also to cook food. So there is no
-distinction between cooking processes to produce distinct wrought iron
-and pig iron. But repeated cooking *is* available as a game mechanic,
-and is indeed used to produce cast iron: re-cooking a wrought iron ingot
-produces a cast iron ingot. So pig iron isn't represented in the game as
-a distinct item; instead wrought iron stands in for pig iron in addition
-to its realistic uses as wrought iron.
+Notable references:
-Carbon steel is produced by a more regular in-game process: alloying
-wrought iron with coal dust (which is essentially carbon). This bears
-a fair resemblance to the historical development of carbon steel.
-This alloying recipe is relatively time-consuming for the amount of
-material processed, when compared against other alloying recipes, and
-carbon steel is heavily used, so it is wise to alloy it in advance,
-when you're not waiting for it.
+ * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron
+ * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
+ * ... plus many more.
-There are additional recipes that permit all three of these types of iron
-to be converted into each other. Alloying carbon steel again with coal
-dust produces cast iron, with its higher carbon content. Cooking carbon
-steel or cast iron produces wrought iron, in an abbreviated form of the
-bloomery process.
+Processes:
-There's one more iron alloy in the game: stainless steel. It is managed
-in a completely regular manner, created by alloying carbon steel with
-chromium.
+ * Iron -> Wrought iron (melting)
+ * Wrought iron -> Cast iron (melting)
+ * Wrought iron + coal dust -> Carbon steel (alloying)
+ * Carbon steel + coal dust -> Cast iron (alloying)
+ * Carbon steel + chromium -> Stainless steel (alloying)
-### uranium enrichment ###
+Reversible processes:
+
+ * Cast iron -> Wrought iron (melting)
+ * Carbon steel -> Wrought iron (melting)
+
+Check your preferred crafting guide for more information.
+
+
+### Uranium enrichment
When uranium is to be used to fuel a nuclear reactor, it is not
sufficient to merely isolate and refine uranium metal. It is necessary
@@ -515,35 +410,15 @@
industrial processes
--------------------
-### alloying ###
+### Alloying
-In technic, alloying is a way of combining items to create other items,
-distinct from standard crafting. Alloying always uses inputs of exactly
-two distinct types, and produces a single output. Like cooking, which
-takes a single input, it is performed using a powered machine, known
-generically as an "alloy furnace". An alloy furnace always has two
-input slots, and it doesn't matter which way round the two ingredients
-are placed in the slots. Many alloying recipes require one or both
-slots to contain a stack of more than one of the ingredient item: the
-quantity required of each ingredient is part of the recipe.
+In Technic, alloying is a way of combining items to create other items,
+distinct from standard crafting. Alloying always uses inputs of exactly
+two distinct types, and produces a single output.
-As with the furnaces used for cooking, there are multiple kinds of alloy
-furnace, powered in different ways. The most-used alloy furnaces are
-electrically powered. There is also an alloy furnace that is powered
-by directly burning fuel, just like the basic cooking furnace. Building
-almost any electrical machine, including the electrically-powered alloy
-furnaces, requires a machine casing component, one ingredient of which
-is brass, an alloy. It is therefore necessary to use the fuel-fired
-alloy furnace in the early part of the game, on the way to building
-electrical machinery.
+Check your preferred crafting guide for more information.
-Alloying recipes are mainly concerned with metals. These recipes
-combine a base metal with some other element, most often another metal,
-to produce a new metal. This is discussed in the section on metal.
-There are also a few alloying recipes in which the base ingredient is
-non-metallic, such as the recipe for the silicon wafer.
-
-### grinding, extracting, and compressing ###
+### Grinding, extracting, and compressing
Grinding, extracting, and compressing are three distinct, but very
similar, ways of converting one item into another. They are all quite
@@ -617,57 +492,17 @@
It recovers both components of binary metal/metal alloys. It can't
recover the carbon from steel or cast iron.
-chests
+Chests
------
-The technic mod replaces the basic Minetest game's single type of
-chest with a range of chests that have different sizes and features.
-The chest types are identified by the materials from which they are made;
-the better chests are made from more exotic materials. The chest types
-form a linear sequence, each being (with one exception noted below)
-strictly more powerful than the preceding one. The sequence begins with
-the wooden chest from the basic game, and each later chest type is built
-by upgrading a chest of the preceding type. The chest types are:
+See [GitHub Wiki / Chests](https://github.com/minetest-mods/technic/wiki/Chests)
-1. wooden chest: 8×4 (32) slots
-2. iron chest: 9×5 (45) slots
-3. copper chest: 12×5 (60) slots
-4. silver chest: 12×6 (72) slots
-5. gold chest: 15×6 (90) slots
-6. mithril chest: 15×6 (90) slots
+Features of extended chests:
-The iron and later chests have the ability to sort their contents,
-when commanded by a button in their interaction forms. Item types are
-sorted in the same order used in the unified\_inventory craft guide.
-The copper and later chests also have an auto-sorting facility that can
-be enabled from the interaction form. An auto-sorting chest automatically
-sorts its contents whenever a player closes the chest. The contents will
-then usually be in a sorted state when the chest is opened, but may not
-be if pneumatic tubes have operated on the chest while it was closed,
-or if two players have the chest open simultaneously.
+ * Larger storage space
+ * Labelling
+ * Advanced item sorting
-The silver and gold chests, but not the mithril chest, have a built-in
-sign-like capability. They can be given a textual label, which will
-be visible when hovering over the chest. The gold chest, but again not
-the mithril chest, can be further labelled with a colored patch that is
-visible from a moderate distance.
-
-The mithril chest is currently an exception to the upgrading system.
-It has only as many inventory slots as the preceding (gold) type, and has
-fewer of the features. It has no feature that other chests don't have:
-it is strictly weaker than the gold chest. It is planned that in the
-future it will acquire some unique features, but for now the only reason
-to use it is aesthetic.
-
-The size of the largest chests is dictated by the maximum size
-of interaction form that the game engine can successfully display.
-If in the future the engine becomes capable of handling larger forms,
-by scaling them to fit the screen, the sequence of chest sizes will
-likely be revised.
-
-As with the chest of the basic Minetest game, each chest type comes
-in both locked and unlocked flavors. All of the chests work with the
-pneumatic tubes of the pipeworks mod.
radioactivity
-------------
@@ -805,115 +640,44 @@
Tricky shine paths can also be addressed by just keeping players out of
the dangerous area.
-electrical power
-----------------
+## Electrical power
-Most machines in technic are electrically powered. To operate them it is
-necessary to construct an electrical power network. The network links
-together power generators and power-consuming machines, connecting them
-using power cables.
+Electrical networks in Technic are defined by a single tier (see below)
+and consist of:
-There are three tiers of electrical networking: low voltage (LV),
-medium voltage (MV), and high voltage (HV). Each network must operate
-at a single voltage, and most electrical items are specific to a single
-voltage. Generally, the machines of higher tiers are more powerful,
-but consume more energy and are more expensive to build, than machines
-of lower tiers. It is normal to build networks of all three tiers,
-in ascending order as one progresses through the game, but it is not
-strictly necessary to do this. Building HV equipment requires some parts
-that can only be manufactured using electrical machines, either LV or MV,
-so it is not possible to build an HV network first, but it is possible
-to skip either LV or MV on the way to HV.
+ * 1x Switching Station (central management unit)
+ * Any further stations are disabled automatically
+ * Electricity producers (PR)
+ * Electricity consumers/receivers (RE)
+ * Accumulators/batteries (BA)
-Each voltage has its own cable type, with distinctive insulation. Cable
-segments connect to each other and to compatible machines automatically.
-Incompatible electrical items don't connect. All non-cable electrical
-items must be connected via cable: they don't connect directly to each
-other. Most electrical items can connect to cables in any direction,
-but there are a couple of important exceptions noted below.
+### Tiers
-To be useful, an electrical network must connect at least one power
-generator to at least one power-consuming machine. In addition to these
-items, the network must have a "switching station" in order to operate:
-no energy will flow without one. Unlike most electrical items, the
-switching station is not voltage-specific: the same item will manage
-a network of any tier. However, also unlike most electrical items,
-it is picky about the direction in which it is connected to the cable:
-the cable must be directly below the switching station.
+ * LV: Low Voltage. Low material costs but is slower.
+ * MV: Medium Voltage. Higher processing speed.
+ * HV: High Voltage. High material costs but is the fastest.
-Hovering over a network's switching station will show the aggregate energy
-supply and demand, which is useful for troubleshooting. Electrical energy
-is measured in "EU", and power (energy flow) in EU per second (EU/s).
-Energy is shifted around a network instantaneously once per second.
+Tiers can be converted from one to another using the Supply Converter node.
+Its top connects to the input, the bottom to the output network. Configure
+the input power by right-clicking it.
-In a simple network with only generators and consumers, if total
-demand exceeds total supply then no energy will flow, the machines
-will do nothing, and the generators' output will be lost. To handle
-this situation, it is recommended to add a battery box to the network.
-A battery box will store generated energy, and when enough has been
-stored to run the consumers for one second it will deliver it to the
-consumers, letting them run part-time. It also stores spare energy
-when supply exceeds demand, to let consumers run full-time when their
-demand occasionally peaks above the supply. More battery boxes can
-be added to cope with larger periods of mismatched supply and demand,
-such as those resulting from using solar generators (which only produce
-energy in the daytime).
+### Machine upgrade slots
-When there are electrical networks of multiple tiers, it can be appealing
-to generate energy on one tier and transfer it to another. The most
-direct way to do this is with the "supply converter", which can be
-directly wired into two networks. It is another tier-independent item,
-and also particular about the direction of cable connections: it must
-have the cable of one network directly above, and the cable of another
-network directly below. The supply converter demands 10000 EU/s from
-the network above, and when this network gives it power it supplies 9000
-EU/s to the network below. Thus it is only 90% efficient, unlike most of
-the electrical system which is 100% efficient in moving energy around.
-To transfer more than 10000 EU/s between networks, connect multiple
-supply converters in parallel.
+Generally, machines of MV and HV tiers have two upgrade slots.
+Only specific items will have any upgrading effect. The occupied slots do
+count, but not the actual stack size.
-powered machines
-----------------
+**Type 1: Energy upgrade**
-### powered machine tiers ###
+Consists of any battery item. Reduces the machine's power consumption
+regardless the charge of the item.
-Each powered machine takes its power in some specific form, being
-either fuel-fired (burning fuel directly) or electrically powered at
-some specific voltage. There is a general progression through the
-game from using fuel-fired machines to electrical machines, and to
-higher electrical voltages. The most important kinds of machine come
-in multiple variants that are powered in different ways, so the earlier
-ones can be superseded. However, some machines are only available for
-a specific power tier, so the tier can't be entirely superseded.
+**Type 2: Tube upgrade**
-### powered machine upgrades ###
+Consists of a control logic unit item. Ejects processed items into pneumatic
+tubes for quicker processing.
-Some machines have inventory slots that are used to upgrade them in
-some way. Generally, machines of MV and HV tiers have two upgrade slots,
-and machines of lower tiers (fuel-fired and LV) do not. Any item can
-be placed in an upgrade slot, but only specific items will have any
-upgrading effect. It is possible to have multiple upgrades of the same
-type, but this can't be achieved by stacking more than one upgrade item
-in one slot: it is necessary to put the same kind of item in more than one
-upgrade slot. The ability to upgrade machines is therefore very limited.
-Two kinds of upgrade are currently possible: an energy upgrade and a
-tube upgrade.
-
-An energy upgrade consists of a battery item, the same kind of battery
-that serves as a mobile energy store. The effect of an energy upgrade
-is to improve in some way the machine's use of electrical energy, most
-often by making it use less energy. The upgrade effect has no relation
-to energy stored in the battery: the battery's charge level is irrelevant
-and will not be affected.
-
-A tube upgrade consists of a control logic unit item. The effect of a
-tube upgrade is to make the machine able, or more able, to eject items
-it has finished with into pneumatic tubes. The machines that can take
-this kind of upgrade are in any case capable of accepting inputs from
-pneumatic tubes. These upgrades are essential in using powered machines
-as components in larger automated systems.
-
-### tubes with powered machines ###
+### Machines + Tubes (pipeworks)
Generally, powered machines of MV and HV tiers can work with pneumatic
tubes, and those of lower tiers cannot. (As an exception, the fuel-fired
@@ -961,7 +725,8 @@
energy to let an electrical network cope with mismatched supply and
demand. They have a secondary purpose of charging and discharging
powered tools. They are thus a mixture of electrical infrastructure,
-powered machine, and generator.
+powered machine, and generator. Battery boxes connect to cables only
+from the bottom.
MV and HV battery boxes have upgrade slots. Energy upgrades increase
the capacity of a battery box, each by 10% of the un-upgraded capacity.
@@ -976,16 +741,16 @@
infrastructure of that tier, just to get access to faster charging.
MV and HV battery boxes work with pneumatic tubes. An item can be input
-to the charging slot through the bottom of the battery box, or to the
-discharging slot through the top. Items are not accepted through the
-front, back, or sides. With a tube upgrade, fully charged/discharged
-tools (as appropriate for their slot) will be ejected through a side.
+to the charging slot through the sides or back of the battery box, or
+to the discharging slot through the top. With a tube upgrade, fully
+charged/discharged tools (as appropriate for their slot) will be ejected
+through a side.
### processing machines ###
The furnace, alloy furnace, grinder, extractor, compressor, and centrifuge
have much in common. Each implements some industrial process that
-transforms items into other items, and they manner in which they present
+transforms items into other items, and the manner in which they present
these processes as powered machines is essentially identical.
Most of the processing machines operate on inputs of only a single type
@@ -1010,7 +775,7 @@
complex: it will put an arriving item in either input slot, preferring to
stack it with existing items of the same type. It doesn't matter which
slot each of the alloy furnace's inputs is in, so it doesn't matter that
-there's no direct control ovar that, but there is a risk that supplying
+there's no direct control over that, but there is a risk that supplying
a lot of one item type through tubes will result in both slots containing
the same type of item, leaving no room for the second input.
@@ -1145,7 +910,7 @@
### forcefield emitter ###
The forcefield emitter is an HV powered machine that generates a
-forcefield remeniscent of those seen in many science-fiction stories.
+forcefield reminiscent of those seen in many science-fiction stories.
The emitter can be configured to generate a forcefield of either
spherical or cubical shape, in either case centered on the emitter.
@@ -1194,7 +959,7 @@
### fuel-fired generators ###
-The fiel-fired generators are electrical power generators that generate
+The fuel-fired generators are electrical power generators that generate
power by the combustion of fuel. Versions of them are available for
all three voltages (LV, MV, and HV). These are all capable of burning
any type of combustible fuel, such as coal. They are relatively easy
--
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