What happened to automation?

[BobSlingblade679]

Hey, guys. I played this game a lot up until shortly after Hardcore Stratification and came back to see what's changed.

So far, I'm enjoying it. Squids are bastards... Cows can kick!? Darkness kills you. Lots of stuff to learn.

But the thing I loved about the mod in its earlier stages was the challenge presented in automation. I saw SFS requires access to the End and it hit me. What can you automate w/o block dispensers and block detectors? Seriously, I'm asking. I've been gone a long time and maybe I just don't remember. Is there any automation before "beating the game"?

[Sandrew]

To answer your final question: yes, but it's very rudimentary.

[Wafflewaffle]

I believe the direction of BTW's design moved from "Allowing automation" to "Achieving automation" after the changes to early game. Keep going and you will find that reaching the point of automation is even more enjoyable then it was before.

[mc_isaac]

You can automate all sorts of stuff before end tech.

Spoiler

Show

All you need is water, a cactus, a full block, and a pressure plate to make a long clock (based on cactus growth)
and
All you need is a pressure plate and a vanilla dispenser (oh jungle temples stop hiding the preciouses) to make an incremental 5 minute clock (1 vanilla dispenser per 5 minutes) these can be obtained as soon as you find a jungle temple, if you wanted to automate before cave exploring.
Using the above 2 things You can usually automate just about anything you want, albeit you don't have control over exact times like you do once you hit end tech.
You can also use turn tables which you can get before end tech to do all sorts of stuff. We are only limited by our imagination.

[BobSlingblade679]

Yeah, but if you only attain said automation after acquiring everything then... What's the point?

Like, you have to beat the dragon before getting SFS, the material required for the best gear in the game. Why do I need the best gear in the game after that? I've already conquered all the monster related challenges, except maybe the Wither? Automating things frees up your time for doing other stuff. What other stuff is there to do after killing the dragon?

Maybe what I'm really asking is: is there anything after killing the dragon?

[BobSlingblade679]

Thanks, Isaac! The possibilities are returning to me.

[Gilberreke]

Most automated builds don't require post-end tech. It's just that in the past, it was so easy to get BDs and DBs that you wouldn't try. I remember at one point, Renevo wanted to try to build a bunch of stuff in the nether and he figured out that you can actually do most builds without water. A while later, with hardcore buckets, people started building these crazy aquaducts to get high water sources into their base, until we remembered Renevo's builds. You don't actually need water for most stuff.

It's the same for automation without late-game tech, you just have to get in the mindset. If anything, automation in BTW became MORE interesting and important, not less :)

[Ethinolicbob]

Yeah, but if you only attain said automation after acquiring everything then... What's the point?

But that is the entire 'point' for games such as BTW There is no real need to do anything. Its easy enough to survive on stone tools. It's the reward that drives it. You have to make your own 'point' and that is what I personally find enjoyable.

Find a village - Easier access to food and animal farming
Find a jungle temple - Access to an easier way to store xp early game and access to some redstone equipment that opens up basic automation at any stage of the game
Make a sawmill - better yield for wood
Kill a wither - access to beacons and a way to start going to the end
Kill the end dragon - access to an end farm, SFS tech and explosives

And there is no reason anyone has to stop there. There are tonnes of rewards that can be the 'point' after that as many of them do not need to be done in any specific order.
But that's the way I play. You could play differently and if your entire point is to kill the dragon then I suppose there is no point to anything after that. For me when i get access to end tech is when my game truly begins.

[Niyu]

Also, there was the end goal of The Device and the Return to Home,wich gave a goal that required a lot of materials you would need automation to get.

But even without it i get enjoyment of automaing just for automation's sake. I like to design and build the different systems.

[jstu9]

Before I defeated the ender dragon, I kinda had the same thought. What is there to do after? What's the point of having SFS when there is no use for it?

But what I realized after killing the ender dragon was there was still alot of stuff to do. I could automate more. I could finish off all the trading with villagers. Build beacons. I had lists of things I could do.

But I did feel there was a lull there. And I kinda stopped playing. Then I screwed up my world.

Like alot of people are saying, there are ways to automate or semi-automate stuff. And there are things to do after the end. But there are lulls in the game. After the crucible and after the ender dragon for me seem to be the big ones.

[abculatter_2]

You can automate all sorts of stuff before end tech.

Spoiler

Show

All you need is water, a cactus, a full block, and a pressure plate to make a long clock (based on cactus growth)
and
All you need is a pressure plate and a vanilla dispenser (oh jungle temples stop hiding the preciouses) to make an incremental 5 minute clock (1 vanilla dispenser per 5 minutes) these can be obtained as soon as you find a jungle temple, if you wanted to automate before cave exploring.
Using the above 2 things You can usually automate just about anything you want, albeit you don't have control over exact times like you do once you hit end tech.
You can also use turn tables which you can get before end tech to do all sorts of stuff. We are only limited by our imagination.

Adding to this list:

Spoiler

Show

You can fully automate chicken production, via pumpkins and/or melons
You can automate hemp and sugar cane, and thus more chickens and kibble
You can (fully) automate pottery production, from turntable to kiln
Auto-sorting and auto-processing for pretty much all the mob grinder stuff, only thing I can think of that you can't fully automate that you also can't fully automate post-end is nitre/gunpowder
Nether mob grinder (again, with auto-sorting and auto-processing
You can semi-automate soul bottling

I can think of more, but I think that's enough to give you some ideas.

[SterlingRed]

Personally I like having access to end stuff as soon as possible. So everything I do until I have sfs, is temporary buildings and hacked together half automated stuff. After sfs, I make full automation a goal with aesthetic buildings with a lot of white stone. Sfs armor also makes getting lots of wither beacons going much much easier.