8.31.2011

[1.7.3] BETTER THAN WOLVES MOD! [V2.93 UPD: AUG 30]

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At long last, the Better Than Wolves Mod is ready for download!

Version 2.93 (with added wolf rinds!) Is available here!

Download Link

Version 2.90 adds a pottery system and a whole bunch of mysterious features, while 2.93 adds many tweaks and additions to existing features!

Installation instructions and a full change log may be found in the readme.txt included in the download.

[*** COPYRIGHT NOTICE ***]
This document is Copyright ©(2011) and is the intellectual property of the author. It may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use as long as it remains in its unaltered, unedited form. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this mod on any other website is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

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This mod requires the client version of Minecraft Forge (version 1.06 or later) and ModLoader to function.

Minecraft Forge can be found here:

Minecraft Forge Thread Link

If you're having problems with the download links found there, I've put up the following mirror:

Minecraft Forge Client Download Link

ModLoader can be found here:

ModLoader Thread Link

For a quick look at what this mod is all about, here's a little video trailer highlighting some of the features:



And here's a little video of the newest features in action:




[*** The Age Of Vanilla ***]

Better Than Wolves contains a number of blocks and items that may be constructed with vanilla Minecraft ingredients before you begin progressing up the mod's tech-tree. This is represented by the "Age of Vanilla".

Entry Requirements to this Age: Install the mod and play Minecraft :)

Requirements to move to the next Age: Construct a Hand Crank and Mill Stone.

Secondary Goals of This Age: Find dungeons to collect mossy cobble for making Block Dispensers. Mine lapis for making Detector Blocks. Construct a Cauldron to speed cooking times. Visit the Nether to collect ingredients for other block types. Find wolves to begin collecting Dung.

Block And Item Descriptions:

Powered light blocks: The name says it all :)

Note that these can be powered indirectly. In other words, if a neighboring block is receiving power, these will light up. This allow you to, for example, place them on the ceiling, and run wires above the cieling to give them power, without having to do any complicated wiring.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Block Dispenser: Functions like an item dispenser, but dispenses blocks and entities in front of the dispenser instead. With regular blocks, when the dispenser receives power, the block is placed in front, then removed once the dispenser is powered down. Also varies from a typical dispenser in that it places fully functional minecarts and boats in front of it, rather than the items. The Block Dispenser also fires its contents in order (complete with an indicator in the inventory displaying which item will be fired next), rather than randomly, allowing for the selection of a sequence of blocks to be dispensed.

Why is this useful? How about self-loading cannons? Water/lava/gravel/sand/bomb traps? Minecart dispensers that actually place the minecart on the tracks? Trap doors? Secret passages? Self-extending draw-bridges? A boat dispenser that drops a ready to use boat? Self-modifying circuits (this thing works on all redstone elements)? Animated displays? Oh my :)

In terms of the crafting recipe, the logic behind it is that with time the mossy cobble absorbs some of the attributes of the spawner around which it exists. Applying a red-stone current activates some of these latent spawning properties.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Detector Block: Isn't it rather annoying that redstone circuitry lacks the ability to "see" the world around it and react to changes in it? Well, the detector block is capable of seeing just about anything that is placed *directly* (up to one block away) in front of it, whether it be a block, a fluid, a player, a mob, a dropped item, what have you. Upon seeing something it turns on and produces a redstone current. This has a wide range of uses from simple archery targets to complex redstone applications. The recipe includes lapis lazuli (blocks...not the dye) as a photo-reactive element.

Note that orienting the Detector Block to face upwards will also allow it to see rain and snow, effectively turning it into a weather sensor.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Cauldron: Sick and tired of manually having to cook pork chops one at a time? Me too. This is a block that functions like a chest unless it is directly above a fire block. If it is, it slowly cooks any food items in its inventory, one at a time (the affect of the fire is hot enough to cook, but not enough the smelt). This allows the player to dump any uncooked food in his inventory whenever he passes by the cauldron, and come back later to collect it in its cooked form as needed. Note that while a fire directly below the cauldron is required for any cooking to take place, additional fires below the pot (as in the blocks neighboring the fire underneath the cauldron, diagonals included) will provide additional heat and decrease the cooking time substantially. The recipe includes a bucket of water, and a bone to create a soup stock which any food can then be cooked in. Unfortunately, the only source of bone in the Minecraft world is from reanimated human skeletons. A Steve's gotta do, what a Steve's gotta do...

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

(Thanks to logorouge for coming up with the idea of this only working on food items, and not for smelting)

Obsidian Pressure Plates: How many times have you designed a circuit containing a pressure plate, only to realize it wouldn't work right because passing cows, creepers and even chickens would accidentally trigger it? Well, these pressure plates are triggered by the player, and the player only. These are also used in the crafting recipe for obsidian detector rails.

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Cement Buckets: Flows like a liquid, but solidifies into a solid block of smooth stone with time. Unlike water or lava Cement does not flow infinitely, but rather spreads to a fixed range from the point it is placed. If a redstone signal is applied to a source block of cement placed in the world, it keeps it in its liquid state until the signal is turned off (useful for cement traps + synchronizing flow for mass simultaneous construction). Note that using soul sand to create cement does come alone with certain moral ramifications...

Thanks to some random guy on an SMP server, whose name I can't remember, for coming up with this one :)

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Detector Rail Variants: While the detector rails were a nice addition to the game, one common complaint is that they can't detect the contents of a minecart. These variations on the detector rail allow you to do just that. The wood version detects all carts passing over. Stone (the regular ones) have been modified to detect carts containing *something*, whether that be a chest, furnace, mob, or what have you. Obsidian rails *only* detect a cart containing a player. This can be extremely useful in routing carts to various locations in an automated rail network.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Wolf Chops: Finally! A use for wolves! I guess I lied about never adding any features to them :)

18)Dung: Another use for wolves! Wolves periodically produce dung as the result of a mysterious biological process. While they tend to only output occasionally, feeding a wolf will greatly reduce the time before its next production cycle. Wolves, being shy creatures by nature, also prefer to produce dung in the dark. Wolf Dung is extremely valued for its many uses, and is the substance many wars have been fought over in ancient civilizations.

:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

The Companion Cube: With advanced artificial intelligence that prevents it from running off cliffs (or pushing you over them), the Companion Cube is the ultimate virtual pet! While it doesn't require food or water, it loves to be placed (...or reassembled after a mishap...or being put out of its misery), and will definitely appreciate the occasional pat on the head or a bit of sympathy now and again. Always supportive, and without a complaint, be sure to take the Companion Cube wherever you roam!

:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

[*** The Age Of Wood ***]

The Age of Wood is where most of the functionality of Better Than Wolves currently resides. It is separated into several distinct Tiers that represent various stages of development that you will need to achieve to fully progress through the Age.

Overall, the Age of Wood represents the player's first attempts to automate various aspect of his existence through the construction of wood-based mechanisms.

[*** The Age Of Wood Tier 1: Basic Mechanical Power***]

Entry Requirements to this Age: Construct a Hand Crank and Mill Stone.

Primary Goals of This Tier: Collect Hemp Seeds. Plant a Hemp farm. Collect and grind enough Hemp to construct a Wind Mill.

Secondary Goals of This Tier: Find wolves and begin collecting Dung.

Requirements to move to the next Tier: Construct a Wind Mill.

Block And Item Descriptions:

Gear: The fundamental building block of all mechanical devices, the gear is used in every mechanical recipe in the Age of Wood.

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Hand Crank: The very basis of mechanical power-generation devices. Place a Hand Crank to the sides of most mechanically operated devices (all those that do not require a continuous source of power to function properly), and you can power it through Steve's own muscle power. Note that attempting to power more than one mechanical device simultaneously with the Hand Crank, will cause it to break.

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Mill Stone: The Mill Stone grinds raw resources into a more usable form through the use of mechanical power. At present, the Mill Stone can be used to convert Wheat into Flour, Hemp into Hemp Fibers, and to scour leather.

Note that the Mill Stone can only be powered by an axle (in later tech tiers) if it is going directly into the top or bottom of the block, and that all processed material it produces is immediately ejected to the sides of the Mill Stone (meaning you should leave all sides around it free of other blocks to avoid loss of material).

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Hemp: At long last you have a reason to farm! Hemp is a crop that may be planted like wheat, but it has a number of growing requirements. First, bone meal does not act as fertilizer on it. Secondly, it can only grow in direct sunlight or with a powerful light source up to 2 spaces directly above it (torches don't help it grow...only Light Blocks and similarly powerful light-sources). Thirdly, it can only grow on hydrated soil. Hemp can be ground into Hemp Fibers using a Mill Stone, and those fibers can then be fashioned into rope, fabric, and other items.

Hemp seeds can be found by using a hoe on grass. The rate at which Hemp seeds appear when hoeing grass is also affected by the quality of hoe that you use (i.e. using a diamond hoe will produce far more seeds than using a stone one). Hemp seeds may also occasionally drop when you destroy tall grass (just like wheat seeds), but generally it is far more efficient to use the hoe method described above, particularly if you are using a high-quality hoe.

Hemp is a crucial ingredient in many crafting recipes as the player progresses through the mods tech-tree. It can be extremely useful to plant Hemp crops early on in the game so that you can take advantage of a working farm later on.

:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Flour: Produced by grinding Wheat in the Mill Stone, flour is much simpler to cook with than raw wheat. A single unit of flour may be baked in a furnace to produce bread, or in a cauldron to produce donuts.

Donuts: Donuts offer a fast-food alternative perfect for the busy Steve on the go. Individually, they only heal a small amount of health, but unlike other food items, they may be stacked up to a dozen for portability and convenience. Donuts may be made by cooking flour in a cauldron, producing 4 for every unit of wheat.

Anchor: The Anchor acts as a point to which you can attach ropes. Stick it to any surface, and you can then hang a rope from it by feeding the rope through one bit at a time. If you right click on an anchor with anything other than a rope in your hand, any rope hanging from it will be retracted into your inventory one segment at a time.

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Rope: Ropes may be attached to an anchor (or another rope) to create a portable climbing device that will drop downwards until it hits a block. This is incredibly useful for cave exploration and for generally descending from heights without having to first tunnel your way down, or plummet to your potential death. It is crafted out of Hemp Fibers.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

[*** The Age Of Wood Tier 2: Continuous Mechanical Power***]

Entry Requirements to this Age: Construct a Wind Mill.

Primary Goals of This Tier: Learn the basics of the mechanical power system. Find wolves for Dung and kill cows for leather (used to tan leather for use in constructing a Saw).

Secondary Goals of This Tier: Power your Mill Stone using the Wind Mill as a source of mechanical energy. Use a Detector Block to prevent damage to your Wind Mill based power-system from changes in weather. Have some fun with Pulleys and Platforms.

Requirements to move to the next Tier: Construct and power a Saw.

Block And Item Descriptions:

Fabric: A sturdy and resilient cloth made out of hemp fibers, Fabric is much more durable and better suited to withstanding the elements than wool.

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Sail: A gigantic mast and sail combination constructed out of Fabric and wood that is an integral component in constructing a Wind Mill.

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Wind Mill: The Wind Mill is the first continuous source of mechanical power available to the player. It is a large mechanical device capable of supplying mechanical power to the axle to which it is attached. It may ONLY be attached to an axle, and will automatically adjust its orientation to match its mount. When attempting to place a Wind Mill, you must ensure that the space it will occupy is clear of any other blocks (a warning message will be displayed if not).

The Wind Mill comes with several trade-offs. First, the Wind Mill can only be used above-ground for obvious reasons. This means that the Wind-Mill must have a clear-line of sight to the sky directly above it (overhangs or what have you will cause it not to function). Secondly, a rain or snow storm can cause the Wind Mill to spin out of control, breaking any Gear Boxes to which it may be attached (disengaging the gears in the Gear Box will allow the Wind Mill to spin freely, avoiding this problem...an upwards-facing Detector Block can be extremely useful to this end). Thirdly, the Wind Mill is FRIGGING HUGE!

However, despite these trade-offs, The Wind Mill is the only source of mechanical power that functions in the Nether, and will consistently do so in any location due to the convection currents that are produced by the extremely hot environment found there. It is also extremely reliable when placed in desert biomes due to the lack of severe weather.

Note that it may also be customized by individually coloring each of its four sails using dyes. In this case, each dye used is sequentially applied to one "blade" of the Wind Mill at a time.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Axle: The Axle is to mechanical devices what Redstone Wire is to circuits. It acts as a means of transmitting mechanical power. Note that only 3 axles may be placed in a row if they are receiving power. Trying to extend them further than this will result in the Axle breaking under the strain of its own weight. If you wish to power devices further away, then a Gear Box (or several) will be required to relay the signal.

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Gear Box: The Gear Box acts as a means of relaying and distributing mechanical power. It has only one input (determined from its orientation when it is placed) to which an axle may be attached, but every other side acts as an output to which you may also attach other axles. Power supplied to the input axle is then relayed to each of the outputs. Applying a redstone current to a Gear Box will cause the output gears to disengage, effectively allowing redstone control of mechanical power.

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Pulley: The Pulley represents a means of converting mechanical power into vertical motion. It has an inventory into which Rope may be placed, and if left unpowered, the Pulley will slowly dispense this rope downward until it either exhausts its inventory, or until a solid object is encountered.

Conversely, when a Pulley is powered mechanically (through powered axles attached to its sides), it retracts the rope back into its inventory and raises any attached upward-facing Anchor (and in turn, any platforms it may be connected to).

Lastly, if a redstone signal is applied to a pulley, it acts as a brake, causing it to stop any motion whatsoever, whether that be upward or downward.

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Wicker: Wicker is a light-weight, but surprisingly strong, material created by weaving various kind of reeds together.

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Platform: Light-Weight wooden frames, the Platforms are intended to be used in conjunction with Pulleys to create elevators, moving gates, flood-control devices, etc. Platforms are attached to ropes by placing an upward-facing anchor on top of them. When a platform is connected in this manner, if it is lifted (through the Anchor, attached Rope, and a Pulley above), it will in turn transmit this motion to other platforms up to two blocks away.

This effectively allows you to lift up to a 5 X 5 block grid of Platforms through the use of a single Anchor and Pulley, along with the required Rope.

Platforms may also lift some select-block types attached to their top surface, namely, all types of minecart rails (as long as they are not sloped), and redstone wire. Note that redstone elements are non-functional while in transit and their appearance will change to reflect this.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

[*** The Age Of Wood Tier 3: Power Tools***]

Entry Requirements to this Age: Tan Leather and construct a Saw.

Primary Goals of This Tier: Process wood into Panels, Corners, and Moulding, to be used in the construction of more advanced recipes.

Secondary Goals of This Tier: Use Saw in constructing a mob-trap. Construct an automated tree-farm. Start using Water Wheels as an alternative for powering your mechanical devices.

Requirements to move to the next Tier: Construct a Hopper. Visit the Nether.

Block And Item Descriptions:

Scoured Leather: Leather may be scoured by placing it in a Mill Stone. This removes any remaining blood and flesh that may cause the leather to decompose with time. Scouring leather is the first step in the tanning process.

Tanned Leather: Tanned Leather is resistant to decay and is far more durable than untreated leather. As such, it is much better suited for use in the making of tools or in mechanical applications where wear and tear can quickly become a factor. To create Tanned Leather, place Scoured Leather in a heated Cauldron along with Dung.

Strap: Leather straps may be made by cutting Tanned Leather into strips. These provide a resilient method of binding other objects together.

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Belt: A series of Straps may be strung together to form a Belt which is extremely useful in mechanical applications.

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Saw: The Saw, when powered mechanically, processes any wooden block placed in front of it into other forms. Logs are converted to 4 pieces of Wood. Wood to 2 wooden Panels. Wooden Panels are processed into 2 pieces of Moulding, and Moulding is converted into 2 Corners. Corners in turn may be cut into 2 Gears, which provides a far more efficient means of crafting them than through a workbench. Its primary use is for automated tree-farming and processing, but it is also capable of damaging players, animals, and monsters that come into contact with it when powered, making it an effective tool for use in traps and grinders.

Given that the Saw represents a more efficient means of processing wood than hacking at it with an axe, many alternative recipes exist for both vanilla and mod blocks using Panels, Moulding, and Corners. These alternative recipes are left to the player to discover, but if it is constructed with wood, it is likely to have such an alternate recipe.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Panel: This block is similar to a wood slab, except it may face in ANY direction. It may be made by cutting a wood block with a Saw.

Moulding: Basically, this is a wood Panel cut in half to provide a strip of wood for detailing structures. It is made by cutting a panel with the Saw.

Corner: Cutting Moulding in half with a Saw results in a Corner, which can be used for even more precise detailing work.

:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

13)Wood Blade: Used in constructing Water Wheels, the Wood Blade is a sturdy structure reinforced by its use of goo-balls as a water-resistant adhesive. Note that glue may be used as a substitute for the goo-ball within the recipe at later tech Tiers.

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Water Wheel: The Water Wheel is a more advanced device for generating mechanical power than the Wind Mill. While it requires the precision crafting represented by the Saw to create, it does not suffer the the same disadvantages as the Wind Mill in that it can be used both below ground and reliably under any weather conditions. However, given its dependency on water, it can not be used in the Nether.

When attempting to place a Water Wheel, you must ensure that the space it will occupy is clear of any other blocks, other than water. When water flows along the bottom or side of the Water Wheel, it will cause the Wheel to spin, and that motion will be translated to the axle on which it is mounted.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

19)Foul Food: This is what happens to food when you dump Dung into a Cauldron with it. It is totally non-edible but may still be used as fertilizer, in the same way that Bone Meal can. And no, it doesn't work on Hemp. Quit asking :)

Companion Slab: While nigh-indestructible, even the Companion Cube has its limits, and the Companion Slab represents one of them. However, a Companion Slab may be a pleasant alternative for small homes that can not accommodate a full-sized pet, as well as being handy for helping to reach items on high shelves.

[*** The Age Of Wood Tier 4: Automation and Basic Alchemy***]

Entry Requirements to this Age: Construct a Hopper. Visit the Nether.

Primary Goals of This Tier: Process Netherrack into Concentrated Hellfire.

Secondary Goals of This Tier: Automate collection of resource at your mob-traps and farms. Learn to filter these resources so they may be sorted by type.

Requirements to move to the next Tier: Build a Hibachi and Bellows.

Block And Item Descriptions:

21)Hopper: While it appear deceptively simple (it's basically a box with a hole in it), the Hopper allows the construction of many advanced mechanisms. Any items that fall into the top of the Hopper are added to its inventory. If the Hopper receives Mechanical Power through axles mounted to its sides, it will begin to eject items from its inventory (and stop when power it cut) out the spout below. Items may be ejected into the air, or directly into any other Block that has an inventory (chest, dispenser, cauldron, etc.), and it is also capable of eject its contents into a storage minecart parked beaneath it. Also, if all the slots in its inventory contain items, it will send out a redstone signal warning that it is getting full (the signal will stop when there is an empty slot in the inventory).

The Hopper also contains an extra inventory slot in which you may place various items that act as a "filter" on which items it will swallow. The most basic filter is a ladder, with items passing through the rungs while blocks are unable to (except for sand and gravel which pass through all filter types). Next, a hatch can be used to not swallow items that have a maximum stack size of less than 64 (like pork-chops, eggs, etc.). As with all filters, blocks are also prevented from passing through. A Grate used as a filter will only swallow smaller items (like feathers, but not arrows), while Wicker can be used to only consume powdery substances like gunpowder and flour. Wicker filters also have the additional effect of separating gravel into sand (which passes), and flint (which remains behind). In combination, these filters effectively allows you to sort the items produced by a mob trap or farm.

Additionally, soul sand may also be used as a filter in the Hopper specifically for the processing of Ground Netherrack into Hellfire Dust. No other substances will pass through or be processed by the Hopper when it has this kind of filter in place.

Note that the Hopper will not eject clay balls if they are placed inside of it (it gets stuck to the sides). As such, clay balls can be used as a "filler" within the Hopper inventory, allowing you to control precisely how much space is available to store other items within it.

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This video demonstrates the basic functionality of the Hopper:

:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

And here's another video that demonstrates the effects of the various filters:

:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Grate: A grate may be used as a primitive filter in determining what items a Hopper can or can not swallow. Only smaller items will pass through a grate (like feathers, but not arrows).

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Rollers: When used as a filter in the Hopper, Rollers allow for the filtering out of fibrous (such as string and Hemp fiber) or extremely thin materials (such as paper). Like all other filters, it also allows powdery substances to pass through unobstructed.

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Ground Netherrack: This substances is produced by grinding Netherrack down in a Mill Stone to prepare it for further processing.

Hellfire Dust: Hellfire Dust is the highly-flammable bi-product left behind when Ground Netherrack is passed through a Hopper containing a soul sand filter. It is an incredibly unstable substance that may react violently when excessive heat is applied.

Concentrated Hellfire: Slowly distilling Hellfire Dust within a heated Cauldron (be careful not to overheat it during this process) will purify, stabilize, and concentrate it into this more usable form. Concentrated Hellfire is stable under most conditions, but has the useful property of reacting to a redstone current by producing an extremely high degree of heat when sufficient air is present.

Nethercoal: By combining Concentrated Hellfire and coal, an alternative form of fuel is created in a form of Nethercoal. The Hellfire serves to increase the burn-time of the coal allowing the player to effectively double the amount of furnace fuel in his possession by combining the two.

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[*** The Age Of Wood Tier 5: Fire Mastery***]

Entry Requirements to this Age: Build a Hibachi and Bellows.

Primary Goals of This Tier: Master the use of stoked fire. Collect clay to create Pottery.

Secondary Goals of This Tier: Render animal bi-products into other forms.

Requirements to move to the next Tier: Build a Turntable.

Block And Item Descriptions:

2) Hibachi: Through providing the means to power Concentrated Hellfire and channel the resulting heat, the Hibachi provides a method of producing fire via a redstone current. The top surface of this block ignites when it receives power, and extinguishes when power stops.

Due to the high temperature at which Concentrated Hellfire burns, The Hibachi also generates the only form of fire that may be stoked through the use of Bellows.

(Thanks to GunboatDebater for the initial block idea)

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

27)Bellows: The bellow act as a bladder that expels air when compressed, and draws it in when it expands. This is extremely useful in stoking a fire above a Hibachi to produce increased heat. Used in combination with a Cauldron and one or more Hibachis, this effectively allows for the Cauldron to be turned into a rendering device. The Bellows acts to stoke any fire in a 9 block square-pattern directly in front of it. They contract when they first receive mechanical power (and remain contracted for as long as it is applied), and expand when not receiving said power. They only expel air when first contracted, so a timing circuit (the Turntable is very useful in this regard) is required to alternate the Bellows between these two states to keep a fire stoked.

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

15)Glue: Bones, feathers, and various kinds of leather (regular, scoured, tanned, or pieces such as belts), may be rendered down into glue within a Cauldron. Glue essentially acts as an artificial substitute for goo-balls in recipes that require an adhesive (both mod recipes such as the Wood Blade, and vanilla recipes such as for sticky pistons). A single piece of leather will be rendered into a single unit of glue, while 8 bones, or 16 feathers are required for the same output. (Note that rendering requires a stoked fire, through the use of Bellows, beneath the Cauldron).

16)Tallow: Tallow is a processed form of fat that may be obtained through the rendering of various kinds of meat within the Cauldron (Note that rendering requires a stoked fire, through the use of Bellows, beneath the Cauldron).

[*** The Age Of Wood Tier 6: Pottery***]

Entry Requirements to this Age: Build a Turntable.

Primary Goals of This Tier: Learn how to use the Pottery system and create a Crucible to be used in making Steel.

Secondary Goals of This Tier: Experiment with other forms of Pottery such as the Vase and Planter.

Requirements to move to the next Tier: Create a Crucible.

Block And Item Descriptions:

Turntable: When mechanical power is supplied through an Axle to the bottom of the Turntable, it rotates any blocks placed on top of it by fixed 90 degree increments, and performs this rotation on up to 2 blocks above. Any items attached to blocks (like torches) rotated in this fashion are also rotated along with them. This device has several uses ranging from creating multi-way Minecart intersections (by rotating the rails themselves), to creating redstone-based timers by attaching redstone torches to the sides of rotated blocks and using them to power wires leading away from the overall assembly.

A switch on the side of the Turntable allows for 4 different delay settings on the rotation. Note that you must click on the Turntable *with an empty hand* in order to adjust the switch (to avoid confusion when attempting to place blocks on it). This allows for configuration of how long it takes for the Turntable to perform each 90 degree rotation, with the lowest setting representing a delay of 1/2 second, and each increment above that multiplying the previous delay by 2 (1 second, 2 seconds, 4 seconds). (Thanks to Brothulhu for coming up with the idea of the Turntable acting as a redstone timer!)

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:Frame: Video Demonstration :Frame:

Unfired Pottery: When a clay block is placed on top of a Turntable, it may slowly be spun into other forms. It will transition through several stages as it continues to rotate, sloughing off clay at certain points, and should be removed from the Turntable when the desired shape is obtained.

Kiln: A Kiln is actually a combination of other block-types used to fire Pottery. It consists of brick blocks which are used to surround Unfired Pottery on all sides (one side may be left open if so desired for access), over a stoked fire which will serve to heat the overall assembly and "cook" the Pottery contained within.

Vase: A Vase may be created by cooking a correctly shaped piece of Unfired Pottery in the Kiln. It is an extremely fragile decorative block which may be colored to one's tastes using dyes, and which has the unique property of being able to store a single object within its small inventory. Once the Vase is placed, it may not be removed without breaking it (which will also dispense any object contained within), and will also be broken when struck by arrows.

Planter: A Planter is another form of Pottery that may be created in the manner described above. When first created, it has limited use, but by placing earth and water within it, it becomes an object on which any form of plant may grow without regard for surrounding conditions, such as the presence of water of other requirements an individual plant may normally have (Thanks to KriiEiter for the idea for this one).

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[*** A New Age ***]

Very little is known about the new age, not even its true name. All that is clear is that Steve is on the cusp of a new era of technological advancement based on all the strides forward he has made.



[*** A New Age Tier 1: Steel ***]

Entry Requirements to this Tier: Create a Crucible.

Primary Goals of This Tier: Unknown.

Secondary Goals of This Tier: Create Steel and Refined Tools.

Requirements to move to the next Tier: Unknown.

Block And Item Descriptions:

Crucible: Similar in function to a Cauldron, but made out of ceramic, the Crucible is capable of withstanding much higher heats without melting. As a result, it is extremely useful in melting and generally working with metals.

Haft: A sturdy shaft created by wrapping wood with a Leather Strap and using adhesive (Glue or goo-balls) to keep the leather in place.

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Steel: Created by combining Nethercoal and iron in a Crucible over stoked fire.

Refined Tools: Created by crafting Steel along with a Haft(s), much in the same way that basic tools are created.

[*** Miscellaneous Mod Features ***]

1)Minecart Tweaks: This mod reduces this drag on unridden Minecarts to provide a greater boosting effect due to powered rails. For example, with this mod, storage carts are able to travel aproximately 12 blocks between powered rails without losing significant speed, as opposed to 6 blocks without this mod.

2)Axe Tweaks: Isn't it annoying how axes don't work properly on all the wooden blocks in the game? This mod fixes that problem by assigning appropriate properties to the axes so that they can chop anything made of wood (this affects the note block, wood stairs, work bench, sign, wood door, juke box, fence, pumpkin, Jack'O'Lantern, and the hatch). Note that this change can be disabled in the mod's config file if you run into compatibility problems with other mods because of it. However, keep in mind that if you disable these changes, axes will also cease to function properly on all the wood-based blocks in this mod (such as all the mechanical blocks like Gear Boxes and Axles).

3)Hatch Tweaks: This mod removes the restriction of having a side-block present so that a hatch may remain where it has been placed. This effectively allows you to place hatches in the middle of floors and in areas that were peviously not possible, while not affecting the functionality of the hatch in any other way.

4)Wolf Tweaks: Tired of being able to hand your wolf pork-chops, while he will completely ignore food that's laying on the ground right next to him? This change causes wolves to consume any chops that happen to be scattered about their vicinity, healing them in the process and signifcantly increasing their rate of dung production.

5)Powered Cake: By popular demand, this mod allows you to power cake! Notch was obviously out to lunch when he failed to include this feature in vanilla Minecraft, so I decided to correct this glaring design-flaw and allow cake to be properly powered through redstone current, as one would naturally expect it to function.