Forget Hoppers-Try the Slimefun Cargo Management System

[Trojan]

The Beginner's Guide to Slimefun Cargo Management
And why you should look in to giving it a try!

(For quick rundown skip to Explanation/Cost)

Hello SFT,

I'm here to tell you about one marvelous solution to hoppers in your cargo movement and management needs. In slimefun (use /sf guide) there is a system dedicated to moving your cargo around. As you probably know, we have a strict limit of 100 hoppers in any given area (like your base storage room, for instance). This issue was addressed many months ago, but many players still want to use more than 100 hoppers in their builds or will inadvertently do so in making their system and have to take it down which causes difficult or impossible logistical problems to solve.

So why not try the SFT Cargo Management System? It's powerful, fast, and it allows you to automatically hook up chests with machines such as furnaces for smelting, and unlike hoppers there's no limit to what you build with it. It's a great alternative to using hoppers that you should check out.


System Explanation

The system revolves around connector nodes, which act as sort of access points for your chests and furnaces and move the items in and out. Input nodes, output nodes, and connector nodes all create a "pipeline" or system similar to hoppers, and each of them need to be crafted from the CMS tab in the guide. In addition to the experience they consume (which is best earned from spawners if you need it), they also need many different components which are largely sourced from sifted ore which is in turn obtained from sifting gravel.
-A connector node is needed to connect input and output nodes, which push and pull items from chests and furnaces. Nodes operate on channels, which will move items to different channels but not across channels unless told to connector nodes, which act as the larger system transporters.
-An input node can take items from chests/furnaces and for output nodes vice versa-they're like one-way hoppers or pipes.

From what I hear, you should take that the system isn't as complicated as it sounds, it's really just a pipe network like hoppers. 

If you would like a more thorough explanation of how to use slimefun CMS, try the official wiki at https://github.com/Slimefun/Slimefun4/wiki/Cargo-Management. There are also a great number of video tutorials by YouTubers which explain how to use SF CMS, and I bet if you search for them you can find a number which provide estimates and easy to follow instructions. https://lmgtfy.app/?q=Slimefun+4+Cargo+Management+System+tutorial+youtube

Creating a System and Projected Cost

It's important to know that while the CMS is powerful and fast, it is also expensive to research and build.
According to Evan and Wpp (Thanks!), the four important tools for CMS are as follows:

• Connection nodes which cost ~1350 gravel,
• Input nodes which cost ~977 gravel
• Output nodes which cost ~1277 gravel
• Finally, you also need one cargo management system block itself, which costs ~40,219 gravel.

(This doesn't include the time needed to obtain the gravel and ores, nor the experience to unlock nodes)

Note that these numbers are from slimefun 3, but as far as I can see from the slimefun changelog, these have not changed. I also highly suggest you use a gold pan-this automatically sifts gravel when you dig it.


In fact, thanks to Wpp and Evan, there is a sheet you can use to calculate the cost of a sf system better: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Rnef02R_CXWYWnf0KUUEdYtvqbu8a74AG_Z4957zm6s/edit?usp=sharing


As for collecting gravel, I would recommend searching the dynmap (http://mc.superfuntime.org:8123/) for gravel mountains and looking under seas, which have vast deposits of gravel. The nether also has gravel collections.


Hopefully this guide helps you with setting up a SF CMS and provides an alternative to hoppers for your cargo needs. 

(If you find any part of this post that is inaccurate, especially by testing gravel drops, please leave a reply in the comments)

[MrChanango]

You may also go to /warp Stone4U for gravel (: It's generally out of stock so make sure to grab it while you can!