Confused about Chunk Loading

[cherbert 0]

I am working on a rather large ambitious project involving rail carts, signals and routing using Railcraft. I plan to use a combination of OpenComputers talking externally to a real world server and perhaps also a network of servers in the game - but I first need to understand the limitations.

 

What happens if I have servers running in distant parts of the world that are listening for events or are being sent network signals (or redstone signals) and they are in an unloaded chunk because there are no players there? Is that server rendered useless since it goes into pause mode? I really hope not because then it would seem the whole concept of in-game networks and servers seems to be pretty restricted and useless for automated systems.

 

Can anyone clarify?

[Sangar 92]

Unloaded chunks are... unloaded. So computers/servers sitting in them are, too, of course. Just because they resume from where they were when they were unloaded when being loaded again doesn't mean they aren't (being unloaded, that is). If you need them to stay continually loaded to process inputs/messages, you'll have to put them in a chunkloaded area.

[cherbert 0]

Unloaded chunks are... unloaded. So computers/servers sitting in them are, too, of course. Just because they resume from where they were when they were unloaded when being loaded again doesn't mean they aren't (being unloaded, that is). If you need them to stay continually loaded to process inputs/messages, you'll have to put them in a chunkloaded area.

 

Maybe you would consider a chunk loader upgrade similar to that available for robots? And maybe also a variation of computer cable that also keeps chunks open? (I assume cable between computers also stops working if they sit in unloaded areas?) 

[Sangar 92]

Aren't there enough mods that add stationary chunk loaders already? It's not really something I want to add, I don't really feel it belongs into the mod :-/ The chunkloader upgrade for robots only exists because they are special, they move. If you really have to, you can place a robot with a chunkloader in the chunk with your server, I guess.

 

And yes, cables in unloaded chunks are unloaded, too, so that connection would be cut off. Use linked cards for long distance data transmission.

[cherbert 0]

Aren't there enough mods that add stationary chunk loaders already? It's not really something I want to add, I don't really feel it belongs into the mod :-/ The chunkloader upgrade for robots only exists because they are special, they move. If you really have to, you can place a robot with a chunkloader in the chunk with your server, I guess.

 

And yes, cables in unloaded chunks are unloaded, too, so that connection would be cut off. Use linked cards for long distance data transmission.

 

I see nothing unusual about wanting to keep a computer from unloading - in fact it seems highly logical to have as a feature and would be very useful especially when using the linked cards you advised me to use! I don't want to have to install another mod or stick a robot next to every computer I build.

 

The whole mod seems flawed without this feature. Why put the huge effort you have into creating wireless networks, cable networks, internet cards, linked network cards when all of that is useless because you can't communicate using any of it unless the chunks are occupied by players or kept loaded by a third party mod or a robot?

 

I would have thought you should at least consider it rather than dismiss it so quickly. Surely it wouldn't take you much to implement it as an optional feature considering you have already written the code for robots - even if it was just an option in the config.

 

I find it really strange you feel it doesn't belong in your mod. IMHO its a fundamental requirement to the usefulness of the computers and networks in OpenComputers and Minecraft.

 

But.. Its your mod and your decision i guess.

[Sangar 92]

I'm sorry, but I can't really read your argument as anything but "Minecraft is fundamentally flawed because it unloads chunks". Which isn't something that can be argued about, it's a technical necessity. And I don't agree that computers are so special (as opposed to other machines, modded or vanilla) that they would make more sense to have a chunkloader for than others. By your logic, every single mod that adds a machine to Minecraft should ship its own chunkloader, to make it usable without other mods? Or at least all mods that add some sort of pipes? Wireless redstone?

 

... excuse me for getting carried away there, you being so passive-agressive didn't really help my objectivity Let me offer this: if you can convince me that there is no good chunk loader mod available, meaning this is not just you being unwilling/too lazy to add a mod for this functionality, I'll consider adding a chunkloader block in addition to the upgrade.

[Lizzian 46]

If you're using railcraft, why not use it's world anchors? (chunk loaders) yes, they may need enderpearls but they load the chunk fine (they load a 3 x 3 chunk area with the center one being the chunk the anchor block is in)

[zhab 0]

 

I am working on a rather large ambitious project involving rail carts, signals and routing using Railcraft. I plan to use a combination of OpenComputers talking externally to a real world server and perhaps also a network of servers in the game - but I first need to understand the limitations.

 

I don't want to have to install another mod or stick a robot next to every computer I build.

 

 

If you're using railcraft, why not use it's world anchors? (chunk loaders) yes, they may need enderpearls but they load the chunk fine (they load a 3 x 3 chunk area with the center one being the chunk the anchor block is in)

 

Thank you Josh for finally saying what was on my mind the entire time as I was reading this thread.

 

He was talking about installing mods. So from this I assume that he is playing in single player or in a server where he have admin access. That means that he could set railcraft config to disable "fuel cost" for chunk loaders. Which would help his "ambitious project" tremendously anyways. Carts and trains don't work in unloaded areas anymore than computers do after all. So there was already going to be chunk loaders all over the place. Surely he could find a loaded spot to put down his servers.

 

Alternatively, he could make use of "admin anchors" which do not use any fuel by design.

 

It is as you say Sangar. I fail to understand why every machines from every mods should be self chunk loading or otherwise be useless. Especially servers. I mean, by design, servers are meant to control, manage or interact with something relatively complex. That "something" can't function unless it is chunk loaded. So if you want a computer to interact with a remote server which is controlling/managing your remote base (or something), then that remote base has to be chunk loaded to begin with. Loading the server by itself has little meaning.

 

But it would seem that this thread is misleading. Cherbert is not confused about chunk loading or how that work at all. This thread seams more like a feature request begging/arguing for chunk loading capabilities for computers/servers. While there is nothing wrong with that, this is not the right place to post feature requests now is it ?