2 replies to this topic

[Iamtk421]

The table of efficiency's  on the matter fabricator page seems to imply that putting diamond/ruby/uranium dusts etc improves the efficiency ( I read that as energy efficiency) however the text above states that in the case of scrap it uses 9x more energy (presumably/tick) but finishes 9x faster. If this is the case then the various dusts just make the process faster, but still use the same amount of energy. So unless you're giving the fabricator a really decent amount of power you may as well just feed it on scrap instead as the power usage is going to be the limiting factor.

 

Can anyone explain what the actual behaviour is?

[digitallyApocalyptic]

Best Answer

The Matter Fabricator consumes items to generate UU-Matter and, unlike the Mass Fabricator from IC2, it requires items instead of just pure energy. Each item provides a given amount of "progress" towards the creation of Matter (i.e. each item that the Matter Fabricator is given will allow it to generate a certain amount of UU-Matter, with most items allowing the Fabricator to generate only fractions of a unit.)

 

Scrap provides a given amount of progress (not sure exactly how much), Scrapboxes provide 9x as much as Scrap, then the various dusts provide varying amounts of "progress" (e.g. one Thorium Dust will provide enough "progress" to create 3 UU-Matter) but none increase the energy efficiency. Thorium Dust is vastly superior to Scrap in the amount of progress it provides, but fueling a Matter Fabricator with Thorium Dust does not increase/decrease the amount of energy needed to produce UU-Matter.

 

Scrapboxes do not increase the EU/t consumption, nor do any other items. Matter Fabricators eat all that they can get (I've tested this, hooked up dozens of ultimate hybrid solars far above 8,192 EU/t (the packet limit on a Fabricator) and it ate power as fast as it could receive it and burn the scrap it was given) regardless of what they are being fed, except if their internal storage is full.

 

What this section means is that each item is consumed usually after a certain amount of power has been accrued in the Fabricator's internal energy storage, although exceptions exist if the item would consume more energy than the batteries can hold (e.g Thorium Dust would require 50m EU, which the batteries definitely can't hold.) In such a case, the item is consumed immediately as soon as there is at least 1 EU in the batteries and the item is present in the inventory. Then, the item provides "progress" to the percentage value as the matter fabricator receives energy.

 

Say that, with Q as a variable, scrap will be consumed after Q energy is accrued. Therefore, scrapboxes will be consumed after 9Q energy is consumed. Basically, putting a scrapbox into a Fabricator is akin to putting 9 units of scrap in, but allows for more compact storage of scrap.

 

The wording of this article sounds confusing, I'll get to work on making it better (hopefully.)

[Iamtk421]

Yea, after playing with it a bit in creative I realised that's what's happening. The wording of the article is certainly odd.