So, the release of 3.71 inspired me to have a go at seeing just how all of this Exp-Farming buisness could work.
This was the result: (Warning, spoilered for huge)
I must apologize that it was all built in creative. (I know, i know, boo, hiss!), but it was more about testing the theory of some of the systems. Every drop save for raw iron bars is sorted (they get lumped with Rotten Meat - they're so rare it simply was not worth diverting them elsewhere). Arrows are blown out and destroyed, but everything else is collected and either processed or stored, ready for the player to use.
Of particular note, how i ended up solving "Sorting" Bows/Armor/Swords -
They're filtered out from the other drops, and sent into a Stewing Pot for rendering. When the player wants to, they can come by, and flip a switch - causing the Pot and Crucible to vomit their contents out - The pot vomits into/onto the crucible, and the cruicbile sends it's contents into a water stream and storage area to be collected by the player. It's all nicely timed so that while one switch makes both Pot and Crucible tip, the crucible always tips first, ensuring that it collects whatever the Pot had in it when it turns right way up again. (Minecraft physics, how i love you)
The other system i'm pretty pleased with is the EXP shower:
This is a set of 5 rows of 8 soul sand hoppers, each stacked above the other, with a waterflow conveying the exp ever downwards. When the mechanical power is turned off, the EXP runs through, gradually filling up each of the hoppers, the excess simply being dumped on the ground at the end. Flip the power on, and the EXP starts to shower down from all of the hoppers until it's dumped on the catchment platform for the player.
and by "Shower" i mean that fully charged, those hoppers will take you from 0-46 and a bit (Not counting any other exp that's waiting for you when you get down there - and there's usually a pretty crazy pile if the trap's been running full bore).
So, enjoy and tell me what you think!
A world download is here, if people want to browse it:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/58385392/The%20 ... actory.zip
It should be just fine on a basic install of Better than Wolves