Ultionis wrote:Wow. This is quite impressive.
ExpHP wrote:This is something you can sanely build in a Survival World. I know I will; I want a day counter.
I really like the idea of a day counter, but you'd need to constantly keep this entire contraption within loaded chunks for it to be accurate. I think you'd especially have trouble if one half of it was within loading distance (and running) whilst the other half was not, as everything would be out of sync. Thoughts on this?
To clarify, I was talking about a real-life day counter. I've been taking daily snapshots of my world as it develops (slowly creating what is sort of a time-lapse slideshow), and I thought it would be neat to build one of these in view. Using it for this purpose, I'm guaranteed to be in range of it, because I'll be manually pressing a button to update it.
True, attempting to make anything like an in-game day counter would invariably require the chunk to remain loaded at all times when possible (probably through the use of a mod, or via a dummy bot character once the mod becomes SMP-compatible).
In terms of using it as a general purpose counter, because each unit is 7 blocks wide, you can fit up to two of them in a single chunk if you plan for it (with one additional row of padding between them, 2 digits = 15 wide). As long as you fit both digits as well as whatever is producing the input signal in the same chunk, it should keep an accurate count.
For 3 or more digits, a different method could be used to send the signal used for carrying from the 2nd digit to the 3rd digit - one that politely waits at chunk boundaries, unlike redstone. As long as it doesn't need to carry twice during the time the chunk is missing, it will work itself out when the third digit is loaded.
A rather silly (but possibly feasable?) idea:
Minecarts pause at chunk boundaries and continue moving when the chunk loads. So:
Instead of using a repeater to send the CARRY signal (as I call it), send a Minecart somewhere with a powered rail. A second dispenser keeps placing a minecart on top of whatever the first dispenser places.
Of course, this is a really awkward idea, and it requires an AB-BA circuit just to make sure the bottom dispenser doesn't steal the cart. And even then, I see no way to get the cart back into the spot where it belongs once it leaves.
Still, if there is a will, there is a way.
Edit: In fact, I believe it is not just minecarts, but all entities that share this behavior; an arrow or fire charge fired from a dispenser would likely freeze at a chunk boundary and possibly be used in some clever way to transmit a signal.
Edit 2: Finally, a use for the vase? :P
