This mod adds a highly optimized excavator/quarry that combines automated mining with modular upgrades, allowing even arrays of hundreds of excavators to run in parallel.
With this mod I present my implementation of an excavator/quarry, which was specifically built to combine two worlds: Having it look as cool and interesting as possible while at the same time building it with performance in mind so that the game does not start to struggle once a few are running. The result is this mod, where hundreds of excavators can run in parallel while looking (in my opinion) amazing. All of this is combined with an upgrade system allowing you to upgrade each excavator and very deep configurability for either your own game or a modpack you might create.
Trailer
To better visualize what the mod does, I created a short trailer for it showcasing its features:
As a side note for the trailer, everything was captured on my PC which has a NVIDIA RTX 2080ti and an Intel Core i9-9900 K, so I expect even better performance on newer PCs. Also I used 32 chunks render and simulation distance.
Features
Laser excavator craftable after the first extended mining trip
Can be upgraded using one of several, often multi-tier, upgrades
Allows deep customization using two config files and an ingame editor for client side rendering settings
Optimized to allow thousands to work in parallel allowing arrays that excavate more than 6 million blocks per minute
Can be used as a standalone mod or in combination with other tech/automation mods
Inspiration
Probably something everyone is already expecting. I still remember as a kid playing around with buildcrafts quarry and finding it very cool. That said, this mod had actually never the goal to be a recreation of that quarry. It came to be, as part of a modpack I am working on, where I wanted a way for the player to excavate large structures in a desert. And so the excavator was born. Then I thought it would also be a great standalone mod. However, I still want to mentions buildcraft and its quarry as a very good memory of mine :).
As the mod is new there are no currently frequently asked question but I could imagine these coming up:
Can I use your mod in my modpack?
Absolutely! If you want you can also send me a message with the modpack to take a look
I have a problem/encountered a bug, what can I do?
At best you can open an issue on github explaining what happened but it is also fine if you just send me a message
What tools did you use?
For coding I used IntelliJ IDEA (Community Edition), for the sprites/textures Aseprite, for the trailer DaVinci Resolve and OBS Studio, for the code description Word and draw.io and for the title "image" Photopea (the image on top of this post).
Do you plan to port the mod to other Minecraft versions or modloader?
I have now ported the mod to 1.20.1 and 26.1.2 (in addition to 1.21.1) which I will also maintain for the foreseeable future. If someone needs an intermediate version tell me please, these should be easy to do. I will probably also port the mod to more recent Minecraft versions when they are released, however older versions are unlikely. A port to Fabric is also not my priority right now.
Code
All code is public on my GitHub (Source Code). I have also written a quite long description of the architecture behind it (especially the optimizations) which is hopefully helpful for others who might want to use parts of the code. If you want feel free to copy parts of the code for your own projects but if you do it would be nice if you could reference me. Also please don't copy all of it.
Known Issues
1.20.1 exclusive (?), water sometimes receives fluid ticks and spreads above the excavators current mining position meaning it will not be removed. Technically fluid ticks should be disabled in the excavation area which works in 1.21.1 and 26.1.2, but not fully in 1.20.1. If you have an idea why that is the case I am happy about any suggestion.
A column can advance immediately until the lowest excavator Y level. This happens very rarely, with all blocks mined in that column. I have not found a way to reproduce it reliably.
Lighting of transported items looks wrong: This is not a bug but an optimization (though I am still looking for improvements). Calculating the lighting of every flying item render would need alot of performance. Instead I sample it only once each 16 x 16 x 16 region and apply the same lighting to all items in that area. Together with other approximations this can lead to transports looking to bright/dark.
And with that I wish everyone reading this has an amazing day and I hope you enjoy what I have built! :)
