Will the E-Net change again in (near) future versions or does it stay "packetless"?

I have no idea what the timeline for it is, seeing as I am not a member of the team, but it will return to packets, but energy loss will be proportional to how many packets are being sent.

Transformer upgrades are your friend

Build your machines, load them with a single transformer upgrade and supply 128 eu/t transformer's don't increase energy usage, just the voltage allowed. This still means that each machine needs a transformer, but if it is an upgrade at least it doesn't take up space in the world.

Quote from Zacherl

Hello guys,

i just started a new 1.6.4 world and noticed the IC2 E-Net has changed completely. I dont like the new mechanics, but well .. that does not matter i guess.

Will the E-Net change again in (near) future versions or does it stay "packetless"?

Best regards
Zacherl

They will change. This version is still temporary.

Eventually, they will change back to the "voltage"-based system.

The current system exists to help optimize the E-Net code, if I'm not wrong.

Quote

I mean it's totally unpredictable and very difficult to automate. You can not have a large E-Net connected to a variable number of machines, like it was before the change. I REALLY hope the old packet based system (or something similar) will come back. It was even more realistic (the microwave in my reallife house wont blow up, if i turn off my computer ..)

That's because you are too accustomed to having properly working circuit breakers and fuses in your home to keep that from happening. If there is an overcurrent problem in your home, the fuse box (usually) catches it...

Not saying that having something like that in IC2 wouldn't help (it would make troubleshooting circuits easier, imo), but don't mistake your modern convenience on what the true nature of electricity is like...

Quote from Zacherl

Sure thats an improvement, but it does not exactly solve my problem. The machines can still explode (in a very unpredictable way) if the voltage is higher than 128. Lets say i have 4 Macerators operating at 128EU/p each. My power supply has an output of 512EU/t. Everything would work fine. But now imagine one of the macerators is going to idle and thus does not request energy any longer ... It would burst the 3 other macerators into pieces, because they would get a 170EU packet each :evil:

Then don't feed them voltage higher than 128EU/t. Like I said, transformer upgrades only increase the power a machine can be exposed to before it explodes. Macerators only consume 2 or 4 EU/t (Can't remember exactly). Giving them transformer upgrades doesn't change that. So if you have a macerator with 4 transformer upgrades, it can be connected to a cable that carries no more than 2048EU/t, but the macerator will still only consume 4 of that. So if you have an MFE outputting 512 EU/t you need a transformer to bring it down to 128EU/t and then your machines need 1 transformer upgrade each. A 128 EU/t line can power a pretty good factory for a pretty good amount of time.

You are misunderstanding entirely.

Let's say the macerators in in series like so:

(MFE)
(MV Transformer)

(Mac1)

(Mac2)

(Mac3)

(Mac4)

Assume all of the macerators have 1 transformer upgrade.

The MFE is outputting 512 EU/t. The transformer steps that down to 128EU/t. Mac1 receives 128EU/t, but it only needs 4, so it sucks 4 EU/t from the cable and lets the remaining 124 EU/t continue down the line. Mac2 grabs another 4 and sends 120 down the line. Mac3 does the same, sending 116 down the line. Mac4 receives 116, consumes 4 and returns the 112 back to the MFE. So even though it's a 128EU/t line, only 16 EU/t is used. Technically, you don't even need the MFE or transformer upgrades, this could all be done with a BatBox, but it allows you to power a good amount of basic machines off of a single line without fancy wiring.

So my question becomes this: let's say i run the wire from the cable-end near mac4, and loop it back into the circuit between mac 1 and 2. Is there a loss there, a potential infinite (lag) loop, or will that function normally?

with and without packets, how does the game handle that, especially if it can't bleed those off to wire loss?

i'm more interested from a programmer's point of view if that helps.

Quote from JaxFirehart

You are misunderstanding entirely.

Let's say the macerators in in series like so:

(MFE)
(MV Transformer)

(Mac1)

(Mac2)

(Mac3)

(Mac4)

Assume all of the macerators have 1 transformer upgrade.

The MFE is outputting 512 EU/t. The transformer steps that down to 128EU/t. Mac1 receives 128EU/t, but it only needs 4, so it sucks 4 EU/t from the cable and lets the remaining 124 EU/t continue down the line. Mac2 grabs another 4 and sends 120 down the line. Mac3 does the same, sending 116 down the line. Mac4 receives 116, consumes 4 and returns the 112 back to the MFE. So even though it's a 128EU/t line, only 16 EU/t is used. Technically, you don't even need the MFE or transformer upgrades, this could all be done with a BatBox, but it allows you to power a good amount of basic machines off of a single line without fancy wiring.

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No, if I'm not wrong, whenever the Macerator runs 128 EU lower than its electrical buffer cap, it will suck 128 EU/t from it.

So let's say its buffer is 1000 EU.
As long as the Macerator is at 872 EU or lower, it will keep requesting 128 EU from the MFE, every tick.

My personal suggestion: Put a single block of wire rated at the maximum throughput of the machine under it. That way, if something is going to burn out, it will be the wire and not the machine. Of course, everything said above still applies, this is just like adding fuses to prevent serious problems if you midwife something.