[Suggestion] Cheap Modern Lights

  • I know that IC2 already has luminators, but, I find myself rarely using them due to the expenses and difficulty of hiding wiring while still making structures aesthetically pleasing. It's so much easier and cheaper to just use the old fashioned torch.


    My suggestion:
    A cheap modern light that doesn't require wiring. It should act just like a torch but without particle effects and you can place it on ceilings. Crafted with glass, redstone, and tin cable.


    There are two ways to handle energy consumption.
    A.) It's free, as the inherent electrical energy contained in redstone is enough to power a light. Maybe you would have to refine the redstone further to explain the greater light levels than a redstone torch.
    B.) Wireless energy transfer using a similar system to teleport pipes. Select the power source(s) you want your lights to draw from and have them transmit on the same frequency as the lights. I understand you don't want energy teleportation, but we're trying to make these lights compete with torches.


    Personally, I would love for my lights to use electricity and have torches burn out over time. This would make modern lights an obvious upgrade, but, with the threat of blackouts. But, I understand that would be much more difficult to implement than what amounts to a new texture and recipe for torches.

  • I actually like the luminaters, and would use them more, except for one fact:


    You can not turn them on and off at will.


    And no I won't use redpower's lights, as it is free light energy.

    I5 2500K | 4GB Cosair Vengence | Radeon 6850 | Rosewill 600w PSU | GigaByte Z68MA | CM Elite 311 | Dell 19" 720p (upgrading soon!)| Hitachi 500 GB 7200 HDD | LG 24X |Windows 7 (Genuine!)
    Alblaka in a Lightning Rod suggestion thread...[/size]

  • Quote

    And no I won't use redpower's lights, as it is free light energy.


    I use them only cause you can chose from different colors, as its much comfortable to use brown lights in brick house, or black/dark blue in cobblestone one.


  • So are torches - but RedPower lights are more costly to make.

    /brofist Well said 8)


    Actually, Eloraam ramped up the expense of her lights considerably... This, on top of the cost for the wool+wires, creates a large resource investment for said lights anyway...

    Would anyone like to try a Slowpoke Tail?! Only 1 Million Yen!


    Quote

    this isn't about arrogance or ego, I have a block that I put a lot of freaking work into


    Every Mod Author, in existence. And yet, you STILL say otherwise.

  • Yeah I wish the lamps were more (useful) in ic. they are neat but eh they seem useless in a way the the wire part of them are a bit odd but hey if you like roleplaying filling them up every 2 days its fun :P

    Check out Our Brand New GT New Horizons Server .:Here:.
    Check out Our Brand New GT New Horizons Let's Play Series .:Here:.

  • I use torches because they are free. But if I'm going to use a different light, I want it to cost something overtime, something to drain a little bit of energy, and that nice feeling when you turn them off to save energy.


    *Saving the world FTW*

    I5 2500K | 4GB Cosair Vengence | Radeon 6850 | Rosewill 600w PSU | GigaByte Z68MA | CM Elite 311 | Dell 19" 720p (upgrading soon!)| Hitachi 500 GB 7200 HDD | LG 24X |Windows 7 (Genuine!)
    Alblaka in a Lightning Rod suggestion thread...[/size]

  • Alblaka has recently (last 24 hrs) stated that luminators are due for an overhaul which is nice to hear.


    I *lurve* the mini-size wall and ceiling forms that a luminator will take when you put them on a solid block! I hope there is a workable method to create mini sized luminators that don't require manual top-ups.

    GENERATION 26: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment or chain letter? This is left as an exercise for the reader.


    Efficiency 3, 50% duty cycle. SMP friendly. Alternate two of them slowly with an rp2 sequencer for a steady 120 EU/t.
    http://www.talonfiremage.pwp.b…=1j10101001501521s1r11r10

  • Instead of having torches go from bright to completely dark I think that maybe they could slowly fade, and I mean very slowly, maybe something like 30 minecraft days from placement to blackness. They should be able to return to a state of full brightness by the simple right click of a flint and steel.
    Add a cheaper other luminator type block the gives off light at level 14 or 15 as a nice replacement to torches for our most visited mining areas.
    Also maybe add coloured luminators so we don't have to resort to using the free energy of redpower's lamps.
    In addition it would be nice to have some more modern looking levers and buttons to choose from apart from the stone ones we have now.
    Also add items/blocks that allow us to directly vary the current so dimmer switched and the likes are possible.
    Many of the other suggestions here are great including the get rid of internal storage suggestion and other ways around it.
    Just my thoughts- Sept

  • maybe 2 types of new lightsources:
    "lamps" which require fuel. small lamps need the fuel cells and large lamps the fuel cans.
    and energy powered lights which use battaries.

  • So what do yo guys think of the wireless idea? I thought it was really the only way to make modern lights compete with torches (without making them burn out.)


    I love the idea of a meltdown or improperly wired explosion causing blackouts around my base. I would probably even have a backup generator to power the most important lights until I could restore power and turn everything on. But, I don't care for the idea of running cable to each of my hundreds of lights, requiring me to either hide them with 3 meter thick walls or live in a crazy steampunk town with wires going absolutely everywhere.

  • I actually like the luminaters, and would use them more, except for one fact:


    You can not turn them on and off at will.


    And no I won't use redpower's lights, as it is free light energy.

    You can turn them on and of at will! use a splitter cable, and redstone it to stop energy flow!

  • You can turn them on and of at will! use a splitter cable, and redstone it to stop energy flow!


    Have you tried it? The luminaters have in internal storage, which means after you cut the power supply, they continue to shine.

    I5 2500K | 4GB Cosair Vengence | Radeon 6850 | Rosewill 600w PSU | GigaByte Z68MA | CM Elite 311 | Dell 19" 720p (upgrading soon!)| Hitachi 500 GB 7200 HDD | LG 24X |Windows 7 (Genuine!)
    Alblaka in a Lightning Rod suggestion thread...[/size]

  • I like the red-wire lights for aesthetic value, but they do feel kinda like cheating by producing infinite free light. I like the idea of hard wiring luminators into my home with some kind of light switch system, and having an house lit by nice shiny electric lights and it all being powered by green energy... (lots of solar and water on my newest home :thumbup: ), if we had something like the fiber-optics someone else suggested - an block that could hide light sources like luminators for aesthetic reasons but with an variety of colours or even textures it would make them perfect for lighting any home!