Suggestion: Modular IC2 Machinery

Lately With the advanced machines split, most people have branched and taken sides due to how they feel the things should be balanced. People try to Suggest that Advanced machines are added in as well, and have been shot down. My Idea comes from The thought of overclockers and Why not take that a great deal further.

And the thought of A modular IC2 machine was born. My idea is simple, have one block that depending on how you set it up, it performs different jobs at different speed. By using componants for the machines such as Motors, storage units, Grid LInkups, Operating devices, Storage bins, Input hoppers. By mix and matching different parts, you can get a machine to have many functions and set your workshop up on how YOU need it. I also propose that there be a power limit from the power units to Limit how many parts you can have, So there will be no issues of Stacking top tier parts in a machine.

Regarding power units, Im suggesting have a "Max power unit" Higher Tier Grid link up will allow a machine to draw off Low medium or high voltage. Limit one per machine. Each Grid linkup will add in a number of "Power units" Each of the upgrades will have a number of Power units that they require. Should you exceed the maximum about of available power units, your fancy machine will be nothing more than a very very expensive door stop.

Part cores:
I also Suggest for making parts you need a "core" to work with, this core will be made from Different metals. Bronze will make low tier parts. This will give bronze a good use for making basic and cheap machines. Refined iron will be the base for the medium tier parts. With advanced alloy being the base for High tier parts.

Balance:
Yeah I hear you people screaming "But LASER! these machines will make all other machinery useless!" They would... IF they didn't cost a decent amount to get running. While the basic Modular machine Might be somewhat cheap with an advanced machine and a few circuits:

This machine alone is a huge waste. It won't draw power, It wont Run, It wont do anything other than stub your toe in a room when you forget to recharge your luminators for the 100th time. The individual parts will be fairly cheap with only 1-4 or so items to make a "Modular Core" These cores will be crafted in a batch of around 1-4 and will further need to be built up to become the part that you need. The parts themselves will Act like nuclear reactor parts and Thus be non stackable. As well, Some of the fast parts will Lack the ability to keep running for a Long time. Some parts might become hot and need a cool down, while others are fragile and will decay over time. On top of this, Custom built rigs will take a fair amount of power to keep running, Much more than a normal machine would ever think about taking. The amount is still up for debate.

Core Parts:

Hoppers & Storage units:
Hopper (Tier 1)/Storage Box
A basic input hopper, You can toss 1 Stack in like a normal machine/This basic storage box has 1 output slot

Dual Bladed hopper (Tier 2)/Dual Storage bin
Why it has blades, nobody will know, but It can easily take 2 stacks./ Holds 2 stacks

Tri-Hopper / Try storage unit
Like the name says, a hopper or storage unit that can hold 3 stacks

Power units:
Basic Grid Linkup
A basic Grid Linkup, Accepts low tier and provides around 80 Power units.

Multi Function Grid Link:
A mid Tier Grid Link; Designed around allowing machines access to medium voltage as well as Giving parts 160 Units to draw off of.

Omni Function Grid Link
The granddaddy of all Grid links, It can easily take HV and Will give all parts a whopping 320 Units to use.

Motors:

General Usage motor:
A standard IC2 basic machine motor Jury rigged to work in a Modular Machine unit. It will go at a basic Speed depending on the Device that your machine is using.

Ramp up Motor unit:
This motor requires the machine to spend time and energy to ramp up to get into full usage, Much like the Induction furnace. It also requires a constant Energy supply. On the up side, It will offer a Percentage based bonus to whatever Operation device you stick in.

Operational Devices:

By nature the Modular Machine unit will do nothing unless it has the parts required for it to acutally run. Alas, a furnace cannot run without a heating element. Nor can a macerator Grind anything up without any grinding Tools. Likewise all Operating devices have a Tier system to rank how each Part will perform
Tier 1: Low ranking Parts Basic like the Tier 1 machines
Tier 2: Mid level parts About half way between Induction furnace speeds and Tier 1 machines
Tier 3: Around 80% of the induction speed machines unless you are using a Ramp up motor
Tier S: Specialty Tier Items, Will usually out perform all other devices but Generally have some Steep downside to them. (Expensive, Can break, Can melt, Can Explode, Or all of the above)

Maceration Section:

Bronze Grinding Wheel: TIer 1
Works around the same speed as a Normal macerator for a slightly elevated cost, but Using this combined with a Tier 2 hopper will allow you to grind up a whole stack easily.

Iron Grinding wheel: Tier 2
This Iron grinding wheel can easily tolerate Higher speeds and will grind ore 50% faster, It also will drain a huge amount of power units, So I hope your machine is outfitted with a Tier 2 Grid linkup.

Advanced Alloy Grinder Tier 3
A high Speed basic Grinding unit, Designed for Double normal macerator speeds. Unfortunately the alloy is to soft on its own and needs diamonds to properly grind ore, otherwise you have your machine spitting rocks, And having a rock shot at you at high speed is not much fun, The creepers outside will get a good laugh though.

Obsidian Grinder (Tier S)
Obsidian by nature is a Glass, Glass is very sharp but also very fragile. Even using Advanced alloy to reinforce the obsidian, the drillhead will break after a around a half a stack of ore, but it will also Proccess these at a vastly improved speed. The Obsidian grinder is thus Expensive but fast.

Iridium Grinder (Tier S)
The Grand grinder itself. The Iridium Grinder can easily Reach speeds Far past the alloy grinder, but not quite reach the Obsidian one. Unfortunately Iridium is extremly durable but heavy duty applications will put to much heat on it, overheating your machines, thus the Iridium grinder needs to cool down or it will melt, And watching Iridum melt away into nothing is not what most people want to see.

Furnace section (Item only)

Melting Pot: (TIer S)
Pretty much to allow furnaces to run with 3 slots only. The Melting pot will Overheat if you run it to long.

Compressor:

Stone Crusher: Tier 1

Iron Crusher: Tier 2

Alloy Crusher: Tier 3

"Thwomp" Crusher: Tier S
Seems your teleporter link was slightly off, so after you returned from the mushroom kingdom you brought home a Friend. Thwomps Cant take a beating doing manual labor like this and will break over time. Fortunately They work just as good at crushing things as they do crushing Plumbers. (High Speed boost)

Singularity: Tier S
Who wouldn't want a black hole for all their Compressing needs? Unfortunately the finely tuned device required to keep your "Good Idea" In check Cant keep the job up for long or you will have your black hole destabilize in your house, leaving a nice hole.

Extractors:

Basic Squeezers going from Tier 1-3

"The Juicer" Tier S
Feared by many, "The Juicer" will work at high efficiency, Unfortunately Throwing to many things in there can cause it to break quite easily. After all, It seems the more an item can do the more fragile it gets.

Iridium Centrifuge: Tier S
This thing will require you to just toss in Rubber saplings and Bone meal just to keep up with its high speeds, unfortunately Iridium Can get hot working this hard. (High speed boost, With overheat)

Wrapping up:

I tried to Keep values and recipes out of this, as it is up to the Mod makers to decide what is balanced, or if Im just Insane for suggesting this. The Idea would need to be refined to really get a workable Idea, But it would be nice to see a machine that fits your automated factories needs. Do you need some Horrible crushing thing that even the nether wouldnt let in, Or a Macerator that can Process 5 quarries worth of ore in a few minutes instead of a few Real days, Or do you just want an extractor that can deal with a full stack of Resin without needing a pipe system to extract from your extractor.

Yeah Pretty much. I wanted to make a Viable Alternative to Advanced machines, while still giving people a variety of machines to fit Most people's needs for automated systems/Workshop Usage. I also wanted to make sure there were noticeable downsides to using them to fill basic needs alone other than more Hoppers for ore processing, While still giving them their own unique system of upgrades through Specialty parts that wont work like any other machine.

Yeah Unfortunately. I Just kinda wish IC2 had that experimenting feel to it, Trying to figure out what works right, as well as Giving Rare resources LIke iridum plates a use. Right now All a mass fab is good for is Iridium if you don't need anything else it makes. There is no incentive to keep producing UUM other than getting annoying resources easier once you got a quantum suit.

True, Linking would be a good idea, unfortunately I think Linking to neighboring blocks for supermachines was Shot down. As for the "reactor" style, its not so much like a grid like a reactor, More like a Normal Machine GUI with a few extra slots for things

Wasn't trying to Say UUM isnt useful, I Just meant Past a quantum suit, it really Lacks a unique usage. Iridium is one of the densest metals Around In real life, and is heat/Wear resistant. Unfortunately it lacks some uses besides quantum suits. And personally to me, I find no incentive to keep it going in production.