Thought out tool upgrades.

I was down in a mine recently with my pickaxe and mining drill, kinda frustrated that I had to carry 2 tools because I can't enchant the drill, not that I liked the enchanting table as it is.. :p I thought, why can't I put upgrades in these tools, then I got lost in thought, and blown too all @#$% by a creeper, so I kept thinking, I was too far from base to get my stuff anyway.

My idea assumes that the tools call standard MC functions when used, but I haven't looked at any code.

Hitting shift+M while holding a tool opens a GUI, the GUI has 4 slots, maybe an indicator telling you how many of each upgrade you have room for; detailes for the mining laser will be at the end since it acts differently.

Overclocker Upgrade:
In tools, this has a direct relation to the Efficiency, limit of 5 in a tool for a total of 250% increase, to me it's ok, but then overclockers are not THAT expensive.

Energy Storage Upgrade:
This does what it says, instead of Unbreaking's ability to prevent durability consumption (energy in IC2 tools) i simply adds to the max energy, 10000 per upgrade, maybe 10 or 20 max per tool.

Transformer Upgrade:
This one has 2 effects, max 3

First effect: If possible, the tool will charge faster.
1; slightly faster, no change in FSUs and MFSUs
2; very noticibly faster in FSUs, ut no change in MFSUs
3; Instantly charges in an MFSU

Second Effect: directly relates to Fortune's effect.

Optimizer Upgrade:

Yea, I know, this one does not exist yet, but I needed something to activate the Silk touch effect. in tools max 1
In machines , the optimizer would half the EU increase caused by an Overclocker and can only be inserted on a 1:1 ratio with them, I have no idea about balance, so I would not suggest a recipe.

In enchanting, you can't get both Silk Touch and Fortune at the same time, but if you cheat it in, Silk Touch trumps and the Fortune effect does nothing. The "Optimizer" should work the same in this regard, so no getting multiple ore blocks while mining.

The Hand Cannon er... Mining Laser:

Since this works differently, it would probably need the most changes, remove the modes. (I've blown my self up with it once or twice before I got my new keyboard) Shift +M opens the GUI, just like the tools.

With no Upgrades, it is the current short ranged mode.

The Overclocker Upgrade: instead of increasing speed since you can't increase instant, have it increase the range, personally I would use 5 as an option:
0; short range (3 blocks or so), 1 block mined
1; 16 blocks range, 1 block mined
2; 16 block range, 16 block mined
3; 32 block range, 1 blocks mined
4; 32 block range, 32 blocks mined
5; 64 block range, 64 blocks mined

The Energy Storage Upgrade: This adds EU storage to the tool, you will need these for things to be mentioned later

Transformer Upgrade:
The first effect is the same as with other tools;
The second effect; the mode effect:
0; mining mode
1; horizontal mode
3; Scatter

Optimizer Upgrade:
1; Super Heated mode
2; Explosive 1 (the strength of iTNT so ores do not get blown up.)
3; Explosive 2 (Current explosive strength)
4; Devastation Mode

In this case, the optimizer mode trumps the modes given by the Transformer upgrades, except for the 4th Optimizer upgrade, this will allow the mode set by the Transformer be combined with the Explosive 2 mode for utter devastation :), or you can just give it a NUKE or Reactor level explosion, I would prefer the scattered explosives though. Devastation mode takes ALOT of EU, the stock batteries of the Mining laser can only hold enough charge for 1 or even none shots, and you need to make sure you stand far back from the impact area, but it'ed be awesome.

Other thoughts;
With the exception of possibly a Mining Laser in Devastation mode, Transformer upgrades are not needed if you have a Lappack, but they are cheep storage expansions.

I did a search I had not seen and upgrade suggestions anywhere in the suggestions thread, and I did find other things, but, to me they did notseem to fit in IC, all the previous is my idea and personal opinion.

Off to go find my stuff

I read the nanobot idea and it seemed to spiral out of control, and was more of a change to the player rather than the tool, also I don't exactly like the idea of nanobots, it seems more like magic, today they are only used for medical purpouses, this was my idea for the same effects without any extra blocks, and, in my head, the least amount of motification, like I said I think IC2 just calls MC's digging/chopping functions, all it would have to do is pass through the number of upgrade to the function in place of the enchantment level

You don't need Nanobots for the Silktouch effect as people today get almost perfectly square stone blocks outta quarries now (and have been since the ancient Egyptian era), it takes skill, not magic.

As for Fortune, it's just more efficient processing, Today, we get more usable coal, diamonds, tin, silver, gold, ect... just from a more efficient mining process so much so that they are going back to existing mines to get what was missed because they thought there was nothing usable. since we can't put coal, diamonds, lapis, and redstone (along with the mod ores like Nikolite) into a Macerator, this was my idea to replace it

The mining laser, my thought was that you just needed more power to mine more blocks, thus the overclocker. the mining laser gave me the most trouble in my idea honestly. I was just trying to think of a way for more controllablility without adding upgrades just for the one tool.

Like I said, this is just my idea on it and my personal opinion