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russelburgraymond edited this page Jun 11, 2026 · 2 revisions

RS-Auger Design Notes

Overview

RS-Auger is a item transport machine built from a Lightning Rod.

Its purpose is to move filtered item stacks between adjacent containers. can move items in any direction.

Examples:

Chest
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Auger
 ↑
Chest
Chest
 ↑
Auger
 ↑
Barrel
Hopper
 ↑
Auger
 ↑
Chest

Design Goals

  • Simple setup
  • No radius scanning
  • No item entities
  • No pathfinding
  • No internal inventories
  • Whole-stack transfers
  • Filter support
  • Minimal server impact

Orientation

The Lightning Rod orientation determines transfer direction.

Small End

  • Source container

Large End

  • Target container

Players must physically orient the Lightning Rod to control transfer direction.

No reverse mode is planned for the initial release.


Valid Containers

Supported:

  • Chest
  • Trapped Chest
  • Barrel
  • Hopper

Future container support may be added later.


Transfer Cycle

Default interval:

  • 3 seconds

Process:

  1. Validate source container.
  2. Validate target container.
  3. Find eligible stack.
  4. Claim stack or slot.
  5. Check filters.
  6. Transfer stack.
  7. Release claim.

Filters

Filters operate similarly to RS-ItemMagnet.

Supported modes:

  • Whitelist
  • Blacklist

Only matching stacks are eligible for transfer.


Machine States

BUILDING

Machine has been created but setup is incomplete.

The machine rescans periodically for required containers.

RUNNING

Machine is operating normally.

PAUSED

Machine is intentionally paused by player action.

ERROR

Machine detected an invalid configuration.

Examples:

  • Missing source container
  • Missing target container
  • Invalid source
  • Invalid target

Error state displays Angry Villager particles.


Conversion

Players convert a Lightning Rod into an RS-Auger.

After conversion:

  • Machine enters BUILDING state.
  • Source and target containers are validated.
  • Machine automatically starts when setup becomes valid.

If setup remains incomplete beyond the build timeout period:

  • Machine enters ERROR state.

Error Recovery

Player corrects the problem.

Examples:

  • Replace missing chest
  • Replace missing hopper

Player clicks Resume.

Machine re-validates configuration.

If valid:

  • Machine enters RUNNING state.

If invalid:

  • Machine remains in ERROR state.

Inventory Locking

To prevent multiple Augers from moving the same stack:

  • Source inventories are temporarily locked during transfers.

Lock duration exists only for the active transfer cycle.


Warehouse Compatibility

RS-Auger must not pull items from RS-Warehouse deposit containers.

Future validation:

  • Warehouse deposit containers will use a reserved chest name.
  • Auger will treat these containers as INVALID_SOURCE.

Reserved warehouse deposit name:

TBD


Future Considerations

Not planned for initial release:

  • Reverse mode
  • Auger-to-Auger chaining
  • Internal inventories
  • Network routing
  • Priority routing
  • Wireless transport