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Copper Pipes (infographic included)

I didn't have enough characters to properly explain my ideas, and I wanted to provide visuals, so I made this fancy infographic to explain my idea:

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  • 30
    Registered User commented
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    I'm on board for anything that can give copper more of a use because I'm terrified of imagining having tons and tons of copper and not using any of it ever. (I want copper for more than just building blocks and using a telescope or lightning rod)

  • 12
    Registered User commented
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    The building uses for copper pipes in and of themselves are limitless.

  • 7
    Registered User commented
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    Should be able to link a water block to the copper pipe and have it exit over a cauldron which will keep the cauldron filled (maybe a spigot to control the water flow).

  • 13
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    I absolutely agree. I'm so tired of using hoppers as pipes. My additional request would be that they should make them able to make better item sorters with these. It would also be nice to be able to sort multiple items to the same chest instead of only one item dedicated to a chest.

  • 13
    Registered User commented
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    This is a great idea. Once you use a few copper ingots for a spyglass and some lightning rods, the only use left for it is building. For as common as copper is, it needs more uses to make it worth mining. Iron has so many uses that you often need more of it, and hopefully copper can be that way too. Anything that makes good use of copper and is a high quality post like this is an instant upvote for me!

  • 24
    Registered User commented
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    The infographic is great, but what really sets this idea apart from other 'copper pipe' concepts is the thought put into complimenting, rather than replacing, hoppers. The configuration scheme builds nicely off wall / pane logic, and the ability to use less hoppers and greatly simplify vertical item transfer would be incredible for performance. Here are some ideas I'd like to add:

    • 'Pulling' items from containers should remain firmly in the domain of hoppers, reinforcing their role as flow control blocks and ensuring most item transfer designs still need at least one hopper. Barrels could be the exception to this, complimenting their compactness.
    • Further extending the principle of copper pipes pushing rather than pulling items, the behavior at junctions should be to merge item flow rather than divide it. Splitting a stream of items would seem to fall into hoppers' domain of flow control, and indeed, very elegant designs for even item distribution have been made using hoppers.
    • Limiting copper pipes to a single output would also greatly simplify linking logic: Each pipe has a single output link at the block face it was placed against, and has input links only where hoppers, droppers, and other pipes have their respective outputs going into it. This would remove the need for a shift-click behavior that would complicate placement against containers, and it would allow for a variety of parallel and converging pipeline networks.
  • 11
    Registered User commented
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    Even more ideas I'd like to add to this, a bit more on the technical side:

    Copper pipes could be made even more unique by being coded as technically not even a container–instead, each pipe in a completed network could simply store the ultimate destination of the pipeline and the length of the pipeline from the given block to that endpoint. Thus, internally, the pipes would never really contain items–the game would process the transfer directly from end-to-end, with an added delay proportional to the length of the piping.

    This special status as a non-container would allow the pipes to have one more intriguing feature: a redstone comparator reading a copper pipe could give an output proportional to the rate of item flow through it. This would open the door for a whole new spectrum of dynamic systems, such as a super-smelter that saves fuel by running less furnaces in parallel when it is receiving items more slowly.

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    How do you can use a picture? Did you can tell me?

  • 6
    Registered User commented
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    Very good idea!
    More copper functions and new warehouse options.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Items should flow from the hopper tip into the crate or be thrown away if nothing is connected. Blocked tube stores items inside, has 3 hidden slots.

  • 2
    Registered User commented
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    this looks like a really cool idea i think the pipes should be a bit thicker though for decoration sake.

  • 2
    Registered User commented
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    AWSOME

  • 12
    Registered User commented
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    I also like the idea of copper pipes that compliment but not replace hoppers.

    If pipes were made to simply transport items, not to pick them up like hoppers do, they could greatly reduce the amount of processing a hopper needs to do and thus the amount of lag that large quantities of hoppers can produce and that players need to work around by putting things like composters on top of their hoppers.

    I personally think that if pipes are to be directional, they should only have a single output direction, but multiple possible input directions.

  • 2
    Registered User commented
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    Honestly I was going to make this Idea myself, and you took the words right out of my mouth and made them even better. This Idea definitely fits in with Minecraft, and could be used for a lot of different contraptions. This can especially help with Item transfer for huge bases and even for certain roleplay scenarios (EX: If you wanted to make a Minecraft "SCP foundation" and needed some Item transport for supplies to contain anomalies.)

    This Idea was Very well thought out and definitely deserves more votes than just "Icy stalagmites/stalactites" as It not only has a balanced and interesting use but also works in the building department, especially with something like a steampunk build.

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    This is awesome I'm working on a slide show to this exact idea. Spread this idea to everyone!

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    This would be great. honestly just want to be able to move items sideways without going down first. Almost think it should have dropper like behavior at the end if it isn't blocked, but only drop straight down when the item comes out. Think it would be good to only be able to output to air, water , lava, or a hopper though. 

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    I love the idea that you can use this in conjunction with iron hoppers. Rather then just using a line of iron hoppers to achieve the same thing

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    This is such a good idea