Synthetic stone: reusing gravel cooking for colorful materials

[h-v-smacker]

Since tar is cooked from pine now, which is a much more realistic process, cooking gravel is left without purpose (yet, probably, still implemented in many existing automated factories). I propose to use this process to create an array of decorative building materials, called "synthetic stones". Based on whitewashed tar texture, they are colored with regular dyes and can be cooked to make color deeper. The result is a selection of pastel-colored stone blocks, which will complement or replace wool for the purpose of adding color into structures.

[gpcf]

Seems like a very nice addition.

[Thomas--S]

In general, I think the addition of colored stone blocks is a very good idea.

There is only one concern I have:
This recipe will cause many conflicts. For example, the streets mod uses this recipe for asphalt and I'm sure there are many additional mods that use this recipe. While working on the streets mod, there were often complaints regarding recipe conflicts with exactly this recipe. It doesn't seem like a good idea to add an additional confilicting recipe. How about a shapeless recipe { "default:gravel", "default:stone"}?

[h-v-smacker]

@Thomas--S I wanted to bring back physical treatment... but if a crafting recipe is preferable, I'd rather go with gravel alone (mixing gravel and stone doesn't make practical sense anyway; not to mention that stone is widely used as it is, while gravel isn't). Why not go with something like

{'', gravel, ''}
{gravel, '', gravel}
{'', gravel, ''}

for example? There also could be additional recipes with dye in the middle to produce the colored stone immediately, while the one above would produce "plain" variety for stockpiling scenarios.

[Thomas--S]

@h-v-smacker I am totally fine with your suggestion! 👍

[h-v-smacker]

@Thomas--S on the other hand, do you have a list of mods which use cooking gravel and are known to conflict with moreblocks? There is nothing precluding a check to see if those are enabled, and selecting the recipes accordingly.

[dhausmig]

I like the Synthetic Stone concept. Gravel needs to have more uses and the use of dyes to add color multiplies its usefulness. I think this would be a great addition to moreblocks.

[Thomas--S]

@h-v-smacker I don't have a list of all mods using this recipe, I'm sorry. But in general, I think choosing the recipe depending on which other mods are enabled will only lead to confusion amongst players.

[h-v-smacker]

@Thomas--S I understand that it might be confusing, but then again it's not an unusual thing. I've seen recipes that change their components based on other mods availability (there are such recipes in technic, for example; and technic mod itself redefines some recipes in favor of using its own components over crafting).

On the other hand, a crafting recipe and a physical treatment are different: while a physical treatment sets a qualitative criterion (you must be able to have and run furnaces, either providing a steady input of fuel, or providing electricity), a crafting recipe is based on a purely quantitative one (if you have a lot of gravel, you can do this). I personally favor recipes that reward player's attempts at gaining technological progress — they create a stimulus for in-game development.

[h-v-smacker]

I changed the recipe to a shaped one. Although I personally believe that some physical treatment would be preferable for this item. Perhaps at a later date, if and when some new in-game technology emerges.

[Oblomov]

One way to require physical treatment is to use crafts to prepare a “raw” material, to be cooked into the final product. For example, you could use the recipe to produce 4 blobs of synthstone paste , and then “fix” the paste into synthstone by cooking.

This would eve make sense for the coloring, since the paste itself would need to be colored, either by putting the dye at the center of the crafting recipe, or by adding dye to the paste before cooking.