skylorbeck.website

Tokenable Furnaces and Storage

https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/tokenable-furnaces-and-storage

01. Executive Summary

Tokenable Furnaces and Storage is a gameplay enhancement module designed to streamline the progression of storage and processing infrastructure in Minecraft. The project addresses a critical friction point in the user experience: the tedious “break-and-replace” cycle required to upgrade functional blocks.

By introducing a token-based upgrade system, this mod allows for the in-situ evolution of machinery and storage units. Users can upgrade the capacity and speed of their infrastructure seamlessly, without halting production or emptying inventories.

02. Core Features & Mechanics

Tiered Progression Architecture

The mod implements a strict, linear progression hierarchy to maintain game balance while offering meaningful rewards.

  • Material Tiers: Iron $\rightarrow$ Gold $\rightarrow$ Diamond $\rightarrow$ Netherite / Amethyst.
  • Logic: Users must craft specific “Tokens” corresponding to these tiers. An object cannot skip a tier (e.g., a standard Furnace cannot be upgraded directly to Diamond; it must pass through Iron and Gold first).

Non-Destructive Deployment (Hot-Swapping)

A key innovation is the ability to upgrade blocks actively in the world environment.

  • Mechanism: Users apply an upgrade Token by sneaking and right-clicking the target block.
  • UX Benefit: This eliminates the need to break the block, pick up its contents, craft a new block, and replace it.

State & Data Persistence

The mod features robust NBT (Named Binary Tag) data handling to ensure data integrity during upgrades.

  • Inventory Retention: Chests, barrels, and shulker boxes retain all items during the upgrade process.
  • Process Continuity: Furnaces retain their current fuel levels and smelting progress, allowing for zero-downtime upgrades.

03. Supported Infrastructure

The token system is designed for broad compatibility across vanilla container and processing types:

  • Processing: Furnaces (Speed & Fuel Efficiency upgrades).
  • Storage: Chests, Trapped Chests, Barrels, Shulker Boxes.
  • Logistics: Hoppers (Throughput/Transfer rate upgrades).

04. Design Philosophy

“Don’t worry about losing items inside or losing your fuel progress; all of that is preserved and copied over to the newly upgraded block.” — Skylor Beck

The design prioritizes player time and resource valuation. By enforcing a crafting cost for tokens (e.g., surrounding a lower-tier token with higher-tier materials), the mod maintains the economic value of resources while removing the logistical headache of infrastructure management.

05. Technical Implementation

  • Input Method: Shift + Right-Click interaction for trigger events.
  • Rendering: Custom textures for tiered blocks (e.g., Gold Furnaces, Diamond Barrels) to provide immediate visual feedback on infrastructure levels.
  • Recipe Tree: Nested crafting recipes where the previous tier’s token is a required ingredient for the next, creating a “tech tree” within the crafting table.