Chunks

[Spencer14]

Hi,

I had a little argument with a person on a server about chunks. Person #1 thought that in smp the whole map was loaded and all machines work(excluding EE) even if the closest person is 50k blocks away or even when no one is online and even when the servers off line your machines would still be running #2 said that theres no possible way to have the whole map loaded because it would take to much ram so tekkit just loads chunks around the person and stuff far away are not loaded. which is correct? Thanks

[andrewdonshik]

Person 2 is semi-correct. Tekkit loads what is near a person, and what is near chunk-loaders.

[Spencer14]

Person 2 is semi-correct. Tekkit loads what is near a person, and what is near chunk-loaders.

in what way is #2 incorrect? Thank you

[Guest Ysharma]

It also loads chunks near by chunk loader blocks.

[Omicron]

Something I have experienced though is that sometimes chunks are not unloaded immediately, especially when a player logs out.

I had my server running, dumped a lot of stuff into macerators and furnaces, and logged off to eat dinner without shutting down the server. Once I returned, I noticed that all the machines had finished their job - they kept running while I was offline. For some reason, the chunks were not unloaded. However, when I am ingame and walk far away from my base and then return, I will find that progress was paused while I was away, so in that case chunks are correctly unloaded.

[efflandt]

Read the wiki about Teleport Tether, World Anchor, and Dimensional Anchor. Those can keep certain chunks loaded when you are absent.

[gavjenks]

Neither person is correct, actually, and there's a third MAJOR source of chunks loaded that nobody in the thread above included. Three things load chunks:

1) About one render distance surrounding the spawn point of each of all 3 dimensions (overworld, nether, end), as well as around the spawn of any other worlds you might have (mystcraft, etc.). These are about 640 chunks each and stay loaded even if nobody is online. It MIGHT actually be one render distance around (0,0), not around spawn, I'm not sure. Haven't had a map recently where the two were far enough apart to test it.

2) One render distance surrounding each player.

3) Small numbers of chunks surrounding teleport tethers (one each), world anchors/anchor carts (9 each), or dimensional anchors (variable). These devices do not always keep everything loaded that a player or the spawn area would. For instance, world anchors do not keep buildcraft liquid tanks loaded for some reason. Also, world anchor blocks don't work on airships (the block will move, but the 9 loaded chunks will stay where they were). AND I think most of these devices only keep chunks loaded if somebody is online and in the same dimension as them.

[Omicron]

That doesn't quite explain why my base remained loaded while I was offline...

I am 600 meters away from spawn, 450 meters away from the nearest other player's base , and I do not own a single chunk loader. Server-side "render" distance is set to 12 chunks (i.e. a 25x25 chunk field, or 400x400 meters).

I find it odd that I can reliably "unload" my base by walking away, but logging off keeps it loaded.

[gavjenks]

That doesn't quite explain why my base remained loaded while I was offline...

I am 600 meters away from spawn, 450 meters away from the nearest other player's base , and I do not own a single chunk loader. Server-side "render" distance is set to 12 chunks (i.e. a 25x25 chunk field, or 400x400 meters).

I find it odd that I can reliably "unload" my base by walking away, but logging off keeps it loaded.

People move around a lot more than 50 blocks around the centers of their bases when they are offline. If somebody is 450 blocks from you, and render distance is 12 chunks, then you are almost guaranteed to have your base periodically loaded as they fly around doing their daily business.

[Omicron]

That's what I thought at first...

...except that I can reliably reproduce this while being completely alone on the server. Freshly rebooted server, too. Logged in, popped a stack of dust into the furnace, logged off, let it sit for 10 minutes, logged back in and voila, a stack of bars completed. Works every time, as strange as it is.