How do Grinders and Mob spawners work?

[CharlieChop]

i was reading around the wiki and it pretty easy to use this blocks, the problem arises when i began to think how i could use them.

The current mob grinder setups (the ones I've seen) take essence and items from baby cows once they grow up. Then you can use that essence to spawn more mobs, using an auto-spawner..... my question here is.... can i create a self sustained mob spawning loop? if i create a certain amount of mob essence, and the use it all to create, lets say....wither skeletons... will ill be able to run that loop indefinitely since the wither give essence too?

[Melfice]

Not sure, but I think you do need an alternate farm on the side for this to work.

I've not set up farms like this, but I would imagine that, to keep things balanced, the mobs require more essence than they give.

But again, I've never set these up, and I'm not too familiar with the mechanics.

[Magicthize]

Spawning mobs takes more essence than they give when harvested. I think the only exception to this is slimes which I'm pretty sure are at least self sustaining (and possibly create more than they use - I haven't tested it) - this is because when the slime is killed it spawns 2 more smaller slimes and so on. All other mobs will eventually use up all the mobs essence and the system will stop. As long as you are still breeding animals, however, you'll always have a source of essence for your mobs spawners.

[CharlieChop]

Spawning mobs takes more essence than they give when harvested. I think the only exception to this is slimes which I'm pretty sure are at least self sustaining (and possibly create more than they use - I haven't tested it) - this is because when the slime is killed it spawns 2 more smaller slimes and so on. All other mobs will eventually use up all the mobs essence and the system will stop. As long as you are still breeding animals, however, you'll always have a source of essence for your mobs spawners.

he beat me to it.

--By the mother of all exploits!!!!!!

i just found a way to multiply your mob essence by at least 5 times. its SO simple i feel im cheating if i use this method on my survival world.

if you use a reusable safari net on a Big slime, you can get at least 5 times as much essence since all the little slimes count as a single mob. thinking about it...its not much of an exploit since we already have infinite mob essence....its just a tad faster this way.

[Melfice]

We don't actually have spoiler tags on these forums.

You could probably put it in pastebin and link that here.

[Viktor_Berg]

That slime exploit has been fixed in the later versions of MFR - the killed slimes do not spawn child slimes.

[Prototype958]

Hey Charlie,

In regards to the Wither Skele option, that's actually what I built my Mob Factory around(the one I posted on my other thread). Wither Skeletons share a mob ID with regular Skeletons so you need to use the "Spawn Exact Copy" option in the spawner, which uses A LOT more essense and power to spawn, otherwise even with a Wither Skeleton in the Net it will only spawn regular skeletons.

I use an Ender Tank up at my Cattle farm, linked to another ET in my Mob factory to fill up some reserve tanks that feed into the Auto Spawner. Then at the end of my Mob Factory where I have the grinder for that, I have a third ET linked to the other 2, so I have 2 sources constantly feeding the auto spanwer. When I go through a cycle of Pigmen(not using "Exact Copy") I usually end up with over 500 gold nuggets before I run back out of Essense and need to prep again.

[CharlieChop]

hey, thanks man. Yeah i imagined the exact copy would use more essence. i went straight for the slime to get a base mob reserver and then start experimenting.....i was finally able to repair my efficiency 5, unbreaking 3 and fortune 2 (XS) diamond pick xD