Overview#
Advanced Rocketry is a high-tech exploration mod designed to provide a realistic and customizable space travel experience. Unlike other space mods, it features modular rocket construction where every block placed on a rocket affects its weight, fuel capacity, and thrust. Players can discover new solar systems, launch satellites to gather data, and terraform entire worlds.
Key Features
- Modular Rockets: Build rockets of any shape and size using various engines and fuel tanks.
- Planetary Systems: Explore moons, planets, and stars within multiple solar systems.
- Space Stations: Construct and inhabit orbital bases that can be moved between planets using Warp Cores.
- Satellites: Launch unmanned probes for asteroid mining, weather monitoring, and data collection.
- Advanced Mechanics: Realistic oxygen, gravity, and atmospheric pressure systems.
- Multi-block Machines: Large-scale industrial machines for processing rare ores and crafting high-tech components.
Getting Started#
To begin your journey to the stars, you must first master the mod's industrial processing. Advanced Rocketry relies on LibVulpes for its core machine mechanics and power (RF/FE/EU).
Early Game Processing
- Small Plate Presser: The first machine you'll need. Place it one block above a block of Obsidian. Drop an ingot between them and apply a Redstone pulse to create metal plates.
- Holo-Projector: Essential for building multi-block structures. Right-click to select a machine, then right-click on the ground to see a ghost image of the required blocks.
- Electric Arc Furnace: Used to smelt Steel, Silicon, and Titanium. It is a 3x3x3 multi-block structure.
The Space Suit
Before leaving Earth, you must craft a Space Suit to survive the vacuum. The suit consists of a Helmet, Chestpiece, Leggings, and Boots.
- Oxygen Tanks: Must be installed into the Chestpiece using a Suit Workstation.
- Gas Charge Pad: Used to refill your oxygen tanks with Oxygen gas produced by an Electrolyser.
Rocketry Mechanics#
Building a rocket requires a Launch Pad (made of Concrete) and a Rocket Assembling Machine placed adjacent to it. A Structure Tower must be built next to the pad to the height of your intended rocket.
Essential Rocket Components
| Component | Function |
|---|---|
| Liquid Fueled Engine | Provides thrust for the rocket. |
| Liquid Fuel Tank | Stores Rocket Fuel (Hydrogen + Oxygen). |
| Guidance Computer | Holds the Planet ID Chip to determine the destination. |
| Seat | Allows the player to ride the rocket. |
| Satellite Bay | (Optional) Used to launch satellites or space station modules. |
Launching
- Build the rocket on the Launch Pad.
- Use the Rocket Assembling Machine to scan and build the entity.
- Use a Linker to connect a Fueling Station to the rocket and fill it with fuel.
- Insert a programmed Planet ID Chip into the Guidance Computer.
- Board the rocket and press 'Space' to launch.
Space Stations#
Space Stations are permanent orbital dimensions that players can customize. They are initially launched as a Space Station Container via a rocket's Satellite Bay.
Station Components
- Space Station Assembler: Used to package the initial station blocks into a container.
- Warp Core: A multi-block that allows the station to travel between different planets and stars. Requires Dilithium Crystals as fuel.
- Warp Controller: The interface used to select destinations for the station.
- Oxygen Vent: Fills enclosed rooms with breathable air, provided it has an Oxygen supply and a CO2 Scrubber.
Multi-block Machines#
Advanced Rocketry features several large-scale machines required for high-tier progression.
| Machine | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Precision Assembler | Crafts complex electronics like Circuit Boards and Motors. |
| Crystallizer | Grows Silicon Boules and Dilithium Crystals. |
| Cutting Machine | Slices Silicon Boules into Wafers and logs into planks. |
| Rolling Machine | Efficiently produces metal plates and pressure tanks. |
| Electrolyser | Separates Water into Hydrogen and Oxygen gas. |
| Chemical Reactor | Combines Hydrogen and Oxygen into Rocket Fuel. |
| Observatory | Uses data from satellites to discover new planets and asteroids. |
| Orbital Laser Drill | A space-station-mounted laser that mines ores from the planet below. |
Items & Resources#
The mod adds several unique ores and items necessary for space travel.
Ores
- Dilithium: Found on moons and high-tier planets. Used for Warp fuel.
- Rutile: Smelted into Titanium, a core material for advanced machines and engines.
- Aluminum, Copper, Tin: Basic industrial metals used for various components.
- Iridium: Extremely rare ore used for the highest-tier engines and coils.
Key Items
- Linker: A tool used to connect machines (e.g., Fueling Station to Rocket).
- Planet ID Chip: Programmed in a Satellite Terminal to set rocket destinations.
- Data Storage Unit: Stores Distance, Mass, and Composition data gathered by satellites.
- Pressure Tanks: Installed in space suits to increase oxygen capacity.
Planets & Dimensions#
Advanced Rocketry features a procedural planetary system. By default, only the Overworld and Luna (The Moon) are available. Further planets must be discovered using the Observatory.
Environmental Hazards
- Vacuum: Causes rapid damage to players and mobs without oxygen.
- Low/High Gravity: Affects jump height and fall speed.
- Atmospheric Pressure: High pressure can crush players, while low pressure requires a sealed suit.
- Extreme Heat/Cold: Requires specific suit upgrades to survive.
Customization
Server owners can define custom solar systems, planets, and biomes using the planetDefs.xml configuration file. This allows for the inclusion of dimensions from other mods (like The Twilight Forest) as reachable planets.
Mobs & Entities#
Advanced Rocketry does not add traditional "alien" mobs. Instead, it focuses on how existing entities interact with space environments.
- Vacuum Survival: Most vanilla mobs (Cows, Zombies, etc.) will take suffocation damage and die quickly in airless environments like the Moon or Space Stations.
- Villagers in Space: Players can transport Villagers to space stations to create orbital colonies. They require an Oxygen Vent to survive without suits.
- Electric Mushrooms: While technically a block, these spawn in certain alien biomes and can strike nearby entities with lightning.
Commands#
The mod provides several administrative commands for managing dimensions and data.
/advancedRocketry planet list: Lists all currently registered planets and their IDs./advancedRocketry planet delete <id>: Deletes a specific planet dimension./advancedRocketry planet generate <starId> <name>: Manually generates a new planet./advancedRocketry reload: Reloads the XML configuration files./advancedRocketry giveStation <id>: Gives the player a Space Station ID chip for the specified station.
