Overview#
The Create mod is a revolutionary addition to Minecraft that shifts the focus from UI-based automation to physical, world-integrated machinery. It introduces 'Kinetic Energy' as a power source, allowing players to build complex contraptions using shafts, cogwheels, belts, and pulleys. Unlike traditional tech mods that rely on energy cables and magic blocks, Create emphasizes spatial reasoning and mechanical design.
At its core, the mod revolves around Rotational Force, measured in Speed (RPM) and Stress (SU). Players must balance the production of stress capacity with the demands of their machinery to prevent system overloads.
Core Mechanics#
Rotational Force
All machinery in Create requires rotation to function. This rotation is defined by two primary attributes:
- Speed (RPM): How fast a component rotates. Higher speeds often result in faster processing but consume more stress capacity.
- Stress (SU): The 'torque' or load on a system. Every generator provides a certain amount of Stress Capacity, and every functional block (like a drill or press) consumes a portion of that capacity.
The Ponder System
Create features an innovative in-game documentation system called 'Pondering'. By holding the 'W' key while hovering over an item in the inventory, players are shown a 3D animated scene explaining exactly how that block or item functions within the world.
Stress Impact and Capacity
| Generator | Stress Capacity (at 1 RPM) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hand Crank | 8 SU | Manual power source |
| Water Wheel | 16 SU | Powered by flowing water |
| Large Water Wheel | 64 SU | More efficient version of the water wheel |
| Windmill Bearing | 512 SU per sail | Scales with the number of sail blocks (max 128) |
| Steam Engine | 1024 - 16384+ SU | Requires heat, water, and a boiler setup |
| Consumer | Stress Impact (at 1 RPM) | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Press | 4 SU | Flattens ingots into sheets |
| Mechanical Mixer | 4 SU | Mixes items in a basin |
| Mechanical Drill | 4 SU | Breaks blocks in front of it |
| Mechanical Saw | 4 SU | Cuts wood and stone |
| Encased Fan | 2 SU | Moves entities or processes items with air flows |
Kinetic Components#
These are the building blocks of any mechanical system, used to transport and manipulate rotation.
- Shafts: The simplest way to relay rotation in a straight line.
- Cogwheels: Used to transfer rotation between adjacent shafts. Large cogwheels can be paired with small ones to double or halve the rotation speed.
- Belts: Created by clicking two shafts with Dried Kelp. They transport items and rotation over distances.
- Gearboxes: Encased gears that allow rotation to be turned 90 degrees or split into multiple directions.
- Clutches and Gearshifts: Redstone-controlled blocks that can stop rotation or reverse its direction.
Processing Machinery#
Processing machinery allows for the automation of resource refining and crafting.
Mechanical Press
When placed above a Depot or a Belt, the Mechanical Press flattens items. It is primarily used to create metal sheets (Plates) from ingots.
Mechanical Mixer
Requires a Basin underneath. When provided with enough speed, it mixes ingredients to create new compounds. If the recipe requires heat, a Blaze Burner must be placed under the Basin.
Millstone and Crushing Wheels
Used for grinding materials. The Millstone is an early-game block for processing wheat into flour or ores into crushed variants. Crushing Wheels are an advanced, high-throughput alternative that can process tougher materials.
Encased Fan
Fans can push or pull entities. More importantly, if a fan blows through lava, water, or fire, it can process items on a belt:
- Lava (Bulk Blasting): Smelts items.
- Water (Bulk Washing): Cleans items (e.g., Gravel into Iron Nuggets).
- Fire/Soul Fire (Bulk Haunting): Transforms items into undead or soul variants.
- Campfire (Bulk Smoking): Cooks food.
Logistics and Storage#
Create provides unique ways to move items and fluids without traditional pipes.
- Chutes: Vertical tubes that drop items downward or push them upward if connected to a fan.
- Funnels (Andesite/Brass): Used to extract or insert items into containers. Brass funnels support advanced filtering.
- Tunnels (Andesite/Brass): Placed over belts to split or merge item streams. Brass tunnels can distribute items evenly or filter them.
- Spout: Used to fill containers (like buckets or bottles) with fluids from a pipe system.
- Item Drain: Removes fluids from containers and puts them into a pipe system.
Contraptions#
One of Create's most powerful features is the ability to turn a group of blocks into a single moving entity.
- Mechanical Piston: Extends and retracts blocks attached via Super Glue or Chassis blocks.
- Rope Pulley: Lowers and raises blocks vertically.
- Mechanical Bearing: Rotates attached blocks. Used for windmills, rotating doors, or complex clocks.
- Gantry Carriage: Moves along Gantry Shafts, allowing for precise X-Y-Z movement.
- Cart Assembler: Turns a structure into a Minecart Contraption, allowing it to travel along rails.
Super Glue
Super Glue is an essential tool for contraptions. It allows players to 'stick' blocks together so they move as a single unit when activated by a kinetic component.
Trains and Rail Systems#
The Train system allows for massive, multi-car vehicles that can transport players, items, and fluids across long distances.
- Track: A custom rail type that can be laid in smooth curves and slopes.
- Train Station: The hub where trains are assembled and scheduled.
- Train Bogey: The wheel base of the train. Blocks are built on top of these.
- Train Controls: The block used by a player (or a Train Pilot) to drive the train.
- Schedule: An item used to automate train movements between stations, including conditions like 'Wait until empty' or 'Wait 5 seconds'.
Materials and Crafting#
Create introduces several new materials essential for progression.
Andesite Alloy
The foundational material for early-game machines. Made by combining Andesite and Iron Nuggets (or Zinc Nuggets).
Brass
An alloy of Copper and Zinc. Requires a Mechanical Mixer and a heated Blaze Burner. Brass is used for advanced, filtered, and high-speed machinery.
Precision Mechanism
A high-tier component made through a 'Sequence Assembly' process. It requires a gold sheet to pass under a series of Deployers holding various components (Cogwheels, Buttons, etc.).
| Material | Acquisition Method | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| Andesite Alloy | Crafting / Mixing | Shafts, Cogwheels, Andesite Casings |
| Copper Casing | Right-click Log with Copper | Fluid-related blocks |
| Brass Casing | Right-click Log with Brass | Advanced logistics and logic |
| Rose Quartz | Crafting (Quartz + Redstone) | Electron Tubes, Polished Rose Quartz |
Fluid Manipulation#
Create handles fluids physically using pipes and pumps.
- Fluid Pipes: Transport liquids. They do not have a GUI and show the fluid flowing inside if they are glass-fronted.
- Mechanical Pump: Provides the pressure needed to move fluids through pipes. Direction depends on rotation.
- Fluid Tank: Modular storage for liquids. Can be stacked to increase capacity.
- Hose Pulley: Can drain or fill large bodies of water/lava. If the body of liquid is large enough (10,000+ blocks), it is treated as infinite.
Equipment and Tools#
- Engineer's Goggles: Allows the player to see detailed kinetic information (Stress, Speed, Capacity) when looking at blocks.
- Wrench: The primary tool for configuring machines, rotating blocks, and instantly picking up Create components.
- Copper Backtank: A wearable air tank that provides oxygen underwater or powers the Potato Cannon and Extendo-Grip.
- Potato Cannon: A projectile weapon that uses various crops as ammunition, each with different effects (e.g., Poisonous Potatoes apply poison).