Overview#
Persistent Bits is designed for players who need their automated farms, machines, and entities to continue functioning without requiring a constant player presence. Unlike many other chunk-loading mods, Persistent Bits focuses on a "Vanilla-plus" experience, offering a single, highly configurable block that does not require fuel or complex setups.
The mod is built to be performant and stable, utilizing standard Forge chunk-loading tickets to ensure that chunks are handled correctly by the server. It is particularly useful for long-distance item transport, automated crop harvesting, and maintaining large-scale industrial setups in mods like Create or Mekanism.
Blocks#
The mod adds a single primary block that handles all chunk-loading functionality.
Chunk Loader
The Chunk Loader is the heart of the mod. When placed, it immediately begins keeping the surrounding area loaded in memory.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Hardness | 3.5 |
| Resistance | 3.5 |
| Tool Required | Pickaxe (Iron or better) |
| Luminance | 0 |
| Flammable | No |
Behavior:
- Automatic Loading: Once placed, the Chunk Loader will automatically re-load its assigned chunks whenever the world or server starts up. You do not need to visit the block to "kick-start" it.
- Security: By default, the block is tied to the player who placed it. This prevents other players from breaking or moving the loader on multiplayer servers, though this can be toggled in the configuration.
- Visual Feedback: Right-clicking the block will toggle a visual indicator (smoke particles) that appears in the center of every chunk currently being kept active by that specific loader.
Mechanics#
Persistent Bits operates on a few core mechanics that distinguish it from other utility mods.
Chunk Loading Radius
By default, a single Chunk Loader keeps a 3x3 area of chunks (a total of 9 chunks) loaded. The loader itself sits in the center chunk of this grid. This radius is configurable by server administrators to allow for larger or smaller loading zones per block.
Visualizer System
To help players align their builds within the loaded area, the mod includes a built-in visualizer.
- Place the Chunk Loader.
- Right-click the block.
- Smoke particles will appear at the center point of every chunk in the loading radius.
- Use the vanilla F3 + G shortcut to see chunk boundaries and ensure your machines are within the particle-marked zones.
Persistence and Data Storage
All information regarding active Chunk Loaders is stored in a dedicated file named PersistentBits.dat located inside the world's data folder. This ensures that even if the mod is updated or the server undergoes a hard reset, the loaders will remember their owners and their active status.
Recipes#
The Chunk Loader is an end-game utility item, and its recipe reflects its powerful ability to bypass standard game limitations.
Crafting the Chunk Loader
| Slot | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| Top-Middle | Ender Pearl |
| Middle-Left | Diamond |
| Center | Enchanting Table |
| Middle-Right | Diamond |
| Bottom-Left | Obsidian |
| Bottom-Middle | Obsidian |
| Bottom-Right | Obsidian |
Shaped Recipe Layout:
[ ] [Ender Pearl] [ ]
[Diamond] [Enchanting Table] [Diamond]
[Obsidian] [Obsidian] [Obsidian]Commands#
Persistent Bits provides a set of commands for administrators to manage chunk loading on a server. The base command is /pb or /persistentbits.
| Command | Description | Permission Level |
|---|---|---|
/pb list |
Displays a list of all active Chunk Loaders in the current world, including their coordinates and owners. | Admin (2) |
/pb remove <ID> |
Forcefully removes a specific Chunk Loader based on its ID from the list. | Admin (2) |
/pb clear |
Removes all active Chunk Loaders from the world data. | Admin (3) |
/pb help |
Displays a help menu with all available sub-commands. | User (0) |
Configuration#
The mod's behavior can be fine-tuned via the persistentbits-common.toml (or .cfg in older versions) file located in the server's config folder.
Mod-Specific Settings
- Radius: (Default: 3) Sets the radius of chunks loaded by a single block. A radius of 1 loads only the chunk the block is in; a radius of 3 loads a 3x3 area.
- Security: (Default: true) When enabled, only the player who placed the Chunk Loader can break it. This is essential for preventing griefing on public servers.
Forge-Level Interactions
Because the mod uses the standard Forge chunk-loading system, you may also need to adjust the forge-common.toml settings if you plan to use a very high number of loaders:
- maximumChunksPerTicket: Limits how many chunks a single loader can claim.
- maximumTicketCount: Limits the total number of loading "tickets" available to the mod.
