Aquifer - unforbidable/tfcplus-bids GitHub Wiki
Description
An aquifer is a block that generates below the surface and is able to continuously spawn one or more water blocks above when exposed.
Generation
Aquifer blocks generate in connected clusters 1 block thick in the ground usually just below the layer of gravel, or equivalent depth in locations without a layer of gravel. They generate in elevations up to 15 blocks above see level so you may find them in high plains, high hills and the lower parts of mountain biomes.
The size of the deposits ranges from 1 to 16 blocks and depends on rainfall and a bit on random chance.
Gravel, clay, and dirt generate above and around the aquifer blocks. This provides an additional source of clay and allows access to the Aquifer blocks without a pickaxe when the soil layer would be too thin.
One or more goldenrods generate above ground as an indication. Their number loosely correlates with the size of the Aquifer deposit. An Aquifer deposits that generates near a clay deposit might be challenging to discover.
Aquifer blocks generate also in dry areas where clay does not generate outside of lakeshores and river banks, including deserts, but they will be more rare and smaller.
Well Construction
Aquifer blocks continuously spawn fresh water blocks when their top side is exposed and when the water block would be surrounded by solid blocks that form a well.
If the Aquifer deposit is big enough it may spawn a column of fresh water blocks up to 4 blocks high as long as the the sides of the well are valid well blocks. For the water in the well to rise one block high the sides must be gravel blocks. For the water to raise above that the blocks must be some crafted blocks such as stone bricks or wood building blocks. However, no more then two Aquifer blocks can be exposed for the water level to be able to raise above one level.
If the well structure is broken the fresh water blocks spawned on this level and above will disappear. This means that it is not possible to use the spawned fresh water blocks as source blocks and for example as means to turn the waterwheel.
The well above the Aquifer fills up over time and the water blocks taken with buckets or barrels are constantly replenished. The speed of refilling depends on rainfall, the current level, the number of Aquifer blocks connected and how many of them are exposed.
Usage
The water in the well is spawned in form of regular fresh water blocks and they can be interacted with in the usual manner. This means that they can be used to fill containers such as barrels, large vessels, buckets, jugs and drunk from directly. As per TFC+ mechanics, filling up barrels, large vessels and buckets consumes a whole block.
When a Bucket and Rope is filled up a whole block is not consumed.
Notes
- When mined, an Aquifer block drops as a regular gravel block.
- Aquifer blocks do not fall with gravity but may turn into regular gravel blocks that might when they get exposed on too many sides.
- Sides of the well other than natural soil, gravel and raw stone blocks keep the water from freezing during winter, however the very bottom fresh water block may freeze when exposed.
- In a future update, Aquifer will spawn Well Water blocks instead of Fresh Water blocks.