Wither Ripper

[Jonathin]

DISCLAIMER: All of this is moot for the moment if the spot picked out is deemed unusable by our server admin overlords. Please respond if so so I can venture out and find another Fortress.

I plan on building this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR6oATNOFSw

I build it over the period of 2 weeks on a server which gave players the ability to be a magic God wizard (Thuamcraft and IC2). Needless to say, it will be a major project. The purpose of this thread is to do several things:

Locate the appropriate place to build it (Done but need verification, see second point)
Determine if it will interfere with other player bases/railways to players gateways
Recruiting players to help clear out a massive amount of Nether world to make the farm 100% efficient
Help making the build itself

First Point:
I have found a suitable location near my own portal.

http://i.imgur.com/pcq2o8S.png

It is 2 intersections close enough to double the spawn rate of Wither Skeletons.

The following 2 pictures are the main points of interest to build up from:

http://i.imgur.com/NqC0apk.png
http://i.imgur.com/LK5wXUS.png

My attempt to do math to figure out the next step failed so I manually marked down the next 4 points to consider:

http://i.imgur.com/4yZU6Um.png
http://i.imgur.com/hHpCyjP.png
http://i.imgur.com/u4J5k3w.png
http://i.imgur.com/rVoDnaK.png

All of this means one thing; at each of these corners the value must be added an additional 144 blocks in both directions. I'm no good at math shamefully, and this is easy math. Nevertheless, the area to clear out for the farm is, to the best of my calculations is

P1: 311, 148
P2: -274, -148
P3: -274, -454
P4: 311, -454

Anything within those points will have to be blasted or mined out (Exceptions below). Half slabbing visible spawning points is not viable, since doing so will leave any cave or cavern within the area untouched, making the farm itself less efficient.

Second Point
In the previously mentioned server above, I was alone at the last strides of its life, so no one was in the way of construction. I believe that any tunnels leading to other points to the Over-world can be left intact is they are half slabbed on the roof and lit up like a Christmas tree inside. Again, it is important, since when it's completed the game will look for viable spawning points, and I don't thing anyone wants 30 pigmen swarming the tunnels.

Any bases or outposts will have to be either removed or heavily modified to be safe and accommodate the farm. If given the green light, I will leave any found portals and Nether side bases intact, but marked down in this thread for the owner to respond.

Third Point
It took me over 2 weeks with 4 quarries and the ability to fly, transform blocks and shoot lightning from my staff to clear out the area needed. Help is greatly needed. Since I have had experience, plus a working iron farm, the best way to approach is to make a base of operations at the top bedrock, on the edge of one of the borders of the cleared out area (at 154 or so from the farm.)

The base will be vital, since the need to process the products of clearing out such a large area will be needed.

126 (Height of the Nether) x 306 x 306 (The overall foot print of the farm) = 11,875,248 blocks to clear out
Or 185,550.75 stacks of blocks
Or 3,436 double chests
Or 107 stacks of chests

With said Iron farm above, I can make an automated furnace the Nether rack to make nether brick. Fuel can be done by donations from players. The best way would be for players using the Blaze XP farm to use the XP sword to gain max amount of blaze rods for fuel. My own source of filled single chest of coal blocks will be given up for this as well.

Again, this is a massive project, and it's necessary for people to help out. By myself I would be done by December, and that's no good.

Forth Point
As for the build itself, it's simple in design, at least the above video it. A mistake I made before was making it last. It was very hard even with wizard powers to build it with Blaze and Wither Skelis attacking me. So the steps should be as follows:

1. Define outline at the top, borders and such.
2. Pick a spot for a base at the top, then connect it with main spawn nether portal hub
3. Clear out area from top to bottom. Efficient 3 or greater iron picks will be needed for fast removal. I can provide the bulk iron. XP is another matter. Maybe someone can play the buffer role?
4. When reached level 64 (Build area), start building the actual build.
5. Complete the clear out.
6. ???
7. Profit!

About The Clear Out
Yes I hate it too. I did it once before myself with machines and magic and it still sucked. It's the best way to get Skelies spawning though. And when I said clear out I mean everything, lava included.

That's where the worst of the worst part comes into play. I say get rid of it because a) There may be under lava caves messing up spawn rates and b) it is safer in the long run. Falling down and dieing on hard flooring is better than taking a dip in a lava lake. Therefore drain out is needed. Donations of sand or red sand are greatly needed, or slightly less needed, gravel (It breaks up into flint making it less efficient). Any tactics of massive lava draining are welcome, but my method of making a sand wall and going from the outside in seems the best way to go about it.

After all is said and done, the last part of the clear out will be half slabbing the entire bottom layer (layer 5), preventing any mods to spawn except in the build, where we want them to be.

Summery
I understand most people will not want to be a quarry for days, even weeks on end. Neither to do. But this is the best way to make a efficient and safe Wither Skeli farm and creating a steady stream of beacons for everyone. However people feel about this, I will be doing it, either there or somewhere else, or at least attempt to.

[Inner]

All that just to get beacons? Hmmm. This is one of those battles that simply isn't worth it for me.

I'll watch and wish you the best of luck.

[ADevilishPotato]

All that just to get beacons? Hmmm. This is one of those battles that simply isn't worth it for me.

I'll watch and wish you the best of luck.

yeah seeings how my fairly effective wither head getter is a fortress + looting sword, im right there with ya

[Boss Llama]

We would have to need enough beacons to light the sky from here to the ends of the galaxy for the cost benefit ratio on this to pay off. If you want to make this a personal project somewhere far far far far far far away from spawn (the footprint is 2.5km square in the over world) then that's pretty cool, but it's definitely a "because I think it's cool" build and not a practical one - it will never pay back the time cost of construction. Having done some multimillion block projects before in vanilla (and spent months on end of nothing but digging as part of it), I know they can be rewarding. Just be prepared for the time investment.

[Jonathin]

Alright then. I'll do all all myself. But that means as a result no one will be allowed access to it. Fair's fair.

[Flash]

Alright then. I'll do all all myself. But that means as a result no one will be allowed access to it. Fair's fair.

This isn't the kind of attitude we like to see around here. We have multiple spawners, grinders and farms on this server all built by different people and open to anyone to use.

If you want to build something like this so massive that it will interrupt other people and then keep it private, I suggest you do it in single player mode or on another server.

[Plinko]

/thread

[Jonathin]

Posting this in here and the Nether project thread. Seems appropriate atm.

My wither ripper farm's 4 corners are such:

1218, 2735
1524, 2735
1524, 3060
1218, 3060

Meaning the overworld corners are here:

9744, 21880
12192, 21880
12192, 24480
9744, 24480

I went into the map stevo has and marked out roughly where that is visually:

http://i.imgur.com/nPRjV4s.png

I was told to build far enough away, and I think this qualifies far enough. Any objections?

[black_and_blue]

I'm certainly not going to complain about you putting it there.

Thanks very much for being considerate of others, Jonathin.

[Stevo]

I think you're okay.

[Boss Llama]

Looks reasonable to me.

[c4ridw3n]

Looks great, Jonathin How exciting! I can't wait to see it up and running.

[Gizanked]

unless you really want to dig your own nether tunnel you should be able to tie in to the end of mine with that spot.