Age of Engineering Guide: Ages 10-12

This is a continuation from Age of Engineering Guide: Ages 7-9. It has been broken into multiple parts because of the limit on number of crafting grids per article.

Task 10.1: Immersive Engineering Arc Furnace
This step is not strictly necessary. The blast furnace from TechReborn can handle the processing of titanium and chrome, but bugs with the power system make it virtually unusable. The Arc furnace is extremely fast, and can produce steel from iron and coke dust far faster than even the improved blast furnace from IE, so even though it may seem like a lot of work, it is absolutely worth it.

First, before getting to the multiblocks, a warning about coal coke: You will need more coal coke than you have at any previous time in the pack. You will need 152 right away to make the electrodes for the arc furnace, in addition to all the coke you will need for making steel in age 11. You should probably have 2 coke ovens fully automated before you start working on the rest of this section.

Going on: You'll need to make 3 multiblocks:

Crusher:


 * }
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Industrial Squeezer:

Arc Furnace:


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Place 152 coal coke in the crusher, then put it in the squeezer. This should make 19 HOP graphite. Smelt them to ingots.

Also, make an engineer's worktable and the blueprint for graphite electrodes (this will use 7 of your HOP graphite ingots). Use the blueprint to make 3 graphite electrodes, and put them into the GUI for the arc furnace.

Lastly, put a chest next to the output on the back, and then pipe that either to a drawer with a void upgrade or to a trash can. This is for slag output. If you don't empty the slag, then eventually the arc furnace will stop working, and it usually takes time to figure out why, so just take care of it now while you are thinking of it.

Task 10.2: EU Production upgrades (optional)
TechReborn machines use EU only in this pack. If you have easy access to the output from your nuclear reactors, or have built the Advanced Generator syngas setup that I suggested before, then you probably don't need to do anything now. But, if you do, you may now want to consider the Sunnarium-based solar panels from IC2.

The largest one is the Quantum Solar Panel, and it only requires 64 of the lowest tier to make it. The main cost is the iridium, as it will take 11 stacks of iridium ore, but the output is 4096 EU/t during the day and 2048 EU/t at night and when raining.

Task 10.3: Industrial Electrolyzer
You'll need to put both ruby dust and bauxite dust into this to get Chrome and titanium (respectively).

The recipe for titanium dust says "128 EU/t" and "100 seconds". It is extremely slow, but it can be overclocked once to 256 EU/t and 50 seconds. There is no energy penalty. It cannot be overclocked beyond 256 EU/t.

You can hook up any level of power to the electrolyzer and it won't blow up, but even if you hook an MFSU to it, you'll still only see 128 EU/t going in.

If you hook up 2 power supplies (any combination of CESU / MFE / MFSU), you can put 256 EU/t, and get the faster rate.

If you connect a MFSU (2048 EU/t) to a downstepping HV transformer (2048 to 512 EU/t), it can still output 2048 EU/t, but it will do it with 4 packets per tick, each 512. If you hook the output of the HV transformer to an electrolyzer, the electrolyzer will tell the transformer that it can only accept packets up to 128 EU. It will now receive 4 packets per tick now, each of 128 EU, making a total of 512 EU/t. But, since it cannot be overclocked beyond 256 EU/t, it will throw away half of that energy.

So, don't ever connect the output of a downstepping transformer directly into the electrolyzer. It will give 4 packets per tick, and 2 will be wasted.

Since MV transformers are extremely cheap, I found the cheapest way to get exactly 256 EU/t to the industrial electrolyzer uses an MFE and 3 MV transformers:


 * Connect the MFE to a downstepping MV transformer. This converts 1 packet of 512 to 4 packets of 128.
 * Connect the output of the downstepping MV transformer to the inputs of 2 upstepping MV transformers. These will put out packets up to 512 EU/t.
 * Connect the output of the 2 upstepping transformers to the electrolyzer. It will tell the transformers it can only accept 128 EU/packet, and will now receive exactly 2 packets of the correct size every tick.

Of course, replacing the upstepping MV transformers with simple CESUs would work the same way, and it seems to make more sense. But I'd rather make MV transformers that CESUs. It's up to you.

Task 10.5: Industrial Grinder (multiblock) (optional)
This is annoying to make, but its the only way to get 4 bauxite dust from a single bauxite ore. If you are ok with 2 bauxite dust per ore, then you can just use something like a double crusher instead.

Parts:


 * 1 Industrial Grinder
 * 18 Standard Machine Casing
 * 8 Reinforced Machine Casing

Make a 3x3x3 cube with standard machine casings, but leave the middle layer empty. Place one block of water in the center of the structure, and 8 reinforced machine casings around it in the middle layer.

Attach the industrial grinder block on the middle layer in the center of one of the 3x3 sides. It will stick out from the rest of the multiblock.

The machine needs water to run. You can use item pipes to send in TechReborn cells with water, although the cell will be lost when used.

Unlike the industrial elecrolyzer, this machine will explode if it gets any packets of energy greater than 64 EU. Even connecting it to a CESU (MV) will make it explode.

The recipe for grinding bauxite can handle 128 EU/t. I found it best to send the output of a downstepping LV transformer to it. That is 4 packets per tick of 32 EU each. This was the only way that I found to run it at full speed without making it explode.

Task 10.6: Machine Structure
This is the last thing you need to advance to the next age:

Age 11: The Space Age
The Space age is another very long age. In addition to making all the multiblocks for Advanced Rocketry, the space suit, and rockets and exploring, you will also need to make very large amounts of chrome and titanium.

It is imperative to automate chrome and titanium now, if you haven't done it already. You can do it with AE2, but I found it easiest to make a dedicated industrial grinder for bauxite, and then make 2 dedicated industrial electrolyzers for chrome and titanium. You will need a lot of empty cells for this, and since you can only carry 64 in a stack, you may want to either autocraft them with AE2 (and export with exporters), or just automate crafters to make them and send them to the electrolyzer.

Each Machine Structure for AR requires 4 chrome, and you'll need probably 100 of them by the time you finish this age. The Precision Assembler alone needs 27 machine structures. Start making them now.

Titanium is used in small quantities for a few things, but the main usage of Titanium in this age is for the Warp Core, which requires 25 blocks of titanium. Start making them now.

Even though you can find the multiblock plans on different wikis (including this one), it is far better to just make the [Holo Projector] from the mod. You can choose which multiblock you want to build, and it will create a hologram showing where all the blocks go for it.

Task 11.1: Arc Furnace
Make an arc furnace from Advanced Rocketry. Place sand in it to get silicon. It is very, very slow, so plan ahead. Fortunately you won't need much silicon, maybe only 10 or so, but each one takes many minutes to make, so it's definitely what you want to start with first.

If you neglect to start this early, there is a trick (or maybe exploit) that can be used. If you place one silicon from AR in a drawer (from storage drawers), and then add more silicon (from EnderIO), it will be converted.

Task 11.2: Crystallizer
This multiblock's main purpose is for processing silicon, but it is also used later for processing dilithium.

Task 11.3: Cutting Machine
Make a Cutting Machine. It is used for making many components in AR.

Task 11.4: Precision Assembler
This machine is the most expensive in terms of Chrome, but you need to make it. It is also very slow, but once again, you don't nee anything from in it in large quantities.

Task 11.5: Chemical Reactor
To make this, you'll need some "Basic Circuits", which can only be made by putting AR Silicon (from the Arc furnace) into the Crystallizer, followed by the cutting machine and precision assembler.

Task 11.6: Electrolyzer and Rocket Fuel
The Electrolyzer turns water into H2 & O2, and then the chemical reactor takes O2 & H2 to make rocket fuel. It's pretty easy to automate this, so do that, and set up enough tanks to hold 16-24 buckets of rocket fuel.

Task 11.7: Rolling Machine
This multiblock is only necessary if you want to make the jetpack for the space suit. So, you may want to wait until you've made it to the moon before doing it, but I'm putting it here in the guide so that it is with all the other multiblocks.

JEI doesn't show this, but you need to add water to the fluid input for this to work. You can now make canisters, which have a number of uses.

Task 11.8: Space Suit, Space Suit Workstation, Gas Charge Pad
Make all 4 pieces of the space suit. The space suit workstation isn't completely necessary, but it's cheap, and you'll want it to put addons on (like the jetpack for the chest piece). If you make the jetpack, you'll also need a tank of hydrogen to power it.

No extra canisters are needed to carry oxygen, and a single tank lasts for a very long time. To fill your chest piece with oxygen, you'll need to make a gas charge pad, and place it next to a EnderIO tank with oxygen, then step onto the charge pad, and your suit will fill up automatically. You can check the level with the oxygen bar at the bottom of the screen.

Task 11.9: Matter receivers and advanced dislocator
There are several methods of transportation between dimensions, but this is the one I used. Matter receivers are a lot of work, primarily for the Dew of the Void necessary, but I think they are still the best option for this pack, at least at this point.

I'd recommend making 4 matter receivers. 1 for Home, 1 for the moon, 1 for your space station, and 1 for an additional mining planet. Of course, if you are using /home, then you need one fewer.

For each receiver, you will need a way to provide power. You can make a powercell for each, but this is overkill, since they don't use much. I decided to make the medium capacitor banks (5M RF each), and then place an EnderIO solar panel to trickle charge them while that dimension is loaded. This solution is super cheap, and effective.

The charged porter is something that you carry with you. Shift click the charged porter on a matter receiver to add it, and shift-click the air to open the UI for the advanced dislocator (and change your destination). Right-click the air with the dislocator to initiate transport.

In addition to matter receivers, I'd recommend getting some blocks of glowstone to take on your trips to other dimensions. Those without atmosphere will not allow you to use torches.

Task 11.10: Your first rocket and exploring the moon
Make a rocket launch pad, and place it in the ground. Make a steel structure tower (minimum 5 blocks), and place it next to the charge pad. It needs to also be in the ground.

Make a [Rocket Assembling Machine] and place it on the ground right next to the launch pad. Give it power.

Build a rocket on the pad. I found that you need 2 liquid fuel engines, 6 liquid fuel tanks, a guidance computer, and a seat. Build it on the pad, then go to the rocket assembling machine and click (scan). If all is good, click "build". This will turn the rocket into a multiblock.

Build a Planet ID chip and place it in the guidance computer. When you choose a destination, it will be written to the chip.

Make a fueling station, give it power, and use a linker to link it to the built space ship. Provide fuel to the fueling station, and click the button to fuel.

Once you have fuel, click the the rocket to mount it, choose a destination of Luna, and then press space to lift off. You will end up on the moon.

Place your matter receiver and save it to the dislocator. Then go mining. You probably should get 2 stacks of dilithium before going back home, if you don't want to come back. If you want to save the rocket, then fly it back. If you don't care about making a new one, feel free to just leave it here. You could always come back and get it later if you change your mind.

Task 11.11: Singularities (AE2)
This isn't really necessary until you want to go to age 13, but you will need a lot of singularities, so it is worth setting it up now.

Build a ME Condenser and 64k ME Storage Component

Place the ME storage component in the condenser. There is a button in the UI to change which item you want it to make. Choose "Singularities". Now throw items away in it. Every time you throw away 256,000 items, another singularity will be created. You'll want several stacks of singularities.

You could feed cobblestone to the condenser, but I found the best solution is chiseled bits of water. Create 3 fluid bit tanks, and pipe water into them using fluid transfer nodes (EnderIO conduits will not work for some reason). From there, use item conduits to send bits of water to the ME condenser. Use speed upgrades on the conduits. The more the better. You should be able to make singularities pretty fast now!

We will need to convert these to quantum entangled singularities, but this can be done later.

Task 11.12: Space Station
I'm not going to write out the entire method here, because it's a lot of work, but generally you to build a second pad for scanning a space station, then place the station into a satellite bay on an unmanned rocket and launch it. That will put the satellite in orbit around earth. Then travel to the space station, and build out the station to be as large as you would like. If you like, you can move your entire base to it.

Make a [Warp Controller] and [Warp Core] (multiblock), and place them on the space station. No linking is necessary (they will automatically find each other). Give power to the controller, and place several stacks of dilithium crystals in the warp core. The first 64 dilithium crystals placed in it will seem to instantly disappear, but they are going into a hidden slot that can't be accessed. This is ok. After the first 64, there is room for another 4 stacks.

Choose a destination on the controller and hit the button for warp. The fuel cost shown may seem high, but each dilithium crystal provides 10 fuel. So if it says 500 fuel, that's only 50 crystals.

Task 11.13: More planets
There are several planets or moons in our solar system that the you could visit for mercury, tantalum, cadmium, and zirconium, but honestly, it's a lot better to just go to any planet in the Alpha Centauri system, and get all 4 from there.

If you want to make a Builder and quarry card (from RFTools), now is the time, but I found this too expensive. I made do with a Vertical Digger plus 3 phantom boosters. Place the 3 phantom boosters in a stack on the top. It will now mine an area that is 33x33, all the way down to bedrock. Send the output to an enderchest, and back to your main ore processing system at your base.

I found that my vertical digger stopped working when I left the dimension, even if the chunks were loaded. So, I just sat and waited afk. It doesn't really take very long. I was short on cadmium after mining one 33x33 area, but had enough for a long time after moving to a second location. YMMV.

Task 11.14: Steel Casing
This is the last thing you need to advance to the next age.

To start, place 2 steel ingots, 1 chrome ingot, and 1 zirconium ingot in an alloy smelter to make stainless steel. You'll probably want a lot.

Then make plates, and finally the steel casing to go to the next age:

Task 12.1: Enrichment Chamber & Metallurgic Infuser
Most of the AoE playthroughs I see online show starting Mekanism with the Heat Generator, but it produces so little energy that I just don't think it is worth it.

Build the Enrichment Chamber and Metallurgic Infuser, and place them down. Get 2 stacks of redstone, and put them in the enrichment chamber. One stack should go in the left slot, and one stack in the right power slot (with the lightning bolt). This will slowly turn all the redstone from the left slot into Compressed Redstone for use in the right slot.

Once you have a compressed redstone, place it along with 8 iron into the metallurgic infuser, and put 8 redstone in the power slot to power it. This will make your first 8 Enriched Alloy, the base for all Mekanism machines.

Once you have made 8 enriched alloy, you should make 8 Basic Circuits also. To make them, you will need 8 osmium ingots, 1 compressed redstone, and 8 redstone to power it.

If you get through all the redstone in your enrichment chamber, you can start making compressed diamond. Just put a stack of diamond in the left slot, and a stack of redstone in the power slot. Compressed diamond can be used for making reinforced alloy and refined obsidian dust in the metallurgic infuser.

Task 12.2: Mekanism power
My normal methods of power in Mekanism are solar or the gas-burning generator, but in this pack they are just too expensive, at least at this point. I found the bio-fuel generator extremely easy to set up, and reliable for early power.

Get a cloche, and put either pumpkin seeds or melon seeds (with dirt) in it. Hook up water, and get it running.

If you are using pumpkins, send them into a Mechanical Crafter from ExUtil2, and convert them to pumpkin seeds. Send them into a drawer with a void upgrade. This will prevent the crafter from ever filling up.

Pipe the pumpkin seeds or melon slice into a Crusher (Mekanism), and send the bio fuel output to a drawer. Wait until you get 4 of them, and grab them.

Now, make 2 Bio-generators, using the bio fuel you picked up.

When you place the bio-generators, be aware that the best looking side is going to be away from you as you place it, and the power output will be facing you. I have my power cables in the wall, so I stood in the wall when placing the bio-generators, so that they would output the correct way, and the nice looking side would be facing my room.

Make some universal cables, and use them to connect your generators to the metallurgic infuser and enrichment chamber. Now you won't need to use redstone in the power slots to power them.

Task 12.3: Mekanism upgrades
Make an energy cube. There are several tiers and the main difference is just how much they hold. Now you have a buffer for your machines.

Make a Basic Tier Installer for each machine. This will increase the number of input slots from 1 to 3. Right click the machine to install them. I'd recommend also getting at least the Advanced Tier Installer, and maybe even the elite tier installer for these machines.

Make 8 Speed Upgrades and 8 Energy upgrades for each machine if you want to run them at full speed. The button in the top right of the interface gives you access to installing these upgrades. I recommend having at least one energy upgrade for every speed upgrade you use, to prevent the energy penalties from becoming too extreme.

Task 12.4: Draconic Core
Make some ender dust and some tiny TNT. Place a tiny TNT in the world, and then drop near it an equal number of singularities and ender dust. Now give a redstone signal to the TNT. It will explode and convert the Singularities into quantum entangled singularities.

You will want to automate entangled singularities eventually, or at least make them in a large batch. But, since they don't stack well, you may want to wait for now.

Make some Refined Obsidian Ingots by placing Refined obsidian dust in the IE Arc furnace.

Make 1 Draconic core to advance to the next age:

Navigation
Continue this guide by clicking through to Age of Engineering: Ages 13-14.