So what does Protection Meter do EXACTLY

[Lamphare 1]

Read on wiki, but I don't really get it.

What does this thing do for exact, i.e. when I put it to work, what's the effect?

I play DF so this mod seems easy to catch up, except this protection meter...

[yubyub96 68]

I have not a very clear idea, but for what i have read i think that when you spend a long period of time on a group of chunks those chunks slowly stop spawning mobs and the more and more you stay in those chunks you will get less mobs near them, and at some moment you will get no mobs, and what the protection meter does its to tell you whats the level of protection(no mobs spawning) in that chunk or in the surrounding chunks.

Im not that sure, if someone who is completely sure reads this feel free to correct me or to tell me if im right.

Hope it helps

PS: WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!!

[Vlad 73]

Read on wiki, but I don't really get it.

What does this thing do for exact, i.e. when I put it to work, what's the effect?

I play DF so this mod seems easy to catch up, except this protection meter...

I'm not sure as well, but from my experience, once you placed the protection meter it's all green, after a while it turn empty, and then slowly refiling back to green (red, yellow..).

So I guess once you place it, it prevents mobs from spawning until it runs out of charge, then it has to charge for the next protection.

[warfighter67 124]

It does nothing except tell you how much protection in the chunk it's in has. It is simply that--a measurer; meter. It's implied by the name.

Though I put one in my house and it's grey so it might be measuring wrong.

[renadi 258]

The protection meter is just a meter

it measures the protection level in an area.

The longer a player spends in an area the bigger the protection level gets preventing mobs from spawning nearby, the meter itself just measures this protection(up to a limit, though protection apparently goes much higher)

[Just_Another_Guy_:) 1,066]

Here is the thing:

1) Every chunk spawns with a protection time value (default, -24 hours in-game).

2) Every hour (again, in game) you stay in a chunk, it's protection time value rises, as well as the value of the 4 chunks in the side of that one (something like this:

NAN

AHA

NAN

Where N is a chunk with default value, H is the chunk where you have raised the value by staying, and A are the chunks which's value H is raising)

3) When you leave a chunk for an hour, it value will decrease, as well as will the value of the adjacents chunks. Note that, even though the default value is -24, it can be lower than that, depending on the time you have spent out of there.

4) As the value rises, mobs will spawn more rarely in that chunk, and as the value lowers, they will spawn more commonly. (A chunk with a value of -12 spawms half the mobs that another with a value of -24 does, and a chunk with a value of -48 spawns the double of mobs than the default chunk)

5) When the value reaches 0, mobs won't spawn anymore.

6) By spending more time in a 0 chunk, it will start to build up protection hours. They won't affect how much mobs can spawn, but they will serve you when you have to spend time somewhere away from your home, so it will pass no time unprotected even without you there.

The Protection meter just gives the player a way to know how much protection the chunk it is placed in has, green meaning "safe" and red meaning "unprotected". It will appear green only when the chunk has a value of 0 or superior, and it actually won't tell you the extra hours that chunk has. In itself, it won't affect that chunk's protection time at all.

[Wicc3R1 36]

Thanks for the info!!!! no im going back to finish my spawner...

[Lamphare 1]

@Just_Another_Guy_

Wow that's very very detailed explanation, just what I needed! Thanks a lot!

Now I can finally put all my ☼useless gems☼ to make something worth a while.

[Just_Another_Guy_:) 1,066]

@Just_Another_Guy_

Wow that's very very detailed explanation, just what I needed! Thanks a lot!

Now I can finally put all my ☼useless gems☼ to make something worth a while.

Well, in fact, if you go for efficiency, only one gem per 16 blocks, so that way you aren't meassuring a chunk's protection with two exactly equal meters at the same time

[manafusion 10]

If I am not wrong, we can also use it to be a substitute lighting system in the even we do not like torches. Not a big lighting capability but it's decent (for me that is, I don't build a mansion).

[GenuineTexan 38]

Since we've finally got clarification, can one of you who is registered on the wiki please edit this page for clarity? I had the same problem when I was new and the wiki was of no use at all. Thanks in advance to anyone who steps up!

[Dante80 101]

The only thing bugging me about the protection meter is that it looks a little out of place considering the tech age TFC is currently simulating. Maybe it could be converted to a magical item that you would carry with you?

[Kimbblesrath 503]

The only thing bugging me about the protection meter is that it looks a little out of place considering the tech age TFC is currently simulating. Maybe it could be converted to a magical item that you would carry with you?

But how would the magical item work, how would it be made, etc.? That has been bugging me too, and I was going to make a thread on this, but then I saw your post.

[Dante80 101]

But how would the magical item work, how would it be made, etc.? That has been bugging me too, and I was going to make a thread on this, but then I saw your post.

Here is a rough idea. From what I understand the current protection meter reads the hours of protection in the chunk it is based on, and changes the side texture to emulate different (from red to green) protection lvls. Assuming that the code for reading the chunk value is not heavy (we have seen similar codes in mods like thaumcraft when you get reading about vis/corruption in a chunk etc), you can have a medallion or necklace or talisman or whatever you want to call it that does the same job, but is more consistent with the feel of the mod (and you can carry it with you, thus knowing the protection value as you travel/survey the chunk you are in).

To make the actual item, you would need a piece of string, 3 metal ingots of any kind (if Bioxx wants to make the item available later in the tech table he could choose silver or gold for it) to make the casing and a normal + gem arranged in a cross pattern with string on the top and the gem in the middle.

To utilize the protection function, I think that the developers can use the existing code for the clock item. You just have to change the dial from the vanilla sun/moon picture to one showing a red to green gradient, and then alter the code so that the dial moves according to the protection lvl in the chunk.

disclaimer: having no real experience regarding coding, I have no idea whether sth like is feasible and at what time cost. Also, my view is that if its very time consuming, then it would be better to spend the time elsewhere.

[warfighter67 124]

disclaimer: having no real experience regarding coding, I have no idea whether sth like is feasible and at what time cost. Also, my view is that if its very time consuming, then it would be better to spend the time elsewhere.

Just to clarify: Almost anything can be coded. When a developer says something "can't be coded" or something "is hard-coded and can't be changed," they really mean that it's either too hard or time-consuming for whatever feature to be worth making. Or, that changing some of the back-end code would require a practical rewrite of the whole front-end, thus being "hard-coded."