02 Designing the Simplest Tree Farm from Scratch
The design process for tree farms generally consists of architecture design and wiring. Here we'll use a very simple Birch tree farm as an example to guide you through designing a tree farm from scratch.
1 Architecture Design
Architecture in tree farms generally refers to the specific arrangement of the tree farm structure. It can be divided into core architecture and processing architecture — the latter covering block flow and drop collection modules.
Core architecture:
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Processing architecture:
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Core architecture generally includes bone meal architecture,
trunk processing architecture,
leaf processing architecture,
and sapling recycling architecture,
Generally, the bone meal structure or trunk processing architecture is designed first, followed by the leaf processing architecture and sapling recycling architecture.
The basic form of trunk processing architecture was covered in the previous chapter. Here we choose direct push for trunk processing (trunk processing that uses a push-out structure is called "main push"), with the root processed together with the trunk. For bone meal architecture, we use a single dispenser.
Generally, tree farms with processing cycles longer than 4gt shouldn't use clock activation. Therefore, we need to introduce a detection structure to detect tree growth and trigger the tree farm's mechanical structure.
Basic detection methods include: Comparator detection, QC detection, BUD detection, push limit detection
Comparator detection:
QC detection:
BUD detection (here BF got lazy and just used leaf detection):
Push limit detection:
Here we use QC detection. The basic principle of QC detection is that since trunks can be powered, once the sapling grows, the tree root gets powered, and the piston diagonally below receives a QC update. The piston just needs one more update to push out, thereby triggering the tree farm's processing structure.
Although we won't cover it in detail yet, push limit detection is currently the most important detection method. After this chapter, almost all detection-based tree farm designs we analyze use push limit detection, which is worth noting.
For leaf processing architecture, Birch only needs 20 leaves, so a simple piston wall can meet the requirements. Since pistons cause lag, we instead use a honey-slime wall with trapdoors and chains attached — this increases the space for sapling splashing, keeping the leaf processing volume low and largely avoiding the need for hopper minecarts.
The lag from unoptimized mechanical-electrical design is quite significant, with one of the biggest culprits being pistons. Readers should always consider whether pistons in the tree farm can be reduced (another major culprit is Redstone Dust, whose reduction we'll discuss in another chapter).
For more complex tree farms, operation timing must also be designed alongside the core architecture. Here we'll temporarily ignore it and leave it for detailed discussion when we get to branch trees.
For sapling recycling architecture, we cover the bottom of the tree farm with hoppers and connect them to a dropper. When AFK, the player can stand next to this dropper to collect the saplings recycled by the tree farm. We also enclose the area around the core to keep saplings from splashing too far.
For processing architecture, we use a simple TNT explosion chamber.
It's worth noting that since current high-speed all-tree-type farms have multiple log block flow outputs, the processing architecture will also be very complex. We'll discuss general design approaches for these situations in the analysis of PUTF std2.
2 Wiring
The basic idea is to connect the various parts of the tree farm without affecting its timing.
First, we connect a 4gt clock to the bone meal dispenser and sapling dropper.
Then use Redstone Dust to activate the pistons in each section.
For the TNT explosion chamber, we simply place a TNT duplicator. To save space, we use water flow to buffer TNT and collect drops.
At this point, the most basic tree farm design is complete. If you didn't consult the illustrations, this is arguably the first tree farm you've designed. Now try analyzing its timing!
Timing analysis is the most basic method of analyzing tree farms. Being able to read a tree farm's operation timing from its architecture and wiring is an essential skill for every tree farm enthusiast.
Based on the design process described above, you can design a Birch tree farm with a cycle as fast as 6gt. [[Here is a reference design|TreeFarm/exampleworld/#02 从零开始设计一台最简单的树场.zip]]Lazy Xinghe never made an unloader, so don't follow their example, kids