Pipe Connector in FTB Evolution 2

Same as in the All the Mods 10: To the Sky 2.0.4 guide

Pipe Connector is a simple tool that connects pipes from one block to another at a depth you choose. If you've ever dug out blocks to place energy, item or fluid pipes and then filled the hole back in so the pipes stay out of your way, this mod is made to skip that chore.^[1]

This pack includes Pipe Connector 0.5.28 for NeoForge.^[2]

How it works

1. Hold the Pipe Connector and use Shift + Mouse wheel to set the depth you want the pipe to go to.^[1]
2. Hold a pipe in your off-hand and the Pipe Connector in your main hand, then Shift + Right-Click a block to set the first position.^[1]
3. Shift + Right-Click another block to set the second position, and the pipes are placed.^[1]

Which pipes the tool supports is controlled by tags, so more pipe types can be added that way.^[1]

Where it fits in the pack

Unverified The sources here do not show a quest chapter or group for Pipe Connector in this pack's quest book, nor whether the ATM Star path uses it. Check the quest book itself for that detail.

Same as in the All the Mods 11 0.8.0-beta guide

Good news: getting started here is quick, because there is only one item to make. The Pipe Connector is a tool that connects pipes between blocks at a depth you choose, so you don't have to dig trenches and fill them back in.^[1][3]

Step 1: Craft the Pipe Connector

In this pack the tool has a shaped crafting recipe. Here is the exact in-pack version:^[3]

Pipe ConnectorMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Empty slot	String	Iron Ingot
Empty slot	String	Empty slot
Copper Ingot	String	Empty slot

Recipe id: pipe_connector:pipe_connector

Step 2: Your first pipe run

1. Put the Pipe Connector in your main hand and a supported pipe in your off-hand. The Place Pipes button stays disabled until you hold a valid pipe item in your off-hand.^[1][4]
2. Make sure you carry enough of that pipe. If you don't, the button's tooltip tells you how many pipes you are missing.^[4]
3. Sneak + scroll wheel to set how deep the pipe path goes.^[1][4]
4. Sneak + Right-Click a block to set your first position, then do the same on another block. Once your positions are chosen, a preview of the path is shown.^[4]
5. Happy with the preview? Open the GUI by Sneak + Right-Clicking an air block and click Place Pipes. If you dislike a position, use Reset Positions in the same GUI.^[4]

Pick your pathfinding

The GUI lets you choose how the path is found, and this matters when ores are in the way. A* tries to go around ores. Manhattan goes through ores and voids them.^[4]

The GUI also has an inventory guard that prevents the destruction of blocks with inventories, and an option to route around inventory blocks if possible. If an inventory block sits in the path, the GUI tells you it cannot be broken.^[4]

Replacing pipes later

Replace mode swaps an existing pipe path for a different pipe. Sneak + Right-Click an existing pipe to select the path, and hold the new pipe in your off-hand. The new pipe must come from the same mod as the pipes already placed.^[4]

Same as in the All the Mods 11 0.8.0-beta guide

The Pipe Connector is a single tool that places pipes between blocks at a depth you choose. That saves you from digging a trench, laying pipes and filling it back in. It's meant for energy, item and fluid pipes alike.^[1]

Pipe ConnectorMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Empty slot	String	Iron Ingot
Empty slot	String	Empty slot
Copper Ingot	String	Empty slot

Recipe id: pipe_connector:pipe_connector

Choosing positions and depth

1. Hold the Pipe Connector in your main hand and a supported pipe in your off-hand. Without a valid pipe in your off-hand, the GUI buttons stay disabled.^[1][4]
2. Sneak + Scroll wheel changes the pipe depth. The GUI only accepts a depth between 0 and a maximum value. The sources don't give that maximum.^[1][4]
3. Sneak + Right-Click on blocks to set your positions. Once all positions are chosen, a preview of the path is shown.^[4]
4. Sneak + Right-Click on an air block to open the GUI, then click Place Pipes. You can also click Reset Positions if you don't like one of the chosen positions.^[4]

You can pick several positions, not just two, but the sources don't give the actual limit. You need at least two positions before Place Pipes or Reset Positions becomes available. After the first position, the path follows your steps at the selected depth.^[4]

Unverified The project page says Shift + Right-Click on air, or on the same block again, resets positions. The in-game tooltips say Sneak + Right-Click on air cancels the selection, and also say it opens the GUI. The sources don't settle exactly how these inputs behave in this pack, so test it in-game.

Pathfinding options

The GUI lets you pick how the shortest path between your positions is found. The two modes treat ores very differently, so choose carefully.^[4]

• A* Pathfinding tries to go around ores.^[4]
• Manhattan Pathfinding goes through ores and voids them. Its mirror option mirrors the path and only works with Manhattan.^[4]
• Utilize Existing Pipes tries to connect your positions using pipes that are already placed. It is only available when A* is selected.^[4]
• Avoid Inventory Blocks tries to route around blocks with inventories when possible.^[4]
• Inventory Guard prevents the destruction of blocks with inventories. If one is in the path, the GUI tells you which block is in the way.^[4]

Build mode and replace mode

Build mode creates new pipe paths between your chosen positions. Replace mode swaps pipes along an existing path instead.^[4]

1. Sneak + Right-Click an existing pipe to select the path to replace.^[4]
2. Hold the replacement pipe in your off-hand. It must come from the same mod as the selected pipe path.^[4]
3. Replace the path in the GUI. If the path already consists of your off-hand pipe, there is nothing to replace.^[4]

Common messages

• Not enough pipes in inventory: the tooltip tells you how many pipes you're missing.^[4]
• No valid path found: the route is blocked or avoided, so try different positions or settings.^[4]
• Unable to place more than a set number of pipes at once: split a very long run into smaller ones. The sources don't state the limit.^[4]

Which pipes work with the tool is controlled by tags. A list of supported pipes can be found in JEI.^[1][4]

This one is short, because the pack gives Pipe Connector very little to climb. The recipe dump for the pack lists a single recipe that makes the mod's items, and it is for Pipe Connector.^[5]

Pipe ConnectorMod recipe

Crafting Shaped

Crafting Shaped

Empty slot	String	Iron Ingot
Empty slot	String	Empty slot
Copper Ingot	String	Empty slot

Recipe id: pipe_connector:pipe_connector

The in-pack recipe for the Pipe Connector, shown exactly as the pack defines it.

The sources I have don't show any upgrade steps or tier ladder for this mod, so I won't invent one. What you see above is the whole crafting path for it in this pack.^[5]

A look inside the mod's data

The mod's own jar ships a block tag called voidable_blocks. It lists the vanilla ores (iron, copper, gold, diamond, redstone, emerald, coal and lapis, including their deepslate versions), plus nether gold ore, nether quartz ore, ancient debris and obsidian. The sources only show the list itself, not how the mod uses it in play, so check the item in game before you rely on it.^[6]

Same as in the FTB Skies 2 1.22.0 guide

Good news: every option in the Pipe Connector config file, config/pipe-connector.toml, is left at the mod default in this pack. Nothing was changed, so the values below are also what you get from the mod on its own.^[7]

• [[config:config/pipe-connector.toml#Pipe Connector Configurations.maxDepth]] is the maximum depth of the pipe connector. It is 50 in this pack, the same as the mod default, and the allowed range is 10 to 100.^[7]
• [[config:config/pipe-connector.toml#Pipe Connector Configurations.maxPipeAllowed]] is the maximum number of pipes that can be placed at once. It is 640 in this pack, the same as the mod default, and the allowed range is 100 to 1,280.^[7]
• [[config:config/pipe-connector.toml#Pipe Connector Configurations.maxNodesAllowed]] is the maximum number of nodes allowed to connect between. It is 8 in this pack, the same as the mod default, and the allowed range is 2 to 16.^[7]
• [[config:config/pipe-connector.toml#Pipe Connector Configurations.maxAStarIterations]] is the maximum number of iterations of the A* algorithm. It is 20,000 in this pack, the same as the mod default, and the allowed range is 10,000 to 200,000.^[7]

What they mean for you

The depth is the one you will notice in play. You pick the depth you want the pipe to go to by holding the Pipe Connector and using Shift + Mouse wheel, and the max depth option is the upper limit of the connector's depth.^[1][7]

The A* iterations option controls how much searching the tool does. Higher numbers take longer to calculate but will reach longer distances. The pack keeps it at 20,000, and the file allows up to 200,000.^[7]

FTB Evolution 2 1.1.0 ships Pipe Connector 0.6.8. The mod was already in the pack in 1.0.2 or earlier, so you may have used an older version of it before.^[8]

Pipe Connector 0.6.8

This is the version you get in 1.1.0. Its changelog lists these changes:^[8][9]

• Supports Minecraft version 26.1.^[9]
• Ender IO pipe support has been re-added.^[9]
• Pipe Vision has been improved.^[9]
• A new Replace mode lets you swap out existing pipes from the same mod. It appears as a new tab in the GUI.^[9]

If you build with Ender IO conduits and pipes, the returning Ender IO support is the one to look out for. The Replace mode tab is handy when you want to upgrade or swap pipes you have already placed, as long as they come from the same mod.^[9]