RecursiveAE2PatternProvider in FTB Skies 2

RecursiveAE2PatternProvider takes the most tedious part of Applied Energistics 2 autocrafting, encoding a separate pattern for every intermediate step, and automates it. You make one pattern recursive, and the mod generates patterns for the missing ingredients in its crafting tree. It only does this for items that have valid crafting recipes.^[1][2][3]

This pack ships version 1.0.8.^[4]

The idea in one example

The mod's own example is an Iron Pickaxe. Normally you would encode patterns for the pickaxe, the sticks, the planks, the smelting and so on, tracing every dependency by hand. With this mod, you create one recursive Iron Pickaxe pattern and the dependencies are generated for you.^[2]

How it works

Encode any pattern as usual, then put it in a crafting table together with the recipe item, which is Iron Ingot by default. The result is a recursive version, and its tooltip shows that it is recursive. Craft the recursive pattern on its own to turn it back into a normal one. This works on crafting, processing, smithing table and stonecutting patterns.^[1][5]

Then place the recursive pattern in a Pattern Provider connected to a Molecular Assembler. The recursive tag also survives re-encoding in the Pattern Encoding Terminal, so you can tweak a recipe without redoing the recursive version.^[3][5]

Unverified Where this pack's quest book places the mod (chapter, group, and what comes before or after it) and whether the ATM Star path uses it are not shown in the sources here.

This mod doesn't add a pile of new machines to build. It lets you mark your Applied Energistics 2 patterns as recursive, so the dependency patterns for missing intermediate steps get generated for you. Your first steps are about patterns, not a long crafting chain.^[3][7]

You need a working AE2 setup first, with a Pattern Encoding Terminal and a Pattern Provider connected to a Molecular Assembler. The mod requires Applied Energistics 2.^[1][5][6]

Your first steps, in order

1. Encode a normal AE2 pattern in the Pattern Encoding Terminal. Start with something that has a few intermediate steps, like an Iron Pickaxe. This works for crafting, processing, smithing table and stonecutting patterns.^[1][5]
2. Turn it into a recursive pattern by crafting it in a crafting table together with the configured recipe item. The mod's default for that item is Iron Ingot. The recursive pattern then shows extra tooltip information, so you can tell it apart from a normal one.^[1][5]
3. Put the recursive pattern in a Pattern Provider connected to a Molecular Assembler. This matters most for non-crafting patterns: if you make one of those recursive, it needs a provider attached to a Molecular Assembler.^[1][5][6]
4. Let the mod do the rest. It generates patterns for missing dependencies, such as sticks, planks or ingots from raw iron, but only for items that have valid crafting recipes.^[3][5]

Why start this way? In plain AE2 you would encode a pattern for every step by hand: the pickaxe, the sticks, the smelting, the planks and so on. With this mod you encode one recursive Iron Pickaxe pattern and the dependencies are generated for you.^[2]

Changing or undoing recursion

To make a recursive pattern normal again, craft it alone in a crafting table, with no recipe item. If you re-encode a recursive pattern in the Pattern Encoding Terminal, the recursive tag is preserved, so you can tweak ingredients or substitute settings without redoing the crafting step.^[1][5]

Recursion depth

The mod has a maximum recursion depth setting. A value of -1 means no limit, 0 disables recursion and positive values are a maximum depth. These are the mod's own meanings for the values.^[1][8]

This mod doesn't add machines or multiblocks. It adds a layer on top of AE2's pattern system. You mark a pattern as recursive, and when it sits in a Pattern Provider the mod automatically generates patterns for the missing steps in its crafting tree. That's why the mechanics here are about patterns, depth limits and substitute settings.^[1][3][7]

What gets generated

The mod traces the whole crafting tree of a recursive pattern and creates patterns for every missing intermediate step. It generates patterns for the ingredients of ingredients, as deep as the config allows. It only does this for items that have valid crafting recipes.^[2][3]

The guide's example is an Iron Pickaxe. Normally you'd hand-make patterns for the pickaxe, sticks, planks and any smelting step. With a recursive pickaxe pattern you only make that one, and the dependencies appear on their own.^[2][5]

It works with every AE2 pattern type: crafting, processing, smithing table and stonecutting.^[1][3]

Making a pattern recursive

Start by encoding a normal pattern in the Pattern Encoding Terminal. Then craft it in a crafting table together with the configured recipe item, which gives you the recursive version. Recursive patterns show extra tooltip information so you can tell them apart.^[1][5]

To undo it, craft the recursive pattern on its own, without the recipe item. That removes the recursive tag and gives you a normal pattern back.^[1][5]

The pack changes the recipe item. The mod's default is an iron ingot, but here recipeItem is set to Certus Quartz Crystal. Don't follow guides that tell you to use iron, because that won't work in this pack.^[5][8][9]

Where to put the patterns

Put recursive patterns in a Pattern Provider connected to a Molecular Assembler. This matters most for patterns that aren't crafting patterns. If you mark one of those as recursive, it needs a Pattern Provider attached to a Molecular Assembler.^[1][5][6]

The guide also suggests using several Pattern Providers for better parallel processing, and watching the capacity of your Pattern Providers when you use deep recursion.^[6]

Recursion depth

recursionDepth sets how many levels of ingredients the mod will follow. A value of -1 means no limit, 0 turns recursion off, and a positive value is the maximum depth. The allowed range is -1 to 100.^[8][9]

• Depth 1 generates only the direct ingredients.^[6]
• Depth 3 covers ingredients, their ingredients and those ingredients' ingredients. The guide recommends this.^[6]
• -1 generates the full dependency tree, and the guide says to use it carefully.^[6]
• 0 gives normal AE2 behavior.^[6]

In this pack the depth is -1, so the full tree is generated. That is also the mod's own default. Higher depths give you complete automation, but they generate more patterns.^[6][9]

Substitutes

Auto-generated patterns inherit the substitute settings of the parent pattern. The two defaults only apply when the parent pattern has no substitute info. In this pack defaultAllowSubstitutes and defaultAllowFluidSubstitutes are both false. Equivalent items, such as different wood types, and equivalent fluids are not allowed by default in generated patterns.^[1][6][8][9]

Turning the system on or off

enableRecursiveAE2PatternProvider is true in this pack, so recursive generation is active. It is the master switch for the mod's pattern generation.^[8][9]

Compatibility notes

The mod needs Applied Energistics 2. The project page lists Extended AE as compatible, except for its Assembler structure. It lists Advanced AE as compatible from version 1.0.6, except for its Advanced Processing Pattern. The sources don't confirm which of those add-ons this pack includes.^[1]

Unverified The sources don't describe any power use, fluid handling or machine behavior of its own for this mod. They also don't say how many patterns a single provider can hold. Check your Pattern Provider capacity in-game when you use deep recursion.

This mod doesn't have tiers in the usual modded Minecraft sense. There's no ladder of machines to unlock, only a short workflow you learn once and then reuse for every autocrafting setup. Here's the path in the order you'll use it.^[3][5]

The workflow, step by step

1. Encode a normal AE2 pattern in the Pattern Encoding Terminal. Crafting, processing, smithing and stonecutting patterns all work.^[3][5]
2. Turn it into a recursive pattern by putting the normal pattern in a crafting table with the configured recipe item. The mod's default recipe item is Iron Ingot, but I couldn't confirm that this pack keeps that default.^[5]
3. Put the recursive pattern in a Pattern Provider connected to a Molecular Assembler.^[5][6]
4. Let the mod generate patterns for the missing intermediate steps. It only creates patterns for items that have valid crafting recipes.^[3][5]

If you change your mind, craft the recursive pattern on its own in a crafting table with no recipe item. That removes the recursive tag and gives you a normal pattern back.^[5]

You can also re-encode a recursive pattern in the Pattern Encoding Terminal after changing ingredients, outputs or substitute settings. The recursive tag is preserved, so you don't need to craft it again.^[3][5]

Recursion depth: your real progression knob

The closest thing to tiers is how deep the mod follows the dependency tree. Start small and increase the depth as your network grows.^[6]

• Depth 1 covers only the direct ingredients.^[6]
• Depth 3 covers ingredients, their ingredients, and their ingredients in turn. The mod's own guide recommends this.^[6]
• Unlimited (-1) generates the full dependency tree, so use it carefully.^[6]
• Disabled (0) gives normal AE2 behavior.^[6]

Unverified I couldn't confirm any quests or in-pack recipes for this mod's items from the available sources, so there are no quest steps or recipe tiers to follow here. The recipe item and the default recursion depth in this pack are also unconfirmed.

This mod has only a handful of options, and the pack changes exactly one of them from the mod default: the item you use to make a pattern recursive. Everything lives in recipeItem and its neighbors in the common config file.^[1][9]

The one the pack changed: recipeItem

The mod's default recipe item is Iron Ingot. This pack sets recipeItem to Certus Quartz Crystal instead. So in this pack, you combine an AE2 pattern with a certus quartz crystal to make it recursive, not an iron ingot. Tooltips and guides that mention iron ingots describe the mod default, not this pack.^[1][9]

Going back the other way works as it does in the mod: craft a recursive pattern on its own, without the recipe item, and it turns back into a normal pattern.^[1]

Options left at their values

• enableRecursiveAE2PatternProvider is true. The mod automatically generates dependency patterns for missing crafting ingredients, and it works with all AE2 pattern types, including crafting, processing, smithing and stonecutting.^[1][9]
• recursionDepth is -1, which means no limit. This matches the mod default. The allowed range is -1 to 100, and setting it to 0 disables recursion. Positive values cap how many levels deep the pattern generation goes.^[1][9]
• defaultAllowSubstitutes is false. Auto-generated patterns will not allow item substitutes, such as different wood types, when the parent pattern has no substitute info.^[9]
• defaultAllowFluidSubstitutes is false. The same applies to fluid substitutes in auto-generated patterns.^[9]

This mod has a short history. FTB Skies 2 1.22.0 ships version 1.0.8 of it, and it has been in the pack since 1.14.0 or earlier, so you may have updated through a few of these versions without noticing.^[4]

Mod releases

• 1.0.8: a performance update by cryolithic. This is the version in the pack right now.^[4][10]
• 1.0.7: a fix for a GuideME warning.^[11]

The changelogs don't go into more detail than that, so I can't tell you what the performance update changed under the hood.^[10]