MegaProject: SkyFarm (Need LOTS of diggers, give me a bump ;)

[NateN]

Official SkyFarm Thread

Current Depth: 21 below

Current Employees:
None yet

I've recently started work on The SkyFarm. What is that you ask? It's a 41x41 melon farm that will go from bedrock to the map limit. It will be fully automated, and probably lag like a *****. Here's some numbers to run by you guys:

Total income per hour: $3,044,520 per hour

Total expected hours to build: 100+ hours

Number of melon plants: 36,800

Approximate cost to build: 6,000,000+ dollars

Size: 420,000 cubic blocks (more or less)

Profit per week with 4 hour work days: $85,246,860

These numbers are most likely completely inaccurate, but I tried my best.

The way it will work is that I plan on hiring works (around 50k per hour) to collect, craft, and sell melon blocks. Also, I plan on at least tripling investments if this turns out a successful operation.

This will be slow, this WILL be boring. Especially since I'll be gone this week. But I plan on completely making this a reality.

Progress:

Continuing downward, slow because I'm the only one working on it :/

[Kian]

Finally something to do on SMP besides complain about grief. I'll help as long as I can use the farm .

[clawstrider]

Sorry to spoil your plans, but this won't work :/
The melons only grow in a "chunk"
This is an example of a chunk. http://www.minecraftwiki.net/images/e/ec/Chunk.png

A chunk is 16*16, and requires player activity in it for crops to grow. This means you will need to have 7 active players at all times (If you do it most efficiently, thinking about chunks), to reach your targets.
Also, can I just run through your targets? I'm not quite sure about the $3,044,520 a minute aim.

If you could tell me a rough design you are using, I would be happy to run some numbers. If this is true, then this would blow any opposition out of the water with ease. Melon farms aren't hard to build, and 3 mil a day...?

[NateN]

Hence the "employee" notion. These are all best case scenario statistics of course. And the number for money is a little high. I figured one melon requires 5 blocks(melon,piston,redstone,grow block,hole).

[clawstrider]

Time to run some numbers

Right, so each melon will take up 15 blocks of space. (Floor, 1 block above to be able to walk, melon part). Your farm takes up 433,698 blocks. Best possible scenario is 28,913 melons, but I doubt this will happen, due to walkways being needed, melon chests, etc. But lets take it as 28,913 melons. According to Minecraft Wiki, a melon block will re-grow every 10-30 minutes (Real time), so lets take that as each block grows every 20 minutes.

Okay, so you got 3 melon blocks an hour. Again, MC wiki says that each Melon Block has the chance of dropping 3-7 melon slices when destroyed, so we will say each one drops 5 (Forgive my cutting corners, I don't know any other statistics).

So each melon block will give you 15 slices an hour. I make that 433,695 slices an hour. Best possible outcome from that is 48,188 melon blocks a minute.

A stack of melon blocks sells for $960. I make it that you gain just under 753 stacks of melon blocks in an hour, but lets say that odds were in your favor, and you managed 753 an hour. 

I make your estimated income an hour, at 100% efficiency, as $722,880 an hour.

Sorry for wall of text, and I could well have screwed up ^^ Please do be picky if I've gone wrong anywhere.

Improved stats (I think, at best case scenario):

Income an hour: $722,800
Number of Melon plants: 28,913
Size: 433,698

[Kian1354]

I'm not sure, but I think you are only allowed a certain amount of pistons on a circuit, however if I'm wrong I would like to help 

[tbpb2010]

I'm not sure, but I think you are only allowed a certain amount of pistons on a circuit, however if I'm wrong I would like to help 

Repeaters are a lifesaver


Oh and just curious which melon formation r u going to use? Could you post a plan of the basic design on the farm?  What I typically use is this: (I'll post an ingame shot if you'd like)

D= Dirt
S=Watermelon Sapling/Sprout
W=Water (can be covered with any kind of block)
X=Sugar Cane/Wheat

   1  2 3 4  5 6 7 8 9

1  D S D D S D D S D
2  D S D D S D D S D
3  D S D D S D D S D
4  D S D D S D D S D
5  D S D X W X D S D
6  D S D D S D D S D
7  D S D D S D D S D
8  D S D D S D D S D
9  D S D D S D D S D

The Dirt will obvious be where the melons will grow so while there's more dirt than saplings (namely the sides) melons tend to grow faster on this setup so it'd ideal for frequent harvesting (which I do ALOT   It can be converted into a full fledged auto farm but at the cost of I think 8 blocks of height?  I've gotten a slightly different circuit design with around the same amount of efficiency for 4 blocks of height.

[Kian1354]

I'm not sure, but I think you are only allowed a certain amount of pistons on a circuit, however if I'm wrong I would like to help 

Repeaters are a lifesaver

I realize I worded that badly  . What I meant is that pistons lag the server so Opticraft has a limit on the amount of pistons on a circuit with repeaters  , but I might be wrong 

[NateN]

Simple solution, multiple smaller circuits staggered to prevent lag and raise efficiency. Ill have a plan up soon

[DJAlphaWolf]

If you do figure out the plan for the melon farm, I'd be happy to invest, work and excavate whenever I'm free. When I'm not fulfilling my trusted duties, I either work on my "Museum of Different Ores" or just sit in my house, so I'd be glad to lend a hand .

[NateN]

I have the plan, heres a rough idea:

M: Melon
G: Dirt Block
[ ]: Empty space
P: Piston
R: Redstone

G  M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G
G  M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G

I figure of every 10 floors are independant 10 minute circuits, lag will be a non issue and effeciency higher.

[clawstrider]

I have the plan, heres a rough idea:

M: Melon
G: Dirt Block
[ ]: Empty space
P: Piston
R: Redstone

G  M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G
G  M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G

I figure of every 10 floors are independant 10 minute circuits, lag will be a non issue and effeciency higher.

I can already tell you this won't work.

Melons always grow to the west (If they can't, East, then South, then North).

G   M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G
G  M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G


That is where they will grow.

I realize I worded that badly  . What I meant is that pistons lag the server so Opticraft has a limit on the amount of pistons on a circuit with repeaters  , but I might be wrong 

You're wrong.

[Skepter]

Wow, I feel like I'm applying for a job.
Anyway, I'd help if I get to use the farm (coz I need melons)
Also, isn't there already on somewhere around the spawn - inside some huge melon? - well, it looks griefed anyway D:
Also, I like clawstrider's idea
--Skepter--

[Kian]

Wow, I feel like I'm applying for a job.
Anyway, I'd help if I get to use the farm (coz I need melons)
Also, isn't there already on somewhere around the spawn - inside some huge melon? - well, it looks griefed anyway D:
Also, I like clawstrider's idea
--Skepter--

*cough use mine you have permissions to the doors cough*

[NateN]

I have the plan, heres a rough idea:

M: Melon
G: Dirt Block
[ ]: Empty space
P: Piston
R: Redstone

G  M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G
G  M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G

I figure of every 10 floors are independant 10 minute circuits, lag will be a non issue and effeciency higher.

I can already tell you this won't work.

Melons always grow to the west (If they can't, East, then South, then North).

G   M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G
G  M G R G M G
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
[ ] G P R P G  [ ]
G  M G R G M G


That is where they will grow.

I realize I worded that badly  . What I meant is that pistons lag the server so Opticraft has a limit on the amount of pistons on a circuit with repeaters  , but I might be wrong 

You're wrong.

In a three dimensional analysis, the melons have pnly one direction to go, because of this

M: Stem
G: Grass
S: Raised stone block
P:Piston
 

R M R
R M R
[] G P
[] G P
R M R
R M R
[] G P
[] G P
[] M R

And it is repeated so on and so forth. The melons have only one direction to grow in, directly onto the dirt block beside it.

Here's an easy look:

Block cant grow onto: B

Blcok Can: R

B B B
B R B
B R B
B B B