Mob Killing
Stick 'em with the pointy end, or so they say.
But why does it have to be me doing the sticking? Well, it doesn't!
Below we'll discuss some of the options in the pack for automatically killing mobs.
For a quick and easy way to kill mobs, the Pedestals mod offers the Auto Attacker Pedestal Upgrade. Simply place it on a pedestal and stand back. It will periodically damage everything in the area. It also very considerately picks up the drops to send them elsewhere. This one is covered in more detail our Rosa Arcana Automation section, so feel free to check it out there.
In the case of Industrial Foregoing, there's the Mob Slaughter Factory and the Mob Crusher. Now, it should be noted that while the Slaughter Factory doesn't produce any drops, it is still vital for progression in the mod as it is the only source for Liquid Meat and Pink Slime.
The Mob Crusher, on the other hand, will provide mob drops as if the mob were killed by a player. It produces Essence, which has it's own uses, but this can be toggled off to enable a Looting mode for the Crusher. The level of Looting is random, but hey, free extra drops, right?
It's also worth noting that the Mob Crusher will not harm baby animals. Handy to know for a passive animal farm.
For those who are more conscious of the performance issues surrounding mob farms, the Mob Crusher is one of the better choices for a few reasons. First, the mobs aren't damaged, they're simply removed. Second, the items and XP never drop in the world. They're generated within the machine's inventory for each mob it kills.
For a mod dealing with flying drones and mini guns, it's no surprise that PneumaticCraft offers a few options for killing things.
Available quite early on, Guard Drones can be used to patrol a 31x31x31 area, killing any hostile mobs it encounters. It doesn't do a lot of damage on it's own, but it can wield any melee weapon to increase it's damage. It will equip itself with whatever items it finds in the inventory it is deployed on.
Mobs will fight back, however, and the drone can end up taking damage or even dying. Armor Upgrades and Life Upgrades help reduce incoming damage and regenerate lost health.
Of course, keeping away from mobs in the first place is even better. Craft a Minigun Upgrade and install it in the drone instead to give it some ranged oomf. Just be sure to keep the chest it was deployed on supplied with ammo and place a Charging Station with a Dispenser Upgrade installed nearby so the drone can come recharge.
Similarly, Miniguns can be placed as fixed turrets and can be set with different filters for what to target. These don't use air, but they're also slower to shoot than an upgraded Guard Drone.
To go along with both of these, there are Collection Drones which will scan a large area for item drops, pick them up, and deliver them to the inventory it was deployed on.
Smart Drones are the next evolution of automated killing in PneumaticCraft. These must be programmed in a Programmer but are far more flexible than their basic cousins. For instance one could be programmed to pick up a highly enchanted sword and kill mobs in an area until the sword is in need of repair. At this point it could drop of the sword for repair at a Pedestals XP Anvil, pick it up once more and continue the slaughter. Another one could be programmed to collect items and XP orbs, dropping those off into your storage system.
Spell Turrets offer a great deal of flexibility when it comes to making a mob farm. Just place the turret, or multiple turrets, facing into the killing chamber and set them up with the spell of your choosing. Every time they get a Redstone pulse, they'll fire, potentially making short work of the mobs.
With a Mana Condenser nearby the dying mobs will even help generate some of the mana needed to cast. Though, realistically you'll likely want some Volcanic Accumulators to help supplement the cost, especially for more expensive spells.
Projectile > Harm > Amplify > Amplify > Amplify > Fortune > Fortune > Fortune > Item Pickup
While costly, the above spell can deal with a Wither Skeleton in 2-3 hits. It gives us a nice Looting effect from the Fortune Spells, and the Item Pickup ensures that the items from the kill end up in any inventory directly adjacent to the Spell Turret.
