Minecraft – Buildcraft and vertical distance for machines operating

minecraft-buildcraftminecraft-java-edition

I built a large quarry and as it was getting closer to the ground I dug a hole with a ladder in it to get down to the bottom, but as I was down on the bottom I noticed that I could see the quarry arm cross-arms at the top, but they were standing still.

I could not determine if the arm was still moving as the whole thing was flooded, but from down at the bottom of that ladder, the arms were still.

As I climbed back up, they started moving again.

Was this:

  1. Just a distance-thing sight-wise, that the game did not update what my client was viewing as the machines was so far away (70 blocks above me)
  2. A distance-thing operation-wise, and the machine really did stop as I got too far away from it

I ask because now that the whole quarry is done, and I have emptied it for water, I planned on building a completely automated storage facility in it, and I was planning on placing the sorting machines and processing (smelting, etc.) at the bottom, but if that means that those things will not operate unless I'm a bit down into my structure, that may not be a good idea.

Could someone shed some light on what I saw and what it means?

Best Answer

From past experience, number 1 is the answer in most cases, however, I've heard that machines can stop randomly in some versions of Buildcraft (although I haven't seen it personally).