[BUG UPDATE] Minefactory Reloaded machines randomly stop working

by Grimtongue Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:59 pm

The issue:
Minefactory Reloaded machines will randomly stop working until broken and replaced. This happens regardless of chunks being loaded properly, or the type of machine and setup being used. No matter how "correct" the setup is, all MFR machines will eventually stop working due to the bug.

Frequency:
More MFR equipment within range of a player entity will increase the frequency of the issue; it is possible for this to happen with only two MFR machines within 8 chunk radius of a player (I have seen this happen in-game), but this is extremely uncommon. Using many rednet cables and rednet energy cables dramatically increases the frequency of the bug.

Tracking and reproducing:
It's easy to track and reproduce the problem using any MFR machine that has a fixed output and high energy consumption; the perfect example is the laser drill with 4 pre-chargers. Tracking the issue with laser drills has shown the bug can occur randomly - anywhere from 1 minute to several days.
Reproducing the bug becomes easier as you add more MFR stuff into a region. Placing a few stacks of rednet energy cable connected to IC2 suppliers and RF consumers practically guarantees a problem within a few minutes. The machines don't need to have any sort of connection between them, but they will all stop working simultaneously.

Why it happens:
A conflict between Industrial Craft 2 (IC2) and Minefactory Reloaded (MFR), which is present in the newer versions of all 1.6.4 modpacks, will cause the unexpected behavior. It is completely unavoidable and will not be fixed in 1.6.4. The conflict does not appear to exist in 1.7 modpacks.

Suggested server-side solution (From the developer of cauldron):
Use these settings to skip all TE ticks when players aren't nearby (must be done for all MFE tile entities).

blood wrote:open up your tileentities.yml and set
tick-no-players: true
skip-tileentity-ticks: true
then run the command '/caudron_te reload'

This work-around is supposed to restart frozen MFR machines, but does not prevent them from freezing up when players enter or leave a region. It's not a practical solution.

TL;DR
In the DW20 1.6.4 modpack:
Anything from the Minefactory Reloaded mod can and will eventually stop working - no matter what you do. There is no permanent solution; there is no fix. Use Minefactory Reloaded at your own risk - of frustration.