Best use of wood as a fuel source.

[Wonko486]

Alright, given randon world generations are infinite, wood has become an infinite resource. Which means we can burn it to our hearts content in forges and camp fires. But I'm always interested in maximizing burn time, so I did a little math.

-One log from a tree burns for 3 minutes and 12 seconds.
-If you process the log into lumber, it'll burn for 3 minutes 20 seconds, but you use all 16 pieces.
-If you process the lumber into wood posts you get 25 post which will burn for a whopping 13 minutes and 20 seconds with an entire piece of lumber left over!

I haven't gone through the rest of the wood products yet, but it kinda seems like wooden posts are the stand out fuel form for wood.

[...👑 JOST AMMAN 👑...]

@OP: you should however consider that a higher number of "burning cicles" will yeld much higher heat map values = more zeds checking by...

[Mytheos]

Postat inițial de dragonlordxakel:

This is exactly the information I was looking for. A game I started with a buddy has developed some large projects, which require a lot of resources. I've been making logs into planks then into wood frames and using them as fuel. I haven't done the math, but I'm sure it isn't as efficient. If turning logs into stairs makes better fuel, it makes tree farming a smaller project. Anyone that's played Minecraft and has built a large base, knows it takes a lot of lumber.

If you look at it from a time standpoint, which is all there is considering trees are infinite...

The most efficient thing to do is just cut down trees and use wood logs anything else is just wasting time.


If you have two people, A and B...

A goes out, gathers wood logs, turns them into planks...then turns them into whatever burns best...

Person B just skips turning them into planks and then into whatever burns best and uses that crafting/conversion time to simply cut down more trees, they will have more burn time off the collected logs...Person B always wins.

Even IF you started crafting while you were cutting down trees, considering cutting down a tree with a good axe takes only a few seconds, you still waste time opening your inventory and starting crafting conversion processes...and even 3-4 seconds doing that is better spent just cutting down another tree and getting more logs.

[maverickuk]

Im still using wood spikes, that seems to get give a good time per log (planks)

[Wonko486]

Postat inițial de Jost Amman:

@OP: you should however consider that a higher number of "burning cicles" will yeld much higher heat map values = more zeds checking by...

Oh, I did this a year ago. I am unsure if they had the heat map when I was first experimenting.

[Zhorge]

Postat inițial de Just another wasteland ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥:

Alright, given randon world generations are infinite, wood has become an infinite resource. Which means we can burn it to our hearts content in forges and camp fires. But I'm always interested in maximizing burn time, so I did a little math.

-One log from a tree burns for 3 minutes and 12 seconds.
-If you process the log into lumber, it'll burn for 3 minutes 20 seconds, but you use all 16 pieces.
-If you process the lumber into wood posts you get 25 post which will burn for a whopping 13 minutes and 20 seconds with an entire piece of lumber left over!

I haven't gone through the rest of the wood products yet, but it kinda seems like wooden posts are the stand out fuel form for wood.

You don't necessisarily want to be the 'most efficient' per log. You want the LONGEST BURN TIME. The reason is that each time a piece of fuel of used, it generates heat.

So if you put in bunch of sticks or something that burns fast, you're going to increase your heat like crazy because each one is a seperate event. You put in slow-burn fuel, you're going to generate less heat (fewer events) and, therefore, fewer spiders and the horde you get if you can't find them before they call it.

BTW, if your put your forges more than 50 meters away, the heat will be in a different chunk. That makes the spiders call them to that building/area instead of your base. Which can lead to some interesting gameplay choices and avoid some problems with spider-zombie generated hordes.

[Xtorma]

I think the very fact that wood is so plentiful and easy to aquire, it realy doesn't matter how long everything burns.

[Honor's Bastion]

Postat inițial de Zhorge:

BTW, if your put your forges more than 50 meters away, the heat will be in a different chunk. That makes the spiders call them to that building/area instead of your base. Which can lead to some interesting gameplay choices and avoid some problems with spider-zombie generated hordes.

I'd say 60 or 70 blocks away is more appropriate. I've seen heat chunks that stretch 65 x 65 blocks using he dm mode so 50 blocks only cover part of a heat chunk if you happen to be on one far end.

Also, everyone should note that all burn times are changing in alpha 13 to be more, rounder or whole based on what the devs have said. Instead of burn times of like 6:40 for coal or 3:12 for a wood log, they'll be lowered to 6:00 and 3:00 respectively so burn time math will be a bit easier.

[Flustig]

barnwood or ladders

[Zhorge]

Postat inițial de Mytheos:

Postat inițial de dragonlordxakel:

This is exactly the information I was looking for. A game I started with a buddy has developed some large projects, which require a lot of resources. I've been making logs into planks then into wood frames and using them as fuel. I haven't done the math, but I'm sure it isn't as efficient. If turning logs into stairs makes better fuel, it makes tree farming a smaller project. Anyone that's played Minecraft and has built a large base, knows it takes a lot of lumber.

If you look at it from a time standpoint, which is all there is considering trees are infinite...

The most efficient thing to do is just cut down trees and use wood logs anything else is just wasting time.


If you have two people, A and B...

A goes out, gathers wood logs, turns them into planks...then turns them into whatever burns best...

Person B just skips turning them into planks and then into whatever burns best and uses that crafting/conversion time to simply cut down more trees, they will have more burn time off the collected logs...Person B always wins.

Even IF you started crafting while you were cutting down trees, considering cutting down a tree with a good axe takes only a few seconds, you still waste time opening your inventory and starting crafting conversion processes...and even 3-4 seconds doing that is better spent just cutting down another tree and getting more logs.

Except most people don't know how the heat system works. And ignoring that while giving what you think is 'good time saving advice' just makes things worse.

One wood log burns for 3 minutes, generating 1 heat event. It is the (currently) lowest heat-generating fuel source in the game. It can also be broken down into 16 wood planks to make 2 wood frames.

Burning a wood frame creates heat, that's also 1 heat event. At one point in time they were the most efficient use of wood-for-fuel. They last (roughly) 2 minutes and generate one heat when they burn. So one log as frames will get you about 4 minutes of time (actually 4:16).

In a 30-minute smelting run (which could spread over 6 forges at 5 minutes or 3 at 10 or whatever, it doesn't matter) you can generate 10 heat with the logs or about 15 heat with the frames. If you went insane and used some 0:24 material, you'd generate 75 heat.

Also, to a great extent, the heat generated by chopping down trees is pretty much irrelevent. The heat is generated in 50M^3 chunk. So much, in not nearly all, of the tree-farming will be done out-side the relevent chunk.

So, in the end, I think it's farily obvious to the experienced player who actually understands the heat system that all that time saved by not cutting down trees is likely to be wasted hunting spider zombies and/or fighting the spider-hordes they call if you can't find them. Plus, of course, there's the crafting time which is, frankly, not terribly significant.


With all that said, there is a time and place for frames or other short-duration fuels. I often use them in fast-cooking events, like making bacon & eggs, as they're more efficient in wood cost and I'm not likely to be cooking for more than 2:08.

But to pretend some one-size-fits-all-wood-cutting-efficiency is the always the way to go solution is just silly. All games have trade offs.

[Zhorge]

Postat inițial de Xtorma:

I think the very fact that wood is so plentiful and easy to aquire, it realy doesn't matter how long everything burns.

It absolutely does because this game has heat. Heat calls hordes.

[Flustig]

ladders are both the best fuel from pure wood and cheapest block to fill holes n such, so whenever you are not crafting anything, craft ladders, thats what i do

[Mytheos]

Postat inițial de Zhorge:

Postat inițial de Mytheos:

If you look at it from a time standpoint, which is all there is considering trees are infinite...

The most efficient thing to do is just cut down trees and use wood logs anything else is just wasting time.


If you have two people, A and B...

A goes out, gathers wood logs, turns them into planks...then turns them into whatever burns best...

Person B just skips turning them into planks and then into whatever burns best and uses that crafting/conversion time to simply cut down more trees, they will have more burn time off the collected logs...Person B always wins.

Even IF you started crafting while you were cutting down trees, considering cutting down a tree with a good axe takes only a few seconds, you still waste time opening your inventory and starting crafting conversion processes...and even 3-4 seconds doing that is better spent just cutting down another tree and getting more logs.

Except most people don't know how the heat system works. And ignoring that while giving what you think is 'good time saving advice' just makes things worse.

One wood log burns for 3 minutes, generating 1 heat event. It is the (currently) lowest heat-generating fuel source in the game. It can also be broken down into 16 wood planks to make 2 wood frames.

Burning a wood frame creates heat, that's also 1 heat event. At one point in time they were the most efficient use of wood-for-fuel. They last (roughly) 2 minutes and generate one heat when they burn. So one log as frames will get you about 4 minutes of time (actually 4:16).

In a 30-minute smelting run (which could spread over 6 forges at 5 minutes or 3 at 10 or whatever, it doesn't matter) you can generate 10 heat with the logs or about 15 heat with the frames. If you went insane and used some 0:24 material, you'd generate 75 heat.

Also, to a great extent, the heat generated by chopping down trees is pretty much irrelevent. The heat is generated in 50M^3 chunk. So much, in not nearly all, of the tree-farming will be done out-side the relevent chunk.

So, in the end, I think it's farily obvious to the experienced player who actually understands the heat system that all that time saved by not cutting down trees is likely to be wasted hunting spider zombies and/or fighting the spider-hordes they call if you can't find them. Plus, of course, there's the crafting time which is, frankly, not terribly significant.


With all that said, there is a time and place for frames or other short-duration fuels. I often use them in fast-cooking events, like making bacon & eggs, as they're more efficient in wood cost and I'm not likely to be cooking for more than 2:08.

But to pretend some one-size-fits-all-wood-cutting-efficiency is the always the way to go solution is just silly. All games have trade offs.

The Heat Map doesnt have anything to do with what I said.

My response was to a person looking to mass harvest wood for a large construction project...and had only to do with the most efficient way to do so.

[Fraxis]

Wood frames burn for 2 minutes each.

[Xtorma]

Postat inițial de Zhorge:

Postat inițial de Xtorma:

I think the very fact that wood is so plentiful and easy to aquire, it realy doesn't matter how long everything burns.

It absolutely does because this game has heat. Heat calls hordes.

Hordes are why I play , when I do.

[Newb]

Wood Spikes:

Log: 3:12
16 Planks: 3:20 total
64 Sticks: 3:20 total
21 Wood Spikes: 32 seconds each for a total of 672 seconds = 11 minutes 12 seconds.

I think.

The benefit of this method is that you craft a lot of items, and therefore get good experience.