Ars Nouveau Source Automation: Sourcelinks and Relays

guide

Source is the energy that powers Ars Nouveau's machines, and automating its supply is what turns the mod from spellcasting into a magical base. This guide covers generating and moving Source.

Storing Source

Source Jars store the Source gathered from nearby Sourcelinks. That stored Source powers rituals and devices such as the Imbuement Chamber, so jars are the backbone of any setup.

Sourcelinks — generating Source

Each Sourcelink generates Source from a different activity, so you pick the one that fits your base:

Volcanic Sourcelink — burns fuel items; Archwood logs give bonus Source, and Blazing Archwood the most.
Agronomic Sourcelink — anything that grows inside a 15-block radius feeds it, crops and trees alike, and magical plants such as Mageblooms pay out extra.
Vitalic Sourcelink — generates from nearby mob death and animal breeding.
Mycelial Sourcelink — converts nearby food, with more nourishing food worth more.
Alchemical Sourcelink — consumes potions from adjacent potion jars.

Source Relays — moving Source

Source Relays transport Source between jars and other relays; a redstone signal disables one. The variants specialize: the Splitter handles multiple jars at once with high throughput, the Collector and Depositor automatically pull from or push to nearby jars, and the Warper teleports Source over an endless distance between Warp relays. Combine a generation method with relays and jars to keep your rituals and machines continuously powered.

Linking it together

Relays are wired with the Dominion Wand, and the order of the two clicks decides which way Source flows: wand on a jar and then on a relay pulls out of that jar, while relay first and then jar sends into it.

Placement matters as much as wiring. The Collector and Depositor reach jars they are not linked to within five blocks, so they suit a tight cluster of storage. The Warper has no distance limit between Warp relays, but beyond thirty blocks some Source is lost on the way — a fair price for a remote outpost, and a waste inside a single base.

Source gems

Stored Source is also what makes Source Gems. Build an Imbuement Chamber, put an Amethyst or Lapis Lazuli inside, and it converts them using the Source it pulls from your jars — which is the first real reason to have more generation than a single Sourcelink provides.