[MC-4239] Redstone and string in a cobble generator turn into obsidian Created: 08/Dec/12  Updated: 05/May/15  Resolved: 22/Jun/14

Status: Resolved
Project: Minecraft: Java Edition
Component/s: None
Affects Version/s: Minecraft 1.4.5, Minecraft 1.4.7, Minecraft 1.5, Snapshot 13w11a, Minecraft 1.7.4, Minecraft 14w04b
Fix Version/s: Minecraft 14w25b

Type: Bug
Reporter: Sven Braune Assignee: Unassigned
Resolution: Fixed Votes: 3
Labels: None

Issue Links:
Duplicate
is duplicated by MC-58365 Obsidian generators do not work Resolved
is duplicated by MC-59811 obsidian generator's dont work Resolved
Relates
relates to MC-64506 Obsidian generators do not work Resolved
relates to MC-11400 Powered redstone can't be converted i... Resolved
CHK:
Confirmation Status: Confirmed

 Description   

In a normal cobblestone generator, placing redstone in the place of where the cobble would normally be generated, obsidian is generated instead.

Today I've looked in the code (no mention of redstone being a special case) and tested around to see that string (with a single hook placed to the south or west) also works.

For a long time I thought this was either a little secret feature or a bug that's been accepted as a feature, so using redstone to not waste lava source blocks was always something I've accepted and used since I knew of this, maybe even up to a year back. For me it was never a problem, except that now with string, it makes it officially a bug. It worries me though, I wouldn't want to lose the ability of making an obsidian generator using redstone, so I hope that'll get put back into as a feature.



 Comments   
Comment by Null [ 23/Jun/14 ]

Some forms of the generator does not work in others do. I'm sure because I tried it and because I made a map of adventures using the generator does not work in 1.7.2 but works in 1.7.5. You're not so sure ... You've done enough to help remove the generator . . . . . . .

Comment by Anomie X [ 22/Jun/14 ]

> the obsidian generators were not working in v1.7.2

False.

Comment by Null [ 22/Jun/14 ]

Mojang said it was "lucky bug transformed to feature"... Indeed, the obsidian generators were not working in v1.7.2 but v1.7.5 works... Why happened that? Because it's a feature.
Players and mobs do not die from great heights in shallow water YES it is bug for many versions and it was not removed yet. NO reports of first, second YES.
Remove obsidian generators is unfair... At least, should work only with redstone (and not web).

Comment by Kumasasa [ 22/Jun/14 ]

. obsidian generators do not work in this version.

Therefore this ticket is resolved as fixed. Obsidian generators were a bug.

Comment by Null [ 22/Jun/14 ]

I did tests on 14w25b. Again, obsidian generators do not work in this version.
I add screenshots in:
https://bugs.mojang.com/browse/MC-58365

Comment by Anomie X [ 22/Jun/14 ]

This bug appears to have been fixed in 14w25a; it looks to me like the fix was a side effect of changes for the new block metadata format.

Since it doesn't seem anyone has explained the bug yet: The bug was because the lava flowing process looked something like this:
1. The flowing lava calls the function to replace the redstone block with flowing lava (block ID "flowing_lava", metadata value somewhere between 1 and 7).
2. The "replace block" function sets the block ID in the world with Lava, but does not update the block metadata yet.
3. The "replace block" function calls a method on the old block type, so it can react to the replacement.
4. The "replace block" function, if the call from step 3 didn't change the block ID again, updates the block metadata.

Certain blocks will do a "block tick" on adjacent blocks in step 3; among other things, redstone does this to update the power state. And the block tick handler for flowing lava checks if there is water adjacent and the block metadata value is 0 (meaning a source block), and if so replaces the lava with obsidian.

Comment by Sven Braune [ 29/Jan/14 ]

Tested. This is still the case in snapshot 14w04b.

Comment by [Mod] Ezekiel (ezfe) [ 29/Jan/14 ]

Is this still a concern in the latest Minecraft version 14w04b? If so, please update the affected versions in order to best aid Mojang ensuring bugs are still valid in the latest releases/pre-releases.

Comment by [Mod] Torabi [ 09/Mar/13 ]

Notch posted about this on reddit about a year ago. He confirmed that it was a bug, decided to leave it alone for the time being because people liked it, but warned that he might decide to fix it later. Mojang's bugfixing strategy hasn't changed, as far as I can tell. Bugs people like are generally left alone, unless they cause problems or get in the way of fixing some other, undesirable behavior. However, that doesn't mean they've given up the right to decide to fix bugs even if people like them. It's still their game, and the solutions they provide are usually better than the original buggy behavior people got used to.

As it is, obsidian is renewable. Even without exploiting the extra blocks nether portals make, the nether is practically infinite, and full of lava. It's not that the quantity of obsidian that can be created is very limited, it's about the danger in acquiring it.

I could see this being declared a feature, since there's some level of logic to it (flowing lava + redstone = molten redstone, molten redstone + water = obsidian), and that could be expanded upon, made into interesting gameplay, but string is a lot harder to swallow.

Comment by Sven Braune [ 09/Mar/13 ]

Why mark this as works as intended?

Comment by Yoann Petremann [ 09/Mar/13 ]

Please mark as "Work as intended"

Comment by Tails [ 08/Dec/12 ]

Confirmed. Also obsidian is renewable since the introduction of nether portals, see MC-1314.

Comment by Dean Baset [ 08/Dec/12 ]

@Cody just because it is from a long time ago doesn't mean it's not a bug. It's like saying that chunk errors aren't a bug because they have been around since infdev.

Comment by Cody [ 08/Dec/12 ]

This is not a bug, this is a feature that has been in since way back, at least beta 1.4. Obsidian is not hard to get any more.

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