Simple Machine Automation

This mod provides simple automation for the feeding of "machines", from campfires to table saws to furnaces to stone grinders and beyond: Anything that you walk up to and press 'use' to feed items into, that then dumps items back out at you after a while, works with this mod. The game calls these "item changers".

In short, you put ingredients into a crate (or any other normal container), you put machines next to the crate, and you use Roo Poo on the crate. Then you wait, as everything processes automatically. (Additionally, there is a config option to always leave one of every material in the crate, to support the 'auto deposit' feature of the "Inventory Management" mod.) In more detail:

This mod uses normal "vanilla" mechanics for how it feeds machines, so there is no safety risk of sleeping or whatever, but if you go far enough away that your machines are no longer loaded into memory, the automation will stop. You can just turn it back on when you return. (This is not ideal, but for now is the safest way to do it.)

I have now made another mod -- Keep Chunks Loaded -- that you can use to allow your machines to continue operating normally even when you go across to the other side of your island. (They will still stop if you go into the deep mine, however, because while you are in the deep mine, the aboveground layer does not exist.)

(1. 2. 0 update) -- There is now a config option to slow down the mod's operation, if it is causing you lag. (This does not affect the speed at which machines process things: It only slows down the mod itself, so that it searches for machines more slowly and feeds them more slowly.) Note that lag can also be caused by tons of items on the ground, so make sure that isn't a bigger issue before slowing down the mod unnecessarily. Basically, this option counts frames (visual frames, like if your game is running at 60fps that's 60 frames per second), so 1 (the default) means work every frame, 2 means work every 2 frames, 30 means work every 30 frames (so, at 60fps, that would be twice per second). A setting of 1 is normal, full speed.

You do still get full credit for milestones and daily tasks when using this mod, and the items still cook one at a time as normal and pop out onto the ground as normal. You will receive a message on your screen when the process is complete, so you know it's done and can go get your stuff. Reminder: The game does not save items on the ground when you close it and reopen it, so make sure to collect your stuff before quitting! Sleeping is fine, though.

Limitations: It does NOT work on multiplayer at all (probably not even for the host, but it might, it's not been tested, and you should back up your saves). It works only on crates and machines that are outside, not inside the house. I hope to support inside the house at some point, but right now it won't work.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is some sort of interaction between this mod and Badger's mods, which commonly results in your materials being deleted and you losing them. The cause is unclear, but it is important to never use this mod and Badger's mods at the same time.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: I have received reports from a large number of people that, specifically for roo poo and composters, they are losing large amounts of poo. I have tried and failed multiple times to reproduce this myself, and I cannot fix a problem I can't cause, so all I can say is back up your saves and report to me with more details if you can. (Please make sure you have actually updated the mod: Version 1. 1. 0 particularly improved stability/safety and at least one person who has been experiencing item loss has now discovered their version was outdated. If you are using at least version 1. 1. 0 and still experience item loss, please report it, but otherwise, you need to update.)

To get the process started, you put items you want to process into a crate, hold Roo Poo in your hand, and use it on the crate. (The same button you'd use for eating, not the button to open the crate.) You do need to open the crate one time in order to load it into memory, which presumably you will do when you put stuff into the crate. The crate will stay loaded until you close the game, so you need to do it only once per play session.

The crate you select for automation will search for all connected machines in any shape and at any distance, but it will only search by moving in the cardinal directions (N,S,E,W), not diagonally, so they must all be touching sides. The following image illustrates a setup that will successfully feed all machines.

You can use multiple crates to simultaneously feed the same set of machines: They will not get in each others' way. If you mix regular brick furnaces and advanced furnac