Reviving Fluid Storage in Applied Energistics with Applied Fluidics
For a long time, players who relied on Applied Energistics 2 for their storage needs felt a significant gap when it came to handling fluids. The beloved Extra Cells mod, which once bridged that divide, fell out of compatibility with newer versions, leaving massive tank rooms and cumbersome piping as the only option. The wait is finally over. Applied Fluidics steps in as a spiritual successor, built from the ground up with completely new code, to reintroduce seamless fluid management directly inside your ME networks. If you have ever dreamed of storing thousands of buckets of lava, water, or even modded fluids alongside your items, this mod delivers that experience with a modern, polished touch.
What Exactly Is Applied Fluidics?
Applied Fluidics is not a simple port or a patch. It is a full reimagining of fluid integration for AE2, designed to feel like a natural extension of the core mod. It does not try to replicate every single feature of Extra Cells, but rather focuses on the essential tools that make fluid crafting and storage intuitive. The mod is currently incompatible with AE2 RV6, so you will need to ensure your modpack is running a compatible version. The mod adds a suite of new blocks and items that look and behave like their AE2 counterparts, ensuring visual consistency while adding powerful new functionality.
Core Components for Fluid Management
The heart of the mod lies in its ability to treat fluids as first-class citizens within your digital storage. Here are the key items you will be crafting and using:
- Fluid Storage Cells – These go directly into your ME Drive and store fluids in the same compact, digital way as items. No more sprawling tank arrays.
- Fluid Terminal – A dedicated terminal that lets you view, extract, and insert fluids using buckets or tanks. It is the primary interface for manual fluid handling.
- Fluid Import and Export Buses – Automate the transfer of fluids into and out of your network. The export bus can push fluids to machines, while the import bus pulls from tanks or fluid sources.
- Fluid Storage Bus – Connect external tanks or even a subnetwork to your ME system, allowing you to access stored fluids as if they were inside the drives.
- Fluid Interface – This is a game-changer for crafting. You can now create patterns that involve buckets of fluid, and the interface will supply the fluid directly from storage, returning empty buckets when appropriate. It also attempts to supply fluid ingredients directly as a fluid where possible, streamlining complex recipes.
- Fluid Level Emitter – Emits a redstone signal based on the amount of a specific fluid in your network, perfect for automating systems that need to maintain a certain fluid level.
- Fluid Formation and Annihilation Planes – The formation plane places fluid blocks in the world from your network, while the annihilation plane absorbs fluid source blocks. A clever trick: place the annihilation plane on a water block with two adjacent water sources, and it will supply infinite water to your system.
Beyond these, the mod includes some charming additions like Certus and Nether Quartz buckets, which ask the question: who needs iron? The Certus Tank, a basic 16-bucket container made from Quartz Glass, offers a nice early-game fluid buffer. The advanced interface terminal now displays the contents of fluid interfaces, giving you a complete overview of your crafting setup.
Crafting and Progression
To integrate fluids into the AE2 crafting tree, Applied Fluidics introduces fluid processors, presses, and printed circuits. These items are the recipe components for the fluid devices, ensuring that you progress through a logical crafting chain that mirrors the standard AE2 experience. You will need to set up new inscriber patterns and manage the fluid-specific materials, which adds a satisfying layer of complexity for automation enthusiasts. Many of the textures and models are recolors of original AE2 assets, so the visual language remains familiar and cohesive, falling under the same CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
What Lies Ahead
The mod is still evolving, and the developer has shared an exciting roadmap. A Crystal Water Injector is planned to accelerate crystal seed growth by injecting water. A Liquifier, Mixer, and Solidifier system is in the works, reminiscent of Tinkers' Construct but with an AE-style twist, allowing for more dynamic fluid transformations. Support for Mekanism gases is under consideration, though the exact implementation is still being decided. More fluid crafting options are also on the horizon, promising even deeper integration for modded playthroughs. For players eager to try the mod today, installing it is refreshingly simple. You can get Applied Fluidics running in minutes by using the foxygame.net launcher, a modern and flexible Minecraft launcher that lets you browse and download mods directly from its menu, streamlining the whole setup process without any hassle.
Seamless Integration for Builders and Engineers
Applied Fluidics does not try to overhaul your existing AE2 network. Instead, it slots in gracefully, respecting the design philosophy of the original mod. The fluid storage cells sit alongside your item cells, the buses connect to the same ME cables, and the terminals open with the same familiar interface. This means you can gradually adopt fluid storage without rebuilding your entire base. The mod shines in expert packs where fluid autocrafting is essential, but it is just as valuable in a vanilla-plus world where you want to tidy up that messy potion brewing setup or automate a lava-powered generator array.
One of the standout features is the fluid annihilation plane's infinite water trick. By placing it correctly, you can eliminate the need for a dedicated water source block pump, freeing up resources and simplifying your infrastructure. Combined with the fluid level emitter, you can create a system that automatically tops up your reactor's coolant or keeps a bank of thermal evaporation plants running without any manual intervention.
Conclusion
Applied Fluidics revives the dream of a unified digital storage system for both items and fluids in Applied Energistics 2. With its clean implementation, familiar aesthetics, and a promising future roadmap, it fills a void that many modded players have felt for years. Whether you are a seasoned automation expert or a builder looking to declutter your workshop, this mod offers a reliable and elegant solution. Dive in, craft your first fluid storage cell, and rediscover the joy of a truly connected base.