Bluestone
Redstone engineering in Minecraft is a rewarding but often messy affair. Tangles of dust, repeaters, and torches can clutter even the most elegant builds, and long-distance connections become a nightmare of hidden wiring. Enter Bluestone, a mod that cuts the cords and brings wireless logic to your world. By combining the power of redstone with the mystical properties of lapis lazuli, Bluestone lets you transmit signals through the air, across dimensions, and into the heart of your most ambitious contraptions.
What Is Bluestone for Minecraft?
Bluestone is a wireless redstone mod that introduces a new layer of control to your builds. Instead of laying physical dust lines, you craft specialized transmitter and receiver blocks. A transmitter acts as the signal source, while a receiver outputs a redstone signal wherever it is placed. Using a dedicated networking tool, you can link these blocks across any distance, even through walls and across biomes. The result is a cleaner, more compact, and infinitely more flexible redstone system.
This mod is perfect for players who love complex automation, hidden doors, adventure map triggers, or simply tidying up their redstone contraptions. It supports both simple on/off signals and more advanced logic gates, giving you the tools to build everything from wireless lamps to remote TNT cannons. Bluestone for Minecraft is currently available for version 1.12.2, with a full rework in progress for 1.15.2, and it runs on the Forge mod loader.
How Bluestone Works
The core of the mod revolves around transmitters and receivers. A transmitter sends a bluestone signal, and a receiver picks it up and converts it back into a redstone output. To create a link, you use the networking tool: shift-right-click a transmitter to save it, then shift-right-click a receiver to connect the two. The tool also allows you to unlink devices or clear saved transmitters with simple key combinations. Once linked, the receiver will mimic the transmitter’s state, whether it’s a constant signal, a button pulse, or a complex observer update.
Available Transmitters and Receivers
Bluestone offers a wide range of blocks that mirror vanilla redstone components, but with wireless capabilities. Transmitters include the Bluestone Emitter (which provides a constant signal, toggleable via redstone), Lever, Button (wood and stone), Observer, Pressure Plate (wood and stone), Detector Rail, and Activator Rail. On the receiving end, you have the Bluestone Receiver, Lamp, TNT, Dropper, Dispenser, Piston, Sticky Piston, Powered Rail, Doors, and Trapdoors. Logic gates are also available for both transmitting and receiving, enabling more complex wireless circuits.
Getting Started with Bluestone
To begin your wireless journey, you will need to craft the essential components. The basic recipe is simple: combine one redstone dust with one lapis lazuli to create two bluestone dust. From there, you can craft a networking tool and then build whichever transmitters and receivers suit your project. Just Enough Items (JEI) is highly recommended to view all recipes in-game, as the mod adds a significant number of new blocks and items.
How to Install Bluestone
Installing Bluestone is straightforward. First, ensure you have the correct version of Minecraft Forge installed for your game version (1.12.2 or the upcoming 1.15.2). Then, download Bluestone from a trusted mod repository. Place the downloaded .jar file into your Minecraft mods folder. If you are using the foxygame.net launcher, you can skip the manual steps entirely: Bluestone is available in the launcher’s built-in add-on catalog, allowing you to install it with a single click and automatically keep it updated alongside your other mods. Once installed, launch the game and start experimenting with wireless redstone.
Advanced Networking and Controls
The networking tool is the heart of your bluestone operations. Shift-right-clicking on a transmitter saves it to the tool’s memory. Then, shift-right-clicking on a receiver links it to that saved transmitter. To unlink, shift-right-click on a non-bluestone block to toggle unlink mode, then repeat the linking steps on the connected pair. To clear the saved transmitter from the tool entirely, shift-right-click while looking up at empty sky. This intuitive system allows you to manage complex networks without any GUIs, keeping the focus on building.
Expanding Your Wireless World
Bluestone is designed with compatibility and expansion in mind. Modpack creators are encouraged to include it, and other mod developers can integrate bluestone functionality into their own creations. While a dedicated API is planned for future releases, the mod’s open-source nature on GitHub means you can already explore the code and suggest features. Planned additions include bluestone fence gates, network visualization tools, interdimensional signal transmission, and even integration with ComputerCraft and OpenComputers for programmable wireless control.
Whether you are a seasoned redstone engineer or a builder looking to hide messy wiring, Bluestone for Minecraft opens up a new dimension of creativity. Its intuitive linking system, combined with the familiar behaviors of vanilla redstone components, makes it easy to learn but deep enough to master. The upcoming 1.15.2 rework promises even more possibilities, so now is the perfect time to download Bluestone and start building the wireless contraptions of your dreams.