Tutorial:TNT cannons/Tunnler
Note: Had a construction sign at the bottom of the page, so obviously a WIP before I (DarkShadowTNT (talk)) replaced it with this template. Though I question how "WIP" it is, given the last concrete update was early April 2024.
A Tunnler can produce a deep hole in just a single shot, destroying the target almost instantly. The projectiles explode the moment they hit the target (or come close enough to damage them) multiple prime phases are common here.
Implementation
This guide is created for use on blocks with a blast resistance between and including 5 and 9.
The first projectiles explode in the first game tick, where they can relatively reliably damage the target. This is determined by try and error. Now a high amount of projectiles is used and a test shot is made. The depth of the damage minus 1-2 blocks (those are removed, because cannons do unreliable damage on them) is approximately, how much TNT will be needed for this phase. This process can be repeated for an arbitrary amount of prime phases with the rule of thumb being, that more prime phases increase the efficiency with diminishing returns (until no additional damage is inflicted) but decrease the reliability. Usually it is best to have at least a couple prime phases. The last prime phase should always have at least 2-4 blocks (depending on the target's blast resistance).
To increase efficiency and or reliability, TNT can be shuffled from one prime phase to another in the hope, that this will allow for additional TNT to be used. Especially for Tunnlers with low velocity this usually includes taking away TNT from the early prime phases and adding it to the later ones. Sometimes new prime phases can be created in this process or others shifted around.
Though not always possible, it can be worth a try to move the launch point closer to or away from the target, block by block, or experiment with slightly different angles. This can further improve efficiency and reliability since the first prime phase might take away much of the TNT's velocity relative to the damage it does in some configurations.
It is best to have as regular 'forward' velocity and distance to the target as possible throughout the modes because this allows them to be more optimized for reliability and efficiency. For this reason modes reliant on displacement should only be used when it is required for other, more important reasons (which is often the case for the vertical modes but less often for shifting).
For Tunnlers the TNT should not have a sideways velocity above 2-5 (depending on the target's blast resistance and the aspired reliability). To prevent that when shifting far to the side, slanted shifting has to be avoided or be used in combination with other shifting techniques. Sometimes decreasing the velocity can increase, how far slanted shifting is still viable but that might bring new drawbacks such as additional shots being needed to destroy the target.