Is there any intention to fix the problem with lava not draining away when a source block is removed? I had a plan to have a lava fall at the entrance to my castle grounds that is stopped by pistons to allow access, but once the lava starts flowing it doesnt stop. Even when I completely remove the source block, the lava will continue to flow regardless. It doesnt even begin to drain down. I have read about this bug before. Will it ever be fixed?
The fact that lava lingers when the source removed is not a bug, it is intentional behavior A flow (of both water and lava) has to be cut off from all source blocks in order to start disappearing, but lava is designed to linger. It's similar to how slow a lava flow is in real life.
Actually no, there is a bug. I find it hard to reproduce, but it has happened to me several times. Its usually the first block from the source that "sticks". When I remove it as well as the source, it will begin to drain down. It is normal however for lava flow to take up to 30 secs per block to disappear, a wider flow taking longer than a skinnier one. At least this is how it seems to behave for me. Hopefully, 4J is aware and have added it to their "To Do" list. I imagine it has a low priority though.
Lava operates much differently than water. I find whenever I want a lava fall, the smaller the flow the better. If its going to be traveling down the side of a hill or mountain for example. I can count on that lava existing for weeks in-game, once I turn it on. However if I design it so that it falls into it’s own footprint and has nowhere to go, it can be managed quite well.
In my old world, I made a tall Obelisk with a lava source block on the top of it. Here it is:
The core was redstone torches on top of blocks, which would alternate all the way to the top where a sticky-piston was placed vertically, for the purpose of either blocking or releasing the lava. It worked beautifully, and once I connected it to a light sensor, it automatically turned on at night and off in the morning. It was great for finding my way back home.
I liked the idea so much I decided to make more of them. I soon found out that the more source blocks you have that are “calculating” where to flow next, the less reliable they become when it comes to disappearing. With one tower, my lava flows were all gone shortly after sunrise. With two, they would often last until noon, and with four, they sometimes remained on all day, despite having no source block. Once I cut it back down to a single Obelisk, it worked flawlessly again.
So yeah, in my experience… Have very few flows in any give area for the best results and what ever you do, don't let there be multiple stops in the flow.
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"Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!" ~ George Bernard Shaw
The OP didn't specific if he was in the nether or not, so I mention this: Lava behaves differently in the nether and this is intended (see the wiki - I should have before using several lava buckets to try and clear the mushrooms that had covered my nether - sob!)
What is your current setup? perhaps we can troubleshoot a better option.
I use vertical lava to light my storage room, and by removing a 1x1 column of lava it goes away directly. I use the same in my nether, but any wider and it takes longer to vanish. Are you using solid source blocks? The "overflow" from a lava source block, if it goes wider than 1 thick, can take longer. so if your trench was 7 across for the curtain, then 7 source blocks (opposed to 3 that you "could" get away with).
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I wanted to build a cool lava-curtain entrance which would be blocked off with sticky pistons linked to pressure plates. I got all the wiring done (my first redstone project) only to find out this. I would like some clarification on whether it is a feature or a bug, if it's a bug, change it, if it's a feature: me no likey.
It is a feature.
When playing the Xbox 360 Edition, one of the tips on the loading screens informs you that lava can take up to 15 minutes to fully dissipate. It's also a caution/warning on the wiki for lava.
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How to make lava dissapear fast in 3 easy steps
1) Put a block in every lava block (doesnt matter if it is a source block or not)
2) Remove all the blocks where the lava was before.
3) Enjoy life without lava!
In my old world, I made a tall Obelisk with a lava source block on the top of it. Here it is:
The core was redstone torches on top of blocks, which would alternate all the way to the top where a sticky-piston was placed vertically, for the purpose of either blocking or releasing the lava. It worked beautifully, and once I connected it to a light sensor, it automatically turned on at night and off in the morning. It was great for finding my way back home.
I liked the idea so much I decided to make more of them. I soon found out that the more source blocks you have that are “calculating” where to flow next, the less reliable they become when it comes to disappearing. With one tower, my lava flows were all gone shortly after sunrise. With two, they would often last until noon, and with four, they sometimes remained on all day, despite having no source block. Once I cut it back down to a single Obelisk, it worked flawlessly again.
So yeah, in my experience… Have very few flows in any give area for the best results and what ever you do, don't let there be multiple stops in the flow.
Well, every day you learn something new
I use vertical lava to light my storage room, and by removing a 1x1 column of lava it goes away directly. I use the same in my nether, but any wider and it takes longer to vanish. Are you using solid source blocks? The "overflow" from a lava source block, if it goes wider than 1 thick, can take longer. so if your trench was 7 across for the curtain, then 7 source blocks (opposed to 3 that you "could" get away with).
Want to see the world's most gullible person? Click Here!
When playing the Xbox 360 Edition, one of the tips on the loading screens informs you that lava can take up to 15 minutes to fully dissipate. It's also a caution/warning on the wiki for lava.