Tutorials/TNT cannons

A cannon is a mechanism that uses TNT to launch TNT or other Entities. The usefulness in SSP is limited because most cannons can only fire in one direction, making the cannon obsolete once the target is destroyed.

Basic Concepts
A cannon is made using two sets of TNT: The Charge and the Shot.


 * The Charge is an amount of TNT used to propel the Shot.
 * Since the Cannon uses TNT, considerable precautions must be taken in order to prevent injury, death, or property damage
 * If the cannon is not made of Obsidian, (which resists TNT blasts of effectively unlimited magnitude) then a reusable TNT cannon must house the Charge in a fluid
 * As of version 1.2.3, the only fluid available for the above purpose is Water
 * If the cannon is to be anything but a dud or a bomb of terrifying magnitude, then upon firing the Charge must activate before the Shot activates.
 * If they activate simultaneously, then the Charge and Shot will, as one might expect, explode simultaneously with the Shot's explosion damaging the cannon.
 * Worse still, if the Shot activates first, then it will detonate within the cannon, causing an explosive chain reaction limited only by the size of the Charge and nearby explosives.
 * Redstone is usually used to activate every block of TNT in the Charge simultaneously, with the exception of Condenser charges, which are discussed below.
 * The Shot's angle relative to the explosion area of the charge determines its trajectory.

Naming Standards
A cannon's name should give those who read it a complete picture of its function, use, and method of operation. While it is impossible to anticipate every innovation in TNT Cannon technology, most cannons will benefit from using these standards in their formal, if not only, names.


 * 'Order' the Order of a cannon specifies how many stacks of TNT it has vertically. For example, the One Button Mid-Range Cannon below is a First Order Cannon
 * 'Direction' the Direction of a cannon specifies the direction in which the shot will travel on firing (e.g., Horizontal, Vertical, Mortar, etc.,) if multiple directions are possible, then list them all or simply state Multi-Direction. Note that it is not necessary to refer to the orientation of the Cannon unless it is oriented in a non-cardinal direction (e.g., Southwest).  If so, then put Diagonal in front of its name.
 * 'Condensation Number' the Condensation Number of a cannon specifies how its (if present) Condensation system works. It requires, at most, two positive integers, each separated from the other by a decimal point.
 * The first integer indicates the Order of the Condensation System, and the second indicates its length (measured as the distance from the point closest to the Shot to the point furthest from the Shot).
 * If the Cannon's condensation system is more than one block wide, then refer to each row as a separate Condensation System.

Survival Mode
The criteria for 'wet' TNT Cannon (a TNT cannon that protects its structure from the Charge's blast using Water) building materials are simple: availability, breaking time, gravity resistance, and blast resistance, in that order. The use of highly available materials enables the construction of large TNT cannons and reduces the amount of time spent merely gathering materials. Breaking time further increases the speed of construction by reducing the time spent cleaning up mistakenly placed blocks, but it, along with gravity resistance and blast resistance, exist in a trade-off with each other. Obsidian highlights this dilemma with its ability to both hang in the air (not unique, but nonetheless important) and withstand any TNT explosion (which allows the creation of 'dry' cannons) offset by its 20 second minimum breaking time. Finally, for cannons that have multiple levels, the usefulness of gravity resistance is self-evident.

As a result of these criteria, Cobblestone has become a common choice among Survival Mode TNT cannon builders due to its high availability, gravity resistance, and acceptable blast resistance. Note that as a result of mods such as Too Many Items, Singleplayer Commands, and Invedit, gathering the materials for and building a TNT Cannon 'by hand' is a rare event due to its expense.

Creative Mode
Though Creative Mode is now the standard for building TNT Cannons, the lessons learned in Survival Mode all carry over into Creative Mode; however, the need to consider availability and breaking time is eliminated by the infinite supply of materials and instant breaking inherent to Creative Mode itself.

Cannon Sizes and Common Features
When players discuss cannon size, they usually refer to the Charge size. Larger cannons have a larger charge which usually makes them fire further.

Players also like to add features to their cannons including:
 * Multiple shots
 * Semi-automatic/fully-automatic firing and reloading
 * Charge Booster (Another piece of TNT that explodes, pushing the Charge towards the front of the cannon to concentrate the blast.)
 * Safety features
 * Adjustable Shot Delay, which changes when the Shot is activated.
 * Alternative Ammo
 * Dry Cannon: Building a cannon from explosion-resistant material to simplify design, maintenance, and potentially improve firing distance. See Tutorials/Dry cannon for construction details.
 * Arrows as ammo

Limitations

 * Cannon power is limited by the number of TNT blocks in the charge and their distance from the shot being propelled. Too many TNT blocks detonating at once will cause an out of memory error and crash the game.  With the standard 1.2 GB of memory allocated to Minecraft, the limit is near 500 blocks of TNT.
 * Range is limited by the speed the shot leaves the cannon and the fuse delay on the shot. The maximum fuse delay is 4 seconds, which is the time from charge activation to charge detonation.  This means that the shot can fly for a maximum of 4 seconds before detonating.  This limit does not apply to shots that don't need to be activated, such as minecarts.

Following the 1.0 Minecraft release, making the practically appealing TNT Cannons is now more difficult, since activated TNT entity is no longer affected by water current, thus the propelling power of TNT blocks used as fuse cannot be condensed effectively by that means. However, if a 3rd set of TNT is used, a single TNT block activated slightly before the main charge, can condense the charge. This 3rd set would need to be place far enough away to not affect the TNT block to be launched.

One-Button Middle Range Cannon
The following is a simple cannon that covers automatic delay. Please see this video tutorial if you need additional help.

One-Button Cannon with a Minecart used as delay
This cannon is automatic, once you press the button, it not only lights up the "boosters" but also sends a minecart around the cannon that triggers a detector rail, which lights up the charge. Saves redstone, but takes a lot of iron (However, if you get rails from abandoned mineshafts this design can even save you resources!).

Charge Condensation
TNT's seven block blast radius limits the size of TNT Cannon Charges because beyond that distance any additional TNT is wasted. Charge condensation serves to allow additional TNT to be added to the Charge by, as the name implies, condensing it into a smaller space before it explodes. The different blast characteristics should be taken into account, however, since a Charge that is immediately below the Shot will have a far higher trajectory than one that is spread out.

TNT-Based Condensation (a.k.a., Condenser Charge)
The concept of a Condenser Charge is to push the Main Charge closer to the soon to be projectile TNT. To do this the Condenser Charge must be activated slightly before the Main Charge. This will cause the Main Charge to be shot forward towards the projectile TNT. However the Condenser Charge must be far enough away from projectile TNT to not prematurely fire the cannon. Not doing so would result in a shot with far less range. Because of this, Condenser Charges should only be used on Mid to Larger size cannons.

Piston-Based Condensation
Using pistons to push the Main Charge closer to the Shot also does the same thing as a Condenser Charge, more complicated to build but more controllable. To work, the Main Charge must be primed already, turning the solid TNT blocks into entities. Once they are entities, a series of pistons can push and concentrated all charges into a single block space behind the Shot. In this system, you get far more efficient power from a given size of Charge.

Example: Cannon with 18 Block Piston Charge Concentrator This cannon uses a two rows of pistons at the sides and a double pistons in the middle to concentrate 18 blocks of TNT into one spot. The TNT Charges are set off when they are pushed beside the column of redstone torches by other pistons. They then fall into the water and are push by the side pistons, putting them in a single row down the middle of the water trough. Then, a double piston extends and pushes all the blocks forward into one spot behind the Shot.

Care must be taken so that the pistons do not displace the water blocks protecting the cannon from TNT damage. To do this, one usually has to apply water a block above the area where the pistons would go into. It is also advised that the pistons should RETRACT back into normal position before the Main Charge explodes, or your cannon might be destroyed. When the pistons extend, they create air spaces in the water no matter what, hence compromising the water's protection.

Waterless Cannon
Most TNT cannons require water to fire them without destroying the cannon. An alternative is to build them out of an explosion-resistant material, particularly obsidian. Waterless TNT cannons may fire farther because there is no water to absorb the explosion shock. See Tutorials/Dry cannon for construction details.

Shot Mounting Blocks
The shot mounting block alters the height of the Shot over the trough (hence explosion apex) once primed. Adjusting this height will affect the shot's angle and height trajectory when fired out. Players can use a mounting block to attain a desired flight path and range for their cannon. Generally, the higher the Shot is elevated by the mounting block, the higher the angle of fire but the lower the velocity.

The following are ones tested and deemed safe. Some blocks, such as a pressure plate, can result in the catastrophic failure of the cannon when used as shot mounting blocks.

No Mounting Block
Pros: Highest velocity, simple, scalable

Cons: poor range in smaller cannons, downward trajectory, line-of-sight only

When no mounting block is used, the Shot is either allow to fall onto the water trough or is place on the trough directly. the Shot will fire out completely horizontal, or 0°. Gravity will quickly pulled the Shot to the ground, giving a very flat, downwards trajectory.

With small TNT charges, the range can be extremely limited. To increase the range, ever larger charges are needed or the cannon must be built higher above the ground. A larger charge means a higher velocity to the Shot, pushing the Shot farther away before it drops to the ground.

Players have been known to use up to 70 TNT charges and beyond. But economically, a cannon without a mounting block will take more TNT and longer to load for a certain range.

Single Block


Pros: Higher firing angle, can lob shots

Cons: Low velocity, reduced power and extremely poor range for smaller cannons

A single full size block such as cobblestone or obsidian is placed under the Shot. This has the effect of elevating the Shot above the water trough, so the blast force from the Charge is applied not just forward, but upwards. The shot is fired out at a high angle and trajectory. This is useful for hitting a elevated target, or one behind terrain or obstruction.

However, part of the blast force is absorbed by a solid mounting block, so the cannon will suffer similar problems of needing large charge sizes. Also, since some of the energy is expelled in the upwards direction, forward shot velocity is reduced greatly.

A better alternative to the single mounting block is using a Ladder instead.

Half Block


Pros: Smooth trajectory (not too high, not too low), average velocity, more efficient for small and medium cannons 

Cons: Slightly reduced power, not best for either straight OR lobe shots, fuse range limit * 

A half block is the compromise between a single block and no mounting, and generally more efficient than either. More of a cannon's blast force is directed forward, but there is still an upward vector that raises the angle of fire to roughly 30°. As with a single block, some of the blast energy is absorbed by the block, but much less. From the same TNT load, the half block has greater range than a single block or no block.

When the TNT Shot is initially placed over a half block, it will hang over the half block as if it was a full size block. Once the TNT has been "primed", it will fall down and sit on the true height of the half block.

The firing angle produced by a half block is good for extending the range of a cannon and hitting elevated targets, but its too low for effective lobbing over high walls and obstacles. For straight direct firing, shots fired with a half block mounting generally land level on the ground within a certain range. However, due to the limited fuse time of TNT in the game, scaling up the TNT charges up to a point will result in the shot flying too high and exploding in the air before it lands or reach the cannon's maximum range. This will be refer to as the "fuse range limit * ". All cannons are limited by the fuse range limit, but cannons firing at higher angles are especially prone to the fuse limit, as the shot velocity is lower and shots reach higher altitudes.

Trap Door


Pros: (closed) Optimized for flat trajectory, velocity almost the same as no-block, (opened) can be used in open position for higher firing angle, good scaling

Cons: Be sure that priming circuit doesn't activate the trapdoor by accident.

If the firing angle of the half block is too high for your purpose, a closed Trapdoor can be used instead. Like the half block, it provides some upward force to the shot by elevating it above the trough. A trapdoor, however, is only half the height of a half block. Firing angle is roughly 15-20°, making it extremely effective for straight shots at very long range (+180 block).

Little forward velocity is lost when firing, and shot typically fly out at very high speeds. This combine with the low firing angle means cannons firing larger loads can extend their range without encountering too much fuse range problems as with the half block or ladder mounting.

NOTE: Be sure that your priming circuit for the Shot doesn't activate the trapdoor, or open/closed the Trapdoor beforehand. (inapplicable as of 1.1)

Ladder/Iron Bars/Glass Pane


'''NOTE: As of 1.1, the removal of the collision box for Ladders means they will not support falling TNT anymore. But they can be replaced with Iron Bars or Glass Pane blocks for the same effect, but as of 1.2 the hitbox was added again.''' Pros: Efficient with small and medium cannons, High firing angle, parabolic trajectory, good for lobbing shots and high altitude

Cons: Low velocity, poor scaling, limited range at ±120 blocks

A Ladder placed on the side can serve as a very effective mounting block for firing at high angles and lobbing shots. A primed Shot will be supported by the edge thickness of the ladder, preventing it from falling into the trough. Because a Ladder is not a full size block, none of the energy from the blast is absorbed, and the shot is propelled out at full force. By adding ladders above each other, different firing angles can be achieved. Typically, a single ladder will give an angle just higher than a half block, roughly 40°-45°. Two ladders will give an extremely parabolic flight, shots fly out at about 50°-60°.

A good portion of the blast energy directed upwards on the block, so shot velocities are generally much slower than a no-mount or half block mount cannon. In return, a cannon have no problem lobbing shots over terrain and walls. At larger charge loads, shots can reach very high altitudes.

However, this also means the fuse range limit is a inherent problem with this mounting. Within a 100 block distance, well built cannons level with the ground can expect to land shots low enough to cause damage. But beyond this shots explode midair way beforehand, even with a shot primed at maximum fuse time with a delay circuit. Hence, one can't simply add more TNT to increase the range, as it will only make the shot fly higher. A basic solution is to put the cannon below ground, in a pit with a slanted slope to allow the shot to fly out. Since the shot had a lower starting point, it will explode closer to the ground once its fuse time runs out. To reach ranges beyond 150 blocks, this solution becomes impractical.

Video examples

 * Mortar High Angle Shot using a ladder mounting block.
 * Compact The Shot is primed by hand, which must now be done with flint and steel.
 * Superlarge Cannon Firing other Entities.

Trivia

 * Cannons can launch any entity, including mobs, sand, gravel, or players. Sand and gravel can be used to mark the landing spot (assuming it doesn't despawn mid-flight). Tutorials/Mechanisms is a guide to building a human- (or other entity-) launching cannon.


 * Cannons are ineffective against water based defenses since TNT doesn't destroy any blocks when submerged.


 * Cannons are follow the South-West quirk and fire further when facing South or West.

Anleitungen/TNT-Kanone Tutoriels/Canons de TNT 教程/TNT大炮