Tutorials/Minecart booster

Minecarts can act very strangely when they're next to each other - they accelerate rapidly. This effect is used to create boosters. A booster consists of a short track with another minecart placed next to the track you want to boost. The two tracks will have one or more squares of contact. When your minecart is next to the other cart, they will both accelerate and gain momentum. There is a maximum speed (8 m/s, 1 block = 1 meter), but there is no maximum momentum. If a cart gains too much energy, glitches may occur. A good way to avoid this is to make sure that no cart is incrementing its energy over a long period time (caused by a loop without stops).

Example of two boosters in a loop. The first booster loop is giving the cart more and more momentum over time, which will eventually cause glitches. The second booster loop resets the momentum by stopping every cart every iteration, making it more reliable.

Boosting Principle
Do take note that the methods above are not the only configurations that can be used to boost a minecart. Instead, rely on the following principle when designing booster systems:
 * A minecart pair will boost when they are side-by-side.
 * As long as the carts are side-by-side, they will continue to gain more momentum/energy.
 * It is usually desired to make the booster cart reset itself after use (i.e., return to it's original position) so it can be used again right away, but this is not required.
 * The south-west rule or other track layout techniques can be used to accomplish this reset.
 * A cart will slow down if it approaches a neighbor cart head-on (e.g., not off of a slope or curve), and a proper boost will not be accomplished. Keep this in mind when designing two-way systems. The following diagrams illustrate this concept:

Two-way manual-reset
This is probably the simplest booster you can built. It is easy to build and easy to understand. It is also very compact, taking up as little extra space as possible.

This booster requires "manual reset" only if you want to go though the same direction twice. After you go one way, this booster will be ready for boosting the opposite direction. If you never travel the same direction twice in a row (you always come back from where you've gone), then this booster might be good enough for you.



Two-way corner manual-reset
This example demonstrates a two-way manual reset booster. The booster only requires a manual reset should you want to go the same direction twice. It is an excellent solution for those who prefer to have minimal alterations made to their terrain.



One-way auto-reset (south-west rule)
These are two possible configurations for one-way resetting boosters based on the south-west rule. The one on the left is a south→north booster, and the one on the right is a west→east booster.



One-way auto-reset (based on inclination)
This booster uses a raised auto-reset loop, so that it can be built in any direction. The booster minecart will go through the loop and fall onto the inclined track, going back to the starting position.



Two-way auto-reset
Here is an example of a two-way resetting booster that is direction-independent (its cardinal direction doesn't matter):



Uphill auto-reset booster
This is a simple, compact and effective way of going uphill.




 * 1) This is your main track. You want to build a booster here.
 * 2) Dig a 2x2 hole containing your main track.
 * 3) Rebuild the two pieces your main track inside the hole (like a "V" letter). Then, start building a booster track.
 * 4) At the top end of the booster track...
 * 5) ...remove the last track piece...
 * 6) ...and put a block there. This way, the booster minecart will hit that block and go back down to the starting position.
 * 7) Your finished track.