Daderic
commented
6 years ago Some of these ideas do interest me, but I thought up something myself. In the Greater Foci tab in the thaumonomicon, it says that, "I have created a focus that is bigger on the inside - magically speaking." With this information, we could sort of assume that the foci crystals are bigger on the inside than the outside. This could, perhaps, mean that the foci is actually a sort of pocket dimension. The thaumaturge already knows about spacial magic, so maybe some was used in the creation of these crystals. Anyway, I suggest being able to sort of "enter" the focus. Your physical body stays within the world, but your mental one goes into the crystal. Any damage you take within the crystal could add to your warp. The purpose of being inside the crystal is to fix any possible "breaks", or "leaks." Or maybe to clear out some "muck" from the crystal before using it to prevent any "accidents" from happening. I don't know. It's just an idea.
Cenotaffio
English is not my language so sorry for eventual errors.
I LOVE the actual foci system, and i'm very happy seeing that it gets better and better every update. But every time i build a new focus i can not help thinking that the focal manipulator, compared with all the others super cool crafting stations in thaumcraft (crucible, infusion altar, golem factory), seem way too simple.... It's more or less (beside the crafting animation), at the level of the arcane workbench. I think it's natural that simple focus could be made with simple machines, but build your final overpower focus for which you have reached the peak of thaumaturgy should be way more cool.
Maybe a multiblock structure with the concept of a 3D crystal engraving system ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wDRXUzfZAw ) that uses lasers generated from elemental crystal while the blank focus is keeping immersed with liquid essentia of specific types to keep it malleable during the process.
Or maybe put a crystallization matrix (witch is like a blueprint) in a sealed chamber where high concentrations of aura and specific essentia types are keep, around the sealed chamber a runic pattern is written, so that a vis crystal made of the needed aspects start to crystallize around the matrix while the runic patterns influence the crystallization , so that the structure and composition are the needed one. At the end of the process you simply take the obtained crystal from the chamber and use it like a foci.
Or maybe by biosynthesis (based on the fact that many tainted organisms build vis crystals inside themselves), harvesting foci from engineered form of taint organisms fed of needed essentia, when the foci is ready you kill the organism and extract the foci.
Or using sound waves in order to make micro fractures in the quarz. And for this you have to use a super pure quarz, so that you have to build a machine that select only the best quality quarz pieces.
Maybe the actual focal manipulator can build only simple foci, and in the late game is still needed to build the blueprints that have to be inserted in the machine. Auromancy is the most spectacular manifestation of a thaumaturge's power and ability, i think that such great discipline deserves a great crafting station.