Vanilla Java · five systems
How the Orbital Strike Cannon works
Updated
The cannon is five machines working in a chain. One makes TNT, one builds the payload, one holds it still, one sets the target, and one launches it. This is how cubicmetre's vanilla Java version does each job.
The five steps
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Duplicate the TNT
A TNT duper supplies the ammo. TNT duping only works in Java Edition, which is why the cannon is Java-only in vanilla.
In Mk.6 the path from the duper to the magazine is flooded with water, so TNT that loads too early can't detonate.
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Build the payload: stab or nuke
The payload builder makes one of two shots.
- Stab shot: staged charges with fuses from 1 to 9 ticks. It punches a narrow hole.
- Nuke: rings of charges with prime momentum. It makes a wide blast.
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Hold it in stasis
Overlapping nether-portal chunk loaders create lazy chunks. TNT inside a lazy chunk stores its momentum without moving, so the payload waits in place until it's time to fire.
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Set the target
Coordinates are entered at a terminal. cubicmetre started with a spreadsheet and now uses the OSC Fire Control web app.
The settings travel to the cannon by wireless redstone: daylight sensors send them as serial binary every 20 game ticks.
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Fire
Propellant gives the payload an exact velocity. Entities can cross unloaded chunks as long as the destination chunk is loaded, so the TNT can travel a long way to land on target.
A fishing rod can work as a single remote trigger.
Limits
- It's huge and laggy. This is a very large build, not a gadget.
- Java only in vanilla. It relies on TNT duping. See Bedrock options.
- Servers usually break it. Paper and Spigot servers usually stop it working.
- Not point-and-click. The targets it can reach depend on how it's set up.
Want one of your own? Start with the Java build guide.
Watch cubicmetre explain it
Questions people ask
How does the Orbital Strike Cannon aim?
You enter the target coordinates at a terminal. cubicmetre first used a spreadsheet and now uses his OSC Fire Control web app. The settings reach the cannon by wireless redstone, sent as serial binary through daylight sensors every 20 game ticks.
What's the difference between a stab shot and a nuke?
A stab shot uses staged charges with fuses of 1 to 9 ticks to punch a narrow hole. A nuke uses rings of charges with prime momentum for a wide blast.
Why does the cannon need nether portals?
Overlapping nether-portal chunk loaders create lazy chunks. TNT in a lazy chunk stores its momentum without moving, so the cannon can hold the payload until it's ready to fire.
Does the Orbital Strike Cannon work on servers?
Paper and Spigot servers usually break it. It's built for vanilla Java Edition, and it's huge and laggy even there.