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Colors

Introduction​

This guide explains how colors work in the plugin. It covers the fundamentals of color types, how to combine and decompose colors, and the behavior of filtering and reflecting components. The image below illustrates the key concepts:

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Schema that represents how color addition works.

There are 3 types of colors:

  • Primary colors:
    • RED RED
    • GREEN GREEN
    • BLUE BLUE
  • Secondary colors:
    • YELLOW YELLOW
    • MAGENTA MAGENTA
    • CYAN CYAN
  • WHITE WHITE

Colors operations​

Colors Addition (Combination)​

You can combine multiple colors to form a new one. The components below can add colors and then compare the result to an expected color.

Components Involved​

  • Laser Receiver: Receives multiple colors, combines them, and activates if the resulting color matches its own.
  • Burnable Block: Receives multiple colors and gets destroyed if the result matches its own color.
  • Concentrator: Combines incoming colors and then emits the resulting color.

Examples​

Normal Examples​

  • Combining All Primary Colors:

    RED RED
    + GREEN GREEN
    + BLUE BLUE
    = WHITE WHITE

    Explanation: All three primary colors produce WHITE WHITE.

  • Combining Two Primary Colors:

    RED RED
    + GREEN GREEN
    = YELLOW YELLOW

    Explanation: Two primary colors form a secondary color.

  • Primary with Opposite Secondary:

    RED RED
    + CYAN CYAN
    = WHITE WHITE

    Explanation: Since CYAN CYAN equals GREEN GREEN + BLUE BLUE, combining it with RED RED creates WHITE WHITE.

Complex Examples​

  • Red Added to Magenta:

    RED RED
    + MAGENTA MAGENTA
    = MAGENTA MAGENTA

    Explanation: Since MAGENTA MAGENTA already contains RED RED. Adding RED RED to MAGENTA MAGENTA is useless.

  • Combining Magenta and Cyan:

    MAGENTA MAGENTA
    + CYAN CYAN
    = WHITE WHITE

    Explanation: Equivalent to combining RED RED + BLUE BLUE (from MAGENTA MAGENTA) + BLUE BLUE + GREEN GREEN (from CYAN CYAN)—note that one BLUE BLUE is effectively "lost" in the process, resulting in WHITE WHITE.

Duplicate Primaries​

When a Laser Receiver or a Burnable Block receives the same primary color more than once (e.g. two RED RED lasers), the duplicate is simply ignored. Only the presence of a primary component matters, not how many times it is received.

Example: A MAGENTA MAGENTA receiver hit by RED RED + RED RED + BLUE BLUE will activate, because the primary components (red and blue) match.

only_needed_colors Config Option​

This configuration option controls how strictly color matching is applied:

  • true (strict): The received primary components must match exactly the expected ones. No extra, no missing.
    • A GREEN GREEN receiver will activate with a GREEN GREEN laser, but not with a WHITE WHITE laser (which adds extra red and blue primaries).
  • false (lenient): The received primary components must contain at least all the expected ones. Extras are tolerated.
    • A GREEN GREEN receiver will activate even with a WHITE WHITE laser (since white contains green).

Color Decomposition​

Certain colors can be decomposed into their constituent parts. This process works for WHITE WHITE and secondary colors.

Components Involved​

  • Prism: The only component that allows you to break down composite colors into their basic components.

Examples​

  • Primary Color:

    GREEN GREEN remains GREEN GREEN since primary colors can't be decomposed.

  • Secondary Color:

    MAGENTA MAGENTA decomposes into RED RED + BLUE BLUE.

    Explanation: Secondary colors are decomposed into primary colors.

  • WHITE WHITE Decomposition:

    WHITE WHITE decomposes into all primary and secondary colors: RED RED
    + GREEN GREEN
    + BLUE BLUE
    + MAGENTA MAGENTA
    + YELLOW YELLOW
    + CYAN CYAN.

Color Filtering​

Filter extracts a sub-color from a composite color. The filter lets through lets through only the matching part of the incoming color.

How It Works​

A filter passes:

  • The exact color of the filter.
  • The components that combine to form the filter's color.

Components Involved​

  • Filtering spheres: Requires a mirror to begin filtering the incoming laser colors.
  • Mirror support: Acts as a filter based on the mirror's color and its orientation. (Only when the laser is parallel to the mirror's edge does it filter; otherwise, it reflects.)
  • Glass Blocks and Glass Panes: Function as stained glass from Minecraft.
  • Mirror blocks: Function as Minecraft concrete powder blocks.

Examples​

Normal Examples​

  • Matching Filter:

    GREEN GREEN
    / GREEN GREEN
    = GREEN GREEN

    Explanation: GREEN GREEN filter passes the GREEN GREEN laser.

  • Non-Matching Filter:

    RED RED
    / GREEN GREEN
    = Nothing

    Explanation: Since RED RED does not contain GREEN GREEN, nothing passes.

  • Secondary Color Filtering:

    YELLOW YELLOW
    / GREEN GREEN
    = GREEN GREEN

    Explanation: YELLOW YELLOW contains both GREEN GREEN and RED RED. A GREEN GREEN filter lets only the GREEN GREEN part of the given YELLOW YELLOW color pass through.

  • Filtering White:

    WHITE WHITE
    / GREEN GREEN
    = GREEN GREEN

    Explanation: WHITE WHITE contains all primary colors, so the GREEN GREEN filter passes only the GREEN GREEN part.

Complex Example​

  • Complet Filtering with Incompatible Colors:

    CYAN CYAN
    / YELLOW YELLOW
    = GREEN GREEN

    Explanation: The given CYAN CYAN color contains BLUE BLUE and GREEN GREEN. A YELLOW YELLOW filter lets pass YELLOW YELLOW, GREEN GREEN, and RED RED. This is why only the GREEN GREEN part of the given color will pass through a YELLOW YELLOW filter.

Filtering Reflection​

Mirror support can exhibit a mix of filtering and reflection, depending on how the laser interacts with the mirror.

Behavior Overview​

  • Edge Filtering: As explained in the filtering chapter above, a mirror can behave like a filter: This filtering behavior will occur if the laser passes through the edge of the mirror. In other words, the laser must be parallel to the mirror for the mirror support to behave like a filter.

  • Face Reflection with Filtering: On the contrary, if the laser touches one side of the mirror (and therefore doesn't pass its edge), the behavior will be a mixture of filtering and reflection. It is this particular behavior that is explained in this chapter.

In this case, the mirror filters the colors and then reflects the remaining colors. The colors subtracted during filtering pass through the mirror.

Components involved​

  • Mirror support: Must contain a coloured mirror. The laser must hit a face of the mirror (not its edge—otherwise it will act like a filter) to trigger this mixed behavior.

Examples​

Normal Examples​

  • Matching Reflection:

    GREEN GREEN
    | GREEN GREEN
    = GREEN GREEN is reflected and NOTHING pass through

    Explanation: A GREEN GREEN mirror receiving a GREEN GREEN laser will reflect GREEN GREEN and nothing will pass through._

  • Partial Reflection:

    YELLOW YELLOW
    | GREEN GREEN
    = GREEN GREEN
    \is reflected and RED RED passes through.

    Explanation: YELLOW YELLOW contains RED RED and GREEN GREEN. The GREEN GREEN part is reflected by the GREEN mirror, while the remaining RED RED passes through.

  • White with Reflection:

    WHITE WHITE
    | GREEN GREEN
    = GREEN GREEN
    \is reflected and the combined RED RED + BLUE BLUE (i.e. MAGENTA MAGENTA) passes through.

    Explanation: WHITE WHITE contains every primary colors. A GREEN GREEN mirror reflects the GREEN GREEN part of the given WHITE WHITE color. The remaining color, RED RED + BLUE BLUE, which is equivalent to MAGENTA MAGENTA, will pass through.

  • Using a YELLOW Mirror:

    WHITE WHITE
    | YELLOW YELLOW
    = YELLOW YELLOW
    \is reflected and BLUE BLUE passes through

    Explanation: WHITE WHITE every primary colors. A YELLOW YELLOW mirror reflects the YELLOW YELLOW part of the given WHITE WHITE color. The remaining BLUE BLUE color will pass through.

Complex Examples​

  • No Filtering Reflection:

    RED RED
    | GREEN GREEN
    = Nothing is reflected and RED RED pass through.

    Explanation: Since RED RED does not contain any GREEN GREEN component, nothing is filtered and thus nothing is reflected._

  • Combined Complex Behavior:

    CYAN CYAN
    | YELLOW YELLOW
    = GREEN GREEN is reflected and BLUE BLUE passes through.

    Explanation: CYAN CYAN (BLUE BLUE + GREEN GREEN) meets a YELLOW YELLOW filter (GREEN GREEN + RED RED). Only the overlapping GREEN GREEN is reflected; the remaining BLUE BLUE is allowed to pass.

Laser Duplication​

Mirror Support with a black mirror demonstrate a unique behavior: they duplicate the laser when the laser touches a face of the mirror (according to their orientation).

Behavior Overview​

  • Edge Behavior: As explained in the filtering chapter above, a mirror can behave like a filter: When a laser passes through the edge of a black mirror, it acts as a filter (identical to a white mirror's filtering behavior).
  • Face Behavior (Duplication): When the laser touches one face of a black mirror (and therefore does not pass its edge), it is both reflected and allowed to pass through. This duplication can be used to create new laser sources by setting up mirrors facing each other. This allows a higher level of complexity in puzzle creation. For further details, refer to the complex example.

Components Involved​

  • Mirror support: Must contain a black mirror. The laser must contact a face rather than the edge to enable duplication (if its touch its edge, it will act like a filter).

Examples​

Normal Example​

  • Laser Duplication with Black Mirror:

    GREEN GREEN
    <> BLACK
    = GREEN GREEN
    + GREEN GREEN

    Explanation: the GREEN GREEN is both reflected and transmitted.

Complex Example​
  • Create a new Laser Source:
    1. Place one Mirror Support with a black mirror and another with a white mirror.
    2. Position the two mirrors so that they face each other.
    3. Send a laser to the black mirror.
    4. After stopping the initial laser, the light will loop between the black and white mirrors, effectively creating a new light source.