Steel- not for hermits.

[Zamilpen]

I could have sworn that fuel Q still counts towards maintaining the quality of the steel.

[KaRasmilla88]

Steel isn't that hard. If you don't have the life.

I have created some q10 bars and build brickwall from them. I am satisfied. Yeah. As hell.

[sabinati]

The only things which effect steel quality now are the crucible's quality, the quality of the wrought you are using, and the quality of the charcoal in the slots. The fuel you use is completely irrelevant.

You ought to be filling a couple palisade signs near the crucibles, then taking out 4 blocks, turning them into branches, and filling with those. Doing so means refueling them is a couple minute process at best, and makes it considerably easier to fit in. 12 hours is a pretty long time, especially when you only have to remember to spend 2-3 minutes twice a day.

so many things wrong here

[Oddity]

Is steel intentionally almost reclusive for villages and small groups?

"exclusive to"

And no. I've done steel solo before.

[Zamte]

The only things which effect steel quality now are the crucible's quality, the quality of the wrought you are using, and the quality of the charcoal in the slots. The fuel you use is completely irrelevant.

You ought to be filling a couple palisade signs near the crucibles, then taking out 4 blocks, turning them into branches, and filling with those. Doing so means refueling them is a couple minute process at best, and makes it considerably easier to fit in. 12 hours is a pretty long time, especially when you only have to remember to spend 2-3 minutes twice a day.

so many things wrong here

What's wrong about it? If it still worked how it used to then our steel would be going down due to q10 branches. It's not. It comes out the same quality steel as it went in wrought. They do last 12 hours, having palisade signs full of blocks does make it quicker, and there's nothing else that could be involved in the quality aside from the branches, since I listed everything else. At worst there's one thing wrong with it.

Even if somehow the branches do matter but aren't softcapping the steel, and are involved in some other formula, thanks to how the new smelting formula works your crucibles and charcoal are going to be enough higher than the metal in order to make it cap with the q10 branches anyways. If you want to use higher quality branches or boards for it, then I guess you can do that, but that's a lot of wood.

[Potjeh]

It doesn't cap, it averages, and branches do matter. Also, it's easier to fuel with blocks directly rather than break them up into branches first.

[HamishAlexander]

For me q of steel always = q or wrought. I think quality of fuel and other can only lower q of steel, not raise it (if it affects anything at all).