Much Ado About A BTW Adventure Map

[TheHoboHunted]

Didn't know where to post this, so I went the safe route and just posted here.

I recently played through Deep Space Turtle Chase
It. Was. Glorious.

I'd never seen something like that done in Minecraft, let alone an Adventure Map. Afterwards I got to thinking, "If ever there was to be a good AM (Adventure Map) featuring BTW, it should be done like this."

I then tore off into a whiskey-fueled whirlwind of brainstorming that produced more stupid ideas than good ones, but the good ones stood out like diamonds in a dung pile; At least to my then booze-soaked mind. It would need an unifying visual theme to match what little back-story that had bobbed to the surface of my soggy thinker, that of course being in the vein of "Massive Industrial complex run by a Madman with a deep-seated hatred of wolves and life in general." So original, I know...

Anyway, the idea of Industry immediately made me think of Glimmars Steampunk Textures and all their finely crafted goodness. They would set the tone and theme perfectly. But something was missing. All the BTW blocks would look quite dated next to such industrious awesome. Luckily, Glimmar also provides some 500+ alternative textures for just such an occasion. The rest of that night was spent putting together a small BTW compatibility pack from Glimmars Textures.

*I should pause here and say that said Compatibility Pack will not be posted anywhere, save for screenshots and video, until proper permissions are obtained. Just putting that out there.*

From that point on I've done nothing but experiment with the elements that BTW provides and how they could be used in an Adventure Map. The possibilities boggle the mind. Unfortunately, at the moment I really don't have much to show for it other than puzzle proofs of concept built on my testing map, and since this post is reaching Wall'o Text levels I'll just stop here. I'd also just like to state that this has become quite a fun little project /time-sink for me. Input on anything is more than welcome, as are criticisms. Puzzle idea? Post it. Story idea? Let's hear it. Just want to yell at me for wasting your time? I'll take it. =D Regardless, thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.

I'll be sure to post some screen-shots and maybe a video of a few concepts here in a bit.

[xbitx]

Absolutely loving this idea.

I can see a Myst feel to this. Puzzles to solve to understand the world you're in.

More importantly, detector blocks and dispenser blocks could be given the same texture as walls/floors, to be hidden, so you can create a true Adventure Map that hides secret doors without giving away the switches and such.

And if (I'm not sure if it works yet or not) arrows make detector blocks go off, how awesome would that be for long distance buttons that people can't reach normally. :)

[Katalliaan]

Absolutely loving this idea.

I can see a Myst feel to this. Puzzles to solve to understand the world you're in.

More importantly, detector blocks and dispenser blocks could be given the same texture as walls/floors, to be hidden, so you can create a true Adventure Map that hides secret doors without giving away the switches and such.

And if (I'm not sure if it works yet or not) arrows make detector blocks go off, how awesome would that be for long distance buttons that people can't reach normally. :)

Any block or entity (which includes mobs, players, arrows, and items/miniblocks) can set off a BD.

I definitely agree that there needs to be some unifying feature to the map, similar to how Vechs uses 3x3 tunnels in his maps to denote important areas.

I'd be willing to help you out with trap/device design (via PMs or somewhere that won't be visible for everyone else). How are you planning on making it? You can make a lot of useful stuff using MCEdit, although the mod blocks will render as purple cubes instead of what they should be, and it doesn't behave well with waterwheels and windmills.

Out of curiosity, what type of adventure map will you be making - the type where you can't touch anything and just have to make your way through it, or a CTM-style map?

[TheHoboHunted]

I'd like to apologize in advance, it's after 9:00 PM. I am not "sober".

More importantly, detector blocks and dispenser blocks could be given the same texture as walls/floors, to be hidden, so you can create a true Adventure Map that hides secret doors without giving away the switches and such.

That sir, is a wonderful idea. I might be hesitant to go with an "Invisible" skin with the detector block though, considering:

And if (I'm not sure if it works yet or not) arrows make detector blocks go off, how awesome would that be for long distance buttons that people can't reach normally. :)

It most definitely works. Plus I got this going for the texture, really hope I can get permission.

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It squints up when It detects. Almost like a Bulls-eye.. =D (That's a Pulley off to the left btw.)
The Block Dispenser however was giving me trouble anyway texture-wise, so camouflaging them is absolutely brilliant. Wish I'd thought of this before I got the texture together. But c'mon, a literal Redstone "Eye" is Mad Science point blank.
This would also work beautifully with the Buddy block.

I'd be willing to help you out with trap/device design (via PMs or somewhere that won't be visible for everyone else). How are you planning on making it? You can make a lot of useful stuff using MCEdit, although the mod blocks will render as purple cubes instead of what they should be, and it doesn't behave well with waterwheels and windmills.

I made this for you in about 15 Minutes in McEdit.

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TooManyItems & SinglePlayerCommands are also mainstays of mine when doing this kind of thing. Incredibly useful all of them.
Any kind of help is always, I mean ALWAYS, appreciated. I'm writing down your name for consultation, in fact, I might consult you on a few puzzles I've got going right after this post.

Out of curiosity, what type of adventure map will you be making - the type where you can't touch anything and just have to make your way through it, or a CTM-style map?

As tempted as I am to go with the "DON'T BREAK ANY BLOCKS FOO" approach, I feel as if this would limit the number of applications I could apply to all the blocks at my disposal. E.g. Breaking down a coil of rope for a good deal of rope, etc.
I'll probably end up with some combination of the two, and just find a way to denote when it's not and when it's okay to break blocks. Most likely by making liberal use of Multiple Maps as custom notes feature. That is an F'ing awesome feature. Matmos is also something I would greatly like to incorporate.

And just because I have them, here are some other screenies:

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Pulley:


Platform:


Rope & Anchor:


Gearbox & Axle


Bellows:


Turntable:


Hibachi:

[walker_boh_65]

This seems like a really cool idea. I certainly hope that you can get father then some other of us who have tried. And if you ever need some more help, just shoot a PM. And I /WILL/ be playing this when you release it.

[orangeweaver]

Sounds pretty cool! I'd love to try it out when it's completed or if you need testing for a particular part or two, feel free to ask and if I have the time I will definitely give a hand.

[xbitx]

While the detector block could potentially be "camoflauged" I definitely agree with you that the current texture looks absolutely amazing to fit in with the Steam Punk design. I wouldn't change that.

Also, quick little comment here. I've always been a fan but haven't see many people do this, of changing the texture of an item, to completely change it.

For instance. I've not really seen many Adventure Maps take saplings into account. Not many use them. A possibility of usage would be to change their texture to fit the story. For instance. Indiana Jones. Make saplings a "Crystal Skull". When placed on dirt, it looks like it's just sitting there. I doubt you'll have much use for saplings (although if you do then of course this means nothing lol), but it could open up the possibility of using the buddy/detector block in conjunction. So if you remove the crystal skull, the detector block (let's pretend you made the texture camoflauged with the surrounding area) would notice when you destroy it and pick it up, which would cause trap doors to open around you into lava, possibly on a delay so as to allow you the possibility to run back accross before they all open. As well, you can retexture the planter to look like a table/altar/whatever when you place dirt into it, so when the "sapling" is "planted" in it, it just looks like it's resting on a table.

Of course the problem here lies with having only one item/block id and if you were to change a sapling you couldn't use it again. Maybe perhaps a simple mod that goes alongside it, in order to duplicate blocks with more ID's so as to be used multiple times with different looks. That's probably outside the scope of a normal Adventure Map though, but it's a suggestion.

I patiently wait for your ideas. This gets more and more exciting the more I read your thoughts on it. As well, the idea for breaking down roils of rope, I definitely must say I enjoy having to think "oh hey I actually NEED that rope to feed down this random anchor to get down this shaft" type of moments. So I'm glad you're thinking about applications like that!

Keep up the work!

[johnt]

I've been thinking about this a lot for the past couple of weeks. I'll be more than happy to brainstorm with you after I get home from work today. I was trying to categorize all the different kinds of 'gameplay' mechanics one could create with BTW just the other day, as well as background story.

Off the top of my head, fixing automated systems that have been broken to get some resource in production, would be one obvious puzzle type.

I'm mostly interesting in working on storyline and writing though, because so many adventure maps have such AWFUL plotting and writing. And I'm not even talking about carefully crafted prose and well-drawn characters, I'm just talking about, you know, basic spelling and grammar.

[johnt]

I think the best way to do this, especially for the first one, is to conceptualize it as an introduction to BTW. Start with challenges using only plain vanilla blocks, and gradually introduce more BTW mechanics as it progresses. The story and theme is important, but if the mechanics don't work, the story doesn't matter much.

[TheHoboHunted]

This seems like a really cool idea. I certainly hope that you can get father then some other of us who have tried. And if you ever need some more help, just shoot a PM. And I /WILL/ be playing this when you release it.

I intend to at least produce some kind of result, something finished. I'll definitely need advice on how to get some of the more complex auto-factories/puzzles going, this deserves to be done right.

Sounds pretty cool! I'd love to try it out when it's completed or if you need testing for a particular part or two, feel free to ask and if I have the time I will definitely give a hand.

I'd planned to have modular betas exclusive to this forum. You guys know best when it comes to BTW.

While the detector block could potentially be "camoflauged" I definitely agree with you that the current texture looks absolutely amazing to fit in with the Steam Punk design. I wouldn't change that.

Good to know someone else likes it.=D

Also, quick little comment here. I've always been a fan but haven't see many people do this, of changing the texture of an item, to completely change it.

This will definitely be used somehow, I'm not completely sure as to how just now, but you can be sure it will be used.

I think the best way to do this, especially for the first one, is to conceptualize it as an introduction to BTW. Start with challenges using only plain vanilla blocks, and gradually introduce more BTW mechanics as it progresses. The story and theme is important, but if the mechanics don't work, the story doesn't matter much.

A good idea. But there may be a steep, if not completely vertical learning curve for those not at all familiar to BTW. I'll try to keep this in mind. I read somewhere that the secret to a good Adventure Map is to keep it just grueling enough that maybe you won't completely destroy your keyboard in frustration. It's a fine line. Testing will be crucial. Of course that all depends on whether or not it's divided into a series, say, divided into ages. That's actually a really good idea... But right now I really just kind of want to go all out. But this is also something I now want to do... Really bad.

Some stuff I did tonight:

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Oh, what could this mean?

[Katalliaan]

To keep your players from "destroying their keyboards in frustration", I'd suggest gradually introducing concepts, even if it means having to create a "character" to drop hints to the player (through signs or maps).

[TheHoboHunted]

To keep your players from "destroying their keyboards in frustration", I'd suggest gradually introducing concepts, even if it means having to create a "character" to drop hints to the player (through signs or maps).

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Still getting all the colors right but yeah. After thinking it over, probably not just going to drop players straight into the deep end of things. They'll need a guide.

[Itamarcu]

Awesome!
I really like the Hibachi texture.

[TheHoboHunted]

Awesome!
I really like the Hibachi texture.

All credit for texture awesomeness goes to Glimmar.
I merely composed the pieces he provides. =D

[johnt]

I started a shared google doc to share ideas on this, and a google group/email list to discuss.

If anybody else wants to join in, PM me your email address and I'll invite you.

Wanted: Redstone/automation experts, people who are good with minecraft architecture in general, puzzle designers, anybody with experience with mapping tools, anybody else who wants to help out or playtest..

[BinoAl]

I'm up for puzzle design. Are you just looking for ideas, or do you want me to send you some schematic files?

[johnt]

I think at this point we're just sketching out ideas... if you pm me your email, i'll share the google doc we have so far with you.. it's got screenshots and a bunch of categories of puzzles already, and a little bit of story...

[TheHoboHunted]

I'm up for puzzle design. Are you just looking for ideas, or do you want me to send you some schematic files?

Yep, like johnt says, we're very much still in the "getting everything laid out" stages. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Just shoot me or johnt a PM and one of us will get you set up so you can view/edit the Google Doc he so kindly set up for the project.

Anyone else interested please do likewise. =D

Wanted: Redstone/automation experts, people who are good with minecraft architecture in general, puzzle designers, anybody with experience with mapping tools, anybody else who wants to help out or playtest..

But be forewarned, it would almost completely spoil the map for you.
Then again, if you're cool with spoilers... ;D

[BinoAl]

I could do a lot of the more complicated redstone work, but I can't make too many guarantees. I'm pretty good with redstone, but I'm no god ;p

[johnt]

Right now I'm more concerned with how we're actually going to _build_ the thing.

BTW doesn't support multiplayer, so we can't do it that.

Hobo is building out some sections right now, but it wouldn't be very fair (or very fast) for him to do all of the work. There has to be a way we can coordinate on this.

[TheHoboHunted]

Right now I'm more concerned with how we're actually going to _build_ the thing.

BTW doesn't support multiplayer, so we can't do it that.

Hobo is building out some sections right now, but it wouldn't be very fair (or very fast) for him to do all of the work. There has to be a way we can coordinate on this.

Well, I've thought about this for a little while.

If we figured out certain layouts/sections, we could divide them up into Modules and work on them in pieces. It would be a little indirect at times sure, but after each piece is finished we could pop into place on the map through mcedit.

[johnt]

Does MCEdit support BTW?

[Katalliaan]

Does MCEdit support BTW?

Define "support". It'll copy BTW blocks, and can put them in if you put the ID instead of a name. However, it won't render them (since it doesn't know what ID maps to what texture for non-vMC blocks), won't rotate blocks with directionality (axles, DBs, etc), and (from what I've heard) acts oddly with windmills and waterwheels.

[johnt]

Well that's workaround-able right? Seems pretty easy to fix that stuff after the fact.

[TheHoboHunted]

Does MCEdit support BTW?

Define "support". It'll copy BTW blocks, and can put them in if you put the ID instead of a name. However, it won't render them (since it doesn't know what ID maps to what texture for non-vMC blocks), won't rotate blocks with directionality (axles, DBs, etc), and (from what I've heard) acts oddly with windmills and waterwheels.

All that and more sometimes, I'm afraid. Most mod blocks just show up as a purple block, and sometimes you may have to go through manually (with a chainsaw) and fix axle and gearbox directions and other little things. Such little speed-bumps however only serve to demonstrate just how much work will have been put into anything released.

What can't be done in mcedit, could always be done in-game, with the added benefit of WorldEdit from time to time. Though I must admit I'm not terribly familiar with it.

Well that's workaround-able right? Seems pretty easy to fix that stuff after the fact.

You are correct sir. =D