MediateCraft - a better than wolves add-on

[utakataJ6]

Alright, moving some information to these forums. I don't have pictures atm, but there are many for when I have time to upload them.

First, a disclaimer - though I have already re-obfuscated files multiple times, and could release a version of the mod, there's little point atm - so much is yet to change, and furthermore, I'm really waiting on 4096 block IDs to become official. Alongside BTW, I use most of the currently available IDs.

Most of the coding right now has been to set a basis for future plans. Back in 1.7.3 I had some small releases out that went a little further. Then minecraft got crazy.

With that in mind, here is a list of current features, and upcoming plans, to give you a general idea of what's up.
// = unimplemented, * = implemented

The starting options:
//disable tree-punching dropping wood
//add a small tree - balsa or cherry blossom - which CAN be harvested by hand
//player must craft a hatchet out of basic materials (carved cactus, soft wood, pebbles) to cut wood
*player can craft chisels (to cut cactus, marble, and diamond respectively)
//player can craft a trowel as a starting shovel
//player can craft carved-cactus tools

World Generation:
*Three new biomes - salt flats, volcanic basin, and rainforest
*Salt flats are vast deserts of sandstone, filled with deposites of salt
*Rainforests are carpeted by leaves, and grow //four types of fruit tree exclusively
*Volcanic basins are a place of lava and igneous rock, and provide a lead-in to future vanilla volcanoes
*villages can generate in basins or in the vanilla Snow biomes
*Many natural materials (ores), spread acceptably throughout various heights and biomes
*Reasons to visit each biome
*New types of rock, with varied purposes (limestone, granite, marble)
//Limestone caves, with stalagmites and stalagtites
*changes to Lapis, and various workarounds for the dye system which don't break it

Changes to Vanilla
*Minecart and fishing rod recipes replaced with improved BTW versions
*bread-baking recipe system changed (and incorporates BTW)
*similar changes to various other areas
//vast changes to the way water works, based on the chemistry idea of solubility (pseudocode written, you might find it interesting)
//implementing roots of trees

The Mediate base
*a periodic table base
*gemstones (and gem storage), but no gemstone weapons
*new versions of vanilla blocks - zinc slabs, granite stairs, etc
*primary metals - aluminum, lead and silver - have varied uses, vanilla and totally new
//weapons sets
//weapons with added functions - magnetic, for example
//new weapon types - brass/iron kuckles, silverware, charge gadget, sledgehammer
//new explosives

More Mediate Craft
//functional gas system
//functional gas block (basically done, thankfully)
//functional, but simple, multi-chemical system

BTW and BTB interplay
//gas wells
//btb power into certain machines

Machines
*Brine well (mechanical power) - extracts salt from oceans
*//Pyrolysis lab - basic chemicals reaction functions, also fascinating pseudocode, formerly implemented
//cotton gin, electrolysis setup, chemical indexer, air station, water filter, and more

That's about the extent of things, offhand at least. It's late, and I have bugs to squash.
-UtakataJ6

[Ethinolicbob]

Question:
With the addition of ores and rock does this mod need to mess with world generation?

[FlowerChild]

Question:
With the addition of ores and rock does this mod need to mess with world generation?

That's a given man.

[Ethinolicbob]

Question:
With the addition of ores and rock does this mod need to mess with world generation?

That's a given man.

Figured so. However my knowledge in that area is not at the point where I can go and assume anything.
The moment I assume bread and butter is the time someone has gone outside the box and used margarine.

[Gargantuan_Penguin]

this looks interesting. whenever you release this I'll give it a whirl on a separate .jar

[surge007]

Looks awesome, you might want to consider an initial release with the parts that effect world gen. That way the world would not have to be rebuilt to get the ores and such in loaded chunks.

I just lost my world from the past 2 months, because i had to explore ungodly distances to find any wolves. Then found out that Millenaire was compatible with BTW, installed and it took over 2 full MC days of walking just to get a village to generate.

Anyway looks cool and will definitely want to try it.

[SterlingRed]

Interesting. I may give it a go, depends on if I can pull myself away from btw to play something else for a bit.

I have a question though, you have listed features, but I don't really see a clear description for what the mod is, or what your goals are. What game play is added by having these features? You add a lot of items/ores but what's their purpose? Do you have an end goal in mind for the mod or are you simply filling in features you feel are missing from vMC/btw?

(there is no wrong answer, I just want to know more about what the mod does)

[Panda]

interesting idea but i don't do world gen mode :p i like your tech tree though

[Gormador]

interesting idea but i don't do world gen mode :p i like your tech tree though

I'm pretty much like but... I don't know man, this looks particularly interesting and well thought.

Wait and see the final product I think :-)

@OP :
Have fun coding though, it appears you have a lot of work to achieve !

[Ribky]

This looks pretty cool man, I'll definitely give it a whirl upon release.

[utakataJ6]

To those who say they still just can't do worldgen, trust me, I understand completely. I have been thinking on a way to create a second Mediate package that includes some kind of "dropbox" - a stock of minimal resources to get you somewhat caught up on the worldgen if you can't take it being there. Other good news is that as of right now, a version which does not include the world generation is very easy to make.

As for releasing an initial version, I have no real reason not to do that - essentially all of the worldgen is in, I guess - just as soon as I finish up those fruit trees. Oh, and fix my buggy metadata blocks. Give me a week or such.

As for not specifying the overall direction of the mod, that's accurate - I was trying to hold back on advertising, and looking mainly to make sure Flowerchild had no objections to anything as of now. There isn't exactly an overall direction - just a goal to have technology progress "mediately" (over a longer period of time) throughout minecraft, so I hoped to sort of weave my ideas throughout vanilla minecraft and BTW as each progressed.

And Flowerchild - the last important question -

Spoiler

Show

if I make a few incredibly tiny changes to some of your files, that are extras but not necessary to play Mediate, would you put them (exclusively) on your page? For the forseeable future all that includes is TileEntityHopper for grinding things, and FCRecipes to reflect three small mediate edits, which I could give you in very exact detail, of course.

[Ethinolicbob]

To those who say they still just can't do worldgen, trust me, I understand completely.

I think I will have a go anyway.
If you do a non-worldgen version then as a suggestion: prospecting existing blocks for new ores and gems etc.
Thats my 2 cents.
Can't wait to play around with it!

[FlowerChild]

As for not specifying the overall direction of the mod, that's accurate - I was trying to hold back on advertising, and looking mainly to make sure Flowerchild had no objections to anything as of now. There isn't exactly an overall direction - just a goal to have technology progress "mediately" (over a longer period of time) throughout minecraft, so I hoped to sort of weave my ideas throughout vanilla minecraft and BTW as each progressed.

I have no problem at all with you making an add-on like this man. In fact, it's something I generally encourage.

And Flowerchild - the last important question - if I make a few incredibly tiny changes to some of your files, that are extras but not necessary to play Mediate, would you put them (exclusively) on your page? For the forseeable future all that includes is TileEntityHopper for grinding things, and FCRecipes to reflect three small mediate edits, which I could give you in very exact detail, of course.

BUT, no, sorry man, I won't be doing/allowing this kind of thing. It would set a precedent that I am not prepared to as if I do it in this instance I really have no argument for not doing it for other add-ons.

[kaos78414]

I have no problem at all with you making an add-on like this man. In fact, it's something I generally encourage.

Sorry if this question is a bit naive, I'm a bit new to modding. But, is it currently possible to add recipes to the anvil, stewing pot etc ? Or will that be something we'll need the API for?

[Zhil]

And Flowerchild - the last important question - if I make a few incredibly tiny changes to some of your files, that are extras but not necessary to play Mediate, would you put them (exclusively) on your page? For the forseeable future all that includes is TileEntityHopper for grinding things, and FCRecipes to reflect three small mediate edits, which I could give you in very exact detail, of course.

BUT, no, sorry man, I won't be doing/allowing this kind of thing. It would set a precedent that I am not prepared to as if I do it in this instance I really have no argument for not doing it for other add-ons.

He could always rework them into general hooks that will work for the eventually coming BTW API, no? Then, they might be worth adding. Just wondering.

[FlowerChild]

He could always rework them into general hooks that will work for the eventually coming BTW API, no? Then, they might be worth adding. Just wondering.

No man. I won't be supporting this aspect.

[utakataJ6]

Hold on. Being very careful here - I mentioned before that what I did led to what's essentially already a crappy BTW api. I have already added anvil recipes which don't require any base file modification. From my understanding, that is fine - releasing all the files, no base BTW changes at all, correct?

[FlowerChild]

Hold on. Being very careful here - I mentioned before that what I did led to what's essentially already a crappy BTW api. I have already added anvil recipes which don't require any base file modification. From my understanding, that is fine - releasing all the files, no base BTW changes at all, correct?

Yup, that's all fine. I just won't be supporting inclusion of your specific hooks into the BTW API or what have you, which I think is what Gil was talking about. I may provide similar functionality that will serve the same purpose, but in general am not into adding other people's code into the mod.

[Zhil]

No man. I won't be supporting this aspect.

Fair enough. Just trying to see if there was a potential resolution to his issues.

[utakataJ6]

Eh. They're not really issues. I already have a non-code-based workaround to the edits to TileEntityHopper - using the granite sledgehammer to grind up the gems - and FCRecipes can be worked around by my simply posting a list of exploits to avoid on the OP.

For now, I'll tune out until I have the first release more ready - still feels rather like I'm building hype here, which is not at all what I was going for. So I'm out for now.