So I'm reading more here than on the Minecraft Forums, and I see enough people interested in mods and how they work that I think this might be fruitful....
Some of you know that I've been working on Ultratech for over a year now, but that it's almost entirely design only. Since I'm basically unable to code, but am good at design, that's kind of what I've been doing the whole time. Yes, I've been studying Java recently, and I used to be good with Python. For some reason, while I can do most of the math involved and make reasonable strides on design, I am simply unable to put most code together and have it make sense to me. Even Lua makes my head spin anymore, which makes for a very sad Zeeth.
Coding issues aside, I'd like to use this thread to open discussion on Ultratech, its design, and its philosophy.
With that in mind, here's a sketch-in-words of Ultratech's basic content map:
I think that's most of it. It's a pretty darn complex mod, and some of it may never be pulled off, but I'll darn well try to give you guys something worthy of the name UltraTech.
So with that, I'm throwing this thread open for free discussion. Keep in mind, I don't have all mechanics finalized, I didn't mention all the ores, alloys, and materials in the mod, and there's plenty still up in the air. Volunteers welcome, UltraTech is meant to be Open Source!
Some of you know that I've been working on Ultratech for over a year now, but that it's almost entirely design only. Since I'm basically unable to code, but am good at design, that's kind of what I've been doing the whole time. Yes, I've been studying Java recently, and I used to be good with Python. For some reason, while I can do most of the math involved and make reasonable strides on design, I am simply unable to put most code together and have it make sense to me. Even Lua makes my head spin anymore, which makes for a very sad Zeeth.
Coding issues aside, I'd like to use this thread to open discussion on Ultratech, its design, and its philosophy.
With that in mind, here's a sketch-in-words of Ultratech's basic content map:
Tier 0: Hand tools and basic armor. Specific tools you get include a mortar and pestle for grinding (insert a stack of material in the single inventory slot and hold right click to grind ore to dusts, stone to sand, and so on; output drops onto the player like with an Ex Nihilo sifter), and a crucible that you insert materials and then smelt in a furnace to make alloys and whatnot. (I know exactly how I'll do that, too! Metadata can go up to ~65k; so if you insert a valid recipe the crucible will change metadata while retaining its contents. Smelt it and the contents change to the result, a different crucible metadata. Invalid recipes can't be smelted.) You also get a filter cloth that you use to purify some materials, like carbon. Alloys at Tier 0 include bronze, brass, tinplate, and steel (at increased cost and workload than later steel-making mechanics).
Also you get an abacus.
Tier 1: Basic mechanical power. Hand tools include the screwdriver (all Ultratech machines should have alt functions accessible with any wrench or screwdriver!) and the jackhammer (a mining tool which requires power and a cutting head to work). At this point you get your basic machines: the furnace, the smelter (an upgrade of the crucible, which doubles for alloy production and silicon doping like in RedPower), the rolling machine (makes plates, springs, pipes, rails, and a few other things), and the jaw crusher (mechanical ore crushing, produces gravels with 85% chance of doubling). You get a construction table, a crafting block which can swap between a 3x3 square grid and a 7-slot hex grid, and has an inventory on the side. Upgraded construction tables add more grids, which can let you craft multiple steps of an item in one go. All basic machines can have their power systems upgraded, so you can choose which type of power to use. Or you can power many of them with a hand crank (or fuel, for the furnace and smelter) instead of automating it.
You get some basic factory stuff, like air pumps, pneumatic tubes (and upgradable injectors to move items with your tubes), conveyor belts, and so on. Get enough resource flow and you can make a ball mill for improved resource processing (gravels and extra dusts, with a higher chance of ore doubling). Eventually a multiblock blast furnace becomes available for steel making, which in the real world works best if you process pig iron (high-carbon iron chunks) and have a continuous flow of solid metal in vs liquid metal out for heat retention. I'm not sure if I'll actually use pig iron as such, though.
All the power systems in Tier 1 are mechanical, transferring power between gearboxes using axles. Gearboxes need gears in them to activate each face you're using, and different gears have different qualities; alternately, you can insert springs to store a little bit of mechanical energy. You get power from various sources including steam, wind, water, and walking (treadmills). On top of that, I'm planning some very steampunk toys (and costumes!) for this level.
Aside from springs in gearboxes, there will also be multiblock flywheels and water tanks for power storage. (Fluids in Ultratech pipes will have gravity and pressure physics to them, meaning you'll be able to dump water from a tank into a turbine to make power. Fill the tank to store power instead.)
I'm torn between implementing Newtons (the Newton-meter is the SI unit of torque, which is a combination of rotational force and velocity) or using RF for measuring mechanical power, so I'd like some advice and suggestions here.
Tier 2: Low-energy electric power. This is where you can start generating energy with basic electrical generators. Inserting electric motors and heating coils instead of gearboxes and coal make things even easier. Tesla coils, electric fences, and a few other fun and crazy gadgets become practical. You can also make solar panels and thermoelectric units here, as well as begin making electronic computers to replace your mechanical brains.
Basic power storage is the battery box (and rechargeable batteries) for small-scale power, and the vanadium flow battery for large-scale power. I'd like to hear peoples' thoughts on other electrical power storage systems I could provide. I'd also like some advice on whether to use someone else's electricity API or make my own and add conversion blocks. I know I'll be making dynamos and motors for exchanging electrical and mechanical power, though.
Tier 3: High-energy electric power. Now you can make electric arc furnaces to less wastefully run small-batch steel production, the kind most players do. The toys at this level start to get ridiculous and really dangerous, including nuclear reactors (several kinds) and lasers.
Resource production takes big leaps up with the disc mill and the bucket-wheel excavator:
* The disc mill is basically an IsaMill, and will be about 4x4x10 blocks in size. It'll most likely provide three dusts per ore (which may be a slight mix of resources) at large cost in resources and power, but it should be pretty efficient if you have a lot of a single type of ore to process.
* The bucket-wheel excavator will be ENORMOUS. It will also move slowly, consume a lot of power, and require a pilot to operate. On the other hand it will take HUGE, FAT bites out of the landscape, devour mountains, and make a Buildcraft quarry feel pathetic as you dig down to make a REAL pit quarry with it. Sure, I'll let you power it with steam, but for power-to-weight ratios, you need power-hungry electric motors in there. This is built in-world as a multiblock which transforms into a vehicle entity when complete.
Tier 4: Exotic energy systems. This is pretty vaguely defined, but we're basically talking self-powered systems that don't produce electrical wattage or mechanical energy. Stuff like encapsulated singularities, fractal/warp/ender power, and so on. At this point, your energy systems will interact with each other to trigger cascades of effects. Magic and science tend to become one at this tier, it's mostly just a name swap.
Side trees:
* Chemistry, which gives you pills, plastics and fuels; leads up to nanotech; and eventually produces materials from raw energy. I was working on a steam-powered multiblock refinery just like DMillerW posted in the mod updates thread (his will be for Buildcraft), but he beat me to it without knowing I was making something like that. (So, do you guys think I should continue to work on it?)
* Sensors, which gives you telescopy, radar, geological survey machines, mob detection, and combines with other mechanics to let you load chunks, teleport, and cross dimensional barriers.
* Magic and alchemy, because it's already in Minecraft, and seems like fun. You could start Tier 4 the minute you start grinding opals to dust and crafting new potions.
* Powered armor, which gives you exoskeletal armor, the slimsuit (like a Quantum Suit), modular powered armor, and then robot armor (aka mecha, which will have at least one large size and could go giant). You also get flight packs, personal shields, and other, similar upgrades if you want to go lightweight. On top of that, you can make a diving suit and hose for your air compressor so you don't have to hold your breath underwater, and then as your material production improves you can make SCUBA gear instead.
* Computing, which lets you automate your factories, and make computers and robots. Your abacus gets upgrades here.
* Vehicles, which provide transportation options for you and your stuff. Hovercraft, rocket planes (or missiles), better small boats, and even a flying saucer are included here.
* Weapons, which include powerful swords, guns, and bombs of various kinds. Including a pneumatic potato gun.
* Costumes! This mod lets you become a steampunk inventor, a mad scientist, a flying rocketeer, and a few other fun characters, so why not let you dress the part? All costumes are armor sets which can be enchanted, so you don't have to miss the wither-killing party just because your goggles aren't made of diamond or sapphire. (Actually, yes they are. With a targeting HUD and laser beams if it can be pulled off.)
Also you get an abacus.
Tier 1: Basic mechanical power. Hand tools include the screwdriver (all Ultratech machines should have alt functions accessible with any wrench or screwdriver!) and the jackhammer (a mining tool which requires power and a cutting head to work). At this point you get your basic machines: the furnace, the smelter (an upgrade of the crucible, which doubles for alloy production and silicon doping like in RedPower), the rolling machine (makes plates, springs, pipes, rails, and a few other things), and the jaw crusher (mechanical ore crushing, produces gravels with 85% chance of doubling). You get a construction table, a crafting block which can swap between a 3x3 square grid and a 7-slot hex grid, and has an inventory on the side. Upgraded construction tables add more grids, which can let you craft multiple steps of an item in one go. All basic machines can have their power systems upgraded, so you can choose which type of power to use. Or you can power many of them with a hand crank (or fuel, for the furnace and smelter) instead of automating it.
You get some basic factory stuff, like air pumps, pneumatic tubes (and upgradable injectors to move items with your tubes), conveyor belts, and so on. Get enough resource flow and you can make a ball mill for improved resource processing (gravels and extra dusts, with a higher chance of ore doubling). Eventually a multiblock blast furnace becomes available for steel making, which in the real world works best if you process pig iron (high-carbon iron chunks) and have a continuous flow of solid metal in vs liquid metal out for heat retention. I'm not sure if I'll actually use pig iron as such, though.
All the power systems in Tier 1 are mechanical, transferring power between gearboxes using axles. Gearboxes need gears in them to activate each face you're using, and different gears have different qualities; alternately, you can insert springs to store a little bit of mechanical energy. You get power from various sources including steam, wind, water, and walking (treadmills). On top of that, I'm planning some very steampunk toys (and costumes!) for this level.
Aside from springs in gearboxes, there will also be multiblock flywheels and water tanks for power storage. (Fluids in Ultratech pipes will have gravity and pressure physics to them, meaning you'll be able to dump water from a tank into a turbine to make power. Fill the tank to store power instead.)
I'm torn between implementing Newtons (the Newton-meter is the SI unit of torque, which is a combination of rotational force and velocity) or using RF for measuring mechanical power, so I'd like some advice and suggestions here.
Tier 2: Low-energy electric power. This is where you can start generating energy with basic electrical generators. Inserting electric motors and heating coils instead of gearboxes and coal make things even easier. Tesla coils, electric fences, and a few other fun and crazy gadgets become practical. You can also make solar panels and thermoelectric units here, as well as begin making electronic computers to replace your mechanical brains.
Basic power storage is the battery box (and rechargeable batteries) for small-scale power, and the vanadium flow battery for large-scale power. I'd like to hear peoples' thoughts on other electrical power storage systems I could provide. I'd also like some advice on whether to use someone else's electricity API or make my own and add conversion blocks. I know I'll be making dynamos and motors for exchanging electrical and mechanical power, though.
Tier 3: High-energy electric power. Now you can make electric arc furnaces to less wastefully run small-batch steel production, the kind most players do. The toys at this level start to get ridiculous and really dangerous, including nuclear reactors (several kinds) and lasers.
Resource production takes big leaps up with the disc mill and the bucket-wheel excavator:
* The disc mill is basically an IsaMill, and will be about 4x4x10 blocks in size. It'll most likely provide three dusts per ore (which may be a slight mix of resources) at large cost in resources and power, but it should be pretty efficient if you have a lot of a single type of ore to process.
* The bucket-wheel excavator will be ENORMOUS. It will also move slowly, consume a lot of power, and require a pilot to operate. On the other hand it will take HUGE, FAT bites out of the landscape, devour mountains, and make a Buildcraft quarry feel pathetic as you dig down to make a REAL pit quarry with it. Sure, I'll let you power it with steam, but for power-to-weight ratios, you need power-hungry electric motors in there. This is built in-world as a multiblock which transforms into a vehicle entity when complete.
Tier 4: Exotic energy systems. This is pretty vaguely defined, but we're basically talking self-powered systems that don't produce electrical wattage or mechanical energy. Stuff like encapsulated singularities, fractal/warp/ender power, and so on. At this point, your energy systems will interact with each other to trigger cascades of effects. Magic and science tend to become one at this tier, it's mostly just a name swap.
Side trees:
* Chemistry, which gives you pills, plastics and fuels; leads up to nanotech; and eventually produces materials from raw energy. I was working on a steam-powered multiblock refinery just like DMillerW posted in the mod updates thread (his will be for Buildcraft), but he beat me to it without knowing I was making something like that. (So, do you guys think I should continue to work on it?)
* Sensors, which gives you telescopy, radar, geological survey machines, mob detection, and combines with other mechanics to let you load chunks, teleport, and cross dimensional barriers.
* Magic and alchemy, because it's already in Minecraft, and seems like fun. You could start Tier 4 the minute you start grinding opals to dust and crafting new potions.
* Powered armor, which gives you exoskeletal armor, the slimsuit (like a Quantum Suit), modular powered armor, and then robot armor (aka mecha, which will have at least one large size and could go giant). You also get flight packs, personal shields, and other, similar upgrades if you want to go lightweight. On top of that, you can make a diving suit and hose for your air compressor so you don't have to hold your breath underwater, and then as your material production improves you can make SCUBA gear instead.
* Computing, which lets you automate your factories, and make computers and robots. Your abacus gets upgrades here.
* Vehicles, which provide transportation options for you and your stuff. Hovercraft, rocket planes (or missiles), better small boats, and even a flying saucer are included here.
* Weapons, which include powerful swords, guns, and bombs of various kinds. Including a pneumatic potato gun.
* Costumes! This mod lets you become a steampunk inventor, a mad scientist, a flying rocketeer, and a few other fun characters, so why not let you dress the part? All costumes are armor sets which can be enchanted, so you don't have to miss the wither-killing party just because your goggles aren't made of diamond or sapphire. (Actually, yes they are. With a targeting HUD and laser beams if it can be pulled off.)
So with that, I'm throwing this thread open for free discussion. Keep in mind, I don't have all mechanics finalized, I didn't mention all the ores, alloys, and materials in the mod, and there's plenty still up in the air. Volunteers welcome, UltraTech is meant to be Open Source!
