Blog of a lonely developer

[Alexiy]

This is a rant post...
I received a request to make a mod. A mod focused on adding redstone-related blocks. I learned what does code of redstone blocks represent. And it is truly horrible, badly readable piece of garbage. File of redstone wire consists of 657 code lines. Code of pistons is scattered across 5 files - 503, 310, 289, 434, and 231 lines respectively. No adequate way to create custom wire and piston implementations, because majority of fields and methods are private, you can't inherit or override them (and inner classes, too). So one ends up with an option to write implementations by copying that code over, removing hard-coded stuff, fixing and adapting it. I understand modders who want profit for their work, because it can be very exhausting. No wonder there are so many bugs and flaws in redstone mechanics...
End of my small rant.

 

[Alexiy]

So I started playing Thaumcraft 6 for the first time yesterday. Even though I remember that it starts from a bookshelf transformation, I didn't understand how to make thaumonomicon. Yes, the book gave a hint to combine bowl, redstone, flint and different crystals. But I thought that I have to combine using all 6 crystals. And there I went to the google search... Ok, it required 3 crystals... The instruction should be just a bit clearer, in my opinion. Later, when I had to make crystals of specific essentia, I stuck because I needed a source of Vitium. After some minutes of hovering over many items, I just decided to google again - https://www.google.com/search?q=thaumcraft+item+aspects+6. So there exist already a few threads about this... Like lists of specific essentia sources.
My view on this is that the mod should be designed in a way that it doesn't make players to create out-game cheat-sheets and guides and is verbose enough for stupid people like me. I just want to enjoy the mod... And Thaumcraft 6 have been made like for clever/adult players. And then learning all new mechanics... I have to think more than usually, but I want the gameplay to be straightforward XD.
I also decided to add aspect names to items to better remember what each icon means...
I recall that in some thaumcraft version one could hover over an aspect in thaumonomicon and it would show all items that have it. Not in this version, sadly...
I hope some of these things get resolved when TC is out of beta.

 

[Alexiy]

I'm currently playing with a concept of worlds with higher terrain level. I created a world type that can have a ground level up to 192 (screenshots from spectator mode):

The game doesn't seem to support variable ground level, because when I increase it, the stuff generators (caves, ravines, mineshafts...) still behave as if the level is 64. I had to make custom generators that can generate at any height level. I also made it so the player spawns underground, for a different playstyle. There occur some side-effects in world generation, like decreased tree count in forests:

But I think it suits well for this world type. Only generator that it misses is woodland mansions, but I never found them without cheating, and they are not that cool anyway. I wonder if there are any modpacks that focus on playing underground...
Oh, and the player is given a starting items on spawn - wooden pickaxe, torch stack, sticks and crafting table. It's really tough if you don't have any useful items on you...

 

[ICountFrom0]

Right. I'm going to try to point you to the cubic chunk folks. I am convinced a partnership between the two of you will lead to insane good things!

 

[Pyure]

I've always wanted to see someone experiment with a higher surface. The ideal approach is of course something like cubic chunks, but I'm not convinced those will ever see the full light of day (in terms of mod-compatibility anyway).

Minecraft missed a trick imo by being so shallow in the first place. A game about mining should have enabled the possibility of "they delved too greedily and too deep."

 

[ICountFrom0]

I've always wanted to see someone experiment with a higher surface. The ideal approach is of course something like cubic chunks, but I'm not convinced those will ever see the full light of day (in terms of mod-compatibility anyway).

Minecraft missed a trick imo by being so shallow in the first place. A game about mining should have enabled the possibility of "they delved too greedily and too deep."

Picture a world with the surface at 200. From the surface you could make a portal into the twilight forest, but that's the only portal that functions there. You have to build UP if you want to reach Aethir. If you want to launch a rocket, you have to do it from the top 10% of Aethir. Going down though is harder. Block hardness goes up the deeper the block is, harder and harder to break the blocks, costing more and more energy and requiring better and better materials.

Below the overworld is erebus, enter through a portal at the bedrock.

In Erebus, at bedrock, you can make a portal into the deep dark.

At the bottom of the deep dark, abysalcraft.

At the bottom of the lowest world (not the final one, the lowest one, the shadow realm one) you can make a portal into the nether.

Any portal in the nether has to happen at the bottom of it.

Stacked worlds.

Course, then you let players have tools that can handle it.

 

[Alexiy]

I have played only twilight forest of all these, so I don't have idea how would this mix would work together XD.
I'm solving problems with generation steadily; decided to add the mod to my pack and test, cranked level up to maximum (192), at first glance all seems fine, although there occur these stairs:

They are from Doomlike Dungeons, it shows that their structure spawn height is hardcoded below 70. This results in insanely high stairs up to the surface .

I will play-test the mod with my pack soon, then I'll probably release it here for others, because my computer isn't powerful enough for running big packs.

 

[Golrith]

In a similar vein regarding world generation, I'd love to see a skyisland mod that actually generates skyislands using all of the Y co-ord, and not just have them basically all at the same height.
There was a mod back in 1.7.10 that did this well but unfortunately did not make the jump to later versions.
Really added an intense feel to exploring and mining resources (I may have fell into the void a few times..)

 

[Pyure]

Picture a world with the surface at 200. From the surface you could make a portal into the twilight forest, but that's the only portal that functions there. You have to build UP if you want to reach Aethir. If you want to launch a rocket, you have to do it from the top 10% of Aethir. Going down though is harder. Block hardness goes up the deeper the block is, harder and harder to break the blocks, costing more and more energy and requiring better and better materials.

Below the overworld is erebus, enter through a portal at the bedrock.

In Erebus, at bedrock, you can make a portal into the deep dark.

At the bottom of the deep dark, abysalcraft.

At the bottom of the lowest world (not the final one, the lowest one, the shadow realm one) you can make a portal into the nether.

Any portal in the nether has to happen at the bottom of it.

Stacked worlds.

Course, then you let players have tools that can handle it.

yeah that's an option too. I guess I'm thinking something more legit w/o transitions or portals.

 

[Alexiy]

I'm approaching first release time, so a few screenshots of mod's features:
Mineshafts at any ground level:

Caves in deserts:

Experimentation with village building blocks:

And an optional feature which will keep you underground the whole time :

 

[Alexiy]

Alright, I've played with this mod for a week now, and it seems to be ready for beta testing. I'll list some of the features and differences from vanilla overworld:

• ground height configurable in a range 80-192
• configurable mineshaft, ravine, cave occurrence
  
• villages can generate in most biomes
• player starts underground at random height
• ores can generate in the desert, unlike in vanilla
• ore generation height is dependent on the extra height setting and will auto-adjust
• cloud height is 256
• less trees on the surface than usual, but still enough

How to play: I recommend creating a separate game profile/instance for this (I'll tell later why); first go to mod options (I named this mod "Underworld"), and take a look at all settings available; set the "terrainHeightExtra" option to the value you like;
in the world creation screen select world type "Underworld". After the world loads, you should happen to spawn somewhere underground. I recommend going to spectator mode with night vision and check how things generate. Tinker with the settings until you find ones that suit you better. Then you can test the mod in survival.
Underworld , and the usual Satako.
P.S.
Found a critical bug, so the link to Underworld is removed.

 

[Alexiy]

I fixed the bad bug, so here is the Underworld.

 

[Alexiy]

New version available in which I mostly fixed Underworld affecting other worlds (changing generation). I also have been testing "underground challenge" (bedrock roof blocking the way out from the caves); for this purpose Loot Bags and Ex Nihilo Creatio proved useful, providing items that you can't get down under. Once you manage to make a bed and start growing trees, it's fairly playable. I tested Doomlike dungeons and Roguelike dungeons with this, but a slight problem is that their entrance stairs penetrate the bedrock layer and I couldn't find a way around that. Would be nice to know other mods that add underground features... Next stage is visiting Nether and taking a look at how difficult it will be finding a stronghold via ender eyes...
Next version of the mod.

 

[Alexiy]

ok, it seems that there are almost no one interested in the Underworld, so I'll move on to my next idea. There is this mod "FTB utilities", which I haven't ever used, but I know that it has features that make sense in multiplayer, like groups, permissions, protections, chunk claiming... I'm interested in permission and protection aspects of it - how good are they implemented, what they lack, and can they be improved?

 

[Golrith]

ok, it seems that there are almost no one interested in the Underworld, so I'll move on to my next idea. There is this mod "FTB utilities", which I haven't ever used, but I know that it has features that make sense in multiplayer, like groups, permissions, protections, chunk claiming... I'm interested in permission and protection aspects of it - how good are they implemented, what they lack, and can they be improved?

You should release it on curse, just releasing here is a very narrow and small audience.

 

[Alexiy]

You are probably right, when I get a chance I will release it on curseforge.

 

[Alexiy]

I finally released Underworld, but had to change the name because it was taken - now it's called "High world". You can get it here - https://minecraft.curseforge.com/projects/high-world.