I'm learning my way around recurrent complex, & I want to know what you'd love to find in a chest and what would be just too overpowered for you. Angel rings? stable unstable ingots? a tank of gelid cryotheum? Where would the balance fall for you?
Custom loot
- Thread starter MacAisling
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Ideally, you want a balance of items available in your chest loot. The vast majority should be things to advance early game, then a smattering of items to ease mid game, and a few rare drops to make adventuring worthwhile into late game. Overall, the experience of exploring and conquering should be rewarding at any stage of the game.
Items such as Ender Pearls are almost always welcome, especially early on. Enderlilly Seeds (if XU is included) are even better, as they provide a renewable source, but take enough time to grow that they don't immediately quell the need for the Pearls altogether.
Other options include items needed for routine crafting. This includes ingots of iron and gold, Redstone, and the like, but could be extended to include items such as TE Machine Frames (of any grade), Pistons, BC Chipsets, and the like. Also, items like Itemducts, which are relatively cheap, but always useful are nice (particularly if they can be upgraded into something more powerful later, or if picked up later game).
Something else to consider is early access to materials. Being able to obtain Glowstone Blocks and Nether Quartz before you have Nether access is a huge advantage, but since those materials are used in later game recipies, it doesn't feel cheap when you get them after access is obtained. The same principle applies to rewards from other dimensions (Twilight Forest comes to mind, but others exist). This works better if the loot helps gain access to these dimensions (Obsidian is welcome through mid game most worlds), since that opens the player to more areas to explore.
One last thing for now, consider hard where the loot is found. Having Glowstone Blocks be found in a Nether Fortress isn't worth a damn, but having it be found in a Spawner Dungeon is a great boost. The same applies to and tools and armor in your loot tables. Finding Leather Armor in a Spawner Dungeon is OK, as the player is likely to find one relatively early while still under equipped. The same reward found in a particularly hard Recurrent Complex structure feels cheap, especially if the mobs you're fighting are wearing better than that. Weapons and tools are the same, although occasionally an enchanted iron tool can be as useful as a plain diamond tool (hell, an Unbreaking III Stone Hoe will last some people an entire play-through).
Items such as Ender Pearls are almost always welcome, especially early on. Enderlilly Seeds (if XU is included) are even better, as they provide a renewable source, but take enough time to grow that they don't immediately quell the need for the Pearls altogether.
Other options include items needed for routine crafting. This includes ingots of iron and gold, Redstone, and the like, but could be extended to include items such as TE Machine Frames (of any grade), Pistons, BC Chipsets, and the like. Also, items like Itemducts, which are relatively cheap, but always useful are nice (particularly if they can be upgraded into something more powerful later, or if picked up later game).
Something else to consider is early access to materials. Being able to obtain Glowstone Blocks and Nether Quartz before you have Nether access is a huge advantage, but since those materials are used in later game recipies, it doesn't feel cheap when you get them after access is obtained. The same principle applies to rewards from other dimensions (Twilight Forest comes to mind, but others exist). This works better if the loot helps gain access to these dimensions (Obsidian is welcome through mid game most worlds), since that opens the player to more areas to explore.
One last thing for now, consider hard where the loot is found. Having Glowstone Blocks be found in a Nether Fortress isn't worth a damn, but having it be found in a Spawner Dungeon is a great boost. The same applies to and tools and armor in your loot tables. Finding Leather Armor in a Spawner Dungeon is OK, as the player is likely to find one relatively early while still under equipped. The same reward found in a particularly hard Recurrent Complex structure feels cheap, especially if the mobs you're fighting are wearing better than that. Weapons and tools are the same, although occasionally an enchanted iron tool can be as useful as a plain diamond tool (hell, an Unbreaking III Stone Hoe will last some people an entire play-through).
I am using glowstone blocks to light buildings, and am considering using other similarly valuable materials in some constructions. My personal goal with Recurrent Complex is to add interesting but not difficult exploration features for more timid players with weaker computers, so my 1st spawner dungeon is less dangerous, more generous, and larger overall than the similar spawner dungeon added by Thaumcraft, for example. One of the things I'm trying is to make longer loot tables so you wind up with a little more variety in the RNG results, and including some of the harder to make alloy ingots.
In cutting down a pack into something my computer can run that I want to play, I've eliminated the mods that add a lot of clutter to the world gen, so adding some innocuous features into the landscape is becoming more important.
In cutting down a pack into something my computer can run that I want to play, I've eliminated the mods that add a lot of clutter to the world gen, so adding some innocuous features into the landscape is becoming more important.
if they randomly generate I think a good idea would be to have a sign on the outside with a difficulty rating
Not a bad idea, in theory, but even a small change in preparation can drastically change the challenge of any dungeon. Also, since most of these will be custom added structures (or so I assume), there won't be a mass of players testing them for a consensus rating. If it's a private pack, there likely won't be much need for it either.
Celestialphoenix
Too Much Free Time
Thematically appropriate loot.
-so various machine pieces in an 'abandoned factory' [tech II* and III components]
-bones, jewels and high value personal possessions** in a 'tomb'
-abandoned mines- looking at unprocessed ores, gemstones and mining equipment.
-if its a church, what about an enchanting table 'alter'?
This can work as a fairly clever 'storytelling' mechanic that adds lore to the world/pack without massive exposition dumps. Likewise if the player is looking for particular items, they can pick and choose different dungeons to boost the odds of something relevant to them.
*Tech II- stuff that requires basic infrastructure from within the the mod to make, such the Railcraft boilers.
**Decent enchanted blades or armour (I-III). Use higher level enchants (IV or V) if the player cant repair it.
The other option would be a custom spawner which slowly spawns armed and armoured mobs, giving the player renewable gear. Though I'm not sure how many players would just smash it instead of figuring that out.
-so various machine pieces in an 'abandoned factory' [tech II* and III components]
-bones, jewels and high value personal possessions** in a 'tomb'
-abandoned mines- looking at unprocessed ores, gemstones and mining equipment.
-if its a church, what about an enchanting table 'alter'?
This can work as a fairly clever 'storytelling' mechanic that adds lore to the world/pack without massive exposition dumps. Likewise if the player is looking for particular items, they can pick and choose different dungeons to boost the odds of something relevant to them.
*Tech II- stuff that requires basic infrastructure from within the the mod to make, such the Railcraft boilers.
**Decent enchanted blades or armour (I-III). Use higher level enchants (IV or V) if the player cant repair it.
The other option would be a custom spawner which slowly spawns armed and armoured mobs, giving the player renewable gear. Though I'm not sure how many players would just smash it instead of figuring that out.
As long as there is no Minecraft support for curse voice on the Mac, it will have to remain a pack for one, but I'd be willing to share when the option opens up. (Dear Curse, I am a dedicated modded Minecraft single player, I have no use for a voice app, especially one with no game support. A robust, user friendly mod manager, on the other hand, would be fantastic.)
I do have a thread going in the Community Showcase section if you want to see what I've been up to.
I do have a thread going in the Community Showcase section if you want to see what I've been up to.
I'm not sure if you can dictate loot on a by-structure basis, but if it is possible, I agree that structure specific loot would be the best course of action. I've played some with using RecCom to make small procedurally generated mazes, but I never got around to addressing the loot table. If it's possible to have this work, it brings me back to wanting to play with the mod again. So many projects, so little time.
Links or it didn't happen. Nah, just kidding, but seriously...
Links or it didn't happen. Nah, just kidding, but seriously...
The loot tables can be fully and indivually customized, and getting the process to work right in my current pack only seems to be a little buggy. I'm having more trouble getting the maze and structure generator blocks working. I can't tell if it is bugged, or incompatible with the newest versions of forge, or If I just don't have the correct settings in the configs.
And to cross link, this Luddite would have to switch from the iPad to the laptop. There are some things my stubby fingers just haven't learned how to do on a touchscreen.
And to cross link, this Luddite would have to switch from the iPad to the laptop. There are some things my stubby fingers just haven't learned how to do on a touchscreen.
I was really just messing with you, but allow me:
http://forum.feed-the-beast.com/threads/strangethistle-pic-heavy-1-7-10-custom-pack.141804/
I may bug you down the road to share some of the RecCom structures you've shown. Beware.
http://forum.feed-the-beast.com/threads/strangethistle-pic-heavy-1-7-10-custom-pack.141804/
I may bug you down the road to share some of the RecCom structures you've shown. Beware.