Introducing the Erebus

[Dylan4ever]

Hello fellow people of the FTB fora,
my name is Dylan and over the past 1.5-2 years, I have been working on a dimension mod called the Erebus. It has come a long way, has known many developers, and is currently at a state I would call ''stable''. Even though it is an alpha mod, it is quite stable.

The Erebus is a mod about giant invertebrates, and it takes place in a vibrant, underground world with various biomes and a ton of stuff to do (and we are not nearly finished). It has been balanced to provide quite the challenge, with stronger (and more) hostiles, but also a bunch of powerful gear to help you survive.

The 0.2 update news and sneakpeeks segment

0.2 will hopefully finally push the Erebus in the right direction. The 0.0.x branch was crap, the 0.1.x branch was random and directionless, but the 0.2.x branch should finally include many long-awaited features, and also features nobody asked for that we just want to implement ourselves.

Here a brief overview of what the 0.2.x branch will include...

Biomes and mobs
It is the Erebus after all. Biomes and mobs are two major parts of the mod. We have been working our butts off to add more variety to the terrain gen, including more special worldgen conditions, better ore distribution (not as ''everything is everywhere'' as it is now) and lots of new plants and trees to collect. Ofcourse, all biomes will include new mobs. Dave has been doing lots of work on mobs with interesting AI, that do much more than simply bumping into you. Look at the current Beetle Larva... It is a passive mob, but still does much more than most hostile mobs do. More mobs, special like this one, can be expected very soon.

Dungeons and bosses
No matter how fun exploring the terrain is, nothing beats the excitement of finding a never-before-seen dungeon. We plan to add a variety of special dungeons, based on either real-life insect-made structures, fantasy-esque arthropod nests or lore-related temples and ruins. Not all dungeons will have a boss, but the major ones will. Each boss will provide a new challenge, taking inspiration from the Mutant Creatures mod and the Twilight Forest Lich, to make some require tactics, others require puzzling, and others simply for bashing. Each boss will drop a special item of its own, to make them all worth defeating instead of simply doing it for the experience.

Magic, altars and sacrifices
In the 0.1.x branch, we added a lot of sweet content. However, we thought most of it was a bit too easily obtainable, so we wanted to add a special crafting mechanic that made these powerful items both hard to get and fun to create. Our main plan? Altars.

We included Altars already in the 0.1.x branch, but we want to expand on this concept by adding a crafting altar of sorts. This new system will be a bit magical, ofcourse, as it requires the Wand of Animation to function. We also want to overhaul that tool, to require you to sacrifice mobs to regain the life force that is needed to perform these rituals.

One of the main uses for this multiblock structure will be to craft and animate the Reinforced Exoskeleton Armour with a variety of upgrades. Think of it as Modular Powersuits and Enchantments, but with some more different things and lots of other fun stuff.

Random content
Ofcourse, we also branch off a lot of the time. We add random things to spice up the world. One of these random upcoming things is Dave's beloved bee system, which can be used to farm Honey, and eventually most crops, really. A different take on automated farming. After we add the initial part of it, we will probably overhaul it at least once in this branch, as we have a lot of complicated and fun plans for it.

Current mod support/integration:

I feel that, on the FTB fora, it is appropriate to name which mods are supported/integrated. So let's start:

Tin, Copper, Lead, Silver, Aluminum
The ores named above can, seperately, be turned on in the config file, so you can find these ores in the Erebus.
This means that Tinker's Construct is fully supported ore-wise, and IC2 + TE3 + FZ are also almost fully supported. Any other mods that uses OreDictionary and these ores are, ofcourse, supported too.

Thaumcraft 4
~ Aura nodes spawn in the Erebus.
~ Most items, blocks and mobs have TC4 aspects.

OreDictionary stuff
Ofcourse, all Wood is registered in the OreDictionary, and so are Umberstone and Umbercobble. Basically, anything useful to OreDict should be OreDicted.

Planned mod support/integration:

TE3 custom recipes, so various Erebus objects have a use outside of the basic stuff.

(?) A new, RF-using, smelting possibility: the Redstone Umberoven.

Spoiler

It can use lava and has various modes, namely the following:

Regular mode = it does not use the internal lava tank and just works like the regular Redstone Furnace.
Powersaver mode = it uses lava each time it smelts something to reduce the amount of RF it uses. Does not speed up the process.
Boost mode = it uses lava each time it smelts something, so the smelting time is reduced. It uses a bit more RF than in regular mode.
Turbo mode = it uses a ton of lava, and much more RF than in Regular mode, but smelts stuff at lightningspeed.

Gany's mods integration, more custom recipes!

Any suggestions?

Please tell me what you think about the Erebus!

The team:

Myself, original creator and artist.

chylex, from Hardcore Ender Expansion fame.

ganymedes01, from Gany's mods fame, featured in FTB Horizons!

Vadis365, awesome modeller and mob coder.

TripleHeadedSheep, from Betweenlands fame, an amazing modeller.

Modpack permissions:

Just use it, but please do link back to our MCF page.

Links:

MCF post
http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic...-underground-world-ruled-by-giant-arthropods/

Erebus wiki (in development)
http://the-erebus.wikia.com/wiki/The_Erebus_Wiki

Mod reviews:
If you do not want to test out the mod immediatly, watch one of these so you get a feel of what is in, and will be in the mod.

 

[Mevansuto]

I remeber about half a year ago watching a review for this. It looked really cool, but rather incomplete. I'm concerned to add it to my server as my friends are afraid of bugs. But I will add it any way as it looks cool and I crave new dimensions.

 

[Yusunoha]

there better be a nuke in the mod to get rid of those giant spiders...

 

[Wekmor]

I completely agree with Yusunoha

But the mod looks interesting, might try it out over the weekend

 

[Dylan4ever]

Thanks guys!

Currently, we are developing the 0.1.2. Even more fixes, much better portals to reduce derpiness, etc. Mainly the last balancing/fix/tweak update until we move on to the 0.2 alpha versions.
Lots of work has been done on mobs, and more mob improvements are being worked on. The Erebus provides and even more lethal enviroment now!

 

[sealchan]

I would like to see this included in a Feed the Beast modpack.

 

[Dylan4ever]

I would like to see this included in a Feed the Beast modpack.

Feed the Beast has full permission to use the Erebus, so if they want to include it, they are free to do that!

 

[Golrith]

I've always liked alternate dimensions, it's a great way for modders to show their creativity. I'm always on the look out for more adventuring dimensions. Just by the logo in the first post I'd like to add it to my Omega Dawn pack. It's current Private and Beta testing, but soon, we hope to make it public or semi public through AT Launcher, etc.

Love all the support options in the configs there you have. Can't think of anything off the top of my head that's obviously needed for support.


Just wondering, how to do you get to this dimension? Sometimes some mods have really cheap portals to dimensions that offer a lot of resources. That throws the "balance" off a bit against overworld generation and early game survival/builds.

 

[Grimnights]

must have lighting altar.

 

[Dylan4ever]

I've always liked alternate dimensions, it's a great way for modders to show their creativity. I'm always on the look out for more adventuring dimensions. Just by the logo in the first post I'd like to add it to my Omega Dawn pack. It's current Private and Beta testing, but soon, we hope to make it public or semi public through AT Launcher, etc.

Love all the support options in the configs there you have. Can't think of anything off the top of my head that's obviously needed for support.


Just wondering, how to do you get to this dimension? Sometimes some mods have really cheap portals to dimensions that offer a lot of resources. That throws the "balance" off a bit against overworld generation and early game survival/builds.

Thanks! PM me here when you are wanting to release your pack :3.

Hehe, I am always on the lookout for support options. I love playing modpacks, so I feel it's a must-have .

Look on the MCF forum page, there is a clear description of how to create it. I'll try to tweak some recipes and things for it, because currently it is extremely easy to get to the Erebus. But then again, oregen isn't too abundant and it is much harder to survive there, so it isn't that much of a problem!

must have lighting altar.

Those are so awesome... Love em. Dave did an amazing job on those. No arthropod shall bug you anymore.

 

[Grimnights]

Thanks! PM me here when you are wanting to release your pack :3.

-snip-
Those are so awesome... Love em. Dave did an amazing job on those. No arthropod shall bug you anymore.

TBH I wish I could use them on certain players Hands in the cookie jar and such.

 

[Golrith]

Thanks! PM me here when you are wanting to release your pack :3.

Hehe, I am always on the lookout for support options. I love playing modpacks, so I feel it's a must-have .

Look on the MCF forum page, there is a clear description of how to create it. I'll try to tweak some recipes and things for it, because currently it is extremely easy to get to the Erebus. But then again, oregen isn't too abundant and it is much harder to survive there, so it isn't that much of a problem!

Sure, will do. In the mean time, I think I will chuck it on our server to test with our setup.

We also use Twilight Forest, but I've disabled it's portal method. Instead, server players can only visit the TF via Stargate, which they first have to find/build. Since the TF is quite heavy on resource generation, this is a nice balancing act, plus also gives something for players to aim for, and proves to be a popular method of adding/visiting dimensions.

 

[Dylan4ever]

TBH I wish I could use them on certain players Hands in the cookie jar and such.

0.1.2 will offer a new toy to catch those thiefs .

Sure, will do. In the mean time, I think I will chuck it on our server to test with our setup.

We also use Twilight Forest, but I've disabled it's portal method. Instead, server players can only visit the TF via Stargate, which they first have to find/build. Since the TF is quite heavy on resource generation, this is a nice balancing act, plus also gives something for players to aim for, and proves to be a popular method of adding/visiting dimensions.

That is a really fun way of setting things up. Current portal frames are a temporary solution until we create a more in-depth portal creation system, so it may actually be better to give them access via Stargates, since the current portals may not work anymore in the future.

In the meanwhile, we have done some fun stuff with the Erebus. 0.1.2 has had a lot of tweaks and fixes, a cool surprise feature that WILL kill you, and the removal of Erebus/Cave Spiders made room for these fellahs:

More death and despair following!

The abundance of Iron and Gold should be tweaked, while Jade ore will get a slight buff since Diamonds are currently easier to find... Which I really don't like.

 

[Golrith]

One thought I had, to borrow an idea from TES: Oblivion, is to have Erebus "portals" that generate in the overworld. These then act as mob spawners, unleashing the lesser arachnids on the overworld. These are only one way portals, for the player to enter Erebus they have to destroy these portals to harvest a special portal stone, and then build a fancy portal out of these stones.
Could lead to some sort of "storyline", find out who/what is actually behind these portals, and why...

 

[Dylan4ever]

One thought I had, to borrow an idea from TES: Oblivion, is to have Erebus "portals" that generate in the overworld. These then act as mob spawners, unleashing the lesser arachnids on the overworld. These are only one way portals, for the player to enter Erebus they have to destroy these portals to harvest a special portal stone, and then build a fancy portal out of these stones.
Could lead to some sort of "storyline", find out who/what is actually behind these portals, and why...

There is actually a whole backstory in my head about the Erebus, and it does involve some structures in the Overworld. They will not be straight-up portals though, they require some more work from the player. It is going be a lot of fun to create it .

 

[RedBoss]

Your spiders REALLY creep me out. Since I accept the spider's place in the health of our environment but still detest them fully, this a compliment. Your models genuinely make me want to burn my phone. Even so, I'm intrigued enough to at least try it.

+1 for Resonant Rise perms! W00T

 

[MomoNasty]

Modpack permissions:

The modpack policy is currently very strict. I will not give any permissions anymore. The modpacks listed below have the right to include it, and none else. Once 1.0 is released, this will likely change, but in the meanwhile, the answer is no. Please don't ask.
Modpacks meant for private servers/modpacks meant for a Youtube playthrough do not need permission. If you wish to make it public, permission is required. Under certain circumstances, you will have a chance to get ''yes''.

The following modpacks have permission to use this mod whenever they want:

Spoiler

VoidLauncher and associated modpacks

Happydiggers RPG & AMP

Resonant Rise

Feed the Beast and associated modpacks

Really man? This looks like such a cool mod and you are restricting who can use it? Why change the policies later when you could just do it now? I understand it is in beta and you probably don't want people to report bugs/issues, but if you allow more public packs to use it without permission you will get more exposure. This way you will have more people able to report bugs, instead of a limited group. Also may I suggest looking at the Minecraft EULA: https://account.mojang.com/documents/minecraft_eula. Check under the section "One Major Rule":

• let other people get access to anything we‘ve made in a way that is unfair or unreasonable.

By limiting which public packs can use it, you are technically violating their EULA.

Good work on the mod and best of luck, it looks really interesting.

Regards,
MomoNasty

 

[Dylan4ever]

Your spiders REALLY creep me out. Since I accept the spider's place in the health of our environment but still detest them fully, this a compliment. Your models genuinely make me want to burn my phone. Even so, I'm intrigued enough to at least try it.

+1 for Resonant Rise perms! W00T

I'm glad they do! We try to make the Erebus models look somewhat realistic, while remaining truly ''minecrafty'', and I think we have done that quite nicely. Many people seem to get shivers from our models, and that is the intention. Wait till you run into a pack of Wasps :3.

Really man? This looks like such a cool mod and you are restricting who can use it? Why change the policies later when you could just do it now? I understand it is in beta and you probably don't want people to report bugs/issues, but if you allow more public packs to use it without permission you will get more exposure. This way you will have more people able to report bugs, instead of a limited group. Also may I suggest looking at the Minecraft EULA: https://account.mojang.com/documents/minecraft_eula. Check under the section "One Major Rule":

• let other people get access to anything we‘ve made in a way that is unfair or unreasonable.

By limiting which public packs can use it, you are technically violating their EULA.

Good work on the mod and best of luck, it looks really interesting.

Regards,
MomoNasty

We do not violate that rule. That is not the context. So, you are saying, technically Azanor is breaking it too? And every modder that doesn't want their mod to be distributed completely everywhere is too?
That is a false statement. Currently, especially during alpha/beta, I want the highest of quality modpacks to have the Erebus when they desire. This way, we can ensure bug reports are legitimate and not caused by wrong configuration and such. I don't want to have tons of false bug reports. And this is also a way to ensure people don't ask me. If I see/they tell me about their modpack and I like it, I will give them permissions myself, no need to ask.
I'm not excluding all other modpacks, merely saying you shouldn't ask.

 

[MomoNasty]

I'm glad they do! We try to make the Erebus models look somewhat realistic, while remaining truly ''minecrafty'', and I think we have done that quite nicely. Many people seem to get shivers from our models, and that is the intention. Wait till you run into a pack of Wasps :3.



We do not violate that rule. That is not the context. So, you are saying, technically Azanor is breaking it too? And every modder that doesn't want their mod to be distributed completely everywhere is too?
That is a false statement. Currently, especially during alpha/beta, I want the highest of quality modpacks to have the Erebus when they desire. This way, we can ensure bug reports are legitimate and not caused by wrong configuration and such. I don't want to have tons of false bug reports. And this is also a way to ensure people don't ask me. If they tell me about their modpack and I like it, I will give them permissions myself, no need to ask.
I'm not excluding all other modpacks, merely saying you shouldn't ask.

Yes technically modders like Azanor, Benimatic, and iChun (for PortalGun) are violating these rules too. Those mods are quite "polished/stable" yet they deny someone to use it in public pack besides a select few, this gives an unfair advantage to those "Mod Pack Makers" because other public packs are not allowed to use it, so this forces users to use that specific pack even if it lacks other mods they want. Now you might say "they can just add the mods themselves", well then I can argue there is no need for public packs if everyone can just do it themselves, but clearly that is not the case here because a lot of people love using modpacks because they either: don't have the time to assemble them and/or are just lazy. Maybe the context in the EULA is referring to the download of the mod itself, but then again it maybe it's not. Based on the wording Mojang used I think it is open to a lot of interpretations.

Also regarding the "highest quality of modpacks", that is just a very biased statement. Modpacks are just collections of publicly available mods, sure some people might not configure mods correctly, but then there are still lots of people, besides the FTB Team and other modpacks you listed, who actually know what they are doing and produce "High Quality" packs.

I can't change your views on this subject, but at least I can point out some flaws in your statements.

Regards,
MomoNasty

 

[Dylan4ever]

Yes technically modders like Azanor, Benimatic, and iChun (for PortalGun) are violating these rules too. Those mods are quite "polished/stable" yet they deny someone to use it in public pack besides a select few, this gives an unfair advantage to those "Mod Pack Makers" because other public packs are not allowed to use it, so this forces users to use that specific pack even if it lacks other mods they want. Now you might say "they can just add the mods themselves", well then I can argue there is no need for public packs if everyone can just do it themselves, but clearly that is not the case here because a lot of people love using modpacks because they either: don't have the time to assemble them and/or are just lazy. Maybe the context in the EULA is referring to the download of the mod itself, but then again it maybe it's not. Based on the wording Mojang used I think it is open to a lot of interpretations.

Also regarding the "highest quality of modpacks", that is just a very biased statement. Modpacks are just collections of publicly available mods, sure some people might not configure mods correctly, but then there are still lots of people, besides the FTB Team and other modpacks you listed, who actually know what they are doing and produce "High Quality" packs.

I can't change your views on this subject, but at least I can point out some flaws in your statements.

Regards,
MomoNasty

I understand what you are trying to say, and you have a point, but by only giving permission to well-established packs that have a certain kind of base quality, the Erebus always has a good home. Sure, there are many people out there that can produce a proper modpack, and I am one of those people, but these packs have already proven that they are worthwhile. As I said, permission will be given if I want to, so if a modpack gains in popularity and I know it is a good one, I might just put them on the list.

If I might be so rude to ask, why do you make such a big deal out of this? Were you planning to assemble a pack using the Erebus, and were you thrown off when you read the modpack policy?