Plenty of mods have varying mechanics. Some people like 'em, some people just can't stand 'em. I'd like to open a forum to discuss the various merits and flaws of the various mechanics found in mods. But I would also like to politely request some ground rules, because things can get pretty heated on topics people are passionate about.
* Feel free to like or dislike any mechanic you want as much as you want. Just understand that not everyone will agree with your position. Polite debate is good. Flame wars and personal attacks... less so. Let's not make the mods step in here, please.
* We're discussing primarily mechanics, not necessarily the mods themselves. For example, the mechanic of a transportation system with some built in logic (such as ExUtil or Thermal Dynamics) versus one which has made an explicit decision for requiring more advanced features for junctions to be anything other than random (BC) is one to be debated. Debating one mod or the other as a whole, however, is not the purpose of this thread. Citing a mod as a source of a mechanic is perfectly acceptable, but stating a mod is/is not good because of x mechanic is exceeding the intent of the discussion at hand.
I'm starting this discussion because I'm considering game mechanics from a more critical perspective lately due to my interest in possibly doing some work on games in general.
To get the ball rolling:
I really like assembly style production lines as opposed to flat recipes. For example, TiCo tool construction or IC2/Mekanism's multi-machine ore refinery. I suppose the TiCo tool construction really resonates with me because I've actually worked in a forge before, and I'm well aware that there's lots of steps in making a tool, and this kind of really drives it home. Plus it provides, if not infinite then at least appreciably large variation possibilities. I also like the mechanic that IguanaTweaks brings to be able to refit a tool part with another pre-made tool part, like swapping out a wooden haft for a thaumium one without needing to make a whole new tool. And the Mekanixm 5x ore refinery is complex enough that building and automating it all is a significant challenge, but once it is built there is a real sense of satisfaction in seeing it just run without you needing to fiddle around with it. To me, it is much more rewarding than having to go through a dozen sub-combines in a regular crafting table. Particular note goes out to Pneumaticraft's crafting mechanics, which are (sometimes literally) very 'out of the box', so to speak.
I'm less enamoured with needless resource bleed from tools that shouldn't need to be replaced. For example, my boss's favorite hammer is over two hundred years old, handed down from master to apprentice over the years. So IC2 needing you to replace a hammer after a mere 70 uses is... very jarring to me. It breaks verisimilitude to me more even than floating blocks, which is saying something. It's just resource bleed for the sake of resource bleed, and I find it more irritating than anything.
I'm also not a fan of 'outdated mechanics', something that you make, use, then never want to touch again. Part of this goes back to Iguana Tweaks ability to not just repair tools, but replace parts. So you don't need to make one wooden pickaxe, then another stone pickaxe and have a still usable but inferior wooden pickaxe still floating around somewhere. Having a dozen outdated and useless tools taking up space really serves no purpose. Machines designed to become obsolete irk me greatly, I feel that if you make a machine, it should be useful and relevant regardless of how advanced you get. For example, let's go back to classic Buildcraft. You probably made a Sterling Engine early game, but even in the late game, BC encouraged a decentralized energy system, and you could use that same sterling engine to run some machine elsewhere. It still had a use and a purpose and you were likely to still use it somewhere in a build.
So, what are some of your favorite (or least favorite) mechanics, and why?
* Feel free to like or dislike any mechanic you want as much as you want. Just understand that not everyone will agree with your position. Polite debate is good. Flame wars and personal attacks... less so. Let's not make the mods step in here, please.
* We're discussing primarily mechanics, not necessarily the mods themselves. For example, the mechanic of a transportation system with some built in logic (such as ExUtil or Thermal Dynamics) versus one which has made an explicit decision for requiring more advanced features for junctions to be anything other than random (BC) is one to be debated. Debating one mod or the other as a whole, however, is not the purpose of this thread. Citing a mod as a source of a mechanic is perfectly acceptable, but stating a mod is/is not good because of x mechanic is exceeding the intent of the discussion at hand.
I'm starting this discussion because I'm considering game mechanics from a more critical perspective lately due to my interest in possibly doing some work on games in general.
To get the ball rolling:
I really like assembly style production lines as opposed to flat recipes. For example, TiCo tool construction or IC2/Mekanism's multi-machine ore refinery. I suppose the TiCo tool construction really resonates with me because I've actually worked in a forge before, and I'm well aware that there's lots of steps in making a tool, and this kind of really drives it home. Plus it provides, if not infinite then at least appreciably large variation possibilities. I also like the mechanic that IguanaTweaks brings to be able to refit a tool part with another pre-made tool part, like swapping out a wooden haft for a thaumium one without needing to make a whole new tool. And the Mekanixm 5x ore refinery is complex enough that building and automating it all is a significant challenge, but once it is built there is a real sense of satisfaction in seeing it just run without you needing to fiddle around with it. To me, it is much more rewarding than having to go through a dozen sub-combines in a regular crafting table. Particular note goes out to Pneumaticraft's crafting mechanics, which are (sometimes literally) very 'out of the box', so to speak.
I'm less enamoured with needless resource bleed from tools that shouldn't need to be replaced. For example, my boss's favorite hammer is over two hundred years old, handed down from master to apprentice over the years. So IC2 needing you to replace a hammer after a mere 70 uses is... very jarring to me. It breaks verisimilitude to me more even than floating blocks, which is saying something. It's just resource bleed for the sake of resource bleed, and I find it more irritating than anything.
I'm also not a fan of 'outdated mechanics', something that you make, use, then never want to touch again. Part of this goes back to Iguana Tweaks ability to not just repair tools, but replace parts. So you don't need to make one wooden pickaxe, then another stone pickaxe and have a still usable but inferior wooden pickaxe still floating around somewhere. Having a dozen outdated and useless tools taking up space really serves no purpose. Machines designed to become obsolete irk me greatly, I feel that if you make a machine, it should be useful and relevant regardless of how advanced you get. For example, let's go back to classic Buildcraft. You probably made a Sterling Engine early game, but even in the late game, BC encouraged a decentralized energy system, and you could use that same sterling engine to run some machine elsewhere. It still had a use and a purpose and you were likely to still use it somewhere in a build.
So, what are some of your favorite (or least favorite) mechanics, and why?
