Tauruscraft - the ultimate sandbox - Community input appreciated!

[Wonton_Freak]

Tauruscraft
¨~ The power lies in the individual



Hello there fellow Minecrafters I'm Wonton Freak, a man with a passion for the sandbox, RPG and gaming in general. I started with Minecraft in the earliest infdev stages, and have played it regulary since, both SSP and SMP on a server I have rented for a long time. This server has been private and have been unavailable to other than my IRL friends until now.

I want to start up a community server, based on the power of the individual player, what I ask is for you to evaluate this idea, and give feedback of how you think this would work, and eventually feedback on what you think would be better etc.

To give you an insight of the basic idea with tauruscraft, and why I think it will be unique, I'm gonna give you a short story.

In 2006, I started playing EvE online, an MMO that I found a trailer for on the internet, I was sceptical at first, but soon found out that it would be the most immersive gaming experience I've ever had. The complete freedom of the game, gives the players almost 100% control of everything that happens in the game. The economy, map and PvP are all a part of the sandbox, and a single player can have massive effects on all the aspects.

What I want with Tauruscraft, is for that experience to be transferred to the blocky minecraft world. Players will have no plugins to restrict them, or guide them. But we will have simple rules to make the game enjoyable for everyone.

Player versus Enviroment (Survival)
Like in EvE, we'll let every player be able to go by themselves, start their own career and live their own life. The other option is to make a guild/clan, or corporations as they're called in EvE.

This will be registered in a protected "embassy" close to the spawn point, where players can read about the guilds, their members and the town/city name of the respected guild. (City location will however not be revealed unless the guild leader wants to.)

Player versus Player
PvP will be similar to that in EvE. If a player kills another player without reason, they will be chased and slain by an NPC faction called CONCORD. However, this will not happen if the slain player has a bounty on him. For corporations/guilds to fight, a war declaration must be accepted by CONCORD (or admin in this case) and a high ammount of ISK (EvE currency) must be paid on a weekly basis to maintain the war declaration.

Economy and Trade
The economy in Tauruscraft, will consist of trading between players. The currency will be run with industrial credits, and to make it balanced, the credit recipes will be disabled and obtainable via selling basic materials to shops in the “embassy” building. After this, the trading will be between players and guilds.

To make things even more interesting, we’ll make certain high end items obtainable via exploring. We’ll disable the recipes of the matter fabricator for example, then hide a few blueprints of it out in the world. If a player/guild finds this blueprint, they’ll get access to the matter fabricator, and will be able to make as many of it as they want. This also gives the guild an opportunity to make blueprint “copies” which has a limited use.


By doing this, we’ll limit tech rushing to give new players a chance while also challenging the older players. This also results more ways to interact with each other in the form of diplomatic relations or a reason to fight for the blueprints.

so.. after that textwall, what do you think?
please give constructive feedback as I'm very eager to make this happen.

Regards
¨~ Chris

 

[Onikrex]

I think it sounds pretty awesome. One of the issues I forsee is that you state you'll be able to obtain those high-tier machines by exploring, which is awesome becauseI love to explore, but what happens when a new player joins in a month? all the areas they can access to explore will be completely explored out, for the most part, so you're still making it a little hard on new players.

 

[Wonton_Freak]

I think it sounds pretty awesome. One of the issues I forsee is that you state you'll be able to obtain those high-tier machines by exploring, which is awesome becauseI love to explore, but what happens when a new player joins in a month? all the areas they can access to explore will be completely explored out, for the most part, so you're still making it a little hard on new players.

A solution to that is adding new blueprints every now and then. We're not talking the rotary macerator and things like that, but only the uber high end items like matter fab, fusion reactor and stuff that takes months to get.

Having the blueprint originals for such high end items won't make more of a hell for a new player than without blueprints.
In fact, I think that having blueprints makes it better, as it kinda limits the number of high end players and make the new players be more equal.

¨~ Chris

 

[Omicron]

I'm curious how you plan to implement and automate CONCORD. Planning a special mod for that? Or does that already exist?

 

[Wonton_Freak]

I'm curious how you plan to implement and automate CONCORD. Planning a special mod for that? Or does that already exist?

According to EvE lore the CONCORD got a technology from an highly advanced race called the Jove. The technology let the CONCORD make a full 3D grid of entire New Eden (eves universe) and respond within seconds to anywhere with jump bridges, stargates and warp drives to execute any violators.

This is the same technology we call /tp and /kill in Minecraft. I was planning to let the moderators handle it at first, but what you suggested is not bad either. The thing is that if I'd to implement such a system, I'd have to get the faction mods and a lot of other plugins to filter out which players are at war and stuff like that. The thing is in EvE you can fight back against the CONCORD, but their numbers will overwhelm you eventually, doesn't matter if you are 1 person, or 100, they will get you.

What do you think about this?

¨~ Chris

PS: EVE: The Empyrean Age is a very nice book for all sci fi interested people, even though you don't play the game. I highly recommend it. the sequels, Burning Life and Templar One are amazing as well.

 

[Bihlbo]

What you're doing is inspired by Eve, but not connected with it. I'd suggest coming up with your own story for the server instead of yoinking CONCORD. Eve's IP doesn't necessarily fit, at least not as well as something you could come up with.

What would be wrong with having most high-tech blueprints start as hidden? You can play a lot of Minecraft without them, so people aren't going to be totally gimped. Let them start with the very basics from certain mods (e.g. for IC2 people start knowing how to make the cables and machines that handle no more than 32 EU/t, but nothing more advanced) and everything else has to be found. Maybe lower-tier hidden blueprints can be rare drops from enemies so you can get to that middle tier by killing the stuff near your home. Maybe some blueprints are in copper chests under a couple layers of lava in lava lakes/pools. It sounds like Thaumcraft might not fit, but if you use it I'd suggest the blueprint for the basic wand is something hidden, since nearly every other recipe in that mod is handled through research within the mod. Maybe the respawning blueprints could be handled like nodes - create a hidden "printing press" that no one can see. These spawn in world creation and are fixed, but spread out. Within a wide radius of a press a special mob can spawn, and killing it gets you a blueprint. Downside to this is you can make a mob spawner near the press to exploit the game.

There are at least two ways to handle the blueprints:
1) Blueprints start off tied to a specific recipe, and if you don't know that recipe you can use the blueprint to consume it and gain the ability to create that recipe. People are going to have surplus blueprints. I suggest price-fixing these somehow, enforcing a situation where new players have to start with making certain low-tier things to trade for credits to afford the blueprints on the market. Otherwise they will be freebies for new players.
2) Blueprints are blank until used, at which point you consume it and it randomly determines a recipe for you to gain based on what you already know. All blueprints will be as valuable as what the most wealthy player is willing to pay, which will enforce exploration. There will be a fixed number of blueprints you ever need to find, so at some point they will begin to lose market value fast, and eventually become freebies.

 

[Wonton_Freak]

What you're doing is inspired by Eve, but not connected with it. I'd suggest coming up with your own story for the server instead of yoinking CONCORD. Eve's IP doesn't necessarily fit, at least not as well as something you could come up with.

What would be wrong with having most high-tech blueprints start as hidden? You can play a lot of Minecraft without them, so people aren't going to be totally gimped. Let them start with the very basics from certain mods (e.g. for IC2 people start knowing how to make the cables and machines that handle no more than 32 EU/t, but nothing more advanced) and everything else has to be found. Maybe lower-tier hidden blueprints can be rare drops from enemies so you can get to that middle tier by killing the stuff near your home. Maybe some blueprints are in copper chests under a couple layers of lava in lava lakes/pools. It sounds like Thaumcraft might not fit, but if you use it I'd suggest the blueprint for the basic wand is something hidden, since nearly every other recipe in that mod is handled through research within the mod. Maybe the respawning blueprints could be handled like nodes - create a hidden "printing press" that no one can see. These spawn in world creation and are fixed, but spread out. Within a wide radius of a press a special mob can spawn, and killing it gets you a blueprint. Downside to this is you can make a mob spawner near the press to exploit the game.

There are at least two ways to handle the blueprints:
1) Blueprints start off tied to a specific recipe, and if you don't know that recipe you can use the blueprint to consume it and gain the ability to create that recipe. People are going to have surplus blueprints. I suggest price-fixing these somehow, enforcing a situation where new players have to start with making certain low-tier things to trade for credits to afford the blueprints on the market. Otherwise they will be freebies for new players.
2) Blueprints are blank until used, at which point you consume it and it randomly determines a recipe for you to gain based on what you already know. All blueprints will be as valuable as what the most wealthy player is willing to pay, which will enforce exploration. There will be a fixed number of blueprints you ever need to find, so at some point they will begin to lose market value fast, and eventually become freebies.

I see what you mean, but I'm not trying to have a story, I'm just using EvE as a reference because that system works incredibly well without restricting the free mind of the player. The reason I want that system is because then you can run the server without using any plugins.

for the blueprints, I see what you mean, I had an idea to do this without the use of plugins but your system might be more interesting. I'll give you a my thoughts on it later.

¨~ Chris

 

[Gabe224]

It sounds great; I would definitely play!

 

[The classless]

sign me up I am in

 

[atheneftw]

yeah that sounds good, sign me up if you need me

 

[Arkandos]

I love the sound of this idea, although it might be hard to successfully implement.
Maybe you could implement some sort of research system, instead of the mobdrops. This would mean people/cooperations could specialize in diffrent things, likr mining, researching, processing etc.

Maybe researching could utilize the new metallurgy?

 

[namiasdf]

It sounds good and all on paper, but you have to remember that implementing this would require a shit tonne of work.

Aside from designing mods that can do what you want them to do (I am skeptical about a mod where NPCs chase after you. They would just have to come in the form of a spawn rate increase above 0, around the certain player). Even then there are going to be endless problems pertaining to balance.

I guess what I'm saying is that you need to consider, aside from getting the mods themselves, is the implementation and integration of all these mods into what you call tarusucraft, or whatever.

Look into what you need to get and what you might need to start creating in order for all this to work. You'd be surprised at just how much more difficult, what you're wanting is.

 

[Wonton_Freak]

Ok, here's the idea I have to make blueprints work without plugins.

Blueprints:

Lets say you want to explore the deepest tech of GregTech, and need UU matter and Iridium to do it. What do you need to do that? yes, a Matter Fabricator.

The Matter Fabricators recipe will be disabled by default, and you'll need to find the blueprint to get it. So lets say you go out and explore and find a Trade'O'Mat (blueprint) which will trade you 1 Matter Fabricator for the
ammount of resources it takes to create one. This will unlock the deepest gregtech recipes for you too, because now you're able to get UU-Matter and make sunnarium or more iridium.
-Would people be disappointed if this was the solution to Blueprints?

Blueprint Locations:

What I think, is that I'm gonna hand place the different blueprints around on a 1000x1000 surface around the spawn point. To make it a little bit easier I'll also make a few landmarks in an area around the blueprints location to actually make it possible to find them. These locations might be just a hard to find location, or a little puzzle or a maze. Maybe even you'll have to get yourself a fire resistance pot to swim down through lava and get the blueprint?

Spawn:

You'll spawn close to a semi large structure, that will contain a few rooms, two of them will be for Coin distribution in the form of some trade'o'mats that will trade basic materials for coins and one for information about the created guilds members and city name.

What I need are two things:

1: The opinions from you guys, on what you think about my approach to this.

2: A few above average builders to help me design and build the spawn building and the landmarks, as I'm suffering from building block illness atm. Maturity and being able to communicate well is appreciated.

thanks for reading
¨~ Chris

 

[Wonton_Freak]

It sounds good and all on paper, but you have to remember that implementing this would require a shit tonne of work.

Aside from designing mods that can do what you want them to do (I am skeptical about a mod where NPCs chase after you. They would just have to come in the form of a spawn rate increase above 0, around the certain player). Even then there are going to be endless problems pertaining to balance.

I guess what I'm saying is that you need to consider, aside from getting the mods themselves, is the implementation and integration of all these mods into what you call tarusucraft, or whatever.

Look into what you need to get and what you might need to start creating in order for all this to work. You'd be surprised at just how much more difficult, what you're wanting is.

Tauruscraft is the server.

for the mods, i've managed to get the server running without any conflicts having these mods:

FTB Unleashed 1.1.3
Power Converters - Enabled
Xenos Reliquary - Enabled
Dartcraft - Disabled

Added mods:

GregTech full - Hardmode
Universal Electricity:
* Atomic Science
* Mekanism
* Mekanism Generators
* ICBM

Flans Ye olde Pack is in consideration for another flight option but ATM not online.

¨~ Chris

 

[Gabe224]

I think it would be better if the Matter Fabricators you found were only usable for say 2 64s of UU-matter. That way you would always have to be on the search for them.

 

[Wonton_Freak]

I think it would be better if the Matter Fabricators you found were only usable for say 2 64s of UU-matter. That way you would always have to be on the search for them.

I see what you mean. You got any idea how we could accomplish a system like that?

What you're saying here is what I mean by blueprint copies.. the original finder can create copies that others can use for a limited time but if you have any better ideas, please post them!

¨~ Chris

 

[Gabe224]

I also think there should be a motive for declaring war against another clan. Something like if you win the war, you get their blueprints. Because there would not be enough blueprints for one for each clan.

 

[Wonton_Freak]

Exactly, that's what I had in mind too.. As I said, the war declarations have to be accepted before they go active, and we will not accept them if you give a reason like: "they n00b we want kill l0lz h4x"

¨~ Chris

 

[Arkandos]

If you're looking for people to build, I'd be happy to sign up. Maybe I'm not so good at the aesthetic part, but I can certainly help with the technical.

I might even be able to do some kind of mod for you

 

[namiasdf]

Ah, well you've listed a few mods, but none of them have anything to do with changing how the game works or controlling an AI. i.e. How to punish those who PvP excessively.

Aside from including tech mods that expand your gameplay options, you need realize that AI based mods and party-control mods definitely conflict with each other as they all attempt to control a similar part of the game, rather than introduce new items that have their own separate API.