TINAS 214 LazyJhttp://ompldr.org/vaGx2NA/Tinas214_LazyJ_2013_02_27.zipBased on Casimir's Tinas213 MapIn an earlier post I mentioned that I had included the LandUp, MoreTrees and Plantlife mods. Casimir then provided more guidance for the TINAS project suggesting not to use these mods as they may cause more clutter and messy map generation. Following Casimir's suggestion, I scrapped the version I was working on and based my current contribution to the project
(TINAS214_LazyJ) on Casimir's TINAS213 map.
However, there may be some LandUp mountains/cliffs/plateaus. During development I switched over to my laptop, loaded the map and realized that I hadn't disabled landup on my laptop. Hopefully I shutdown the map before too much was generated.
I've "built" some trees
(adding rope to simulate vines or willow trees). These did not come from the MoreTrees mod
(inspired by but not generated by).
Of other note, inside Casimir's farmhouse, there is an unknown block
(tablesaw). I didn't remove it.
Construction Sites (proposed idea)One of my concerns when building in TINAS is, "Am I building in the exact same spot someone else is?"
For the past few TINAS submissions, Casimir has had a building with a sign out front saying "Under Construction". This gave me an idea.
The idea of a "construction site" is to mark a spot in the map where you intend to place your next build. This is
not meant to be a land grab, just pick a small space where you think your next building will fit into. I've marked a hilltop with four, superglowglass columns with signs saying, "Construction Site - LazyJ". I plan to build a shrine or temple in the next version of TINAS.
This way, whoever decides to contribute to the TINAS project will know roughly where other contributors plan to build.
Casimir has expressed a desire for more frequent updates. Bigger, more intricate builds require more time. Add to that, real-life demands on our time make quick updates to TINAS not always possible. Perhaps "Under Construction" and "Construction Sites" could be a workable solution to the infrequent update problem?
Roads ProposalAt the moment, TINAS is small enough for footpaths. Hopefully it will expand. Infrastructure planning may be more effective in the early stages of map development rather than later.
The server I play on has a couple, straight-shot, roads linking far-flung towns. Some of the roads were built as an afterthought. The afterthought roads were more difficult to build in order to avoid structures. They also look very similar in size and materials to the walkways making it harder to distinguish between the roads and the walkways.
The specs I've been using for footpaths are 2 block-wide center, 1 block-wide shoulders. Total width = 4 blocks. Slabs for steps whenever possible, stairs when the incline is too steep. Occasionally I'll add a different block type for visual variety and to make it look like the inhabitants of TINAS have made some repairs to the paths or that nature has reclaimed a few spots with grass or wind-blown sand. I like the crunchy sound of gravel in footpaths but to add a little variety, I use stone instead in the desert biomes.
Main roads should be wider. 3 wide in the center with 1 wide shoulders or 4 wide center with 2 wide shoulders, for example.
Besides size as a visual difference between paths and roads, perhaps main roads should also be constructed of different but consistent materials (ie: stonesquare or coalstone as the road material itself).
I like the natural look of stone-and-wood worlds that Minetest engenders. Modern day, super-highways of asphalt and blinking signs just don't fit well. Since I can't afford a house in the country, Minetest is the closest thing I have to escape from the madness, congestion and visual noise of the "modern" world.
Mod Proposal - Linking BooksIf you have ever played Myst or Riven, then you'll know what a Linking Book is.
A Linking Book is a book that teleports a player to a different location by punching the book. The book behaves like a sign in that you enter the name of the destination, so when a player mouses-over the book the title of the destination shows. In the second field the coordinates of the destination are entered.
Once setup, linking books are more player-friendly than the default teleport command. Linking Books can also add another element to adventure maps and survival maps. Just some possibilities to consider.
To remove a linking book requires worldediting it out as "digging" the linking book only results in teleporting you.
Mauvebic, the author of the bookmarks mod that we are currently using, went a step farther and created Linking Books in his RivenTest game for Minetest. I hacked out just the Linking Book part and use it in my own worlds on my hard drive. I don't know what licensing would work if we were to implement this hacked mod into TINAS.
At the moment TINAS is still small so linking books are not necessary yet. But, when/if the day comes that TINAS has grown substantially, linking books might be something to consider
(if Minetest doesn't already have a more advanced, default teleport feature by then). Perhaps when the time comes, a couple "Linking Book" library buildings would be useful as main teleport centers to all areas of the TINAS world.
Added- Map of the currently developed area
- Map at the default size.
I used the minetest_mapper tool to generate both maps with the drawscale option to include coordinate scales along the top and left. There is a quirk to this tool; it uses a "z" axis in place of Minetest's "y" axis. So, when looking at the leftt-hand side of the maps, the "z" coords translate into the "y" coords in Minetest.
The geometry option specifies the area of the map to be rendered. That is how I was able to generate a map of just the currently developed area.
Added Mods- Noncubic 1.4 mod - single-block spheres, cylinders, angles, posts, pyramids, and other shapes to compliment moreblocks and stairsplus design options. I used this mod to create a smooth-edged, diagonal bridge, cylindrical chimney pipes with pyramid caps, spherical post-top adornments, and a horizontal cylindrical mail box (reminiscent of the kind found in rural America).
- PilzAdam's Farming and Farming Plus mods (2013_02_16 version) - I've combined these into a modpack to help keep things tidy. Unlike the Plantlife mod, the farming mods don't generate randomly all over the place. Now TINAS has some more plant variety that is still under control.
- Calinou's MoreOres mod - Occasionally, I like to create gold-domed buildings. Meseblocks aren't as attractive with the word "MESE" on them. MoreOres adds gold and silver blocks for building and gold and silver lumps (along with other metals) to add to the bottoms of streams and ponds as pretty stones in the water. (Koi fish mobs would be nice to have too someday).
Added Builds- Diagonal bridge using noncubic mod
- A pond and waterfall under the diagonal bridge
- Blacksmith Shoppe
- More footpaths to existing builds
- More way-finding signs to new builds
- A rural-American style mail box ("Casimir Farm") using noncubic mod.
- A pond near Casimir's farm
Updated- Bookmarks
- Calinou's MoreBlocks, Stairs+ and MoreOres (2013_02_26 version)
- Footpaths - more refinement
- Casimir's Farm - restored the fields and crops
Map and ScreenshotsMap of Currently Developed AreaDiagonal Bridge Heading Towards Casimir's Tea-HouseYe Olde Blacksmith Shoppe and Fine Metal WorksInterior of Blacksmith Shop - Forge