[Modpack] Dreambuilder [20170402-1958]

[VanessaE]

It is not a subgame anymore, as implied by the title. It's just an ordinary (but very large and detailed) modpack. Install it as you would any other mod/modpack, i.e. drop the folder into <minetest_dir>/mods/dreambuilder or whatever you normally do, and enable it in the world you want to use it in.

Just make sure that if you already have some mods/modpacks that are included in Dreambuilder, i.e. stuff you use on other worlds, you should not activate them on worlds that you use Dreambuilder on.

[xeranas]

I would like to know reason behind subgame to mod pack conversation. I always thought that subgame would be easier to manage as you can ensure mod base.

[VanessaE]

In fact, it's more difficult to maintain a subgame, because I would have to keep up with (read: frequently merge in) code changes in minetest_game, to make sure Dreambuilder remained compatible with mods written for minetest_game. After a while and enough upstream changes, this got to be too difficult.

Maintaining it as a modpack frees me from having to think about that. :-) Instead, I can propose changes to minetest_game that make it easier to override/disable some feature here or there, if the need arises.

[drpeppercan]

Hi Vanessa,
First off thanks a million for sharing Dreambuilder with the world, very generous of you :)
I am having an error when installing :(
I had Minetest installed already, in Ubuntu Studio 16.04. I thought I originally installed Minetest from a .tar.bz2 file, (but I'm not too sure anymore), so I did this:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:minetestdevs/stable
sudo apt-get update

I have put the extracted folder of Dreambuilder in the mods folder inside Minetest. I did rename it to Dreambuilder.
But when I run Minetest it gives me this error:

Your phone or window isn't wide enough to display the code box. If it's a phone, try rotating it to landscape mode.

Code: Select all

2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: ========== ERROR FROM LUA ===========
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: Failed to load and run script from
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: /home/nelly/.minetest/mods/dreambuilder/prefab_redo/init.lua:
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: ...e/nelly/.minetest/mods/dreambuilder/prefab_redo/init.lua:141: attempt to call field 'register' (a nil value)
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: stack traceback:
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]:    ...e/nelly/.minetest/mods/dreambuilder/prefab_redo/init.lua:141: in main chunk
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: ======= END OF ERROR FROM LUA ========
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: Server: Failed to load and run /home/nelly/.minetest/mods/dreambuilder/prefab_redo/init.lua
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: ModError: ModError: Failed to load and run /home/nelly/.minetest/mods/dreambuilder/prefab_redo/init.lua
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: Error from Lua:
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: ...e/nelly/.minetest/mods/dreambuilder/prefab_redo/init.lua:141: attempt to call field 'register' (a nil value)
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: stack traceback:
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]:    ...e/nelly/.minetest/mods/dreambuilder/prefab_redo/init.lua:141: in main chunk
2016-07-31 23:11:40: ERROR[main]: Check debug.txt for details.

I also have this thread about the same.
Thanks a bunch in advance,

DPC

[VanessaE]

The "stable" PPA contains Minetest 0.4.14, so that by itself is fine. That "nil value" error, in this context, means prefab_redo is trying to call a function in the standard doors mod that doesn't exist on your setup, so it looks like you're running an outdated copy of minetest_game, perhaps something you kept from a previous Minetest version, or you're running Dreambuilder on top of some other sub-game that contains an outdated copy of that doors mod.

[drpeppercan]

Thank you so much for replying Vanessa :)
What would be the simplest way to go about this then?
Should I uninstall Minetest and start over?

DPC

[VanessaE]

Nah, just find out where user-installed subgames need to go in your system, then open a terminal, change to that directory, and do:

Your phone or window isn't wide enough to display the code box. If it's a phone, try rotating it to landscape mode.

Code: Select all

git clone https://github.com/minetest/minetest_game.git

Your install probably puts subgames into /home/<yourname>/.minetest/games . The next time you start Minetest, it should pick up the updated copy, at which point just go try the world where you wanted to run Dreambuilder. If it still doesn't work, delete the local subgame and consider using the "daily builds" Minetest PPA instead of the "stable" one.

[drpeppercan]

Ok, I did as you suggested, Vanessa.
I created a "games" subdir, as there was none.
I don't know if it makes any difference, but I unchecked "Creative Mode" before hitting Play.
It's been longer than 30 minutes since I did though :(

How do I use the daily builds PPA then?

DPC

[VanessaE]

Get rid of your existing Minetest install (`apt-get remove minetest`) and then remove the "stable" PPA (I forget the exact command). Install this one in its place, https://launchpad.net/~minetestdevs/+ar ... ily-builds and re-install Minetest (`apt-get update; apt-get install minetest`).

That'll get you the latest build, which should carry an updated minetest_game with it. Then just play the game as usual.

[drpeppercan]

YEEEESSSSS!!!!!!
It worked, Vanessa!!! :)
Thank you so much for your help :)

Now, being new to both Minetest and Dreambuilder, could you confirm that I should enable Creative Mode every time I use Dreambuilder?
Or there's no difference?

DPC

[VanessaE]

I strongly favor "creative" mode, but I tried to make sure it works reasonably well in survival mode and behaves as one would expect it to. For example, there's no creative inventory in that mode, and stacks are not infinite. Barring a bug in a mod somewhere, you have only as much material as you dug out of the ground or harvested from the flora.

[VanessaE]

Build #20160811-1839, updated boost_cart, plantlife, castle, homedecor, fake_fire, glooptest, quartz, unified_inventory, inbox, mesecons, and worldedit mods.

[VanessaE]

Build #20160814-0452, updated boost_cart and unified_inventory.

[VanessaE]

Build #20160817-1437, updated mesecons and unified_inventory

[VanessaE]

Build #20160819-0227, updated cottages mod

EDIT: build #20160819-2301, updated cottages again :)

[VanessaE]

Build #20160821-1558, updated moretrees.

[drpeppercan]

Hi Vanessa,

My daughter and I are having a ball with your creation (Dreambuilder) :)
I have a question: There's a computer desk, when I attemp to place something on it, a small grey window pops up with some items on the lower half of the window. The upper half is empty. I would guess that I should be choosing an item to put it on the desk. Except whether I left-click or right-click the item is not chosen and accept it, but it seems I'm to do something more with it. I just don't know what.
I could use some hints please.

Also, how can I remove only 1 item from the items I have access to? So far I have been removing them all by clicking on the Trash can. But it's not very practical if I need all the rest of the items.

Thanks in advance Vanessa :)

[VanessaE]

The reason you see a window pop up is because the desk contains an inventory, like a chest, i.e. you can store stuff *in* it. To put something on top of the desk, hold Shift while you place the item. This also works when placing an item on top of something like a chest.

Moving one item at a time in/out/around your inventory works the same everywhere - right click the stack to pick up one piece from it, middle click to pick up 10, left click picks up the whole stack.

[drpeppercan]

Another question :)
I used Shift as you suggested. This also worked to place a banana on a table top. However, this would not work for a pie. Then I wanted to put the banana back, and only a giant banana is placed above the table, like floating.
I have tried from different angles and I can't place it on top as before :(
What am I overlooking?

Thanks again Vanessa :)

[VanessaE]

A few pieces of furniture are half a node high, like lrfurn's coffee table and end table. Minetest can't reliably place another node on top of those because they're not full height. Bananas are nodes (since they also appear as part of a banana tree).

Meanwhile, pies are just craft items, like a steel ingot or mese crystal, so you can't place them at all. However, if you *drop* an object onto the table, regardless of whether it's a node or an item, I think it'll settle at the right height, but it won't be the same thing as placing a node, and the engine may delete it eventually.

[drpeppercan]

I see.
About craft items, you say that we "can't place them at all".
Then how do you use them? What's their purpose?

[VanessaE]

Their purpose is to be used in crafting recipes. :-) Unlike building with or placing/dropping stuff in the world, both nodes and craft items are used the same way when crafting things, depending of course on what it is that's being crafted.

For example when you mine iron ore, you get an iron lump. You can't place an iron lump, but if you cook it, you get a steel ingot, which might then be used to make, say, a pickaxe or a spool of steel wire. You can't place those, either, but you might use the spool of wire to make a chainlink fence, which you of course *can* place.

Papyrus, on the other hand, of course is something you can place immediately after you gather it, but it can also be used in the crafting grid to make sugar, which is then used in the making of a pie. You of course can't place one of those, but you can store it away somewhere, or eat it when your health runs low.

And then, there are objects that behave like both an item and a node: an apple of course can be gathered from a tree, after which you can store it, place it back in the world, just eat it, or perhaps use it in a crafting recipe (I think there's "apple juice" for example).

Basically, crafting is normally only needed if you're playing in survival mode, though sometimes it's more convenient than searching the inventory for the thing you want (or using a machine e.g. the table saw).

[drpeppercan]

Thanks for the complete explanation Vanessa. Now I have a better grasp of how some things work.

On a different note, there's a bookshelf I can't remove. Why would that be?

Thanks

[VanessaE]

Bookshelves work like chests, so if there's something stored in it, you have to empty it before you can remove it.

[VanessaE]

Build #20160827-0229, updated mesecons.

[VanessaE]

Build #20160830-1415, updated homedecor, moreblocks, pipeworks, and travelnet

[VanessaE]

Build #2016090-- #20160909-0646, updated mesecons and signs_lib (twice)

[VanessaE]

Build #20160916-0216: updated areas, ilights, locks, and signs_lib

[drpeppercan]

Hi Vanessa,
I am trying to make some assets/props, but I could use some help with LUA.
Do you happen to know where I could find a few templates to get started? Since I would not use LUA for anything else, I'm finding it hard to justify learning it from scratch, if you know what I mean.
But if I could start off from templates, that would get me started.
Would it be enough to refer to the LUA files found in Dreambuilder?
Thanks Vanessa,

DPC

[VanessaE]

Best place to start is with any of the mods in minetest_game - probably something basic like the wool mod maybe. You could also try gloopblocks, or maybe ilights (both in DB), those are relatively simple.