Gaining our own identity, as a gaming experience.

[MeowCat]

Mese and Nyancats are our only really unique blocks. I liked the alien idea as it adds the potential for more alien ores, etc.

Do not forget the cloud!

[slopsbucket]

Thanks for the vote, Philipbenr.

Had a couple more thoughts on the popularity thing since I wrote that and I have a suggestion for the devs to play with.

Make a slightly more polished version, nothing fancy, KISS principal. Really all that's needed is to put the Animals modpack into the games/minetest/mods folder so that a new user doesn't even have to know about adding mods. They start with a little bit of a challenge.

Then you need to email some people.

The smaller end of the market, I know, but most Linux distributions come with a few different types of programs to showcase how good Linux is today, including a couple of games. And when it comes to the games section they tend to use a couple of different ones for each new distribution. Surely it couldn't hurt your cause if the next Ubuntu came out with Minetest already installed by default. So contact Ubuntu/Canoninical, Suse and whatever else is popular these days and talk to them. The worst that can happen is they say "No." Looks like Fedora don't bother with this any more but it still won't hurt to ask.

As for the big end of the market, try contacting people like PC Mag. An article about open source gaming is always good journalism to them. Just make sure to mention that it's based on Infiniminer and beg them not to try and associate it with Minecraft. Not for legal reasons, although that could make a good excuse to use on the journo's, but for the purpose of establishing Minetest's own identity. If people download it thinking they're getting a free Minecraft they're bound to be disappointed but if they download it expecting something different from Minecraft then they're likely to be more pleased. But to get a good report from Journo's it must be already set up to use as soon as they install it, adding mods and stuff like that is something they'll only get into if and after the initial experience has been enjoyable, same as any new user really, that first 5 minutes of play is where you win or lose their interest.

There's another quick thought for the devs too - instead of asking "what can we do to make Minetest more like that other crap?" why don't you have a look at it from a different angle? What's lacking in Minecraft? Is there an obvious hole there that's in need of filling? Is there something you could put into your game that could make people drop minecraft because your game is better?

Food for thought.

Cheers,

Andrew.

[q9c9p]

GNU/Linux sir...just sayin'...use the proper names for stuff. Mr Stallman would state the same.

Why are you kids so much into "I want to be the new kid on the block"?

[ichiman94]

Well, minetest is an engine. It has voxel map of nodes, entities, metadata and other stuff, which are enough to build something cool with it. If people really want to create something unique that is not like minecraft, what if we develop a first person based strategy game?

Players could setup their bases, which compose of multiblock structures gathering resources and producing units? It's quite possible. We can keep the default inventory mechanics for storing and using tools to build with. Each multiblock building could be placed with one click using a tool, and these buildings are dynamically damaged by the nature of the engine, so it adds a layer of realism. It could be a medieval castle building and defending game like Stronghold. Or for the dwarfy people, a Dwarf Fortress clone.

[Sokomine]

Players could setup their bases, which compose of multiblock structures gathering resources and producing units? It's quite possible. We can keep the default inventory mechanics for storing and using tools to build with. Each multiblock building could be placed with one click using a tool, and these buildings are dynamically damaged by the nature of the engine, so it adds a layer of realism. It could be a medieval castle building and defending game like Stronghold. Or for the dwarfy people, a Dwarf Fortress clone.

Sure, why not? It's just a lot of work, and someone has to do it if we ever want to play a strategy game in Minetest.

I wonder if it would be possible to combine it with FreeCiv. That already comes with the strategy parts, and it has its own server. Minetest could act as the client. Each FreeCiv field would have to be larger than one Minetest node for it to really work...else it'll all be very small. Maintaining an overview of the game might become difficult.

[GarulfoDG]

Mese and Nyancats are our only really unique blocks. I liked the alien idea as it adds the potential for more alien ores, etc.

I agree. But the game doesnt tell the player "you are in an alien land/planet" : dirt, water, apple - the game obviously takes place on earth. This is not an issue, but we need to take the player far away/deeper.

Mese could be a more important element, as an important step in the player's progression. For now it's only something more powerful than diamond. Mese could be used to craft an "invention machine", allowing much powerfull craft ?

As an source of scifi game inspiration, the progression in "Starbound" is really interresting, especially the furnace upgrade : starting tier is Iron/Anvil/furnace based, then a Steel/Metalwork Station tier, then player can mine Titanium Ores, then the Robotic Crafting Table, etc.

The craft grid itself should be considered as an alien artefact, making more sense for many mods :

• Starting with 2x2 grid (bare hand/broken crafting artefact) : wood transformation, torch, simple hammer,

• Upgraded in 3x3 grid (artefact found/ repared with iron) : this introduce much accurate pattern allowing common tools (axe, pick, hoe)

• Second upgrade (with gold ?) : improving recipe management with shortcuts/book, allowing complexe 3x3 pattern without having to memorize all.

• third with mese ? 4x4 grid / other advanced crafting concept

Sorry for shifting in the crafting subject, but i think it is an important way to gain an identity. Minecraft's 3x3 pattern is ok as it proved its interest, but Minetest need to go beyond. FMPOV

[firefox]

although i like fantasy settings more than science fiction, there are some science fiction elements that are quite interesting. i once read the book Anathem by Neal Stephenson. i thought it was a fantasy novel but it turned out to be more of a science fiction novel about parallel dimensions and interdimensional influence.
also the SNES game Chrono Trigger (which is about Time Travel) is one of my favourite games.

so what if Mese is like the Dreamstone from Chrono Trigger that can open the Time Gates ...
the people of the Zeal Kingdom crafted advanced technology with it that was considered "magic".

we already have an UFO mod, crafted from Mese and powered by Obsidian, to fly.
what about building something like the Mammon Machine?

there are also teleporter mods, so even Time Gates and the Gate Key are possible.
and now the important part: unlike Minecraft the Minetest world is huuuuge and would allow multiple worlds above each other. if i remember correctly there even was a thread about this ...
the different Eras could be simulated with stacked realms and the Gate Key could open the Time Gates to travel to the other realms.

and since Lavos is an Alien i will also accept the "Alien Concept" for Minetest.