FOSS gamedev and creative worlds

Hi!

I'm a unix sysadmin, so my questions doesn't normally contain setup of the software.

My intentions are to set this(server/client environment) up for my soon 7 yrs old son. I already installed client and server on different machines, and I can see multiplayer is working. He have found his way by himself to manage things I couldn't figure out...

And that is the thing: I am definitly not a gamer, I'm not really interested, but to be able to give my son a fully working environment, I probably need to understand some basics of gaming in general and minetest specifically...

I can't find a general information site where I can find simple answers to dumb newbie question...

Perhaps this thread could be such a newbie how-to...?

Regards Johan

ps. If someone is interested, I'll later set up the server on a Solaris(OpenSolaris/Illumos/OmniOS) zone on zfs. That should really be interesting for those that want to run multiple instances of the server, in an easy way...ds

first note that minetest is just an engine, not a full game.
the preinstalled minetest_game is minimalistic and only contains basic elements.

you can either add mods to the game or use a subgame (a preset of mods designed for working together)
depending on how much you know about games, you can make your own choices of mods, and maybe make some changes to the code to create the game environment that you like or just choose a subgame with a theme that you like most.

most of the subgames are still in development, so the good choices are few.
"carbone" is currently the most stable and balanced game and has everything that is in Minecraft and some extras.
all content is fully functional and you don't need to add anything else.

if you want to create your own game by combining mods, i would recommend the mods made by TenPlus1.
(Ethereal mapgen, mobs, farming, teleporters, ambient sounds, ect.)
they are all compatible with each other and well designed.

most important if you want to use mods, is to know what you have and what you need.
when you install mobs, you also need armor.
the armor mod requires "inventory+" to provide apropiate formspecs and menus to equip armor.
inventory+ also supports a craftguide (must use) and bags to be able to carry more items and keep them safe.

the link to the carbone subgame is here:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12824
it is the easiest thing to do.

if prefer to compose your own game and want to use the mods i suggested look here:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12824


the last thing to know are the different mapgens:

v6 has only 2 biomes: forests and deserts.
you can also find jungles there, but that's it.

v5 and v7 have green lands, dry lands, snow lands, deserts and glaciers as well as 4 different trees.
v7 is the most stable of the three.

custom mapgens like Ethereal or the one used in carbone require mapgen v5 or 7 to work.
(v7 is probably the better choice as v5 tends to generate crazy landmasses that are more difficult to conquer.)


lastly, the "how to install":

mods are placed in the "mods" folder and subgames go into the "subgames" folder.
you will find these in your local ".minetest" folder. (in linux it is a hidden folder in your home directory)
sometimes the downloaded mods/games have "-master" in their name. if they do you have to rename them and remove the "-master", then everything should work fine.

PS: almost forgot: if you want to use mods, you must enable them ingame by selecting your world file and pressing the "configure" button. there you can turn mods on or off. this can also be used to disable unwanted mods from subgames.
in carbone this would be "meze" as this mod adds deadly instant kill blocks, you probably want to exclude those from your game.

Hi, Firefox!

Really, really, REALLY good answer! That is the type of answer you want to get when you are a newbie...

The answer is full of content, so I guess I need to go through it thoroughly, before I ask any more questions...

You see, I don't even know the terminology, like "mods", "mobs", etc. Guess mods comes from modifications...?

Anyway, I'll go through, test what I can do with these answers, and get back when I reach a moment when I feel lost again...

Thanks and regards!

Johan

Mobs are things like animals, monsters, and other non human characters (the non human players are called NPCs).

Mods are modifications or modules, depending on who toy ask.

I recommend Inventory++, as it has a picture on the button instead of text (it looks better)

I also recommend TenPlusOne's mobs_redo mod, but with the blood texture edited so that there is no blood (but that's just me, it's rather chartoonish blood)

Simple skins is another one I recommend for different player textures (called skins) that are switchable in game.

There are countless others I could name but that'll get you started, and if you can't find any of them I'll post the links to them.

Mods I don't recommend are ones like moreores and moreblocks. Moreores because it hasn't been updated in a few years and now has duplicates of oars in default, and moreblocks because it depends on moreores.

BTW I'm thinking of ditching Linux for FreeBSD, but I'm on limited bandwidth so I haven't been able to yet.

on my screen inventory+ (with text buttons) is better because the images of inventory++ always overlap with the crafting grid and make it unusable.
besides that really is nicer, because the image buttons are smaller and more colourful.
you have to try it out and see if it works on your screen.

player_textures is also a mod to give players unique appearances.
but instead of choosing from a list in-game, you just add the skin of your choice in the mod folder and rename it to the player's name and then the player will have that skin.
i prefer this mod, because it is easier to add new skins.
(getting additional skins to the list of choices is more complicated than setting a skin in this mod)

moreblocks has a lot of additional shapes, but it must be adjusted to support all blocks from other mods if you use it.
the stair+ mod by TenPlus1 is much better here, as it also provides additional stair shapes and supports all blocks from the default game and the Ethereal mapgen.

Very nice of you guys, now I believe I got enough for a week or so, to test and learn initially...

Be sure, I'll be back...

Rgrds Johan

Mods are modifications, or modules that can alter or add behavior to MT.
Subgames or games are collections of mods that are usually designed to work together that cannot(Not sure about this) be disabled for that specific subgame.
I'm probably biased towards this, but I have a subgame, or a mod collection that I made and it should be playable without other mods: viewtopic.php?f=50&t=13181

One important point which is quite unique to Minetest: at this point in writing, all mods are server mods. Even something that would seem like it belongs in the client, like a different HUD (head-up display, like the boxes and hearts at the bottom of a standard Minetest screen) are server mods.

This means that if you have separate servers and clients, which you said you had, any mods go onto the server machine. On the other hand, you don't need to install anything into your son's client, or yours.

If you were to join any of the popular, established servers (there's a subforum here for those), they'll usually have dozens of mods, but you don't need to do anything on your side to "use" them. At the same time, your client should be perfectly safe (from mods at least), as nothing gets installed on your end.

(If anything I said is incorrect, dear regular and more experienced forum users, please let us know!)

jokra wrote:I can't find a general information site where I can find simple answers to dumb newbie question...

Since nobody replied to that one, I will link to the Minetest Wiki, it is very important for newbies.

Here are some links you might find the most interesting:

Minetest Wiki: Main page
Getting started (in gameplay)
What you need to know about servers
Frequently asked questions

The pages contain links to other related topics you will need (i.e. privileges).