FOSS gamedev and creative worlds

Recently, there has been a heavy discussion about what should be considered survival and what not.

One of the main points of this discussion was about adding the screwdriver (tool that lets users turn nodes in any way possible, useful for stairsplus nodes) and the framed glass (a new mod demonstrating the use of a new drawtype in the engine, see here) to the 'survival' game. Currently, the main argument against adding this to the survival game is that it would "ruin [the main] point of this game" (read the logs to know more about the arguments to this).

The screwdriver mod is in the `common' pseudo-game, which means it is readily available, but users must edit their `game.conf' file to enable it in `survival', because someone thinks decorative blocks ruin the survival aspect of the game.

I decided to make a poll so the community could decide on this point.

This poll is not for suggesting to add new mods to the common game.

So, to the real question:

some time ago, when i play MC (SSP, survival single player) i have about 40+ mods installed, so i really dont understand how some additional tool or node can ruin game.

They don't. You can mix building and survival just fine. However, the "survival" term is still incorrect because it's still "craft a stone pick and live forever".

Decorative blocks don't ruin survival-type gameplay. But honestly, to be "survival"-like, it needs to have actual danger of death: the bones mod, some dangerous mobs, hunger, etc. There also ought to be some sort of goal too, like achievements or something, to keep it interesting. Otherwise, the only way to have fun is to... build.

So as far as I'm concerned, Minetest really isn't capable of pure "survival" games, just survival/build hybrids (which are still fun, but that's not the point).

Survival to me means things like hunger, drowning, pvp and most importantly hostile mobs. If you are able to gather the necessary resources to construct fancy buildings under those conditions then that is testament to your survival skills.

I thinking about make a Tropical Island Survival some time.

Like how Dead Island is...

I think decorative blocks actually make the survival game batter. Here is how i see people building with decorative blocks on survival. "WOW!!! How did you get that. It is soooo cool. What do i need to get to make that?" So in a way creative blocks in survival means "Look here i am so good at survival i can get these blocks". also atm it isnt really survival casue in singleplayer the most dangerous thing is falling and hurting yourself from that. Add decorativee blocks but dont forget to add survival aspects too.

Some famous person I don't know wrote: "Everything is good in moderation

you will not get a valid result with that poll as your way of asking manipulates the reader

But isn't the point of survival giving the build game a challenge not just adding stuff that kills you for the sake of it? Think of this,when you build a huge structure in survival it show you are good at the following points:

1.surviving in a hostile environment
2.gathering resources
3.resource management

These 3 points are part of what makes the survival game fun.I don't see how decorative blocks affect these points.

There are probably multiple understandings of "survival". For example, make building harder, so building a house is more of a challenge. Another variant would be: How many days until I die with an environment which becomes increasingly hostile.

Personally, I want the second variant. I can imagine:

• Spawns more and more and more dangerous mobs each day and night
• Something like Minecrafts Enderdragon, so you become afraid outside on open range
• Big hard creeps which make you afraid to enter whole territories
• Animals that steal and eat your food
• Poisonous stuff which weakens and disorients
• Earthquakes which destroy your buildings and mines
• Forest fires which destroy your garden and forests
• Volcanos for terraforming and making death traps out of mines
• Changing water level for more terraforming

In general, you never feel save and you have to fight for every day you live. If you survive for ten days consider it a success. Dying is fun.

In such a scenario decoration is probably a waste of resources. ;)

i think that it does not make any sense to have nodes only in one mode and not another.
features to distinguish survival from build/creative should mainly involve the possibility of death, brought on by means of hunger, suffocation, fall damage and of course mobs and fire and the like.

for items i think a screwdriver is a fine tool for survival... if its craftable then why not keep it in the game.

Anyways If only we can have my idea of a Glow Stick work and it, make a good survival.