Sensible feature suggestions

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Monty
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Sensible feature suggestions

by Monty » Thu May 10, 2012 00:24

I don't want to seem like an "idea guy", but I figured I'd offer my two cents on what I'd like to see in Minetest. All I have to offer are the ideas running around in my noggin, I know no code and I have no idea where to start as far as that goes. I can only apologise. I posted a fleshed out suggestion for Minecraft here: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/267358-biome-specific-terrain-demo-video/

In short, here are my suggestions (I'll flesh them out further down):

- Alternative biome implementation
- Resource suggestions
- Limited liquid
- Cave in physics (and ergo an ore to counter it and create floating islands)
- Special Biomes
- Crafting

Alternative biome implementation:

I don't think biomes should be set as "this area shall load as a forest" or "this area shall load as a desert". I think terrain should generate uniquely instead and have the biome effects applied afterwards. I think there should be areas simply where the block type varies on the X and Y axis. The biome effects could be defined as a moisture rating and a temperature rating. The combination of the blocks and the moisture/temperature would effectively create the "biome" and at the same time, not set it in stone. That way down the line if "hell" is implemented, the biome rating would effectively split it up into "the underworld", which is cold and dry, "hell" which is hot and dry, and other variations. Blocks could also absorb or emit temperature (helpful for creating adventure arctic biomes or hell biomes) and moisture can alter the variation. An example here would be if oil blocks are added. Temperature and moisture can make it either more oil-like or tar-like. Heat up oil with a heat source and you can turn it into tar to make traps, stuff like that.

If you want, I can brainstorm ideas about this one if you're interested in what I have to say.

Resources

I think we should take a cue from Terraria on this one. Gems should definitely added, simply so they can make different coloured torches and tint glass. You can also make mobs that are strengthened and/or weakened by certain cave gemstones so that they won't be useless, but also set the mood at the same time. If you come across a cave with glowing blue stalactites and fight mobs that regenerate in proximity to them, then you can up that adventure value a bit.

Similarly, there should be more liquids than lava and water. I already mentioned oil, which becomes tar if it spawns in a hot place (or is heated artificially). Drawing upon the "mobs being strengthened by a gemstone" idea, you could of course have a similar mob that draws its power from a glowing cave liquid (or maybe strange fish and plants nearby too).

For ore, I think there should be less emphasis on them being better than each other. (coal < iron < gold < diamond) Ores should probably be better in different ways and fit player's preferences differently. One player may use an iron pickaxe because of it's durability, and another player may use a diamond pickaxe because they can mine faster due to how light it is. This way, no tool would be objectively better than another one, and players would have a reason to make a desert stone axe over a stone axe.

Again drawing from Terraria, jungles would grow from mud. But at the same time, this wouldn't be set in stone from the start of the game because the dirt would have to be hot and wet to begin with before a jungle would grow from it. If you want an artificial jungle, you could collect buckets of lava into one place to give it some more heat, for example. Stone, on the other hand should probably be prefix stone. Granite could spawn deep down, sandstone in deserts and under beach sand, chalk on coastal cliffs and occasionally in caves. If hell is added, for example, you can add hellstones. Again, this is one of those ideas I can brainstorm if anyone is interested in hearing my opinions.

Limited liquid

http://minetest.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1466

Cave-in physics

All blocks should be subject to gravity. Drawing upon tree physics, I think caves should be similar. Trees can hold leaves blocks about 4 blocks away unless leaves stack higher on the fourth block. Something similar can apply to stone before they cave-in and collapse, calculated on the conditions of the block itself and the ones nearby.

Effectively, this would make floating islands impossible. Which makes it a simple solution to create blocks not subject to gravity. Place them and they'll float if you remove the blocks holding it up. My biome statistic idea could apply here, apply heat and the block floats up, remove heat (or place it in an icy place) and the block stops. This way, if you place the block on something hot, after a while, it'll get high enough to lose it's heat and you wouldn't lose them forever.

Special Biomes

I mentioned hell biomes before. There's always from for ice caves and gemstone adventure biomes all based on the conditions I set in the alternative biome suggestion. Some areas could have a check to enable dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, meteorite landings, hell terrain, glowing fungus caves or otherworldly, alien biomes with dangerous mobs in them. The spawning of blocks would be unchanged and these biomes could show up above ground or below.

I definitely oppose the idea of alternate dimensions due to how impossible it is, and how it would be better on a gameplay standpoint to add it to the world as is.

I can brainstorm if you're interested.

Crafting

Again, stealing from Terraria, I think crafting should be split into specialised stations. There's a workbench, anvil, furnace, bottle, cauldron, sawmill and possibly more complex and modern things later on. You shouldn't be able to make everything from the same workbench the entire game.

That's about it.
Last edited by Monty on Thu May 10, 2012 00:25, edited 1 time in total.
 

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Archerexes
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by Archerexes » Sat May 19, 2012 13:17

^ for some of those I think it will be AGES till they could be done in minetest , however i have no idea how hard mods are to create , just sayin'.
( • ^_^ • )

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Death Dealer
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by Death Dealer » Sat May 19, 2012 14:37

love alot of your ideas, had alot of them myself on my idea thread. the one here i had never thought of was how the crafting table could be split up into different tings to craft on anvil,bottle(potion station), sawmill, etc.. That is such a great idea. it would really set minetest apart from its counterpart. ill look into making a fork of minetest with this feature^_^
Last edited by Death Dealer on Sat May 19, 2012 14:37, edited 1 time in total.
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wokste
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by wokste » Sun May 20, 2012 18:05

I think there are some great ideas here. Sure it will take some time but we will get better out of the deal in the end.
We must be careful not to clone Notches mistakes.
 


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