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[Draco18s]

Having more or less abandoned a procedurally generated RTS (I want to finish it, but I've learned things and would like to rebuild a large portion of the code from scratch) I got into Java and making Minecraft mods.  Haven't been playing Minecraft a whole lot, been having more fun making new stuff.

Thought I'd share, as they are pretty neat.  There are plenty of images for each mod in that mod's thread (behind the links).

Most recently we have procedurally generated artifacts, boasting an uncountable number of millions of variations utilizing a single item ID.  This project is what gave me some of the tools to redo ProcGenRTS.  Better organization of the code, interface inheritance, abstract classes, entity components, all kinds of stuff.  Definitely my most popular mod, I saw over 600 downloads three days before Thanksgiving, much to my astonishment.

Link Destination Renders, for Mystcraft, which adds link panel destination images, making the base mod feel so much more alive, like its source material (Myst, obviously).  XCompWiz, Mystcraft's creator, wasn't even sure that it was possible at this stage of Mystcraft to actually pull this off.  There are still flaws with the implementation, but for what I had to work with, it's pretty good.

Along with that, More Decays, adding over a dozen more instability effects to unstable Mystcraft ages (and one of the first mods I built).  Not updated to the most recent version of Mystcraft, but I did discover that it almost works without issue.  You just need to disable the Positive Energy symbol and instability (in the Mystcraft configs) as the mobs generated by that effect aren't properly working (issue with Minecraft's change from using an integer for HP and a float).  At least, that's the only issue I've run into (note: left active, it can cause an unrecoverable crash, unless you know how to force yourself back to the overworld with save file editing).

Going back a little farther, More Maps gave me the tools that allowed me to pull off the dynamic images present in Link Destination Renders.  More "technically interesting" than "useful" but it was a fun mod to build and some people seem to really like it.

Phase Stone!  A mod originally designed along some specifications from a friend of mine, this mod adds blocks that can be powered or right-click-activated to turn non-solid and allow the player to walk through them.

As part of a "I'll build you a small mod for free" thread I did for a while, and the only thing I did that I actually liked, we have Rail Bridges, a rail block that supports itself.  It can do slopes, though connecting up with regular rail on a slop is slightly buggy due to the two rail type's block-below requirements.

If you've wanted to transfer redstone power vertically, but never wanted Red Power (or similar), I have Redstone Fence, which will transfer a signal upwards with ease.  I really ought to revisit this one and improve the code.  It was my first foray into redstone signaling and didn't fully understand how redstone worked, so there's a fair number of hacks.  The block could use a new renderer too, as the fence block's texture mapping doesn't work so well.

Another one for a friend, Extendable ladders.  These ladders can be placed and picked back up from a single spot, extending all the way as far as you need them to go without having to place and break as you go.  Very useful for those that like to go spelunking or mountain climbing.

[Armok]

Wow, I checked this thread with low expectations, but many of these seem on par with he ones in major modpacks.

*eyes narrow*

Wait, pretty sure the artefact one *is* in one of the modpacks I'm using.

[Draco18s]

Wait, pretty sure the artefact one *is* in one of the modpacks I'm using.

Hehe.

Wow, I checked this thread with low expectations, but many of these seem on par with he ones in major modpacks.

Thanks!

I worked my way up, starting from a single block because I didn't like TerraFirmaCraft's cave in mechanic* and wanted something more realistic (and actually, kind of based on Dwarf Fortress**).  I ended up working out the mechanics long before I started coding, even presented them to the TFC community and was pretty much shut down.  It was actually this frustration of trying to defend an idea that powered me through the arcane Forge installation process (the "first time setup" article was massive; it's gotten a lot easier since then, though the move to Gradle for 1.7 has muddied the waters a bit).

Had a little luck with it, put it aside, and started working on the Mystcraft decays.  Had a ton of fun with that, learning the ins and outs of how the system works.  Even got the idea of that original cave in mechanic into the decay plugin.  I think it's called Unstable Decay.  Ended up posting a video back of it back on the TFC forums and thumbing my nose at the mod/dev that originally told me it couldn't be done efficiently.  Half the people that saw it really liked it, the other half didn't and loved the mechanic that already existed.

Artifacts is my second-most-recent.  The most recent one is another one for a friend and still a Work In Progress.  Got a few more pieces to build before it is usable.

*TFC's collapse mechanic is as follows: any time you mine a stone block that is above an air block, then a collapse occurs (no other surroundings matter, so even a 2 high tunnel can collapse if you dig bottom-then-top, but will never collapse if you dig top-then-bottom).  Collapses are some random collection of blocks in the area turn into cobble stone (which is gravity effected).

**6x6 rooms are stable.  7x7 are not. Demo vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASfmob8dKaQ
And the decay version, infecting the world, causing a natural cave to crumble a bit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogHtNHYeKC8

[Armok]

That *is* way better. Looks great to. I assume you use the same kind of world ticks as plant growth and such? Could it be expanded into a general mod for preventing sky bases without using expensive materials?

And yea setting up the dev environment for forge is the one greatest reason I haven't started modding ages ago. I get it half working, then for one reason or another I have to wait and by the time thats sorted out there is a new version or I have a new operating system or something and I have to start over.

If I ever do get it working, perhaps we should cooperate on stuff? The main minecraft community is not exactly the most civil and the modding one seems very gated and political.

[Draco18s]

That *is* way better. Looks great to. I assume you use the same kind of world ticks as plant growth and such? Could it be expanded into a general mod for preventing sky bases without using expensive materials?

I've certainly thought about it.  Lately though I've been trying to find what's "missing" from my ideal Minecraft experience.  I think I'm at the point where I want to rework the materials system and change enchanting.  I keep bee-lining for diamonds because they're so easy to get.  Wood pick for 3 stone, then upgrade.  Immediately upon finding 8 iron (to avoid wasting any coal), upgrade again.  Then dig to Y=9 and start searching.

The problem with this is that the searching part is a huge pain in the ass.

And yea setting up the dev environment for forge is the one greatest reason I haven't started modding ages ago. I get it half working, then for one reason or another I have to wait and by the time thats sorted out there is a new version or I have a new operating system or something and I have to start over.

Now's probably a good time to get in.  Either get the Recommended Forge source and install it (then download Eclipse and point it at the Eclipse folder inside where the install takes place).  Bam, instant workspace.  From there you just need a base mod file (the one that reads configs, registers blocks, sets up receipes, etc.) and the block/item/whatevers.

Speaking of, Unique Artifacts is open source.  The base class is DragonArtifacts.java

If I ever do get it working, perhaps we should cooperate on stuff? The main minecraft community is not exactly the most civil and the modding one seems very gated and political.

TBH I'm probably not a great collaboration partner.  I work in a very scattered manner, some days I'm just like, "I need to make X" and set aside current projects and start a new one.  For instance, in order to have a mod collection that I wanted to play I absolutely needed the Ogre from Mo'Creatures, but I hate the spawning system mod that Mo'Creatures relies on.  So one day I sat down, decompiled Mo'Creatures, stole the Ogre code, built a new project to house it, and did that.  The end result probably isn't as nice (there are some problems with it), but it gave me a mob that could break blocks, making 2-high walls no longer a perfect defense.

[Armok]

Not a materials system, but there's an addon for Tinkers Construct that fixes the gameplay issue sorta: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1953828-16x-iguana-tweaks-for-tinkers-construct/ . Haven't tried it yet thou. It's in the FTB Magic Farm modpack I think. 

The problem with a fully general adding of a concept of materials beyond what Tinkers Construct already does, is that no other mods will be using it. It'd ahv to be taken into account in EVERY item and recipe.

I think what I tried is the same thing you described with forge, but it's not installing right because linux.

It seems the main difference between our workflows is that you occasionally get stuff done. However, a pjoject dependednt on both is not the only colaboration, I were thinking more of advice and code snippets for specific things and such.

Mods that make walls no longer a perfect defense: Invasion Mod + Zombie Awareness (haven't tried these yet either)

[Draco18s]

Not a materials system, but there's an addon for Tinkers Construct that fixes the gameplay issue sorta: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1953828-16x-iguana-tweaks-for-tinkers-construct/ . Haven't tried it yet thou. It's in the FTB Magic Farm modpack I think. 

The problem with a fully general adding of a concept of materials beyond what Tinkers Construct already does, is that no other mods will be using it. It'd ahv to be taken into account in EVERY item and recipe.

And one of the main reasons keeping me from doing anything about it.  Also, Tinker's Construct not...being...what I wanted (and the API being an unusable mess) was what caused me to make Unique Artifacts.

because linux.

OK yeah, that might do it.  Try the latest Forge version, which uses Gradle  Might work better, might not.  There's some helpful "getting started" threads here.

It seems the main difference between our workflows is that you occasionally get stuff done. However, a pjoject dependednt on both is not the only colaboration, I were thinking more of advice and code snippets for specific things and such.

That, I can do

Mods that make walls no longer a perfect defense: Invasion Mod + Zombie Awareness (haven't tried these yet either)

Thanks for those!  I'd run across Invasion Mod before, but that was before I bookmarked everything that caught my eye and had forgotten about it.  Zombie Awareness is new.
[Invasion]  Ah, right.  It's specifically "player triggered."  It's not something I have to worry about every night.  I need/want something more...pressing.  Even something as subtle as "every 4th full moon" (a full moon is every 2 hours if you don't sleep) would be better than "as I demand."
[Awareness]  Not sure that'd be enough either.  A 2-high wall is a 2-high wall is a 2-high wall...
Still, probably worth adding.

[miauw62]

This is really cool. If I still played minecraft I'd try these out
Can't say specifically what I like, these are just neat.

[Draco18s]

This is really cool. If I still played minecraft I'd try these out
Can't say specifically what I like, these are just neat.

Totally fair.  It's taken me about six months to find a collection of mods I thought I'd enjoy.
Glenn's Gasses ended up being kind of a disapointment* and Roguelike Dungeons I haven't run into yet.  At least, not in survival.

*Mostly due to bugs and the less-than-useful way the pumps work.  If they fail to pump (60 times in a row), they just blow up.  Or as I found out the other day, do even weirder things.

[Armok]

The idea with the zombie mods I linked is they should compund exponentialy if you use both, and that you start a perment invasion at spawn embeded in bedrock from creative mode before you start playing survival.

[Draco18s]

The idea with the zombie mods I linked is they should compund exponentialy if you use both, and that you start a perment invasion at spawn embeded in bedrock from creative mode before you start playing survival.

I see!

Problem is that I play with Mystcraft.  It's actually pretty trivial to hop out of the overwold to a dimension that is 100% safe (at least, as safe as the vanilla overworld).

[Armok]

well, disable that then! Although I don't see how that could happen in early game due to the insane amount of pages you need to collect before you can get a stable age.

[Draco18s]

well, disable that then! Although I don't see how that could happen in early game due to the insane amount of pages you need to collect before you can get a stable age.

You mean "none" right?
A blank book has no inherent instability.

[Armok]

Huh?! That much have changed since the version I tried it, which admittedly was a while ago. Now that you mention it I do remember some offhand coment might have been something along those lines somewhere. 

[Draco18s]

Huh?! That much have changed since the version I tried it, which admittedly was a while ago. Now that you mention it I do remember some offhand coment might have been something along those lines somewhere.

It was a goal for a while.  The grammar system really made it viable.  A random age can still be unstable, if it generates stuff like "iron tendrils."  But it won't be inherently unstable.