The Official Minecraft Topic

[Flipz]

So I've been playing FTB, performance is fine (same as vanilla 1.4, for me), but I've come to realize something.

 

I really, really hate early-game, for one specific reason: FOOD. Seriously, it's a pain in the rear to get food at an early stage, unless you want to eradicate all the animals in the area (forcing you to trek across the map to get more. *Sigh.*

 

Well, once I get my (vanilla) wheat farm going, I'll be OK for a little while, at least...

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

The Dynamic Height modification hasn't been updated since 2011, and isn't really compatible with the current version of Minecraft.

Edited December 4, 2012 by Ymper Trymon

[Artezza Magnus]

So, a friend of mine invited me to the Feed the Beast server he plays on. As normal, after settling down, I attempt to mine as far down as a I can go......first cave I run into is a large cavern, filled with webs and cave spiders. Have never had such a shock in all the time I've played Minecraft as when those...things suddenly poured out of that hole.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

That's why I like the Bane of Arthropods enchantment. Cave spiders don't give much trouble when you can kill them in one hit.

 

I'm curious, though. What modifications are included in Feed the Beast?

[Artezza Magnus]

That's why I like the Bane of Arthropods enchantment. Cave spiders don't give much trouble when you can kill them in one hit. I'm curious, though. What modifications are included in Feed the Beast?

NEI, Rei's Minimap, Advanced Machines, Buildcraft, Computer Craft, Ender Storage, Extra Bees, ExtraBiomes XL, Factorization, Forestry, Gregtech, Industrial Craft, Inventory Tweaks, Iron Chests, Twilight Forest, Advanced Solar Panels, GraviSuite, Modular Forcefield System, Mystcraft, Obsidian Pressure Plates, Portal Gun, Railcraft, Steve's Carts and Thermal Expansion are all listed on the packs home page.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

So it's got IC, Mystcraft, Railcraft, Buildcraft, NEI, and the Minimap in common with Technic. Does it have something that provides something like the microblocks from RedPower? Fine detail is one of the big things that makes Technic fun for me.

[Artezza Magnus]

I think Redpower is due to be added, I know its creator is collaborating with the FTB guys, at least.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Okay. The FTB site seems a bit unfinished, esp. the section that's supposed to give information on the mods included with FTB. Is this pack actually ready for use yet?

[Artezza Magnus]

Apparently the pack as a whole is still rather beta-ish, but its playable.

[Blessed Blade]

What is the Twilight Forest modification? I don't think I've heard of that one before.

[Flipz]

Okay. The FTB site seems a bit unfinished, esp. the section that's supposed to give information on the mods included with FTB. Is this pack actually ready for use yet?

 

Yeah, it's in beta, but it's still a ton of fun.

 

I think Redpower is due to be added, I know its creator is collaborating with the FTB guys, at least.

 

As is Thaumcraft, or so I hear.

 

What is the Twilight Forest modification? I don't think I've heard of that one before.

 

It's...look up Parts 8 and 9 of Coestar's FTB Let's Play on that video site we all know and some love.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Thinking about the Egyptian village idea... Since I'm not using Millenaire, what should I use as an analog for the mud bricks?

 

EDIT: Also, since LB Photorealism isn't up-to-date, are there any photorealism texture packs that are up-to-date? I'm getting tired of using a texture pack that's only 32x32.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Ymper Trymon

[Blessed Blade]

Would you be able to do anything with FTB, if your comp can barely seem to handle vanilla? Also, is it a launcher of it's own, like Technic, or do you need to add it into vanilla?

[Flipz]

Would you be able to do anything with FTB, if your comp can barely seem to handle vanilla? Also, is it a launcher of it's own, like Technic, or do you need to add it into vanilla?

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Yeah, it's its own launcher. ;-)

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

So, anyone know of a decent (non-LB Photorealism) realistic texture pack? I tried Real Photorealism, only to discover that, when viewed from any in-game distance greater than half a block, its textures actually look worse than default.

 

Also, when I build 'important' structures (temples, pyramids, step-pyramids, mastabas, etc.) for the Egyptian stuff, should I build them as they would have looked when they were new (limestone and granite) or based on their appearance as they are now (looks like sandstone)?

Edited December 5, 2012 by Ymper Trymon

[Blessed Blade]

Feed The Beast is sounding awesome. Anyone know of any servers planning on being put up in the future, or even a BZP server for it or so? It seems like it would be cool, and to have an effective survival city would be interesting, though some things would probably have to be limited(CoughNEIcough) for it not to be unfair. =P

 

/EDIT: Oh yes, Optifine's not included? Hmm... That could be troubling, since I still can't access JAR folders yet.(No winrar or the like yet)

Edited December 5, 2012 by BZP Blade

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Okay, if I go for a limestone analog, I'm probably going to use Endstone for that purpose, as (and this depends on the texture pack you're using) it does bear some resemblance to limestone. Stone also bears some resemblance to grey limestone, but, well, that would be boring and if I used that for the limestone I'd have to figure something else out for the granite. So, uh... that still leaves me with no bloody clue what to use for the mud bricks. Maybe sandstone.

 

For Mongol stuff... well, if we're talking about Mongolian nomads, that kind of leaves me with felt stretched over a wooden frame, and since the felt was made from wool, that comes out to wool over a wooden hut with a generally rounded shape. Not too remarkable, but hey, nomads aren't known for mind-blowing architecture, and it would be something cool for plains and the tundra.

 

For the Roman stuff, Endstone might be serving in place of marble, with cobblestone or stone serving for Roman concrete, and I have no earthly clue how to do a mosaic, or if I'm going to. The Roman towns (calling it a village would be to miss the point entirely) will be a wee bit more organized than, say, naturally-generating villages, and they'll also have the added fun of having a wall around them.

 

So, Vikings, Mongolian nomads, Egyptians, and Romans. Anything else?

[Flipz]

Feed The Beast is sounding awesome. Anyone know of any servers planning on being put up in the future, or even a BZP server for it or so? It seems like it would be cool, and to have an effective survival city would be interesting, though some things would probably have to be limited(CoughNEIcough) for it not to be unfair. =P

 

/EDIT: Oh yes, Optifine's not included? Hmm... That could be troubling, since I still can't access JAR folders yet.(No winrar or the like yet)

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Well, NEI is by default set to "recipe" mode, and the server could be set to limit it to that mode. ;-)

 

You know, I think 7-zip can unzip files, and it's free to boot (plus it's the ONLY thing that can open .7z files, which I've seen a few Minecraft maps and modifications saved as). ;-)

 

 

Okay, if I go for a limestone analog, I'm probably going to use Endstone for that purpose, as (and this depends on the texture pack you're using) it does bear some resemblance to limestone. Stone also bears some resemblance to grey limestone, but, well, that would be boring and if I used that for the limestone I'd have to figure something else out for the granite. So, uh... that still leaves me with no bloody clue what to use for the mud bricks. Maybe sandstone.

 

For Mongol stuff... well, if we're talking about Mongolian nomads, that kind of leaves me with felt stretched over a wooden frame, and since the felt was made from wool, that comes out to wool over a wooden hut with a generally rounded shape. Not too remarkable, but hey, nomads aren't known for mind-blowing architecture, and it would be something cool for plains and the tundra.

 

For the Roman stuff, Endstone might be serving in place of marble, with cobblestone or stone serving for Roman concrete, and I have no earthly clue how to do a mosaic, or if I'm going to. The Roman towns (calling it a village would be to miss the point entirely) will be a wee bit more organized than, say, naturally-generating villages, and they'll also have the added fun of having a wall around them.

 

So, Vikings, Mongolian nomads, Egyptians, and Romans. Anything else?

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Native Americans? I'm particularly thinking of the cliff-homes of those tribes in Arizona, for surface Ravines. Hawaiian homes might be another interesting option, particularly if you find a decent chain of islands.

 

Also, what are you going to do in Jungles and Swamps? Maybe Indian archetecture? (Right now, you seem to have: Vikings (Extreme Hills/Taiga), Mongolian nomads (Tundra/Taiga), Egyptians (Desert), Romans (Plains?), with Jungles, Swamps, and Ocean biomes left out.)

Edited December 5, 2012 by Flipz

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

I might use Indus Valley stuff for swamps, and maybe Mayan architecture for jungles. Actually, I wasn't originally thinking of doing biome-specific things, but it's a good idea. I'll probably use Anasazi-style stuff for mountainous areas in general, but especially Extreme Hills and Desert Hills.

 

If I do old Hawaiian architecture for island villages, do you have any suggestion for how I could manage a thatched roof?

[Blessed Blade]

Flipz: Ah, that makes sense. The recipe thing looks like it'll be awesome to boot, so that might just be the route to go, to limit it to just that to prevent cheating. =) Of course, it'd be up to whoever ran the server, since I don't have that capability. =/7 Zip might just work; thanks. =D

[Portalfig]

So, jeb just made fireworks. Hopefully they do damage, because that would be amazing.

 

Here they are in all their glory. (We can link there right?)

 

You can somehow affect a whole bunch of different aspects too, such as colors, fade, flight height, effects, and shapes. Seems pretty cool.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Huh. That is pretty cool, especially if they can, in fact, be used as a sort of anti-air weapon.

 

Meanwhile, I am now of the opinion that it should be possible to break obsidian down into black sand, and then craft that sand into black sandstone. It would make the Hawaiian idea much easier to pull off convincingly.

[Bominominomu Nemo]

Well, I'm sure many of you know this already, but Thaumcraft III is now available for download.

 

As a result of this momentous occasion, I have written a review for the mod, detailing my first impressions and comparing what I have discovered so far to Thaumcraft II.

 

 

 

Thaumcraft III- First impressions, description of mechanics, and comparisons with Thaumcraft II1. Organization of knowledgeIn TC2, the crafting recipes were largely unorganized. Those unlocked by default were undocumented in-game and only available online, while researched recipes were held with little perceivable order within a book separated into 4 sections for the different types of magical devices.In TC3, we have the Thaumonomicon. It is a wonderful tool. When first opened, it reveals a page quite similar to the achievements section of vanilla Minecraft. It functions much the same way. It starts with a majority of the researchable things greyed out, and as you progress in prerequisite research, other options become un-greyed and available for researching.If you click on an icon for an unlocked piece of research, you are taken to a whole new user interface which describes the function of said discovery in great detail, and gives you the crafting recipe for the item in question. The Thaumonomicon is an indispensable tool, and nicely organizes your discoveries.2. ResearchIf anyone remembers TC2 research, they shall recall that it was little more than an expensive gambling machine. You had 1 fuel slot, which held paper, one main research slot, and a few modifier slots.Depending on how rare the items used were, you were allotted a certain chance of discovering a knowledge fragment. Knowledge fragments were then researched again, in hopes of getting a theory. Theories then needed to be researched a few times over, with each cycle having a chance to add or subtract from a counter, that upon reaching a certain number yielded a discovery.Throughout all of this, there was a very high chance of losing any items placed in the modifier slots, which in exchange gave a very small bonus to the likelihood of discovering something.And up until you got a theory, there was also a very good chance to lose the very object of your research as well.With TC3, research has become much more satisfying. Instead of having a completely randomized system, TC3 has predefined research patterns that need to be fulfilled to gain a discovery. I shall explain how this is done.The TC3 research UI has 5 important parts:1. The item slots2. The aspect pane3. The theory slot4. The “research” button5. The research paneThere is also a fuel slot, which uses paper.The first slot can hold any item in the game that has a defined aspect. Aspects are the various elements and qualities that an item is made out of. For example, a piece of smooth stone is composed of 2 Saxum. The aspects of item an be viewed in the aspect pane, or by hovering your mouse of an item while holding the shift key. These aspects determine what theory shall be produced should it be available for researching.When researching an item, there is a chance to lose it, but there is a chance to gain some knowledge from it as well, furthering your progress on the researched item’s aspect.For example, an item with the aspect of Ignis (fire) shall produce the Alumentum theory upon being researched. I don’t want to give too much away, but Alumentum needs three other aspects to be researched before the theory becomes a discovery.As the theory gets closer to completion, the research pane shall show the different aspects needed for alumentum drawing together into a triangular pattern. Once Alumentum is discovered, the three aspects shall be in perfect triangular alignment and the discovery is yours for the taking. All you need to do is remove it from the theory slot and right-click it while in your hands to learn it.All in all, this system of research is much more satisfying, as the rarity of an item means little, and all emphasis is placed upon gaining the right combination of aspects. Though in some cases more resource-intensive than TC2’s research system, it is also far more satisfying, and much less random.The only big downside to this research system is that it gives the illusion that you could find & research two or more different theories simultaneously. Unfortunately, you cannot do this easily. Unless you already know what different aspects a certain set of theories consist of, you will find yourself with multiple copies of the same theory, wasting whatever item you researched and a piece of paper. Even considering this, the current research system is far better than TC2’s.Even I, despite despising many a research system, enjoy this one. It actually requires that you think about what you are researching, and test different aspects in hopes of finding the ones needed to complete the theory, instead of using some horribly vague and meaningless “research point” system like Supreme Commander 2, or using a gambling machine system like TC2.3. Magical dangers & Taint/FluxIn TC2, anyone who played with Vis for a while knew about and feared the eventual production of Taint, an evil, purple disease that spread across the ground and wouldn’t disappear for anything. To make matters worse, cleaning up the excess Taint was a pain, and completely impossible if you hadn't already done a good deal of research.From some of Azanor’s comments, it seems as though he didn’t intend for taint to seem evil, but unfortunately it is impossible to not see it as evil in TC2. In TC3, it seems like he made sure to press the point that magical pollution is just that, pollution, and not something evil in a “black magic” sense.In TC3, there is no taint, just Aura. When the aura is imbalanced, going above or below its normal amount, bad things happen, but these bad things are far more forgiving, and also give fair warning before really bad stuff starts to happen.For example, dumping 50 or so aspects into the aura will produce a few lightning strikes and possibly rain before Wisps start appearing. There is also a system in place that allows imbalanced auras to take magical energy from a nearby aura node to help balance itself. Even after making as much pollution as I could in an attempt to see what would happen, I have yet to see any of the dreaded purple plague from TC2; Instead, I just get lots of Wisps and thunderstorms. (Still, I shall press on in my blatant pollution of the aura, for science!)So far, this seems to be a much better system. Though there are still consequences to magical pollution, it has been made less dreadful, and far more forgiving, as opposed TC2’s inevitable bane of the Thaumaturge, Taint, with the only question about it being “when” and not “if.”4. Magical techThis system is much nicer. So far, instead of using pipes to move magical energy from Crucibles to devices that need it, the aspects needed to fuel certain thaumaturgic devices are simply beamed from the Crucible over to the nearby device needing it.The lack of pipes makes for a much less cluttered laboratory, and makes Thaumcraft III feel more magical, instead of feeling like another tech mod such as Redpower, Buildcraft, or even Thaumcraft II, which, research and taint aside, was mostly a tech mod as well.The world interaction is much nicer as well. For example, instead of having a recipe for the Thaumonomicon or the Crucible, all you need to do to make them is to right-click on a bookshelf or a cauldron respectively with a TC3 Wand of the Apprentice in hand. This will consume a small amount of aura, and transform the subject block into the magical item.5. The things I missThere are a few things I miss from TC2. Perhaps I just haven’t found them yet, but so far I haven’t wandered upon any imposing, void-filled monoliths, and I haven’t found any mysterious eldritch tomes in dungeon chests. I also think that TC2’s artwork for the Vis Crystal block looked better. However, these are minor personal issues with the mod, and do not detract from the vastly improved research system and better emphasis on magic instead of tech.Conclusion:I’d easily give this mod a 9/10. I am hesitant to give it a full 10, but only because of my few personal nitpicks, and the fact that the mod itself is still in the early stages of production, and may yet see even better balance changes and new mechanics.

 

And the word filter changed all the instances of "mo d" into moderator.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

From the sound of it, this is a big improvement over TC2 (although I won't be fully satisfied with Thaumcraft until I can summon a Shoggoth). Certainly constant lightning is exactly the sort of thing I want to have around my imposing wizard fortress of doom.

 

EDIT: I love my current texture pack so much right now. Just... wow.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Ymper Trymon

[Blessed Blade]

Further question about the new favourite modification pack we seem to enjoy; what version does it use? Like, can I use the most recent Optifine for it, or does it need something else?

[Flipz]

Further question about the new favourite modification pack we seem to enjoy; what version does it use? Like, can I use the most recent Optifine for it, or does it need something else?

----------------------------------

 

You mean for FtB? It runs on 1.4.whatever we're up to now, which means the latest Optifine should work perfectly with it. :wink:

[mistergryphon]

The Dynamic Height modification hasn't been updated since 2011, and isn't really compatible with the current version of Minecraft.

 

 

Oh, darn.

[Blessed Blade]

Yeah. Though, the next question would be 'does it work the same way as normally installing it for vanilla'? Or does it have a special method of installing?

 

/EDIT: Wait, nevermind, found out myself. Apparently it's only up to 1.4.2, as well.

Edited December 5, 2012 by BZP Blade

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Well I've already got a 1.4.2 copy of Optifine, so that won't be a problem if I decide to go with FtB. I probably will at some point, but not until after the 14th.

 

But yeah, I'm having a lot of fun with my current texture pack. Spy creepers, Thriller zombies, Headcrab zombies, Redeads, slimes with glasses... It's all pretty awesome.

[Blessed Blade]

I decided to get my start in the modified Minecraft gaming situation, by starting with Optifine and the Minimap. After a few hours of trying to get everything to all work right, I started up a new world, and tweaked some settings. This is now awesome, and I saw a couple other modifications I'd like to try, like something that should be default: TOGGLEABLE SPRINTING.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

A superflat world in which there is no bedrock below the sand (it's a desert) is an exercise in resisting temptation. So, naturally, I built myself a little sandstone platform (I found a village) and dug down, effectively destroying the world on a lark.

[Burnmad]

Speaking of Superflat, anyone know if there's a mod out there that allows you to choose the elevation of the top dirt layer?

 

Or perhaps one that creates a semi-flat mode of sorts, flatter than normal but still with hills and the like?

 

-

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

You don't need a modification to change the elevation (or even type of materials) in Superflat, you can choose that in the world settings before creating the world.

 

I have no idea if something to make such a 'semi-flat' mode exists, though I doubt it, as it honestly sounds kind of pointless.

[P~M]

Flipz: Ah, that makes sense. The recipe thing looks like it'll be awesome to boot, so that might just be the route to go, to limit it to just that to prevent cheating. =) Of course, it'd be up to whoever ran the server, since I don't have that capability. =/7 Zip might just work; thanks. =D

7-Zip sucks. Use WinRar; even though after 30 days it says you have to buy it, it still works.

 

From the sound of it, this is a big improvement over TC2 (although I won't be fully satisfied with Thaumcraft until I can summon a Shoggoth). Certainly constant lightning is exactly the sort of thing I want to have around my imposing wizard fortress of doom.

 

EDIT: I love my current texture pack so much right now. Just... wow.

A... square Shoggoth?

 

Well I've already got a 1.4.2 copy of Optifine, so that won't be a problem if I decide to go with FtB. I probably will at some point, but not until after the 14th.

 

But yeah, I'm having a lot of fun with my current texture pack. Spy creepers, Thriller zombies, Headcrab zombies, Redeads, slimes with glasses... It's all pretty awesome.

That is hilarious.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Well, I wouldn't say no to a rectangular Shoggoth. I'm an equal-opportunity summoner-of-eldritch-abominations.

[Flipz]

You don't need a modification to change the elevation (or even type of materials) in Superflat, you can choose that in the world settings before creating the world.

 

I have no idea if something to make such a 'semi-flat' mode exists, though I doubt it, as it honestly sounds kind of pointless.

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There's a modification called Flatlands Extension that can do that "semi-flat" mode, I believe.

 

 

7-Zip sucks. Use WinRar; even though after 30 days it says you have to buy it, it still works.

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Erm...why? And note, for some people, even WinRar is too expensive for their budget.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

WinRAR continues working even if you don't actually buy it. There is no way 'technically absolutely free' is too much for your budget.

[Portalfig]

I've been using winrar for over a year now and I haven't bought it.

 

All you have to do is hit close when the little 30 day trial window shows up. I personally like it a lot better then 7zip.

[P~M]

For me, 7-Zip won't even let me add files to .jar archives. I don't know why.

But whatever you do, don't use jZip. It doesn't work at all, and, well, you know Bandoo Media.

[Flipz]

WinRAR continues working even if you don't actually buy it. There is no way 'technically absolutely free' is too much for your budget.

 

 

I've been using winrar for over a year now and I haven't bought it.

 

All you have to do is hit close when the little 30 day trial window shows up. I personally like it a lot better then 7zip.

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I...did not know that. :blush:

 

Can WinRAR unzip .7z files, though? I don't think it can. If not, I'll have to go 7zip anyway since I already have some stuff saved as .7z that I want to open.