Outposts Mod Rewrite

Started by RebelDroideka on

Topic category: Mod ideas exchange

Last seen on 06:13, 17. Jul 2020
Joined Jul 2015
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Outposts Mod Rewrite

I'm working on a complete rewrite of https://mcreator.net/modification/45635/self-building-outposts because I realized that I backed myself into a corner, and couldn't do what I wanted to do with the mechanics working the way they were. I figured I'd get some feedback on the ideas I was contemplating for the rewrite, and maybe avoid some pitfalls.


The way the mod currently works, players can occasionally find a bedrock pillar in plains and savannah biomes. You can then place two Log Parcels, crafted with a grand total of 81 logs apiece, on either side of the blue block in the middle of the pillar, and it will construct a tower, around which three Build Pads then spawn. These Build Pads can be fed resources to build various buildings. When you have enough raw materials, it is possible to upgrade each building of the outpost to a second tier, which produces more resources. In the case of the outpost tower itself, it also spawns two more Build Pads.

Ultimately, none of this is the problem I discovered when trying to expand on the concept. That's all back-end, procedure stuff, and I spent the past week and a half devising a way to fix that. However, as I mentioned above, I need to completely rewrite the entire mod to implement this fix, and that presents the opportunity to change the user experience for the better.


If you have any suggestions, I'll be glad to hear them. For now, here are my plans for alterations to Outposts 2.0:

First, I'm redoing the way players supply resources to the buildings during construction. Outposts 1 used Parcels, placed around the central construction block, to do this. In 2.0, I'm changing this to an inventory system. I did some testing, and using an Inventory has so many advantages over the way I had been doing things that it's not worth it for me to change back, unless something drastic changes.

Second, I'm likely to rework the way Parcels and Crates work. Instead of crafting them from materials, the only source will be resource buildings. This is tied to my plans for expanding the mod upon completion of the rewrite. Players will still be able to craft them into the resource they represent, but the opposite will no longer be true.

Third, I may or may not change the spawn rates of the bedrock pillars. (On an unrelated topic, does anyone have ideas for what to name them?) I don't like how rarely they spawn, though that may or may not be a problem, given what I have planned as the first major addition...


Speaking of expanding the concept of the mod, here's a summary of my immediate plans:

First, add Carpentry and Masonry buildings. These would process Parcels and Crates into the constituent resources at a 12-to-1 rate, or more.

Second, change the Forge into a Smelter. This should probably go into the "alterations to existing stuff" segment, but it fits thematically better here. Instead of allowing the player to craft weapons, tools, and armor at a ridiculously inexpensive price (1 ingot to make a chestpiece... that feels cheesy, at best) it would instead work similarly to the Carpentry and Masonry buildings outlined above, in that it would give more ingots for each ore block fed to it.

Third, add a Market / Stall, where players could sell excess resources for Coins (which will replace Emeralds as the currency item in the mod).

 

The final goal I have in mind is going to be developed concurrently with all of the above. At present, there is one architecture style that every building draws from. I'm going to be adding two more, as well as expanding the number of biomes that bedrock pillars can spawn in to include deserts and mesas.


Does this all seem like it would be an interesting diversion/goal for you as minecraft players? What stands out as the most interesting? What stands out as the most boring? How can I make playing this mod a memorable experience? Do any of my plans for expanding the mod's scope seem unreasonable? If so, why? Any feedback you can give me will help me make this the best mod I possibly can.

Last seen on 06:13, 17. Jul 2020
Joined Jul 2015
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I've made some progress on…
Fri, 01/04/2019 - 21:37

I've made some progress on the rewrite, and figured I'd keep this thread up to date.

The tier 1 outpost tower for all three visual styles has been designed, and the "plains" architecture tower has been designed for tiers 2 and three; most of the component elements for the resource buildings are done as well. I should have a playable version ready by the end of January, if all goes well, though it won't be finished for a while after that in all probability.

Last seen on 06:13, 17. Jul 2020
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Apparently my ability to…
Tue, 02/12/2019 - 05:02

Apparently my ability to stick to schedules has become a cryptid. It's now 11 days into February, and the rewrite is still not even ready for an "open beta" style in-development release.

As far as progress goes, the desert architecture style is just this side of done, and the mesa architecture style is not far behind. Coins are finished, and the procedure for spawning them has been reworked. Additionally, the procedures for constructing, and then upgrading, the outpost towers are designed, and just need a bit more tweaking.

The final stretch of development should go much faster now, since the tedious stuff is over with, and the core elements of the remaining procedures have been designed. All I need to do now is tie everything together into a playable form.

- - - o - - -

The first release of the rewrite will only allow construction of Tier 1 structures, and will also disallow the spawning of mesa and desert outposts. After that, I will introduce Desert & Mesa Tier 1, along with Plains/Savannah Tier 2. When Tier 3 is complete for all three outpost types, they will be released concurrently, with Desert and Mesa gaining the Tier 2 upgrades at this time.

Last seen on 11:38, 5. Jun 2020
Joined Sep 2018
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sounds good  
Sat, 03/09/2019 - 19:01

sounds good