Industrial BlaBla

Useless, unrelated blogpost, but i just couldn’t resist.

LOL @
a guys complaining about me “stopping the developement of IC²”…
I think somebody messed up something here.

Double Industrial LOL @

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/6qsr/

If you didn’t hear of it yet, check out http://www.minecraftforum.net/ . That’s the spirit!

So, obviously, i’m back since about 20 hours.
Slept, ate, worked through my mail bin and now are nearly ready to get fully back into action. Need to prepare for an exam tomorrow, but after that one i’ve got some neat time to push IC² forward.

As i already mentioned, i was on a 2-week vacation on Bodensee (a mid-sized lake in Europe). The promised WLAN refused to work, thus the sudden silence from my side 😛

However, due to continously random weather (generally we got coldness, lot of rain and a few hours of burning sun… EACH day) and my Laptop i’ve pushed quite a few new concepts for IC2. Here a short summary:

• Rubber Trees
  Yes, we finally got a more realistic way of obtaining rubber. Instead of “extracting wood”, you now need to travel along the world, to search the sacre Rubber Trees (now actually not sacre, but they only spawn in a few Biomes, thus you may stumble into a rubber forest on your spawn, or need hours to find one). These trees are easyly distinct by their leaf and wood color. To create Rubber, you first need to gather Resin. This can be done in multiple ways. The  obvious one, you cut down the tree for it to drop a few rare pieces of Resin.  Secondly, you can craft the all-known treetap to extract Resin from treeholes, usually you will find 1-2 of these on each trees. Treeholes turn dry after being harvested, but will eventually get juicy and re-harvestable again, if given enought time. Resin can be smolten into Rubber by any furnace. However, once your advanced to the Industrial Age, you can use Extractors to retrieve Resin from any RubberTree-material, whether it’s saplings, leaves or wood. As well, EXTRACTING resin will return 3times the rubber gained by smelting.
  Probably i should mention i’ve implemented the frequently requested, fall-absorbing rubber boots, too… AND there are some “placing” uses for both, resin and rubber :3 Jumpyjumpystickysticky
• ITNT and Nuke now come with correct, custum rendering. Actually i doubt anyone got really bothered by it, but now it will blink like TNT (with it’s correct texture) and not display a white cube.
• DYNAMITE! Some people probably read this intention of mine shortly after the implementation of ITNT itself in IC1. However, it took until now to finish. You can now craft Dynamite sticky from ITNT. You get loads of dynamite from each (I)TNT and whereas each stick can only blow up a 3×3 cube (with the dynamite in the middle), it’s extremely short fuse upon exploding makes chain-explosions possible. And you can actually use it to quickly excavate cubig areas with exactly pre-determined explosions. Did i mention you can place it on walls, torch-style? :3
  Even better though, you can THROW dynamite. It will explode after a few seconds, bounce off (with a crappy collision code, needs to reworked still) blocks and ignores entitys/mobs (its meant for mining, seriously).
• Additionally, you can use Resin to cover Dynamite in a sticky hull, causing it to become STICKY DYNAMITE. Throw it against a wall or even the roof and you got an aimed distance-explosion.
• Even more hyped, you can craft a Dynamite-o-mote. Rightclicking a Dynamite stick will add a small receiver to it’s top and link the receiver to the hold remote. Once you rightclick without pointing at a block, all Dynamite will instantly explode (hey, it’s merely a 1/4th second delay). Mining was never this cool…
• Wait, did i just say Remote Controlled Explosion Chains are the best Mining Strategy? Man, i probably forgot to tell you about the new MINING LASER. Now with a wooping storage of 80.000 EU, 5 different fire modes and OMG A RED LASER BEAM INSTEAD OF A WHITE CUBE.
  But ye, seriously, now it’s a goddamn useful tool. You can choose between standard shots, low-frequency laser (extremely low EU use, 2 block range, can only penetrate a single block), long-range shots (EU-costly, but can reach up to 32 blocks distance. IDeal if you want to create mining shafts), the allmighty cave-crusher “Scatter” shot (20.000 EU a shot, releasing 25 laser projectiles to your front, literally evaporating solid walls and turning them into mediocre-sized caves) and the all-new boomstick “Explosive”-Shot (small ITNT explosion upon contact).
• And of course, the REAL industrial Miner combines Mining Lasers with… JETPACKS.
  I’ve promised it quite some time ago, now it’s here, a jetpack with HOVER MODE. Pressing H (configurable) will turn the jetpack to hovermode, limiting it’s thrust to “keep the player sinking slowly”. Using this feature, you will never have problems landing anymore. As well, the code got reworked and works independent from your CPU performance now.
• And even better, there’s now an ELECTRIC JETPACK.
  Obviously, neither it’s raw power, nor it’s capacity can match the Fuel Jetpack, but in redo it’s much better for cave exploration and it’s hover mode is AI at it’s best: While in hover mode, holding space will make you hover upwards slowly (slow enough to have real control of where you’re going), while not pressing space will NOT make you fall… as the jetpack will regulary give small trusts to keep you from actually falling. > No more fall damage (unless your Jetpack runs out of energy)
• Next i’ve got the implementation of a neat “Electric Ladder” idea proposed in the forum: Metal Fences & Poles.
  You can either use them as casual “Industrial” Fences.
  OR you stack them to poles, which will cause them to become one-way downwards trips: Holding sneak while touching a pole will cause players to slide down on the pole, much faster then climbing down a ladder, while still preventing fall damage.
• The opposite way, you can craft a small MAgnetizer block, which (if powered) will charge up poles below and above to be electro-magnetic. If you then get close to one, while wearing metal boots (any metal counts), you will be launched into the air (actually, WAY faster then any ladder could). Watch not to hit your head!
• Lastly, i present you a whole new concept for the Nuclear Reactor.
  Instead of the “Generator-with-different-rare-and-useless-fuel” it was before, you now got a masterpiece of MC engineering: A Reactor provides a 6by3 grid of slots… in which you can stuff your mechanics: Uranium Cells, Coolant Cells, Heat derivators and Plating. Based on the arrangement of these things, your generator will produce more or less heat, small or big amounts of energy. I recommend going for low heat + big energy as high heat will cause the already-known explosions, spawn fire and even melt your house into lava. Before it explodes extremely devastingly, that is.
  On the good side, it won’t explode randomly anymore and a well-set up Reactor is safe as a bag of feathers. (Is that even a term?)
  Lastly, you can sometimes reuse Depleted Uranium cells and breed them back into fully charged URanium cells. OR mix uranium ore with coal to create multiple depleted cells instead of a single charged one (multiplying the actual gain you get from a single piece of uranium ore). Yes, BreedReactors are now possible :

Now, the only bad thing about it: It’s of course not released and i’m now probably the cause of any nightmares you will have after reading about the new awesomeness in the future IC2 ^^’

But i promise, we’re working hard to get it done asap!

Exspecially i hope to get a first runable beta (closed, though) out for our beta testing team to get into action.
And of course Killerbeez will create one or more YT-videos, featuring the new content.

Anyways, so far that’s it ^^
Now, please excuse me, got to learn for an annoying Software-Project/UML/SQL exam tomorrow >.>

Ok, actually i intended to make a short sitrep regarding the IC²-Progress… but then i’ve browser the comments of the previous blogpost and got a more important matter to talk about

REVOLUTION!

Obviously, IC² is using MinecraftForge. It’s some sort of super-ModLoader-ExpansionPack, providing dozens of hooks into any sort of basefile. As well, it’s an OpenSource project, thus any modder could submit his hooks to merge them up into a single mod-tool, thus removing ALL incompatibilities. Ntm it provides unlimited sprites 😀

On the other hand, MinecraftForge WILL be incompatible with every mod using basefiles. And that’s actually nearly every bigger mod. Ntm stuff that relys on ShockAhPI or ToolUtils.

And that’s where you come into play: Start bugging creators of your favourtie mods to start using MinecraftForge instead of any basefile modifications.
This is important because it’s like a Revolution: MinecraftForge vs ALL other basefile-modificating mods.

The more users and modders join the cause, the faster MinecraftForge will spread and the more stuff will become omni-compatible. It’s like with ModLoader, which was a rarely used tool once and is mandatory for quite every mod now.

If you insist people with “real” mods (obviously, all basic mods only adding a few stuff will be trivially MCForge compatible) start using MinecraftForge, then somewhen have to. Victory!

Ok, back to what i actually wanted to say: Sitrep
-Implemented a new template to store 16 Blocks into a single ID. This exspecially works very well for all sorts of machines or generators. Theoretically it works for any block, but mass-blocks (example: Dirt) would use excessive amounts of storage, because the new compressed blocks need to be linked to a TE… imagine replacing all Dirt with running Furnaces and you got a clue.
-Re-coded basic machines and a few generators. New features, much cleaner code, slightly changes stats. Instead of being Furnace-copys, they are now machines intended to use Energy Wiring as a main source. And not as a semi-completed EnergyNetPrototype.
-Batterys&Crystals were reworked to act as “Mikro-MFEs” capable of particulary (de)charging freely. Still slightly flawes, but i’m sure out TestingCrew will track all bugs down fastly.

That’s it actually. But the main work (writing a lot of templates and base stuff) is done now, adding individual machines is a piece o cake.
PS: If anyone got a good idea how to simulate/calculate the EU generation of WindMills, comment your idea in here. I’m currently searching good, realistic and balanced ideas.

Now, let’s start with the good ones:
We’ve discovered a way similar to Eloraam’s one to reduce the ID usage of blocks to 1/16th (and even 1/32th for duble-ID machines).

As well, you will be capable of entering a whole new world with IC² 😀

…

Which actually is the disadvantage, IC² will NOT be compatible with IC-Worlds. Me and the current coder team (to be specific: Player) did wage the options against each other, but it’s just impossible to implement most of the new features without overhauling the old ones. Which again will make IC-Worlds hate IC².

Probably we will create a World Converter IC->IC² , but per se IC-Worlds just won’t run with IC².
The excessively good part about this decision is, we can vastly reduce block ID usage and freely rework the whole mod.

As the blockID was the sole limit remaining (sprites aren’t an issue and 32000 Item ID’s seemed sufficient, too), this means IC can now implement 16 times more stuff with unlimited amounts of sprites. Sounds utopic, but is real. Welcome to the Future of Industrial Minecrafting.

Pre-Word:
Do not leak any informations provided on this page to the Minecraft-Forum website!
Discuss everything in this regard either here or, even better, in the official IC-Forum.
Please ignore everyone discussing/ranting/flaming about this issue in the IC thread withint the Minecraft Forum!

Yes, due to an upcoming project, i will stop the developement of IC, fully and final.
This means:

• No more updates
• No bugfixes
• No new content
• No porting to 1.8 or beyond
• Only verbal support for problems until i get bored off it

That was the bad-news part of this blogpost. Now the good one:

I hereby officially announce the developement begin of IC²!

Yes, i’m terribly mean and ignorant to fool you in that way 😛 Don’t worry, Modding Minecraft is a great hobby and i won’t drop IC. However, as noted above, i will stop developing IC and instead create IC².

The difference?
Anyone with the slightest knowledge of Java+Minecraft-Coding can tell my code sucks. Exspecially the first (chronological) 70% of the mod. This is mainly related to 2 facts: When i startet developing IC, my Java knowledge was quite basic. Now, ~half a year later, i have a (i hope so) better knowledge of Java, can access a much wider array of CPU-green algorythms and got a MUCH better knowing of how Minecraft works. Exspecially beneficial for latter one were my sideprojects MeC (SMP, Client-Server-Communication, Advanced Base-File Modification, Damage/Speed Mechanisms) and M4D (Time Manipulation, Advancd Block Updates, Mobs, SMP-Entitys, AI).
As a result, i’ve decided to completely restructure/recode and review IC’s code, adding more functionality, easier porting/fixing, a couple of APIs, a few new concepts and the already mentioned new sprite-system (limitless). Since a few weeks, a fellow modder is already reworking the Energy-Current-Code. This, combined with a few ideas how to make IC much more advanced, made up my decision.

A list of intended features for IC²:

1. Using Scoke’s ItemSprite API and his TerrainHack (or SpaceToads new project API) to reduce/remove the amount of sprite overrides currently setting IC’s bounds.
2. Advanced usage of Metadata to reduce the amount of BlockIDs uses (as well as resolving this goddamn MemoryHogger Notch probably isn’t going to fix before 1.9)
3. API’s for other modders to integrate IC’s machine operations and Electric Network, by using the ZZuperICElectricAlBI
4. New generalized Classes for the machines, making the code much less redundant and easier to alter.
5. (Already mentioned,) new Electric Current distribution algorythm
6. Rework of many game concepts, f.e. Ore abdundancy, eventually new ores, Fuel mechanics (i will probably try myself on coiding real OIL), and stuff.
7. If all above is done and it’s proven to be possible, programmable (within a certain degree) robots and CPUs. Rather, CPUs to program robots. F.e. ones which can construct WindMill farms on certain locations automatically.
8. New Policy/Copyrights regarding mods referring to IC, AdFly guidelines and similar stuff.
9. A IC-intern banlist preventing users, who previously bugged me too often or plainly pissed me off, from playing IC at all.
10. Eventually recruitment of a small coder team to increase IC’s developement speed.
11. Some sprite reworks
12. A hell-big ton of bugfixes.

You’re free to C&C now.

Again, please do not leak anything of this into the Minecraft forum. If people are too lazy to get over my blog to read this, their bad 😛 Don’t ruin the fun for those people aware of the gag. Even if it’s extremely evil.

Just couldn’t wait until April 1st :/

PS:
My new Eternal-IC-BanList already includes 2 persons. I’m of course not going to post a public banlist, but if you want to play IC² somewhen, seriously, don’t rant about it on MCF. As well, bugging me about updating MeC can have same results.

PSPS:
62 Comments and counting XD
We should probably move this discussions into the forum ^^

PSPSPS:
Recruitment thread : forum.industrial-craft.net

minecraftforum.net

I’ll have to leave way too soon, though.

Feel free to setup servers, mess with your friends, die, post Highscores and rant about bugs :3

minecraftforum.net

Current gathering and developing ideas for a new PvE-(SMP) mod.
Will re-use some ideas i had regarding the PvE-Siege system of MeC.

And yes, if i decide to code this next, you will probably have to wait longer for CPUs in IC, sorry ^^

Now, did you know somebody already build a CALCULATOR based on redstone within minecraft? Epic stuff…

For quite some time the idea of “Computers” for Minecraft persists. Yet i haven’t seen any real implementation of this.
It would fit quite epicly into IC, don’t you think?

There are two essential problems though:
– How to implement?
– What would be it’s use?

Regarding the second question, i’ve thought about a few meta- and real purpouses:
– Some sort of recursiv calculation machine. It would be capable of increasing the operation speed of all machines around. Similar a machine for enhancing energy generation.
– Server-wide chatroom… ok, actually useless, but omg, a chatroom within minecraft!
– Some sort of messaging system
– Widerange, scaleable map?

Regarding the implementation, i’m still working out the details…
But most likely it will consist of a whole array of blocks, with different functions each. F.e. a CPU, a control core, a memory block, a monitor etcetcetc…

The main problem will be CPU (the real one) usage, most likely. I’m currently thinking about an efficient, save-able and yet CPU-un-intensive system.

BUT, it will be awesome 😀

Hey Guys^^

Only want to say that i will be for two weeks in hungary. (holiday^^)
in this time i will MAYBE look via rentable computerhours into the forum and minecraftforums.net, but i don’t think that i will edit something in the wiki after an update.

So please, guys who can edit protected pages, edit the wiki^^

cheers,
Feanturi

New Header is just with MeC Content too