Questions for Flowerchild

[Mattaccount]

I decided to start this topic to create a centralized place where the peasantry could address questions to our (in)glorious leader. I hope that I get the attention of the man himself with this so that our questions can be answered.

So I'll start off this thread with a design question: why is it that you use individual images for your added blocks instead of creating a master image that all blocks would pull from (similar in concept to the terrain.png or items.png images in vanilla)?

That's all I wanted to ask, I hope this thread is a productive one.

Edit: I'm going to ask a second and third as well.

2 I would like to ask if you still disagree with the general direction that minecraft is going?

3 I was wondering if you where adverse to the idea of members of the community assisting you with some of the workload involved in making this mod?

These questions where taken from my last post in the old forum so if they look familiar that's why.

[FlowerChild]

Matta, you may not have noticed, but you're not part of the peasantry ;)

To answer your questions though:

1) It's the way ModLoader operates in overriding the textures already built into Minecraft. You basically override them with individual texture files. There's no way to use a single file as you suggest (to my knowledge anyways...I've never felt the need to dig into it further).

2) Yup, I sure do. My original reasons for this still remain in place. I think we've seen a series of updates that have failed to live up to expectation and potential while requiring way too much work to be invested given the end result. Maps are a perfect example of this IMO. WAY overcomplicated design with very limited results.

3) Well, that depends on what form the help takes. If it's with the mod itself, no. I definitely believe in strictly being a one-man-team when it comes to that. Keep in mind that I am (or was) a professional game developer. Because of this, it would be extremely difficult for everyone involved if I was working with others who were not. You really don't want to have me as a boss man :) However, if it comes to helping out with the work *surrounding* the mod (forum administration, the wiki, recipe lists, etc.), I am always happy to have help.

Hope that answers your questions!

[Fracture]

A few questions I've wanted to ask (and now they don't get buried in minutes, yay!) about a few features.

First, a couple reposted from the old thread:

On another note entirely, two questions-- Can platforms take anything with them apart from blocks in item form (minecarts/boats, or any blocks?) and can blocks that can be placed in block form be removed automatically, in any way, from Block Dispensers (say I want it to grab the cobblestone block in front of it, then have it moved to a regular dispenser to be spat out in item form)?

And also-- will platforms trigger a sensor while moving? I want to make a sort of "plug" with a piston-controlled spiral staircase in the shaft it makes. I'm mainly wondering whether or not it's possible for each "stair" to arrive as the plug clears it. My thought is to have a sensor, constantly on due to the plug being there, turn off to activate the piston once the plug is above it. If moving platforms will trigger it, I can also have it work in reverse, I think.

Edit: Just noticed "Keep in mind that I am (or was) a professional game developer.", so I have a somewhat BTW-unrelated question-- any tips for someone looking to get into that industry? I've got a couple years before University/College, but I'm not really sure what to get into there aside from the CS program, so right now in Gr12 I'm focusing heavily on Computer Sciences (learning almost only Java), Math and Graphic Arts (I figured being at least proficient with the adobe programs and having an eye for design, even if I'm not of a particularly artistic bent, might help).

So yeah, any advice on things I should really work into my plans? Anything'd be greatly appreciated, I've never really had a chance to talk to someone in the industry before.

Edit2: Can a block dispenser suck up arrows? And will it shoot them like a normal dispenser, or just chuck them out in item form?

Thanks in advance for your time.

[Mattaccount]

Matta, you may not have noticed, but you're not part of the peasantry

I was not aware of that, but the thought still stands. It's easier if there is a single place where all the questions originate insted of having to troll (as in the nautical term not the internet term) all the general threads.

1) It's the way ModLoader operates in overriding the textures already built into Minecraft. You basically override them with individual texture files. There's no way to use a single file as you suggest (to my knowledge anyways...I've never felt the need to dig into it further).

ah, well I was just wondering seeing as how having a single master PNG would help the texture pack folks.

2) Yup, I sure do. My original reasons for this still remain in place. I think we've seen a series of updates that have failed to live up to expectation and potential while requiring way too much work to be invested given the end result. Maps are a perfect example of this IMO. WAY overcomplicated design with very limited results.

I expected this was the case and I'm glad that folks like you exist to plug the holes that are caused by that sloppy programming.

3) Well, that depends on what form the help takes. If it's with the mod itself, no. I definitely believe in strictly being a one-man-team when it comes to that. Keep in mind that I am (or was) a professional game developer. Because of this, it would be extremely difficult for everyone involved if I was working with others who were not. You really don't want to have me as a boss man However, if it comes to helping out with the work *surrounding* the mod (forum administration, the wiki, recipe lists, etc.), I am always happy to have help.

Well I'll try to assist as much as I can. I hope to create a place where the texture packs that are compatible and have textures for the mod can live to reduce the "is there a texture pack?" questions.

[Danyo]

I actually have a question, not sure if it's even worth asking but I guess this place is the only place I can so here goes:

I was wondering, since you obviously spend a lot of time working on the mod, do you still have time to actually play minecraft aswell, and enjoy your own mod? Obviously you'll do playtesting etc, but I mean actually playing the game to enjoy yourself.

If you do, that's great to hear!

If you don't, would you rather have more time to still play minecraft? Or do you enjoy making mods just aswell that it doesn't really bother you that you don't have enough time to actually play the game you're modding for? Seeing how I read somewhere that you used to do it as a profession, but now do it more as a hobby, or at least in this case, I guess the last statement seems the most likely one.

But yeah, thanks in advance for responding if you do, if not, well, it was worth a shot anyway!

[Fracture]

Oops, shouldn't have just kept editing, I keep forgetting that doesn't bump up the thread on all forums. So instead,

[FlowerChild]

Actually, I'd probably prefer not doing things this way, with the one centralized thread for questions.

If you have a particular topic you want to discuss, feel free to start a thread. I really don't want to have my attention constantly drawn back here by what may or may not be a relevant question as that's pretty much what was going on at the old forums.

I'll either notice a forum topic that I feel needs to be addressed by me personally, or count on the Swine to notify me in the SubForum should something particularly important come on.

Will lock this thread. As a general rule, I think topics with my name in the title should be avoided.