The BTW Research Add-On is intended as a way for a person unfamiliar with Minecraft or Better Than Wolves to be able to play though the entire game without consulting a wiki or forum thread. Of course, a lot of the learning is still going to come from experimenting, experience and the game killing you, but the research bench will guide the player as to what things they could be making and how to craft them.
How does it work?
It is very simple. There are no magic essences, no progress bars, just a mundane wooden bench with space to put an item on to examine it more closely. When the player puts an item on the bench, they get a short description hinting at what might be done with it. Some hints are more directed than others, and generally something wont be directed towards until you would be at a tech level to build it.
So how do I make one?
Discovering that first step is left as an exercise to the player. But I will say that it is made out of wood, and it is about as simple a recipe as you can get.
Does this add-on change anything else?
There are actually a few recipe tweaks included with the research add-on too, some to make discovering them a bit easier, and some to actually be able to fit their description on one of the components. You don't need to know these as they are described in game, but they are summarized in the spoiler below:
-Added a recipe for the handcrank with the two shafts stacked.
-Moved chiseled sandstone and quartz to the anvil, like the stone brick equivalent.
-Added a recipe for the anchor using a stone slab and nugget.
-Added a recipe for the screw pump using full wood blocks.
-Changed the pulley to use a screw in the recipe.
-Added production of potash by cooking a log in the furnace.
Glad you asked! The download can be found just below. Installation is similar to BTW, just add the files from the CLIENT folder into your jar after installing BTW.
==>> Download the Research Add-On v1.1
Thanks for trying out the add-on and if you have any feedback or run into any problems while playing please post about it in the thread. This especially includes if you get stuck at any point trying to play through the game and find it unclear as to what to do next.
Also a big thanks to RezDev for helping me go over the descriptions for proofing and rewording.
CHANGELOG:
- Added a few more proofed descriptions.
- Fixed a few mistakes pointed out by people.
- Removed some of the recipes that weren't needed.
- Added descriptions for each arcane scroll and reorganized all the anvil recipes, to add an obtuse level of lore I don't expect anyone will even pick up on.
- Version 1.0 -
First full release.
- Proofed a few more descriptions.
- Added wool descriptions.
- Changed descriptions relating to padding to reflect the feathers -> wool change.
- Version 0.2 -
Second test release.
- Added server version.
- Modified the bench to drop sawdust and a shaft when broken.
- Modified the bench to not work when a full block is above it, like the BTW workbench.
- Modified gui sizing slightly to allow for a bit more description room.
- Tweaked a bunch of the descriptions.
- Added ability for other add-on authors to add custom descriptions.
- Version 0.1 -
Initial test release with all basic functionality working.
Further info for people new to BTW or Minecraft:
BTW plays very differently to vanilla Minecraft. Things take a lot more effort to acquire, but once you get there it is easier to sustain them. Carrying the correct tools for a job is more important, getting sources of food is more important, damage has more consequence and you will find yourself needing to run from fights. You are actually better off forgetting almost everything you know about vanilla Minecraft, as a lot of that knowledge will just lead to your death in one form or another.
And that is another important point, you will die. Dying in BTW is very easy if you are not careful and death has far more consequence. But death is also one of the primary forms of learning. If a creeper blows you up outside your house, make your entryway more defensible. If you starve to death, focus more on securing renewable food. If you get killed trying to punch a zombie to death, DON'T TRY PUNCHING A ZOMBIE TO DEATH.
Try to think of yourself as someone dropped in a new land, with no idea how any of it works. Experiment by trying things and collect stuff you find in the world, bringing it back to your research bench to find out more information. Build a base, explore the world, make progress and always be careful not to be killed by stupid mistakes.
If you find yourself dying a lot and at a loss of how to make any progress I've added a few more tips here for starting out. You shouldn't need them and they can all be learned through playing yourself, but if you want a bit more direction take a look.
- If you die and respawn, and you don't see any landmarks you recognize (actual landmarks, not simply 'a jungle'), then suck it up and start punching wood. The 2km radius you can spawn in is a very large area in Minecraft, the chances you stumble on a tiny base are very very slim.
- One of the best things you can do to make real progress in your world, is to craft a compass and then build markers from your base back to the origin where the compass points. This is essentially a 'save point' in the game, in that if you die you will always be able to make it back to the origin and find your base again.
- There are a lot more tips hidden on the descriptions of different items. Check everything, from dirt to jungle ferns.
Further info for other add-on developers wanting to add custom research bench descriptions to their own items:
Code: Select all
try {
Class researchBench = Class.forName("SixModResearchBenchAddOn");
Method addDescription = researchBench.getMethod("addResearchDescription", new Class[]{String.class, String.class});
try {
addDescription.invoke(researchBench, "<KEY>", "<DESCRIPTION>");
// Where <KEY> is of the form "ID#Metadata", (i.e. "5#3" for jungle planks)
// and <DESCRIPTION> is the description you want the item to have.
// Try to keep the description under 300 characters or so.
} catch (Exception e) {
// Catch any of the myriad of exceptions invoke can throw
e.printStackTrace();
}
} catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
// Research Bench not loaded, so just chill
} catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
// Somehow there is no method.. shouldn't happen
e.printStackTrace();
} catch (SecurityException e) {
// getMethod threw a security exception?
e.printStackTrace();
}