Minecraft Dev General Thread

[GoheX]

Hey all.

So after the meeting today, we now have a whole load of ideas for what
we can do. Here they are, feel free to add in the comments below:

-Bananas from trees
-Tutorial mod (premade map for newbies, possibly with lots of GUI
help, key instructions, voice over) with starting area.
-Saddle craft mod.
-Music mod -add more discs into the game, add more music -possibly
premade music (pokémon?) or we could write it.
-Weapons (graphical side seems a bit difficult, but it's a
possibility)
-Completely new mobs.
-Parkour mod -as in, race mod. Premade maps, checkpoints etc.
-Allow old mobs to be seen:

Giant http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Giant
Beast Boy http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Beast_Boy
Black Steve http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Black_Steve
Human http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Human
Rana http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Rana
Steve http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Steve

-Realism mod -heat, hunger, thirst etc. Difficult to code, lots of
work and time required.
-New economy mod.
-Vehicles.

So, those were all the suggestions more or less. Anymore are welcome,
but I'd like some discussion on these. To keep this structured, please
title each of your comments with a title of one of the above
suggestions, or something like ****NEW SUGGESTION**** "name"

We'll be meeting Tuesday coming (4th) in 1A11 at 6pm.

In the mean time, I'd like some research to be done by anyone with
free time into anything about minecraft mods -tutorials that are
available, resources, hints, tips, info. Google is the most powerful
tool in the world. Information is power!

Thanks for reading,
Ken

[Kristopher Early]

I personally think that the tutorial or some kind action mod thing where your in a building something crazy is happening and you have to escape the different levels, there could be a lot of fun here to work with redstone etc...

[Kristopher Early]

also I mean, along with the minecraft mod I'm actually keen to do an app dev. maybe a flash card thing for cs like you said

[Will_NooNRiseR]

This is the tutorial page I was using when messing around with
Minecraft. It's very well laid out and covers a lot of areas. :)

http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/96862-creating-mods-modding-tutorials-21511/

On Sep 27, 10:11 pm, GoheX <theworldstrikesb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey all.
>
> So after the meeting today, we now have a whole load of ideas for what
> we can do. Here they are, feel free to add in the comments below:
>
> -Bananas from trees
> -Tutorial mod (premade map for newbies, possibly with lots of GUI
> help, key instructions, voice over) with starting area.
> -Saddle craft mod.
> -Music mod -add more discs into the game, add more music -possibly
> premade music (pokémon?) or we could write it.
> -Weapons (graphical side seems a bit difficult, but it's a
> possibility)
> -Completely new mobs.
> -Parkour mod -as in, race mod. Premade maps, checkpoints etc.
> -Allow old mobs to be seen:
>
> Gianthttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Giant
> Beast Boyhttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Beast_Boy
> Black Stevehttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Black_Steve
> Humanhttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Human
> Ranahttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Rana

> Stevehttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Steve

[Will_NooNRiseR]

We're also probably going to need (read: want) the Minecraft Coder
Pack (MCP). They've released a 1.8.1 version. :)

Get it here:
http://mcp.ocean-labs.de/index.php/MCP_Releases

On Sep 27, 10:11 pm, GoheX <theworldstrikesb...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey all.
>
> So after the meeting today, we now have a whole load of ideas for what
> we can do. Here they are, feel free to add in the comments below:
>
> -Bananas from trees
> -Tutorial mod (premade map for newbies, possibly with lots of GUI
> help, key instructions, voice over) with starting area.
> -Saddle craft mod.
> -Music mod -add more discs into the game, add more music -possibly
> premade music (pokémon?) or we could write it.
> -Weapons (graphical side seems a bit difficult, but it's a
> possibility)
> -Completely new mobs.
> -Parkour mod -as in, race mod. Premade maps, checkpoints etc.
> -Allow old mobs to be seen:
>

> Gianthttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Giant
> Beast Boyhttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Beast_Boy
> Black Stevehttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Black_Steve
> Humanhttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Human
> Ranahttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Rana

> Stevehttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Steve

[Will_NooNRiseR]

To use MCP you're going to need Minecraft loader too:
http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/75440-v181-risugamis-mods-everything-updated/

A youtube tutorial on how to make all this work:
http://youtu.be/6UdFa7dB2kc

On Sep 27, 10:11 pm, GoheX <theworldstrikesb...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey all.
>
> So after the meeting today, we now have a whole load of ideas for what
> we can do. Here they are, feel free to add in the comments below:
>
> -Bananas from trees
> -Tutorial mod (premade map for newbies, possibly with lots of GUI
> help, key instructions, voice over) with starting area.
> -Saddle craft mod.
> -Music mod -add more discs into the game, add more music -possibly
> premade music (pokémon?) or we could write it.
> -Weapons (graphical side seems a bit difficult, but it's a
> possibility)
> -Completely new mobs.
> -Parkour mod -as in, race mod. Premade maps, checkpoints etc.
> -Allow old mobs to be seen:
>

> Gianthttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Giant
> Beast Boyhttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Beast_Boy
> Black Stevehttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Black_Steve
> Humanhttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Human
> Ranahttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Rana

> Stevehttp://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Steve

[Ken]

Nice stuff, I'll have a proper read through it all tomorrow.

On Sep 28, 4:49 am, Will_NooNRiseR <will.da...@gmail.com> wrote:
> To use MCP you're going to need Minecraft loader too:http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/75440-v181-risugamis-mods-everyth...

[Ken]

If you can -PLEASE bring in your own laptops -will make the entire
process easier -with campusnet installed if possible.

This week will mainly be about choosing our first project, but would
be great if I could show everyone how to access the basic files, how
to view them, find your way around the data files.

Thanks,
Ken

[Will_NooNRiseR]

Hi, the repair table is a great idea, but I've got this feeling we're
jumping in a little ahead of ourselves. Perhaps something simpler
(i.e. different arrows) would give us more experience with minecraft's
filing system. Right now, writing new code is quite complex given I
don't know what's going on.

So yeah, I'm going to work on making something else between now and
the next meeting - simply to better understand the hierarchy and how
minecraft has actually been coded.

Right now I've discovered this about making a repair table: First you
need to make a block object. Then you have to tell minecraft about
this block. Then you have to work out how to assign the texture. Then
work out the application of the right click functions. Then sort out
the GUI for the repair process itself. After that a recipe must be
created so that the table can be crafted. Then we have to decide what
will be crafted WITH the item to make the repair. (i.e. perhaps a
unique crafted item like redstone GEMS).

I think we'd be better breaking these processes down into mini
projects, then using the experience gained for a final project - the
most difficult - the repair table.

So I think I'm going to go work on making redstone gems....

Cheers,
Will

P.S. Thanks for you help duncan, I may enlist you again for making
item sprites. ;)

[Tobias Haag]

+1 !

definetly a reasonable idea, takes away the complexity and reduces
frustration. Additionally I would suggest u document each project with
a bit of detail i.e make a roadmap of what you want to achieve and
what milestones are needed. If it would help I can offer setting up a
limited project managment site to keep track of it as well as a
repository to store files and track changes.

Great work, keep it up !

Tobi

Sent from my iPhone

[Will_NooNRiseR]

That would be very handy Tobi. Yeah I just feel we're jumping ahead a
little far. If we each focus on making a "cool new little item" that's
really simple, it gives each of us a small project that improves our
knowledge of Minecraft modding.

I will create a roadmap of what I'm doing, but because I'm working on
a mac, the process is a little different. I can therefore only
document in a way that is repeatable on a Mac. (Of course, the
variables/names of classes/etc will all be the same, just the stuff
outside java such as the decompile/recompile process.)

Great to see we've made some progress,

Will.

On Oct 4, 9:30 pm, Tobias Haag <sepiroth...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> +1 !
>
> definetly a reasonable idea, takes away the complexity and reduces
> frustration. Additionally I would suggest u document each project with
> a bit of detail i.e make a roadmap of what you want to achieve and
> what milestones are needed. If it would help I can offer setting up a
> limited project managment site to keep track of it as well as a
> repository to store files and track changes.
>
> Great work, keep it up !
>
> Tobi
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>

[Will_NooNRiseR]

Just a short update as to what I've achieved so far:

- I've managed to create a new item. (Redstone Gem)
- The item has no "hover" title currently.
- It has no icon, currently (looks like a sign)
- It can be crafted by using a crafting table filling all slots with
redstone

I have kept a record as to how I got this far.

Tomorrow I aim to:

- Create an icon for Redstone Gem
- Make it have a "hover" title
- Currently has no drop animation, so would like to implement that.

Following that I aim to:

- Make a redstone arrow. Same as a regular arrow, but with a redstone
gem instead of flint.
- This will be a more powerful arrow (which will later also activate
TNT or a redstone circuit)

Thanks,

Will.

[Cowbox]

Just for the benefit of everyone else, last night I basically
prototyped the repair bench textures and suggested using
texture cells (13,5), (14,5) & (15,5) with block id 116.
For the purposes of demonstration I made a rough texture for it using
%Appdata%/.minecraft/bin/minecraft.jar/terrain.png and %Appdata
%/.minecraft/bin/minecraft.jar/gui/slot.png (mcp44/temp/bin/
minecraft/
terrain.png & mcp44/temp/bin/minecraft/gui/slot.png for the
decompiled
version) and basically replaced the crafting table textures in
terrain.png to give the following result:
http://i.imgur.com/V1RLa.png
For the final repair block, however, I would prefer to change this to
look more like a furnace as realistically it would be a machine of
some kind that repairs it, rather than a table the player would be
stood over using to repair it. (Assuming we go with the, "leave the
item in the block over night and it'll repair" notion we had at
first.)
On another note, Noonriser:
Here's an icon for the redstone gem I just knocked up for you:
http://i.imgur.com/HEYZG.png
And here's the same image in items.png which you will be able to use
(8,8): (assuming top left is 1,1 not 0,0)
http://i.imgur.com/3SsPa.png
(Obviously this is just a retextured diamond at the moment - I can
make it look different at another time if people want.)

[Tobi]

Hi,

alot of folks get spammed by this thread and might not be interested
at all ( iam not one though!) but we need and alternative for dev talk
and only use the groups for important announcements.

I will try and setup a forum on our server asap and will ask u to
register and continue discussions there.

sorry for the hassle though i hope u understand.

Cheers

Tobi

On 5 Oct, 12:04, Cowbox <cow...@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
> Just for the benefit of everyone else, last night I basically
> prototyped the repair bench textures and suggested using
> texture cells (13,5), (14,5) & (15,5) with block id 116.
> For the purposes of demonstration I made a rough texture for it using
> %Appdata%/.minecraft/bin/minecraft.jar/terrain.png and %Appdata
> %/.minecraft/bin/minecraft.jar/gui/slot.png (mcp44/temp/bin/
> minecraft/
> terrain.png & mcp44/temp/bin/minecraft/gui/slot.png for the
> decompiled
> version) and basically replaced the crafting table textures in
> terrain.png to give the following result:http://i.imgur.com/V1RLa.png
> For the final repair block, however, I would prefer to change this to
> look more like a furnace as realistically it would be a machine of
> some kind that repairs it, rather than a table the player would be
> stood over using to repair it. (Assuming we go with the, "leave the
> item in the block over night and it'll repair" notion we had at
> first.)
> On another note, Noonriser:
> Here's an icon for the redstone gem I just knocked up for you:http://i.imgur.com/HEYZG.png
> And here's the same image in items.png which you will be able to use

> (8,8): (assuming top left is 1,1 not 0,0)http://i.imgur.com/3SsPa.png

[Cowbox]

D: That's kind of silly of Google to design it that way. xD

I was just starting to like this interface for posting updates. :(

Oh well, forums are probably what everyone's used to anyway. :D

[Tobi]

Hi again,

I decided against hosting a forum / development environment on the
server at this time due to timeconstraints.
That doesnt mean we wont have one... http://sourceforge.net/projects/succminecraft/
here you go. Can I ask everyone in the dev team to register at
sourceforge (supports gmail and various other login methods) and ask
to join the project. There is a forum already present which should do
fine, and also comes with SVN support for code versioning as well as
milestones and ticket support.

That means you will have to dig a bit into how that stuff does work,
but I am sure you are capable of doing that.

I will certainly help everyone needing assistance as much as possible
during next weeks meeting.

Happy coding,

Tobi

[Will_NooNRiseR]

Uh, I hope I'm not alone in thinking Sourceforge is a little unwieldy to say the least? Is there any reason why we can't just have another google group for Minecraft Dev? I've created one, so if anyone else wants to change I'll send them the invite.

Cheers,

Will.

[Kristopher Early]

theres like a million different groups being created here. whats going on!!!!!

[Will_NooNRiseR]

I think we're trying to find a decent medium for discussing Minecraft Development. (Other groups are doing the same). At the moment we have a Sourceforge Page that some of us seem to be wrestling with. (Personally I managed to remove myself as admin to my own account)...

I definitely think it'd just be simpler to use google groups.

[Kristopher Early]

some guy made another page somewhere else yesterday as well, just make a fbook one. easy >.<

[Will_NooNRiseR]

I think the issue is having something with more organisational ability. Also, I quite like receiving emails when new posts arrive. For instance, does a Facebook group let you attach files to posts?

[Will_NooNRiseR]

Link for Google Group: Minecraft Dev

[Kristopher Early]

Hello Guys, I've had a discussion with a few people about the MC Mod Development and a few of us (no names) aren't very enthusiastic about doing MC mods.

I know a few of us feel more comfortable doing general Java development maybe something that to an employer on a CV will look good and you can really talk about rather than just joining a large large flock of mod developers (bukkit plug ins).

I know this is a bit of a backwards step, but its better getting this said before any hard dev starts.

Anyone who agrees with me please reply so I don't look like a total dick

cheers.

[Will_NooNRiseR]

Well, normally I'd agree with you, Kris, but after starting some mods myself I've learned more about Java game development than I ever would have from starting with a blank project. And bear in mind there is also the Kinect group which is doing something that more easily sits on a CV.

Of course, if a general Java Dev group DOES start up, I'll definitely be interested, but I'd hope it didn't mean the dissolution of the Minecraft project.

Will.

[Cowbox]

General Java dev sounds good to me guys, sign me up too. :D

[Kristopher Early]

Great I think mark (don't know if he is on the google groups yet) is keen on the general development too.

I don't really feel any or interest for mod development so I don't think I'll stay in that dev group at all.

[Tobias Haag]

I would suggest you have a look at what we do with the Kinect starting next week, it might be what u are looking for and believe me it looks good on your cv if you are worried about that. 

On the other hand if you really want to stick to java please let me know what ypu have in mind as dev is so broad and does include what the minecraft guys are doing as well. my biggest concern is that we stretch ourselves too far and end up with nothing and i want to avoid that. Otherwise I will support the idea and I think the department would too. 

Cheers

Tobi

Sent from my iPhone

[Will_NooNRiseR]

If I had to do a Java Development project I think I'd (most likely) enjoy doing something other than a game. When making a game, most of the time is spent fiddling with graphics parameters, when if a window-based project is done (Paint Program, Text editor, etc) more time is spent in the GUI design and the algorithms. 

Just a suggestion. :/

Will

[Tobias Haag]

I would disagree with you there, game development is a lot more than
graphics even though with java it takes a while to get results. Though
it really depends on the game in general there is a lot of coding
going into collision detection and gamelogic which is due to
additional performance requirements a real challange. Nevertheless,
that is my view and I would like to stress that the kinect project
will not be a game but an education tool with some aspects common to
gaming :P
A lot of work will obviously go in user interface and control design
as well as code parsing methods. And perhaps if we have someone with
interest in networking we could look into collaboration features.

Tobi

Sent from my iPhone

[Kristopher Early]

i like the idea of the kinect thing a lot tbh! and i totally agree with tobi

[Will Daly]

I meant in terms of quick results, of course. I know there is a lot of algorithmic processing going on in the depths of a game, whether with collision detection (as you said) or AI. The issue I have is getting to the stage where these parts come into play. A decent game requires a very long process of camera angles, scrolling and such like before any of the real work even begins. 

I am just concerned that the project would never reach this stage. 

One of my main issues with the Kinect idea is that I have very very little knowledge of C#. Which I'm assuming is the language of choice for this project? If someone with adequate knowledge of C# could make an interface with Java that'd be great, as I'm not sure I have the time to intensively learn a whole new programming language.

Will.

--
~Will.

[Tobias Haag]

Will you would be suprised how similar c# is to java. the c part is really quite misleading and i cant stress enough that learning another language would be very beneficial. the graphics in our project should be rather straight forward as the xna api seems very easy to use and produce quick good looking results as well. I recon we will spend the biggest part on the ui and functionality. 

That said and in favour of reduced mail bombardment i suggest we have a  chat on tuesday?

Cheers

Tobi

Sent from my iPhone

[Will Daly]

Alright. Maybe I can be persuaded. We shall discuss further on Tuesday.

Will.

--
~Will.

[Ken]

Right this is jumping in all sorts of directions. Next Tuesday we'll
be meeting in 6.30 in 4B94, and we'll discuss plans again. We need to
solidify it, in a structured way, lots of people shouting in this
thread about what they want isn't going to help.

Get your thoughts prepared for the meeting, I want it all sorted on
Tuesday, we can't lose any more time on being indecisive.

[Jonathan Hay]

If you know Java then you should have little problem learning C#. As
is well known Java programs run on many OS, and in the 1990's
Microsoft decided that it would be 'better' if they had their own
special version, which would effectively ruin Java's cross
compatibility. Sun reached an agreement with Microsoft and they
created the 'Microsoft Java Virtual Machine'. As you can probably
guess, Microsoft did not hold up their side of the bargain and after
being sued (cashing out a big settlement in favor of Sun) they created
their own 'Java-like' language called C#.

Quite interestingly, Microsoft have tried to create their own versions
of popular programming languages several times. My favourite, their
copy of JavaScript - JScript :D

[Kristopher Early]

To be fair, a lot of time was spent playing mc anyway