Board Thread:General Mod Discussion/@comment-33763020-20181106145423/@comment-33763020-20181112092208

QuinoaFalafel wrote: As a person who has delved quite deeply into the realm of making adventure maps, I want very passionately to create one for the lotr mod. However, there are a multitude of facts that make it essentially impossible, and discourage me from doing so.

Most importantly, is adventure mode itself. Minecraft 1.8 overhauled adventure mode, allowing for a lot more control on the part of the mapmakers, making it so that blocks cannot be destroyed unless the player has a tool that has specifically been designated that purpose by the mapmaker. In 1.7, pickaxes can destroy all stone, shovels can destroy dirt, gravel, sand, etc. Almost all blocks can be destroyed with the right tool, and this cannot be prevented or controlled.

Secondly, is the commands themselves. The updates following 1.7, namely 1.8 and 1.9, have overhauled command blocks and the commands themselves, opening hundreds of new possibilities to mapmakers.

For me, since I strive to make any map I would create the most complete, impressive, and enjoyable experience, the 1.7 mechanics are just too limiting, and they are the reason we will likely never see extremely impresive adventure maps for the mod, unless the mechanics are changed. Probably my luck then that since I have never made a map, I do not know what I will miss by not having a more accommodating version of MC to make better maps :D. So this will definitely not hinder me. The biggest stumbling block is whether there are any people at all interested in them, can maps be made that hold their interest, etc. I am planning a slow map, meaning long travels and not everyone may have patience for that.

Regarding the mechanics, there is a very easy way to prevent block destruction: banner protection. I agree that that only applies to a specific area and not the huge map itself, but personally I would still keep the MC mechanics of block creation/destruction in, since I would not want to deprive the player from living in Middle-earth with its seemingly endless possibilities. I feel that finishing a quest in the LotR mod and not being able to continue the game, not being able to use the full mechanics, is like not being in the mod at all. I would feel disappointed by having finished a quest and not being able to continue playing the mod after that. Since Middle-earth is a given and we are in a "historic" fantasy age, this by itself is an adventure. If I put a storyline in it, the bigger picture of the fight between Good and Evil still exists and I respect that setting by not overruling it with my storyline. In short: I would make adventures that not only fit the setting, but where the player can just continue playing with all mechanics. So in my stories, it is essential to be able to place/destroy blocks.

I don't know about commands and command blocks. Is that something in cheat mode? I've never used cheat mode before. To be honest, I don't even know what it means and their purpose. The way I see it: the less special mechanics in the story, the better. I simply would want my character to walk through ME and "stumble" upon the quests. Of course not by pure coincidence: I need to lead him to the clues in a smart way, so that anyone can do it, but it is not too easy either. Mostly through notes, but if possible (through the CustomNPC mod) through text lines of characters. Either way: cheating should not help the player, as that takes away the fun of the story and I think that forcing the player to go through the process makes it more fun in the end then just jumping to the end result. An example: the player starts out in a place with a chest in direct vicinity and a note in it (or in his pocket), that leads to the next clue. This is simple enough for anyone. The next clue would be somewhat more difficult and would lead to having to FIND a place where the next clue is. Then there may be enemies that need defeating to get the next clue. Alignment would play a role as well, so that certain buildings can only be entered if your alignment with a faction is high enough, as the building is banner protected, so you could not destroy blocks or open its gate, etc., unless you're aligned with the given faction. I don't know what command blocks do, but if you lead the player along the story, there should not be any need for additional tools. The game mechanics should lend themselves to finding the clues and following a storyline.

I am confident that the players of this mod have a certain intelligence that is required to be interested in alignment, discovery and use of tools. So the clues can be a bit challenging at times, to lead to the game end. If we put together maps properly, we may even create parallel storylines, in other words if the more difficult clues are not found/achieved, the player may still continue the story, albeit in a slightly different line. It is possible to create the same story ending with different paths that lead to it. But it may also be that different story endings are created, depending on how the player wants to play it.. For example: if the player decides to play an Evil character or gets alignment with the wrong factions (despite specific instructions in notes and clues to grow Good alignment), then he will not be able to open certain areas that contain further clues to the quest, but gets led to a different path alltogether. I could even imagine a more convenient solution, like buildings along the path that hold clues to the next place in the story, but one room always contains clues for Good players and an other room for Evil players. Both chambers would be protected by the respective alignment banner, so that only one of the chambers can be opened. This way, the player can continue the story, no matter the alignment. This is just one of the techniques that could apply to the mod, since it has special mechanics that are exciting to make use of. No other mods hold these specific mechanics, so to use them makes it not only a unique mod, but also unique Minecraft gameplay.

In general it would be my aim to create adventure gameplay with rules that apply to this mod specifically. There are not that many currently, but Alignment certainly is one, banner protection an other (just see the fantastic Taurethrim pyramids for example, which make for a mini-adventure via banner protection). Forging could be an other, mini-quests again an other, etc. There are a lot of possibilities in this game, thanks to Mevans' efforts. I think v1.7.10 has a lot of possibilities for making good adventure stories. We have to row with the oars we have at our disposal ;).