Jivix

I checked back on the Skills page in the wiki, looks like I missed the non-bolded text that explained what you mentioned. All I read was this line: "There are no extra bonuses for reaching the individual levels of butchering skill." I misinterpreted that.

Yeah, the braziers would purposefully provide dim light. You don't need a whole lot of light to feel more comfortable in a house, and as a bonus it would mean they wouldn't be exploited as a torch replacement. As seen in this comparison of lights, the Brazier trades brightness for longer duration, but its high initial cost of Bronze would cement it as a mid-game item (and would be a fun mid-game project): Torch -Cheap Body/Fuel -Short-Lasting -Bright Brazier -Expensive Body, Cheap Fuel -Medium-Lasting -Dim Lantern -Expensive Body/Fuel -Long-Lasting -Bright If there are still existential problems with adding Braziers, you could drop in metal bars to hold them at a certain temperature (say, Dark Red). This would allows players to use Braziers to hold bars at near-working temperature when forging items. Animal fat would be great, but the devs fear that it will just make animals that much more quickly extinct on multiplayer servers. Until repawning animals works in a more natural way, this is the best option for the devs to reduce the gains from killing all the animals in sight. That's why I suggested the alternative of using merino sheep wool or wax-bearing plants as non-killing alternatives. I hate torches too, but they work for the time being. There is no dev on earth that can re-write minecraft in one day you know Hopefully one day we can have our candles and eat meat too.

Ah, my mistake then. I read that Butchering has no effect on the TFC wiki, I should have assumed the page was out of date since there are notices on a lot of other pages. I understand that Soybeans are a growable source of protein but hunting as a survival technique is both fun and shouldn't necessarily be suppressed as it adds a lot to the game. As for respawning animals, Djakuta I don't think the server keeps track of all the animals. And if it did keep track of every animal, I would rather it respawn animals in the areas of lowest population (or according to some rule, by biome, etc), rather than random. One person might wonder when he rejoins a server why there are 5,000 deer inside his house because they just re-spawned there randomly.

Just to be clear, this is the type of brazier I'm talking about: https://nooomaaas.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/d8b5d988d8b1d8a9021.jpg Real basic, no frills. Small and can smoulder inside a house without choking the occupants with smoke (like torches). Also provides heat, of course.

It's not so much a "fix" as it is acknowledgement of the fact that meat can get very hard to find when players DO run around and kill everything (because they do of course). People would still be able to get Protein even if they aren't at the animal husbandry tier yet (and even then they may have trouble finding animals). If I wanted to fix players hunting deer, I'd first try making the deer more wily. Deer can become pests in a farming environment because they are capable of jumping over fences to steal food. My grandparents live in a very forested area with many deer. They tried growing tomatoes once, but the deer jumped over the 8 foot tall fence they put around them and ate all of the tomatoes, and most of the plants themselves. It would be interesting to see Deer used as a non-hostile pest that occasionally sneak into your croplands and eat a crop or two, if you don't have them sufficiently defended (deer can jump up to 12-15 feet, so 4-5 block high fences should do it). Perhaps the quantity of crops present in a chunk will incrementally raise the chance of spawning a Deer. If ignored for a huge amount of time, the deer population might become a significant threat to the player's food source. Fishing was implemented, and I have yet to catch a fish that provided more than 6 oz of Protein. Surely rabbits would have more than 6 oz of usable meat on them. Doing some quick website checks I found that adult rabbits can yield from about 2 to 4 pounds depending on breed. 32/64 ounces would be a solid amount to reward the player for using a more renewable source of meat. Not to mention that rabbits are delicious

It's easier to argue for features if there is already sufficient game code that can be repurposed into a new system, AND it provides a clear benefit to the game. Bee boxes would be awesome but would probably require a lot of coding to make work properly, which is why I suggested implementing a super simple alternative that could at least acknowledge the need, and would tie in with implementation should it happen later.

In modern days, alcohol stoves are great for backpacking and generally way less dangerous than pressurized stoves. Open-top burners are less fuel efficient but they work even in extremely cold environments when gas stoves wouldn't have enough pressure to start. However, it doesn't really fit the TFC feel. You'd need some kind of metal cup at least, and I'd probably feel a little silly with a chunky hand-forged metal cup that I try to use as a stove, when I could simply make a campfire. I do however share you feelings that alcohol needs more purpose. I feel like we have a ton of freedom in Terrafirmacraft but when you follow that mindset it makes the limitations seem so much more obvious. Clearly we won't be able to simulate reality perfectly, but I feel that players should be encouraged to be resourceful by making items have multiple functions. I haven't played TFC in a very long time and just got back in (I stopped playing right when placing ingots on the ground was implemented, whenever that was), and I really like where it's gone since I've been away. Barrels seem to be a pretty new feature in the scope of the whole mod, so it will probably just take some time to find the right balance for the features added. Nobody would want the entire economy to devolve into alcohol production being the main source of trade, although it'd probably be worth a chuckle or two. TL:DR, alcohol shouldn't be used as fuel, but purposes for it will likely be added as time goes on.

It could possibly be even simpler than that. Naturally-spawned trees have a very small chance to have 1 abandoned Beehive, just a block attached to the side of the tree. Very unobtrusive. Breaking apart the hive yields some Wax. Clearly this would be a very scarce resource, but you would be able to make many narrow candles from a single beehive, potentially giving you many nights of dim light when a torch just feels wasteful. Of course, the problem is producing enough wicks to make all of these candles. That could also provide a baseline for later if bees are eventually added.

Ok, so candles are out. Non-metal lanterns are out. Alcohol burners are out. Torches GO out. What other lighting options are there? Let's look at what we currently have as fuel sources in TFC: -Ore -> Coal -Trees -> Wood or Charcoal -Food -> Olive Oil And what fuels could potentially be in the game? -Animals -> Fat/Tallow/Wax -Trees -> Bark/Sap/Wax -Food -> Alcohols/Oils Ok, so that's a lot of sources we could use for lighting. Let's get some more details to see what's actually feasible. Ore Currently coal is only (afaik) used for metallurgy. Coal could potentially be used in longer-than-torch burning low-light Braziers for use in houses without making embers that catch your house on fire. Trees We already use wood (sticks) for torches and (logs) for campfires, so it would be redundant to make another directly wood-fueled light source. Food Olive Oil is difficult to find, so it should be reserved for the the high tier metal Lanterns. That's the current scenario. There is only room to add a light source based on Coal or Charcoal. But could we add any of the items in the second list to make a new light source? Animals Fat and Tallow is basically out of the question due to animal killing in multiplayer, but Lanolin from sheep's wool is a candlemaking wax and only requires the harvesting of wool. As a bonus, Sheep already exist so it would be simple to add a new species which produces sufficient Lanolin (and fewer Wool Fibers as a result). One Merino sheep can produce 250-300ml of lanolin wax (from Wikipedia page for lanolin) using modern processes. Because it requires animal husbandry, this means Lanolin would be securely cemented as a mid-game resource. Trees I recall in another post someone mentioning the ability to recover Bark from trees when making planks. Bark could be used as both a mid-game roofing material and as a fuel source for Braziers. Resin could be collected from Bark and used to make longer-lasting Torches, and even to reinforce crafted Bows (if/when they are implemented). Certain trees such as palm trees can produce wax, in case of palm trees the leaves are beaten to remove the wax. Palm trees could be found closer to the equator. There is even a species known as the tallow tree. Food This is where a lot of hidden potential lies. A variety of fruits, for example Lemons, and even flowers have oils in them that can be either manually extracted or distilled. Shrubs such as Candelilla can contain wax on their leaves or on berries. Alcohol barrels could be loaded with oil-containing plant matter to make alcohol/oil infusions that could be burned. Conclusion There's a ton of potential here, but the challenge is finding what works best with the game's balance, is easiest to implement, and what is the most enjoyable for players. The following solutions seem to me to be the best: -Braziers that could be loaded with a variety of fuels. -Merino sheep can produce Lanolin Wool which can be melted down for both Wool and Lanolin Wax. -Bark is a commonly asked for item that could be multi-use and provide a much-needed roofing option for builders. And I'm going to throw this one out there, which has been said before, but with a new twist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diya.jpg Clay Bowls. Place them on the ground or on a flat surface. Right click it with a String or Wool Fiber to add a wick. Right click with a piece of wax or oil or what have you, then light with a lit Torch or flint & steel. Burns dimmer than a Lantern, and is half as fuel efficient (and holds much less fuel - probably a weeks worth?) Here's the twist - if you walk over it, you have a chance to knock the bowl. If that happens, the fuel is lost and you have to put more in. The wick lasts indefinitely. The lamp can be picked up but the oil is lost. Lamp is also put out if hit by inclement weather of any sort (aka outdoors) My idea provides the following: -A longer-lighting lighting option that doesn't stamp on Lanterns while being useful enough to be a step up from Torches for indoor lighting. -A less obtrusive option than Torches for lighting indoors that enhances the nighttime experience. (torches are dangerous anyways) -Can use wax or oil or tallow, should game balance be changed in the future. -Another use for clay pottery (which was pretty limited) -Another use for String

+1 for rafts as a quick water transport The raft would be similar to the vanilla boat, fragile & can break upon hitting shore or when hit by an enemy. However, you get all of your logs back. To construct the raft, you'd place 4 horizontal logs in a 2x2 orientation (facing same direction), then right click all 4 logs with 2 Straw each to connect them to the other logs. Once the structure is complete, it pops up off the ground as a Very Heavy item that can be placed in the water. This raft would be relatively large and clunky with poor turning to make up for how easy it is to craft. The wooden boat wouldn't break when colliding with the shore. Also, you could fish while inside of it (so you are more or less safe from mobs out in the water). Wooden boats would be constructed by playing 2 or 3 connected horizontal Logs on the ground (running lengthwise), and chiseling the structure until conditions are met. Condition A would require the player to make a sufficiently sized hollow on the top side that could fit the player's lower body, and Condition B would necessitate the removal of bark from the sides and bottom. If both conditions are met and the player right clicks the boat with an empty hand, the boat will become a Very Heavy item that can be placed in the water. It would be cool to see sailboats but I'd expect them to require some skill to use as opposed to regular boats, and that would probably take too much time to implement for the time being. I can't help but nerd-out on the bushcraft in this game. If I lived near a lake & had trees on my property, I'd try carving my own boat. I'm sure it would take forever, but it would be fun.

Doesn't have to be difficult to implement, but TFC has never been about making things the easy way Could be as simple as having a small chance of a tree having a 'sappy' tag on it. After you tap the tree out, you have to find another 'sappy' tree. Basically, don't bother treating it as a renewable resource because it adds complexity. Instead, remove any kind of active management in the code and just make it a physical tree-based resource that you can "mine" out. Kind of like the rubber trees in Industrialcraft except they don't come back. I'd want the chances of a tree being 'sappy' very low to prevent excessive tree farming - it should be a rare treat to discover, not a common staple. Either way, I'd hope that once you make syrup it will keep for an exceptionally long time even in warm climates - the game really needs more shelf-stable warm-weather food.

How about the use of trapping to catch creatures smaller than deer, such as squirrels or rabbits? If I remember correctly (and it's been a very long time), trapping was considered/tested in a much older version of TFC. I'd be interested in seeing Don't Starve-style rabbit holes that can each maintain up to a family of rabbits, and if all the rabbits are killed there is a small chance of new rabbits spawning there (obviously a pretty low spawn rate - don't want to unbalance the other ways of getting meats). You can get the rabbits out of their hole by several methods: 1. Smoking out the rabbit hole with fire somehow (Makes them all run out, but take longer to respawn) 2. Placing traps in the near vicinity to the rabbit hole (Slower but less harmful) 3. Waiting until a rabbit actually leaves the hole and managing to hit it with a weapon. (Challenging but feasible) I'd imagine you could treat the rabbit hole like a piece of ore, with the traps functioning a bit like a stationary gold pan or sluice. You could also vary the rabbit activity with the seasons, making them nearly inactive during the winter so if you are starving you will be forced to smoke them out. It'd be a fun decision to have to make as a player, and players wouldn't have to worry as much about the murder of all the animals on a server. Not to mention it would be a hefty challenge to even locate one of the small holes to begin with.

For a game to be truly fun, you need some randomness. However, if it is TOO random like if your tool spontaneously breaks when you sharpen it, the random risk is now far worse than the minor benefit, even if it doesn't happen very often. As for tools that are broken when their durability is used up, how about you just get back a generic "broken tool head" for each type of tool metal that gives back 1/4 of the metal? As the game seems to be to me right now, ore isn't really a scarce resource once you've located & mined it out, so having some sort of tool recycling system doesn't seem to be a game-breaking idea. Of course, I only just started playing the game again after going on hiatus for over 2 years, so I may be talking out of my rear.

I like the Loom system for making cloth, how about a rotating grindstone (like the ones in Skyrim) that you have to spend some time grinding a tool to make it useable. It would be sort of like scraping leather except you are doing it along the edge of the blade of the tool, and if you accidentally overgrind a section you will lose a little durability. To use the grindstone you have to right-click to sit on it, once sitting you have to press Space repeatedly to spin the wheel (or hold Space to go at maximum speed). Then you hold left click along the edge to grind different sections of the tool, or click on a section to grind it a small amount but possibly ding that section. In other words, the system would promote careful pedaling & sweeping runs across the edge, like how actual sharpening is done. For example, each part of the edge would have several states: Unsharpened (cast tools), Dull (smithed tool), Fine, Sharp, and Honed. An unsharpened edge will work, but will take much longer to get anything done (80% slower?) A Dull edge will be much better but still take longer than usual (35% slower?) A Fine edge is useable, maybe 15% slower than current. If you are careless when sharpening this is where you'll end up. A Sharp edge is what current tools are. However at around half of the tool's uses, it will become Fine/Dull and need to be re-sharpened. A Honed edge will provide a bonus for skilled sharpeners (15% faster?). However, the Honed edge will wear off relatively quickly (1/4 of the tool's uses) and become Sharp. The key to this is that you could re-sharpen your tool, but as you take off material your durability goes down. To reach Sharp/Honed you may even use a leather strap on the wheel with an abrasive. As with the Quern, the wheel will eventually wear out and a new one will need to be chiseled An early-game option for sharpening would be using a stone, but the best you could do is get a Fine edge as the stone surface is rough and areas of the edge will sharpen unevenly. I'm all for the minigames that add interesting interaction while also being fun. This would be a minigame that lets people develop their skills with a balanced benefit (and of course bump up the difficulty of the game a bit

But on the other hand turtletechy, it would let us feel more like we're pioneers and less like we're following the same path that every single other player on the server has followed. +1 for custom named ores.