FAQs - Terrafirmacraft 1.12+ Project

[Bunsan 323]

FAQs - Terrafirmacraft 1.12+

This is a list of questions we have been asked about the project. These are our best answers as of this moment. Things will likely change in small and large ways so don’t take these as binding. If you have more questions please post them in our question thread on the forum or give Bunsan a poke in the TFC-talk channel of our discord.

What is this exactly?

The goal of this project is to take the gameplay, mechanics and feel of TFC and recreate it in 1.12+. It is like a port in that we want it to feel like the 1.7.10 version, but it isn’t a true port as we are rewriting most of the code. This project was started by Dries007, the blessing of Bioxx, and is not associated with TFC2, nor is it associated with TFC+ or any other forks of TFC.

Is this 1.7.10 Terrafirmacraft fixed to work in 1.12?

The default position for all features is that the 1.12 version will replicate the final 1.7.10 version as much as possible. As this is a rewrite we will slowly add in these features through the alpha builds. Changes and refinements will then be made, but the starting point will be based on 1.7.10 version. We know that there are some great ideas out there for expanding TFC and we have some ideas of our own, but for now we need a good base of code with the key mechanics to work from.

Who are you and how do I know you won’t just break my heart?

The development team consists of Dries007 and Bunsan. Both are prominent members of the TFC community who have extensive experience with the TFC and its code. TFC is a very large mod and so the success of this project will greatly depend on contributions from the community. We are assembling a group of people from the community who can contribute to the mod development to help guide this project. We have the experience and skills to bring TFC to 1.12+ and are committed to seeing the project through. 

Dries007 is the leader of the project and the gatekeeper of the mods code. He is a prominent member of the TFC community and contributed to 1.7.10 TFC and developed a number of add-on mods as well as other minecraft mods. He is a busy engineering student and an international man of mystery.

Bunsan is Community manager for the project. He is best known as a co-author of the TechNodefirmacraft and TerrafirmaPack modpacks and a couple of TFC addons. He spent a lot of years in school, but none of in for programming. He is a self-taught Java coder and so his role will predominantly be communications, PR and general organization. Although he will dabble in code a bit.

When will it be finished, when can I play it?

We don’t have a timeline at this point. We will have development builds available, but we don’t know when a playable version will be ready. This is a big project that is being done in our spare time. A lot will also depend on the community. We welcome and encourage contributions from the community. The more skilled people we have contributing the faster the progress. 
We will keep everyone up to date on the progress on a number of platforms. We will post on the forums, the discord channel (https://invite.gg/terrafirmacraft) and the subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/TerraFirmaCraft/).

So how can I help?

There is a lot of areas in the project where you can help, directly with the mod, with the forum, the wiki, the subreddit and the discord. We need people to contribute code, texture, sounds, models, art assets (for forum/subreddit/discord channel), moderate and beta test. 
We are going to be very picky as to what is added to the mod to keep it clean and clear. So don’t be offended if we don’t use your contribution or rewrite some or all of what you’ve contributed. This will apply to all aspects, from code, to textures, to forum etc. We will do our best to provide the tools, examples and guidance needed, but be prepared for critique, criticism or us simply saying thanks, but no thanks.

There is a roadmap here (TODO put roadmap <— there). If you have a particular skill set then give us a poke to let them know about your skill set and what you’d like to contribute.

So if I’m not an expert I can’t help?

You don’t have to be an expert. You can help and we want you to help. There will be a great need for beta testers, we will need ideas and input from the community and just being an active part of the community helps. You can also work with others who compliment your skills to tackle larger tasks.

Most of the initial coding needs a good amount of experience with Java and Minecraft modding, but some is straightforward code using existing code example. Even if you aren’t an expert we encourage you to fork the repository (https://github.com/TerraFirmaCraft/TerraFirmaCraft) and mess around in the code or try your hand at textures (I recommend GIMP, a free graphic program). Many of us are self-taught and learned by messing about.

What about all the bugs and compatibility issues?

We’ve referred to this as a port, but we are rewriting a majority of the code. This means we can fix the various bugs and compatibility issues that existed. This also allows us to provide a lot of configuration options for players to adjust variables to their liking. The config options won’t be included at first, but it is our intention to include as many as possible. There is also a lot of new tools provided by Forge which will allow a lot more compatibility.
For example we plan to change the way food, health and damage is handled to keep the feel of TFC, but allow other mods food, weapons etc to work with TFC.
However TFC is a full conversion mod, we are aiming to make it compatible as possible, but there will always be some compatibility issues.

What all mechanics from 1.7.10 be included?

Mostly yes. Most features we intend to include, but there are a few that won’t be added.

The detailed chiseling will not be included. I was amazing for decor, but is not necessary for any gameplay elements. We feel Chisel and Bits does a great job and there is no need to replicate it. Stairs and slabs are now actual blocks and will behave like normal stairs and slabs.

The taste system. It was an interesting concept, but never really caught on with most players. It was not an intuitive system and its randomness made for very weird results. We don’t feel the time to include this is justified. We do want to include a skill for cooking and have various ideas, but these will be added later.

Food weight. I really enjoyed the weighted stacks for food, but it creates a lot of compatibility issues. We plan to have food items be normal item stacks like vanilla food. This means a lot of the food mechanics will change, but will still exist. We will still have meals, decay, nutrients etc. 

Trimming decay from food. We will still have decay mechanics, but you won’t need to trim decay from food. Each food item will have a chance to decay, which will cause it to disappear. The decay rate will still be changed based on how it is preserved and stored, but instead of getting a percentage of decay the item will just disappear. So if you have a full stack of apples each one will roll to decay and the stack will be reduced by the number that rolled to decay. 

What about worldgen? I hate walking 10k blocks to find things.

We are keeping the same worldgen. We do want to keep the look and feel of TFC. We are fixing the worldgen bugs and trying to find better methods to fix performance issues, particularly with ore vein generation. We do want to keep the exploration aspect of TFC, but will include the ability to adjust a lot of the worldgen variables so you can reduce the average size of the rock biomes for example. The higher sea level will also be kept, but it also will be configurable. We will also continue to have fresh and salt water, but will work to fix many of the compatibility issues associated with having a non-vanilla water.

Will you be expanding the mod with new stuff? 

Yes. We plan to continue TFC and expand on it, but first we want to get a working version that resembles 1.7.10. We will continue to limit the scope of the mod, so don’t expect rocket ships or modern items.  We do want to add new mechanics and items that fit within the TFC timeframe and improve the current ones. We understand TFC community is passionate and many people, myself included, know the “right” way things should be done and the “right” direction to take the mod. We won’t be able to satisfy everyone with new content. Which is why compatibility and configurability are important goals for the project. We want to provide the tools for addons, modpacks etc. that allow the community to have the player experience they want. 

I loved addon [mod name] will you add its features to TFC?

We don’t discount adding content from addons, but have no current plans to do so. As the base code of TFC will change so much all we’d likely be able to use is concepts and art assets, but would talk to those authors before doing so. Many addon authors have already expressed a desire to help with this project. That said TFC adds so much already we don’t want it to become bloated. So it may be best for things that don’t contribute to gameplay to be added with an addon. 

I have a great idea/there a mod that does something you should add.

We definitely don’t want to discourage the community from coming up with new ideas, but as we are focused in getting a working mod up and going, we won’t be discussing or including these ideas at this time. The discord channel (https://invite.gg/terrafirmacraft) is a great place for these type of discussions and we will be expanding our forum section to provide an area for these types of discussions as well.
We will be asking the contributors and the community at large for input on specific portions of the mod when we are adding them.

What about TFC2? Will you add any of its new stuff?

TFC2 is still Bioxx’s project and has a different design plan. There isn’t a current plan to use any portions of it in this project. There are a couple of exceptions. We’ve added the 3 new wood types he added to TFC2 and we are looking at using his concept of tree schematics for tree generation.

Could you use the animal model I made for TFC2?

We would like to have a lot more animals in TFC, but this is not something we’ve contemplated yet. Use of these models would only be done with the blessing of Bioxx and the contributors.

Will you be including options for different languages?

Yes. We are hoping to be able to automate a lot of the creation of localisation files, but will need help with proof reading.

Can I use my 1.71.10 world?

No this will not be possible. 

Will the 1.7.10 addons I love work with this version?

No they will no work without being rewritten.