So I think one of your admins or community managers went to reddit /r/TerraFirmaCraft and basically asked "if you can make a voxel based TFC like game, what would you make?" And this was my answer, as the guy there suggested that I copypasta this to the forum, so I did. Oh well glad to know that this game is around, might introduce me to some Java learning shenanigans later on.
========================================
If I can make a voxel based stand-alone TFC, first of all I would get rid of those minecraft-y mechanics and replace them with actual mechanics that looks realistic, no more grass or leaf blocks, with independent voxel engine you should be able to model and render them differently.
The geology would be non-fractal, and each world would be generated as randomly-generated tectonics who clashes each other and ore generation and distribution would be based on that, hell perhaps ore generation would be done deep in the mantle simulation and the tectonic clashes would be the ones to bring them closer to surface.
No more digging with your bare hands obviously, dirt digging requires shovel and wooden shovels can't terraform a whole hill or biome, you'd need excavators for that, even the topmost iron shovels should be limited on terraforming.
most importantly though the health simulation aspect, how does a person go to a desolate desert or freezing tundra wearing the same gear? and mountains would actually be a boundary, sure you can mine near mountains but the mountains itself shouldn't be able to be moved, and pass a certain height, it will be a death zone.
Another thing about health that I don't like in minecraft and all its derivative mods, the health bar, it doesn't make sense in anyway and was born when games were not able to simulate anything, there should be hunger bar, thirst bar, stamina bar, and pain chart with a body overlay, but many mechanics should be hidden and will have like blood volume and many forms of death triggers due to diseases and the like.
Other than that though, the smelting and mining mechanics of TFC is particularly enjoyable and believeable enough that it doesn't make any complaints from me, although I would reserve high level mining like digging deep underground to iron levels and up, for thousands of years, shifting sand and gravels in water is how we get the metal we want, and even now bauxite is still mined that way, although the mechanics for this should be different from TFC, which is biome based, the metal extracting mechanics should be like how bauxite and many other metals work in real life, from the specific type of sand/gravel.
Veins should be distributed more on the mountain side biomes, through mechanics I've explained above, the other thing is that you shouldn't be able to farm anywhere and everywhere, the ability to do so is practically modern technology, back way then, farming was much more limited hence why civilizations grew alongside rivers and deltas, arable land and such should only be available very near to the water source, and canals etc would require iron and up tech to bring.
Well this is getting long, but perhaps you'd get some of my idea, good luck to your endeavor, I'd subscribe to the forums to see what it's like.
========================================
If I can make a voxel based stand-alone TFC, first of all I would get rid of those minecraft-y mechanics and replace them with actual mechanics that looks realistic, no more grass or leaf blocks, with independent voxel engine you should be able to model and render them differently.
The geology would be non-fractal, and each world would be generated as randomly-generated tectonics who clashes each other and ore generation and distribution would be based on that, hell perhaps ore generation would be done deep in the mantle simulation and the tectonic clashes would be the ones to bring them closer to surface.
No more digging with your bare hands obviously, dirt digging requires shovel and wooden shovels can't terraform a whole hill or biome, you'd need excavators for that, even the topmost iron shovels should be limited on terraforming.
most importantly though the health simulation aspect, how does a person go to a desolate desert or freezing tundra wearing the same gear? and mountains would actually be a boundary, sure you can mine near mountains but the mountains itself shouldn't be able to be moved, and pass a certain height, it will be a death zone.
Another thing about health that I don't like in minecraft and all its derivative mods, the health bar, it doesn't make sense in anyway and was born when games were not able to simulate anything, there should be hunger bar, thirst bar, stamina bar, and pain chart with a body overlay, but many mechanics should be hidden and will have like blood volume and many forms of death triggers due to diseases and the like.
Other than that though, the smelting and mining mechanics of TFC is particularly enjoyable and believeable enough that it doesn't make any complaints from me, although I would reserve high level mining like digging deep underground to iron levels and up, for thousands of years, shifting sand and gravels in water is how we get the metal we want, and even now bauxite is still mined that way, although the mechanics for this should be different from TFC, which is biome based, the metal extracting mechanics should be like how bauxite and many other metals work in real life, from the specific type of sand/gravel.
Veins should be distributed more on the mountain side biomes, through mechanics I've explained above, the other thing is that you shouldn't be able to farm anywhere and everywhere, the ability to do so is practically modern technology, back way then, farming was much more limited hence why civilizations grew alongside rivers and deltas, arable land and such should only be available very near to the water source, and canals etc would require iron and up tech to bring.
Well this is getting long, but perhaps you'd get some of my idea, good luck to your endeavor, I'd subscribe to the forums to see what it's like.
