[Mod] Mob Engine [2.3.2] [mob_engine]

[diogogomes]

Mob Engine
https://github.com/minetest-mods/mob-engine


Mob Engine (formely Creatures MOB-Engine) is a mod(pack) for Minetest that provides a mob engine and several creatures to the game.

Currently includes:

• chickens
• ghosts
• mob engine
• oerrkis
• sheep
• zombies

Mob Engine was started as a fork of BlockMen's Creature MOB-Engine (when the developer abandoned the project) with the purpose of maintain.

Install

Minetest Bower (recommended)

Mob Engine is on Minetest Bower (a mod repository and package manager for Minetest)

You can easily install with the command:

Code: Select all

bower install --save mob-engine

More information here.


Manual

You can download the latest release and extract it to your mods folder.

More information here.

License

Code: Zlib

Media: CC-BY-SA 3.0

Mod dependencies

• default
• farming (optional)
• wool (optional)

Releases

Stable: 2.3.2

Develop (unstable): develop

All (outdated): all

[Andrey01]

I see will you want to add new features and mobs to here?Because BlockMen abandoned the development of it

[u34]

nice! I would like to have bigs and cows in the game. Can you do it for the community?!! That would be nice.
cows and bigs you can use the model from the subgame MineClone2. There are similar mobs from minecraft.

[diogogomes]

@Andrey01 and @cHyper,

First steps are maintain the code (bug fixes, clean, write proper documentation).

In the future, I hope add new improvements and features.


@cHyper,

If you want, you can make requests in project page (github).


New ideas, requests, issues and developers are welcome.

[Sokomine]

It would be nice if mobs could be used by diffrent mob engines. There are plenty of mobs that belong to forks of simple mobs (many of them mobs_redo-based). At least models, textures and names ought to be relatively unproblematic.

[diogogomes]

@Sokomine,
One thing that I have been thinking about is the possibility of making Mob Engine a kind of global engine compatible with all mobs but for that would require enough people and contributors interested.

I've been wondering if it would be viable...

If there are interested developers, I'm available.

[bell07]

There was already such discussions like this about the "official mobs engine" that was sunken.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10865
viewtopic.php?t=9836

Diversity is the main advantage of open source. In OS it does not work to force just one way, just one definition or just one implementation.

The issue I see in minetest modding is the lack of reusability. There is too few libs-mods, that could be used by more then one mod, a great number of mods I seen (also the admirable too) are 1-file all-in-one - framework/api-definition/other-mod-api-implementation/wrapper/gameplay-elements blobs. :-(

It would be better to start to cut off the usual things for mobs (path finding, usual idle behaviour, water physics, collision handling and so on) from all mobs-mods to a library mod in a way that can be used for all.

My first step to this direction: Movement framework for NPC's ;) https://github.com/bell07/minetest-npcf ... vement.lua Should be (re)usable in each NPC/Mobs mod if needed.

EDIT: I am happy to see "lib_mount" that is reuable, and reused in even non-mobs mod "vehicle_mash" :-) That is the right way!

[diogogomes]

Version 2.3.2 - 2017-04-10

Changelog

Changed
- Update general information

Fixed
- Fix Minetest Bower integration

[diogogomes]

@bell07,

Thanks for the links of discussions.

I don't mean "official mob engine" but one global and reusable where developers can merge common libraries.

I really like your Movement framework for NPC's. It's that direction that I wish to take in Mob Engine!

Are you interested in collaborate?

[bell07]

I help where I can as the time permits, with priorities set by my own demand (mostly, I try it so) .

Hm, the first step would be for me to add the movement framework to the library. The question is now where it should be add and how.
The assumption is it should be added to the "creatures" mod. The creatures is not a library at the time but a framework with an own API to implement mobs. Should the creatures be "transformed" to a library that can be used by other frameworks like mobs_redo or npcf? Or should a new "libmobs" mod started that shares the reusable code for both frameworks? Or should the new functionality just copied in the framework enhancing the API?
The last way will not work, we cannot force the creatures API over all other existing API's.

Other question is the code style. The current mob-engine is written in functional style. Assume it should be stay on this. I personally like more the object oriented style.

[Sokomine]

@Sokomine,
One thing that I have been thinking about is the possibility of making Mob Engine a kind of global engine compatible with all mobs but for that would require enough people and contributors interested.

That would be very nice. In order to get started, it'd be great if diffrent mob mods could at least re-use models and textures. Actual code and functionality might vary too much.

The issue I see in minetest modding is the lack of reusability. There is too few libs-mods, that could be used by more then one mod, a great number of mods I seen (also the admirable too) are 1-file all-in-one - framework/api-definition/other-mod-api-implementation/wrapper/gameplay-elements blobs. :-(

Sadly that's so, yes. My own mods fall into that category as well. The reason for that is that there's no convenient way of handling mod dependencies. If it's not in mtg, you've got to assume that the lib you need isn't there because the player hasn't installed it yet. Any dependency that has to be manually installed reduces the amount of players who can use the mod significantly.

My first step to this direction: Movement framework for NPC's ;) https://github.com/bell07/minetest-npcf ... vement.lua Should be (re)usable in each NPC/Mobs mod if needed.

EDIT: I am happy to see "lib_mount" that is reuable, and reused in even non-mobs mod "vehicle_mash" :-) That is the right way!

Oh yes. That's certainly welcome :-) Maybe libs could be bundled into a libs-modpack so that they'll be more likely to be installed already when a mod wants to depend on them.

[diogogomes]

I help where I can as the time permits, with priorities set by my own demand (mostly, I try it so) .

Do not worry. Since there is already a stable branch and the main reason for the fork was maintenance, there is no deadline. Just pleasure.

Hm, the first step would be for me to add the movement framework to the library. The question is now where it should be add and how.
The assumption is it should be added to the "creatures" mod. The creatures is not a library at the time but a framework with an own API to implement mobs. Should the creatures be "transformed" to a library that can be used by other frameworks like mobs_redo or npcf? Or should a new "libmobs" mod started that shares the reusable code for both frameworks? Or should the new functionality just copied in the framework enhancing the API?
The last way will not work, we cannot force the creatures API over all other existing API's.

For now I left the "creatures" intact but I like "new functionality just copied in the framework enhancing the API".

What if we add your framework and start a new scalable api for the purpose of common compatibility with other mobs?
Over time, the mobs (chicken, ghost, etc) will be adapted to the new api.

Other question is the code style. The current mob-engine is written in functional style. Assume it should be stay on this. I personally like more the object oriented style.

Good question. I don't have an answer.
Some time ago, I used in my non related projects the object-oriented programming but I'm looking for functional programming.

What do you think is the best option for this project regarding integration with other mobs, the game api and scalability?

The reason for that is that there's no convenient way of handling mod dependencies.

If we evangelize the Bower usage, when users install a mod with bower, the dependencies (mob-engine or others) are auto installed.

In order to get started, it'd be great if different mob mods could at least re-use models and textures.

Your contributions are welcome. If you don't mind, open issues here with new ideas.

[BrunoMine]

Should the creatures be "transformed" to a library that can be used by other frameworks like mobs_redo or npcf? Or should a new "libmobs" mod started that shares the reusable code for both frameworks? Or should the new functionality just copied in the framework enhancing the API?

I believe that a new "libmobs" mod can help with the organization of development. However, it could only have strictly important functions (movement, metadata and others).
Sonorization and intelligence are examples of very different parameters in each mob.

Other question is the code style. The current mob-engine is written in functional style. Assume it should be stay on this. I personally like more the object oriented style.

I do not see any major problems in maintaining functional style.

[texmex]

I believe there's some parallel CME based development happening here. Perhaps the projects can leverage each other?