Smart Objects: Reinventing Crafting

[prestidigitator]

We have this rather weird notion that there are global crafting recipes for making just about anything, and usually the most a particular object/item that helps with crafting is going to do is increase the size of the recipe space to give room for bigger recipes. There are a few exceptions such as the hoe in farming, which really does create new items when used in a specific way.

What if we did away with (most) global recipes, and just about everything were made with the assistance of one or more nodes, tools, or items? For example, glass bottles would be made using a blowpipe; stairs using a chisel on stone; tools by putting metal stock in an anvil's inventory and then hitting it with a hammer. Or something to that effect. With the development version's minetest.show_formspec(...) function, there's really no limit to the logic that could be applied to this from a mod.

The interesting bit here is that each crafting object would carry its own recipes, or even make imaginative alternate use of its inventory. For example, a stove might have a place for whatever kind of pot/pan/dish you are using, spaces for the ingredients, and a way to specify what particular dish you are making (since multiple dishes might use the same ingredients).

Any amount of realism or complexity would be possible, but even if it is kept very simple this could provide some interesting detail and a break from the monotony of sticking stuff in one inventory area and getting out one result. All kinds of uses pop up for new materials (aluminum pots and pans, anyone?). So, what do you think? Is the global craft registry ready to die a slow but painless death, replaced entirely by Lua mod code?

[rubenwardy]

You can include an item in a craft recipe so it is required, but you can make it so it is not used up.

Code: Select all

replacements = {"bucket:bucket_water","bucket:bucket"},

the only problem is that is will not get wear in this method.

[Topywo]

You can include an item in a craft recipe so it is required, but you can make it so it is not used up.

Code: Select all

replacements = {"bucket:bucket_water","bucket:bucket"},

the only problem is that is will not get wear in this method.

And:
- you only get 1 replacement
- you can only place 1 bucket/tool

[Sokomine]

More objects that are needed to craft other things also fill up the inventory even faster. This is already a huge problem when building a house. On the other hand it would be more logical to use specialized tools, and it would offer further possibilities to furnish a house.
Maybe you could do a mod with such specialized tools so that players who like it or want to play more survival/use those tools for decoration can install it? It would certainly be intresting. The only problem might be to remove the original crafts once the mod is installed.

[prestidigitator]

More objects that are needed to craft other things also fill up the inventory even faster. This is already a huge problem when building a house. On the other hand it would be more logical to use specialized tools, and it would offer further possibilities to furnish a house.
Maybe you could do a mod with such specialized tools so that players who like it or want to play more survival/use those tools for decoration can install it? It would certainly be intresting. The only problem might be to remove the original crafts once the mod is installed.

Yeah. I might do that. I think it would take creating a new "game" to actually replace all the default mods.

I was thinking earlier about a suitable alternate start to the game, rather than the ol' break down a tree method. Something like:

1. Find a rock and smash it against another rock. Breaks both rocks and gives a chance at dropping a stone knife. Breaking the rock against a block of stone instead destroys the rock and gives you a chance at a stone knife, stone axe head, or stone hammer head.
2. Use a knife on leaves (branches) and get a wooden handle. Craft the handle with an axe or hammer head and get an axe or hammer.
3. Use the axe on a tree to get blocks of wood, or on a sapling to get a staff. Use a knife on the staff to get a spear (less damage than a sword).
4. Use a staff on an isolated block of stone opposite a long drop. Knocks the stone block over the drop and has a chance of breaking and dropping a stone pick head. Craft a staff with a pick head to get a pick.
5. ...
6. Craft clay, sand, and limestone to get motar.
7. Build (not craft, but actually construct with nodes in-world) a kiln using mortar and bricks or stone blocks.
8. Smelt copper and tin plus limestone in the kiln to get bronze ingots. Smelt iron ore, limestone, and carbon to get iron ingots.
9. Build (not craft, but actually construct with nodes in-world) a blast furnace and use it to smelt iron ingots, carbon, aluminum, and sulfur to get steel.
10. Add bronse, iron, or steel ingots to an anvil and then use a hammer on the anvil to get a choice of tools to craft (might also cause a small amount of damage to the player, representing hunger and exhaustion).
11. Etc.

Probably if it is such a long process, metal tools should last longer. A good steel tool/weapon should last a long time, possibly just needing to be sharpened or unbent now and then. The stone tools used to build early items should last for only one or two uses, and maybe even have a chance of breaking without producing the desired result.

[BrandonReese]

Check out RealTest, if I remember correctly it does a lot of what you're talking about with the smelting, ingots and anvil.

http://forum.minetest.net/viewtopic.php?id=2671

[prestidigitator]

Cool. Slightly more complicated than I was thinking maybe (don't see a need to differentiate between different types of coal, for example), but definitely along the same lines. Down to starting with stone tools even. Ha! Thanks for the link.