Effigy: Mob Decoy

[RaustBlackDragon]

I just realized something when examining the mob trap a fellow succession game member made: Spawner traps currently cannot be automated. Sure, you can have the mobs automatically die and have the hopper collect the drops, but since it's a spawner, you still have to be nearby, so you might as well collect the drops yourself, right? What good is an "Automated" mob trap if you still have to be present?

And then it hit me: An Effigy!

It's a craftable steve-shaped dummy, which will extend the entityplayer class. Plop one down and mobs will aggro it as if it were you. It'll also treat it like a player during spawn calculation, so it would also prevent nearby mobs from spawning in rooms you need to keep dark, and would also trigger nearby spawners just like you do.

How does this sound?

[Zhil]

It's odd and I'm not sure what I think about it.

That said, it does tie in with advanced uses of the soul urn

[jorgebonafe]

Lol

Of course, because it is not the dummy the monsters will smell, is the soul trapped inside, screaming XD Of course, if this is ever implemented it must scream sporadically XD

Humm... If this is an entity instead of a block, it would also save a block ID... I don't think that would be much of a performance issue, unless people make tons of these things..... Or maybe I'm wrong.

[RaustBlackDragon]

Lol

Of course, because it is not the dummy the monsters will smell, is the soul trapped inside, screaming XD Of course, if this is ever implemented it must scream sporadically XD

Humm... If this is an entity instead of a block, it would also save a block ID... I don't think that would be much of a performance issue, unless people make tons of these things..... Or maybe I'm wrong.

That's the plan, that it would be an entity, so it can extend entityplayer and "fool" mobs and the spawning code.

[CreeperCommando]

Rather than scream, I'd much rather anticipate for when FC can implement custom sounds and make it say random stuff XD
It'd feel natural that Steve would build his first 'scarecrow/buddy' just for the sake to have someone to talk to, and then discover the work his new friennd can do for him.
If it can aggro, should it have health? and should it be able to "do" other tasks?

[jorgebonafe]

Rather than scream, I'd much rather anticipate for when FC can implement custom sounds and make it say random stuff XD
It'd feel natural that Steve would build his first 'scarecrow/buddy' just for the sake to have someone to talk to, and then discover the work his new friennd can do for him.
If it can aggro, should it have health? and should it be able to "do" other tasks?

I don't think so... You're talking a robot almost, something difficult to do even today in the real world. Totally out of Steve's tech level.

[RaustBlackDragon]

I don't think so... You're talking a robot almost, something difficult to do even today in the real world. Totally out of Steve's tech level.

I agree. But yes, it should have health, as in the monsters should eventually destroy it (if they can get to it).

[Camerinthus]

Can't you just make a mob tower? (floors upon floors of dark rooms with water pouring towards a hole which leads to saws)

[RaustBlackDragon]

Can't you just make a mob tower? (floors upon floors of dark rooms with water pouring towards a hole which leads to saws)

This would optimize that as well by luring the mobs directly into the falling areas.

[Stormweaver]

Can't you just make a mob tower? (floors upon floors of dark rooms with water pouring towards a hole which leads to saws)

This would optimize that as well by luring the mobs directly into the falling areas.

wouldn't it stop them from spawning though? If it's being treated as a player and all.

I like the idea of a fake Steve. Something that stays still, and does all the things that Steve staying still does - keeping chunks loaded (maybe a smaller radius for this), keeping mobs from spawning, and so on. I don't see why it should be attackable and such though.

[jorgebonafe]

I don't see why it should be attackable and such though.

For balance reasons for one. Also so you have to think of ways to protect your dummy, and make sure the mobs can see it but not necessarily reach it.

About the monsters not spawning, that is true, but not impossible to work your way around. Maybe put the dummy in a minecart that will stay far from the mop trap for periods of time, give'm a chance to spawn, and then take it near to lure them.

[RaustBlackDragon]

Can't you just make a mob tower? (floors upon floors of dark rooms with water pouring towards a hole which leads to saws)

This would optimize that as well by luring the mobs directly into the falling areas.

wouldn't it stop them from spawning though? If it's being treated as a player and all.

correct, wasn't thinking there.

[Stormweaver]

I don't see why it should be attackable and such though.

For balance reasons for one. Also so you have to think of ways to protect your dummy, and make sure the mobs can see it but not necessarily reach it.

About the monsters not spawning, that is true, but not impossible to work your way around. Maybe put the dummy in a minecart that will stay far from the mop trap for periods of time, give'm a chance to spawn, and then take it near to lure them.

It kinda seems uneccessery though. If you're using to to prevent spawning/activate a mob spawner, you stick it in an enclosed box. Same goes for luring spiders.

In the meantime, you don't really need anything to lure things in a mob trap. Just use signs and water, it works fine.

[jorgebonafe]

Yeah, maybe unnecessary, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be added. Its not like its difficult, all mobs can already be put in a minecart. Maybe there could be some other uses for that we just didn't think of yet. Humm... luring real players on a pvp server :p

[SPACEDUDE360000]

I don't see why it should be attackable and such though.

For balance reasons for one. Also so you have to think of ways to protect your dummy, and make sure the mobs can see it but not necessarily reach it.

About the monsters not spawning, that is true, but not impossible to work your way around. Maybe put the dummy in a minecart that will stay far from the mop trap for periods of time, give'm a chance to spawn, and then take it near to lure them.

It kinda seems uneccessery though. If you're using to to prevent spawning/activate a mob spawner, you stick it in an enclosed box. Same goes for luring spiders.

In the meantime, you don't really need anything to lure things in a mob trap. Just use signs and water, it works fine.

I'm pretty sure the main point of this is to load chunks not just to lure things. (BTW this can be done with buildcraft teleport pipes)

[Mason11987]

wouldn't it stop them from spawning though? If it's being treated as a player and all.

I think the "block mob spawning" feature that the player has need not apply to the decoy, I think simply a mob spawner activator/chunk force loader would be sufficient.

[MoRmEnGiL]

Hmm messing with what chunks are loaded though can bring problems with it.

[grimper12341]

I don't think so... You're talking a robot almost, something difficult to do even today in the real world. Totally out of Steve's tech level.

Eh it could easily enough be magic. I mean extracting souls from the materials of the underworld isn't exactly science <.<

[jorgebonafe]

I don't think so... You're talking a robot almost, something difficult to do even today in the real world. Totally out of Steve's tech level.

Eh it could easily enough be magic. I mean extracting souls from the materials of the underworld isn't exactly science <.<

Yeah, I guess.... But having a puppet that actually does thigs for you, like mining or harvesting crops and stuff, would kinda detract from the gameplay IMO...

Also, realistically speaking, if your dummy can move, and you trap souls inside it, it's more likely to try to kill you then become your buddy XD

[grimper12341]

Well yeh that would be pushing it. But if all it does it sit there and attract mobs, making it semi alive through magic and able to talk wouldn't be that bad.

[jorgebonafe]

It could talk, I guess... I think it is possible to even do that without audio mod, isn't? I mean, IC² has new sounds and it doesn't require anything else to play them... Granted, I don't know how IC² does the sounds, so I could be wrong.

Also, unless it just says random things it might be difficult to implement.

[RaustBlackDragon]

A lot of people seem to be supporting different features, so I thought I'd put a poll in to keep tabs on what the general feature consensus is.

[Glox]

Keeping monsters from spawning is already easily done by lighting the place up.
Keeping chunks loaded isn't really needed imo because if you're so far away from something so often that you'd need this functionallity, it's mostly bad architecture on your end. Besides, chunk loading is really not something to mess with without solid reasons.

I vote for 2 and 4

I don't think so... You're talking a robot almost, something difficult to do even today in the real world. Totally out of Steve's tech level.

Eh it could easily enough be magic. I mean extracting souls from the materials of the underworld isn't exactly science <.<

Sad thing is magic does not exist. Maybe you could explain a talking dummy with magic in minecraft, but someone in the real world still has to code that talking dummy. Which is, as said, something difficult to do even today :)

[jorgebonafe]

FC stated several times he dislikes polls in suggestion threads... Even if he said he wont read the suggestions as often from now on, you should probably remove that.

[Deepsniper]

Well its not the same kind of poll... This is a poll to see which way this discussion should go.