Looks like there will be Alchemy in vMC 1.9

[M!C]

Leveling would be fine if it was done the way dwarf fortress did it. The more levels you gain the faster you do tasks. Or like Mcmmo did it where you could get double drops and such. If you are just learning how to mine you're only going to get what you see, but the more experience you get you'll be able to recognize how much ore is in the block you just mined.

If there has to be leveling in minecraft this would most certainly be the best solution.

Maybe you could also restrict some crafting recipes to higher levels ... pistons for example are more difficult to build and thus require a certain level of experience.

[M!C]

Back on topic:

THEY GAVE THE CAULDRON BACK!!!

Jens Bergensten:

A quick discussion with @notch led me in on a new way of doing the potion brewing. Cauldron is out...

[Urian]

Is it just me or does the alchemy mechanics resemble TES mora than just a little? Funny since they went to court with Bethesda yesterday (or was it two days ago) :p

[Deepsniper]

Potions though may seem kinda childish and out of place in this game actually seem to kinda make some sense though... i mean they decided to come out with the adventure update and well alchemy kinda seems to fir in with the magical aspect of things. I know for sure that water breathing would actually make some aspects of all mods/game-play more interesting and for sure a lot less painful... As for the others theres always some aspects that could be nice to use once in a while like boosting minign speed while you mine, run faster when your in the nether (to run away from ghasts) ect...

[Chuffy]

Jeb just tweeted that cauldron is now a brewing stand :S So any possible work arounds avoided and FC cauldron still firmly in place :D

[Urian]

I completely approve the introduction of potions. I've seen some people complain that they make MC less of a building game and more of an RPG but no-one is forcing you to use potions if you don't want to. Depending on the ingredients and how they implement them I can see several new types of "farms" being useful and depending on how they are coded, perhaps potential for new effects from mods.

[screally]

Creative mode (and in my opinion, all the variations of wool colours) were a massive step in the building-mode direction that has yet been equaled in adventure-style updates. However, on the other hand, the argument of "you don't have to use it" is exactly the same that all the wolfaboos came up with against FC.

Whereas Mojang are working to make this game more adventure ended, the argument follows they could have implemented many new building/creative updates.

It's all about perspective I guess.

[echo off]

seriously, mojang just wants to screw with FC...

"jeb_ : The cauldron is still in the game, but it doesn't really DO anything at the moment. You can still add water to it, though"

[Deepsniper]

Yes the cauldron is still in the the game but i seriously doubt they really are trying to mess with FC. I believe that the potions and entire adventure update make minecraft have a different turn. To be honest I was kinda getting bored of the entire built a city now what idea. with the adventure update it's kinda fun to travel and explore. The mineshafts are nice, the oceans are sweet and ect. But now we actually have a reason to explore and go further than 3 chunks from our bases.

As for alchemy and potions they fit in quite nicely with the feel of minecraft. Sure they're not automated or something but by the looks of it making potions is easy and interesting its a complete new system that gives you endless options to make different potions. so yes they are very much like TES but so what TES has a pretty interesting and developed system that catches your attention and makes you want to try new potions and ect.

[Urian]

@Deepsniper: Don't get me wrong, I think it's a good thing that the alchemy resembles TES since I think it's one of the best implementations of alchemy I've seen in a game (even if the Morrowind alchemy exploits were just a wee bit overpowered ;) ).

It also seems like Notch is working on an item enchantment system, might be interesting to see how that turns out.

[Adjudicator79]

I actually like anything that will make use of other elements in the game. That doesn't express what I mean very well. Hmm, let's try this. One of the reasons I love BTW is because it now matters how I go about getting my wood. It now matters what I do with my iron, whether I craft picks from it (in vM, just to dig more iron) or use it for steel, or pistons, etc. BTW's addition of the cauldron and leather for mechanical power was the same thing. Now there's a point to gathering supplies other than just a chest full of "stuff" for me to glory in.

So potions and alchemy to me represents a great use of all the peripherals that were there. Mushrooms actually become important, as do flowers, and whatever else they use. I like this. It doesn't feel RPG to unless it's simply to remind me that RPGs actually do pull some elements from the real world. Finding important uses for the materials and items from the environment surrounding Steve is one of the reasons I like to play Minecraft and one of the major reasons that BTW is the only significant mod I run.

Just my $0.02.

[PuppetRebel]

Apparently all the coding for potions is in the pre-release.
Check it out!

[Battosay]

Honestly, I've hardly used sprinting at all, although I only played with 1.8 for a few hours. What do you like it for Battosay? Maybe I'm missing something :)

Well, when I walk in the street irl, I always walk very fast. I'm hyperactive, so I have to do everything as fast as I can. When I play any kind of game, I always run when I can.
I always found that you walked a bit slowly, and since my batcave is sooo huge, sprinting is great to go from A to B :)
Plus, now I'm able to jump a 2 blocks gap 100% of the time, which was not the case before (crappy computer = lag = jump failled a lot ^^)

[Deepsniper]

it was there too in the 1.8 just not complete.

[Magmarashi]

Apparently all the coding for potions is in the pre-release.
Check it out!

Some more, in-depth, information on Alchemy

http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/673 ... guidepics/

:D

[Runesmith]

Apparently all the coding for potions is in the pre-release.
Check it out!

Some more, in-depth, information on Alchemy

http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/673 ... guidepics/

:D

I've read a few pages of that thread, and honestly, the cauldron system seemed really fun. Using only one or two ingredients per full cauldron of water made it easy enough to not be frustrating on entry.

However, the use of more than two reagents and cauldron refilling, the number of possibilities were diverse enough to be an fun experimentation mini-game in itself.

With the "brewing stand" change, I don't know enough to evaluate it, so I'll wait and see.

As for the enchantment system Notch wants to implement, I'm not keen to the randomness he suggests. Plus, if one could apply potions with negative effects to weapons (as one does in Elder Scrolls), "enchantment" of weapons wouldn't require a system separate from alchemy.

Honestly, the whole enchantment idea seems rather redundant to me considering potion buffs, the potential for weapon poisons, and a leveling system for one's character.

The only plus side I see is the potential to use excess experience orbs once one's already at the max level, but this function could be diverted to alchemy anyway.

[Magmarashi]

I could see the Golden Apple recipe being moved to an Enchantment, at the very least

[DaveYanakov]

I'm a huge fan of the new biomes and the new lighting. Not only do they look pretty, they also boost performance noticeably.

Giving us things to do with reed farms, a reason to go into the nether on anything other than peaceful, etc are all well and good. I'm with FC though in that I'd rather see focus on building things and populating them. Not just building mob spawners shaped like rowhouses in my city.

[Magmarashi]

I'm a huge fan of the new biomes and the new lighting. Not only do they look pretty, they also boost performance noticeably.

Giving us things to do with reed farms, a reason to go into the nether on anything other than peaceful, etc are all well and good. I'm with FC though in that I'd rather see focus on building things and populating them. Not just building mob spawners shaped like rowhouses in my city.

I think focusing on building things rather then constructing massive Stuff-Grinding factories is something the -player- should be concerned with. You have a choice of what to do with your world, if you make the most super-effecient choices and build a giant structure that craps out all the best stuff pre-made on top of your head and you don't like it, well, you have only yourself to blame for making it.

[DaveYanakov]

I'm referring more to things that can be used to make cooler structures. You can do a lot with pistons but things like Kaevator's stuff require mods rather than being a part of the core 'dig stuff up, build massive structures' gameplay.

[Magmarashi]

That, to me, would rest more in the realm of stuff that can wait for the code to be cleaned up, all the kinks ironed out, all the gameplay-centric features to be hammered out and put in. Cosmetics would be nice, but I'd rather them get the game to release on time and stable then have them spend more time then is needed on something as comparably frivilous as aesthetics.

As much flak as you can get around these very forums for suggesting aesthetic stuff, I'd have thought reason and logic would dicate that it would also extend to aesthetics over gameplay mechanics in VMC as well. Otherwise that is a pretty big double-standard.

[DaveYanakov]

Difference is that FC is very efficient about his coding. Using the wolves as an example, Notch could have added rather a lot of pretty blocks for the same amount of time put into attempting a pet AI and aside from the inspiration for BTW not having occurred, I don't think anyone would have minded. Things like the powered light blocks should have been in vanilla Minecraft but got overlooked in favor of 'adventure'

[Magmarashi]

That doesn't address the fact that aesthetic suggestions are scorned pretty hard here but at the same time they should be a no-problem addition that is wanted.

It boils down to one persons time being so valuable they can't possibly waste it on aesthetics and another persons time being so useless they should be adding all sorts of pretty things. The only differing factor is one person is taking gameplay somewhere that suits you, and the other is adding gameplay that isn't your style. It is a double standard. Mostly subjective, too. I like the gameplay being introduced because I like the adventure style, and I would rather he polish that up as much as possible so it doesn't sit at basic all the time.

Still, he has said in the past that he plans to add furnature and more aesthetic pieces to the game once it was released. Granted, he said that long before he even added Wolves and the BTW community popped up, but he still made it a known as something he wanted to take care of.

[DaveYanakov]

You're missing the point. The powered light blocks were originally an aesthetic addition. They're not required for growing hemp since a jack o'lantern or glowstone will do the job just as well. They were for making your house or contraption look nicer by providing a light source that could be turned on and off. This doesn't make it less cool and we are all happy to have it but it's something Notch shold have added if he'd bothered to expand on the building gameplay versus adventuring.

Minecraft would be a lot better as an engine, I think, if Notch focused on making a world building sandbox first and then put his full focus on making a game that works in it.

[FlowerChild]

That doesn't address the fact that aesthetic suggestions are scorned pretty hard here but at the same time they should be a no-problem addition that is wanted.

Well, they're largely scorned here because they consume blockids, and my time, while providing no new functionality.

I've said before in the past that I have no problem with aesthetic improvements to the game, I just don't want to be the one doing them. I make the occasional exception here and there where I figure the cost/benefit makes it worthwhile (like the panels/moulding/corners), or where I think it really feels like a natural extension of the mod (like the vases) given the systems I have in place, but beyond that, it's just not the kind of thing I enjoy working on, and not the kind of thing I have ever wanted the mod to become about.

I guess it's been a very long time since I explained the reasons behind not wanting to do them.