Better Than Wolves Forum

Version 4.8942 of Better Than Wolves is ready for download!

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This release contains the following changes:

-Added Ender Slag and Soul Flux as new items. Ender Slag is produced as a result of cooking end stone in a Kiln (instead of Brimstone, and along with White Cobble). Cooking the slag in a stoked Cauldron will then separate it into Brimstone and Soul Flux. Soul Flux is required to successfully bind the souls in the process of creating Soulforged Steel in a Crucible (along with the previous iron, Soul Urn, and Coal Dust). From a gameplay perspective, it is intended to better integrate the end dimension into BTW's overall progression, further encourage the creation of gunpowder by making cooking endstone a necessary aspect of progressing (creating Brimstone as a bi-product of that encouraging players to make use of it), and to help spread out the late game tech tree a little better as it was feeling very clumped together in the final stages. This should give iron and diamond more of a place in the progression as well, since the ability to effectively use iron for tools, armor and weapons is largely gained with the Crucible (and previously made largely obsolete by SFS at the same time). It also provides a little more room in the progression for the vanilla enchanting table, and coincides with BTW's "backstory" in terms of what the end dimension and its inhabitants represent.

-Added the ability to recycle tools and other items that use Diamond Ingots in the Crucible to further encourage the use of diamond tools & armor in the middle game, make them a more prominent part of the game overall (since players had a tendency to not want to create them due to the diamonds going to "waste"), and to provide an additional reward for attaining the Crucible level of tech now that SFS has been moved higher in the tech tree.

-Changed diamond tools, weapons and armor to be equally enchantable as iron, for similar reasons, as particularly with tools, the difference between an enchanted iron tool and a diamond one, was negligible, making it arguably more efficient to not upgrade to diamond. Given such items are iron-based in BTW to begin with, this tends to fit.

-Changed the recipe for Ender Spectacles to no longer be dependent on the Anvil, since you can no longer obtain an Anvil without visiting the end dimension, and since Spectacles are more or less necessary if you want to travel there (without having nothing to worry about anyways). The recipe now consists of two Oculars of Ender with a single Strap in between, in a horizontal line. I've also changed the ocular recipe to only produce one unit, as the spectacles are now a significant enough portion of the tech progression to warrant the extra resource expenditure.

-Changed the recipe for the Screw to no longer require the Anvil for similar reasons, moving it a little earlier in the tech tree (not much mind you given glue is still required for a Screw Pump) while preventing it getting pushed much further into it with the other changes in this release. The recipe is basically the same as before, with the bottom row chopped off, and requiring 6 iron ingots instead of the previous 8.

-Changed the recipe for the Lens to also no longer be Anvil dependent. It now consists of 6 gold ingots in vertical lines with a single diamond in the middle of the top row, and a single glass block (not a pane...the idea is that the block is shaped into a lens as part of the crafting) in the middle of the bottom (you're welcome Dave ;) ). My overall feeling on it was that the Lens wasn't seeing as much use as it should have due to the prohibitive cost, so hopefully that will correct that aspect as well as adjusting its availability based on the other changes in this release. I also put in an "upside down" version of the recipe to make it a little easier to remember.

-Removed Endermen converting blocks to end stone while still in the overworld. While cool, removing this was necessary to bottle-neck progression at the player going to the end dimension, as otherwise Soulforged Steel could be created without ever visiting it, albeit in a rather time consuming manner. The conversion process is now considered to take place as the Endermen travel between dimensions.

-Removed the option to disable Hardcore Buckets. Sorry guys, but while I had left this in out of consideration for people with old worlds (myself included), my impression is that it was just being abused by new players far too much, largely wrecking BTW's balance in the process, while there aren't many of us left still playing worlds that old (and those worlds now feel "cheaty" for a whole host of other reasons that option couldn't reconcile anyways). After putting a lot of thought into it I decided that the overall design has become way too dependent on HC Buckets being enabled to leave it as optional.

Enjoy! :)

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dang fc you added a lot this update. i look forward to building new automation for sfs :)

Awesomesauce :) Looks like another excellent update. Thank you!

My god, the amount of noobs this change will shake off from the community will be huge.

casinodoug wrote:dang fc you added a lot this update. i look forward to building new automation for sfs :)

Well, this time, it looks like a lot, but it wasn't actually a whole lot of (programming) work :)

Mainly just my accumulation of thoughts on the late game balance after having played through to SFS in my new world. IMO, there was a certain let down sensation when you got past the nether fortress and had basically everything unlocked to you in the tech tree "all at once".

By the old design, there's still a lot to do there of course, but in relation to the new balance of the early game, just felt waaaaaay too quick from there.

The size of an SFS plant is going to be huge now. We need an automated system spanning all three dimensions in order to eliminate manual input. Doesn't that break some law of physics?


Also, this made me chuckle:

FlowerChild wrote: a single glass block ... in the middle of the bottom (you're welcome Dave ;)

jakerman999 wrote:Doesn't that break some law of physics?

We didn't need those anyways ;)

I timed my decision to start a new world quite well. I already had SFS in my old one and was no where near the end, that on top of a ton of other little things I had that have since become harder to get make that world way too cheaty.

good gravy..here I am enjoying all this chocolate and you throw a great curve ball with soul flux. GG!

I hate you and I love you FC. There will be many many tears with this update. Awesome!

EmptyNight wrote:I timed my decision to start a new world quite well. I already had SFS in my old one and was no where near the end, that on top of a ton of other little things I had that have since become harder to get make that world way too cheaty.

If you're going to start a new world anyways, I'd hold off until the next release following this one. There's one more change I've got left to make that should pretty dramatically affect the overall progression.

After that, the only thing that should really affect the balance are my upcoming changes to villagers, so as long as you stay away from them until those are done, you should be good to go.

destineternel wrote:I hate you and I love you FC. There will be many many tears with this update. Awesome!

Maybe you'll finally discover the joy of HC Spawn on your road to SFS ;)

FlowerChild wrote: If you're going to start a new world anyways, I'd hold off until the next release following this one. There's one more change I've got left to make that should pretty dramatically affect the overall progression.

After that, the only thing that should really affect the balance are my upcoming changes to villagers, so as long as you stay away from them until those are done, you should be good to go.

Will that affect me if I'm only 2 Minecraft days into the world?

I really like this update in the sense that getting a blaze rod always seemed to deliver too much too quickly. Having the ability to use a stoked fire separate from getting SFS feels a lot more logical.

The only thing is that this also pushes automation waaaaaaaaaay down the tech tree. I guess it just means you have that much more incentive to make it to the end. It also makes the end that much more harder without SFS.

Ye Gods, you're some kind of better-than-wolves-producing-machine Flowerchild.

Really cool to see how much things have changed, and continue to change. Thanks for contiuning to keep on updating Better than wolves

Every time I come back to BTW, it has removed even more mechanics that I felt were "easy". This mode becomes more awesome with every update.

EmptyNight wrote:Will that affect me if I'm only 2 Minecraft days into the world?

Possibly, but probably not. If it does, I don't think you'll feel like you cheated anyways though.

Daisjun wrote: The only thing is that this also pushes automation waaaaaaaaaay down the tech tree. I guess it just means you have that much more incentive to make it to the end. It also makes the end that much more harder without SFS.

Depends which kinds of automation. Mob traps for example are still fully feasible at that point, and other simple forms involving the Hopper, Mill Stone, etc. are totally doable.

I *may* bump a few things down a bit into the space in between, but I want to see how that works out in playtesting first.

Awesome changes, dude!
I have never bothered with end access before (other than the first time I tested fighting the dragon after it was released) so this should definitely be sufficient motivation for me to go there.

The only thing that worries me is how far back the access to pistons is pushed now, and I feel a bit cheaty now for having SFS without end access in my current world. I guess I'll keep playing this word for a few more updates though.

Overall, great job! I'm looking forward to trying it out!

Well it seams my 2 year streak of succesfully avoiding the end will end pretty soon (as in when i find the end portal and the ender eyes... ). Thanks FC between this and the witch changes i will actually get to see all mobs in tge game outside creative mode.

Also i have a feeling we may be getting close to some End changes now that its required for full tech progression.

Wow! I am going to wait for the next two changes before I start to formulate a new automation plan :P
It is fitting that each item is being tied back in for all us holdouts. I am actually going to have to lens and join the 10min timer party. It is surprising the features that get under utilized.

Twice as many lenses!!!

This is the second best day ever!

DaveYanakov wrote:Twice as many lenses!!!

Not to mention 25% more screwing!

SterlingRed wrote: Not to mention 25% more screwing!

And 50% less spectating!

FlowerChild wrote:And 50% less spectating!

Call now and receive flux 'n' slag as a free gift.

FlowerChild wrote: -Removed the option to disable Hardcore Buckets. Sorry guys, but while I had left this in out of consideration for people with old worlds (myself included), my impression is that it was just being abused by new players far too much, largely wrecking BTW's balance in the process, while there aren't many of us left still playing worlds that old (and those worlds now feel "cheaty" for a whole host of other reasons that option couldn't reconcile anyways). After putting a lot of thought into it I decided that the overall design has become way too dependent on HC Buckets being enabled to leave it as optional.

So I knew you were going to do this :( I guess I am a newb for always playing with it off, time for me to grow up I guess.

Edit:
Furthermore, I actually really like the SoulSteel changes thought, because it will likely motivate me to go to the end. I think I have only been there (through legitimate play) once on my old server and we never actually faced the enderdragon because my friends always made put it on peaceful for that kind of stuff. Now I HAVE to go there if I want SS and I have to be on normal difficulty, facing the dragon is a real part of the game now.

I'm tempted to just flip out after the SFS change, but I find that it will bring enjoyment down the line, and it will make the game progression much better, so I will hold back those urges and praise you instead. I also love that you finally removed the HCB option. It's amazing that people still played with it off, even though it was obviously the intended method of play. So, nice job on the release!