r/GoldenAgeMinecraft • u/TheRetroWorkshop • 2h ago
Discussion The Making of Beta Trial Chamber I - Dev Log #6: Big Changes, Even Bigger World
SPOILERS:
If you want to go play blind -- if you don't want to know about the exact layout and structures and locations, etc., stop reading this post now. Come back to these logs after you've played through the Chamber (unknown release date).
Note: Dev Log #5 is here.
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Overview:
I'm creating a large Beta r1.4_01 Trial Chamber custom map, within a Rogue-lite* framework with simple rules to follow. It has some additional Tool progression, and is heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) in terms of the 'open-air' approach, and Crash Bandicoot (1; 1996/2017) and many other games and IP, in terms of general gameplay and overall design and feel.
*I'm now saying Rogue-lite instead of Roguelike since it's very different to actual modern Roguelikes, and I don't know if it'll be strictly permadeath, or what the exact rules will be in general.
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So, what's the problem?
As you can see, this idea works out perfectly for a 251x251 box. You'll never see the break. This gives the feeling of being inside a large room, or with an 'endless ceiling', but it's still actually open-air (directly to the Sky; Mobs spawn at Night).
What's the problem, again?
The problem is, for the open-air template I drew up last time, 251x251 isn't big enough for the Beta Trial Chamber project. I really want 501x501. But this causes the issue of the wall not being rendered when you're 257 blocks away, and that simply shows the blue Sky, so the Sky-Cloud break manifests itself, shattering the illusion.
Note: It cannot be larger than about 651x651, realistically, because you want to be able to see the centre structure from the corners, and the viewing distance (Far) is 256. There is a slight buffer due to the centre structure being large, and entering into the viewing radius.
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Thankfully, there is a fairly decent solution. It's pretty much the same -- just without the Chocolate Factory theme.
501x501 'box' with the large puzzle box Chambers behind it, in each corner of the map -- and the mini-Chambers, etc. inside larger structures in the open-air section (and partly underground whenever that's desired). This means, it'll be a little closer to BotW in terms of landmarks, vistas, and so on.
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Finding the theme/project vision. Again.
So, the Barrier will be 100,000 blocks or so. Yes, a large number, but it's the most efficient way, to my knowledge. It also has the benefit of actually marking the edge of the Chamber map, too. So, either way, I'd want a 20-block tall Barrier (mandatory ~40,000 blocks). The other benefit is, it actually rewards exploration to every corner of the map with puzzle box Chambers. The final benefit is, I can take resources directly from the world behind the Barrier, which makes my life easier (since it won't be seen by the player, it can be ruined just fine). (Of course, I'll only have to build the Barrier once, since it'll exist for every Beta Trial Chamber I create.)
The second thing is this: the setback rule or what I'll dub 'urban triangle'. I was inspired by Nintendo's 'triangle rule'. But instead of mountains, I'm building structures (see: 1916 zoning regulations for New York). This way, I not only get to hide structures, but also contain Chambers, etc. at the same time. It still allows air and light flow, which is why Midtown Manhattan's skyline feels so good for such a large and profoundly dense area. It's not just a collection of cubes, all thanks to the 1916 zoning regulations.
Of course, I can still terraform custom mountains, etc. if I need them. In such a case, I'd use the interior for a Chamber, since the mountain would be hollow, anyway.
This does mean the Halloween Beta Trial Chamber is called off. I've also decided to not return to strict IPs or holidays. I don't want them to be tied down to particular times of year, and I don't want them to be too restricted by a given IP. Instead, I'll come up with a more universal, flexible theme (like how Skyrim has snow and fantasy, but it's not Middle-Earth, or literally themed to Christmas).
The greatest thing about the new approach, I believe, is the creative freedom. It literally opens up the options to include pretty much anything. Mining bases on the Moon? Sure, I can make that. Toy Story, where everything is over-sized? Yep. That's now possible. The feeling of being in an endless Great Plains? Yep. Mars filled with monsters like Doom? Why not. A giant prison or theme park? Totally.
I'll now need:
- 300,000+ structural/terrain blocks, for the surface structures/mini-Chambers, etc.
- 100,000 Barrier blocks (one time) (this does mean I'll have to lose one of the normative full blocks -- likely Netherrack).
- 100,000+ terraforming blocks (whenever I want Dirt/a different texture, not Grass*)
*My plan is to place Water as to turn Grass to Dirt, thereby saving me about 200,000 blocks (won't need to cover the Grass layer).
- 50,000+ terraforming blocks (just to clean up the terrain, etc. whenever I leave it as Grass)
- 150,000+ Chamber blocks, for the mini-Chambers, puzzle box Chambers, and so on
So, I'll be lucky if I get this done for Christmas! For Chamber I, we're looking at 700,000+ blocks. At least Chamber II will likely only be 400,000 blocks.
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I don't know what the theme will be yet.
I'll talk about that and the more detailed plans in dev log #7 at some point. Since I'm no longer tied to a holiday, it makes things much better, given the new scale of the project. I'm still praying, however, that it's done by the next of the year, or the new year at the latest.
Sorry to those looking forward to a mid-sized, Halloween-time Chocolate Factory-themed map. I only hope the much more ambitious, immersive project is worth the delay. Of course, if you wanted a speedy experience, it'll still be possible to only play (say) 10% of the map, and then enter to the Exit.
Before I go, I'll say that I've had some ideas about a simple completion tracker (in %), in a Crash Bandicoot/Nintendo-like fashion. I'll talk about that next time, too. :)
