RNC 6: A Philosophy Shift: Native

[Sporadic 2799]

 

The Remove Nexus Chronicles

A Philosophy Shift: Native

 

When I made the moronic decision to rejoin the LotC tech team the title of my application was "remove nexus". Indeed, I think undoing the monstrosity that I had helped create was the least I could do to absolve myself of past sins. Nevertheless, even if Nexus were purged from the server, the problems that we once tried to solve still exist.

Thus came the proposal for Native, first called NativeSkills but more recently Project Native. I envisioned it both as a profession system as a guiding philosophy for all future plugins. With Native, we would take all of the parts of Nexus people liked (custom foods, drinks, click-and-go workstations, RP items, weapon variety) and strip all of the content that people disliked (grinding, endless craft times, OP PvP gear, deleting core vanilla features such as 3x3 crafting).

 

Furthermore, we would commence development but for the grace of a few core rules that I have come to identify as tantamount over my years of experience here on LotC:

• Release content focused on centralization.
• Don't take options form players, but reward the things players do that help the RP on the server.
• Don't restrict vanilla minecraft, but rather add on top it.
• Don't produce content that incentivizes or forces long periods of grinding over roleplaying.
• Make content that is true to Minecraft, but include the lore that makes LotC special wherever possible.

 

The philosophy is simple, but the execution is not. The resulting system was far more complex than Nexus could ever be. And make no mistake, Nexus was complicated to code. And the only reason it was even doable by a few volunteer coders in their free time was because we could do exactly those things players did not like... because it saved us time in the long run. But of course, this only served to remind us

 

Nexus was as much Telanir's creation as mine. Alas, now Max is a full-time "Chairman" that hasn't written code for years, and I'm an old ******* man who can't be seen hanging around with you kids anymore. I've written too ambitious for an amazing profession system once, but truth be told unless we Kickstarter it there's no way to find anyone with the skills and time allocation to really knock it out of the park.

 

But as they say: Perfect is the enemy of good. I've shelved about half the ideas and opted to keep it simple. There are a few smaller, simpler plugins that don't take as much time from me, but are still going to be fun and engaging for you (hopefully). And, of course, they will keep to the rules I've posted above so you will never see the like of Nexus encroaching on LotC again.

 

 

The Llama Caravan plugin is the first step in a Patch 6.2 you will soon see launched. Thanks to everyone's testing and feedback, I'm now on the path of creating a basic Pet Protection plugin that will cure Llama autism (for the most part, since a lot of their retardation is just innate to Minecraft). We will then release as many as three trade routes, each of them starting at CT but ending somewhere else, and cycle through them one week at a time. This measure will make sure that our desire for centralization is met, as there will only ever be one profitable road to venture. This forces people to meet each other, maximizing the chance of RP.

 

 

The second measure is the sparsely revealed HuntLite plugin. Dredging through the code of the late Teegah we've worked it into a spawning algorithm that doesn't bog down the server and ensures the same degree of centralization we've wanted from other plugins. Native-Hunting will randomly activate one of 9 areas per day, allowing you to fight one of 9 random mobs (and one secret one ;). These mobs are area-bound and their spawning is such that lag factories aka mob grinding caves will be a thing of the past. Some of these mobs you may already know from tried and true Lord of the Craft lore.

 

As a little spoiler, here's a page from our bestiary:

Spoiler

Bogbeast
 

Fancy a trip through the swamp? Think again. Whether they are perished soldiers form an ancient war or hapless travelers who succumbed to the swamp, it is clear these ravenous creatures have found precious little rest. A well-equipped adventurer will likely find it easy to pick them ofSf. Shambling and slow, they are little threat. Yet stay alert. When they die, they will explode in a cloud of putrid, rancid bile. You will want to keep your distance.
Challenge Rating: LOW

 

 

 

Graven

The layers of snow in the cold and frigid south cover the unmarked graves of thousands of perished spirits. All of them dead. Deader than dead. There can be no doubt. Not all of them have come to terms with this, however. They continue to fight a war that has long passed, and as it turns out, they think you are the enemy.
You cannot help but feel the chills running down your back when you engage the vengeful spirit. The frosty bite of their arrows will chill you quite significantly, as will the foolish notion of challenging one head-on. Don't think that re-killing the dead is trivial, either. When the skeletal vessel of these bastards falls, they assume a diminiutive form that is sure to Vex you ?
Challenge Rating: MEDIUM

 

 

Rogue Golem

The Golem is a construct made with a soul and a purpose. Its life's duty is absolute and specified by design. Yet when that duty has long dissappeared from the annals of history, what remains of the soul within the core? When all it once stood for has faded from even its own memory, what can be left but the madness of an unnaturally twisted soul, caged within the metal construction that holds him?
These solid metal construct cannot be reasoned with. It cannot be turned and it cannot be controlled. It is protected to the teeth with deterrents and packs the wallopiest of wallops. Arrows will bounce off them near-harmlessly and piercing its plates might uncover quite the unpleasant surprise. Do not expect one to fall easily. They will give you quite the fight.
Challenge Rating: HIGH

 

 

But don't worry, lore-haters, because the strongest mob of all is the dreaded Unlorethy, which is sure to pose the greatest challenge to aspiring Hunters yet, and it ALWAYS calls PvP default. I dare you to try and shelf him ?

 

Expect to see these critters soon, either in the areas designated by them (There will be a guide at Cloud Temple to show you the way), or within the hands of the Event Team, which will be able to spawn these beasts to spice up your Event Experience.

 

 

The third measure is an expansion of our Cloud Temple stores. Because let's face it, for Minas coming in there needs to be Minas going out. I've spoiled a little about this before, but I will spoil some of it again, because I think it will be interesting.

 

As I've mentioned I've worked really hard to turn some of our old plugins into Attributes. These Attributes you may have seen in the Persona menu before, governing stats such as how many Soulstone slots you have. Now, however, almost EVERYTHING is an attribute, and you can boost all of these

 

For example, new players get a temporary -80% Hunger attribute, but for the right price your Persona can get a permanent one by consuming an Elixir. More of the studious type? I've revamped the Soulstone plugin so that each of your Personas can have a red soulstone pillar, as long as you first study one of the Tomes that keep this hidden knowledge. Pet protection? More knowledge on animal husbandry can be gained from studying one of our books. Knockouts lasting too short, another Elixir will give your comrades extra time to revive you.

 

As with the Shop Of Wonders, there will again be oodles of new equipment coming through the CT by foreign Llama caravans. As always, we try to keep away from things that completely upset the balance of PvP, such as diamond armor. Regardless, despite this requirement we hope you will find some use of the items for sale, and feel like your Minas-hoarding ways have not been in vain. Most of all, we want you to know that your VOTING has not been in vain. Of course, you are still fully encouraged to Buy and Sell RP items with your money, as these are the items that truly make Lord of the Craft what it is.

 

 

The fourth measure... well, let's not give away too much already. After all, anticipation is half the fun.

 

Hugs and Kisses,
- Awe

 

 

PS I know nobody cares but the forums now include emojis. Native was going to allow emojis into OOC chat too but somehow nobody else on the dev team was excited

?

 

[SeventhCircle 456]

?

[Guest Guest]

51 minutes ago, Sporadic said:

Native was going to allow emojis into OOC chat too 

 

this needs to be a priority

[AgentMemory 69]

?cheers

[Ixli 1471]

☃️