As part of the External Game Settings, it would be nice to be able to use a checkbox system to incorporate some of the more popular Mod Packs. Like:
mo'creatures
botany
more ores
biomes o'plenty
buildcraft
industrial craft
weather and tornados
better breeding
Technic Platform
Redpower
Incorporate the "better world generation" options which lets you opt for larger biomes, huge floating islands, isolated desert isles, etc., and some control over the scarcity/abundance of resources, and access older versions of the normal terrain generator.
... etc.
Being able to pick and choose which options you can play around with can make the game much more dynamic, or just as 'vanilla' and basic as the player chooses.
Ok, I understand that there is a general consensus that "Mods will not be added" and that one should not "Suggest that an update be optional" to defend it.... However, the purpose of the post was to offer variety or flavor to the player within the same game environment.
Technically, it is not illegal to add a Mod if you have the author's permission to do so, and even if you don't it is possible to add options that are similar to another mod without that author's permission, as long as care is taken not to violate copyright law.
Personally I would enjoy the ability to optionally turn on or off various elements just for variety. Like finding copper and tin, smelting them together to make bronze, or zinc zinc copper to make brass, or hardening iron to make steel, or even carbon steel, as metal alternatives...or other gemstones, just for variety, that could be used like diamonds but with less durability and hardness.
Or maybe switching it up and adding more wildlife, creatures, more pet options, more farm animals, craft-able saddles, etc. ... or more plant/tree variety and farming options.
Maybe for a change up, something more technical, focusing more on redstone, or incorporating machinery, mass excavating/clearing, auto collecting/shipping, auto-building, plan-saving/blueprinting, work zones, fossil fuels, electricity and appliances, etc.
Maybe a more violent/dynamic weather choice...
Maybe I want trees to actually 'fall' (away from the ax/cut side) when they are chopped, or a base block in the trunk is destroyed (ie, by creeper/tnt)... maybe I want gravity to affect any completely unsupported block that defies logic (no path to the ground? then drop 1 block, check and repeat if still no path to ground, or... fall like sand, and reattach after landing)
Ultimately, the point would be to add variety to the game through options that are already tested as popular mods or something similar.
It is absolutely true that 4j could legally add content found in popular PC mods to Minecraft as vanilla features or DLC. However, the way to go about requesting these is not to say "add X mod". Instead, you should make a separate thread requesting the features of a mod (i.e. a certain mob from mo' creatures) to be either added as a vanilla feature or DLC. Also, you should keep different ideas in different threads, not throw a whole bunch of mod features into one thread. Similar ideas can be in the same thread, but don't turn it into a wishlist.
A general rule of thumb for mod requests would be to assume that 4j studios has no idea what is included in any PC mod and that they are unable to research what they include, so they're relying on the details you give in your suggestion to incorporate it. Don't focus on the mod itself as much as the content of the mod.
It is absolutely true that 4j could legally add content found in popular PC mods to Minecraft as vanilla features or DLC. However, the way to go about requesting these is not to say "add X mod". Instead, you should make a separate thread requesting the features of a mod (i.e. a certain mob from mo' creatures) to be either added as a vanilla feature or DLC. Also, you should keep different ideas in different threads, not throw a whole bunch of mod features into one thread. Similar ideas can be in the same thread, but don't turn it into a wishlist.
A general rule of thumb for mod requests would be to assume that 4j studios has no idea what is included in any PC mod and that they are unable to research what they include, so they're relying on the details you give in your suggestion to incorporate it. Don't focus on the mod itself as much as the content of the mod.
I think you are missing the point of the suggestion... the suggestion is not to add any particular mod per-se, but rather the ability to choose various different mod sets to allow for a different flavor when entering the game.
All these mods I used as 'examples' have been suggested elsewhere. It isn't the mod itself that is relevant, but the ability to add variety upon starting/creating a new map so a player can enjoy different flavors/aspects. not to add something intrinsic to the core game itself.
This suggestion is pointless if a mod is added permanently through DLC without the ability to toggle it on/off. The suggestion 'IS' to have options, not to add a specific mod. (again, those were just thrown in as examples) This is NOT a mod request in and of itself.
I think you are missing the point of the suggestion... the suggestion is not to add any particular mod per-se, but rather the ability to choose various different mod sets to allow for a different flavor when entering the game.
All these mods I used as 'examples' have been suggested elsewhere. It isn't the mod itself that is relevant, but the ability to add variety upon starting/creating a new map so a player can enjoy different flavors/aspects. not to add something intrinsic to the core game itself.
This suggestion is pointless if a mod is added permanently through DLC without the ability to toggle it on/off. The suggestion 'IS' to have options, not to add a specific mod. (again, those were just thrown in as examples) This is NOT a mod request in and of itself.
I admit I didn't understand what you were trying to get at. I guess if 4j decided to implement any of these, they would come with an on/off option already (like you can choose to load the default texture pack and hide the themed worlds after downloading a mash-up pack).
If I understand your explanations correctly, you're not actually posting a wishlist (despite what it looks like) but requesting a feature allowing us to select or deselect mods.
There's a huge problem with that, a problem the size of Microsoft. In fact, the problem is Microsoft. They own the XBox 360 platform, and they do not allow player-made content (i.e., mods) on it. The only way any of the features of a mod could be added to MCX350 would be if they were to be incorporated into the game by 4J, and at that point whether they were standard or optional content would not matter. 4J has more than enough on their plates already trying to port vanilla Minecraft to not just the XBox but to all the other platforms that are getting it; trying to add in PC mods to the game at the same time is a non-starter.
It's possible that 4J might incorporate some of the features from popular mods into the game at some time in the future. And it's possible that they may make those features optional. But they are not going to allow mod packs, popular or obscure, because Microsoft will not permit it.
As Akynth explained, it is not merely a general consensus that "mods will not be added"; it is Microsoft policies that clearly prohibits software from unauthorized software companies from being added by players onto any game on the Xbox. Microsoft would have to completely back off on this policy if Miencraft mods (as the PC has them) are ever going to get added to the game. For the Xbox 360, it is VERY unlikely that this policy will be changed. It's a system that was set up in a different era at a time when "video gaming" was viewed very differently than it is now. For the Xbox One, we'll just have to wait to see since the policies for that system are far from being written in stone yet.
As Akynth also explained, 4J has the authority to write programs for the Xbox; but Mojang (as creator of the game) also has a say in what 4J can and cannot add into their game. Also, the whole thing is complicate because, for the "popular" mods already in existence, there is already an form of agreement between Mojang and the authors of those mods... An agreement that did not foresee authorizing 4J to sell them as DLC on the Xbox. These legalities have to be sorted out before 4J can proceed. If the issues can be cleared up legally, then I'm pretty sure 4J will add the mechanics to the Xbox game to enable Xbox players to use whatever "mods" (as DLC) they might be able to get permission to reprogram for the Xbox... which brings us to the third issue... The popular mods for the PC are written in Java... and would have to be rewritten in C++ to work on the Xbox. Currently, the mod authors can't rewrite their own programs and put them onto the Xbox because they are not "authorized" by Microsoft to do so and 4J doesn't have the legal permission from the mod authors to rewrite their mods for the Xbox; nor would the mod authors probably be willing to pay 4J to reprogram their mods for use on the Xbox; nor does 4J have the time, etc. to do all that reprogramming for nothing.
I think the Mash-Up Pack was a "testing ground" for an eventual way to get some types of mods into the game. Use of the Mash-Up is completely optional but supported by the vanilla game. The extent to which the game play might be changed through a "mash-up" might mean that anything is possible... but then, the community opted to completely trash the mash-up pack concept... so, who knows where 4J will go from here... if anywhere at all.
I never once suggested that 4J not be in total control of these updates, although, I guess I can see why you might have jumped to that conclusion based on my using well known Player Mods as examples in the above.
I understand that 4J has a lot on their plate right now, and that something like this might be a long time in the coming, but it 'could' be one way that MCX360 is different than the PC version in going forward down the road.
Actually, I'd like the enchanting table and the brewing stand to be optional components, or redstone, or minecarts and rails. I can see a time when I might not want the 'mideval/magic' aspect of the game.... or I might want to immerse myself in the might and magic side and get rid of the more technological aspects like pistons and redstone logic.
I see a lot of good suggestions here that would not be a good 'fit' for the overall minecraft experience, but would be good to incorporate into an optional set that could be turned on or off at the players discretion upon world build.
Some simple things that could be done, be able to adjust the MOBs spawned... maybe I want more zombies/skeletons, and less creepers/spiders, or maybe the reverse, Maybe I want some Nether MOBs in the overworld or maybe I want some normal MOBs in the nether.
Since MCX360 CANNOT be player modd'ed and that is one of the more entertaining facets from the PC version, why not have variety packs and options that can be toggled on/off, less/balanced/more, etc.
I never once suggested that 4J not be in total control of these updates, although, I guess I can see why you might have jumped to that conclusion based on my using well known Player Mods as examples in the above.
I understand that 4J has a lot on their plate right now, and that something like this might be a long time in the coming, but it 'could' be one way that MCX360 is different than the PC version in going forward down the road.
Actually, I'd like the enchanting table and the brewing stand to be optional components, or redstone, or minecarts and rails. I can see a time when I might not want the 'mideval/magic' aspect of the game.... or I might want to immerse myself in the might and magic side and get rid of the more technological aspects like pistons and redstone logic.
I see a lot of good suggestions here that would not be a good 'fit' for the overall minecraft experience, but would be good to incorporate into an optional set that could be turned on or off at the players discretion upon world build.
Some simple things that could be done, be able to adjust the MOBs spawned... maybe I want more zombies/skeletons, and less creepers/spiders, or maybe the reverse, Maybe I want some Nether MOBs in the overworld or maybe I want some normal MOBs in the nether.
Since MCX360 CANNOT be player modd'ed and that is one of the more entertaining facets from the PC version, why not have variety packs and options that can be toggled on/off, less/balanced/more, etc.
As I said, that I think then that you're asking for something that, in principle, is already starting to be there through the Mash-Up Pack model. The "mods" brought in may or may not be too much like the "popular" ones for the PC since that depends on the legalities that can be cleared by 4J (i.e. what "rights" they can obtain from the mod authors to duplicate and reprogram their mods). They've shown that they can clear rights to utilize parts of other games to "mash-up" into Minecraft... so, perhaps a little patience to allow them to develop the support system and clear legalities for other things (right now they are working on get rights to some texture packs), it might lead to something great.
Likewise, toggling features that are in the vanilla PC game (like mob spawn rates) would probably have to be approved by Mojang (as creator of the original game). They would not really fall under the area of support for mods; but would involve programming individual toggles for each feature.
Ok, revisiting this one since I haven't brought it up in a while.... and now that I'm a bit more familiar with the forums and guidelines and the people herein, I hope to better articulate my thoughts appropriately regarding this topic.
So let me lay this out fresh to avoid previous confusions:
The Basic Suggestion:
Implement controls in the game to turn on/off or modify certain game aspects/MOBs/items/Ores/Plants/Biomes/Technologies/Weather/etc., and in doing so, have the flexibility to offer multiple options to players to play in different genre's of games from stone-age tech, to medieval, to fantasy/magical, to vanilla, to pre-industrial, to post-industrial, as well as having less/more ambient/passive/neutral/aquatic/hostile MOBs and villagers, and available building materials, ores, wood, plants, gems, stone, etc..
Incorporate the "better world generation" options which lets you opt for ability to force, allow, or disallow certain biome types upon world spawn, larger biomes, smaller biomes, (huge) floating islands, isolated desert isles, etc., and some control over the scarcity/abundance of resources, and access older versions of the normal terrain generator.
... etc.
Through so doing, implementing a number of options that are open to the player to pick and choose at the onset of the world creation. These options would not be alterable after the world was spawned and are only available options during world creation.
This feature would allow 4J another avenue to make the 360 fairly unique from the PC in offering an easy/user friendly interface to allow users to adjust the type of Minecraft experience they have and be able to enjoy many of the aspects that other players experience in the Modding community without having to be come familiar with how to MOD a program.
These additional features could be sold by 4J in the form of Upgrade Packs (where trial versions would be available for download to allow other players to participate in Multiplayer Worlds, but would not allow them to 'save' any non-vanilla world without purchasing the game upgrades used to spawn the world (for which the user would be warned of that before the world is generated).
As a suggestion list for ideas, the layout could be similar to several other popular MODs that are already prevalent on the PC/Java environment. As examples of popular MOD packs that are already in play on the PC that could be used for ideas:
mo'creatures
botany
more ores
biomes o'plenty
buildcraft
industrial craft
weather and tornados
better breeding
Technic Platform
Redpower
Being able to pick and choose which options you can play around with can make the game much more dynamic, or just as 'vanilla' and basic as the player chooses.
*Note: Choosing non-standard/non-default should disable Leaderboards as going into creative mode would anyway.
As a suggestion list for ideas, the layout could be similar to several other popular MODs that are already prevalent on the PC/Java environment. As examples of popular MOD packs that are already in play on the PC that could be used for ideas:
mo'creatures
botany
more ores
biomes o'plenty
buildcraft
industrial craft
weather and tornados
better breeding
Technic Platform
Redpower
Being able to pick and choose which options you can play around with can make the game much more dynamic, or just as 'vanilla' and basic as the player chooses.
*Note: Choosing non-standard/non-default should disable Leaderboards as going into creative mode would anyway.
I have no objection to there being more optional toggles when launching a new world. At the bottom line, though, you're still asking for a means of adding what has been PC player-made content into the game. The problem with that probably lies in obtaining copyright permissions from the makers of those original mods. When those mods were made for the PC, they were done under specific agreed upon terms with Mojang. As I understand it, that agreement does not extend those rights to 4J and Microsoft. So, just because the creator of the mod has made it free for use on the PC doesn't necessarily mean that it can be assumed that those creators will agree or can agree to make their mods similarly available on the Xbox... particularly since there may be a significant cost to getting themselves authorized by Microsoft to write and distribute software for use on the Xbox.
Also, 4J can't just haul off a copy/port a player-made mod onto the Xbox without the creator's permission to do so since that would (most likely) violate the copyrights held by the creators of those mods. When 4J writes DLC for the game, they are pretty much required to come up with their own original ideas... and that is difficult given the shear amount of mods that have been written for the PC over the years. The Mash Up packs, however, show that 4J is quite capable of coming up with some original ideas... so rather than keep asking them to recreate the stuff available on the PC, I would rather just sit back and be surprised about what they might come up with yet on their own.
So... at my bottomline, I see: Yes, it is technically possible to program the game to function somewhat like an API (as it does on the PC)... but the mods themselves would have to be created from scratch by people authorized to write such thing on the Xbox... and in order to not violoate copyrights, they would have to specifically be not copies of the currently popular mods on the PC. Otherwise, the creators of those popular mods for the PC would have to either grant rights to 4J to rewrite them for the Xbox or find a way to become authorized themselves by Microsoft to distribute those mods on the Xbox. I think it's a complicated thing and the prior modding agreements Mojang made with the public to encourage modding to start with really just muddies the waters further... sort of like trying to round up escaped and widely dispersed "open-source" cattle and squeeze them back into a "closed-source" barn. I'm not saying that the idea is bad; and I believe there has been some efforts made by 4J to get permission to use some of the popular mods. However, realistically, the likelihood of 4J being able to succeed in getting all these permission/copyright issues sorted out for very many of these mods is really, really slim IMO.
I have no objection to there being more optional toggles when launching a new world. At the bottom line, though, you're still asking for a means of adding what has been PC player-made content into the game. The problem with that probably lies in obtaining copyright permissions from the makers of those original mods. When those mods were made for the PC, they were done under specific agreed upon terms with Mojang. As I understand it, that agreement does not extend those rights to 4J and Microsoft. So, just because the creator of the mod has made it free for use on the PC doesn't necessarily mean that it can be assumed that those creators will agree or can agree to make their mods similarly available on the Xbox... particularly since there may be a significant cost to getting themselves authorized by Microsoft to write and distribute software for use on the Xbox.
Also, 4J can't just haul off a copy/port a player-made mod onto the Xbox without the creator's permission to do so since that would (most likely) violate the copyrights held by the creators of those mods. When 4J writes DLC for the game, they are pretty much required to come up with their own original ideas... and that is difficult given the shear amount of mods that have been written for the PC over the years. The Mash Up packs, however, show that 4J is quite capable of coming up with some original ideas... so rather than keep asking them to recreate the stuff available on the PC, I would rather just sit back and be surprised about what they might come up with yet on their own.
So... at my bottomline, I see: Yes, it is technically possible to program the game to function somewhat like an API (as it does on the PC)... but the mods themselves would have to be created from scratch by people authorized to write such thing on the Xbox... and in order to not violoate copyrights, they would have to specifically be not copies of the currently popular mods on the PC. Otherwise, the creators of those popular mods for the PC would have to either grant rights to 4J to rewrite them for the Xbox or find a way to become authorized themselves by Microsoft to distribute those mods on the Xbox. I think it's a complicated thing and the prior modding agreements Mojang made with the public to encourage modding to start with really just muddies the waters further... sort of like trying to round up escaped and widely dispersed "open-source" cattle and squeeze them back into a "closed-source" barn. I'm not saying that the idea is bad; and I believe there has been some efforts made by 4J to get permission to use some of the popular mods. However, realistically, the likelihood of 4J being able to succeed in getting all these permission/copyright issues sorted out for very many of these mods is really, really slim IMO.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE focus on the overall concept and not the examples provided to help convey the meaning of the overall concept.
Good Lord..... I've been posting here for months now... I'm well aware of the problems with copying MOD's and user MOD's on the XBox 360.
I ONLY listed them to use as quick and dirty examples.... please please please.....
this post isn't about any specific MOD in particular
it isn't about a set of MODs
It isn't a Wish List
it isn't about stealing other people's work nor is it about violating copyright laws
This is the only relevant part of the above post based on my suggestion:
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE focus on the overall concept and not the examples provided to help convey the meaning of the overall concept.
Please read, I said I had no problem with the concept of toggled options within the game. You're the one who specifically keeps tying it to mods and specifically to popular PC mods. As long as 4J creates their own and Mojang agrees to it, there is no issue. 4J are clearly authorized by Microsoft to program for the Xbox; and, in a a way, the Mash Up Packs are a form of "toggled mods" to the game. So, in a way, you're proposing something that is clearly already in progress.
Please read, I said I had no problem with the concept of toggled options within the game. You're the one who specifically keeps tying it to mods and specifically to popular PC mods. As long as 4J creates their own and Mojang agrees to it, there is no issue. 4J are clearly authorized by Microsoft to program for the Xbox; and, in a a way, the Mash Up Packs are a form of "toggled mods" to the game. So, in a way, you're proposing something that is clearly already in progress.
I did read what you said... and what I proposed is very different than Mash Up packs. So I would disagree that I have proposed anything that is "clearly already in progress". Otherwise, I would agree with most of what you have stated regarding MODs in general, however and again, specific MODs that exist in one fashion or another was not my main focus.
I did read what you said... and what I proposed is very different than Mash Up packs. So I would disagree that I have proposed anything that is "clearly already in progress". Otherwise, I would agree with most of what you have stated regarding MODs in general, however and again, specific MODs that exist in one fashion or another was not my main focus.
You're asking me to look at it conceptually, but you're looking at it solely from a technical aspect (and I've already conceded that it's technically viable). The Mash Up packs are a start to setting up a philosophy behind changing/modding the vanilla game on the Xbox while getting around the copyright issues and other restrictions since they do modify the game beyond the textures. I said they were a FORM of toggle-able option... I never said they were precisely what you were proposing. 4J have also already added several toggles to the game since it was released despite some of them meeting heavy opposition from some quarters (e.g. as I recall, the bedrock fog toggle caused quite a controversy, as did the Host Privileges). It's baby steps, yes... but steps in that direction nonetheless.
From a technical aspect, the only issue I see with a large assortment of toggle options is potentially the organization of the various menu layers required to manipulate so many options just using a controller (i.e. no quick keys/shortcuts). People already have shown that they can't find the various options that already exist in the menus. That issue will likely get worse as more options are added and the game starts to look more like a "program your own game" API than anything else.
A big difference between the XBox and the PC is that Xbox games are more frequently played by very, very young people... who don't have the savvy to navigate a volume of menus and options effectively. These young children are often supervised by parents who don't really want to learn the intracacies of the game itself in order to assist their children in navigating the menus. While it will probably be considered a minor issue, it is still something that 4J needs to consider when making a choice as to what features warrant toggles and which ones don't.
Point taken.... so really what is needed is a simple and easy to use setup interface when world Gen options are selected to make it easier and more user friendly to the younger audiences.... hrmmm... I'll mull that over for a bit and will post later if I get anything I think is worthwhile...
I never once suggested that 4J not be in total control of these updates, although, I guess I can see why you might have jumped to that conclusion based on my using well known Player Mods as examples in the above.
I understand that 4J has a lot on their plate right now, and that something like this might be a long time in the coming, but it 'could' be one way that MCX360 is different than the PC version in going forward down the road.
Actually, I'd like the enchanting table and the brewing stand to be optional components, or redstone, or minecarts and rails. I can see a time when I might not want the 'mideval/magic' aspect of the game.... or I might want to immerse myself in the might and magic side and get rid of the more technological aspects like pistons and redstone logic.
I see a lot of good suggestions here that would not be a good 'fit' for the overall minecraft experience, but would be good to incorporate into an optional set that could be turned on or off at the players discretion upon world build.
Some simple things that could be done, be able to adjust the MOBs spawned... maybe I want more zombies/skeletons, and less creepers/spiders, or maybe the reverse, Maybe I want some Nether MOBs in the overworld or maybe I want some normal MOBs in the nether.
Since MCX360 CANNOT be player modd'ed and that is one of the more entertaining facets from the PC version, why not have variety packs and options that can be toggled on/off, less/balanced/more, etc.
If I could have creepers spawn as minimal as possible you got my vote.
The PC has this in the mod called Industrial craft, and I personally love the Idea. They introduce a bunch of new blocks and two that I can recall are reinforced concrete and glass, though the recipies I forget. The use for them was more or less for nuke reactors but many used them elsewhere as the blocks just looked real nice.
Personally I'm up for any thing that adds blocks to the 360 version, as the more variety we have the more builds starts to stand out. I've been lobying for ages to get a 'dirt' block that will not change to grass or mycelium, and remain in its dirt state, which has its uses for paths and what not.
I think that 4J should introduce a new DLC type for 'block packs' and I think they would make a killing on these. For block packs they could contain their own textures within themselves so as not to require updates for each texture pack.
I suppose a block pack 'could' work, assuming that the 'trial version' is included in automatic updates on the back end to everyone so that players who join an online game could interface with specific packs in use by that world, but the user who hosts the game would have to be responsible for purchasing the block pack before they could be used in the game at all in the first place.
Block Packs could be sold as DLC for additional revenues, and might be extended to include MOB Packs, Biome Packs, and Item Packs under a theme similar to this.
I was thinking about the User interface and what Cire360 said about keeping it simple for the younger crowd, and I think it is doable on the same World Settings Screen when creating a world or loading a saved game, something like:
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As part of the External Game Settings, it would be nice to be able to use a checkbox system to incorporate some of the more popular Mod Packs. Like:
mo'creatures
botany
more ores
biomes o'plenty
buildcraft
industrial craft
weather and tornados
better breeding
Technic Platform
Redpower
Incorporate the "better world generation" options which lets you opt for larger biomes, huge floating islands, isolated desert isles, etc., and some control over the scarcity/abundance of resources, and access older versions of the normal terrain generator.
... etc.
Being able to pick and choose which options you can play around with can make the game much more dynamic, or just as 'vanilla' and basic as the player chooses.
Technically, it is not illegal to add a Mod if you have the author's permission to do so, and even if you don't it is possible to add options that are similar to another mod without that author's permission, as long as care is taken not to violate copyright law.
Personally I would enjoy the ability to optionally turn on or off various elements just for variety. Like finding copper and tin, smelting them together to make bronze, or zinc zinc copper to make brass, or hardening iron to make steel, or even carbon steel, as metal alternatives...or other gemstones, just for variety, that could be used like diamonds but with less durability and hardness.
Or maybe switching it up and adding more wildlife, creatures, more pet options, more farm animals, craft-able saddles, etc. ... or more plant/tree variety and farming options.
Maybe for a change up, something more technical, focusing more on redstone, or incorporating machinery, mass excavating/clearing, auto collecting/shipping, auto-building, plan-saving/blueprinting, work zones, fossil fuels, electricity and appliances, etc.
Maybe a more violent/dynamic weather choice...
Maybe I want trees to actually 'fall' (away from the ax/cut side) when they are chopped, or a base block in the trunk is destroyed (ie, by creeper/tnt)... maybe I want gravity to affect any completely unsupported block that defies logic (no path to the ground? then drop 1 block, check and repeat if still no path to ground, or... fall like sand, and reattach after landing)
Ultimately, the point would be to add variety to the game through options that are already tested as popular mods or something similar.
A general rule of thumb for mod requests would be to assume that 4j studios has no idea what is included in any PC mod and that they are unable to research what they include, so they're relying on the details you give in your suggestion to incorporate it. Don't focus on the mod itself as much as the content of the mod.
I think you are missing the point of the suggestion... the suggestion is not to add any particular mod per-se, but rather the ability to choose various different mod sets to allow for a different flavor when entering the game.
All these mods I used as 'examples' have been suggested elsewhere. It isn't the mod itself that is relevant, but the ability to add variety upon starting/creating a new map so a player can enjoy different flavors/aspects. not to add something intrinsic to the core game itself.
This suggestion is pointless if a mod is added permanently through DLC without the ability to toggle it on/off. The suggestion 'IS' to have options, not to add a specific mod. (again, those were just thrown in as examples) This is NOT a mod request in and of itself.
I admit I didn't understand what you were trying to get at. I guess if 4j decided to implement any of these, they would come with an on/off option already (like you can choose to load the default texture pack and hide the themed worlds after downloading a mash-up pack).
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Retired StaffThere's a huge problem with that, a problem the size of Microsoft. In fact, the problem is Microsoft. They own the XBox 360 platform, and they do not allow player-made content (i.e., mods) on it. The only way any of the features of a mod could be added to MCX350 would be if they were to be incorporated into the game by 4J, and at that point whether they were standard or optional content would not matter. 4J has more than enough on their plates already trying to port vanilla Minecraft to not just the XBox but to all the other platforms that are getting it; trying to add in PC mods to the game at the same time is a non-starter.
It's possible that 4J might incorporate some of the features from popular mods into the game at some time in the future. And it's possible that they may make those features optional. But they are not going to allow mod packs, popular or obscure, because Microsoft will not permit it.
The golden age: it's not the game, it's you ⋆ Why Minecraft should not be harder ⋆ Spelling hints
As Akynth also explained, 4J has the authority to write programs for the Xbox; but Mojang (as creator of the game) also has a say in what 4J can and cannot add into their game. Also, the whole thing is complicate because, for the "popular" mods already in existence, there is already an form of agreement between Mojang and the authors of those mods... An agreement that did not foresee authorizing 4J to sell them as DLC on the Xbox. These legalities have to be sorted out before 4J can proceed. If the issues can be cleared up legally, then I'm pretty sure 4J will add the mechanics to the Xbox game to enable Xbox players to use whatever "mods" (as DLC) they might be able to get permission to reprogram for the Xbox... which brings us to the third issue... The popular mods for the PC are written in Java... and would have to be rewritten in C++ to work on the Xbox. Currently, the mod authors can't rewrite their own programs and put them onto the Xbox because they are not "authorized" by Microsoft to do so and 4J doesn't have the legal permission from the mod authors to rewrite their mods for the Xbox; nor would the mod authors probably be willing to pay 4J to reprogram their mods for use on the Xbox; nor does 4J have the time, etc. to do all that reprogramming for nothing.
I think the Mash-Up Pack was a "testing ground" for an eventual way to get some types of mods into the game. Use of the Mash-Up is completely optional but supported by the vanilla game. The extent to which the game play might be changed through a "mash-up" might mean that anything is possible... but then, the community opted to completely trash the mash-up pack concept... so, who knows where 4J will go from here... if anywhere at all.
I understand that 4J has a lot on their plate right now, and that something like this might be a long time in the coming, but it 'could' be one way that MCX360 is different than the PC version in going forward down the road.
Actually, I'd like the enchanting table and the brewing stand to be optional components, or redstone, or minecarts and rails. I can see a time when I might not want the 'mideval/magic' aspect of the game.... or I might want to immerse myself in the might and magic side and get rid of the more technological aspects like pistons and redstone logic.
I see a lot of good suggestions here that would not be a good 'fit' for the overall minecraft experience, but would be good to incorporate into an optional set that could be turned on or off at the players discretion upon world build.
Some simple things that could be done, be able to adjust the MOBs spawned... maybe I want more zombies/skeletons, and less creepers/spiders, or maybe the reverse, Maybe I want some Nether MOBs in the overworld or maybe I want some normal MOBs in the nether.
Since MCX360 CANNOT be player modd'ed and that is one of the more entertaining facets from the PC version, why not have variety packs and options that can be toggled on/off, less/balanced/more, etc.
As I said, that I think then that you're asking for something that, in principle, is already starting to be there through the Mash-Up Pack model. The "mods" brought in may or may not be too much like the "popular" ones for the PC since that depends on the legalities that can be cleared by 4J (i.e. what "rights" they can obtain from the mod authors to duplicate and reprogram their mods). They've shown that they can clear rights to utilize parts of other games to "mash-up" into Minecraft... so, perhaps a little patience to allow them to develop the support system and clear legalities for other things (right now they are working on get rights to some texture packs), it might lead to something great.
Likewise, toggling features that are in the vanilla PC game (like mob spawn rates) would probably have to be approved by Mojang (as creator of the original game). They would not really fall under the area of support for mods; but would involve programming individual toggles for each feature.
So let me lay this out fresh to avoid previous confusions:
The Basic Suggestion:
Implement controls in the game to turn on/off or modify certain game aspects/MOBs/items/Ores/Plants/Biomes/Technologies/Weather/etc., and in doing so, have the flexibility to offer multiple options to players to play in different genre's of games from stone-age tech, to medieval, to fantasy/magical, to vanilla, to pre-industrial, to post-industrial, as well as having less/more ambient/passive/neutral/aquatic/hostile MOBs and villagers, and available building materials, ores, wood, plants, gems, stone, etc..
Incorporate the "better world generation" options which lets you opt for ability to force, allow, or disallow certain biome types upon world spawn, larger biomes, smaller biomes, (huge) floating islands, isolated desert isles, etc., and some control over the scarcity/abundance of resources, and access older versions of the normal terrain generator.
... etc.
Through so doing, implementing a number of options that are open to the player to pick and choose at the onset of the world creation. These options would not be alterable after the world was spawned and are only available options during world creation.
This feature would allow 4J another avenue to make the 360 fairly unique from the PC in offering an easy/user friendly interface to allow users to adjust the type of Minecraft experience they have and be able to enjoy many of the aspects that other players experience in the Modding community without having to be come familiar with how to MOD a program.
These additional features could be sold by 4J in the form of Upgrade Packs (where trial versions would be available for download to allow other players to participate in Multiplayer Worlds, but would not allow them to 'save' any non-vanilla world without purchasing the game upgrades used to spawn the world (for which the user would be warned of that before the world is generated).
As a suggestion list for ideas, the layout could be similar to several other popular MODs that are already prevalent on the PC/Java environment. As examples of popular MOD packs that are already in play on the PC that could be used for ideas:
Being able to pick and choose which options you can play around with can make the game much more dynamic, or just as 'vanilla' and basic as the player chooses.
*Note: Choosing non-standard/non-default should disable Leaderboards as going into creative mode would anyway.
I have no objection to there being more optional toggles when launching a new world. At the bottom line, though, you're still asking for a means of adding what has been PC player-made content into the game. The problem with that probably lies in obtaining copyright permissions from the makers of those original mods. When those mods were made for the PC, they were done under specific agreed upon terms with Mojang. As I understand it, that agreement does not extend those rights to 4J and Microsoft. So, just because the creator of the mod has made it free for use on the PC doesn't necessarily mean that it can be assumed that those creators will agree or can agree to make their mods similarly available on the Xbox... particularly since there may be a significant cost to getting themselves authorized by Microsoft to write and distribute software for use on the Xbox.
Also, 4J can't just haul off a copy/port a player-made mod onto the Xbox without the creator's permission to do so since that would (most likely) violate the copyrights held by the creators of those mods. When 4J writes DLC for the game, they are pretty much required to come up with their own original ideas... and that is difficult given the shear amount of mods that have been written for the PC over the years. The Mash Up packs, however, show that 4J is quite capable of coming up with some original ideas... so rather than keep asking them to recreate the stuff available on the PC, I would rather just sit back and be surprised about what they might come up with yet on their own.
So... at my bottomline, I see: Yes, it is technically possible to program the game to function somewhat like an API (as it does on the PC)... but the mods themselves would have to be created from scratch by people authorized to write such thing on the Xbox... and in order to not violoate copyrights, they would have to specifically be not copies of the currently popular mods on the PC. Otherwise, the creators of those popular mods for the PC would have to either grant rights to 4J to rewrite them for the Xbox or find a way to become authorized themselves by Microsoft to distribute those mods on the Xbox. I think it's a complicated thing and the prior modding agreements Mojang made with the public to encourage modding to start with really just muddies the waters further... sort of like trying to round up escaped and widely dispersed "open-source" cattle and squeeze them back into a "closed-source" barn.
A sort of personal mosaic to the game.
I ONLY listed them to use as quick and dirty examples.... please please please.....
- this post isn't about any specific MOD in particular
- it isn't about a set of MODs
- It isn't a Wish List
- it isn't about stealing other people's work nor is it about violating copyright laws
This is the only relevant part of the above post based on my suggestion:PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE focus on the overall concept and not the examples provided to help convey the meaning of the overall concept.
Please read, I said I had no problem with the concept of toggled options within the game. You're the one who specifically keeps tying it to mods and specifically to popular PC mods. As long as 4J creates their own and Mojang agrees to it, there is no issue. 4J are clearly authorized by Microsoft to program for the Xbox; and, in a a way, the Mash Up Packs are a form of "toggled mods" to the game. So, in a way, you're proposing something that is clearly already in progress.
I did read what you said... and what I proposed is very different than Mash Up packs. So I would disagree that I have proposed anything that is "clearly already in progress". Otherwise, I would agree with most of what you have stated regarding MODs in general, however and again, specific MODs that exist in one fashion or another was not my main focus.
You're asking me to look at it conceptually, but you're looking at it solely from a technical aspect (and I've already conceded that it's technically viable). The Mash Up packs are a start to setting up a philosophy behind changing/modding the vanilla game on the Xbox while getting around the copyright issues and other restrictions since they do modify the game beyond the textures. I said they were a FORM of toggle-able option... I never said they were precisely what you were proposing. 4J have also already added several toggles to the game since it was released despite some of them meeting heavy opposition from some quarters (e.g. as I recall, the bedrock fog toggle caused quite a controversy, as did the Host Privileges). It's baby steps, yes... but steps in that direction nonetheless.
From a technical aspect, the only issue I see with a large assortment of toggle options is potentially the organization of the various menu layers required to manipulate so many options just using a controller (i.e. no quick keys/shortcuts). People already have shown that they can't find the various options that already exist in the menus. That issue will likely get worse as more options are added and the game starts to look more like a "program your own game" API than anything else.
A big difference between the XBox and the PC is that Xbox games are more frequently played by very, very young people... who don't have the savvy to navigate a volume of menus and options effectively. These young children are often supervised by parents who don't really want to learn the intracacies of the game itself in order to assist their children in navigating the menus. While it will probably be considered a minor issue, it is still something that 4J needs to consider when making a choice as to what features warrant toggles and which ones don't.
If I could have creepers spawn as minimal as possible you got my vote.
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Block Packs could be sold as DLC for additional revenues, and might be extended to include MOB Packs, Biome Packs, and Item Packs under a theme similar to this.
I was thinking about the User interface and what Cire360 said about keeping it simple for the younger crowd, and I think it is doable on the same World Settings Screen when creating a world or loading a saved game, something like: