Hello everybody- Steam66 here. Today I'm proud to reveal a new update suggestion of mine: the Battlemaster Update!
This suggestion, while composed of numerous pieces, is all centered around one objective: making combat fun, exciting, and varied. It contains numerous new weapons, some items, mobs, and even places, all designed to be fresh treats for Minecraft's PvE and PvP players alike.
*Note: I'd like to clarify that this is not a wish list: even if some items are not related immediately, they are all placed for the purpose of making combat more fun and interesting by adding a diverse selection of combat-related new items, mobs, and places.*
Current Version: 3.0 (2/11/18)
Changelog
1.0 (2/8/18): Initial release
1.0a (2/8/18): Added spoilers to shorten the OP, fixed a few things'
1.0b (2/9/18): Tweaked matchlock damage and added specific damage values for Musketeers.
2.0 (2/9/18): Added the Balance Changes section. Various spacing fixes.
2.1 (2/9/18): Removed Undead-At-Arms. Changed the Undead King to the Skeleton King. Changed the Bone Musket to the Skeleton Musketeer. Tweaked the King's Hammer. Added Bonedusters and Powder Jockeys.
3.0 (2/11/18): Added various drops for gunpowder enemies. Modified crafting recipes for Cartridges and Loose Shot. Added Wither Skeleton Archers. Added Terracotta Golems. Cooldown on swords after sweep special increased. Increased reload time on Matchlocks and Donderbusses but lowered time to accurate aim. Matchlocks and donderbusses cannot be offhand wielded. Added wheellock pistols. Added Captains and Mansion Officers. Added Colossi. All monsters now target Villagers with the exception of Creepers. Added Illager Ships. Non-Illager mobs no longer spawn in Woodland Mansions.
3.0a (2/11/18): Evokers now sometimes use their Totems of Undying.
3.0b (2/12/18): Added sabres. Captains, Musketeers, Mansion Guards, and Mansion Officers now use Sabres instead of Iron Swords.
Balance Changes
A careful blend of various tweaks and modifications designed to shake up and revitalize battle at its core.
PvE Changes
Fighting monsters just got a lot more interesting.
Monsters now have extended vision ranges of 24 blocks. However, their perception has been altered. Sneaking now renders you safe up to 16 blocks, up to 8 if you are approaching from behind. Wearing a mob head keeps you safe up to 8 and sneaking up to 6, with rear approaches getting you up to 2.
Enemy vision range depends on light level; in the darkness enemies will be less aware of you but will still take notice to your sounds, while in the day they will be able to see you ahead. Enemies with night vision (such as spiders, creepers, and undead) are not affected by this.
Making loud noises (firing a matchlock and particularly a donderbuss, hitting an enemy with an attack, sprinting, etc.) will alert nearby enemies.
You can hear enemies up to 24 blocks away, but only faintly.
Enemies attacked from beyond their vision range will immediately become hostile. If they can't reach you they will try to break their line of sight to you as fast as possible.
Mobs of enemies will try to encircle you by strafing at close range; if at least 3 zombies are approaching for instance, one will start circling around while the others plod toward you.
Animal panic now spreads in groups; you need to be able to box in mobs or at least chase them down, because they won't just placidly stand there while one of them is being slaughtered.
Sentient enemies (e.g. Vindicators and Evokers) can now call other sentients to their aid within 24 blocks if attacked, alerting all other sentient enemies in that radius.
Enemies that lost sight of you will lose hostility after a period of time, entering an "alert" state where they'll have a full 24 block sight radius in every direction (more so for Zombies, Endermen, etc.). Sentient enemies will simply go to where you last were before entering the "alert" state. After being alert for one minute an enemy will return to the idle state.
Enemies that can pick up better weapons (e.g. a Skeleton finding a Matchlock on the ground) will do so always. This is restricted by enemy class; for example, a Vindicator will not want to pick up a Mansion Guard's weapon, because he is a melee enemy.
All monsters now target Villagers with the exception of Creepers (so you don't have them blowing chunks out of your village).
PvP Changes
Far and above a normal monster-bashing session, a PvP engagement is a heart-pounding frenzy. Let's elevate that.
Your striking power is determined by your Hunger. Having 1/3 or less pips on your hunger bar will start to reduce the power of all muscle-driven weapons (melee weaponry and bows) to a minimum of 1/2 the power at zero pips left. Gunpowder weapons are unaffected by this.
You will move faster or slower depending on your armor loadout. Unarmored, you are the fastest; leather armor barely weighs you down; gold armor and chain armor slightly slow you down; full iron armor slows you down moderately; and diamond armor slows you down moreso. This isn't a massive debuff, but it's still a factor to be considered in battle, since a diamond-armored player can't chase down an unarmored one anymore on foot.
The heavier your armor loadout is, the less you're affected by knockback.
Leather armor is immune to all "armor-piercing" weapon effects, since it flattens out and softens blows instead of bouncing them unlike metal armors.
Strikes from horseback deal crits (1.5x damage) if the horse is moving at at least 85% of its full speed.
Landing on someone now deals 2x the damage that you incurred from the fall. You gain a further +2 hearts' damage if you are wearing metal boots in the process.
Shields deflect "armor-piercing" effects except for the Matchlock's (which penetrates it, but in exchange loses its armor-piercing effect against the armor you're wearing). Shields degrade 25% more than normal when hit by an armor-piercing weapon.
New Weapons
The heart and soul of the Battlemaster Update lies in its weapons: be they old friends modified, or newcomers, they all fulfill specific roles and niches in the field or off of it.
Note: "Tip" refers to any material used to craft the tip of a tool or weapon: for instance, the tip of a Shovel can be wood, stone, iron, gold, or diamond.
Melee Weapons
The old standards: what most PvE and PvP combat boils down to.
Sword
Recipe: 2 tip, 1 stick
RMB Special: Sweep Attack [damages all enemies in front of the player, longer cooldown]
The standard Sword we all know and love. The Sweep has been moved from a standard attack to a special used with RMB; in exchange, it’s more powerful now, capable of hitting all enemies in the attack radius for full damage. After sweeping, the cooldown is 2.5 seconds.
Sabre
Recipe: 2 tip, 1 stick [diagonally]
RMB Special: Block [identical to pre-1.9 sword blocking]
The Sabre is a sword with a fancy grip and a curved blade. It swings a little faster than the regular Sword but is a little weaker and lacks the sweep. It can notably be used to block attacks itself (though you will merely take reduced damage, not a full block like with a Shield); effectively, it's identical to the pre-1.9 Sword for the most part, just with a reduced swing rate, appealing to PvP veterans.
Pickaxe
Recipe: 3 tip, 2 stick
RMB Special: None
Pickaxes now deal enhanced degradation to enemy armor, at 3x the usual rate. Apart from that, they’re basically the same.
Shovel
Recipe: 1 tip, 2 stick
RMB Special: Fling
Shovels can now fling people vertically a few blocks, dealing a little damage as well, but apart from that are identical.
Spear
Recipe: 1 tip, 2 sticks [diagonally]
RMB Special: Brace [halts the player, braces the spear; enemies walking into it take damage]
A defensive weapon with a long reach. Slow swinging speed, but an extra 2 blocks of reach and the ability to Brace. Bracing secures the spear and forces you to stop, but it also ensures that any enemy that touches the spearhead will be knocked back and take damage. If you’re riding a horse, you can Brace without stopping, letting you deliver powerful charges.
Hammer
Recipe: 6 tip, 1 stick
RMB Special: Pound [knocks nearby enemies away and deals damage]
The Hammer is a heavy weapon that deals similar damage and swinging speed to the Axe, ignoring 25% of the enemy’s armor, though it doesn’t knock down shields. It can pound the ground, causing a tremor that knocks back any nearby enemies and deals ½ the usual damage to them. It can also rotate any block it hits, making it a useful item for building.
Dagger
Recipe: 1 tip, 1 stick
RMB Special: Throw [throws the dagger; can be picked up later]
Daggers are short, slightly weaker than a Sword, and cheap. They also swing fast and deal triple damage to the back of an enemy. With its ability to be thrown up to 10-15 blocks away- and even then still deal backstab crits- it’s a highly useful weapon for finishing off a retreating foe or assassinating someone looking in a chest. If all of that fails, a few throwing knives can be quite useful when you don't have a Bow.
Ranged Weapons
The Bow's got new friends: now, you can unleash a hail of projectiles onto your foes with these powerful implements.
Chukonu
Recipe: 3 iron ingot, 1 Bow
The Chukonu is a rapid-fire crossbow based off of ancient Chinese weaponry; behavior-wise, it’s a callback to the old Beta bow. Firing weaker, shorter-ranged arrows than the usual fare from a Bow, the Chukonu makes up for its anemic bolts by spitting out a sheer hail of them, multiple times per second in fact. It’s thus quite useful when you have a large quantity of arrows; it can push enemies back, chain-stun mobs, and with tipped arrows it can be a powerful implement, if short-ranged. Each arrow deals less knockback than a Bow's, but the chained effect can stop an enemy in their tracks if you're accurate enough.
Matchlock
Recipe: 3 iron ingots, 3 wooden planks, 1 string
Ammo: Cartridges
The Matchlock is an old-fashioned arquebus similar to those used by Spanish soldiers in the 1500s. The weapon fires small iron balls that ignore 50% of armor on whatever they hit, fly fast, and have a flat range of 50 blocks (more if angled). Each shot deals 8 hearts damage.
The weapon must be loaded before you can shoot by holding down RMB. After 3 seconds (during which you slow to sneaking speed and the Matchlock tilts upwards) it emits a clicking noise and uses a Cartridge. You can then aim and shoot like a Bow; it’ll have terrible accuracy but will heavily improve if you aim for 2 seconds or more.
The Matchlock’s firing produces a loud bang, a small cloud of smoke, and a flash of light, which can give away your position. It’s overall an effective sniper weapon, ranged combat tool, and armor-piercer, if a bit expensive and slow-firing. You cannot offhand the Matchlock.
Wheellock
Recipe: 2 iron ingots, 1 wooden plank, 1 stick, 1 flint and steel
Ammo: Cartridges
The Wheellock is a pistol with a short barrel, a curved wooden grip, and a wheel-type ignition mechanism. Less expensive than most gunpowder weaponry to produce, its decent power (5 hearts of damage) and the ability to ignore 25% of armor it hits makes it an appealing tool. The weapon is also quite fast to reload, taking just 1.5 seconds instead of the usual 3. Finally, the Wheellock can be offhanded unlike any other gunpowder weapon, letting you load and fire it in the off hand while you have it- or another weapon- in your main hand. This comes at a severe disadvantage, though; the Wheellock is horrifically inaccurate and trying to shoot anything beyond 10-15 blocks is a laughable idea, as well as dealing much less damage and armor piercing power than the basic Matchlock.
Donderbuss
Recipe: 5 iron ingots, 3 wooden planks, 1 string
Ammo: Loose Shot
The Donderbuss is similar to the Matchlock in being an old-fashioned firearm. However, its short, flared barrel and lack of a stock tells it apart. The Donderbuss works identically to the Matchlock, but instead of shooting one powerful shot it fires a spread of 5 small pellets that each deal 2 hearts of damage (for a maximum of 10) and which each ignore 25% of armor on whatever they hit.
The Donderbuss’s report is even louder than the Musket’s; instead of a “bang” it’s a reverberating “BOOM” that carries for several chunks. Its accuracy is also terrible; even if you aim, don’t expect to hit someone beyond 10 blocks with anything more than one of the pellets. You cannot offhand the Donderbuss.
Bomb
Recipe: 4 iron ingots, 1 gunpowder, 1 string
A spherical black bomb with a fuse. Can be thrown just like an Ender Pearl and has the same cooldown. Has a 2.5 second timer, deals 20 hearts damage at the center of its explosive radius (decreasing to 5 at the edge of its 3 block radius), and does not damage terrain, only mobs. Makes a loud hissing, flashes, and trails smoke while the fuse is burning down. Pointing a Shield at an exploding Bomb will absorb 75% of its damage, but also transfer 1/2 of that into degradation for the shield, meaning that it isn't a very good idea to keep trying to deflect Bomb blasts.
Cannon
Recipe: 6 iron ingots, 1 iron block
A big cylindrical cannon in a dull black color, the Cannon is based off of Medieval-era cannons. It can be placed facing away from the player and right-clicking it afterwards can modify its angle (going for a flat trajectory, rainbow arc, or nearly-vertical mortar drop). The Cannon, when clicked with a Cannonball, will be loaded; after that, lighting it in any method (redstone, Flint and Steel, etc.) will start a 2 second fuse.
The cannonball itself is powerful, comparable to a Bomb that explodes on impact and also deals a degree of terrain damage- allowing you to blow small chunks in enemy walls. TNT cannons are much stronger for dealing terrain, but for quick deployment and versatility the Cannon has no equal.
Misc. Items and Ammo
Be it ammo for hungry ranged weapons or tweaked armor pieces, whatever's combat related but doesn't fit into the above categories goes here.
Cartridge
Recipe: 3 iron nugget, 1 gunpowder, 1 paper [per 3 Cartridges]
A paper tube containing a musket ball and a small charge of gunpowder. The ammunition for the Matchlock. Can also be used by Dispensers.
A small collection of pellets with a bit of paper wadding and gunpowder. The ammunition for the Donderbuss. Can also be used by Dispensers.
Cannonball
Recipe: 1 iron block, 4 gunpowder [per 3 Cannonballs]
A big iron cannonball and enough powder to lob it. The ammunition for the Cannon. Can also be used by Dispensers, but you cannot affect its range like you can in a Cannon.
Chainmail Armor
Recipe: Iron Nuggets [usual armor shapes]
Chainmail armor is now craftable with Iron Nuggets if the player is rather low on ingots and doesn’t want to break for full Iron yet. Apart from that, it’s pretty standard.
New Mobs
You're not the only one around; the Battlemaster Update has added both friends and foes to the field.
Friendly Mobs
Sometimes, in this world of rampaging monsters and malicious cultists, it's nice to see a helping hand or a stout ally.
Musketeer
Health: 20
Equipment: Matchlock/Donderbuss (always spawns naturally with Matchlock), Sabre
Musketeers wear black Pilgrim-style hats, blue coats with white undershirts, and brown belts. They are a ranged but weaker defensive force in Villages compared to Iron Golems. While they can use a Matchlock or Donderbuss, all naturally generated Musketeers have a Matchlock. With a Matchlock, they fire balls dealing 5.5 hearts' damage, while with a Donderbuss they fire four pellets each dealing 2 hearts' damage.
Musketeers patrol their village during the night and shoot any monsters within 24 blocks. They’ll fire at unpopular players just like Iron Golems and retreat when wounded. If out of combat, they slowly regenerate HP.
Musketeers have a cautious fighting style with a Matchlock and an aggressive one with a Donderbuss. Regardless of weapon they won’t try to use their Sabre unless an enemy initiates a melee. They only try to block with their sword when their health is low.
Musketeers can be created by giving a villager a Matchlock or a Donderbuss. While you’ll lose their trades, you will get another defender. Naturally-generated Musketeers can be “hired” with a single Trade costing 20-30 emeralds; they will become loyal to you afterwards. Created Musketeers can be "hired" too but this will only cost 10 emeralds. Hired Musketeers are loyal to the player. You can give them various commands through their HUD (guard here, follow me, ignore/attack other players) and dye their uniforms with your own colors, making them a useful base-defense or backup ally for you in SMP servers.
They’ll even fire on enemy Musketeers; a big brawl can result from groups of these Villager troops opening up on behalf of their players.
Musketeers synergize well with Captains; more information on this can be found on that mob's description.
A veteran soldier, the Captain is the leader of Musketeer militias and a harder fighter. Wearing a feather in his hat, an iron chestplate, and carrying a wheellock pistol in his offhand and a sabre in his main hand, he's quite a dangerous enemy to those who would attack Villages, as well as an inspiration to his fellow Testificates.
You can't normally "recruit" Captains the way you can Musketeers. Instead, you have to "promote" a Musketeer; this is a 30 emerald trade with him. Doing so will convert him into a Captain. Captains loyal to you work much like Musketeers- they can be dyed and commanded.
Naturally generated Captains occur after a village has at least 3 Musketeers (so it must be fairly large) and there is only ever one per village, representing the leader of the overall village defense force.
Captains have a special effect on Musketeers within 16 blocks. Musketeers that are near a Captain will be 20% more accurate with their shots and also have a minor Regeneration effect on them. He himself doesn't benefit from this.
Combat-wise, the behavior of a Captain depends on whether or not there are Musketeers. If there are at least 2 nearby Musketeers the Captain will stand by them and shoot with his pistol; but if there is less or none he will charge in with his sword. The Captain deals more damage with his sabre than a Musketeer and blocks frequently, making him a more challenging melee fighter.
Enemy Musketeers receive no bonuses from friendly Captains.
Terracotta Golem
Health: 25
Equipment: Chukonu
Drops: 0-5 Arrows, 0-1 Chukonu (poor condition)
The Terracotta Golem is created by stacking 2 blocks of same-colored terracotta and 1 pumpkin on top of each other. The resulting golem is player-sized and made of terracotta, resembling an ancient Chinese soldier. This golem, just like the others, is single-minded yet extremely loyal. It'll wander around, and if it sees an enemy it'll stand still, letting loose a hail of Chukonu arrows. Effectively, it works like an enhanced Snow Golem; if you need a tireless watchman to stay in your tower and keep enemies back with a stunning hail of arrows, this magical statue is your best bet.
Skeleton Musketeers are Skeletons with Matchlocks; no different from the usual other than that. They have a little more range (24 blocks instead of 16) but their Matchlocks are worn out and only deal 3 hearts’ damage, as well as being moderately inaccurate. Though they are rare in the Overworld (1/10 of Skeletons are Skeleton Musketeers), they generate infrequently in Abandoned Castles, often at the end of corridors or in larger rooms as "snipers".
The Boneduster is normally very rare in the Overworld, but generates frequently in Abandoned Castles. Often grouped into squads of two or three Donderbuss-toting skeletons, these dangerous foes can fill you with a cloud of pellets if you're not careful. Fortunately, they're terrible shots and their worn-out Donderbusses only deal one hearts' damage per pellet, for a total of 4 hearts per each blast.
Wither Skeleton Archer
Health: 20
Equipment: Bow
Drops: 0-3 Arrows, 0-1 Bow (very poor condition), 0-2 Bone
The Wither Skeleton Archer is quite simply a Wither Skeleton with a Bow. Firing unique black-tipped arrows, these tall skeletons deal Withering damage with each shot and only generate in Nether Fortresses, being somewhat less common than sword-wielding Wither Skeletons.
Skeleton King
Health: 30 [12 armor]
Equipment: "King's Hammer" (Diamond Hammer, Unbreaking + 2 random enchantments)
Drops: "King's Hammer" (always)
With a powerful warhammer and a royal robe wrapped in iron armor, this bony leader still exerts power and influence in a blackly comedic way over his skeletal soldiers. The Skeleton King can pound you to bits if he gets the chance; with heavy defense and the ability to summon Bonedusters, he can be a tough foe. Slay him and his King's Hammer will be yours; this specially-named, enchanted Diamond Hammer is a useful tool for pounding foes flat.
Evoker
The Evoker has been slightly modified. He now has a 50% chance of using his Totem of Undying when he is "killed"; if this happens, he will jump up a block in the air, float while the Totem of Undying plays its animation, and will then drop down on the ground with a quaking effect, performing a defensive Evocation Fang attack and summoning three Vexes. He is thus much more dangerous of an opponent, and you can't get a Totem of Undying so easily now. If there is only one more Evoker in a Woodland Mansion, they will always drop a Totem of Undying and never use it, so you're not left empty-handed.
The Mansion Guard is a powerful Illager soldier with a similar hat and coat to the Musketeer. They wear dark purple uniforms with white undershirt and always carry Donderbusses that are quite strong in the close quarters combat of a Woodland Mansion. They represent the “professional” Illager defenders instead of the axe-wielding “civilian” Vindicators.
While they are not so common as Vindicators, they are still deadly effective; they tend to spawn in rooms instead of corridors.
Thankfully, they only fire four pellets per blast instead of five, and have a bit of delay before they shoot, so being caught at point blank isn’t a death sentence; just an unpleasant lesson to remember. Don't take their pause to reload as an invitation to whale on them, though; these soldiers, just like Musketeers, pack Sabres to swipe at you close up. Use your shield to deflect their blast and the resulting strike, or a Spear to outrange them.
Powder Jockey
Health: 24
Equipment: Bombs
Drops: 0-3 Bombs
With a crazed look on his face, scorched and tattered black robes, and a sackful of bombs, the Powder Jockey is an Illager as insane as he is dangerous. You can tell his presence by his mad chortling and the occasional "flick" of a match being lit even when idle.
Capable of lobbing explosives your way, he's thankfully unable to destroy the halls of the Woodland Mansion where he might generate. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop him from being able to atomize you if you can't get away from his bombs- and he's crazy enough to drop a bomb at his feet if it means blowing you up. Thankfully, your Shield can absorb most of the blast, but don't count on it taking more than a few bombs.
Comparable to a Captain, the Mansion Officer is a leader of the Mansion Guards. There is only around 3-5 Mansion Officers in each Woodland Mansion, spawning near Evokers and usually with a squad of Mansion Guards. Their combat behavior is set to "always aggressive" mode, which befits them since their Mansion Guards like to rush in with their Donderbusses anyway.
They can be a dangerous sabre-wielding foe, capable of effectively blocking melee strikes and damaging you close up with pistol fire, and what's worse is that if they're still alive, any Mansion Guards within 16 blocks get a weak Regeneration effect and are 20% more accurate with their Donderbuss blasts. You can tell him from his men by his dark purple uniform and red-feathered hat.
Colossus
Health: 120
Drops: 0-5 Iron Ingots, 0-1 Alliums
Colossi are gunmetal gray, polished Iron Golems with raised eyebrows and a small Illager-head insignia on their upper right chest. Representing "100% capacity" Iron Golems instead of the somewhat rusty, overgrown village Iron Golems, they are lethal combatants, lumbering forward to throw you into the air with their enormous arms, and able to withstand a crazy amount of punishment before they fall, with an extra 10 hearts' health over regular Iron Golems. These lumbering golems are very rare and generally only one ever generates in a Woodland Mansion at the very top of the building; a hard boss fight for sure.
Warlock
Health: 24
Drops: 0-1 Enchantment Book (random)
Comparable to an Evoker with plainer robes and a hood, the Warlock is an apprentice mage learning the unholy arts that the Illagers use. In battle, he casts magic missiles with a soft homing nature to their trajectory; he also can use a weakened version of the Evocation Fangs’ “defense” mode if you get too close to him. Kill him and he’ll drop some Emeralds and maybe a random enchantment book if you’re lucky.
New Places
Combat isn't just people and what they've got in their hands; it's the places they're fighting over just as much.
Woodland Mansion
Woodland Mansions are now well-lit. Monsters save for Illager types and related mobs no longer spawn inside to balance out the difficulty; and besides, why would the Illagers leave their halls crawling with nasties that could attack them at any moment?
Fortress
A set of wooden walls marked with Testificate-faced banners and squat stone buildings inside mark this small outpost of military Villagers far off from the hamlets they usually live in. With a population composed of Musketeers, plus a few Priests, Cartographers, and other hanger-ons, the Fortress is well prepared to repel an attack; it’s also a wonderful place to fortify and hire some followers, though it’s quite barren if you’re looking for trades.
Abandoned Castle
A decaying, mossy castle once housing a now-fallen kingdom’s lords, the Abandoned Castle is filled with dark corners, deadly traps, and potential riches to be found. Beware, though; the inhabitants may not be alive, but they still walk the halls. Groups of Bonedusters and Skeleton Musketeers patrol in service to their lord, a Skeleton King, who is sealed in a crypt at the top floor. Conquer the Castle and it might become a livable place one day; that is, if you survive.
Illager Camp
A set of wooden walls with Illager banners and a collection of small stone buildings and wool tents inside. The Illager Camp represents a small scouting force or expansion group’s “home base” away from the Woodland Mansion. It contains a group of Vindicators and Mansion Guards, as well as a Warlock who is assumed to be the “leader” of the band. Sometimes it might contain Powder Jockeys, so be wary of where you tread.
Illager Ship
A wooden ship that generates out to sea. Its exterior decks have fences (to prevent the crew from falling off the deck) with Fence Gates, it has a tall mast with wool sails and a crow's nest, and contains a raised forecastle and aft deck, making it heavily resemble an old Portuguese trading caravel from the Age of Discovery. The ship has numerous banners hanging off the rear deck that have stylized Illager faces on them and purple backdrops.
The Illager Ship is crewed by some Mansion Guards with a Captain generating in the captain's quarters within the aft deck. If you can get into the Captain's Quarters, you can find a unique Wheellock named the "Captain's Pistol" which possesses Unbreaking but which is otherwise identical to a non-unique Wheellock. The ship's below-deck Hold also contains a set of chests with randomly-generated valuables comparable to those in Dungeons. Beware, though; a single Colossus spawns down there, and he won't let you plunder the ship without a fight.
Conclusion
So that wraps things up for my suggestion. Might'a been a doozy of a read, but now that you're through: please leave your thoughts in the comments below- suggestions, constructive criticism, etc. are all welcomed- and have a great day. Thanks!
If you choose to support the Battlemaster Update suggestion, simply copy and paste the below image link into your signature:
Look carefully at the name... MINEcraft... If you want to change it to Combatcraft... use a Mod, then those of us that enjoy MineCraft don't have to play your game!
I'm not too sure about this. On the surface I'm not opposed to a combat reworking, but I don't think we need new weapons (besides maybe spears). I don't think we need more ranged weapons either besides matchlocks (donderbuss sounds off imo). Chainmail armor made by iron nuggets is great, it'd finally make them an actual armor. The new structures are good, it would add more variety to the world. However I suggest you edit the names of the monsters a bit to match with those in the game.
I'm not too sure about this. On the surface I'm not opposed to a combat reworking, but I don't think we need new weapons (besides maybe spears). Variety makes Minecraft great, but you're right: I should add more general reworks. I don't plan on adding new weapons currently anyways; I wouldn't like to have katanas, sabres, etc. when these ones suffice for their niches. I don't think we need more ranged weapons either besides matchlocks (donderbuss sounds off imo). A blunderbuss is more of a pirate gun with a flintlock action. This is its direct ancestor: a matchlock shotgun whose name translates to "thunder pipe" in Dutch. And hell, "donderbuss" just sounds interesting- same reason it's "matchlock" and not "musket". Chainmail armor made by iron nuggets is great, it'd finally make them an actual armor. The new structures are good, it would add more variety to the world. However I suggest you edit the names of the monsters a bit to match with those in the game. I've been having difficulty thinking of other names. What would you suggest?
Limited Support
Right, there's my answers in bold. Thanks for the response!
Look carefully at the name... MINEcraft... If you want to change it to Combatcraft... use a Mod, then those of us that enjoy MineCraft don't have to play your game!
NO SUPPORT
I don't appreciate the venomousness of this nor its total lack of constructiveness, but I'll reply here:
To be short, this is an update centered around combat. That means combat-related things. If you don't partake in PvE or PvP, then it literally doesn't affect you in any way, just like how the Update Aquatic isn't going to affect people who don't go out to sea in any way. Normally, I don't like to use "if you don't like it don't use it", but the fact that it's not even affecting the building, socialization, or overall feel of Minecraft for the most part (as opposed to, say, a suggestion for an AK-47 or nuclear reactors) means that you're going out of your way to dislike it. If it at all interests you, the suggestion has a few items that have secondary, non-combat purposes- such as the Hammer rotating blocks and the various generated structures that you can retouch if you so wish.
I've been having difficulty thinking of other names. What would you suggest?
Bone Musket = Skeleton Musketeer (variant of regular Skeleton)
Undead at Arms = Zombie Musketeer, but I suggest getting rid of these guys and making Skeleton Musketeers spawn in castles.
Undead King = Skeleton King (not much of difference and the original is fine, but I think this flows better) Mansion Guard = Guardsman
I also think the king's hammer should not be unbreaking, it feels like something out of a mod. Instead it should drop a highly enchanted diamond hammer.
If you don't want to get rid of the ranged weapons, may I suggest the ammo for each gun be the same (and to that extent the Chinese bow use arrows). This would make it a bit easier to comprehend and use. Lastly the bomb makes TNT redundant.
Bone Musket = Skeleton Musketeer (variant of regular Skeleton). Sounds good. Might make a Donderbuss-toting version called the "Boneduster" too.
Undead at Arms = Zombie Musketeer, but I suggest getting rid of these guys and making Skeleton Musketeers spawn in castles. That actually sounds pretty cool. I think I'll go ahead and "skeletonize" the Abandoned Castle garrison now.
Undead King = Skeleton King (not much of difference and the original is fine, but I think this flows better) Mansion Guard = Guardsman Eh... "Guardsman" is a more positive/heroic descriptor. Mansion Guard sounds better for morally negative/neutral enemies. Though given that they can spawn in Illager camps... I could just call them "Illager Musketeers" but that sounds painfully generic. I think I could stick with Mansion Guard for now, because it sounds somewhat cool (almost like an organization name).
I also think the king's hammer should not be unbreaking, it feels like something out of a mod. Instead it should drop a highly enchanted diamond hammer. Sounds good.
If you don't want to get rid of the ranged weapons, may I suggest the ammo for each gun be the same (and to that extent the Chinese bow use arrows). Sounds good. The chokonu already uses arrows. This would make it a bit easier to comprehend and use. Lastly the bomb makes TNT redundant. Not really; you can't trigger the bomb for later, it doesn't damage terrain, and it's much weaker. It's something you throw to make someone back off or (if you're devious) drop down their chimney, not something you can set up a death trap with or put into a TNT cannon safely.
I like how the spears work, and the new structures. MINECRAFT isn't all about MINING. There's also a CRAFT. But to CRAFT, you need to MINE. But to MINE, you need to EXPLORE, and on the way, you will encounter these monsters, and the structures they live in, so therefore you will have a use for these new weapons. And to get these new weapons, you need to CRAFT...
I like how the spears work, and the new structures. MINECRAFT isn't all about MINING. There's also a CRAFT. But to CRAFT, you need to MINE. But to MINE, you need to EXPLORE, and on the way, you will encounter these monsters, and the structures they live in, so therefore you will have a use for these new weapons. And to get these new weapons, you need to CRAFT...
75PERCENT SUPPORT.
Can you explain why you chose partial support (i.e. what you think should change/be added to make this better)? Thanks!
As most people rarely ever sneak unless building on high places or on lava, this would be pretty useless, causing uneccesary lag. And the donderbuss and matchlock really don't fit in my opinion, but I appreciate the effort to tie it in with mineCRAFT'S theme. I have zero support on the cannon, however. It just does not fit in.
The Good:
I am a fan of your spears, and the chinese bow. I also love the new structures. The trowing knives are awesome, i think they would be a great addition to mineCRAFT's limited arsenal. The new mobs would really expand mineCRAFT in a way no update has before(except for the musketeers, mansion guards, ect.). Bombs are cool too.
The Eh:
The new special abilities. The passive ones are okay, but I have mixed feelings about the other ones, other than the spear's.
As most people rarely ever sneak unless building on high places or on lava, this would be pretty useless, causing uneccesary lag. And the donderbuss and matchlock really don't fit in my opinion, but I appreciate the effort to tie it in with mineCRAFT'S theme. I have zero support on the cannon, however. It just does not fit in.
The Good:
I am a fan of your spears, and the chinese bow. I also love the new structures. The trowing knives are awesome, i think they would be a great addition to mineCRAFT's limited arsenal. The new mobs would really expand mineCRAFT in a way no update has before(except for the musketeers, mansion guards, ect.). Bombs are cool too.
The Eh:
The new special abilities. The passive ones are okay, but I have mixed feelings about the other ones, other than the spear's.
Other than that, it is awesome!!
75 PERCENT SUPPORT!!!
Dude, sneaking already effects how far a mob can see. The sneaking thing he suggested is pretty good. Actually do your research before you say something. It doesn't effect lag whatsoever. And you said that sneaking does't have much uses. How would adding a use for sneaking make sneaking useless? This reply is not well thought out.
Sword: Doing full damage with a sword's sweep would be way too OP. The sweeping edge enchantment however increases damage taken by the sweep so just enchant your sword with that. (Max 3)
Spear: Nice idea.
Hammer: Maybe this could be added to the axe's special abilities.
Dagger: This could be added the sword's abilites maybe?
Cannon: This would be repetitive and people would loose interest of making their creative tnt cannons.
The suggested mobs should have drops. Mobs that use guns (Skeleton Musketeer, Boneduster, and Mansion Guards) should drop 0-1 Iron Ingots (Representing the remains of their weapons, and providing a renewable source of Iron, which would allow for Iron Golems to be balanced out without making renewable iron too rare) at a similar rate as Spider Eyes, ammo for their weapons, and rarely, their weapons. Powder Jockeys would drop their bombs (3-5, as they're not a renewable source). All of that sounds great. I think skeleton gunpowder enemies will drop remains more often than actual weapons (they obviously don't maintain them in any way, just shoot and load) while the Mansion Guards would obviously take time to clean their items and such drop more intact ones more often.
The Matchlock and Donderbuss should reflect their matchlock mechanism a bit better by removing the String from their recipes, and adding string to the recipe for their respective ammo. Additionally, Cartridges should use 3 Iron Nuggets and provide 3 Cartridges upon crafting. The modified cartridge recipe sounds good. The string is not part of the cartridge, though; it's just what's attached to the serpentine to ignite the propellant, so I think it would work better on the weapon's recipe itself.
The Chunoku should use it's own ammo type, rather than the same arrows as the Bow, both for the logical reason that they would be unlikely to be the same size, and so the cost of the Chunoku's ammo is different. The recipe for "Chunoku Bolts" would be an Iron Nugget+a Feather+a Stick for 3 bolts. I have already been receiving calls to remove Loose Shot and just consolidate Cartridges as the overall ammunition for gunpowder weapons, so I'm not sure whether people would like this. Even if Arrows historically are too long for normal crossbow/chukonu usage, most people won't tell the difference and will just be angry that their cool rapid-fire bow isn't shooting.
The Chunoku should be used by another mob (A good candidate would be a Wither Skeleton variant), and should have a "mag size" to prevent players with enough ammo from being untouchable while firing due to knockback. This has been a concern. I'm not sure how to work with the magazine- since I want to keep things very simple and controlled by the mouse buttons alone- so I have been considering just removing knockback from Chukonu shots altogether, since they ARE supposed to be weaker anyways. 12 arrows would be close to the capacity of some of it's real-life equivalents and would also be a number that can be divided by 3 and 4, so it would be possible to craft exactly enough arrows to fill the Chunoku without leftovers (If it uses normal arrows, or the bolts are added to the suggestion, then there wouldn't be leftover ammo).
The Dagger seems too impractical, as, even with the FoV changes to mobs, it would be too difficult to regularly get to backstab enemies, and throwing them would be impaired because they wouldn't be stackable. I think I will add stacking up to 16 for them. The Dagger itself is arguably more of a PvP weapon than a PvE weapon; it's perfect for things like assassinating someone while they're looking in a chest or otherwise distracted.
As most people rarely ever sneak unless building on high places or on lava, this would be pretty useless, causing uneccesary lag. ...Sneaking doesn't cause lag. Plus, with the new mob line-of-sight and hearing details, it's suddenly very useful. And the donderbuss and matchlock really don't fit in my opinion, but I appreciate the effort to tie it in with mineCRAFT'S theme. If Steve can get gunpowder, iron, wood, and is smart enough to make TNT, he's certainly smart enough to make a primitive gun. Balance-wise, they provide a way to deal with heavily armored players or to blow away a few enemies at close range, at the cost of reloading time and the shot giving your position away (which can get mobs attacking you). I have zero support on the cannon, however. It just does not fit in. It's just a small, (relatively) quick to set up piece. Nowhere near what a true TNT cannon can do, since its projectiles are just Bombs with a few blocks of terrain damage, but if you have no space for a proper TNT cannon- or you want to just blow up a few monsters- it's usable.
The Good:
I am a fan of your spears, and the chinese bow. I also love the new structures. The trowing knives are awesome, i think they would be a great addition to mineCRAFT's limited arsenal. The new mobs would really expand mineCRAFT in a way no update has before(except for the musketeers, mansion guards, ect.). Bombs are cool too.
The Eh:
The new special abilities. The passive ones are okay, but I have mixed feelings about the other ones, other than the spear's. How would you suggest I modify the other special abilities?
Dude, sneaking already effects how far a mob can see. The sneaking thing he suggested is pretty good. Actually do your research before you say something. It doesn't effect lag whatsoever. And you said that sneaking does't have much uses. How would adding a use for sneaking make sneaking useless? This reply is not well thought out.
Sword: Doing full damage with a sword's sweep would be way too OP. The sweeping edge enchantment however increases damage taken by the sweep so just enchant your sword with that. (Max 3) Right, but it's an RMB special attack. That means that the sword has a longer cooldown afterwards, and it also means that the regular sword no longer has a sweep with LMB. I think I will extend the cooldown afterwards, though.
Spear: Nice idea.
Hammer: Maybe this could be added to the axe's special abilities. I don't see how an axe could pound the ground the way a hammer could, and dropping shields AND ignoring 25% of armor is OP. Plus, that forgets the hammer's ability to rotate blocks. I don't think I'll consolidate the two weapons.
Dagger: This could be added the sword's abilites maybe? Nah. Weapons can have only one RMB special, so I can't have both throwing AND sweeping. If the sword could deal backstab damage it'd be a little OP in my opinion.
Cannon: This would be repetitive and people would loose interest of making their creative tnt cannons. The cannon is designed to be a more portable, quick to set up weapon, at the cost of a LOT of power and range. A TNT cannon might take 10 minutes to erect in full view of your enemy's wall or base, while the Cannon can just be set up, but at the same time it can barely blow 3-4 blocks out of a wall with each shot, and you have to put it quite close to the enemy's wall to be able to hit it in range. In comparison, a TNT cannon can fling a very powerful TNT brick a long distance to wreck an enemy's wall with one hit.
Overall very nice. Some are repetitive.
Replies are in bold. I highly appreciate the suggestions and feedback; some of this is definitely going into the next suggestion update. That should come sometime today.
Look carefully at the name... MINEcraft... If you want to change it to Combatcraft... use a Mod, then those of us that enjoy MineCraft don't have to play your game!
NO SUPPORT
This is the worst argument I've ever seen used against a suggestion, and I'm shocked that someone with as much experience on this forum as yourself would use it.
As for the suggestion itself, I kinda like it, I kinda don't. Hiring Musketeers sounds like fun, and would definitely be something I'd be into, but it might also be just a bit too OP. A lot of people will complain about adding guns to the game, but I think this suggestion does them relatively well and gives them a decent purpose without making the bow obsolete.
I'm not very good at reviewing combat-related suggestions seeing as I'm a bit of a noob even when it comes to PvE, but I think there's some good stuff in this suggestion. (I think Spears are done really well, I like the idea of banging people into the air with a shovel, I also like the idea of throwing around bombs.)
I kinda like some of the ideas here and I think this suggestion has some good stuff in it.
Also, I don't think you should put any less than 20 or even 30 lines of text into a spoiler. If I were you, I'd save the spoilers for slightly off-topic rants, ideas you aren't sure about, or in-depth explanations.
My avatar is a texture from a small block game I made in Python. It's not very good and it probably won't work if you install it.
I'm very alone in my Minecraft worlds as I don't have a very good internet connection to run a server. If you're like me, you might be interested in my Posse mod suggestion.
As for the suggestion itself, I kinda like it, I kinda don't. Hiring Musketeers sounds like fun, and would definitely be something I'd be into, but it might also be just a bit too OP.
Also, I don't think you should put any less than 20 or even 30 lines of text into a spoiler. If I were you, I'd save the spoilers for slightly off-topic rants, ideas you aren't sure about, or in-depth explanations.
Musketeers are pretty strong if you have a squad of 5 of them following you around; but so are wolves. The thing with Musketeers is that you sacrifice the trades a villager might bring, plus pay thirty emeralds to hire that musketeer if he's naturally generated. If you just throw down a Matchlock or Donderbuss it's fine, but then again that also demands you make those. I'm thinking of having "created" Musketeers need a hiring cost too; probably 10 emeralds.
Musketeers themselves have the same stats and combat behavior as Skeletons for the most part; 20 health, no armor, fires and strafes, tries to back up when close. Their Iron Sword is only ever used for single swipes to knock back enemies in melee; you will never see them charging. Their combat behavior slightly differs with weapon changes too; they'll hang back cautiously like Skeletons with a Matchlock, but hand them a Donderbuss and they'll close to 5-10 blocks before letting off a blast. So you have to consider whether or not you want them to deal more damage or put themselves in less danger.
They have a maximum targeting range of 24 blocks either way; I feel like since they're more basic militia troops and not hardened elite soldiers in any way, they'd need to get within that range to even consider shooting an enemy accurately. As for damage itself, they deal less than you; 5.5 hearts for a Matchlock and 8 for a Donderbuss (assuming all 4 pellets connect, which they probably won't unless it's at point blank). That also factors in armor piercing effect, but overall it's a good trade for the Emeralds and weapon you spent on the guy.
In both cases Musketeers must reload their guns before firing, and won't do so if an enemy's close up, since they'll use their sword; so if you charge into a group of Musketeers you won't get shot five times, you'll just have 5 sword-wielding guys that aren't very good at that. Combine that with the fact that you can hire your OWN Musketeers- and opposing Musketeers can and will shoot at each other- and you might consider letting your groups skirmish a bit before entering the fray yourself. (That's why I let you dye their uniform like Sheep; it'd be a bit hard to tell who's who when both forces have blue coats.)
Completely unrelated: I currently think most niches are nicely covered, but I could possibly look for more- plus I've been considering adding more content alongside various tweaks on the next update. What would people think of...
a wheellock pistol that reloads quickly and can be used in the offhand, unlike other gunpowder weapons? Added.
a special variant of the Bomb that deals only 1 heart explosive damage but which launches bouncing "shards" like shrapnel?
specialized enchantments for various weapons?
poison-tipped arrows for the Chukonu? Already exists.
a "captain" variant of Illager that carries a wheellock pistol, a sword, and who enhances the stats of Illagers in an immediate area around him? Added.
a Villager version of the aforementioned mob? Added.
an unwrecked Illager-manned ship to fight aboard out on the seas? Added.
This is the worst argument I've ever seen used against a suggestion, and I'm shocked that someone with as much experience on this forum as yourself would use it.
As for the suggestion itself, I kinda like it, I kinda don't. Hiring Musketeers sounds like fun, and would definitely be something I'd be into, but it might also be just a bit too OP. A lot of people will complain about adding guns to the game, but I think this suggestion does them relatively well and gives them a decent purpose without making the bow obsolete.
I'm not very good at reviewing combat-related suggestions seeing as I'm a bit of a noob even when it comes to PvE, but I think there's some good stuff in this suggestion. (I think Spears are done really well, I like the idea of banging people into the air with a shovel, I also like the idea of throwing around bombs.)
I kinda like some of the ideas here and I think this suggestion has some good stuff in it.
Also, I don't think you should put any less than 20 or even 30 lines of text into a spoiler. If I were you, I'd save the spoilers for slightly off-topic rants, ideas you aren't sure about, or in-depth explanations.
Notch had it right!
Want to stand toe to toe and beat the snot out of someone/something, there are tons of games that allow or are based on that philosophy.
If you really want to see combat join the Army... You can try to save the life of your friend who just triggered an IED.
Join the Air Force and mourn the loss of a neighbor/friend that just created a huge smoking hole.
Become a member of the Navy sleeping below decks when some errant ship runs into yours and you drown.
Talk to a family displaying a gold star due to the death of a family member... I'll wager they aren't keen on combat either!
Combat is not a game... lives are wasted because some Commander (or President) wants to make a name for himself.
I played this reality for 20 plus years. I don't want to replay/relive it in a game named MineCraft. I would not have purchased the game had it been named CombatCraft. I'll wager there are a ton of veterans that feel as I do too.
I do not want to force you to not play at combat no matter how foolish I think it is... Please don't try to force me to play your game; use a Mod and we can both play our game as we feel it should be!
Still no support!
Sword, lance, the jaw of an ass, or a nuclear bomb... it glorifies combat and therefore death! Death in medieval times was even more gruesome and painful than it is today.
Make it a Mod and those that feel as I do don't have to play!
Want to stand toe to toe and beat the snot out of someone/something, there are tons of games that allow or are based on that philosophy.
If you really want to see combat join the Army... You can try to save the life of your friend who just triggered an IED.
Join the Air Force and mourn the loss of a neighbor/friend that just created a huge smoking hole.
Become a member of the Navy sleeping below decks when some errant ship runs into yours and you drown.
Talk to a family displaying a gold star due to death of a family member... I'll wager they aren't keen on combat either!
Combat is not a game... lives are wasted because some Commander (or President) wants to make a name for himself.
I played this reality for 20 plus years. I don't want to replay/relive it in a game named MineCraft. I would not have purchased the game had it been named CombatCraft. I'll wager there are a ton of veterans that feel as I do too.
I do not want to force you to not play at combat no matter how foolish I think it is... Please do try to force me to play your game; use a Mod and we can both play our game as we feel it should be!
Still no support!
I don't like being rude to people online- it's good to carry yourself as if you're face to face- but I have to pose the question: what are you talking about?
So you're a veteran. I presume from your words you saw things that soured you to combat. Okay. Thank you for your service and what you gave, but that has nothing to do with late medieval/renaissance weapons in Minecraft plus a few new mobs and cool fantasy places to fight in.
I'd totally understand your point if I suggested crafting AK-47s and pipe bombs, blowing limbs off of Illagers, and bleeding mechanics... but there's absolutely none of that.
The farthest this suggestion travels technologically is matchlock firearms and cannons; basically, nothing past the early days of the Age of Discovery. I for one abhor suggestions that cover things like flintlock muskets or Gatling guns; if Christopher Columbus or the Conquistadors couldn't have taken it along, it's not fit for Minecraft combat in my book, unless you have a special reason (e.g. AMPPL50's Guardian's Gaze, because lasers already exist in natural animals in Minecraft).
Violence-wise, I have put out nothing that's any farther than what Minecraft already possesses; it doesn't matter if you're bracing with a Spear or swinging a Hammer, your enemy flashes red, falls sideways, and vanishes in a puff of smoke. That's exactly the same for every single weapon. Your strange spiel about how highly stylized fantasy combat is bad because real combat is traumatic and deadly makes absolutely no sense. It's a little like saying "all liquid drinking is bad because if you drink acid you die".
That, and Notch added survival mode and combat for a reason. If he wanted no combat Minecraft would have never had Survival Test or SMP.
/rant. I'm sorry if you take this as flaming- you can have your own opinion if you want- but some of the things you've said are patently false. If you wish to reply further to this, please do so in messaging, because I wish to keep this thread related to the suggestion itself and not the underlying moral values and intents of Minecraft.
Just because you might be a veteran and you don't like combat doesn't mean this thread is bad. The game doesn't need to be called combat craft to have some added combat features.
Oh wow! It's called MINECRAFT. They can't add the entire nether in one update, then it'd be HALLOWEENCRAFT is literally what you're saying. Not to be rude, but litterally everything in Minecraft can offend someone who is as easily offended as you.
Want to stand toe to toe and beat the snot out of someone/something, there are tons of games that allow or are based on that philosophy.
If you really want to see combat join the Army... You can try to save the life of your friend who just triggered an IED.
Join the Air Force and mourn the loss of a neighbor/friend that just created a huge smoking hole.
Become a member of the Navy sleeping below decks when some errant ship runs into yours and you drown.
Talk to a family displaying a gold star due to the death of a family member... I'll wager they aren't keen on combat either!
Combat is not a game... lives are wasted because some Commander (or President) wants to make a name for himself.
I played this reality for 20 plus years. I don't want to replay/relive it in a game named MineCraft. I would not have purchased the game had it been named CombatCraft. I'll wager there are a ton of veterans that feel as I do too.
I do not want to force you to not play at combat no matter how foolish I think it is... Please don't try to force me to play your game; use a Mod and we can both play our game as we feel it should be!
Still no support!
Sword, lance, the jaw of an Swearing isn't allowed on this forum, or a nuclear bomb... it glorifies combat and therefore death! Death in medieval times was even more gruesome and painful than it is today.
Make it a Mod and those that feel as I do don't have to play!
Hundreds and hundreds of games have some amount of combat in them, including Minecraft. This suggestion doesn't change the game to completely focus on combat, it just tweaks the current combat for the people who enjoy that part of the game. No, I'm not going to join the army because I like the competitive feeling of exploding other people's cartoon characters, any more than someone with a nerf gun would.
This suggestion doesn't even make the game more violent... It already had bows that left gruesome-looking arrows in people. Gun bullets wouldn't leave bullet-holes in Minecraft characters, nor does this suggestion imply adding blood or gore.
If you want to give an actual argument, make it something constructive that talks about gameplay aspects and not something about video game violence, which is up to the ESRB and not someone on a forum.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My avatar is a texture from a small block game I made in Python. It's not very good and it probably won't work if you install it.
I'm very alone in my Minecraft worlds as I don't have a very good internet connection to run a server. If you're like me, you might be interested in my Posse mod suggestion.
Introduction
Hello everybody- Steam66 here. Today I'm proud to reveal a new update suggestion of mine: the Battlemaster Update!
This suggestion, while composed of numerous pieces, is all centered around one objective: making combat fun, exciting, and varied. It contains numerous new weapons, some items, mobs, and even places, all designed to be fresh treats for Minecraft's PvE and PvP players alike.
*Note: I'd like to clarify that this is not a wish list: even if some items are not related immediately, they are all placed for the purpose of making combat more fun and interesting by adding a diverse selection of combat-related new items, mobs, and places.*
Current Version: 3.0 (2/11/18)
Changelog
1.0 (2/8/18): Initial release
1.0a (2/8/18): Added spoilers to shorten the OP, fixed a few things'
1.0b (2/9/18): Tweaked matchlock damage and added specific damage values for Musketeers.
2.0 (2/9/18): Added the Balance Changes section. Various spacing fixes.
2.1 (2/9/18): Removed Undead-At-Arms. Changed the Undead King to the Skeleton King. Changed the Bone Musket to the Skeleton Musketeer. Tweaked the King's Hammer. Added Bonedusters and Powder Jockeys.
3.0 (2/11/18): Added various drops for gunpowder enemies. Modified crafting recipes for Cartridges and Loose Shot. Added Wither Skeleton Archers. Added Terracotta Golems. Cooldown on swords after sweep special increased. Increased reload time on Matchlocks and Donderbusses but lowered time to accurate aim. Matchlocks and donderbusses cannot be offhand wielded. Added wheellock pistols. Added Captains and Mansion Officers. Added Colossi. All monsters now target Villagers with the exception of Creepers. Added Illager Ships. Non-Illager mobs no longer spawn in Woodland Mansions.
3.0a (2/11/18): Evokers now sometimes use their Totems of Undying.
3.0b (2/12/18): Added sabres. Captains, Musketeers, Mansion Guards, and Mansion Officers now use Sabres instead of Iron Swords.
Balance Changes
A careful blend of various tweaks and modifications designed to shake up and revitalize battle at its core.
PvE Changes
Fighting monsters just got a lot more interesting.
PvP Changes
Far and above a normal monster-bashing session, a PvP engagement is a heart-pounding frenzy. Let's elevate that.
New Weapons
The heart and soul of the Battlemaster Update lies in its weapons: be they old friends modified, or newcomers, they all fulfill specific roles and niches in the field or off of it.
Note: "Tip" refers to any material used to craft the tip of a tool or weapon: for instance, the tip of a Shovel can be wood, stone, iron, gold, or diamond.
Melee Weapons
The old standards: what most PvE and PvP combat boils down to.
Sword
Recipe: 2 tip, 1 stick
RMB Special: Sweep Attack [damages all enemies in front of the player, longer cooldown]
The standard Sword we all know and love. The Sweep has been moved from a standard attack to a special used with RMB; in exchange, it’s more powerful now, capable of hitting all enemies in the attack radius for full damage. After sweeping, the cooldown is 2.5 seconds.
Sabre
Recipe: 2 tip, 1 stick [diagonally]
RMB Special: Block [identical to pre-1.9 sword blocking]
The Sabre is a sword with a fancy grip and a curved blade. It swings a little faster than the regular Sword but is a little weaker and lacks the sweep. It can notably be used to block attacks itself (though you will merely take reduced damage, not a full block like with a Shield); effectively, it's identical to the pre-1.9 Sword for the most part, just with a reduced swing rate, appealing to PvP veterans.
Pickaxe
Recipe: 3 tip, 2 stick
RMB Special: None
Pickaxes now deal enhanced degradation to enemy armor, at 3x the usual rate. Apart from that, they’re basically the same.
Shovel
Recipe: 1 tip, 2 stick
RMB Special: Fling
Shovels can now fling people vertically a few blocks, dealing a little damage as well, but apart from that are identical.
Spear
Recipe: 1 tip, 2 sticks [diagonally]
RMB Special: Brace [halts the player, braces the spear; enemies walking into it take damage]
A defensive weapon with a long reach. Slow swinging speed, but an extra 2 blocks of reach and the ability to Brace. Bracing secures the spear and forces you to stop, but it also ensures that any enemy that touches the spearhead will be knocked back and take damage. If you’re riding a horse, you can Brace without stopping, letting you deliver powerful charges.
Hammer
Recipe: 6 tip, 1 stick
RMB Special: Pound [knocks nearby enemies away and deals damage]
The Hammer is a heavy weapon that deals similar damage and swinging speed to the Axe, ignoring 25% of the enemy’s armor, though it doesn’t knock down shields. It can pound the ground, causing a tremor that knocks back any nearby enemies and deals ½ the usual damage to them. It can also rotate any block it hits, making it a useful item for building.
Dagger
Recipe: 1 tip, 1 stick
RMB Special: Throw [throws the dagger; can be picked up later]
Daggers are short, slightly weaker than a Sword, and cheap. They also swing fast and deal triple damage to the back of an enemy. With its ability to be thrown up to 10-15 blocks away- and even then still deal backstab crits- it’s a highly useful weapon for finishing off a retreating foe or assassinating someone looking in a chest. If all of that fails, a few throwing knives can be quite useful when you don't have a Bow.
Ranged Weapons
The Bow's got new friends: now, you can unleash a hail of projectiles onto your foes with these powerful implements.
Chukonu
Recipe: 3 iron ingot, 1 Bow
The Chukonu is a rapid-fire crossbow based off of ancient Chinese weaponry; behavior-wise, it’s a callback to the old Beta bow. Firing weaker, shorter-ranged arrows than the usual fare from a Bow, the Chukonu makes up for its anemic bolts by spitting out a sheer hail of them, multiple times per second in fact. It’s thus quite useful when you have a large quantity of arrows; it can push enemies back, chain-stun mobs, and with tipped arrows it can be a powerful implement, if short-ranged. Each arrow deals less knockback than a Bow's, but the chained effect can stop an enemy in their tracks if you're accurate enough.
Matchlock
Recipe: 3 iron ingots, 3 wooden planks, 1 string
Ammo: Cartridges
The Matchlock is an old-fashioned arquebus similar to those used by Spanish soldiers in the 1500s. The weapon fires small iron balls that ignore 50% of armor on whatever they hit, fly fast, and have a flat range of 50 blocks (more if angled). Each shot deals 8 hearts damage.
The weapon must be loaded before you can shoot by holding down RMB. After 3 seconds (during which you slow to sneaking speed and the Matchlock tilts upwards) it emits a clicking noise and uses a Cartridge. You can then aim and shoot like a Bow; it’ll have terrible accuracy but will heavily improve if you aim for 2 seconds or more.
The Matchlock’s firing produces a loud bang, a small cloud of smoke, and a flash of light, which can give away your position. It’s overall an effective sniper weapon, ranged combat tool, and armor-piercer, if a bit expensive and slow-firing. You cannot offhand the Matchlock.
Wheellock
Recipe: 2 iron ingots, 1 wooden plank, 1 stick, 1 flint and steel
Ammo: Cartridges
The Wheellock is a pistol with a short barrel, a curved wooden grip, and a wheel-type ignition mechanism. Less expensive than most gunpowder weaponry to produce, its decent power (5 hearts of damage) and the ability to ignore 25% of armor it hits makes it an appealing tool. The weapon is also quite fast to reload, taking just 1.5 seconds instead of the usual 3. Finally, the Wheellock can be offhanded unlike any other gunpowder weapon, letting you load and fire it in the off hand while you have it- or another weapon- in your main hand. This comes at a severe disadvantage, though; the Wheellock is horrifically inaccurate and trying to shoot anything beyond 10-15 blocks is a laughable idea, as well as dealing much less damage and armor piercing power than the basic Matchlock.
Donderbuss
Recipe: 5 iron ingots, 3 wooden planks, 1 string
Ammo: Loose Shot
The Donderbuss is similar to the Matchlock in being an old-fashioned firearm. However, its short, flared barrel and lack of a stock tells it apart. The Donderbuss works identically to the Matchlock, but instead of shooting one powerful shot it fires a spread of 5 small pellets that each deal 2 hearts of damage (for a maximum of 10) and which each ignore 25% of armor on whatever they hit.
The Donderbuss’s report is even louder than the Musket’s; instead of a “bang” it’s a reverberating “BOOM” that carries for several chunks. Its accuracy is also terrible; even if you aim, don’t expect to hit someone beyond 10 blocks with anything more than one of the pellets. You cannot offhand the Donderbuss.
Bomb
Recipe: 4 iron ingots, 1 gunpowder, 1 string
A spherical black bomb with a fuse. Can be thrown just like an Ender Pearl and has the same cooldown. Has a 2.5 second timer, deals 20 hearts damage at the center of its explosive radius (decreasing to 5 at the edge of its 3 block radius), and does not damage terrain, only mobs. Makes a loud hissing, flashes, and trails smoke while the fuse is burning down. Pointing a Shield at an exploding Bomb will absorb 75% of its damage, but also transfer 1/2 of that into degradation for the shield, meaning that it isn't a very good idea to keep trying to deflect Bomb blasts.
Cannon
Recipe: 6 iron ingots, 1 iron block
A big cylindrical cannon in a dull black color, the Cannon is based off of Medieval-era cannons. It can be placed facing away from the player and right-clicking it afterwards can modify its angle (going for a flat trajectory, rainbow arc, or nearly-vertical mortar drop). The Cannon, when clicked with a Cannonball, will be loaded; after that, lighting it in any method (redstone, Flint and Steel, etc.) will start a 2 second fuse.
The cannonball itself is powerful, comparable to a Bomb that explodes on impact and also deals a degree of terrain damage- allowing you to blow small chunks in enemy walls. TNT cannons are much stronger for dealing terrain, but for quick deployment and versatility the Cannon has no equal.
Misc. Items and Ammo
Be it ammo for hungry ranged weapons or tweaked armor pieces, whatever's combat related but doesn't fit into the above categories goes here.
Cartridge
Recipe: 3 iron nugget, 1 gunpowder, 1 paper [per 3 Cartridges]
A paper tube containing a musket ball and a small charge of gunpowder. The ammunition for the Matchlock. Can also be used by Dispensers.
Loose Shot
Recipe: 3 gravel, 1 gunpowder, 1 paper [per 3 Loose Shots]
A small collection of pellets with a bit of paper wadding and gunpowder. The ammunition for the Donderbuss. Can also be used by Dispensers.
Cannonball
Recipe: 1 iron block, 4 gunpowder [per 3 Cannonballs]
A big iron cannonball and enough powder to lob it. The ammunition for the Cannon. Can also be used by Dispensers, but you cannot affect its range like you can in a Cannon.
Chainmail Armor
Recipe: Iron Nuggets [usual armor shapes]
Chainmail armor is now craftable with Iron Nuggets if the player is rather low on ingots and doesn’t want to break for full Iron yet. Apart from that, it’s pretty standard.
New Mobs
You're not the only one around; the Battlemaster Update has added both friends and foes to the field.
Friendly Mobs
Sometimes, in this world of rampaging monsters and malicious cultists, it's nice to see a helping hand or a stout ally.
Musketeer
Health: 20
Equipment: Matchlock/Donderbuss (always spawns naturally with Matchlock), Sabre
Drops: 0-1 Matchlock/Donderbuss, 0-3 Cartridges/Loose Shot
Musketeers wear black Pilgrim-style hats, blue coats with white undershirts, and brown belts. They are a ranged but weaker defensive force in Villages compared to Iron Golems. While they can use a Matchlock or Donderbuss, all naturally generated Musketeers have a Matchlock. With a Matchlock, they fire balls dealing 5.5 hearts' damage, while with a Donderbuss they fire four pellets each dealing 2 hearts' damage.
Musketeers patrol their village during the night and shoot any monsters within 24 blocks. They’ll fire at unpopular players just like Iron Golems and retreat when wounded. If out of combat, they slowly regenerate HP.
Musketeers have a cautious fighting style with a Matchlock and an aggressive one with a Donderbuss. Regardless of weapon they won’t try to use their Sabre unless an enemy initiates a melee. They only try to block with their sword when their health is low.
Musketeers can be created by giving a villager a Matchlock or a Donderbuss. While you’ll lose their trades, you will get another defender. Naturally-generated Musketeers can be “hired” with a single Trade costing 20-30 emeralds; they will become loyal to you afterwards. Created Musketeers can be "hired" too but this will only cost 10 emeralds. Hired Musketeers are loyal to the player. You can give them various commands through their HUD (guard here, follow me, ignore/attack other players) and dye their uniforms with your own colors, making them a useful base-defense or backup ally for you in SMP servers.
They’ll even fire on enemy Musketeers; a big brawl can result from groups of these Villager troops opening up on behalf of their players.
Musketeers synergize well with Captains; more information on this can be found on that mob's description.
Captain
Health: 20 [6 armor]
Equipment: Wheellock, Sabre
Drops: 0-1 Wheellock (good condition), 0-1 Sabre (rare, decent condition), 0-3 Cartridges
A veteran soldier, the Captain is the leader of Musketeer militias and a harder fighter. Wearing a feather in his hat, an iron chestplate, and carrying a wheellock pistol in his offhand and a sabre in his main hand, he's quite a dangerous enemy to those who would attack Villages, as well as an inspiration to his fellow Testificates.
You can't normally "recruit" Captains the way you can Musketeers. Instead, you have to "promote" a Musketeer; this is a 30 emerald trade with him. Doing so will convert him into a Captain. Captains loyal to you work much like Musketeers- they can be dyed and commanded.
Naturally generated Captains occur after a village has at least 3 Musketeers (so it must be fairly large) and there is only ever one per village, representing the leader of the overall village defense force.
Captains have a special effect on Musketeers within 16 blocks. Musketeers that are near a Captain will be 20% more accurate with their shots and also have a minor Regeneration effect on them. He himself doesn't benefit from this.
Combat-wise, the behavior of a Captain depends on whether or not there are Musketeers. If there are at least 2 nearby Musketeers the Captain will stand by them and shoot with his pistol; but if there is less or none he will charge in with his sword. The Captain deals more damage with his sabre than a Musketeer and blocks frequently, making him a more challenging melee fighter.
Enemy Musketeers receive no bonuses from friendly Captains.
Terracotta Golem
Health: 25
Equipment: Chukonu
Drops: 0-5 Arrows, 0-1 Chukonu (poor condition)
The Terracotta Golem is created by stacking 2 blocks of same-colored terracotta and 1 pumpkin on top of each other. The resulting golem is player-sized and made of terracotta, resembling an ancient Chinese soldier. This golem, just like the others, is single-minded yet extremely loyal. It'll wander around, and if it sees an enemy it'll stand still, letting loose a hail of Chukonu arrows. Effectively, it works like an enhanced Snow Golem; if you need a tireless watchman to stay in your tower and keep enemies back with a stunning hail of arrows, this magical statue is your best bet.
Enemy Mobs
Uh-oh. Looks like trouble.
Skeleton Musketeer
Health: 20 (10 hearts)
Equipment: Matchlock
Drops: 0-2 Iron Ingots, 0-1 Matchlock (very rarely, degraded condition), 0-3 Cartridges
Skeleton Musketeers are Skeletons with Matchlocks; no different from the usual other than that. They have a little more range (24 blocks instead of 16) but their Matchlocks are worn out and only deal 3 hearts’ damage, as well as being moderately inaccurate. Though they are rare in the Overworld (1/10 of Skeletons are Skeleton Musketeers), they generate infrequently in Abandoned Castles, often at the end of corridors or in larger rooms as "snipers".
Boneduster
Health: 20
Equipment: Donderbuss
Drops: 0-2 Iron Ingots, 0-1 Donderbuss (very rarely, degraded condition), 0-3 Loose Shot
The Boneduster is normally very rare in the Overworld, but generates frequently in Abandoned Castles. Often grouped into squads of two or three Donderbuss-toting skeletons, these dangerous foes can fill you with a cloud of pellets if you're not careful. Fortunately, they're terrible shots and their worn-out Donderbusses only deal one hearts' damage per pellet, for a total of 4 hearts per each blast.
Wither Skeleton Archer
Health: 20
Equipment: Bow
Drops: 0-3 Arrows, 0-1 Bow (very poor condition), 0-2 Bone
The Wither Skeleton Archer is quite simply a Wither Skeleton with a Bow. Firing unique black-tipped arrows, these tall skeletons deal Withering damage with each shot and only generate in Nether Fortresses, being somewhat less common than sword-wielding Wither Skeletons.
Skeleton King
Health: 30 [12 armor]
Equipment: "King's Hammer" (Diamond Hammer, Unbreaking + 2 random enchantments)
Drops: "King's Hammer" (always)
With a powerful warhammer and a royal robe wrapped in iron armor, this bony leader still exerts power and influence in a blackly comedic way over his skeletal soldiers. The Skeleton King can pound you to bits if he gets the chance; with heavy defense and the ability to summon Bonedusters, he can be a tough foe. Slay him and his King's Hammer will be yours; this specially-named, enchanted Diamond Hammer is a useful tool for pounding foes flat.
Evoker
The Evoker has been slightly modified. He now has a 50% chance of using his Totem of Undying when he is "killed"; if this happens, he will jump up a block in the air, float while the Totem of Undying plays its animation, and will then drop down on the ground with a quaking effect, performing a defensive Evocation Fang attack and summoning three Vexes. He is thus much more dangerous of an opponent, and you can't get a Totem of Undying so easily now. If there is only one more Evoker in a Woodland Mansion, they will always drop a Totem of Undying and never use it, so you're not left empty-handed.
Mansion Guard
Health: 20
Equipment: Donderbuss, Sabre
Drops: 0-1 Donderbuss (good condition), 0-3 Loose Shot, 0-2 Emeralds
The Mansion Guard is a powerful Illager soldier with a similar hat and coat to the Musketeer. They wear dark purple uniforms with white undershirt and always carry Donderbusses that are quite strong in the close quarters combat of a Woodland Mansion. They represent the “professional” Illager defenders instead of the axe-wielding “civilian” Vindicators.
While they are not so common as Vindicators, they are still deadly effective; they tend to spawn in rooms instead of corridors.
Thankfully, they only fire four pellets per blast instead of five, and have a bit of delay before they shoot, so being caught at point blank isn’t a death sentence; just an unpleasant lesson to remember. Don't take their pause to reload as an invitation to whale on them, though; these soldiers, just like Musketeers, pack Sabres to swipe at you close up. Use your shield to deflect their blast and the resulting strike, or a Spear to outrange them.
Powder Jockey
Health: 24
Equipment: Bombs
Drops: 0-3 Bombs
With a crazed look on his face, scorched and tattered black robes, and a sackful of bombs, the Powder Jockey is an Illager as insane as he is dangerous. You can tell his presence by his mad chortling and the occasional "flick" of a match being lit even when idle.
Capable of lobbing explosives your way, he's thankfully unable to destroy the halls of the Woodland Mansion where he might generate. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop him from being able to atomize you if you can't get away from his bombs- and he's crazy enough to drop a bomb at his feet if it means blowing you up. Thankfully, your Shield can absorb most of the blast, but don't count on it taking more than a few bombs.
Mansion Officer
Health: 20 [6 armor]
Equipment: Wheellock, Sabre
Drops: 0-1 Wheellock (good condition), 0-1 Sabre (rare, decent condition), 0-3 Cartridges
Comparable to a Captain, the Mansion Officer is a leader of the Mansion Guards. There is only around 3-5 Mansion Officers in each Woodland Mansion, spawning near Evokers and usually with a squad of Mansion Guards. Their combat behavior is set to "always aggressive" mode, which befits them since their Mansion Guards like to rush in with their Donderbusses anyway.
They can be a dangerous sabre-wielding foe, capable of effectively blocking melee strikes and damaging you close up with pistol fire, and what's worse is that if they're still alive, any Mansion Guards within 16 blocks get a weak Regeneration effect and are 20% more accurate with their Donderbuss blasts. You can tell him from his men by his dark purple uniform and red-feathered hat.
Colossus
Health: 120
Drops: 0-5 Iron Ingots, 0-1 Alliums
Colossi are gunmetal gray, polished Iron Golems with raised eyebrows and a small Illager-head insignia on their upper right chest. Representing "100% capacity" Iron Golems instead of the somewhat rusty, overgrown village Iron Golems, they are lethal combatants, lumbering forward to throw you into the air with their enormous arms, and able to withstand a crazy amount of punishment before they fall, with an extra 10 hearts' health over regular Iron Golems. These lumbering golems are very rare and generally only one ever generates in a Woodland Mansion at the very top of the building; a hard boss fight for sure.
Warlock
Health: 24
Drops: 0-1 Enchantment Book (random)
Comparable to an Evoker with plainer robes and a hood, the Warlock is an apprentice mage learning the unholy arts that the Illagers use. In battle, he casts magic missiles with a soft homing nature to their trajectory; he also can use a weakened version of the Evocation Fangs’ “defense” mode if you get too close to him. Kill him and he’ll drop some Emeralds and maybe a random enchantment book if you’re lucky.
New Places
Combat isn't just people and what they've got in their hands; it's the places they're fighting over just as much.
Woodland Mansion
Woodland Mansions are now well-lit. Monsters save for Illager types and related mobs no longer spawn inside to balance out the difficulty; and besides, why would the Illagers leave their halls crawling with nasties that could attack them at any moment?
Fortress
A set of wooden walls marked with Testificate-faced banners and squat stone buildings inside mark this small outpost of military Villagers far off from the hamlets they usually live in. With a population composed of Musketeers, plus a few Priests, Cartographers, and other hanger-ons, the Fortress is well prepared to repel an attack; it’s also a wonderful place to fortify and hire some followers, though it’s quite barren if you’re looking for trades.
Abandoned Castle
A decaying, mossy castle once housing a now-fallen kingdom’s lords, the Abandoned Castle is filled with dark corners, deadly traps, and potential riches to be found. Beware, though; the inhabitants may not be alive, but they still walk the halls. Groups of Bonedusters and Skeleton Musketeers patrol in service to their lord, a Skeleton King, who is sealed in a crypt at the top floor. Conquer the Castle and it might become a livable place one day; that is, if you survive.
Illager Camp
A set of wooden walls with Illager banners and a collection of small stone buildings and wool tents inside. The Illager Camp represents a small scouting force or expansion group’s “home base” away from the Woodland Mansion. It contains a group of Vindicators and Mansion Guards, as well as a Warlock who is assumed to be the “leader” of the band. Sometimes it might contain Powder Jockeys, so be wary of where you tread.
Illager Ship
A wooden ship that generates out to sea. Its exterior decks have fences (to prevent the crew from falling off the deck) with Fence Gates, it has a tall mast with wool sails and a crow's nest, and contains a raised forecastle and aft deck, making it heavily resemble an old Portuguese trading caravel from the Age of Discovery. The ship has numerous banners hanging off the rear deck that have stylized Illager faces on them and purple backdrops.
The Illager Ship is crewed by some Mansion Guards with a Captain generating in the captain's quarters within the aft deck. If you can get into the Captain's Quarters, you can find a unique Wheellock named the "Captain's Pistol" which possesses Unbreaking but which is otherwise identical to a non-unique Wheellock. The ship's below-deck Hold also contains a set of chests with randomly-generated valuables comparable to those in Dungeons. Beware, though; a single Colossus spawns down there, and he won't let you plunder the ship without a fight.
Conclusion
So that wraps things up for my suggestion. Might'a been a doozy of a read, but now that you're through: please leave your thoughts in the comments below- suggestions, constructive criticism, etc. are all welcomed- and have a great day. Thanks!
If you choose to support the Battlemaster Update suggestion, simply copy and paste the below image link into your signature:
We're doing a mod project, check it out:
Look carefully at the name... MINEcraft... If you want to change it to Combatcraft... use a Mod, then those of us that enjoy MineCraft don't have to play your game!
NO SUPPORT
Links to pdf format, downloadable, command lists for (these often clarify/expand descriptions, and where possible link to the author's posting):
MoreCommands: http://www.mediafire.com/view/qjc9c6klcnp660e/CmdLstMoreCommands.pdf
WorldEdit: http://www.mediafire.com/view/bi7r00xd9rgxrrt/WE_Commands.pdf
I'm not too sure about this. On the surface I'm not opposed to a combat reworking, but I don't think we need new weapons (besides maybe spears). I don't think we need more ranged weapons either besides matchlocks (donderbuss sounds off imo). Chainmail armor made by iron nuggets is great, it'd finally make them an actual armor. The new structures are good, it would add more variety to the world. However I suggest you edit the names of the monsters a bit to match with those in the game.
Limited Support
Right, there's my answers in bold. Thanks for the response!
I don't appreciate the venomousness of this nor its total lack of constructiveness, but I'll reply here:
To be short, this is an update centered around combat. That means combat-related things. If you don't partake in PvE or PvP, then it literally doesn't affect you in any way, just like how the Update Aquatic isn't going to affect people who don't go out to sea in any way. Normally, I don't like to use "if you don't like it don't use it", but the fact that it's not even affecting the building, socialization, or overall feel of Minecraft for the most part (as opposed to, say, a suggestion for an AK-47 or nuclear reactors) means that you're going out of your way to dislike it. If it at all interests you, the suggestion has a few items that have secondary, non-combat purposes- such as the Hammer rotating blocks and the various generated structures that you can retouch if you so wish.
We're doing a mod project, check it out:
Bone Musket = Skeleton Musketeer (variant of regular Skeleton)
Undead at Arms = Zombie Musketeer, but I suggest getting rid of these guys and making Skeleton Musketeers spawn in castles.
Undead King = Skeleton King (not much of difference and the original is fine, but I think this flows better)
Mansion Guard = Guardsman
I also think the king's hammer should not be unbreaking, it feels like something out of a mod. Instead it should drop a highly enchanted diamond hammer.
If you don't want to get rid of the ranged weapons, may I suggest the ammo for each gun be the same (and to that extent the Chinese bow use arrows). This would make it a bit easier to comprehend and use. Lastly the bomb makes TNT redundant.
We're doing a mod project, check it out:
I like how the spears work, and the new structures. MINECRAFT isn't all about MINING. There's also a CRAFT. But to CRAFT, you need to MINE. But to MINE, you need to EXPLORE, and on the way, you will encounter these monsters, and the structures they live in, so therefore you will have a use for these new weapons. And to get these new weapons, you need to CRAFT...
75 PERCENT SUPPORT.
Haven't read it yet but the custom title will make me do 100% Support.
The guy above also has a strong point.
PVP Legend
Can you explain why you chose partial support (i.e. what you think should change/be added to make this better)? Thanks!
We're doing a mod project, check it out:
You asked, I answered,
so may I introduce to you:
MY REASONS!!!!! (*insert applause*)
The Bad:
As most people rarely ever sneak unless building on high places or on lava, this would be pretty useless, causing uneccesary lag. And the donderbuss and matchlock really don't fit in my opinion, but I appreciate the effort to tie it in with mineCRAFT'S theme. I have zero support on the cannon, however. It just does not fit in.
The Good:
I am a fan of your spears, and the chinese bow. I also love the new structures. The trowing knives are awesome, i think they would be a great addition to mineCRAFT's limited arsenal. The new mobs would really expand mineCRAFT in a way no update has before(except for the musketeers, mansion guards, ect.). Bombs are cool too.
The Eh:
The new special abilities. The passive ones are okay, but I have mixed feelings about the other ones, other than the spear's.
Other than that, it is awesome!!
75 PERCENT SUPPORT!!!
Dude, sneaking already effects how far a mob can see. The sneaking thing he suggested is pretty good. Actually do your research before you say something. It doesn't effect lag whatsoever. And you said that sneaking does't have much uses. How would adding a use for sneaking make sneaking useless? This reply is not well thought out.
Sword: Doing full damage with a sword's sweep would be way too OP. The sweeping edge enchantment however increases damage taken by the sweep so just enchant your sword with that. (Max 3)
Spear: Nice idea.
Hammer: Maybe this could be added to the axe's special abilities.
Dagger: This could be added the sword's abilites maybe?
Cannon: This would be repetitive and people would loose interest of making their creative tnt cannons.
Overall very nice. Some are repetitive.
Replies are in bold. I highly appreciate the suggestions and feedback; some of this is definitely going into the next suggestion update. That should come sometime today.
We're doing a mod project, check it out:
This is the worst argument I've ever seen used against a suggestion, and I'm shocked that someone with as much experience on this forum as yourself would use it.
As for the suggestion itself, I kinda like it, I kinda don't. Hiring Musketeers sounds like fun, and would definitely be something I'd be into, but it might also be just a bit too OP. A lot of people will complain about adding guns to the game, but I think this suggestion does them relatively well and gives them a decent purpose without making the bow obsolete.
I'm not very good at reviewing combat-related suggestions seeing as I'm a bit of a noob even when it comes to PvE, but I think there's some good stuff in this suggestion. (I think Spears are done really well, I like the idea of banging people into the air with a shovel, I also like the idea of throwing around bombs.)
I kinda like some of the ideas here and I think this suggestion has some good stuff in it.
Also, I don't think you should put any less than 20 or even 30 lines of text into a spoiler. If I were you, I'd save the spoilers for slightly off-topic rants, ideas you aren't sure about, or in-depth explanations.
My avatar is a texture from a small block game I made in Python. It's not very good and it probably won't work if you install it.
I'm very alone in my Minecraft worlds as I don't have a very good internet connection to run a server. If you're like me, you might be interested in my Posse mod suggestion.
Musketeers are pretty strong if you have a squad of 5 of them following you around; but so are wolves. The thing with Musketeers is that you sacrifice the trades a villager might bring, plus pay thirty emeralds to hire that musketeer if he's naturally generated. If you just throw down a Matchlock or Donderbuss it's fine, but then again that also demands you make those. I'm thinking of having "created" Musketeers need a hiring cost too; probably 10 emeralds.
Musketeers themselves have the same stats and combat behavior as Skeletons for the most part; 20 health, no armor, fires and strafes, tries to back up when close. Their Iron Sword is only ever used for single swipes to knock back enemies in melee; you will never see them charging. Their combat behavior slightly differs with weapon changes too; they'll hang back cautiously like Skeletons with a Matchlock, but hand them a Donderbuss and they'll close to 5-10 blocks before letting off a blast. So you have to consider whether or not you want them to deal more damage or put themselves in less danger.
They have a maximum targeting range of 24 blocks either way; I feel like since they're more basic militia troops and not hardened elite soldiers in any way, they'd need to get within that range to even consider shooting an enemy accurately. As for damage itself, they deal less than you; 5.5 hearts for a Matchlock and 8 for a Donderbuss (assuming all 4 pellets connect, which they probably won't unless it's at point blank). That also factors in armor piercing effect, but overall it's a good trade for the Emeralds and weapon you spent on the guy.
In both cases Musketeers must reload their guns before firing, and won't do so if an enemy's close up, since they'll use their sword; so if you charge into a group of Musketeers you won't get shot five times, you'll just have 5 sword-wielding guys that aren't very good at that. Combine that with the fact that you can hire your OWN Musketeers- and opposing Musketeers can and will shoot at each other- and you might consider letting your groups skirmish a bit before entering the fray yourself. (That's why I let you dye their uniform like Sheep; it'd be a bit hard to tell who's who when both forces have blue coats.)
Completely unrelated: I currently think most niches are nicely covered, but I could possibly look for more- plus I've been considering adding more content alongside various tweaks on the next update. What would people think of...
a wheellock pistol that reloads quickly and can be used in the offhand, unlike other gunpowder weapons?Added.poison-tipped arrows for the Chukonu?Already exists.a "captain" variant of Illager that carries a wheellock pistol, a sword, and who enhances the stats of Illagers in an immediate area around him?Added.a Villager version of the aforementioned mob?Added.an unwrecked Illager-manned ship to fight aboard out on the seas?Added.Ender CreepersFeel free to respond or add to that list.
We're doing a mod project, check it out:
Notch had it right!
Want to stand toe to toe and beat the snot out of someone/something, there are tons of games that allow or are based on that philosophy.
If you really want to see combat join the Army... You can try to save the life of your friend who just triggered an IED.
Join the Air Force and mourn the loss of a neighbor/friend that just created a huge smoking hole.
Become a member of the Navy sleeping below decks when some errant ship runs into yours and you drown.
Talk to a family displaying a gold star due to the death of a family member... I'll wager they aren't keen on combat either!
Combat is not a game... lives are wasted because some Commander (or President) wants to make a name for himself.
I played this reality for 20 plus years. I don't want to replay/relive it in a game named MineCraft. I would not have purchased the game had it been named CombatCraft. I'll wager there are a ton of veterans that feel as I do too.
I do not want to force you to not play at combat no matter how foolish I think it is... Please don't try to force me to play your game; use a Mod and we can both play our game as we feel it should be!
Still no support!
Sword, lance, the jaw of an ass, or a nuclear bomb... it glorifies combat and therefore death! Death in medieval times was even more gruesome and painful than it is today.
Make it a Mod and those that feel as I do don't have to play!
Links to pdf format, downloadable, command lists for (these often clarify/expand descriptions, and where possible link to the author's posting):
MoreCommands: http://www.mediafire.com/view/qjc9c6klcnp660e/CmdLstMoreCommands.pdf
WorldEdit: http://www.mediafire.com/view/bi7r00xd9rgxrrt/WE_Commands.pdf
I don't like being rude to people online- it's good to carry yourself as if you're face to face- but I have to pose the question: what are you talking about?
So you're a veteran. I presume from your words you saw things that soured you to combat. Okay. Thank you for your service and what you gave, but that has nothing to do with late medieval/renaissance weapons in Minecraft plus a few new mobs and cool fantasy places to fight in.
I'd totally understand your point if I suggested crafting AK-47s and pipe bombs, blowing limbs off of Illagers, and bleeding mechanics... but there's absolutely none of that.
The farthest this suggestion travels technologically is matchlock firearms and cannons; basically, nothing past the early days of the Age of Discovery. I for one abhor suggestions that cover things like flintlock muskets or Gatling guns; if Christopher Columbus or the Conquistadors couldn't have taken it along, it's not fit for Minecraft combat in my book, unless you have a special reason (e.g. AMPPL50's Guardian's Gaze, because lasers already exist in natural animals in Minecraft).
Violence-wise, I have put out nothing that's any farther than what Minecraft already possesses; it doesn't matter if you're bracing with a Spear or swinging a Hammer, your enemy flashes red, falls sideways, and vanishes in a puff of smoke. That's exactly the same for every single weapon. Your strange spiel about how highly stylized fantasy combat is bad because real combat is traumatic and deadly makes absolutely no sense. It's a little like saying "all liquid drinking is bad because if you drink acid you die".
That, and Notch added survival mode and combat for a reason. If he wanted no combat Minecraft would have never had Survival Test or SMP.
/rant. I'm sorry if you take this as flaming- you can have your own opinion if you want- but some of the things you've said are patently false. If you wish to reply further to this, please do so in messaging, because I wish to keep this thread related to the suggestion itself and not the underlying moral values and intents of Minecraft.
We're doing a mod project, check it out:
Just because you might be a veteran and you don't like combat doesn't mean this thread is bad. The game doesn't need to be called combat craft to have some added combat features.
Oh wow! It's called MINECRAFT. They can't add the entire nether in one update, then it'd be HALLOWEENCRAFT is literally what you're saying. Not to be rude, but litterally everything in Minecraft can offend someone who is as easily offended as you.
Hundreds and hundreds of games have some amount of combat in them, including Minecraft. This suggestion doesn't change the game to completely focus on combat, it just tweaks the current combat for the people who enjoy that part of the game. No, I'm not going to join the army because I like the competitive feeling of exploding other people's cartoon characters, any more than someone with a nerf gun would.
This suggestion doesn't even make the game more violent... It already had bows that left gruesome-looking arrows in people. Gun bullets wouldn't leave bullet-holes in Minecraft characters, nor does this suggestion imply adding blood or gore.
If you want to give an actual argument, make it something constructive that talks about gameplay aspects and not something about video game violence, which is up to the ESRB and not someone on a forum.
My avatar is a texture from a small block game I made in Python. It's not very good and it probably won't work if you install it.
I'm very alone in my Minecraft worlds as I don't have a very good internet connection to run a server. If you're like me, you might be interested in my Posse mod suggestion.