Please note that I'm still editing this page in order to update now outdated info.
This mod has finally reached a Public Alpha stage! Download the latest version here (1.0.0 ONLY), and report some bugs to help us get a release out quicker!
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(Please take note that this thread was originally created as a mod request)
Main Post
Are you an Alphabro who always posts on how you miss the good old days of Alpha, and how the game was fun? Or are you a more recent player who just wanted to see what the game looked like before you even knew of Minecraft? Well, you are not alone. Not even close to alone. There are hundreds of thousands of players who think this way.This mod has finally reached a Public Alpha stage! Download the latest version here (1.0.0 ONLY), and report some bugs to help us get a release out quicker!
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(Please take note that this thread was originally created as a mod request)
Main Post
So ever since Alpha 1.2.0 when the terrain generation was altered (and in my opinion, screwed up), I've wanted the classic Alpha terrain with the current version's features. In December '10, I was happy to see MCNostalgia, as it allowed me to play Alpha 1.1.2_01, which had what was my favorite terrain generator. I loved it, but the loss of current features and the heavy presence of bugs kept me from staying there.
My Solution
I am requesting a mod that allows for users to change the Minecraft version that it generates terrain from, and that being the only thing that changes; gameplay, items, blocks, ect will all be as of the client's version.I am fully aware of the mods out there that do this by changing all worlds made to preHalloween Alpha, but the reason I am calling for this mod is for extreme convenience and flexibility.
I propose that the terrain type would be set upon creation of a new world, as shown here:
These are the versions you can choose from
- Alpha 1.1.2_01 (3rd gen Terrain)
- Beta 1.1_02 (4th gen Terrain w/o new trees)
- Beta 1.7.3 (4th gen Terrain w/ new trees)
- Beta 1.8.1 (5th gen Terrain w/o snow biomes)
- Minecraft 1.0 (5th gen Terrain w/ snow biomes)
Remember, a built in way to customize which seed a world generates from was added in Beta 1.3, so this mod would allow for 1st through 3rd gen terrain to be made from specific seeds; this is something that backdating your client can't do.
"Now wait, why the hell would people want old terrain? Older obviously means worse."
The new terrain just sucks. Once you have seen what a biome looks like, you've seen them all. Forests, swamps, deserts, taigas, grasslands, and tundras are flat as hell. Mountains are cool, but they are very difficult on gameplay as it takes 5 minutes to find a single tree. The underwater terrain is just this hodge-podge of dirt and sand, and looks extremely ugly. Swamps' coloring looks cool when you are in it, but the sudden boundaries of dark to light grass looks retarded.(Those links are giving you a hint; thousands of people are reaching the same conclusions)
Now, 3rd gen terrain was based on 3D Perlin noise and created these very dynamic and visually appealing terrain. A new world felt new, and you really don't know what you are going to get, compared to now, a biome makes it extraordinarily obvious what the terrain is going to look like. 4th gen terrain lessened the extremity of the terrain, but was still random, and biomes were just an add on and did not affect the terrain as much as they do now.
Take a look at this video that has 3rd gen terrain of Alpha 1.1.2_01. 3rd gen worlds will generate cool terrain like this in almost all times you made a new world.
People who complain that new Minecraft sucks and how Alpha was epic are usually only miss the terrain generator; they played the game for a sense of fantasy and light-hearted gameplay, not this new dark and demanding game that has come of. This mod will be able to shut those people up for good, combining the new version with old terrain, and in combination with a texture pack, can make these guys love playing Minecraft again.
I backdated my client for the fun of it to play some mid Alpha, and after only 6 tries for an epic world, this is what I got. This is why I love Alpha.
Make this mod!!!
"I know how to mod, but what's in it for me?"
If you make the mod and do a good job with the design and promotion, you could later rewrite it to allow custom imput of terrain. Then other mods will use your mod (Similar to what happened with Risugami's ModLoader) which will really push you high into the modding community.Also refraining from making this mod because you don't actually have backups of the generation code? Well MCNostalgia will allow you to revert your game to these versions and just go from there.
Still not convinced this is worth your modding time and effort?
There is a person out there who is walking to the Far Lands (Kurtjmac), and he is stuck with using 1.7.3 because the Far Lands were removed in 1.8. As time goes on, he will be stuck with using this old version while the Minecraft community passes him by, so by making this mod, you will allow him to generate pre1.8 terrain with the newest gameplay aspects, spicing up the videos for more enjoyment on his part, and others'. So please, someone create this mod, after all, Kurt is doing it for charity (and has already raised $11,000!)."Ok, I'm up for the job. What exactly should this mod include?"
Necessities
- An entry in the level.dat file for each world that defines which terrain to generate from (of the 5 I have bulleted above.
- New worlds: Chosen via a button in the picture above.during world creation
- Old worlds: If it is the first time an existing world has been used with this mod, prompt which terrain it was generated with
- The exact same terrain
- Players should be able to take a 1.7 world and set to 1.7.3 terrain generator, and upon entering new chunks, there should not be a chunk border, even if the new terrain is in the same style.
- Restore old functionality
- No tall grass until Beta 1.6, so Alpha 1.1.2_01 and Beta 1.1_02 worlds must be able to use hoes on grass for seeds. Optional
- The currently unused World Type button could be used on Alpha 1.1.2_01 maps upon world creation to generate between a regular world and a snow world.
- Add in 1st gen (Classic) and 2nd gen (/indev/) to the version selections. This is optional because these generation code were written for finite maps and may or may not be possible, or time consuming to adapt to the infinite terrain. 2nd gen worlds will allow the World Type button to chose from:
- Island (Survival island type style map, infinite ocean beyond the one island)
- Inland (Just continuous map of inland terrain)
- Flatgrass (This is useful as hell nowadays)
- Floating (Creates a new challenge and is really cool)
- Strongholds should be generated in pre1.8 worlds, in such a way that does not alter
People so far who have accepted the job:
Volgon8
ElusiveHawk
efournes
Toonlego90
Banner Artist: XxB3AD13xX
The modder team, in graphic form.
If you wish to contact me, use the following ways:
Steam: Elusivehawk
Email: (After the OP is edited, I'll fill this in. For now, just PM me.)
"I'm not a modder, but I really like this idea!"
Well this topic has about 50,000 views, which is really amazing, but still there are thousands of people who would love this mod but do not know about it. The use of the signature I made really draws people in, like you, to see this topic.I put it as my signature for a month and regularly posted on the Survival Forum, and brought in 2,000 views. Two weeks later after I allowed others to use the sig, this topic has reached 7,000 views. After a month, we're up to 27,000. Just imagine if another hundred people used this sig for a month.
[center][url="http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/739319-nostalgic-terrain-generation/"][IMG]http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/3405/nostelgicalpha2.png[/IMG][/url][/center]
Original OP of thread: UGoBoom
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Oh, I don't usually do this, but as a gauge to see
how much you all want this mod, please
this topic.
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