Minecart Mania Automations - You decide!

[oliverw92]

There has been some controversy over the last two weeks about Minecart Mania Automations. I would like to hear peoples opinions on it and whether you think we should keep it.

A basic overview

We have had Minecart Mania for a long time now. It has been fairly common knowledge. 2 weeks ago I also added in Minecart Mania Automations due to it getting to a stage where it was reasonably acceptable to experiment with (it used to be a resource hog and pretty much just gave you free stuff).

Automations basically allows you to do automated farming. You can auto farm the following:

• Trees
• Wheat
• Reeds
• Cactii

To understand it more, see this wiki page: http://wiki.afforess.com/Minecart_Mania-Plugin/Automated_Farming

Pros

• Opens up a host of possibilities and fun things to make (adds a massive amount of game content basically)
• Things like reeds and wheat have an expensive setup cost so people won't be hording bread, for example
• Hopefully people won't be ripping up forests so much around spawn if there was an automated tree farm at the spawn point, for example.
• Resources like wheat and reeds are more readily available

Cons

• The tree harvesting is overpowered - you can get logs very very quickly
• Could be compared to just /give ing people stuff (although it isn't really the same)
• Not everyone knows how to do it, even if it is simple
• Not vanilla at all

Let me hear your thoughts.

 

[silverzone2]

YES!!!!

 

[coffeejunky]

I think about it this way, yes it's a little too easy in some cases, but, it really is no worse than Mob Harvesters/Grinders. Both 'exploit' the minecraft environment to maximise yield of certain items.

 

[dfkt]

If that list is correct then the pros outweigh the cons, not just in number, but things like "not everyone knows how to do it" isn't really a con, not everyone knows about factions, and not everybody knows how to connect to a server. Also you could say it's /give'ing people stuff, but that stuff is limited to 4 items, and requires some (although considerably less than usual) effort on the players part.

 

[Hei2]

"The goal of every lazy, self-interested Minecraft player is dreaming up ways to get the game to work for you."
Those are the very first words of the wiki. The biggest reason I come to this server is because it actually keeps me playing. I've played on servers where I can just give myself what I want, and while this wouldn't be exactly that, it's close. Those servers lose their fun rather soon after you no longer need to work for what you want. I don't want to see this server go in the same direction.

 

[SpartanGod6]

I think about it this way, yes it's a little too easy in some cases, but, it really is no worse than Mob Harvesters/Grinders. Both 'exploit' the minecraft environment to maximise yield of certain items.

I agree.

 

[Hei2]

I think about it this way, yes it's a little too easy in some cases, but, it really is no worse than Mob Harvesters/Grinders. Both 'exploit' the minecraft environment to maximise yield of certain items.

This mod doesn't "exploit" the environment. It's a mod, short for modification. It exploits the game through modifying it. Mob harvesters don't modify the game. It's made that way.

 

[SpartanGod6]

This mod doesn't "exploit" the environment. It's a mod, short for modification. It exploits the game through modifying it. Mob harvesters don't modify the game. It's made that way.

It still gives items with having to just build a contraption that kills and loots, same as mine cart mania you build a contraption that takes the minecart around certain items and it somehow picks up the stuff the mine cart takes it back to a chest and stores it there

 

[FrothingLuck]

I agree with Hei2, one of the biggest attractors of the server was its "vanilla" nature. We have deterred from that path however, I have dealt with it and been quiet about it, however, if this mod passes through, I will most likely join a new server. Whats the point of playing if a mod does all of the work for you? While yes you can produce greater buildings in a faster amount of time, it cheapens the effect for me. Also, I feel that the overall poll is biased. I mean, I understand that Oliver is entitled to his own opinion, I just feel the tone in the article maybe a little biased.

 

[Marine05]

I don't think I'm a fan of the automation entirely, it does really feel like cheating to me. If it only harvested wheat and left the replanting up to you I wouldnt have a problem with it. Cutting trees and replanting seems like a step too far to me.
also...In general the server is still close to vanilla, the mods we have just make it possible to move around the immense worlds, allow us to have different worlds so more people can enjoy themselves, and allow us to properly moderate those worlds/deter griefers and thieves.
About oli's post, it really cant get more neutral than that^

 

[SgtSpike]

I voted no.

It's just too far from being vanilla, and just seems like cheating to me.

Oh, and I was the one (or at least one of the ones) who likened it to the /give command.

 

[oliverw92]

I agree with Hei2, one of the biggest attractors of the server was its "vanilla" nature. We have deterred from that path however, I have dealt with it and been quiet about it, however, if this mod passes through, I will most likely join a new server. Whats the point of playing if a mod does all of the work for you? While yes you can produce greater buildings in a faster amount of time, it cheapens the effect for me. Also, I feel that the overall poll is biased. I mean, I understand that Oliver is entitled to his own opinion, I just feel the tone in the article maybe a little biased.

How could i make it less biased?

 

[SgtSpike]

I've reread it twice, and really can't find anything that is biased. It's just an explanation of what it is and the pros and cons. I don't know, maybe you're missing a con or two that I can't think of?

 

[MrTitan9]

the reason i voted no it does take away from doing the work yourself but i like not have to worry about wheat farming and chopping a huge tree down

 

[oliverw92]

I added 'not vanilla' to the cons, can't really think of anything else.

I know some people are not so keen on how we have been moving away from being completely vanilla. At the end of the day, our user base is now massive compared to how it used to be. The main reason for that is because we added things that weren't vanilla - multiple worlds, Factions etc.
I see an inherent problem in Mincraft - not enough vanilla stuff is released regularly to keep the game fresh. In the days of hMod our server player count was always really low until an update was released. However now that Bukkit is so popular there are always new innovative ways coming out to keep the game interesting and fresh for everyone. I suppose the main thing that should determine if we go ahead with adding things is how it will affect our user base - if it is going to annoy more users than it could potentially bring it, then it definitely isn't worth it.

 

[TheCandyMan]

I had never heard of this until now. =| This would have been SO helpful when I had to cut roughly 50 stacks of wood for my temple. . *jumps out window*

 

[FrothingLuck]

How could i make it less biased?

Perhaps your little aside comments for example, in the cons section you specify that the automations are like /give and then you put your own opinion that they aren't. It should be presented in a less bias way. "To some users, this feature can be viewed as a form of /give" Thats just how I'm reading it.

 

[oliverw92]

Could be compared to just /give ing people stuff (although it isn't really the same)

It is a fact that it isn't a same. /give doesn't grow the tree first, automations do.

 

[Socrates271]

The thing that ticks me off is that the Minecart Mania Automations was and still is on the server for a long while, yet this is the first time I've seen it discussed. Most of the server population didn't know Automations existed while a select few did.

 

[oliverw92]

Automations has only been on just over a week.