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ScriptCraft: Building cool things using Javascript in Minecraft

walterhiggins.net

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Re: ScriptCraft: Building cool things using Javascript in Minecraft

#2

Post by DanBC »

This is, potentially, amazing.

Minecraft is aiming for some extensive modding re-write, which will make installing and using mods easier. I 'm not sure how much work the author will have to do to get scriptcraft running under the new system.

I'm also interested in how it compares to existing world building tools. Most of those are out-of-minecraft software. But things like world edit, etc.

Re: ScriptCraft: Building cool things using Javascript in Minecraft

#3

Post by walterh »

DanBC wrote: post #2

This is, potentially, amazing. Minecraft is aiming for some extensive modding re-write, which will make installing and using mods easier. I 'm not sure how much work the author will have to do to get scriptcraft running under the new system. I'm also interested in how it compares to existing world building tools. Most of those are out-of-minecraft software. But things like world edit, etc.

Hi Dan, Adding in-game scriptability means you can do some serious in-game world building with a little knowledge of Javascript. I haven't used out-of-game tools like mcedit. I personally like the ability to prototype at the in-game command prompt. E.g...

  /js box('35:15',4,9,1)
...creates a 2001 Monolith at the current location. The real power of ScriptCraft though is its ability to load and execute javascript files containing functions, and the ability to easily extend the Drone class. E.g.

  // file monolith.js 
  Drone.extend('monolith',function(){
      return this.box('35:15',4,9,1);
  });
After loading monolith.js, players can do the following to create 3 monoliths...

  /js monolith().right(6).monolith().right(6).monolith()
I've provided a couple of example scripts but it will be interesting to see what players do with this.

Re: ScriptCraft: Building cool things using Javascript in Minecraft

#4

Post by walterh »

DanBC wrote: post #2

This is, potentially, amazing. Minecraft is aiming for some extensive modding re-write, which will make installing and using mods easier. I 'm not sure how much work the author will have to do to get scriptcraft running under the new system. I'm also interested in how it compares to existing world building tools. Most of those are out-of-minecraft software. But things like world edit, etc.

I would love if the Minecraft guys provided Javascript scriptability without the need for a mod.

Re: ScriptCraft: Building cool things using Javascript in Minecraft

#6

Post by ricardobeat »

walterh wrote: post #4
DanBC wrote: post #2

This is, potentially, amazing. Minecraft is aiming for some extensive modding re-write, which will make installing and using mods easier. I 'm not sure how much work the author will have to do to get scriptcraft running under the new system. I'm also interested in how it compares to existing world building tools. Most of those are out-of-minecraft software. But things like world edit, etc.

I would love if the Minecraft guys provided Javascript scriptability without the need for a mod.

That would ruin the game for most players. It has to be a server mod.

Re: ScriptCraft: Building cool things using Javascript in Minecraft

#7

Post by neumann_alfred »

Considering how much of Minecraft can be about grinding for resources or MCMMO levels... imagine being able to script the player, or even being allowed "bot teammates" you can script! Since that part of it could run on just the client (minus small interface stuff on the server for clients to request basic info and send player input), you could go all out with as much advanced AI as you can muster, without draining the server of any resources... while having a bunch of minions that gather resources, fight, explore and/or build (if you have the spare processing power/memory and the scripts.. so I guess it would be dominated by people who have many crazy fast machines and mad coding skills.. but I'd still love derping around in it, too. There's always robbing those bots manually haha..).

Apart from these bots acting on their own, players could send commands to bots via private message or towny/faction chat. Oh, and speaking of towny and factions, or any sort of teams reallly: what if this sort of "Minecraft Robot Wars" competition was set up so there'd be a few human players, with each having their bots who know their owners, but otherwise nobody knowing who is a player or a bot, and who is on what side... ?!

So you could e.g. either all join up in one town/faction and give your alliance away for more efficiency/power, or split up and try to play all sorts of diplomatic games via chat and actions, and try to deceive bots/people long and short term. Minecraft online is so much about trust, I never played another game that came close; and while that can be very frustrating and petty with humans, it seems hilarious to try to code bots that act real or otherwise deceive ^^ Especially if everybody knows that it's the goal of the game.

Please, nobody make this happen, this would destroy my life. Even just thinking about the possibilities is addicting haha.

Re: ScriptCraft: Building cool things using Javascript in Minecraft

#8

Post by walterh »

ricardobeat wrote: post #6
walterh wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would love if the Minecraft guys provided Javascript scriptability without the need for a mod.

That would ruin the game for most players. It has to be a server mod.

Agreed. It makes sense for admins to be able to build using javascript but would lead to accidental/deliberate griefing if all players on a server had it.

Re: ScriptCraft: Building cool things using Javascript in Minecraft

#9

Post by kaidenshi »

thehodge wrote: post #5

Isn't this sort of what the Raspberry Pi version of minecraft does?

Sort of, yes. Except that version will support many languages instead of just JS. In the demo videos you see them using Python commands. The concept is almost exactly the same, though the guys at Mojang are building the interpreter into the game itself instead of it being a mod.

More info here: http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Pi_Edition

Re: ScriptCraft: Building cool things using Javascript in Minecraft

#10

Post by Cogito »

This is cool, but for the server it is already possible to use a number of scripting languages.

By using the Bukkit server mod, which provides a stable plugin API, it is relatively easy to add a wrapper around a scripting engine [0].

For example, a plugin providing Rhino support [2] and one providing python support [2].

I would recommend either porting your work to the Bukkit framework, or working with one of the existing plugins to include some of the cool stuff you have made.

I don't currently know what the most popular scripting plugin currently available is, but I'm sure you can find it with a bit more digging than I have done.

[0] http://dev.bukkit.org/search/?scope=projects&search=scri...

[1] http://dev.bukkit.org/server-mods/redstonetorch/

[2] http://dev.bukkit.org/server-mods/pydevtools/

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