Recently I’ve been working on adding my own flavour of ropes to Minecraft, only to hit a road block.
Development
Writing about software development.
The Vibe Coder and the Programmer
I’ve been thinking recently about how to best understand why “vibe coding” isn’t programming. Then I realised that long ago, a man named Aesop wrote a fable that explains it perfectly. I’ve always said that “rushing takes longer,” and that’s exactly what vibe coding is.
Giving Support to Modpacks
An interesting bug report I received recently involved a compatibility issue with another mod. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with my code, but it does highlight something important in the modding community. We need to support each other so that people can enjoy playing modded Minecraft any way they desire.
Prettifying Butterfly Origami
I added Butterfly Origami as a quick feature to give some flavour to Bok’s Banging Butterflies. When I initially added them I did it fairly quickly and have always been unhappy with the result. So, I’ve finally gotten around to fixing it properly.
Don’t Land on Solid Blocks
I noticed a problem when testing some refactors and new features last week. Buckeye Butterflies would die if they landed on Melons. Obviously this wasn’t intended – the extra landing blocks are meant to be where Butterflies thrive, not where they die.
Refactoring Butterfly Behaviour
I’ve spent much of this week refactoring butterfly behaviour, improving their AI and optimising the Butterfly Data. I’m aiming to have a better foundation before adding new features, and to solve a few of the issues I’ve had when adding new butterflies in the past.
Feeding Orizaba Silkmoths
This week I’ve added the Orizoba Silkmoth, followers of the End’s Ītzpāpālōtl. These moths like cocoa beans and can be used to create silk. In order to get the feeding mechanic to work, I’ve had to refactor some of the Goals I wrote a long time ago.
Guided by the Advancements
Advancements are a useful tool for game developers for two reasons. First, they provide a reward for players who achieve great things in the game. And second, they can act as a hidden tutorial for players, informing them of features they may not be aware of.
In The End There Are Butterflies
This week I go back to basics and simply add a new butterfly. And with this release I bring butterflies to a new dimension! Natives to the End, the Ītzpāpālōtl are the rulers of the Orizaba Silkmoths. Seek them out but be wary, for they are not easy to find.
Java References Confuse Me
Being able to program in multiple languages is a useful skill to have, but you have to remember that things don’t always work the way you would expect. I’ve recently come to realise that my Java code has suffered due to a fundamental misunderstanding in how it works.