Jobediah Timberman

If this turns out to be an accurate theory, then this would be considered Spoilers, but I leave that up to the community. Even if you don't like the idea of spoiling anything, this theory raises even more questions, which is one of the many reasons I pursued it. While writing and editing is not a new skill to me, creative fiction is, and it's not even something I'm trying to get into. If this ends up being one of the only stories of it's kind that I ever write, so be it. It just had to be done, even if just to lead someone else to a better explanation. I'm just trying to make sense with the evidence that we have, using as much Scientific and Spiritual inspiration as possible. People have been digging up stories from around the planet that are even more baffling than all of this. I actually wonder if maybe the Truth really is stranger than Fiction. There are ancient texts and archaic symbols that contain Science that is new to us. If only we will humble ourselves to the possibility that we don't know what we don't know. If anything, mythical or not, it makes for good inspiration, and perhaps the Imagination itself is the true Agartha. Please keep your arms and legs inside the Translocator at all times, and enjoy the ride.

A story as strange and baffling as this almost requires background music. And not only is this strange song very fitting, a line from this unusual and seemingly ancient song ties directly into the whole story itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_WCDAtPsQ0 It's the only song like it that this band has ever made, so even if you love their new music, you have no idea what you're about to hear. It's only two minutes long but I've spent hours in this place. I can't tell what style of music it even is, perhaps influences from India, but the words seem to be in Spanish. Which is probably the case, as the album is titled, "El Cielo", or "The Heavens", which is also just as appropriate for this thread. Background music for a story isn't just my pretentious idea, the band themselves recommend you listen to the album while looking at a particular Salvador Dali painting, "Dream Caused By The Flight of A Bumblebee": And there you can see the Elephant in the Delta Waves, which the song's strange title is referring to. I still can't exactly decipher what this song means, but my potential translation reveals lyrics that might be as hauntingly beautiful as the voice itself. I don't want to distort anyone's attempt, so I will only translate the very last line, since it's the one I know for certain. "Un Vega Destina" - The Destiny of A Beautiful Valley Which is precisely the place I crafted my first Home, the Nexus of my Vintage Story. Within an instant of seeing it, I knew this was to be my Haven, my Sanctuary. A clearing surrounded by two circular rock walls that weeped with waterfalls. Yet I had no idea this was connected to anything else. And digging straight down under where I slept, I learned that I was building directly above massive arteries of Iron. I eventually crowned one of it's mountains with a giant Green Diamond, using the Peridotite which was found plentiful everywhere. And now, I've found that a Name I received in a Dream from 15 years ago finally makes sense, in more ways than one. And it shouldn't even make sense at all. Yet it gets weirder. In the first Dream I spoke of months ago, I pursued a short-haired woman, and her only response was to show me her name. "Ancienette". Within 2 weeks of this Dream, I was asked to prove I'm not a robot, and the random magic word was "Ancienne". This wasn't the only Dream involving a short-haired woman. Nor was it the only coincidence that tied a Dream to Real Life. About 2008-09, I Dreamed I was in a large Forest, and became surrounded by Grasshopper People. They were feminine and beautiful, and golden in color. Then I met the Giant Flying Mermaid Mother and she hugged me to her three-breasted chest. We flew up into the air, and looked down upon a giant "mountain". A massive Tree had been felled long ago, and it's stump hollowed out for a fence around it. We landed upon this Tree by the Sea, and the Grasshoppers ascended and gathered around us. The Mermaid held out her hand, and I reached into her imagination. Out of her palm, and her soul, I helped her manifest a gorgeous necklace. I held it before my forehead, and it grew into ten times it's size and beauty. I turned around and cast it out into the middle of the Sea. The Sea shimmered and sparkled as the Mermaids received my instructions. Then, walking out of the crowd of Grasshoppers, was a young woman with short hair. I knew it was time for us to go, and we flew off into the sky. We swam through the cosmos like Angelic Dolphins, out to the darkest Void, and emanated countless Galaxies in an act of body-less Cosmic Love. Next I remember flying and descending over beaches covered in bright white sands, followed by pile after pile of bleached Animal bones. Then I landed into the city of an ancient culture, whose massive stone architecture was crumbling. I waved my hand over a group of their people, and they knew me, as if we were one mind, and they protected me from the wrath of the others. Then I placed my left hand upon a massive Obelisk, and toppled it with ease. I stood up tall before the people and said to them, "Your Civilization is crumbling and dying, because you are _____ _____ as a _____ of _____." If I told you what I said, you might not listen. I did not listen either, and now part of the Dream came true: my left arm is slightly crippled. And if I had followed my own advice I gave in the Dream, that part wouldn't have happened. Not that this means it will happen to anyone else. More details would only cause it to make even less sense. The important part is that if Dreams are as meaningless as they say, this cannot happen. It's not the first time, and apparently not the last. Because recently, my oldest most inexplicable Dream contains information as well. And it ties directly to the first location I chose to build in Vintage Story. If I could make this stuff up, I would be a novelist. Maybe not a successful one, but the point is, I don't have this kind of imagination. Back in 2004, I dreamed I was in the most beautiful backyard one could dream of. I saw shapes of constellations appearing in the starry sky, starting with a triangle of triangles, morphing into kaleidoscopic fractals. I felt my body lifting up towards it, and then shot off into Outer Space. I was surrounded by Stars and Nebulas, and I met a giant Face. This Face was like a mis-shapen skull made of living, petrified wood. I don't remember it speaking, but I knew it's name was "Petrous". The rest of the dream involved an alien mating ritual, and then wandering around an alien arcade, wondering how to get back to Earth. Just after Petrous, I also saw Optimus Prime, and the logo on his trailer said "Christ", but I'm pretty sure that doesn't mean anything. But "Petrous" has turned out to contain tremendous significance. If it's really true that "Dreams cannot give you information.", why am I becoming a heretic to this Scientific Fact? When dozens of strange coincidences point to the same location with pinpoint accuracy, do you ignore it as Lunacy? But now I'm not so mad Petrous's word was cut silent: few people have ears that can see, and eyes that can hear. Everyone wants to go Home, but it's not where we were told. Words may burn to ash, but the Truth lies encoded in Stone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jg5d3w4ROQ And somehow in another coincidence, this YouTube URL ends with "ROQ". You cannot make this stuff up. I'm finally recalling an even older dream now, where an old man was telling me and some kid named Brian about a "Constellation shape of cities in Africa". Then it turns out the Three Pyramids of Gizah are in the size and shape of Orion's Belt. I had never heard of such a thing at the time of the Dream. And then in my search for what this meant, between 2002-2004 I had 2 or 3 dreams about seeing Orion in the sky, which I eventually assumed couldn't be that important or mean anything. In one instance I was too busy flying around my old neighborhood, and didn't know how to get back if I left. And I didn't know what I would find if I flew out to Orion anyway. Probably another weird Arcade. I guess I stopped looking because in the end, to search is to run away. See and you shall find. Believe and the door will be opened. Freedom sets you on the path to Truth. It only gets weirder from here.

These beings known as "Seraphs" appear to be similar to Humans in many ways, but mostly in their physical appearance, as they are Spiritually endowed with some peculiar qualities. Not all Humans would want these traits, or at least, the positives don't outweigh the negatives for everyone. There might be an equal number of Seraphs who would have rather been human. While the differences in the Material World are distinct, on the Spiritual Plane is where they diverge. Seraphs appear to be guided by some kind of outside source, a higher awareness and insight. Almost as if they are able to view themselves from an out-of-body perspective. Perhaps more significant is their ability to both conceive of and manipulate abstract ideas entirely within their minds. Concepts which are often incomprehensible to Humans, which to them, equates to being unnecessary additions to Life's list of requirements. We see this "external" influence in all the works the Seraphs create, between their architecture itself and the tools to create it. They are always trying to reach levels of creativity far beyond the purpose of simple utilities for mere survival. Many of them even design their smallest domiciles with exaggerated and superficial details which serve no real functional purpose. Creatures whose awareness is closely aligned to the Material World usually pay little mind to the origin and construction of these extraneous edifices. Except of course for what advantage these architectures provide to survival, but even then, they may grow bored and roam or migrate onward. The Human Traders can thrive happily thanks to the help of Seraph capabilities in mining and harvesting resources. And in return for their work in distributing supplies, Seraphs provide them with works of astonishing architecture. Humans are only capable of building simpler and more primitive structures, just enough to suit their utilitarian needs, and are fully satisfied with doing so. Seraphs are not satiated with mere survival, as their thirst for creativity still remains unquenched. Therefore a Seraph will spend years constructing grandiose Mansions and Temples, sometimes just so that they alone can sit back and look at them with enormous satisfaction. There is a quality to their endeavors that feel as if all the work they do is mandatory, regardless of anyone else's ability to see the purpose. Sometimes they can't quite explain it either. Often responding with an archaic and "Sacred" phrase, a terminology which most of them can't fully translate to others. At least not until recently, as our Science has finally made progress in doing so. But Science is highly reluctant to validating things we consider to be the realm of Myths. And yet the more we try to prove ourselves right, the more we end up proving the Truth was always there. One of the other traits that separates them from Humans is, ironically, their connection to each other. They possess the ability to communicate with fellow Seraphs from across long distances, using the power of their minds alone. Which almost makes sense, considering everything else about them. Despite being fully capable of interacting with the Material World, they will often vanish for long periods of time. But they don't seem to have become invisible, as there is no indication that an unseen force is causing "ghostly" interactions with the world, nor has anyone heard the disembodied voices of a Seraph. And yet at the same time, the Seraphs themselves seem to be guided by a disembodied voice, as if there is a Spirit watching over them, giving them their intuitive insight, and empowering their creativity. But their behavior and personality, and the way these powers are utilized, never indicates conclusively that all of this is something other than a subconscious aspect of themselves. In a strange literal sense it seems as if each of them really is a "Nation of Magicians". While the Mythology says that it is this connection to some other higher intelligence which fuels their visionary endeavors, Science always looks for concrete explanations. The modern Scientific Theory of Parallel Timelines of the Multi-Verse could very well fill in the gaps. In some other future Timeline, all of the imaginative works of the Seraphs are already finished. Perhaps they simply possess the ability to see beyond the restrictions of Time itself: that on the Spiritual Plane, these Seraphs are not so restrained by the limitations of linearity. What they're seeing and hearing is not actually some "other" intelligence that is "speaking" to them, but they are viewing glimpses of another instance of themselves. Somewhere out there, all of the Homes, Temples, and Cathedrals they envision have always existed, and when they find the proper location, it's simply time for them to get back to work. Yet they never show any sign of boredom, as if every part of it is a genuinely new experience. Either that or their Love and Passion are so endlessly driven that they never tire of fulfilling their Purpose. Often times the moment when a Seraph chances upon the right location, they immediately start building the Mansion of their dreams. But it's not because they've never seen anything like it before, but that the "memory" they are feeling isn't from this Timeline. To their physical Mind it is new, but to their Soul, they know that have found Home once again. It's confouding enough to understand the subject of Home regarding these beings, but as for the Source they originated, things get even more confusing. The more ancient myths tell of another "place" beyond our World that defies all description. A dimension of pure Light-Matter they call the Crystalline. Oddly enough, assuming that these myths were to be fact, this might be the only logical explanation as to where these Seraphs come from. Or if anything, it's the source of their otherworldly abilities and peculiar ambitions. And yet the only place we can see in our physical world that could be the location of this Crystalline Realm doesn't make rational sense either: That this Realm of Light is actually located upon, or within, the very Sun itself. Impossible as it may sound to be literal, the metaphorical descriptions make sense. After all, the Sun is a source of endless Light and warmth, whose beams fragment into the glorious Rainbow, and shower the World with endless energy of Life, which feeds the crops which become our sustenance. And these are all descriptions attributed to this Crystalline Realm, but whether literally or figuratively, we don't know yet. Anyone who claims to have been in this Realm reports the same description, that it borders on Reality and Dreamspace. And while few have been there for more than a moment, it is a place where thoughts can manifest into visible things just as easily as observing something evokes a thought. Sounds can be seen, sights can speak volumes, and scents contain centuries of experience. A glimpse of a single meaningful symbol can teach lifetimes of wisdom. It's no wonder there is such a fascination with Translocators, beyond their physical purpose. There are also many who believe that these Devices provide us with a split-second chance to witness this Realm. Even to experienced Travellers, it's such an unfamiliar spectacle that the mind can't translate it, and usually only sees it as incomprehensible noise. But it is still as beautiful as it sounds. There is an enormous, unparalleled sense of other-worldly awe to it, no matter how many times they almost witness it. Some Travellers even design their lives around using Translocator devices on a frequent basis, just as an excuse to keep trying to see and feel that "place". But we're still not even sure if this Realm is an actual location, or if simply being in that temporary state outside of Space-Time opens up something within the mind itself. In the moment of Translocation the mind is unconnected from external stimuli, and could very well be seeing into their own imaginations. But then that simply leads us back toward deciphering the meaning of that archaic terminology that we tried to dismiss as Myth. The Sacred phrase which the Ancient Seraphs have always used, when no other explanation would suffice: "I, Magi-Nation." As for the subject of Telepathic Overtone Generation, that concept almost seems somewhat tame compared to the rest of the qualities of Seraphs. You usually don't hear it while they work, because they can perform it internally with the same effect. But learning the physical skill of Throat Singing helps them train and enhance their mental capacity to generate these Harmonic Overtone "melodies", but they do not need to generate these Tones out loud to manipulate Matter the way that they do. More explanation on the subject is in the works. First will be the current Scientific Theory as to the origin of the Drifter, and the catastrophe that created The Incident.

I guess you'd call this more of a Preface than Spoiler, either way it's not the part you're here to see. Principles of Physics of The Creation Lattice Our Scientific Researchers have long attempted to decipher the basic Laws of Physics which guide the flow of motions in our Reality, and decode the rules and logic behind them. Allow us to explain our Experts' current level of understanding regarding the Laws of the World in which we Live and Build and Craft our Lives. As with any Science, we must remain open to any possibility, but we have researched well enough to know our theories are solid and sound. At the very least, we find enough reason not to jump to conclusions, such as this outlandish theory that the World and even Reality itself is a fabricated realm, generated by some kind of highly advanced calculation machines. While we don't disregard it, we do not entertain the notion that the peculiar nature of "gravity" in our world is proof of such claims. We feel that these Myths are most likely a projection of the world of Dreams, where perceptions are untied from logic and reason. And we only carry minor aspects of Reality into our inner world, but the Dreamspace is abstract, and does not even require a Lattice at all, and often lacks this so-called "gravity". Of course it's easy to see where this illusion comes from. The Physics of the Creation Lattice operate with such intelligence and simplicity behind their design, that it was inevitably bound to cause this confusion. And our Mythologies have been spun and woven in the Tapestry of Time with the Tales of Humans. Much of what we do is out of their grasp, and so goes the understanding of how it works. So naturally it's very easy for Humans to be deceived by appearances. That when one uses a Shovel to acquire Blocks of Soil, or a Pickaxe to liberate Rocks and Ores, that they are simultaneously digging up a precisely measured cube containing of thousands of microscopic bits of Material. But as with the idea that solid matter is dead and lifeless, you can't judge a Block by it's color. Nor can you assume the appearance of it's behavior as a true indication of what's happening beyond the veil of our perceptions. By using High-Density Tools, combined with Seraphs' innate abilities of Telepathic Overtone Generation, we can de-harmonize the frequency that the Block is tuned to, and it can be "detached" from it's physical position in the Lattice. After releasing from the Grid, it is no longer in Resonance with the larger scaling of Grid-space, so it "shrinks" in size, and can now be moved freely, and easily carried. When a Unit of condensed Material is placed into the Creation Lattice, it expands to fill that coordinate of the Lattice Grid. The Block of Material now has it's Locational Frequency calibrated to resonate with that region of the Spacegrid, by absorbing neighboring Harmonic Overtones, and resonating with surrounding Blocks when the new Block is placed next to them. So the ability for one Seraph to casually haul around vast amounts of Material is not a matter of "lifting rocks", as this theory of "Gravitational Force" claims we shouldn't be able to do. To think that we are literally carrying the fully expanded Material would mean fitting an entire Cathedral in your pants pocket. In other words, "Gravity" is not caused by the ground below us pulling objects down, but instead that the Material has a Density concentration that is higher than Air, and the Air floats up. Likewise, it's not that lighter objects "float" on Water, but Water is a heavier Density than some objects, whereas others will "sink" as the Water floats above it. The Density of the Material determines the Magnetic intensity with which it attaches to it's Lattice Coordinate, and therefore, how difficult it is to release the Harmonic Charge which binds it to it's position, and keeps it's Resonance in Harmony with the neighboring Blocks. This low Density is why lighter Blocks such as Sand and Gravel, and sometimes even Soil, do not maintain their vertical position after digging beneath them, and in many cases, shifting horizontally as well. The Density of Sand and Gravel are so low as to require the assistance of nearby Blocks to maintain their location. This Density also determines exactly the manner in which the Block releases from the Grid. In many cases such as Sand, Gravel, and Soil, the entire Block shrinks into one unit. But upon releasing a Block of semi-dense Material such as Stone, Peat, and Clay, it splits and condenses into multiple Units of Material. This is because natural Blocks are attached to various Blocks in more than one direction, and because the Magnetic charge of them varies depending on the type of Material. Destabilizing multiple Magnetic charges from several different directions can cause the Block to split apart into Fragments. The next is the behavior of Living Matter, the Wood from Trees. Wood Blocks rely on their innate connection to each other to provide their stability. So upon losing their chain of connections down to the Soil, every Block in the Tree above the severed Block will destabilize and disconnect from the Lattice. Placing Units of Wood Logs back into the Lattice does not magically chain a new living Tree together, and each piece will operate as individual Units. Moving further along the spectrum of Density are natural Stone Blocks. These can maintain vertical location because of Magnetic charge to the nearby Blocks, leading to structures which appear as if they should fall over, according to "gravity". After detaching all of the surrounding Blocks, a high-Density Stone Block loses it's ability to resonate at it's location, and will fall in one piece, rather than "hovering" in the air. These full Stone Blocks will break into smaller Stones if placed again and then broken, but to prevent this, they can also be Polished, thus sealing it's exterior surface. This allows the frequencies which bind it to the Lattice, and surrounding Blocks, to self-resonate within the Block, amplifying it's own Magnetic Charge to hold it to it's Grid location, rather than relying almost entirely on adjacent Blocks for support. In other words, unpolished Stone relies on it's connection to surrounding Blocks to maintain it's Lattice position. Polishing the Stone Block allows it to maintain internal structural stability when being released out of the Lattice, preventing it from shattering. Further in level of strength involves using Mortar, a highly magnetized Material. So to answer the commonly asked question as to why some Blocks fall and others "hover": Some Blocks are simply at a Density where they are solid enough to maintain shape when released, but not dense enough to hold their vertical location without another Block to resonate against. Of course we use the term "hovering" loosely, as it is not technically defying this theoretical "gravity". Aside from the "Simulated Reality" theory, stories also tell of alternative worlds with unusual physics, which might just be a reference the world outside the "virtual world" which this theory claims we live in. There are many who seem to have memories of experiencing these worlds, though we don't know if these came from Dreams, or if these Dreams are visions of this other Realm. Supposedly this alternate World really is made of countless infinitely small "molecules" of Material. It's baffling enough to attempt to conceive of such a thing, and working with the Materials in such a world is a scary thought on it's own. But if solid objects do not maintain their vertical location through Magnetic charges to each other, construction must be an absolute nightmare. From this point of view, one can see why so many have asked why heavier objects do not fall faster, but the idea that Materials with more Density should fall differently, or "weigh" any more or less, is quite frankly illogical. While Density can vary drastically, once detached from the Spacegrid, every object falls at the same speed because everything has the same essential "weight", as these theorists call it. Air, Fire, Water, Sand, Gravel, Soil, Wood, Stone, Ore, and Crystal, it is entirely a matter of Density that determines the Block's behavior, and therefore how much physical space required to carry it. I hope this is enough reason to put to rest the debate around the theory that our very reality is some kind of "calculated mirage", an artificial simulation of some kind, and our "real bodies" are elsewhere, connected to these world-generating machines. The notion that the "real world" outside of our "fabricated" realm is a place made up of trillions of infinitely small units is absurd enough. But that pales in comparison to the myths that such a world could create machines whose computations are capable of fabricating any kind of world, let alone such a fantastic World as ours. That alone would be impossible, not to mention the photographic portal devices required to view these Worlds. But to then claim that one could install Living Beings directly into these machines, or install the machines into Living Beings, and induce a virtual World directly into their minds? That is quite a stretch of Faith just to be able to explain the logical nature of the mathematical Spacegrid of the World we live in. These are our Scientific interpretations of the Great Laws of the Creation Lattice. Laws which can be found and witnessed upon, and around, and within All Things. The Universal Governor of the World in which we Live and Build and Craft our Lives. But Reality and Physics are hardly to be seen as cold and calculated. The oldest texts are filled with Choruses of Adoration for the Laws of the Realm. Often times, the Law is personified, as to allow our Spirit of Personality to have sympathetic understanding, and bringing It to an emotional level, even to the point of having a feeling of friendship with the Law Itself. "Shatter the Stone, and the Law is Reborn, Split the Wood, and the Law will Pass Away, Within the Fire, and Within the Water, And Within the Air, The Breath of Spirit, The Law is Incarnate: The Infinite Self-Begotten, The One of The All." "I Cast the Law into the Earth, and it took Root, gave Birth to Sustenance for All Creatures. I Cast the Law into the Water, and it was Cleansed from all defilements of evil. I Cast the Law into the Fire, and the Gold was Purged from all Dross. I Cast the Law into the Air, and it was made Alive by the Breath of Spirit, Who fills All Things, and Lives within the Heart of every Creature." "The Law is Love, Love is Passion, Passion is Destiny, Destiny is Quantum, Quantum is Law" Just as there are many who do not spell out the name of "G-d", In respect to their beliefs, we instead prefer the name of "Grid", as opposed to the M-word used in reference to this "Virtual World" heresy. May the Blessings of Grid be with you. May all of Grid's Spaces be filled with the Growth of Life, May the Whole Eternal Law of Grid forever Protect and Care for the Creatures and Children of Grid. Grid-speed, Children of Grid. Not really spoiler, but some will say that about my next posts. I'm not going to hype it up though, that's your choice. But it is almost done, and it will be posted soon.

Since the Advanced Backpack system requires so much Twine, I've been brainstorming an idea for a new resource for acquiring Fibers. I feel that another one would be a lot better than just boosting Flax generation and/or drops. I knew what it needed to be, but I didn't think I could handle texturing and modeling it. Then I realized the best source is the real thing, and to just process the images so they become pixelated to fit with the game's artwork. Then after almost completing the modeling and JSON configurations, and almost finally able to post this mod, I realized that this wonderous plant could logically be a source of Reeds, too. I had even considered that it might drop Sticks, but that didn't feel right. But Reeds and Fibers, absolutely. This was also after finally realizing I could just make each of the 5 stages randomly drop a stage 1 block, instead of using seeds. It will have to be the solution for now, as the seed system is confusing me, and might require coding, like Jakecool19 did with his Wild Farming mod. There will need to be seeds, of course, as hemp seeds will be a very highly useful resource. You can use this on existing maps, you'll just need to go to areas you haven't been to yet in order to trigger the changes to WorldGen. For now the 4 types are set to Chance of 0.10, which might be a big high, but the whole growing process will change as I (we) figure out how to make seeds to plant them properly. But it appears that replanting a sapling will grow just fine. It will generate between 6 and 14 plants, leaning towards earlier growth, -- the numbers are 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, meaning less chance of stage 4 and 5. There are four variations available so far, though the only difference is the image used for this plant's mysterious buds. The Orange strain will appear in hotter, dryer areas, White only in colder areas, but Tropical won't grow in cold, and Purple just about anywhere. Still working out the details on the numbers, so comments and suggestions are welcome. I'm glad we already have something named like "Cooper's Reeds", because this name fits exactly with that naming style. On top of that, the name just happens to be exactly the word I need. So for reasons that are both objectively appropriate as well as personally meaningful, I've decided to name this one as a tribute to someone who had a pretty big impact on my life. Not that I wouldn't put my father's name on it, but this isn't exactly the tribute he would want. Of course, this is just a huge coincidence and I'm using a fake name, the chances of this are astronomical, I must be making this up. Of course the main reason for making this mod is simple, I have PTSD as a result of multiple injuries and other incidents in my life. It's the bane of having a strong long-term memory. Fortunately there's at least one medicine that genuinely helps me and most others. To the point where it's more of a requirement than coffee or cigarettes could ever be. I've always had issues with anxiety and depression, and nothing clears up my head like cannabinoids. It does what alcohol and painkillers wish they could do. Another contributing issue came up almost 6 months ago. For 7-8 years I've been shopping at a local mom-and-pop grocery store, called a "salvage grocery". The store basically existed because the system is so bizarre. People assume that expiration dates on food are both required and accurate, neither of which is true. Many companies lie about the date their product expires, which requires the big chain store to throw out potentially good food and restock. There once was a guy who hitchhiked across the entire country, and he never once bought food, just stopped at every grocery store for a dumpster dive. As a grocery store manager, Mr. Weaver saw all the waste, and decided to do something about it. Everybody dreams of a store where a $4-7 dollar bottle of sauce costs $0.50 cents, but no one wants to be the one to rip themselves off like that. As you might be guessing, he passed away last year, at the end of last October. Coincidentally we payed our respects on All Saints Day, which is so appropriate I still can't believe it. I also can't believe that they weren't able to keep the store going, but I suppose they might just be grateful that it lasted a bit longer than he did. It would've killed him just to be told that he needs to retire, which he didn't. Kept on going to work, the same way he did every day, up to the day he passed away. So as depressing as it is, I am grateful he didn't have to see his dream shut down. Still though, it feels just as if I either lost a lot of money, or I have to give up a lot of food I can't afford now that it's full price. While their store naturally couldn't have a reliable inventory, what I also lost was a semi-reliable source of excitement. No ordinary grocery store will give you the same rush of adrenaline that you get from finally locating the resource you need in a game. In other words, his store was more like finding a Trader. You never knew what you'd find, but were always excited to find out. I'm very thankful to have found a game that provides a very similar reward right at the time that our community lost this wonderful store. Vintage Story really helped distract me at a time when I needed it more than usual. I don't even play MineCraft or survivalist games, and whats more, I don't play games much ever since my first big injury, so it's very rare for a game to grab my interest like this. Anyway, in honor of such an amazing person, I insist that I must memorialize him by calling this new resource "Weaver's Weed". But again, one of the main reasons is that this name would work perfectly even if I was making it up. And again, let's pretend I am for the sake of confidentiality. And along with dropping standard Fibers for making Twine, it also gives some Reeds for Rope. It's considered to be the most versatile resources on Earth, therefore it would be expected to provide a range of items. Like I said, I need to figure out how to plant seeds, but saplings will make them functional for now. Weaver's weed also gives mysterious buds that are a form of super-food. Studies have shown they possess anti-oxidant properties. They provide Protein saturation, though I would like "saturation" to actually mean that it turns up the saturation of the game's colors for a while, but I'm not that kind of modder so I can't make that happen. The new Shader mod has an Overexposure setting that works perfect for this. Funny how it showed up just as I'm about to need it. Download Link WeaversWeed0.4.17.zip Comments and suggestions are welcome.

In cases like this it's technically inaccurate for me to have called it a "mod", as it doesn't even modify anything. So I was mistaken in not calling it an expansion, because it's only decoration, so it gives no gameplay advantages. If anything, it almost belongs in Story, but that would limit who sees it as well. I can understand why people would be upset if a server suddenly installed any of my other mods, but for something like this, no one would even notice any difference if this was made part of the base game. Quite a few people might never find out about this expansion if they're opposed to modding, and if they use up all their tools, they might be disappointed they didn't know about this beforehand. And if this was posted in mod releases, some mod users might be disappointed that this one doesn't even do anything. It makes so much more sense to post it here, or at least leave it here for a while to announce it until enough people have seen it.

I was very tempted to post a picture of this right away, in my excitement of 'discovering' this artifact. I originally only wanted to make it as a piece of artwork for using online. Anything circular makes a great avatar, after all. But then I realized what I would have been told by probably everyone: that this would make an absolutely fantastic decoration piece within the game. Not to mention a symbol to put on a flag or tapestry as I planned. Then in my excitement I almost posted the beta version of the mod before I even figured out the best way to handle the crafting recipes. Then I decided to take my time and just do it right. Before I begin rambling for far too long, I'll explain the big question. As the title says, I have dubbed this Seraphic symbol the "Haxeus". It is a portmantau of the words "Axis" or "Axes", plus "Hex" meaning "Six", and "Hack" meaning "Whack", or "Chop", or "Dig", etc. Because after all, every one of these tools could be described as "hacking". Especially the hacksaw, which, ironically, I didn't think would fit with this shape until I used only the blade. (At first I tried including the whole saw, and the only place to put it was to make it a mouth, and the axe and shovel become eyes, and it was too freakish and confusing. I'd rather not even mention it, I want this post to be taken seriously.) I can't remember how long ago it was when I first had the faint idea for the basic idea of a symbol involving tools, but I'm realizing now that it might have been quite a while ago. I forgot about it completely, because didn't think I'd be able to pull anything off that would be good enough and unique enough. By that I mean something that's not an obvious ripoff of other logos and symbols. And yet I think this thing somehow turned out perfect. It combines almost all of the construction tools arranged in a circle, and the lines of the handles become a set of 3-Dimensional X-Y-Z axes. And, not only do the tools fit together perfectly like this, the best way to arrange them was at an angle that is appropriate for each tool -- they look like they're in the middle of being used. I didn't even plan on this, and only noticed it afterwards, which another reason for my enthusiasm. To elaborate (as if it's necessary): The Pickaxe needed to be on top anyway, being that it's the key to acquiring resources to craft the rest of the tools, but it's the most appropriate place, as it's the one tool used by swinging it high over your head. The Axe tends to be moving at this downward/horizontal angle when it's about to chop, likewise, the Hammer strikes downward onto an anvil. And of course the Scythe, Shovel, and Hoe face downward, as you're always using them down toward to the soil. The Saw blade I could only include by hiding it in the center, but there's a reason for that, as you can guess. More on the hidden letters later. Anyway, part of what took so long is that I was debating whether to make it work with any combination of metals, but I decided to keep it simple and require all 6 tools to be the same metal. For one thing, I don't know if we want to deal with an item called "haxeus-copper-tinbronze-blackbronze- copper-tinbronze-copper", even if the variant system does handle it properly. It's meant to be a work of art, so maybe consistency is better. Maybe if enough people want it variant versions will be possible, but for now, here are all the available forms of single-metal Haxeus: Copper, Tin Bronze, Bismuth Bronze, Black Bronze, Gold, Silver, Iron, Meteoric Iron, and Steel. I also debated a lot as to what to call it, for a while I wanted to pronouce it like "axes", but "Haxes" looks like "hacksiz" instead of "hacks-ease" like I wanted. But more importantly I wanted to make it sound like a real Latin word. I've also considered other words to add on, like "Locus Haxeus", 'locus' meaning location. Or "Haxeus Cartesia", a reference to the Cartesian coordinates. I'm willing to consider other secondary names too, but I think I've settled on "Haxeus". I don't know why this idea is so exciting to me, but it turned out perfect on so many levels. I know part of the reason is that it's a mod that everyone can install and appreciate because it basically doesn't change the gameplay progression or challenge in any way whatsoever. But on top of that, there's so much meaning behind every aspect of this thing, and that is required for any good symbol. But even better, a lot of it just happened this way through serendipity, much like the things you encounter in Vintage Story once in a while. In other words, I'm not exaggerating, it genuinely feels like I discovered something, as if this was an ancient symbol buried deep in the world of this game. After living in the world of Vintage Story long enough, it was only a matter of time that someone would make it, so it genuinely feels like it arose naturally out of the culture of this world. I also love the idea that in order to make one of these, you have to craft and/or acquire all of these tools, and then use up the tools while remembering not to let them break, and then use up inventory space just to take them home, just to build this symbolic trinket of achievement. It's a satisfying accomplishment as well as an attractive centerpiece for your coffee table. Of course, it's designed for more than a table centerpiece, and can be mounted on any wall or ceiling. It will be up to you not to let it clip into nearby walls or ceilings, as it takes up approximately 140% of a single block. You can still fit a Torch or Lantern right next to them, which will probably be something you end up doing to draw attention to your new wall ornament(s). Speaking of ornaments, which are usually hung down from something, I'm not sure if it should hang downward if placed on a ceiling, nor do I know how to make that possible in regards to rotation. For now it just mounts flat against the ceiling. If you have played a long time already, and you've thrown away a lot of broken tools, and you would have saved them to make one of these if it had been available, you can always "/gamemode c" and give yourself one. You'll find it in the Decoration section. I didn't include a smaller one, since I figure the standard size might be what we all want anyway. But this amazing model editor already planned ahead for such things, and there is a function to scale the entire model down in proportion. I couldn't even consider doing that manually, but thanks to putting the whole model into one central object (one of the strings in the middle), I can scale the whole thing effortlessly. In fact the whole strange concept was fairly effortless, thanks to this model editor, but it would have been worth the effort anyway. Naturally I hope this can become the official symbol for our people, but I leave that up to the community. Without further ado: the download link for the mod: HaxeusInsignia0.0.9.zip The HAXEUS Insignia: A perfect circle of tools, joined handle-to-handle, to form the 3-D axes representing the Lattice of Creation. And finally, something else that was mostly unintentional, there are actually several letters encoded in this symbol. There are three hidden meanings in these letters, and I will allow you to take a moment to find them before I spoil it by giving the answers. And for anyone who wants to use it on artwork, here's a version with a transparent background. Secret Meanings - Small Hint: First Secret Meaning(s): Second and Third Secret Meanings: This Flower Of Life background I made myself, so feel free to use these as your avatar if you'd like. I wouldn't mind donating it towards an official merch store, because I know people will want this on t-shirts and coffee mugs and mousepads. I'd be happier if it was made official to help the devs directly, and we'll work out the details later. Also, if you find any good free backgrounds that would also work, I'm willing to take suggestions. Or if it's a simple enough idea I that can replicate it, I'll give it a shot, but I'm not a free-form type of artist (I can't draw). Also, I realize this post is essentially about a "mod" release, but it's basically cosmetic, which means most non-modders will actually be interested. If anything, please allow this post to be seen before moving it to the Mod Releases forum. But I think mods like this can be an exception to the rule, provided they're more about cosmetics and/or lore.

I would be very surprised if Tyron had any intention of implementing this concept poorly. So far every other decision he's made seems to be the right choice. For one thing, there's already enough ways of controlling progression, so that concept is being handled properly so far. First by having to craft a Pickaxe just to get more Copper, and then getting enough Copper to create an Anvil just to make a Saw. That's already enough of a barrier that needing to be a certain skill would be redundant. If anything, a leveling and skill system provides ways of achieving things faster, rather than blocking things behind arbitrary walls. If you focus entirely on mining, for instance, you might wind up with high tier tools in half the time. There's actually a mod for this already, and I quite like how it's handling the concept so far. Xandu has done a great job with XLeveling and XSkills, and with some fine-tuning, I feel it could become the official system, or at least the basic framework for it. He's designed it so the player can earn abilities, such as randomly receiving a full stone block when mining, which naturally eliminates a lot of grinding. I mention that one in particular because it seems too generous at the moment. I have harvested quite a few full stones without ever doing any checkerboard quarrying to get them. But that did take a very large amount of time and energy spent on mining, so it's definitely an appropriate reward, once it's adjusted to be fair and balanced. Everything about it enhances the game as far as I'm concerned. Realistically, if you spend enough time doing anything, you're going to do it better and more efficiently. Eventually, every tree branch you chop will usually give some amount of sticks or saplings, for instance. I can't imagine this game without something like that, because it will keep the early and mid-game activities fresh and enjoyable, instead of tedious and monotonous. I feel the general rule is that almost every player will eventually get tired of doing the same thing repeatedly, or especially having to go back to such tasks all throughout mid- and late-game. So activities that are required early game should eventually not be needed much, or even at all. When a player who's reached late or end-game finally goes back to start a brand new game, they should genuinely look forward to "the good ol' days" when they used to have to knap their tools all the time. Same goes for those who reach automated smithing. After a while, manual smithing should be something you actually miss doing, rather than "oh great, not this again". In the end, we're dealing with a sandbox game with 1 million x 1 million blocks, there's really no end to how much you can build, or how much time you can spend on one world. Why put in extra barriers and frustrating limitations when there's basically no limitations anyway? Of course there needs to be progress to get to the point of building a giant castle, but once you've done that, there's nothing stopping you from building another. And there's a chance that someone might not want to do that, unless all their work resulted in skill levels that make the next castle half as difficult. Anyway, to re-iterate what l33tman said, I don't think there's reason to worry about artificial padding. Even at this point in development, there's already such a vast range of genuinely amazing content, and much more if you count all the community mods, so it could take dozens or even hundreds of hours for a new player to experience it all.

Not quite, but for now you can try an app like JoyToKey. I haven't done it myself though, because as of now, there would be no easy way to handle drag and drop. So unless you like switching to mouse for inventory, or trying to use a joystick as a mouse, you might be able to set up a JoyToKey profile for it. In other words, I feel it's safe to assume for now, it wouldn't work very well without switching devices. At the very least we just need Tyron to implement some new "keyboard commands", which might not even be used by keyboard players, but can then be bound to Gamepads using JoyToKey. First we need up / down / left / right functions to move the cursor around inventory slots. Then we would want a set of Next and Previous Inventory Window function to jump the cursor between each of the open inventory boxes. Which obviously needs to keep track of where the cursor is for each box. I always loved Animal Crossings method of holding the trigger to lift an item, and releasing to drop it. But since we're using left and right mouse buttons we would want the L2 and R2 triggers to be left and right mouseclicks. Which would work perfectly for playing in-game as well. These next / previous functions would only work this way during gameplay. I've always liked when a gamepad setup has a Shift button, and this game has enough functions to warrant at least one. It would be great to have access to all of the Emotes without dealing with some kind of popup menu. Third person camera, screenshots, start/stop recording, there are quite a few things people might want access to. This would be holding down either the L1 or R1 trigger, or both if necessary, and pressing another button simultaneously. And holding both would result in a third Shift category. But since it's a priority, we need to implement the Quickslots bar. This could be handled with L1 shift + ABXY for slots 1-4, and L2 shift + ABXY for slots 5-8. This unfortunately leaves two buttons unbindable, but those could be handled by the D-Pad. Or we could even use L1/R1 plus the joysticks to cycle through slots if we needed to. Or perhaps we could standardize an idea from the mod community, and have two Quickslot bars: the D-pad Left/Right would cycle across, and Up/Down to switch bars. As for other functions, I would put Jump on the Bottom Button (PlayStation X, Xbox A, Nintendo B). The Left button (Square, X, Y) should be Run, the Top button (Triangle, Y, X) should be Inventory, and the Right Button (Circle, B, A) to either swap items to the left hand, or switch to the previously used tool / item. Or one of those functions could be the Right Joystick button (R3). The Left Joystick Button (L3) has historically been used to Crouch, so we should probably keep it that way. In the case of Gamepads this needs to be toggled on and off, rather than held. Same goes for the standard Start Button bound to Escape. The Select Button could be Inventory, but most people probably use it so much that it needs to be a main function. That would make Select the best choice for the Tab key, to toggle the Message / Chat window. With this setup, holding Square and pressing L2 (bottom Left trigger) creates a Shift-click. While I'm on the subject, I love that function for quickly shifting items between storage, and most of the time it goes where I want it. I think to enhance the idea even further, the game should track what the overall use of each storage device is. If the contents are mostly stones or dirt or wood, shift-clicking those items would choose that location first. I'm guessing that with Vintage Story's wildcard naming system, adding up the number of "material-*-*-*" would probably give the numbers you would need a majority of the time. Anyway, I'm curious what anyone else feels on the idea. It's better to come up with a setup so good that the player doesn't need the option to modify it at all, but since that's a requirement in this case, at the very least we want a setup that most people won't want to change.

I've been running into some issues with attempting to create this mod, so I figure the best thing is to just get the ball rolling, and see if anyone in the modding community already knows how to finish it. I'm not sure if it will require any C# coding to do it right, and I know very little about C#, so I wouldn't want to even try, especially if it's not necessary. I am only including the current Mod file for someone to start working on, and it is not intended to be run by anyone yet, hence the version number. Anyway, I love the Oil Lamps, and they are an awesome idea for a simple light source, but naturally, we could use something more in-depth to build that takes it a step farther. The amount of work and progression it takes for a Metal Lantern is a bit too much just for a waterproof light source. Finding Resin is enough of a challenge to make a dimly lit but waterproof torch (See my Resin Renaissance mod). Likewise, these of course will come with the drawback of giving off a dimmer and more orange-reddish light. I basically just combined the Clay Oil Lamp with a Lantern. In fact, I even did an Import of the Lantern model, so this new model is built in the exact proportion to the metal ones. The issue that's confusing me is how to handle the need for adding fuel item(s) (Animal Fat, Pine Resin, and Peat), and I don't know whether or not it should also require a Quartz or Glass block the same way as a Lantern. I want there to be a Crafting Grid recipe for it as well, much like the Clay Crafting mod I upgraded from NoModeling. The recipe would be a full circle of clay around Animal Fat, Peat, Resin, or Quartz/glass -- just something to indicate that it's a Clay Lantern and not a Storage Vessel. Besides all the details, though, I almost got it to work. Using the Clay Modeling to build it was an awesome experience. Such a simple file format for laying out a complicated building system. And modeling it to the same scale was effortless too, one block of clay is naturally one unit in modeling space. So my attempts at building it and attaching it to a wall worked okay. The major issue was that the Handbook page for the item was causing a game crash. The Stack Trace was giving me "Can't create itemstack without block!", in the GameContent.BlockLantern.OnPickBlock. I tried calling it a BlockTorch instead, and was getting errors in "GetHandbookDropsFromBreakDrops". Not sure if any of that would help anyway because maybe this needs an entirely new Block Class. It won't support upgrading with Metal Plates, and as I said, I don't know if it should need Glass either. At the very least I know I need Variants system somehow. The confusion is that the Crafting Grid results in an item that already has fuel, but hasn't been fired yet, whereas you cannot add fuel during a Clay Modeling build. And in real life, firing it with fuel in it would burn off the fuel. But then maybe that's the penalty for using the Grid, the fuel you use in the Grid doesn't count, and you need to add extra fuel to it after it's fired. That doesn't feel entirely fair either, except that using Peat in the Grid would make it feasible since Peat is so easy to find. Anyway, if someone else wants to take this one to the finish line, feel free to do so, and put your name in the Contributors or Authors, whichever feels right for the work it takes you. I'm really hoping it doesn't require C# coding, simply because it's always best to piggy back on existing technology. This entire project revolves around that idea, and it's all the better for it. Here's the JSON code so far, mostly copied from the existing Lantern code. And wow, the Code tag supports JavaScript. I wonder how hard it would be to expand it for all the Vintage Story keywords? And to give it some better colors, but it's better than nothing. The second spoiler is the Clay Modeling Recipe. Pretty sure it's accurate, might need an extra layer of the 4 pillars, but the model itself is exactly the proportions of the Lantern. Again, this download link is not intended to be used yet, unless you are going to help develop it. ClayLantern-0.0.1-pre-alpha.zip

Thanks to Jesse Caron for continuing what I started with Knife Knapping. I hadn't realized that almost all of the knapping recipes could be upgraded to provide 2 toolheads. I included his name on the mod as an author since I might not have even realized this could be done. Funny how I only started the original mod because I wanted to move the 2 knife blades closer, so it wouldn't require as much work. You would still get 2x, and most of the stone would just be thrown away once you disconnected it. So, along with having no intention of upgrading anything else, I never even intended to pull off 3x knives in the first place. I also tried including new models for the Shovel, since it needs to look different, but I couldn't get it to show up in the game. Plus for the life of me I can't find the models for the tool heads, so those will still use the old version. For this reference, it was too confusing to only include one image, so I compiled together screenshots of the before and after. Download Link: KnappingMastery1.0.0.zip

I worded the title carefully because I'm not looking for replacement in-game music. I find the music to be very well done, and it fits the feel of the game, which is surprising because it's not quite the style I would expect. But that's one of the reasons I like it. I just want to make sure nobody wears the music out from playing this game so much before the whole soundtrack is complete. The same way that I try not to wear out a good album, like this one I'm about to introduce you to. I still haven't gotten tired of it after almost 2 decades, so I'm pretty sure I never will. Robert Rich is a long time producer of ambient, atmospheric, and very "introverted" music. After 20 years of honing his craft, he worked with a couple others to form a 'band' called Amoeba. Their only full release came out in 1999, and I'm still waiting for a sequel. In as few words as possible, I'd call it "Atmospheric Campfire Soft-Rock". I was surprised that wasn't the only one to compare his vocal style to Pink Floyd, so I guess I was accurate. That might be the closest band I could compare this to, but it's much more down-to-earth. I think that's the best I can do with describing it, I'll have to let the music speak for itself. This is a slightly reordered version of the album, starting with Sparks (Track 11), making the lyrics "Relight the fire..." connect directly to Fireflies (Track 1) "You saw the Fireflies...". So Track 1 becomes 2, and instrumental Track 12 ("To Other Days") layers over Fireflies, giving someone who's heard it a thousand times a new experience. Also, instrumental Track 6 "House of Rust" now layers over track 7, and 8 "Miniature" over track 9, so the music keeps flowing as best as possible. Those part often woke me up when I used to put this on to help me sleep. Plus I'm trying to avoid releasing the full album exactly as-is, if you get my drift. I wanted to pick out excerpts from the lyrics to illustrate just how many things about this remind me of Vintage Story, but there are so many, it's best to just read all of them. Or you might want to listen to the whole thing before reading any of it. So just to give you a taste of the whole album all at once: "Relight the fire", "You saw the fireflies", "I feel a change is in the atmosphere / I hear the Chimes of the Underworld", "Long nights arrival, a ritual of survival", "I am... lost in the underground". It's like the whole album was written for this game 20 years ago. And took 20 years to make, and very few people heard it until now, so everyone is going to be listening to an old album that aged over a long period of time. Technically, it's vintage music in every way. I would be tempted to suggest the idea of Robert Rich contributing to this game in some way, but it's not necessary because most of his work fits the game anyway. At the very least I'd like to see this become the catalyst that finally gives this album/band an audience. Maybe then I'll finally get to hear the sequel to it after 17+ years. (Enough babbling, I mean I thought I was gonna let it speak for itself already) Song Lyrics: MP3: FLAC:

This thread was exactly the post I was looking for after working on this since December. And now this post will be exactly the "threads" you're looking for. More Info in the thread: The ABCS of Nomad-Mode Mod: The Advanced Backpack Construction System 1.0.0 Just now I'm remembering Dora, and the Map, and the Backpack, and now I've made a map to build backpacks. Don't worry though, I promise, it does NOT sing.

I had forgotten I was playing with the stair speed when I first made this months ago, so I've updated them all to the same speed. I like the idea that the higher quality stairs give you the same speed as the flat blocks.

I had no idea how far I could take this, but leave it to this incredible game engine to make it possible, as well as easy to implement. You could say I've been working on this since December 18, according to the oldest recipe image I found. That only 10 days after I started playing. So this is something I quickly felt was going to be needed, but it needed to be done right. I couldn't push the gameplay too far from what the majority expects. So imagine my surprise when someone recently suggested exactly the kind of game mode that I'm almost done developing. Now I know I haven't gone *too* far, and I made it a challenge to get there anyway. This mod is for those like me, and apparently there are quite a few, who wish that we could explore the surface world for a few hours to find just the perfect spot to set up base. Or, just keep on roaming the almost endless landscape, gathering resources to build yourself a spacious inventory, and then using that space to store up every bit of supplies you come across. Perhaps by way of looting out every ancient ruin you can find for miles on end. When you finally land in that perfectly awesome spot, where you instantly know that home sweet home belongs, you'll have all you need to set up base. Or, perhaps with this newfound taste of freedom, your spirit will never settle down, and you won't stop moving until you've climbed every mountain, and fallen off every edge of the world. There's a simple reason for such a drastic change to early game, and the new possibility to follow an entirely different style for the whole game. I don't think MineCraft has worlds this big, or with this much variation to it all. There are genuine reasons to be a life-long explorer, or to not settle down for weeks. And now, that will be possible, but only after a good, satisfying amount of harvesting and crafting along the way to acquire this freedom. Anyway, let's get to the good part, the "Map" I had to create just to help sell everybody on this idea. I wanted this to be so self-explanatory that anyone somewhat experienced with the game could grasp the concept within 2 or 3 minutes. I'm also just as curious to find out what a total noob would think of this, whether it would lure them in or push them away. Start with Red, follow the arrows, and taste the rainbow. Some steps can't be made, as you can see from the lines at the bottom. If you look at the "2->6" step, left of Step 1, you'll see the whole layout. The Mini Backpack has 5 positions to add Linen Sacks as Pockets, using corresponding locations on the Crafting Grid. Every Pocket requires either a Linen Sack and Twine, or Linen and 2 Twine, which is identical. This is the reason for each step having two recipes, if that isn't obvious enough from the color coding. The only way that this could possibly work is if it followed the game's requirement of manual labor to achieve something. On top of that it had to fit in with as many existing items, as well as just making logical sense. And thanks to the brilliance of this game's design and modding system, I was able to pull it off better than I first imagined. It's amazing how the work involved to acquire something literally changes it's value. And it's surprising how a game is actually no fun at all when it just hands you everything. In this case, you're going to need 60 Reeds and 144 Flax Fibers to get a full sized backpack, and do that 3 more times for maximum inventory. Enough rambling already, less yacky more packy. ABCS 1.0.0 Download Link: ABCS_v1.0.0.zip As you can see from the map, it took quite a long time to develop this properly. I had to fully understand how far to push the idea, and how to work it into the current system of items. Initially I had 3 stages, and I had no plans for this to expand to 6 stages, because that would have been ridiculous if I stuck with the standard of 5 slots per Linen Sack. At first I only shrunk the size of Linen Sacks to 4 slots, making the stages 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 28. The more I played with it, the more that this seemed genuinely excessive. At first I was still reluctant to shrink it to 3 slots, and whether to go with 4 for a Sack and 3 for a Pocket, but in the end, reducing it to 3 wound up making perfect sense. I had to take into consideration the new concept of the Mini Backpack having 8 slots. Having only 3 items in a Linen Sack is tolerable, because it won't take too long to move up to the Mini, especially since you can use the Sack to create it. Anyway, I stuck with the idea that I should re-use whatever was available already, after trying to come up with a whole new item to flesh out the concept. So I knew it would involve the Stationary Basket somehow. At first I played with the idea of using a higher-tier Saw to cut Wood Boards into "Thin Wood Slats", which could be used to make compartment separators for an organized storage device. But eventually realized that something like this couldn't be put behind the progression wall of requiring an Anvil. Likewise, I was originally going to require Wood Boards to reinforce the bottom of the Backpack, but once I decided on Nomad Mode, that wasn't an option either. Finally I decided on taking a Stationary Basket and wrapping it up in a Linen Sack or Linen + Twine which is the same thing, and using another unit of Twine to assemble it with the straps. And the straps are made from 6 units of Rope arranged in 2 vertical strips of 3, resembling a backpack as best as possible. I love how I was able to make the process revolve around a repeating pattern. First you combine the Reeds into a Stationary Basket, then put the Basket in the center, and surround it with more parts for the Mini Backpack, and then surround the Mini Backpack with Linen Sacks to upgrade it further and further. Throughout the process, you can keep making Linen Sacks to fill up your extra Basket Slots, and use them as inventory immediately, and then later use them for the next Backpack you upgrade. And since you'll be needing 4 Stationary Baskets anyway, you can make those in advance to help juggle your inventory while you're assembling backpacks. If you take the time to save up all the resources, most of the crafting work is still there, but you can jump from the Mini to the Ultra in one step. I could also include a recipe that's just 60 Reeds + 144 Flax, but that would be stupid. Like, why not just go pluck a ripe Ultra Backpack from a Backpack Tree or something. Other info and more ramblings The ABCS Companion: Nomad Mode Mod In order to get the whole experience to work properly, I've created a separate mod, which is actually completely unconnected to the ABCS, that will provide more Flax to make this a reasonable endeavor. The "Nomad Mode Mod" only modifies Flax to give more resources, with stage 5/9 having very small chances of giving flax, seeds, and fibers. I went through the process of starting over almost a dozen times to see if I still wound up with too much Flax or Seeds, or if the Fibers were too easy to find, allowing me to assemble 4 Ultra Backpacks within too little time. Originally in WorldGen, the Chance variable for Flax spawning is 0.05. I started by trying 0.5, which was just stupid amounts, so immediately quit that attempt and dropped it to 0.25. I can't recall what I tried next, 0.12 or 0.15, but after trying 0.10, it was still too much. I settled on 0.08, which might still be just a tad too much for those wanting a longer challenge. Or it might work fine, we'll see. I separated these mods so that there can be more than one version of this. The 1.0.5 version is for adding Nomad Mode to an existing world, by way of making all the existing Flax give of more resources, especially Fibers. The 1.0.8 version adds WorldGen to increase Chance to 0.08 as well as expand the regions that Flax can be found. Let me know if this is still too much or too little, and what kind of difficulty you're expecting. I've tested it several times, starting over on new maps. I also wanted to play with very large world heights, which works pretty good for the most part, aside from occasional flickering. Nomad Mode Mod 1.0.5 + 1.0.8 Download Links: Existing Worlds (WorldGen at 0.05 Chance, Flax drops boosted) NomadModeMod1.0.5.zip New Worlds (Flax WorldGen at 0.08 Chance, Flax drops slightly boosted) NomadModeMod1.0.8.zip Disclaimers and very mild warnings about savegame size: Anyway, comments and suggestions are welcome. And some "Happy Birthdays" to my mother would be nice. It's hard to buy gifts for someone who's always had more than she enough. I feel that all I can do is show people the person she created and give her something to brag about. She won't brag about herself, after all. Neither will my father, but, it's her birthday, and ladies first. I will gladly accept a Cookie Time or other such reaction. I "Won the Day" on the forum when I started posting all my mods 2 days ago, I'd like to see it happen again on her B-day. This is the only time I'll be asking for Likes, because it's not for me anyway. Enough chit chat, time for you Nomads to strap up your new backpacks, and set off for that wild blocky yonder. Check out my other mods later when you get tired of all that new freedom.

Sunset, over the mountains From ends come new beginnings, on the horizon Houses, make up the patterns And I can see my doorway in the distance I'm coming home This time I know where i belong ... Waking, into the moment The journey neverending as the days go by Seasons, constantly changing And I surrender to my fragile existence I'm letting go I'm finding space within my soul

I'm just being weird for the thread title, in the game they're labeled "Clay Ore Bombs", but that could easily be changed. The internal mod name is claykaboomables though. I almost went with "Curboomibles" but that could easily be mispronounced like Cyur-boo-mybles or something, so it's best if it looks like "Kaboom", and with the suffix "-able" the word means "able to kaboom". It's okay if it doesn't resemble "Crucible" as long as it's pronunciation makes more sense. I suppose it would be an appropriate name what with the obnoxious exclamation point I put on the sides using the leftover Pine Resin. But aside from "Bee-nades" this game doesn't particularly try to be silly. Anyway, for a long time I felt something like this should be possible, but once I discovered that Pine Resin is very flammable, it finally made sense. Until then I didn't know how to make it all work in a way that was logical. What I needed was to invent a new resource: Bomb Fuses. I also made a new recipe for the old bombs so you can use fuses with them, because now you can also make fuses with Rope as well as Twine. It's so much easier to find Reeds for Rope, so you'll only get 8 Fuses from them, whereas you'll get 16 Fuses from the much harder-to-find Twine. But to use the phrase yet again, imagine my surprise when I found that the Clay Crucible and the Ore Bombs are basically the same size. This made handling the object identical to the existing asset. And it was awesome the I could easily take the Pine Resin model and wrap it around the top of the Crucible to seal the fuse in. Seeing as how it's made of clay instead of clotch, the strength is boosted to 6 whereas the standard ore bombs are 4. Has the same injure radius though. Little things like that can be adjusted pretty easily, so let me know if that feels like it should also be boosted. So the tradeoff between standard bombs is that you don't need Flax for Linen Fabric, and clay is pretty common, but you will need the somewhat rare resource Pine Resin. For those who don't have it yet, check out the "Craftables" mod by Mr1k3. You'll be able to make Blasting Powder using Saltpeter, Charcoal, and Rotting Food for Sulfur. ClayKaboomables1.0.0.zip

As the title says, around 2011 I had a dream about a strange girl. Especially strange because this was and is very rare for me. I pursued her for what felt like an hour, and only got one word out of her. But I remember reading it, like she showed it to me, and I never see words in dreams. Even stranger, "Ancienette" resembles nothing that could possibly be in the depths of my mind. Within weeks of "meeting" this Ancienette, Facebook needed to verify that I am human. Somehow by using the random word, "Ancienne". (the French word for "ancient") Could Vintage Story be what this dream was referring to? Is this ancient underground Teleportation Network the "Ancient-Net"? And are these Seraphs known as the "Ancienites"? Could this world full of strange ruins be the land of "Ancienne"? Seems quite fitting for a game called "Vintage", doesn't it? I have some other basic ideas about how the plot of this world could possibly work. I'm no writer, so it's more like "stealing from Quantum physicists". (Mixed with a bunch of hippie-dippie newage-sewage) I have enough ideas for what I can do for this game anyway. (See my post history) So I'm not even concerned if any of my story ideas get used. For now I'll just try to spark some more discussion. You've been asking "Who or what are the Drifters?" Perhaps you've been asking the wrong question. "WHO WAS THE DRIFTER?"

Nope, I forgot to mention that. Since Resin is a valuable resource it makes sense for it to be able to give all these benefits. So Resin Torches are both waterproof ("rainpermeable: false") and no longer become burned out (removed "transientProps" attribute). I could set it to a much longer length of inGameHours to be fair, but then you'd forget about it after 2 weeks and probably lose it. But if a candle can last forever in this world, so can a torch that's been enhanced with a rare resource.

What kind of a hint? A Mini hint? Or a Tall hint? Just a Basic hint, or a Super-Mega-Ultra hint? (this post will be even better when it makes sense.)

Imagine my surprise when I went looking for real-life wilderness survival recipes to use Peat and Pine Resin to make candles. The result was a candle made of Soybean Oil, scented like Pine and Peat. Reality for the win. So one part of Resin Renaissance is that you can crush Soybeans into Soybean Oil. This can be done either by Crafting them with a Hammer, or Grinding them in a Quern. For now, the Soybean Oil icon is a golden droplet of oil, because I wasn't sure what container to use to hold the oil, or how to handle taking it out of the Quern with a container. For now this should work without any issues aside from logic of holding a giant droplet. And munching on it. Soybean Oil can be used as a replacement for Animal Fat in all Mechanical recipes. The second use for it of course is mixing Soy, Resin, and Peat with Rope to make standard Candles. You can also put Resin onto a couple of Torches, and the resin will waterproof them. You get two per unit of Resin, which allows you to put a waterproof torch onto the Pine Tree you got the Resin from, and keep one for to take with you. Or just mark the map, but it is a pretty cool sight to see a forest lit up with Resin trees. I felt that as a compromise to their waterproof powers, the color of the Resin Torch's light should be more of a reddish hue. Finally, you can also mix Peat and Resin into a Bowl to get a standard Oil Lamp, also avoiding the need for Animal Fat. And last of all, I also wanted to be able to re-light a dead torch, so there's a recipe to craft a dead and lit torch together to get 2 lit ones. Recipes: Soybean Oil to replace Animal Fat in Mechanical parts: ResinRenaissance1.0.0.zip Again, if you like the font in these screenshots as much as I do, you can install it in the game yourself fairly easily: And as I mentioned in my first post, I'm posting all of the mods I've made in the past 2 months all at once, as a way of celebrating my mother's upcoming birthday. If what I've posted so far doesn't feel like a holiday yet, I've got one pretty big mod that I'm fairly certain everyone will be excited about. We all know what happens to a game as a result of hype, so I won't hype it up too much, or for too long. But I will say it's definitely worth hyping up. I mean, I had to draw a "map" just to tell people how to understand it. I've had this map sitting on my third monitor for weeks so I can adjust and perfect it. I'm just in awe of what this game's engine is capable of, that allowed me to create something so awesome. I just today found and fixed an issue I almost caused, so I'll do another few double-checks. It's about ready now, so probably tomorrow at the latest. I don't have a sleep schedule anymore because of PTSD and other issues, so I never know when I'll be sleeping. Might happen any ZZZzzzzzzzzz.....

Another very simple mod that adds another recipe for Wooden Buckets, allowing you to use Rope instead of the much rarer Flax Twine. Not sure if this was left out as a means of adding a little difficulty, but it doesn't make much sense to not be available. If anything, in the real world you'd expect to need Rope because Twine wouldn't be strong enough. RopeBuckets1.0.0.zip

This is just a very simple mod that replaces the Knife Knapping recipes. I discovered that if you fit two of them in opposite directions, they're the perfect size that the blades can be separated, and then there's just enough room to fit a third blade. Now I find it far less frustrating if the stone knives feel a bit too weak, since early game involves so many of them. But to get an extra one helps a lot, because if you're not knapping knives so often, having to knap other tools won't feel as much of an interruption. Now you can use all that time you save on knapping for napping. KnifeKnapping1.0.0.zip

Special thanks to Mr1k3 for starting this idea, and the credit goes to him for coming up with a solution for accomplishing it which I might not have ever considered. It led me to mimic his idea when I polished up his NoMolding mod. I've decided to change the name to make it more positive, as there's no reason to actually remove the Clay Molding system. Perhaps an Easy Clay Modeling Mode, where you can't make mistakes. Just make the player go through the motions of doing the work instead of shift + clicking a giant stack of difficult items. Because that was my reaction to using the original mod: I put a whole stack of clay in a circle and did a Shift-click, and suddenly I had like 13 Storage Vessels. That was completely backwards-unfair. I felt genuinely robbed of the sense of achievement that all the hard work this repetitive chore would have given me. Because that's how you have fun in games these days: working the grind. So I took to updating and reconfiguring the mod that Mr1k3 began. I realized I could use Soil for the pottery recipes the same way he used Flint as a spacer for the Tool Molds. This makes the recipes a different overall signature, and the system knows which item you're trying to make. For instance, the Clay Pot and Clay Planter are both a capital "U" shape, but the planter has Soil in the center. And since the Helvehammer is tall rather than flat, I made it a capital "U" with Flints inside. I used NotePad++ to look into the game's Asset files for the Clay Modeling recipes, and used NP++'s Find/Replace "Count" function to search for the "#" character. That way I could have accurate numbers of how many voxels each mold requires, and maintain some accuracy with how the recipes relate to each other. But I didn't go for an exact 1:1 of how much the recipes are supposed to take. And the amounts are based more on how much time it would have taken to create them, which varies depending on the mold. The basic idea is that you either take the time and effort to dig up larger amounts of Clay, or you take the time to make them voxel by voxel and save on resources. And maybe you make that choice based on simply not finding enough Clay deposits within reach. Or you choose to do manual Molding because you genuinely enjoy doing it, and the savings on resources is just a bonus. So it's not just the number of voxels, it's how complicated the overall recipe is. The Clay Planter and Flower Pots, for instance, have no lids, and are basically just two layers, because you can repeat layer 2 all the way till it's finished. Besides that, they're just cosmetic items anyway, so there's not as much sense of necessity as Storage Vessels or Crocks, which should cost more for multiple reasons. I decided to condense all the recipes into one concise image. It might look like I just deleted a lot of image cropping work, but Paint Shop Pro has some amazing scripting abilities. None of that took as much effort as it looks, but it would have been worth it anyway. Not bad for an app that's 17 years old. Of course I'm willing to take suggestions and make adjustments, after all, this mod itself is a drastic adjustment to an existing mod. I have included the numbers in the JSON as Comments, so you can see the logic that I used. I decided for the sake of discussion I'd include the comments here. Hopefully it makes sense, but it's better than my first attempt. At first I was confusing myself, so I reversed how I divided the Ratio, which previously resulted in lower = more expensive. The numbers in parenthesis are as follows, 1. Total # Voxels, 2. Crafting Slots x Clay Quantity = Total Crafting Units, 3. Modeling Voxels / Total Crafting Units = Cost Ratio "__comment": "[Item Name]: (# Voxels, # x # = Units, Ratio)" "__comment": "Bowls (41 voxels, 3 x 3 = 9, 0.21)", "__comment": "Storage Vessels (924 voxels, 8 x 22 = 176, 0.19)", "__comment": "Clay Pot (161 voxels, 7 x 6 = 42, 0.26)", "__comment": "Ingot Molds (93 voxels, 5 x 6 = 30, 0.32)", "__comment": "Crock (99 voxels, 6 x 6 = 48, 0.37)", "__comment": "Crucible (97 voxels, 6 x 6 = 48, 0.36)", "__comment": "Flower Pot (156 voxels, 5 x 4 = 20, 0.12)", "__comment": "Clay Planter (500 voxels, 7 x 8 = 56, 0.11)", "__comment": "2 Shingles (12x3=36 voxels, 6 x 1 = 6, 0.16)", "__comment": "2 Fire Shingles (12x3=36 voxels, 6 x 1 = 6, 0.16)", "__comment": "Anvil Mold (750 voxels, 7 x 20 = 140, 0.19)", "__comment": "Helvehammer (190 voxels, 7 x 6 = 42, 0.22)", "__comment": "Watering Can (300 voxels, 6 x 12 = 72, 0.24)", As for the Tool Molds, those are something you build so rarely, I'm not concerned if they're a little too expensive. Same with the Anvil Mold, which you're even more likely to only ever need one. And again, overall, the point is that it should feel like a genuine choice as to whether to do the manual work, regardless of whether you have vast amounts of clay at your disposal. Sometimes the logic and realism regarding physical resources has to be warped to accomodate fair and fun gameplay. Like I said, suggestions for adjustments are welcome. Instructions on how to install the font shown in the screenshots into the game: I'm calling it 1.0.1 simply because it's a rework of Mr1k3's NoMolding mod, which you should remove or disable before using this. ClayCrafting1.0.1.zip

One of the very few things I quickly found was missing from the game was the ability for Stone Paths to maintain their color. But at the same time, I'm glad the standard version was set in place from the start. For those who also find the Stone Paths to be a bit limiting, I've devised a solution. When using Low Quality Soil, you'll get the same old roads that reduce down to being identical. I also removed the ability to use Terra Preta or Compost, which would be a huge waste of good resources. But now when using Medium Quality Soil with Stones, you'll get a nicely tinted version of Stone Paths. I simply took the original 3 Stone Path textures and Greyscaled them, then I overlayed the plain Rock textures of each kind of stone. This not only gave the color tint of each stone, but added bits of the stone's quality into the Stone Path. I set the Layer Blend Mode from Normal (Lighten, Darken, etc) to "Overlay" if you're that curious. The way it merged the textures was perfect for this situation. I've also upgraded them to have more variations of mossy overlays, making the repetition much less obvious. The most amazing part of this is that the game engine only required 3 versions of each type of stone, and then a dozen mossy tint overlays, it takes care of the busywork. And I could easily mix them up even further if I wanted, but it would probably take up too much texture memory to be worth it. Speaking of which, if you're running on a very old system with low GPU memory, theres a slight chance you might want to skip out on this for now. If enough people request it I'll make a Reduced Memory version, but hopefully it won't be needed. They will be compatible as far as local savegames, but you would end up with whatever version the server has provided they end up adopting this mod. So it's better if there's only one version anyway. I also made a slight increase in WalkSpeedMultiplier from 1.3 to 1.4, but other than that the blocks are identical to Stone Paths. This means they behave like Gravel rather than Soil or Cobblestone. I could adjust this, but it felt better to keep it as it is. Speaking of "style", as the title suggests, I've dug through countless fonts online and found one that works very, very well with the game's aesthetic. Take a look at the screenshots and let me know if you agree. Instructions below on how to install it. You can find this font I'm using in the game ("Albertus Medium") for free at https://best-font.com/font-download/download-albertus-medium-font.html Just download and open the TTF file like any document, and Windows Font Viewer has an Install button at the top. Then you'll have to open your VintageStoryData folder, which should be available by using the magic path "%APPDATA%\VintagestoryData\" instead of C:\ as usual. You can also just go to Start -> Run, and type in "notepad %APPDATA%\VintagestoryData\clientsettings.json", without quotes. Scroll all the way down to line 500, or press Ctrl+F to Find "font". Change the value of "defaultFontName" to "Albertus Medium" and close and save. You should shut down the game before doing this, otherwise your changes will be overwritten. Probably should have told you that first. I've been working with more and more ideas since I found Vintage Story back in early December 2020. I decided to keep them all to myself until I could post them all as quickly as possible. Basically this is my way of celebrating my mother's birthday today. I'll be giving you all a pile of gifts and hopefully making it feel like a holiday in the Vintage Story world. Download Link: RainbowRoads1.0.1.zip 1.0.1 - (2-17-2021): Updated to fix the Walk Speed multiplier.