Outdated Root of the Conflict 0.2.2 (+3 items)

Root of the Conflict

NOTE! Right now I'm heavy into content-adding mode. Lots of this stuff is unbalanced, thematically inconsistent, or just plain odd. I'm trying to define the three factions and make sure they're all fun to play, but in the meantime things will be a little strange around here. Please, give me feedback on how the tech handles--I want to make sure the factions are equal by the time I implement the questlines and mechanics!

What this Mod's About
The universe is a wild place, breathtaking in its beauty and violence. As sentient races claim an ever-growing place among the stars, this wildness fades. Some see this as the natural progression. They celebrate the taming of the wilds, contributing if they can with fire and steel. Others see it as a threat. They retreat deeper into the wilderness, discovering forgotten technology that lives and breathes, hates and fights. Still others seek some sort of balance. They preach unity between all species, distributing machines that (paradoxically, perhaps) bring man and nature closer together. Most people don't care one way or another. They hop from planet to planet and star to star, and if they see a few more settlements along the way, so what? But tensions are mounting and troops are marching. As the factions grow more organized, flare-ups grow in frequency and size. Soon, this wild frontier will be thrown into chaos. Will you be ready?

What it Does
This mod is my first-ever published mod, so it'll be a bit thematically loose at the start while I get my bearings. As it and I mature, though, you can look forward to:

1. Faction-Based Technology: The three main factions (Clearcutters, Wildwalkers, Hippies) contribute the following types of items:

• Clearcutter items produce fire, devastation, and maybe settlements
  
• Wildwalker items are largely combat-oriented, but also deal with increasing plant and animal life and tearing down "The Man."
  
• Hippie items are all about peaceful solutions and unity with nature. Also deal with modifying existing life to better foster unity, vague as that is.

Each time I update the mod, I'll try to include at least one thing for each of these three factions.

2. Universe Enhancements: As much as I love this game, it saddens me that the Florans don't have too many plant buddies to bite and/or stab (with). So this mod also includes a growing collection of plant-themed monster parts, and will eventually/hopefully include plant-themed monster skills and more high-level biomes.

3. Lore: Comes a bit later, but I'd love to add some dungeons.

4. Random Tiddlywinks: Because still learning Lua.

What it Currently Includes
Auto-Trader

Faction: Clearcutters

Description: Let's face it: being self-sufficient is hard! Rather than trying to skimp by on local resources, wouldn't it be so much better to just ship off your excess goods and get something useful back in return? The Auto-Trader was designed with just that in mind. First grab one of the available trade crates (currently just ore) that represents an item you'd like to send off (ore crate: copper, silver, gold, platinum, diamond, coal, iron, and titanium). Plop a dispatcher on top and wire it to a manager. Then get a second crate, this one representing what you'd like to receive. Plop a receiver on top and hook THAT up to the manager. Then activate the manager and viola! Goodies!

Obtaining: For now, they're available to craft with an empty hand for a low price. As always, this will change in the next recipe update.

Bugs: There's a minor issue with variable scope that sometimes results in bonus coal. It's actually already fixed, I just haven't released the fix quite yet...

Guardian Wings[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Faction: Crystal Bearers

Description: These crystalline "wings" bathe the wearer in a soothing glow that provides one of several possible passive effects. The first variety, the Pink Guardian, provides a small amount of regeneration in addition to the glow effect.

Obtaining: For now, they're available to craft on the cheap at a potting bench. It'll be awhile before they get a meaningful recipe, due to >>secret faction things<<

Supply Beacon[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Faction: Clearcutters

Description: These infamously fragile and unpredictable beacons allow anyone, on activation, to tap into the Emergency Supply Network and request a supply drop. Theoretically. Supply requests do not always go through, and when they do, the resulting supply crate is typically incomplete. Still, they represent a ray of hope for the spelunker in need.

Obtaining: For now, they're available to craft with an empty hand for a low price. Very exploity. I'm trying to figure out why, exactly, the supply drop sometimes fails, so please report any circumstances under which the crate does not arrive.

Bugs: The supply drop shouldn't actually fail to arrive. This item works via an elaborate workaround; it will hopefully be recoded once I better understand Starbound's seedy underbelly.

Potting Table

Faction: Crystal Bearers

Description: The stunning variety of the universe's flora has proven too fragile for transplantation. With this incredibly sophisticated piece of technology, gardeners can overcome this issue, placing a wide variety of decorative plants at their beck and call. The enhanced specimens created by this device can even be placed in areas where plants would not traditionally grow, such as on rock and ice. Unfortunately, they will not survive re-transplantation.

Obtaining: Craft at a crafting table. You'll need clay!

Biocomposer

Faction: Wildwalker

Description: Description won't make much sense until I implement its sister item, but this will be the base crafting station for the wildwalkers and will use certain primordial resources not yet available. For now, use it to spawn more overlords craft the spawn launcher.

Obtaining: Craft at a crafting table. Recipe's somewhat meaningless until sister item comes along.

NPC in a Bottle

Faction: None

Description: Do you lament your friendless existence as you drift amongst cold starts? Then lament no longer! Mysterious bottles have begun appearing in dungeon chests (or they will, in the next mod release) that--through dark magic and powers unknown--contain a random NPC! Just chuck the bottle and stand back. Most NPCs are surprisingly unfazed by their long captivity, but a few come out shooting. Bottles come in several rarities with different NPCs available depending on rarity. Currently, only a few vanilla Starbound NPCs are added (guards, villagers, a few merchants, bandits).

Obtaining: For now, they're available to craft with an empty hand (only Common rarity available). Once I've ironed out any bugs, they'll appear in dungeon chests.

Spawn Launcher

Faction: Wildwalkers

Description: Some say violence isn't the answer. These people have clearly never used the Spawn Launcher. This exciting new weapon taps into its user's vital forces and/or fluids to generate seed pods which, upon hatching, release a seedspawn. This vicious-but-mindless plant wanders around until it encounters a player or monster, at which point it mauls them in a frenzied attempt to gather nutrients. It's important to note that seedspawn have no particular loyalty to the user, and will gladly kill them if given the chance.

Obtaining: Craft now, probably craft later (but at a custom station with a meaningful recipe)

Bugs: For some reason, seedspawn refuse to maul NPCs (bug or FEATURE?). Also, this isn't a bug per-se, but Starbound ties energy cost directly to damage output. This gun does not do any damage (if it did, there would be a serious risk of attracting the aggro of your seedspawn, which are dangerous enough without seeking behavior), so fire rate is nerfed instead. Might switch it to damage later. Seedspawn also tend to freeze in place after successfully killing something.

Sapling Splicer

Faction: Crystal Bearers

Description: The universe may be nearly infinite in its variety, but its trees sure ain't! Rectify this glaring issue by combining tree traits in new saplings using this eldritch coffee maker sapling splicer. The sample in the left slot provides the leaves, the sample in the right slot provides the trunk. Any additional samples are used as biomass, increasing the number of saplings created (1:1 consumed: produced ratio). Please note that the machine only combines traits, it doesn't make them make sense. I've seen trees fall over the moment they grow, weird floating canopies, completely absent foliage...if you're going to use this machine, I strongly suggest equipping your sense of humor first

Obtaining: Craft for two planks with an empty hand. Again, will change after this release.

Note: In the time between starting work on this item and finishing it, someone else published a fully fleshed-out mod that provides this functionality and much more (like an actual GUI). However, I'd already finished 90% of the code and had enlisted help from awesome people in getting it to that point, and therefore felt bad about scrapping it. So if you want full customization and mass production, make sure you get that other mod! But also get this one, because eldritch coffeepot.

Concussive Vaporizer

Faction: Clearcutters

Description: Sick of dirt and cobblestone piling up as you mine? Now there's a better way, and that way is high-yield concussive charges fired from a hastily-modified rocket launcher. These charges completely obliterate any sort of tile, leaving no mess and living beings strangely intact! Unfortunately, these charges can't tell the difference between valuable and worthless tiles, so be careful not to fire this one indoors.

Obtaining: Craft for two wood planks. Heheh.

Bugs: So this is a bit embarrassing, but I have no idea why this thing works. I was just testing a basic port of Desideratus' awesome mining laser gun when, quite suddenly, the drops started disappearing! I'm now implementing versioning control so this doesn't happen again, but in the meantime, if you know why this works...tell me. Please. Please.

New Monster Parts

This is just a sample of the added parts, I think there's around 8 so far.

What it Still Needs
Bugfixing: Please report any weird behaviors you encounter. Also if you're good at code and want to take a look at the outstanding bugs, that would be amazing.
More NPCs for the NPC in a Bottle: If you give me an npctype file and permission, 99% chance I'm willing to stick it in the table that the NPC in a Bottle item draws from. Ideas are also welcome. I'm more than happy to give credit!

Ideas in General: I have a lot planned for this mod, but I'm always open to new ideas! Again, you'll get credit if I include your idea.

Art: Is not my strong suite. If you design alt textures because you're sick of looking at mine, please consider sharing them!

Credits
Contributors:
Right now, all code/art/ideas are mine. Hopefully I can put some more names here soon!

Additionally, a big ol' thank-you to the following:
The good people of the modding forum for their help and patience
The good people of the starbound modding IRC for the same
Desideratus, whose code I brutally cannibalized


A Note on Using This Code
This mod is totally open-source, do whatever you like with the code. HOWEVER, if you intend to learn from this mod, I have to warn you that my work is uncommented and currently spaghetti. So again, you're free to do whatever you like with this code, but if you're new to modding I would strongly recommend letting me know so I can add some comments or something.