Metamechanica | playing with ideas

[balmy venture]

There aren't any machines in the mod right now. I've come up with an interesting system (essentially modular multi-blocks), but I'm still having trouble displaying the big OBJ models correctly. I also need to learn how to work with the GUI.

[Here](#wip-showcase message) in the second picture you can see an example of what's called a "cell"—a machine component that connects to another, forming a long line. This line receives resources on one side and returns crafting results on the other.

From time to time I return to working on this mechanic (because it's obviously very important for the mod), but I'm also experimenting with other stuff in parallel.

Also, the name is to be changed. Originally this project was a port-remake of long-forgotten EssentialCraft III but while leaving some concepts from this mod, it has grown into something completely standalone. So the name Ultraviolet (was a reference to EC3's energy having purple-pink color) doesn't really suit anymore.

[balmy venture]

Current list of related posts in #wip-showcase :

• Attribute Mold. Transferring inherit tool abilities to other tools. [[LINK](#wip-showcase message)]
• NBT-based material properties. Metallurgy module core. [[LINK](#wip-showcase message)]
• Mineral deposits. Source of rare impurities for Metallurgy module. [[LINK](#wip-showcase message)]

[balmy venture]

24/01/26 | Cutting gemstones from deposits | Non-standard interface elements | Problem with realistic mechanics

So… after adding deposits, I came up with the idea of ​​gem cutting. I want to make it a minigame, something like research in Thaumcraft (which is what I tried to base the UI design on, as I think it's very successful in this regard).

And damn, it turned out to be more difficult than I thought.

Since the player is supposed to do it by hand, I wanted to create a handmade feel. I also remembered Ye Gamol Chattels for 1.7. It had this mechanic for cutting and polishing planks that I would call mouse-driven (as opposed to button-driven).

Here's a video to make it clear what I'm talking about.

And the first sketch of the cutting table interface.

The tools on the left—an electromagnet, a whetstone, and a hammer—were intended to resemble the saw in Ye Gamol Chattels. That is, the player was supposed to move them across the screen.

In the middle is a slot where the gemstone is placed. Surrounding it are layers that the player gradually cuts away. Each layer has defects that must be taken into account when cutting. Each of the three tools is required to deal with a certain type of defect.

The bar on the right shows the overall damage of the stone, and the two slots next to it were intended to contain lenses. At this stage, the lens mechanics hadn't been thought through.

At one point, I realized I'd significantly deviated from the industrial style and was approaching a medieval vibe, despite the presence of, for example, a modern electromagnet.

The problem was that the system was too "literal" and "tactile". It was no accident that I mentioned Thaumcraft at the beginning of the post, as the research mechanics make no sense logically—the player isn't writing, but connecting abstract aspects.

In other words, the player doesn't perceive the block through the interface; they perceive the connections. And that's truly important.

Just a little more time and I'll have a new concept ready. So, here's the new interface sketch:

Much more colorful than the first one, huh?

The tools remain, but as items that occasionally drain durability. Instead of an electromagnet, there's a slot with a lock (you'll learn what that is later). In the middle, there's now a section of a hypothetical crystal lattice, where the dots represent simplified defects. The lattice itself is also interactive, acting as a kind of labyrinth that you must navigate, taking into account the properties of each defect.

To make it easier to imagine, here's the example I used. Gameplay from The Witness.

Waves of different lengths emerge from the crystal, representing electromagnetism (for different purposes, stones will need to be able to transmit different wavelengths. For example: a laser for cutting metal - infrared, a radio - AM/FM).

The damage bar on the right remains unchanged. The various lenses have been removed, at least for now.

The button with the ♻️ symbol is needed to change the mode:

Once the player has removed all the defects, cutting begins. During this process, the player must move the corners of the piece, causing it to gradually shrink. Each corner is replaced by two new ones.

This opens the door to a wide variety of cutting variations, making this mechanic interesting not only from an industrial, but also from a truly collectible perspective.

[balmy venture]

Since I finally completed the gem cutting table model today, I can reveal the third tool that was hidden under the lock.

It's a needle! Actually a very thin tube, like the ones in syringes. It feeds a mixture of hot glass and dust from precious stones or metals that the player can obtains during cutting and fills the chips in stones being cut.

The model is called an "auxiliary apparatus," but it's essentially an induction smelter.

[balmy venture]

24/03/26 | Back on air!

After a break, I've returned to developing this mod. I realized that while I enjoy modeling, it's too time-consuming, and I really don't want to deal with multiblocks, so I'm moving that idea aside. Mod machines will be implemented slightly differently.

And I think I'll try to focus on more unconventional aspects than just a physics simulator. Also, since the project has now completely lost all connection to EssentialCraft, it will be called Metamechanica.

The image will remain without a context for now.

Metamechanica | playing with ideas

[bold cobalt]

wow wee how did I not know about an EC inspired mod

[balmy venture]

Surprised to see someone who even knows what EC is, wow

[bold cobalt]

Not only i know, genuinely one of my favorite mods (in concept,- execution is kinda sloppy)

[balmy venture]

I see what you mean. The vibe is really what I like

Especially Hoanna

[balmy venture]

Do you speak Russian by any chance?

[bold cobalt]

Mayhaps

[balmy venture]

So you learned about it from DVM's guide. Gotchaaa ;)

[bold cobalt]

Nope, I have no idea who DVM is

Honestly i don't remember where i learned about it but it was definitely not a Russian guide, I never watch those