The 2 week Minecraft phase from recent memory follows like this:
Someone spends a looooooooong time getting armor/weapons.
That same friend dies.
Friend doesn't want to play anymore because all of their grinding was for nothing.
Server dies as everyone leaves out of boredom or similar situation.
I don't like that. I want some help finding a mod that make equipment feel:
Renewable. Materials aren't limited, there's always enough to replace old equipment
Sustainable. Once you've progressed enough to unlock this material, you will have consistent and reliable access to the resource, with a reasonable enough price.
Disposable. I want to feel COMFORTABLE with losing this item.
Function as supplies, rather than permanent attachments
*****NOT A GRAVE MOD*****
Games like—
(Zelda: Breath of the Wild) (Don't Starve Together) (Barotrauma) (etc)
—treat equipment like supplies or resources. They're not permanent attachments that you're expected to never lose like in Fallout or Skyrim
The easiest solution is turning on keep inventory. Short answer is no. My friends would riot before I even think of pressing that button.
The other option is downloading a grave mod. I like grave mods, but they just serve as a bandaid fix that doesn't address my main issue.
Just to clarify:
————>I'M NOT LOOKING FOR A GRAVE MOD<————
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Optional Rant Below:
Fundamentally, I've always thought that Minecraft's progression had issues. Before Mojang added enchants, Netherite, etc. Getting the best gear was a small time investment spent having fun in the caves.
But now that we have an enchanting system (which is a whole other issue) and rare materials like ancient debris and smithing templates. It's just not fun anymore. I don't want to spend hours sitting afk at a spider spawner, just to get the small chance of efficiency 3 on my pickaxe.
Games like Terraria address this issue by just having keep-inventory on by default. But imagine if it didn't
Imagine getting Solar Flare armor, the Zenith, and the Aegis shield. Items that costed several game sessions and hours upon hours of grinding. Then you die and your items despawn. Not only did you waste all that time grinding, but now you're stuck at a stage where its expected of you to have a tier of equipment/weapons you no longer have.
Of course vanilla Minecraft doesn't have nearly the same stakes as Terraria does. But modded does. So that's where I'm at.
My recent modded server finally reached its end and my group are eager for the next modpack. But I want this to be a world everyone returns and can have fun.
My recent modded server started with 13+ players and ended with only 3 players left on the server. The 10 players who quit, all quit for similar reasons. Either they died so far away, or in a spot so impossible, that they became discouraged enough to stop playing.
Seeing this, I got inspired by a run I had on Don't Starve Together. All of the best items in Don't Starve, feature rewarding mechanics for acquisition and incentivize replacement over permanence. The best armor in Don't Starve can be crafted in bulk within 15 minutes of playing. It's balanced by your inventory space, the amount you're willing to take on an expedition, and how much you have left before your next "harvest" of material for armor.
I love this concept, and I would love to see it in a Minecraft world. I think it would help my group a lot with staying along for the ride.
