User blog:ASDFGirl/The Future of Fossils and Archeology: Revival

Hi everyone! In case you didn't know, my name is ASDFGirl and I'm a dev for F/A. I do models and textures, writing and lore, and most obviously, public outreach. Most of the time, when you comment on the Twitter, MC forums, Discord, or here, on the wiki, I'm the one who responds. (I get a lot of messages in a day, so take it easy on me!)

I know most of you have already been following our updates, so you'll already know most of this. I'm rewriting everything nicer and neater here so I can link it to places like Twitter.

First off:
'The update we are currently working on is a 1.10.2 port with no new content''. It will have bug fixes, but that's it. And I do apologize for it taking so long, but not only is the move from 1.7 to 1.10 a big jump, but we've also been very busy in our personal lives. '''

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the good stuff! We have three big updates planned for F/A after we move to 1.10.2. We haven't decided quite which order they will come in, so keep that in mind while reading on. Also, keep in mind that they're very likely to be world-breaking, so you'll need to start a new world with each of these.

The Paleontology Update
The paleontology update will feature a major rehaul of the current fossil system. Instead of finding fossil ores that drop generic bio-fossils, you will find complete skeletons that you will have to mine with a special tool (not yet named). This new system will probably include at least one minigame, which is exciting! Also planned are more exciting poses for fossil models, which will make your museums more lively. See pictures below:



This update will also likely see the addition of a lot more mobs, in preparation for the dimension update (see below).

The Dimension Update
Also known as the Time-Machine Update or the Past Update, this update will add the long-awaited dimension to the mod! This dimension, called The Past, is part of an alternate-universe where prehistoric creatures of all time periods will spawn together. Now, I know this isn't the most realistic thing, but it's a sacrifice we have to make in order to reduce lag (because imagine how much lag there would be hopping through an infinite number of dimensions, especially on servers!). To solve the inaccuracy problem, we are going to have biomes that are specific to different time periods, such as Triassic Scrubland, Cretaceous Floodplains, etc., all with their own blocks and plants.

A few things about The Past: There will be no "Butterfly effect," in which modifying The Past results in changes in the overworld, because it is an alternate dimension, like I said. Also, there will be no dimension-specific prehistoric creatures or any archeology structures in it. Now I know some of you aren't tempted by the idea of fighting Anu just to live alongside dinosaurs, so just know, we are planning special things for it that will make the trip worthwhile!

We have approximately 90 new mobs planned on top of our current, in-game mobs to fill out the ecosystems in The Past. Like I said above, some of those may come in the Paleontology Update. Things are not set in stone. Here are the previews we've released so far of the mobs:





The Archeology Update
The Archeology Update (which may be split into smaller updates because of the sheer amount of content we have planned) will add around 10 ancient civilizations to the game. You'll be able to explore different structures, weild ancient weapons, play ancient instruments, etc. Also included will be books and scrolls with stories and poety from each culture and new art (similar to stone tablets) that will showcase more lore and cool stuff. You can expect to see expanded Aztec and Egyptian/Pigmen cultures, among others (see the Atlantean message we posted a while back!). Each civilization will spawn within its own designated overworld biome, so there won't be much, if any, overlap between them.

Here are a few previews of decorations and structures for the Archeology Update:



A few closing remarks:
This thread is for comments, questions, and concerns only. Any suggestions or long discussions will be deleted, because I want to keep this streamlined and easy to read. You can direct your suggestions to the appropriate threads on the Suggestions Forum. Also, please do not ask about release dates/estimates; we don't know when the mod will be done, so we can't tell you when it will come out. Plus, we like surprises!

I hope you're all as excited as we are for this! We're putting in a lot of work behind the scenes and we're so glad that people appreciate it. Please do try to be patient with these updates, we know they take forever but we try our best.