History
The Beginning
(2013-2018)
My journey with Minecraft began around version 1.6. At first, I mainly enjoyed creative mode, but soon delved into the technical aspects, experimenting with redstone, commands, and command blocks. This marked the beginning of my fascination with the technical side of Minecraft. Inspired by "only one command" creations, I gradually shifted to larger projects, often involving hundreds of command blocks. As Minecraft evolved, the addition of functions and datapacks simplified the process, allowing me to pursue even grander ideas.
Datapack
Public Release
(Jul 2018)
My first venture into the public Minecraft community began on Planet Minecraft. There, I released a couple of relatively simple packs named Colorful Sheep and Ender XP. To my surprise, they garnered much more attention than I had anticipated, boosting my confidence in my abilities. Looking back, I can see that they were quite rudimentary, but it's a testament to how much I've progressed since then.
Gamemode 4
Gamemode 4
(Oct 2019)
My history with Gamemode 4 is a bit messy. I'm not entirely sure when I found out about it, probably from searching "only one command" creations or when I saw Hermitcraft playing with Gamemode 4 modules. I had joined the discord long ago and just never opened it, until one day a random guy messaged me on Discord because of my bio. We chatted and he would eventually get me to join the public server server where I played until it closed about a month later. Since then, I've consistently been a part of the community and played on every public server since.
Module
First PR
(May 2020)
After a few months of playing on the GM4 public server, I decided to showcase my skills by submitting my first pull request for a module called Shiny Items. However, it didn't go well. My code was unoptimized and the idea, in hindsight, was quite bad. This experience was very tough initially because I had never received feedback on my creations before, eventually I learned that it wasn't personal and that constructive criticism is an essential part of growth. Despite this setback, I persevered, working hard to improve my skills and learn from my mistakes.
Module
Live Catch
(Oct 2021)
My first module accepted by GM4 was Live Catch. This module added a touch of realism to fishing by allowing players to catch living fish with fishing rods. Despite its simplicity, Live Catch brought me immense joy, especially when I saw players receiving the "Watch Out" advancement in-game, indicating they had been smacked in the face with a pufferfish. It was a small feature, but it felt like it fit the game well and added a bit of suspense when fishing.
Module
Chest Boats
(Oct 2021)
Following Live Catch, my second module, Chest Boats, was accepted a few days later. This module allowed chest minecarts to merge into boats, thus creating a boat with a chest. It was a simple yet practical addition that aimed to make exploring easier in the early game. Shortly after its acceptance, Mojang implemented a similar feature into the base game, rendering my module redundant. Nevertheless, it was fun to make and was convenient while we waited for the offical release.
Gamemode 4
Moving Up
(July 2021)
I joined the Gamemode 4 staff team in July 2021 after applying through a form they had posted. I was accepted as both a Moderator and a Developer for the public server. During my trial period, I contributed significantly to the creation of NPCs and quests for the Stanley Summer Event on Public Server 7. This event served as a way to give players access to the blocks added in the newest update, as the world generation hadn't been implemented yet. It was a rewarding experience to be involved in developing features for the server I played on and I got to do so while working alongside an amazing team.
Gamemode 4
Obsolescence
(Sep 2021)
After joining the GM4 staff team, I was given the opportunity to contribute to the group's first custom map. It was a capture-the-monument style survival map, requiring players to explore and complete various dungeons and puzzles. My initial contribution was in building and decorating a cave system. However, I was soon asked to help create challenges for the map. These included a spooky forest where players had to navigate blind while avoiding the darkness, a wave survival arena with a changing environment, and a simple time trial that allowed players to complete it in various ways.
Module
Rope Ladders
(Apr 2022)
Rope Ladders was my third accepted module, and it offered both quality-of-life improvements and aesthetic enhancements. This module allowed players to place ladders downwards, creating a hanging ladder in mid-air. It not only made traversing caves and ravines more convenient but also added a visually appealing element to various builds. Rope Ladder demonstrated how even small additions could greatly enhance the experience in more ways than you may orginally intend.
Dragon Fight
(Jan 2022)
This seasons dragon fight did not turn out how I hoped it would. The concept went through numerous alterations almost every meetings until it deviated significantly from my initial vision. I essentially worked on it alone so I was left feeling unsatisfied the entire time. Despite completing it on time and making every change requested, the end result was still a failiure. Due to the design of the fight, it lacked visual appeal and was confusing. Worst of all, a misconfigured plugin caused the fight to break, resulting in a very short duration. This was a really painful experience but I pushed on and learned valuable lessons in knowing when to speak up and not trying to do too much on my own.
NPC Mania
(Dec 2022)
My main contribution to this season was the creation of an NPC library. This allowed for the creation of NPCs with a basic dialogue system and trade manager. The server had six spawn NPCs: Clarence the Animalulator, who provided information about players' horses; Thompson the Barkeeper, who sold fun potions with special cosmetic effects; Pete the Paperboy, who shared news about the server; Quezel the Hatter, who sold a variety of custom hats; Sammus the Runesmith, who sold GM4 runes for decoration; and Chekz the Relic Hunter, who sold nonrenewable items. I learned a lot of valuable lessons when creating this system and I knew that it could be bigger and better.
NPC Addiction
(Jan 2024)
For this season, I aimed to revamp the NPC system with a complete rewrite of the library. Thanks to multiple updates, I was able to create a vastly superior system that automated many previously time-consuming tasks. Incorporating feedback from the previous server, I focused on quality over quantity. I reintroduced Pete the Paperboy, Quezel the Hatter, and Chekz the Relic Hunter, completely remade with more interactions, dialogue, and quests. Additionally, I was tasked with creating challenges for unlocking the servers 70+ modules, so I introduced a bunch of additional NPCs, each with unique quests tailored to their personalities and the modules they unlocked. I already have a ton of ideas for version 3 that I will inevitably make the for the next server.
Dragon Redemption
(May 2024)
Coming May 4th
WIP Module
Garden Variety
(Soon™)
Throughout my time developing modules for GM4, I've ventured into various prototypes and half-finished projects. One of the most prominent is Garden Variety, a module aimed at introducing new trees into the game. These trees are unique in that each one is 100% unique, with a mutation system allowing players to breed trees with different traits. I've rewritten this pack numerous times across different versions, yet it remains unfinished. The biggest challenge I've faced is performance. Achieving the desired features requires a complex generation system that the game struggles to handle. Hopefully, with further updates, my dream module will soon become achievable.