This would have all the properties of TNT, but much more powerful in one specific direction. In the direction it is pointing, over a very narrow range of angles (maybe no more than 10 degrees), the explosion damage calculation rays would be many times stronger than all the other rays. They wouldn't extend any longer, but they would cut through everything, for the length that they were. The only thing they would NOT cut through would be bedrock. If you had a thick wall of obsidian, who's thickness equaled to the normal length of a TNT explosion calculation ray, and the Shaped Charge was facing this obsidian wall, it would punch a hole clear through the wall. This would be a great bunker-buster weapon to be used against those who made obsidian bunkers. And because it is just as powerful as regular TNT in every other direction, it still will cause normal damage to everything (and everyone) that's too close to it in any direction.
How to set the direction? It will face one of the 6 main directions (-x, +x, -y, +y, -z, or +z) depending on what way you are facing when you place it. If your character is facing at some intermediate angle, it will see which of these 6 main directions is closest to the one you are facing, and place the charge's aim in that direction. It can be triggered in any of the ways that normal TNT can be triggered. But doesn't primed/triggered TNT fall down? Yes it does, but primed Shaped Charge will not fall down when triggered. A primed Shaped Charge will start flashing, but remain exactly where it was placed, and continue facing in the exact same direction as when it was placed, so you can place them strategically and set them off without gravity messing up your placement when they have been triggered.
It wouldn't be super powerful in all directions, just one direction. The purpose of this would be as a weapon in a Minecraft war, and it's quite difficult to craft, as gold (one of the ingredients) is quite difficult to get. Of course this is just a suggestion. Maybe using even more rare materials to make it (and thus harder for players to craft it) would make it more fair? Maybe it should have some emerald, diamond, or lapis somewhere in there? The idea is if there was a Minecraft war going on, and someone built an obsidian bunker, and you were lucky enough to get your hands on one of these weapons, that guy hiding in his bunker would be about to have his luck run out.
If crafting it makes it to cheap/easy to use, how about have it only be able to be generated by the administrator with a Give command, or in the creative menu (no crafting allowed). This would allow an administrator who wanted to allow it to be used, to place one or more in a treasure chest in some hidden area, so that whoever managed to find this rare weapon, would have an advantage over those he was fighting against, but it would take some to get it, because he'd have to explore a lot to find the hidden area.
That usually means an idea is a "meh" one and people aren't given enough reason to post any kind of response. Not saying that's what your idea is, but that's usually the case.
A shaped charge is not very Minecraft-like. It's good that you balanced it and didn't go all "lol dis has da stength of tnt but likes times fiVE!!" like some members do. This is also a "less X but more Y" idea which is a rather uncreative approach to a suggestion. The idea isn't the worst, but I don't see much reason to put in the effort to add such a thing.
I like the concept, but not the implementation, which seems to be due to a misunderstanding of how explosions work. I'm no expert, and am basically reading off the wiki, but it seems to be that how a block is determined to be destroyed is by the current strength of the rays hitting it (which reduces over time) compared to the blast resistance of the block. If the ray strength is higher, then the block is destroyed. If not, then the block is not destroyed.
The way this idea is set to work is fundamentally different, in that the game would basically just run a check to see if the block the ray collides with is Bedrock, and if it isn't then it destroys it. This makes it highly unbalanced, as a TnT explosion radius is 6.9 blocks. That means everything within about 7 blocks would be destroyed in a 60 degree cone based on the direction it is facing. My estimation, assuming it is placed on a solid structure, is that it would be able to destroy 50 blocks easily, even Obsidian or Water. Talk about overpowered.
Basically what would need to be done is simply increase the blast radius based on a fair amount considering you only hit 1/6 of the total area of TnT. Something like making it a blast power of 5 or 6 and slighly reducing the attenuation between strength checkpoint (currently 0.3 x step length, reducing it to 0.25 or 0.2 would work). That way the rays are slightly more powerful, and they travel slightly further, but still decay rather quickly if hitting Stone or stronger blocks. But it should be able to tear through a wall of Stone a couple blocks thick, and absolutely shred through Dirt.
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Blue wither skull projectiles can destroy obsidian (but not bedrock), and they don't even have a larger blast radius (usually increasing the strength of an explosion damage calculation ray increases its distance as well). My concept is based off of this. The one (or few) rays in one very narrow direction from an explosion of a shaped charge would use the blue wither skull calculation instead of the standard TNT calculation, but would have the same length as standard TNT rays (not the much smaller range of blue wither skull explosion rays).
My idea wouldn't introduce any new game mechanics, just combine some old ones (TNT and blue wither skull).
Currently MC makes it hard to obtain obsidian. Even with a diamond pickaxe, it takes a minimum of 10 blocks, and each 8 seconds long to mine to make a nether portal. My proposal would allow getting 5 to 6 blocks of osbsidian (based on explosion radius of TNT), in one specific direction (the direction of the placed shaped charge) instantaneously. But it would also be a very hard to get item, and it could be used only once (as with TNT), so one would be forced to be very careful with how they used it. That makes it a very balanced item.
Once again, there seems to be a disconnect between how you think the game is handling explosions and how it actually does. Yes, higher blast power does equate to higher blast radius. But Blue Wither Skulls only have a blast power of 1, which gives it a blast radius of 1.5 blocks. The secret to Blue Wither Skulls is that it treats all blocks within the blast radius (besides End Portal Frames and Bedrock), as having a Blast Resistance of 4 or less. That is how it can destroy anything but doesn't destroy huge amounts. The actual Power needed to destroy an Obsidian Block is about 277 (if detonated right next to the block so no attenuation of the blast force is calculated), which would give it a blast radius of 480 blocks (using the formulas on the Explosion page of the Minecraft Wiki).
IF you applied the Blue Wither Skull code to something the size of a TNT explosion aimed in one direction, it would destroy about 560 blocks, assuming that it was aimed at a surface of solid material. As blocks have a 25% chance of dropping if destroyed by an explosion, about 140 blocks would drop. That is a lot more than the 5-6 blocks you assumed without doing any of the actual calculations. Besides, you aren't thinking of the griefing potential with this. These are only slightly harder to get than TNT, as mining Iron or Gold is 100% safe if you do it right. I've barely been playing on my new world (maybe 7-8 Minecraft Days), and most of the time I have been making a giant boat out of wood in the ocean, and I could easily make 10-12 of these right now. If I was on a server, I could destroy any base with just 1 of these. With 12 I can do a ton of damage. Another hour of mining I have the ore to make 100 or more of these. Then it is just a matter of farming Creepers, which is easy.
I've done the math, you have not. It isn't balanced.
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It should be possible to use a tweaked version of the wither skull explosino code, in conjunction with a tweeked version of the TNT code, to create an explosive with the effect I described. The effect I described is the intended result. The code to accomplish it is just the means to that goal. I'm pretty sure that Mojang coders could write the needed code to accomplish the effect I described.
No. Just no. If you want that, get some mods. This is minecraft... not MinerJack or whatever(is that a real game?). Does not fit into minecraft... too industrial.
I can see there is some disconnect in what you want and what I am reading as well. From what it sounds like, you would like to be able to blast through a wall that is 2 blocks thick, and something like 3 blocks wide and high (assuming it was placed on a wall of course). When you kept saying the length of the rays would be as long as TnT that threw me, as that wouldn't be needed to get the effect you want.
Basically you want an explosion that can be targeted in any of the 6 primary directions, with only enough strength to blow through a basic wall a couple blocks thick. Then you want the Wither Skull effect so it can blow through Obsidian or anything else besides indestructable blocks.
That sounds reasonable to me, now that we seem to have cleared up our disconnect on the specifics (assuming we have, of course).
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More importantly, how is this considered "too industrial"? They were using gunpowder over 800 years ago, all this basically is is gunpowder in a case built to force the energy in one direction, which is basically how fireworks work. Okay, yes it is more complex than that but the technology has been around for much longer than even standard TnT, which is in the game.
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Slightly different than only one direction. I want the one direction of the explosion to have the properties of the blue wither skull, but all the other directions to have the properties of regular TNT (so you'd still have to be careful when setting it off, or you could kill yourself if you were standing too close, even if you were to the side of it, or even behind it).
To help clear up exactly what I mean. I've attached a diagram showing exactly what I'm expecting. The rays facing to the right (the direction this shaped charge is facing in the diagram) are colored in red to indicate the larger destructive ability of these rays (which would use the blue wither skull damage calculation). All the other rays are black, to indicate normal TNT destructive ability.
How to set the direction? It will face one of the 6 main directions (-x, +x, -y, +y, -z, or +z) depending on what way you are facing when you place it. If your character is facing at some intermediate angle, it will see which of these 6 main directions is closest to the one you are facing, and place the charge's aim in that direction. It can be triggered in any of the ways that normal TNT can be triggered. But doesn't primed/triggered TNT fall down? Yes it does, but primed Shaped Charge will not fall down when triggered. A primed Shaped Charge will start flashing, but remain exactly where it was placed, and continue facing in the exact same direction as when it was placed, so you can place them strategically and set them off without gravity messing up your placement when they have been triggered.
If crafting it makes it to cheap/easy to use, how about have it only be able to be generated by the administrator with a Give command, or in the creative menu (no crafting allowed). This would allow an administrator who wanted to allow it to be used, to place one or more in a treasure chest in some hidden area, so that whoever managed to find this rare weapon, would have an advantage over those he was fighting against, but it would take some to get it, because he'd have to explore a lot to find the hidden area.
That usually means an idea is a "meh" one and people aren't given enough reason to post any kind of response. Not saying that's what your idea is, but that's usually the case.
A shaped charge is not very Minecraft-like. It's good that you balanced it and didn't go all "lol dis has da stength of tnt but likes times fiVE!!" like some members do. This is also a "less X but more Y" idea which is a rather uncreative approach to a suggestion. The idea isn't the worst, but I don't see much reason to put in the effort to add such a thing.
The way this idea is set to work is fundamentally different, in that the game would basically just run a check to see if the block the ray collides with is Bedrock, and if it isn't then it destroys it. This makes it highly unbalanced, as a TnT explosion radius is 6.9 blocks. That means everything within about 7 blocks would be destroyed in a 60 degree cone based on the direction it is facing. My estimation, assuming it is placed on a solid structure, is that it would be able to destroy 50 blocks easily, even Obsidian or Water. Talk about overpowered.
Basically what would need to be done is simply increase the blast radius based on a fair amount considering you only hit 1/6 of the total area of TnT. Something like making it a blast power of 5 or 6 and slighly reducing the attenuation between strength checkpoint (currently 0.3 x step length, reducing it to 0.25 or 0.2 would work). That way the rays are slightly more powerful, and they travel slightly further, but still decay rather quickly if hitting Stone or stronger blocks. But it should be able to tear through a wall of Stone a couple blocks thick, and absolutely shred through Dirt.
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My idea wouldn't introduce any new game mechanics, just combine some old ones (TNT and blue wither skull).
Currently MC makes it hard to obtain obsidian. Even with a diamond pickaxe, it takes a minimum of 10 blocks, and each 8 seconds long to mine to make a nether portal. My proposal would allow getting 5 to 6 blocks of osbsidian (based on explosion radius of TNT), in one specific direction (the direction of the placed shaped charge) instantaneously. But it would also be a very hard to get item, and it could be used only once (as with TNT), so one would be forced to be very careful with how they used it. That makes it a very balanced item.
IF you applied the Blue Wither Skull code to something the size of a TNT explosion aimed in one direction, it would destroy about 560 blocks, assuming that it was aimed at a surface of solid material. As blocks have a 25% chance of dropping if destroyed by an explosion, about 140 blocks would drop. That is a lot more than the 5-6 blocks you assumed without doing any of the actual calculations. Besides, you aren't thinking of the griefing potential with this. These are only slightly harder to get than TNT, as mining Iron or Gold is 100% safe if you do it right. I've barely been playing on my new world (maybe 7-8 Minecraft Days), and most of the time I have been making a giant boat out of wood in the ocean, and I could easily make 10-12 of these right now. If I was on a server, I could destroy any base with just 1 of these. With 12 I can do a ton of damage. Another hour of mining I have the ore to make 100 or more of these. Then it is just a matter of farming Creepers, which is easy.
I've done the math, you have not. It isn't balanced.
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Basically you want an explosion that can be targeted in any of the 6 primary directions, with only enough strength to blow through a basic wall a couple blocks thick. Then you want the Wither Skull effect so it can blow through Obsidian or anything else besides indestructable blocks.
That sounds reasonable to me, now that we seem to have cleared up our disconnect on the specifics (assuming we have, of course).
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More importantly, how is this considered "too industrial"? They were using gunpowder over 800 years ago, all this basically is is gunpowder in a case built to force the energy in one direction, which is basically how fireworks work. Okay, yes it is more complex than that but the technology has been around for much longer than even standard TnT, which is in the game.
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To help clear up exactly what I mean. I've attached a diagram showing exactly what I'm expecting. The rays facing to the right (the direction this shaped charge is facing in the diagram) are colored in red to indicate the larger destructive ability of these rays (which would use the blue wither skull damage calculation). All the other rays are black, to indicate normal TNT destructive ability.