Exploration Mode

Thorvin · Post by **Thorvin** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 7:57 pm

Overview

Exploration mode is a set of mods that tweak the game in order to make it feel like more of an adventure.
You will have to explore more of the map and build several small outposts.
Some specific map generation settings are provided in order to have maps that play well with the mods.
The most important thing is to choose a big or very big starting area.

Mods

1. Vehicle Balancing - This mod requires both helicopter and trucks mods then tweaks all vehicles to create an interesting vehicle progression through the game.
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Thorvin/VehicleBalancing

2. Outpost Power - This mod provides additional power generation technologies and buildings. Using them will not be necessary on an easy map where resources are abundant and close from each other but will provide tools to power distant outposts, according to what resources are available.
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Thorvin/OutpostPower

3. Alternative Oil - Oil distilleries provide new ways to process oil. You can get to the items you want in different ways so you can adapt your oil outposts to your needs and localisation.
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Thorvin/AlternativeOil

4. Liquid Fuel - Adds liquid fuel. This mod is required by both Outpost Power and Alternative Oil and is its own mod so Outpost Power and Alternative Oil can be used as stand alone mods.
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Thorvin/LiquidFuel

5. Early Game Expansion - Requires the fist 4 mods mentioned and adds basic robotics technology. This mod and its dependencies can be used by themselves.
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Thorvin/ ... eExpansion

6. Technology Specialization - Add 2 resources on the map, cobalt and silicon. Cobalt is needed for production science packs, silicon for high tech science packs. These resources will be found far away from your starting point. You will have to explore to find them and the one you choose to extract first will change how your game evolves. Many new items, buildings and technologies are added to both technology branches and only the most advanced technologies will require both science packs. Rocket building is changed to use the new items, making the game slightly longer.
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Thorvin/ ... ialization

7. Exploration Mode - Requires all the mods needed for the exploration mode experience and wraps things up a little.
https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Thorvin/ExplorationMode

3rd party mods required

Some mods made by other people are required for exploration mode. Here is a list :

1. Truck by d3x0r - https://mods.factorio.com/mods/d3x0r/truck
2. Helicopters by kumpu - https://mods.factorio.com/mods/kumpu/Helicopters
3. Alien Biomes by Earendel - https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Earendel/alien-biomes
~~4. Water Fix by Earendel - https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Earendel/water-fix~~
5. Bottleneck by trold - https://mods.factorio.com/mods/trold/Bottleneck
6. Bob's Functions Library Mod by Bobingabout - https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Bobingabout/boblibrary
~~7. Fusion Train by magu5026 - https://mods.factorio.com/mods/magu5026/FusionTrain~~
8. Pavement Drive Assist by Arcitos - https://mods.factorio.com/mods/Arcitos/ ... riveAssist

Striked ones will be removed in future versions.

0.15 Suggested resource settings

In order to fully create the exploration experience, you will need to use a map that is harder than the default settings. Probably a map that would be unplayable with vanilla.
You will use new technologies from the mods to fix problems like having no coal near water for power generation or resources patches really far from each other in the early game.

The most important thing is to choose a big or very big starting area.

Known issues / Needs

1. Generator boilers and heaters south pipe cover visual glitch

Future plans

0.15

1. Technology Specialization: Production tech tree rework (Done, in next release)
2. Replace the Fusion Train with a locomotive that uses power cells (Done, in next release)
3. Autonomous mining site (Almost done)
4. Add some form of loader

0.16

1. 0.16 Update for Outpost Power, Alternative Oil and Vehicle Balancing
2. Merge Liquid Fuel with Alternative Oil and make Outpost Power independant.
3. Look at how senarios can replace some of the mods.
4. Consider moving some stuff to an exploration mode core mod
5. Map generation using 0.16 new possibilities (if any ?!)

New stuff (That may or may not happen)

1. Hyper bike
2. Citern truck
3. Survivalist technologies, making outposts more autonomous
4. Digital Age mod, expanding the game after the rocket launch

Credits

In order to make these mods, I used some graphics and code inspiration from some other users. I really feel like I must list them for credit and special thanks.

1. Bobingabout
2. Arch666Angel
3. Acritos
4. GotLag
5. theBeave
6. YuokiTani
7. kolt16

Feedback and questions welcome !

Arch666Angel · Post by **Arch666Angel** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:25 pm

My friend you are neither allowed nor asked for permission to use my graphic assests, I believe that it is the same with Pyanodons sets. Please change that

I made a thread with free to use graphics:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=40923

Thorvin · Post by **Thorvin** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:39 pm

I'm sorry, I was under the impression that everything that was used for Factorio Mods became the property of Wube Software and was available to other mods.
I am not interested in engaging in any conflict so i will just remove whatever you ask if you would just give me a couple days to get it done.

pyanodon · Post by **pyanodon** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:43 pm

Look mate, i didnt gave you authorization to use my sprites in your mods. Please consider remove it from them.

Thorvin · Post by **Thorvin** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:17 am

I removed sprites by both of you guys from my mods.

I was surprised by your reactions. I was just trying to contribute positively to the community for the enjoyment of all players. However, I respect that you may wish for the things you created to be used as you decide.

Arch666Angel wrote: I made a thread with free to use graphics:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=40923

Thanks for the link, I didn't know about the Texture Packs subforum, I found all the replacements I needed there.

pyanodon wrote:Look mate, i didnt gave you authorization to use my sprites in your mods. Please consider remove it from them.

You say your sprites, plural, but it think I only used the cooling tower mk 1 from your stuff. Let me know if I'm wrong.

eradicator · Post by **eradicator** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:53 am

As a semi-experienced modder i can tell you (and anyone who might later find this thread) that as a "rule of thumb" factorio mods tend to use dual licensing. You're often free to use/copy/share the code (*.lua) but graphical/sounds assets ("artistic content") is often restricted to "playing the mod" and not for any sort of further alteration or distribution for other mods.

99% of mods on the mod portal have a link to the license they use. Also check the forum thread for details/exceptions. As a software author ("mod maker") you are legally obliged to check those licenses before you use any assets from any other software ("mod"). Yes, that's annoying to deal with, which is why free software was invented. But it's not the default yet ;)

PS: I checked Angels/pyanodons mods on the portal and apparently they only have a single license, so you can't use their code either :/. @you two: care to change that :P? It would help new modders stay on the legal side...

Thorvin · Post by **Thorvin** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 7:05 am

Thanks for the advise eradicator.

eradicator wrote: As a software author ("mod maker") you are legally obliged to check those licenses before you use any assets from any other software ("mod"). Yes, that's annoying to deal with, which is why free software was invented. But it's not the default yet

I would have definitely done just that if it would have been a for profit thing. I just didn't expect that ppl would be this serious about making mods for a video game.

eradicator wrote: PS: I checked Angels/pyanodons mods on the portal and apparently they only have a single license, so you can't use their code either :/. @you two: care to change that ? It would help new modders stay on the legal side...

Lucky me ! I didn't use any of their code.

When I first uploaded my mods I left the default value in the license field but this whole thing made me go back and set it to the unlicense.

Arch666Angel · Post by **Arch666Angel** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:06 pm

I'm usually not that "anal" about these things, but I consider asking up front a polite thing to do. The other point which I always make is that I put a LOT of time and effort in creating these gfx and I want them to stay in the mods. I take gfx request on a more or less regular basis and provide old ones in the texture thread, so I think there is nothing to really complain about here.

And for coding: I dont care that much, but the real intricate stuff is provided by someone else, so he has to decide if they should be distributed under a different license. But then how much time should I spend maintaining and deciding on licenses? For me it's fine as it is, if you want something: ask. You get a permission then or not, if not you might get lucky and get something personalized.

Thorvin · Post by **Thorvin** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:13 pm

Arch666Angel wrote:I'm usually not that "anal" about these things, but I consider asking up front a polite thing to do.

Then I apologize for bieng impolite. I was unaware of the proper etiquette in this context.

Arch666Angel · Post by **Arch666Angel** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:20 pm

Thorvin wrote:
Arch666Angel wrote:I'm usually not that "anal" about these things, but I consider asking up front a polite thing to do.
Then I apologize for bieng impolite. I was unaware of the proper etiquette in this context.

More of an unwritten rule here. It's all fine now, dont worry. Hope you found everything you need in the texture thread and wont be scared away from doing more modding stuff.

Caine · Post by **Caine** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 8:42 pm

Thorvin wrote:I would have definitely done just that if it would have been a for profit thing. I just didn't expect that ppl would be this serious about making mods for a video game.

That is not the point. You are using the work of someone else without permission. That work is protected by intellectual property right laws and you must adhere to the proper process. Laws aside, ignoring this is disrespectful to the authors who have spent a lot of time to create the content.

I have had the experience of people stealing my code from Minecraft mods, bundling it up in mod-packs and putting those up on download sites to collect money from advertisements. That is not fun to experience and yes it feels worse when money is involved. I did not make many mods, but it took the joy out of it for me.

It is good to see that you corrected your error.

Thorvin · Post by **Thorvin** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 10:16 pm

Arch666Angel wrote:Hope you found everything you need in the texture thread and wont be scared away from doing more modding stuff.

I did find everything, and even some inspiration for more mods !

Thanks !

eradicator · Post by **eradicator** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 5:46 am

@Arch666Angel:

Arch666Angel wrote: And for coding: I dont care that much, but the real intricate stuff is provided by someone else, so he has to decide if they should be distributed under a different license. But then how much time should I spend maintaining and deciding on licenses? For me it's fine as it is, if you want something: ask. You get a permission then or not, if not you might get lucky and get something personalized.

How much time do you currently spend on deciding and maintaining licenses? I suspect: none. Because it's usually a one time thing. If you had written it all yourself then i'd just advice to keep the current license for assets, and put a free license (MIT, etc) on the code. But if someone else writes some of it you're already in an annoying licensing situation that open source was supposed to prevent ^^.

The main issue/annoyance/sadness of non-free code in factorio mods for me is the following situation:
A new player discovers factorio, he likes the game and decides to mod. Because he knows nothing about modding he takes a look at one of his favourite mods he already played. There's a high likelyhood that this is going to be one of the large popular ones (Bob, Angel, Py, etc.). He already has it downloaded too, so he can just extract the zip file and look at it. Now because he knows nothing about modding, the community or licensing (he's new!) he obliviously copies a few lines of code from your mod. Maybe a small loop or something. And BAM! he just committed an illegal act. Yes. Nobody is probably ever going to notice this. But that does not change the facts. :/

Also "just ask me for permission" is imho very difficult. Especially if it's a new person having to ask a famous modder they most likely won't have the confidence to do it. Also if everyone that copied a few lines of your code actually sent you a pm to ask for permission you'd likely be drowning in pms in no time. Additionally to that they have to "ask" in the first place, which comes with a whole new set of problems in that they now have to manage which part of their codebase they got permission from whom and when. And that they need to keep records of that permission-giving to potentially prove it later if they're accused of stealing.)

Writing this i just realized that none of my mods contain a license.txt. I'll have to fix that asap. Maybe that's at least something you could do?

@Thorvin:
I'm relived you took my post as "advice". I was kinda worried it might look like harsh criticism/scolding/etc

.
Good luck for your further modding.

Caine · Post by **Caine** » Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:02 am

eradicator wrote:Now because he knows nothing about modding, the community or licensing (he's new!) he obliviously copies a few lines of code from your mod. Maybe a small loop or something. And BAM! he just committed an illegal act. Yes. Nobody is probably ever going to notice this. But that does not change the facts. :/

While this is an understandable scenario, Ignorantia juris non excusat. It is a basic legal principle that unawareness does not protect you from liability. Better to learn this early on in a relatively harmless scenario like this then when there are real stakes at play.

smjjames · Post by **smjjames** » Tue Jan 16, 2018 8:00 pm

A few questions:

1. This mod packages all of them in one, right?

2. What size is a large or very large map? Being a new player, I'm not familiar with what world size is considered large or very large.

Thorvin · Post by **Thorvin** » Tue Jan 16, 2018 8:29 pm

Hi there !

smjjames wrote:1. This mod packages all of them in one, right?

smjjames wrote:2. What size is a large or very large map? Being a new player, I'm not familiar with what world size is considered large or very large.

You can select the starting area size under the "resource settings" tab of the map generation window. It's the option in the middle of the last line :

Let me know what you like or don't like during you play-through !

smjjames · Post by **smjjames** » Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:12 pm

Would it be recommended to use it in 0.16.xx? Because I want to play it in that.

Also, the mods authored by you don't have a version number according to the ingame mod manager and thus can't be installed from there.

edit: Okay, the two ores from technology specialization don't show up in the resource settings when making a new map in 0.16.xx.

Thorvin · Post by **Thorvin** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:26 am

smjjames wrote:Would it be recommended to use it in 0.16.xx? Because I want to play it in that.

Also, the mods authored by you don't have a version number according to the ingame mod manager and thus can't be installed from there.

edit: Okay, the two ores from technology specialization don't show up in the resource settings when making a new map in 0.16.xx.

Hi ! Thank you for your interest !

The mods are not supposed to work with 0.16. I will be releasing 0.16 version for all of them soon. I can PM you then if you wish !
Otherwise you can give exploration mode a try with factorio 0.15.40.

smjjames · Post by **smjjames** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 4:13 pm

Okay then. Also, of the third party mods, only fusion train and water fix aren't updated to 0.16.xx. Water fix is graphics only and I doubt that'd affect much and I don't know how critical the fusion train is to your modpack.

Edit: Actually, the fact that almost all of the third party dependencies are updated to 0.16 is a problem because those won't run on 0.15. They have to all be updated to 0.16.

Thorvin · Post by **Thorvin** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 11:09 pm

smjjames wrote:fusion train and water fix aren't updated to 0.16.xx.

Waterfix was included only as a dependecy of alien biomes and alien biomes works with 0.16 so i guess the graphics update in 0.16 made waterfix obsolete.

If the fusion train is not available for 0.16, I'll just make a fast train of my own.

smjjames wrote:Edit: Actually, the fact that almost all of the third party dependencies are updated to 0.16 is a problem because those won't run on 0.15. They have to all be updated to 0.16.

You can download older versions of mod under the download tab. In the following case, you need version 0.15.10
https://mods.factorio.com/mod/boblibrary/downloads

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