Also of note is a mod called Computer Craft, that adds Lua programmable computers and devices into the game (touchscreens, turtles!) as well as a set of APIs for interacting with various aspects of the game.
Yes, that's what most people tend to use for programming these days.
Although I personally have never enjoyed it as much as the famous Redpower 2 mod, which had computers as well, with 6502 assembler and Forth. It was less forgiving than Lua, but somehow more fitting the genre (of construction set, that is); programming in Lua feels almost like you could program the thing in Java and put it in a new block.
I also liked the logic gates and other stuff that came with RP2, I think that's good for kids to play with as well. Too bad Eloraam stopped developing RP2, it was the best mod for Minecraft ever.
(Also, CC computers seem to reset on world reload, while RP2 computers were persistent. They are also dirt cheap compared to RP2, and their runtime behavior is not well specified. I just kinda feel that CC computers break the fourth wall of the virtual world, in several different ways..)
Hey, lead dev of learntomod here.
I have spent many, many hours using Computer Craft, it was one of our inspirations for building our product. I'm glad to see it's still in wide use.
ComputerCraft isn't working with the newest versions of the core Minecraft game (1.7.2/1.7.10). There's another mod, OpenComputers, that does similar things: http://oc.cil.li
(I've assembled a custom modpack for Minecraft, and had to learn a lot about mods in the process. One of these days I need to look more at how mods are written. They're written in Java, of course, like Minecraft itself; some use Scala as well. I have a bunch of starred repositories on GitHub to look at...)
I'm confused. What does the $30 pre-order get you? Is it a subscription service? Their FAQ [1] mentions a subscription for a private server after the beta.
The page about the pre-order just says "$30" but then in the FAQ it mentions a $10 / month fee. They should really be more explicit about the pricing right up front.
Sorry that our pricing model isn't the clearest - we're still bouncing around ideas for after the beta. The $30 pre-order gets you access to the entire beta period until we release.
The subscription fee after the beta period is for use of a private server for you and your friends to use learntomod. Alternatively you can opt for a lower fee to play on a public learntomod server.
Relevant (shameless plug) for my and @kdurrani's implementation of LOGO's famous Turtles language but in Minecraft and in 3D https://github.com/tombh/mc-turtles
We taught Code Club in primary school and Minecraft is the one thing that is guaranteed to grab and sustain kid's attentions. We actually used it at first through a Raspberry Pi and unplugged the keyboard and mouse, so the only way kids could interact with Minecraft was through Python ;)
Minecraft is very popular among kids, however I tried hard to deny my kids to play that. Instead I redirect them to program in python and processing and javascript, that might be more boring but they can play whatever games they built themselves using the 'real' programming language. So far it worked well. I always wondered how beneficial Minecraft(and the new code Mod) could be to kids? I dared not to let them play as I was told it's too addictive for kids...
I would agree with you if you were talking about Call Of Duty, but I think Minecraft is a different game.
The amount of potential creativeness and ingenuity that exists just in vanilla-minecraft makes the game more appealing developmentally to kids. Building structures develops spacial reasoning and 3d thinking. Collecting resources disciplines management skills. Collaborating with others and respecting their buildings both teach important social behaviors that are otherwise non-existent in most other popular games. These are just a few reasons why minecraft is both a really fun game, and a really exciting game to push further.
It's the modern sandbox game, and it's just a canvas. So we are trying to bring programming to the above skill set with learntomod.
It's fun and relaxing, and there's some evidence that children need relaxation.
It's also potentially sociable, if you can find a suitable server.
While I wouldn't want to overstate the benefits of Minecraft I do think it's a pretty awesome game that changes to fit the playstyle of whoever's using it.
I've seen amazing things made in creative. Not just stuff turned into a model and imported, but built block by block.
> I dared not to let them play as I was told it's too addictive for kids...
Set firm boundaries and stick to them. Set conditions on play - "You must have finished homework before play". This also means that you have a privilege that you can withdraw if needed.
How about playing with your kids? I have a private Minecraft server set up where I, my fiancee, our godsons, and their mother all collaborate. We use a custom-assembled modpack with a lot of different options; my fiancee has been learning to breed trees and bees (Forestry mod), while I've got a nuclear reactor going (IndustrialCraft 2 mod) and am starting to design a rail system (RailCraft mod), and one of our godsons has been building fancy houses, furnished with add-ons from BiblioCraft and MrCrayfish's Furniture Mod.
If the child is at an age where you should be worried about their ability to handle the game, you should be monitoring their usage as well. Unless you can keep them away from all of the different ways they can find addictive games to play (hello flash player) then it seems to me better to be involved and encouraging responsible use?
I don't know that minecraft needs to be beneficial. I certainly doubt super mario or sonic the hedgehog were when I was young. It's a game. It allows lots of creativity, it has lots of variety. No mod will change the fact that it's still a computer game. Treat it as such and I don't see a problem?
That style seems to have become fairly common, and it really does suck on small screens. What's worse is when you try to zoom in to make the text readable and suddenly the top banner takes over the entire screen.
[+] [-] dups|11 years ago|reply
Also of note is a mod called Computer Craft, that adds Lua programmable computers and devices into the game (touchscreens, turtles!) as well as a set of APIs for interacting with various aspects of the game.
http://www.computercraft.info/
[+] [-] asgard1024|11 years ago|reply
Although I personally have never enjoyed it as much as the famous Redpower 2 mod, which had computers as well, with 6502 assembler and Forth. It was less forgiving than Lua, but somehow more fitting the genre (of construction set, that is); programming in Lua feels almost like you could program the thing in Java and put it in a new block.
I also liked the logic gates and other stuff that came with RP2, I think that's good for kids to play with as well. Too bad Eloraam stopped developing RP2, it was the best mod for Minecraft ever.
(Also, CC computers seem to reset on world reload, while RP2 computers were persistent. They are also dirt cheap compared to RP2, and their runtime behavior is not well specified. I just kinda feel that CC computers break the fourth wall of the virtual world, in several different ways..)
[+] [-] linksbro|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] erbo|11 years ago|reply
(I've assembled a custom modpack for Minecraft, and had to learn a lot about mods in the process. One of these days I need to look more at how mods are written. They're written in Java, of course, like Minecraft itself; some use Scala as well. I have a bunch of starred repositories on GitHub to look at...)
[+] [-] ndrake|11 years ago|reply
1 - http://www.learntomod.com/faq
[+] [-] Osiris|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] linksbro|11 years ago|reply
The subscription fee after the beta period is for use of a private server for you and your friends to use learntomod. Alternatively you can opt for a lower fee to play on a public learntomod server.
[+] [-] tombh|11 years ago|reply
We taught Code Club in primary school and Minecraft is the one thing that is guaranteed to grab and sustain kid's attentions. We actually used it at first through a Raspberry Pi and unplugged the keyboard and mouse, so the only way kids could interact with Minecraft was through Python ;)
[+] [-] thret|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DarkTree|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ausjke|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] linksbro|11 years ago|reply
The amount of potential creativeness and ingenuity that exists just in vanilla-minecraft makes the game more appealing developmentally to kids. Building structures develops spacial reasoning and 3d thinking. Collecting resources disciplines management skills. Collaborating with others and respecting their buildings both teach important social behaviors that are otherwise non-existent in most other popular games. These are just a few reasons why minecraft is both a really fun game, and a really exciting game to push further.
It's the modern sandbox game, and it's just a canvas. So we are trying to bring programming to the above skill set with learntomod.
[+] [-] DanBC|11 years ago|reply
It's fun and relaxing, and there's some evidence that children need relaxation.
It's also potentially sociable, if you can find a suitable server.
While I wouldn't want to overstate the benefits of Minecraft I do think it's a pretty awesome game that changes to fit the playstyle of whoever's using it.
I've seen amazing things made in creative. Not just stuff turned into a model and imported, but built block by block.
> I dared not to let them play as I was told it's too addictive for kids...
Set firm boundaries and stick to them. Set conditions on play - "You must have finished homework before play". This also means that you have a privilege that you can withdraw if needed.
[+] [-] erbo|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Ntrails|11 years ago|reply
I don't know that minecraft needs to be beneficial. I certainly doubt super mario or sonic the hedgehog were when I was young. It's a game. It allows lots of creativity, it has lots of variety. No mod will change the fact that it's still a computer game. Treat it as such and I don't see a problem?
[+] [-] ausjke|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] swayvil|11 years ago|reply
(if u haven't seen the new Terry Gilliam : Zero Theorem : then u should)
[+] [-] DanBC|11 years ago|reply
http://imgur.com/NwpRBC3
[+] [-] jobu|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] linksbro|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|11 years ago|reply
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