Etherous's MineCraft++ API and Plugins

I've decided to create a new API and corresponding set of plugins. This project has been in planning since May 6th, 2011.

I will be creating a service based API which, for lack of better name, will be called MineCraft++ for the time being. The idea is to create an entirely modular system of plugins which communicate through the passing of service requests, events, and callbacks. I plan to utilize existing plugins as much as possible in order to reduce work and code duplication. In addition to the API itself, I plan to create new plugins which use the API. To start with, I have 6 plugin ideas which would add huge functionality to MineCraft. They are as follows:

Financial

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Provides a full securities market and financial system, where all types of securities can be traded, including:

• Commodities
• Forwards
• Futures
• Options
• Stocks
• Bonds
• Currencies
• Contracts
• Securitize anything, including creation of derivatives
• Algorithms for determining credit rating and risk based on history
• Debt

Integrates with:

• Legal (Contracts, restrictions, restrictions)
• Functional (patents, commodities)
• Organizational (stocks, corporate bonds, corporate contracts)
• National (Restrictions)

Functional

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Provides low level access to MineCraft states and provides new low level functionality. Features include:

• Low-level access to Minecraft system, allowing manipulation of blocks, inventory and health management, mob spawning, time, weather, etc.
• Complex integrated circuits
• Scripting of components (Lua?)
• Vehicles
• New materials
• Book-based data sharing mechanisms (write manually, schematics for a device, script, contract, etc.)
• Patents
• Full power system based on electrical and mechanical energy (wires, generators, gears, shafts, pistons, springs, engines, electrical lights, etc.)
• Full physics with individually customizable effects, including fluid and gas dynamics, temperature, and real gravity
• Higher definitions of ownership (items, chests, areas, mobs, etc.)
• Comprehensive communication system, including channels, forums, and mail

Integrates with:

• Legal (patents)

Legal

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Provides full legal system. Features include:

• Contracts
• Patents, trademarks, copyrights
• Litigation
• Alternative dispute resolution
• Court heirachy, Judges, Juries
• Civil vs Criminal
• Regional law customization
• Prison
• Fines
• Bail
• Criminal record

Dependencies:

• Some region plugin (must be 3D)

Integrates with:

• National (regional laws and governmental legal systems)
• Financial (civil suits involving tort)
• Organizational (disputes between corporations)
• Functional (patents)

National

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Provides a system for creating and managing national entities. Features include:

• Create, capture, split, and destroy national entities
• Entities can be composed of smaller sub-entities (regions, states, counties, cities, etc.)
• Allocation of land, supporting splitting due to capture or purchase
• Manage citizens, including types (full, work, illegal, elite, etc.)
• Legal systems
• Tax support
• Economics
• Currency
• Trade restrictions
• Treaties/Aliances/Wars
• Management of government entities, appointment of officials
• Zoning laws and permits

Dependencies:

• Some region plugin (must be 3D)

Integrates with:

• Legal (National and regional laws, restrictions, contracts, legal systems, treaties, zoning, permits)
• Organizational (governmental entities)
• Financial (Purchases/sales, citizen income management, tax, economics, trade, currency)

Organizational

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Provides full organization functionality, including:

• Forming, merging, purchasing, desolving of organizations
• Profit tracking
• Inventory management
• Assets, property, and accounts
• Employees
• Board
• Investors
• Stock offerings, bond issuances
• Tracking of competition
• Departments
• Subsidiaries
• Corporate patents, trademarks, and copyrights
• Policies (enforceable depending on regional laws)
• Non Profit Organizations

Integrates with:

• Legal (contracts, mergers, purchases, policies, patents, trademarks, and copyrights)
• Financial (Most corporate functionality, profits, assets, wages, investments)
• National (effects what a corporation can do, policies, international trade, currency, taxes, NPOs)

Professional

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Provides profession system. Features include:

• Customizable profession designations
• Skill system
• Experience system
• Various methods of payment
  • Wage
  • Salary
  • Piece-rate
  • Commission
  • Contract
• Work reviews
• Reputation system
• Unemployment services
• Employee benefit packages (insurance, stock options)
• Personal patents

Dependencies:

• Skill/Experience plugin
• Reputation plugin

Integrates with:

• Financial (payment methods, benefits)
• Functional (skills, experience, patents)
• Legal (contracts, reputation)
• National (professions, wage laws, unemployment services, benefits)
• Organizational (employment, job descriptions, contracts)

All functionality can be managed through commands in-game, in addition to a comprehensive integrated web interface. Permissions are fully supported.

Universal dependencies:

• iConomy
• Permissions
• Web server w/ JSP (for web interface)
• Some database

I have decided to develop the Financial plugin first and define a standard API as I do so. I will post more in-depth information, plans, and eventually design information in the future. I do not yet know the time frame of the project, but I plan to make the API itself available as early as possible. It would help greatly if I had development help. Any additional developers will get their name in the project contributers list and will receive a portion of any subsequent donations. Please contact me if you're interested, or if you have any input whatsoever, including feature recommendations or suggestions. Thanks for you interest.