Overview#
Better Questing: Standard Expansion is a modular add-on for the Better Questing framework. While the base mod provides the underlying engine for quest management and UI, the Standard Expansion introduces the actual functionality that pack creators and players interact with. This includes the standard set of quest tasks (such as item collection and mob hunting), reward types (such as experience and choice rewards), and the physical items used to access the questing interface.
The mod is designed to be fully customizable via an in-game editor, allowing for the creation of complex quest trees with branching paths, prerequisites, and automatic layout generation. It also includes a robust party system and a hardcore life mechanic for survival-focused modpacks.
Items and Blocks#
The Standard Expansion adds several key items and blocks that facilitate questing and reward distribution.
Items
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Quest Book | The primary tool for players to view their quest progress. Right-clicking opens the Questing GUI. It can be crafted or given to players upon first spawn depending on config. |
| Loot Chest / Reward Bag | A consumable item that, when used, provides a random reward from a predefined loot table. These are often given as quest rewards. |
| Extra Life | An item that, when consumed, adds to the player's life count in Hardcore mode. |
Blocks
| Block | Description |
|---|---|
| Questing Mailbox | A block used to receive items or rewards remotely. It acts as a buffer for quest rewards if the player's inventory is full. |
| Questing Notice Board | A decorative or functional block that can display quest information within the world. |
Quest Tasks#
Tasks are the requirements a player must fulfill to complete a quest. The Standard Expansion provides a comprehensive suite of task types.
- Item Task: Requires the player to possess or consume specific items. Can be configured to ignore NBT data or metadata.
- Fluid Task: Requires the player to submit a specific amount of a fluid (e.g., Water, Lava, or modded fluids).
- Crafting Task: Detects when a player crafts a specific item. This is distinct from the Item Task as it requires the act of crafting rather than just possession.
- Mob Kill Task: Requires the player to kill a specific number of a certain entity type (e.g., 10 Zombies).
- Location Task: Completed when the player reaches specific coordinates or enters a defined radius around a point.
- Scoreboard Task: Monitors a Minecraft scoreboard objective and completes when the player reaches a certain value.
- Meeting Task: Requires the player to interact with or be near a specific NPC or entity.
- Advancement Task: (In newer versions) Links quest completion to the vanilla Minecraft Advancement system.
Quest Rewards#
Rewards are granted to the player upon the successful completion of all tasks within a quest.
- Item Reward: Grants the player a fixed set of items.
- Choice Reward: Presents the player with a list of items, allowing them to choose only one as their prize.
- XP Reward: Grants the player a specified amount of experience points or levels.
- Command Reward: Executes a server-side command. This can be used to change weather, spawn entities, or trigger world events.
- Scoreboard Reward: Modifies a player's scoreboard value (adding or setting a specific score).
- Loot Reward: Grants the player a random item from a specified loot table, often delivered via a Reward Bag.
Mechanics and Systems#
Quest Editor
The mod features a full-screen in-game editor. Pack creators can toggle 'Edit Mode' to create quest lines, place quest icons, and define dependencies. The editor supports:
- Automatic Tree Generation: Automatically arranges quest icons based on their prerequisites.
- Manual Placement: Allows for pixel-perfect positioning of quest nodes.
- JSON Export/Import: All quest data is stored in JSON format, allowing for external mass-editing or sharing between packs.
Party System
Players can form parties to complete quests together.
- Shared Progress: Tasks completed by one party member can count for all members.
- Party Management: Includes a GUI for inviting players, kicking members, and transferring leadership.
Hardcore Lives
Pack developers can enable a Hardcore mode where players have a limited number of lives.
- Life Tracking: Lives are displayed in the questing GUI.
- Game Over: If a player loses all lives, they can be banned, put into spectator mode, or reset, depending on server configuration.
- Life Rewards: Quests can be configured to grant extra lives as rewards for difficult challenges.
Commands#
The mod provides several commands for both administrators and users to manage quest data.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/bq_admin edit |
Toggles the in-game quest editor mode. |
/bq_admin hardreset |
Wipes all quest data and progress from the server. |
/bq_admin reset [player] [quest_id] |
Resets a specific quest for a specific player. |
/bq_admin complete [player] [quest_id] |
Force-completes a quest for a player. |
/bq_admin default load |
Reloads the default quest database from the config folder. |
/bq_user help |
Displays available user-level commands. |
/bq_user refresh |
Forces a sync of quest data from the server to the client. |
Configuration and Customization#
The Standard Expansion allows for deep customization through its configuration files and the JSON data structure.
- Themes: Pack creators can create custom themes to change the look of the Questing GUI, including background textures, button styles, and colors.
- Localization: All quest titles and descriptions support localization keys, allowing pack creators to provide multi-language support via standard resource packs.
- Importers: The mod includes a built-in importer for Hardcore Questing Mode (HQM) JSON files, allowing developers to migrate older quest packs to the Better Questing system.
