tModLoader Orchid Mod

Calamity changes too much of the game to make support conceivable, sadly.

Understandable but it is a shame.

It would be nice to have a tier (or two) that would be scaled to be competitive with endgame stuff from some of the big mods such as Calamity. Hopefully we'll see some addons to this mod that bridge connections a bit.

It would also be really cool to see integration with some of the class mods (the ones that add defined character class roles). I'm pretty impressed with what you've come up with here and there is definite potential for this mod to be big.
 
Understandable but it is a shame.

It would be nice to have a tier (or two) that would be scaled to be competitive with endgame stuff from some of the big mods such as Calamity. Hopefully we'll see some addons to this mod that bridge connections a bit.

It would also be really cool to see integration with some of the class mods (the ones that add defined character class roles). I'm pretty impressed with what you've come up with here and there is definite potential for this mod to be big.

It's not even about endgame stuff, Calamity never card about cross-content or compatibility.
I'm not saying this is a bad thing, since the mod is meant to be played by itself, and was probably never intended to be used in modpacks.
Most calamity weapons are defined by point and clicking your target and releases pretty/impressive dusts/effects. The difficulty is focused on getting the player to dodge different attacks.

Ever tried playing thorium with calamity ? Thorium is balanced around vanilla, and thus, you'll almost never use any thorium weapon due to calamity ones being plain better at any point of the game (unless you're going out of your way to use a specific weapon).
If it wasn't for calamity completely overpowering the vanilla balance, adding a crapton of mechanics, sets, and random stuff, that'd probably be doable, but I don't want to spend months trying to understand and making content for a mod that was never made with compatibility in mind, while mods like MoR and Spirit exists, and go out of their way to make that possible.
 
I will make a mod this year, and i want cross compatability with it's new evils. once i make the mod, will you have it?
 
the evils will be a content full as in vanillla and another mod will change all of the evils to have more content.
 
It's not even about endgame stuff, Calamity never card about cross-content or compatibility.
I'm not saying this is a bad thing, since the mod is meant to be played by itself, and was probably never intended to be used in modpacks.
Most calamity weapons are defined by point and clicking your target and releases pretty/impressive dusts/effects. The difficulty is focused on getting the player to dodge different attacks.

Ever tried playing thorium with calamity ? Thorium is balanced around vanilla, and thus, you'll almost never use any thorium weapon due to calamity ones being plain better at any point of the game (unless you're going out of your way to use a specific weapon).
If it wasn't for calamity completely overpowering the vanilla balance, adding a crapton of mechanics, sets, and random stuff, that'd probably be doable, but I don't want to spend months trying to understand and making content for a mod that was never made with compatibility in mind, while mods like MoR and Spirit exists, and go out of their way to make that possible.

I hear ya. I've used Thorium and Calamity together extensively and you're 100% right about Calamity outclassing it with the OP nature of its gear.
Having said that, part of the fun of Terraria is specifically gearing up for content based on what you enjoy. Is the bard class competitive with Calamity gear? No way. Is the bard class still fun to use with Calamity? Absolutely.

I wish there were a "vanilla" option in Calamity similar to the options that make it harder, that would scale everything down to match vanilla a bit better.
Having said that, there are mods that a player can use to upscale their effectiveness to make stuff from Thorium and other vanilla-balance mods (DNI upgrades, profession/leveling mods etc.).

In any case, I am excited to add your mod to my mod list. The creativity of this project is really impressive.

Now that the metroid mod is out here's to hoping for some metroid mod compatibility :p :p
 
can't wait to see this mod get more and more developed! the gambler class already seems very fun, especially with my horrible luck haha
 
I've got a bug. Whenever I use the Static Quartz Scythe, it doesn't hit an enemy. Instead, when an enemy makes contact with it, the scythes disappear. I still get the particle effects, but the weapon itself vanishes like it doesn't exist. It's still in my inventory, but in its current state, the weapon is unusable.
 
Hi, I like the orchid mod a lot and I was wondering if you have any plans on expanding the gambler class to hard mode, it’s my favorite class in the mod.
 
Hi, I like the orchid mod a lot and I was wondering if you have any plans on expanding the gambler class to hard mode, it’s my favorite class in the mod.
I don't know when, but Alchemist and Gambler are getting hardmode content and after those are done, even Thorium cross support content like how Shaman currently has. I don't think these classes will be left hanging for only the first half of the game.
 
I'm an absolute sucker for mods that add classes, so when I saw Orchid I knew I had to try. And, boy, did I not regret that. This mod's classes are on par or better than Thorium's in my opinion, which is saying a lot as my favorite class ever is the Bard, (and still is, but by a super small margin). My biggest love with this mod is how balanced and nice Gambler and Shaman are. They feel very at home in Terraria, balance and use-wise, but they still have that extra flare that makes them a blast to play. I did find Alchemist a little confusing and weak, but that could just be me being a smooth brain. My criticisms are light, but I think somewhat important, (although feel free to prove me wrong lol, I'm not the mod's designer, and I probably don't know what's best for it). Like I said, Alchemist was a little awkward for me, but I also found that Gambler has to have every card in their deck to get some of the later ones, and I just get bummed-out when I realize I've pulled the short straw and gotten the acorn card. That said, when I pull the Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, and hearts card, I feel like an untouchable god, in a good and fair way. Overall, S tier mod which I can't wait to see get updated and expanded. Fantastic work y'all.
 
I'm an absolute sucker for mods that add classes, so when I saw Orchid I knew I had to try. And, boy, did I not regret that. This mod's classes are on par or better than Thorium's in my opinion, which is saying a lot as my favorite class ever is the Bard, (and still is, but by a super small margin). My biggest love with this mod is how balanced and nice Gambler and Shaman are. They feel very at home in Terraria, balance and use-wise, but they still have that extra flare that makes them a blast to play. I did find Alchemist a little confusing and weak, but that could just be me being a smooth brain. My criticisms are light, but I think somewhat important, (although feel free to prove me wrong lol, I'm not the mod's designer, and I probably don't know what's best for it). Like I said, Alchemist was a little awkward for me, but I also found that Gambler has to have every card in their deck to get some of the later ones, and I just get bummed-out when I realize I've pulled the short straw and gotten the acorn card. That said, when I pull the Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, and hearts card, I feel like an untouchable god, in a good and fair way. Overall, S tier mod which I can't wait to see get updated and expanded. Fantastic work y'all.

Thanks a lot, I'm really glad you enjoyed the classes !
Alchemist is definitely meant to bedifferent form the usual format (all of my classes are, really, but alchemist really is one step ahead in weirdness ^^')
This makes is especially hard to balance, I've had people absolutely wrecking bosses, getting me to nerf weapons while other cannot manage to kill them in the first place.
Keep in mind, all 3 of the classes are still being balanced, getting new mechanics and guidelines to toy with, removing the iffy parts of their gameplay as much as possible ...

I really hope the upcoming content won't disappoint you !

This looks awesome

Thanks a lot ! :dryadwink:
 
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Introduction

Hello there,
This is the Orchid Mod, a content mod that aims to add content to the game in polished and refreshing ways.
You will not find the usual vanilla class items load here, most of Orchid content is, and will be based on
new classes, with unique and complex mechanics, and new interesting biomes/structures to explore.

Orchid's content is heavily inspired, and tries to respect vanilla guidelines as much as possible.
Thus, the mod is balanced around the main game, nothing should overpower it, and the classes
should blend in as much as possible with the main ones.

I'm heavily open to suggestions and criticism, nothing is set in stone, especially when it comes to balance.
If you find any oddities, balance issue, or would like to see something in the mod, please, tell me !
Also, if you've been enjoying the mod, come and say hi ! It's the people talking with me on discord that have been keeping this project going !

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General Information

Download
The mod is available for download on the TModLoader Mod Browser !
A lite version of the mod, featuring only the mineshaft is also available on the Mod Browser.


Discord
Join the Orchid Mod Discord Server!

Wiki
Orchid Mod Wiki

Upcoming Content :
- Hidden reaction improvements
- Late pre-HM gambler content.

Mod Trailer by GidGudWo
View attachment 268685
Content

The mod currently adds one new class and a large structure found underground.

World Generation
The Mineshaft generates in the middle of the map, roughly one third of the world deep.
It aims to give a smoother start to the game, by easing the access to life crystal and gold chests early on.
Essentially, this allows to phase through the boring first hour of gameplay, without giving everything straight away, nor removing the vanilla spirit of the game.

You can find various breakable tiles in the mineshaft, that may or may not give interesting gear.
There is also an unique chest, always containing a special mineshaft item.

The mineshaft should be compatible with modded biomes with no issues (see the ice biome below) as long as they are not hardcoded in postworldgen.

Screenshoots :
Note that some lights have been placed manually for the sake of visibility.

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You can also find smaller mineshafts in your world, their location may vary !

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Classes
Note : Orchid's classes are more complex than vanilla classes, and are destined to experienced players.
The shaman is highly developed within the bounds of a Terraria playthrough, with content available throughout the journey.
This content includes 7 unique armor sets and 15 individual armor pieces, 30 accessories, 25 buffs, and 87 weapons.
These numbers covers cross-mod content items.

View attachment 268688


The Shaman class can be seen as a mashup of vanilla Mage and Warrior classes, and of Thorium Mod's Bard.
It relies heavily on different shamanic bonds given by its weapons.

There are 5 available bonds:

Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Spirit.
Every shaman weapon will give one of these when used.

Almost weapons also interacts in a way or another with shamanic bonds.
This means that weapons will not show the extent of their power unless used with enough bonds, and it not just a matter of raw stats.
Mastering the shaman class implies a good weapon and timing management during combat.

Here are a few examples :

Shamanic weapons that does not interact with the number of active bonds are called Orb Weapons.
They can be used as the first weapon in your rotation without loosing efficiency, and will compensate their lack of adaptability by giving various "orbs" to the player.
Hitting with enough orbs above you will complete an orb cycle, and trigger various effects, going from a simple heal to a burst of homing embers!

Here is an example :

Back to shamanic bonds, each one of them can be improved with gear, and you can use a custom keybind to release their power !

Here is the fire one :

The Shaman class has it's own, non-intrusive UI. You can use it to actively track your them !
Here is a comparison between an early game shaman UI, and a late game one, with a lot of bonds modifiers.
View attachment 301711

Finally, since they are what makes the whole class unique, you have plenty of ways to modify the way your bonds works, and the effects they give.
Usually, this takes the form of additional effects occurring whenever a specific bonds is active, and it is provided by various accessories and/or armor sets.
This can go from adding a poison effect to your shamanic attacks to summoning orbiting leaves around you !

The gambler is a class (almost) entirely based on RNG and deckbuilding.
It rewards player abilities to adapt to the cards they draw during a fight.
It's weapons can be divided into three distinct categories:

Playing Cards :

Playing cards are the bread and butter of the gambler. You will be using them most of the time.
Their effects can vary, from stealing usestyles to existing classes to hitting with unusual methods.
The twist is : You cannot choose which one you draw in combat, and you have to adapt along the way.
The player has the possibility to change and manage his deck whenever he wants to.
Cards are "consumed" upon use, and stored in a special inventory. You do not have to worry about them bloating your bags.
The player can attack with cards (interact with his deck) by using a specific item.

Oh, and of course, you can't just put the best cards you find in your deck.
Most of them have requirements, or interacts in one way or another with your current deck.


Chip Weapons :

Hitting with card weapons will generate a resource, symbolized by gambling chips.
These are used by a category of gambler weapons. They aim to give a more stable (and usually not random) alternative to card weapons in some situations.
This can be useful in situations where you're not happy with the last card you drew, and would like to avoid a downtime,
allow for a quick burst of damage, or whatever the weapon you chose does.


Dice :

The last type of gambler items is constituted of the dice items.
All of them will give a specific buff, for a specific duration, and only one dice buff can be active at once.
Said buff can be anything, from a flat stats boost to effects on enemy hit.
Whatever it is, the buff strength will be determined by the value of your roll.
Dice can be used during downtimes, and will allow the player, at the cost of a few chips, to gain a buff for a short while.
Is it worth rerolling if you a bad roll ? It's up to you to discover !


Card Sets :

Inspired from many card games, some gambler cards are part of a set, meaning they have thematical or practical similarities.
While these sets can be used to quickly identify cards you'll like, gear can improve the effects of a specific card set !


UI :

The gambler also has it's own intuitive UI, sitting next to your character.
In order to avoid bloating the screen, elements will only be displayed if necessary (currently used by the player).
Do not worry, you'll quickly understand what is what ! :dryadwink:

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The alchemist class is heavily inspired by the spellcasting system of the Magicka games.
Every single weapon used by the class can be considered an ingredient, and has a specific element.

The available elements are :
Fire, Water, Air, Nature, Light, and Dark.
Items using the Light and Dark elements are only obtainable in hardmode.

Alchemist Weapons :

Directly attacking with alchemist weapons has little to no effect.
The player has to mix them in order to create custom and powerful attacks.
Each element can only be used ONCE in every attack, two different items sharing the Fire Element are not usable together !
Even is not directly stated in the tooltip, every alchemist weapon effects will gain in strength based on the number of ingredients used.
The player should be able to adapt to different situations, and make different flasks based on them.
The class is very slow, and doesn't hit often because of that mechanic. Be sure to make every hit count !


Hidden Reactions :

Because making your own attacks wasn't complex enough, the alchemist class also introduces a new keybind.
The player will be able to use it to trigger hidden reactions, that can be ... well. Anything.
The alchemist will have access to different hints towards finding them in game, such as NPC dialogue or tooltips.
Mastering (and finding) them will key in being a strong alchemist !
They work, in a way, like cooking recipes. Put the good ingredients in, press the key, and see what happens ! :dryadsmile:
Triggering (or failing do to so) an hidden reaction will activate a cooldown, displayed by a debuff. Its duration depends on the reaction.

Catalytic Elements :

Some weapons will release "Catalytic elements" that can be interacted with using special items.
Keep an eye open for them, and get ready to pop'em bubbles to decimate your foes !

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Mixing UI :

Tired of manually switching through weapons ?
The classes offers a new, interactive UI to quickly mix them, and prepare powerful attacks !

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Resource :

The Alchemist uses a custom resource called potency.
Its goal is to refrain the player from mindlessly spamming abilities, and eases the balancing of the class overall.
It implies a rather slow-gameplay, but gives you the time to make the good choices when it comes to fighting, without worrying about losing efficiency !
(Also, who knows, maybe will you find ways to refill it faster in your adventure ? :dryadwink: )


Just like the other classes from this mod, the Alchemist has its own UI.
This one is very simplistic, and shows your current potency (resource) and the elements currently in use.
The size of the potency bar depends on your maximum potency !

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Cross-Mod Content
The mod is fully compatible with the Thorium Mod !
You are (almost !) guaranteed not to find any incompatibilities or incoherences while using both mods.
This Compatibility mainly affects the Shaman Class, which has 4 armor pieces (including a full set) and 34 weapons only obtainable if it is enabled.
Essentially, you are able to get Shaman weapons from Thorium bosses and materials, by doing a normal playthrough !
It IS planned that the gambler and the alchemist will get the same treatment, but not for their initial release.

If you are a mod developer and would like to interact with orchid content in any way, please, contact me !
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Draka for doing a lot of sprites for the mod and different artworks used on this page.
@Yuyutsu , @East , @KittyKitCatCat and Ayshia for helping me early on.
@Barometz for making the wiki, and a single, very important, weapon sprite.
@catsounds and amber doing a lot of sprites for the mod.
Chozochorizo and Malfernas for testing the mod.
You, for reading the thanks section.
@DivermanSam for supporting me
The Tmodloader Discord Community (especially @absoluteAquarian , @direwolf420 and @jopojelly ) for helping with the code.
Re-Logic for creating this game.
The Tmodloader Team as a whole for creating this awesome API.

Changelogs have been moved below !
I love this and have played through the gambelar and touched on the shamen and alchemist classes but was wondering if you are planning adding Hm alchemist and gambelar content.
 
I love this and have played through the gambelar and touched on the shamen and alchemist classes but was wondering if you are planning adding Hm alchemist and gambelar content.
They're coming, it'll just take time. At the moment, he's been refining pre-hardmode Alchemist stuff.
 
They're coming, it'll just take time. At the moment, he's been refining pre-hardmode Alchemist stuff.
ok, i cant wait! edit: also a idea i had was a totam that increased shaman weapon speed by 5% and shaman damage by 6% it would be crafted with 10 rich mahogany and 1 jungle spore. edit#2: is there a support banner for this mod? I REALLY like this mod
 
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