Mod Loader (Optional)

Forge

Minecraft Version(s) (Optional)

1.20.1

Mod Version(s) (Optional)

No response

Suggestion (Required)

Because this mod hinges most prevalently around vertical travel and the hazard of gaseous exchanges depending on altitude and hazardous fumes, I think it could be argued that a thing such as coal dust would be within the scope of this mod. Coal is a very brittle material, and the number one hazard in coal mining happens to be Black Lung and spark explosions. It creates dust clouds that don't settle and are perpetually present in coal mines. A single exposed spark of electricity can ignite an entire mine, collapsing it near immediately.

Looking at mods such as Dusts and Gasses for 1.16.5, we see similar properties. I think it would be pretty cool, and indeed a fun challenge to get around, to have to watch the buildup/presence of coal dust clouds, which have a chance of creating an explosion on contact with lit torches, fire, lava, or creeper explosions. This feature would further challenge miners to collect this vital resource for industry throughout the game, and it would necessitate strategies and structures to avoid incident.

To keep continuity within the mod, soul flame variants will not light coal dust clouds. To prevent excess buildup and this prospective feature being a nuisance, dissipation should be configurable and the feature should be able to be disabled, since some players might find it onerous. I think a 10 second dissipation time for dust clouds would be a good default setting. Perhaps soul flame sources could reduce dissipation time to single digit seconds so that the mechanic can be superceded with mid/late-game resources and not become a chore.

As for how this would function in theory: as coal blocks are broken, each block has a chance to spawn between 1 and 3 dust cloud effects/blocks/entities in its immediate vicinity. As coal ore is mined in the area, the already present coal dust has its dissipation time reset, so a cloud can remain up to 10 seconds after the last coal ore is mined. Coal blocks formed from 9 coal, should not have this effect or it should be configurable. Coal dust clouds might also be configured to be choking sources, depleting oxygen at an increased rate compared to surrounding air quality. An air filter mask resolves this.

I'm not sure if items in hand can be coded to be detected in this way, but ideally placed "fire" sources and fire sources in hand should ignite and cause a limited explosion in the area of the cloud.

This was rather comprehensive, I apologize if it's a lot, but overall I think this mechanic wouldn't be too hard to implement, though I know the cloud "object" might be a little difficult to create in a performative way. I reiterate my reference to Dusts and Gasses, which has a great visual effect that isn't too obtrusive, but is obvious.

Thanks, I hope this catches your interest. I absolutely love this mod in conjunction with Cold Sweat, it makes the early and mid game way more fun and interesting, and late game has its quirks as well.