this M&A addon is a vehicle of experimentation towards the goal of adding an "array" mechanic to the mod- you can think of 'arrays' as being block-based spells of sorts similar in concept to blood magic's rituals
currently just barebones implementation for ironing out how to go about getting everything working correctly, many plans for increasing the volume of what 'working' entails further down the line.
basic overview/tutorial: under the ritual tab in the codex there is a new ritual called the ritual of array creation- the ritual entry basically explains everything but its a bit of a text dump.
-> Arrays: an array consists of an array core and 4 array foci blocks which the ritual creates; the functionality of an array consists of arrangements(similar to spell shapes) and functions(spell components) arrays must be activated to take effect, they can be activated by r-clicking on them with a vinteum or chimerite manaweaving wand, or by hitting the core with a spell containing the activate component. the current area of effect of an array is a 32 block radius.
->Arrangements: The arrangement, or 'shape', of an array is determined by the ritual, each arrangement has an item tag associated with it, any combination of these items must be present on the cardinal pedestals used in the ritual, the ritual should provide necessary feedback if something is wrong. the arrangements currently implemented include [offensive] and [defensive] which target enemies+monsters or allies+caster respectively.
->Functions: array functions are applied to an array by casting spells on the array foci blocks, each function currently has an associated spell component that determines it, the component must be the first component of the cast spell. the current functions are [no explosions] [no breaking] and [effect application]. [no explosions] and [no breaking] are given to the array by casting explosion and break spells respectively, these functions are a little special in that they have the same effect regardless of arrangement- [no explosions] will prevent all explosions within the array's aoe, and [no breaking] will prevent all block breaking not caused by the array's caster within the array's aoe; the final function [apply effect] is given to the array based on if the spell cast on the array focus applies a potion effect- this function will apply that potion effect constantly on all targets of the array's arrangement
future plans:
besides implementing more functions and a better way of determining and handling them im also planning on configurable capabilities for array maintenance costs, being able to damage and disable enemy arrays and counterplay, interaction with wellsprings, area expansion/definition, target filtering, and a third core mechanic to parallel spell modifiers. the mod is alpha for a reason and i can only promise that i'll keep updates from corrupting existing worlds