Improving the TNT Mod

Although the mod we made in the previous lesson is fun to use, it has 2 primary flaws.

TNT only spawns to the right and in front of the player.
The player has to stand still until the mod is complete. Otherwise, the TNT will place incorrectly.

Saving Player Coordinates

If the mod can remember where the player was when the mod first started, it could place the TNT around that position while the player is free to move around.

We will create 3 new variables, startX, startY, and startZ that represent where the player is in the world right as the mod starts.

For the code below, player world position is under the Player category while get value of is under Positions.

Now we will set x, y, and z to the starting coordinates of the player. We will also add 1 to startZ so that the blocks spawn in rows that won't run into the player position.

Every time we reset x, y, or z when building the rows and levels, we will reset them to the starting coordinate variables.

Since startX, startY, and startZ are world coordinates, we will have to use the world block when placing the TNT.

Run your mod. Here are 2 noticeable improvements:

The player can now move around as the mod runs without affecting where the TNT places.
The blocks place way faster now that we are using world coordinates.

There is one problem, however. Now, the blocks will only spawn to the northeast of the player, and not to the right and forward.

Challenge - Placing TNT Around the Player

Modify your code to get the TNT to spawn all around the player instead of just to the northeast of the player. This may sound complicated, but it's as simple as modifying startX and startZ.

TNT Mod - Improvements