Farming: Make cotton look like cotton, add crafted string item

[paramat]

Addresses our oldest issue #404

Change farming:cotton item texture to look like cotton not string, texture by Napiphelios.
Add farming:string item crafted from farming:cotton.
Remove old alias minetest.register_alias("farming:string", "farming:cotton") it has been active for years and items tend to be converted faster than nodes. If anyone still has a stash of farming:string anywhere it is now supported as an item again.

Possible breakage:
Mods that use farming:cotton as a string item should now use farming:string, however the breakage is not severe as string is crafted from cotton 1 to 1 and is the same material, just the texture looks like a cotton ball now.
Any other possible breakage?
0.5 is a good chance to clean this mess up.

[Desour]

Imho a vertical row would be better. 3 items of the same type in a horizontal row reminds to a slab recipe. But eg. technic also has a recipe to make a wire item vertical.

[paramat]

Hmm maybe.

[paramat]

Maybe 2 in a row so that 3 do not have to be crafted each time?

[cx384]

I think you should need a spinning wheel to make string.

[paramat]

Tested.

[Desour]

@cx384 I think that would be too complex for MTG and there will be the same problems as for the renaming workbench.

[TumeniNodes]

Spinning wheel would be a bit much (at least currently)
The current set up is clean and simple, and makes sense... and works.
I don't think it really matters which orientation the crafting calls for since it's not likely going to result in a string_slab .

[cx384]

@DS-Minetest yeah, but a spinning wheel would fit in the medieval concept of minetest and it would enhance the Immersion.
Well, a wheel is circular ... but, imagine the spinning wheel as a craftitem which you need to craft string.

[TumeniNodes]

that could be done from another mod, which could also add even more uses and crafts for string.
honestly it would be better done that way, as an outside mod... and given time to grow and be tested. Who knows, maybe eventually added in another time but, for now a nice, simple move like this is perfect

[cx384]

OK but without mods string doesn't have any use. Therefore there is no significant reason to add string to the minetest_game.

[TumeniNodes]

This could be considered the "first step" then.
This will get a very old issue out of the way, with a decent solution.
And "then" maybe ideas could come after for a use for string. Maybe such as adding bows to tools (for hunting) adding one bow to each tool materials?
But, as stated, getting this simple matter settled first is a good step.
(such simple matters with simple solutions really should not be so difficult)

[paramat]

Currently cotton is already string, so we're not adding string, many mods use the string item from MTG.

[TumeniNodes]

I think @cx384 is reference to having uses for string within MTG, itself?
But that is a minor thing which could be discussed another time.
I feel this sort of fix should be merged a.s.a.p. to knock it out of the way. Tested and works fine.

IMO 2 MTG devs should be able to take something this trivial (but needed) and merge it without a week long (or longer discussion session) this is the sort of thing which causes drag and stalemate.
Gets put on hold or back-burner then they add up quick

[paramat]

Looking back, farming mod used to have cotton plants drop a farming:string item (with a string texture). More recently they drop farming:cotton (with a string texture) and there's an alias from farming:string to farming:cotton. So i don't see any serious breakage.

[TumeniNodes]

there is no breakage

@paramat
<-- optimized

[TumeniNodes]

optimized the new farming_cotton.png It is added to my latest comment edit

[paramat]

Thanks will use.

[paramat]

LOL it's down from 318 to 316 bytes, but will still use it.

[TumeniNodes]

haha, I know but ... "optimized"
I'm going to start going through all the textures soon anyway, so this will be one more down

[paramat]

So optimisation has benefit even if there's no file size decrease? Maybe more efficient decompression?

[paramat]

Added your texture.

[TumeniNodes]

It's still Napiophelios' texture, just 2bytes lighter in file size.
And tbh, that 2bytes does not make a difference and was done solely as this seems to be desired.
I figured I would nab this image while it was fresh in the pond but, tbh again, should be very careful with optimizing, it could end up doing more harm than good?

better a discussion elsewhere regarding that though at some point. there is a lot to the idea of using optimization (pros and cons) so it definitely needs more thinking/figuring, and I am definitely not a pro

[paramat]

I assume you use optipng? Optimisation does not, as far as i know, alter the visible pixels in any way, so i can't see any harm.
The only issue is with leaf nodes that need to retain a colour for the transapent pixels for 'opaque' mode. We have found those need to stay RGBA instead of indexed, and any opitmisation should be tested in 'opaque' leaf mode.

[TumeniNodes]

yes, optipng. pngcrush seems overboard for what is needed here.
I will comment on a few things in Issues #1831 seems a more appropriate place for this topic

btw, this PR should already have approvals and merged (just sayin) tests fine, looks good. heh

[paramat]

Updated, 2 string returned from cotton above cotton, vertical used instead of horizontal.

[paramat]

Approval from SmallJoker (Krock) http://irc.minetest.net/minetest-dev/2017-08-18#i_5047098

[paramat]

08727bc