Share your Minecraft experiences [Archive] - Straight Dope Message Board

fuzzypickles

10-02-2010, 04:46 PM

Yes, there's already a current thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=520855), but that one's turning out to be more about gameplay mechanics and general strategies instead of your own personal stories about playing the game, which is what I want to share. So here, I'll start one. :cool:

Got the game earlier this week; to say that I'm blown away is an understatement. Yeah, the graphics may look crappy but in essence that's part of its je ne sais quoi, and undisputable proof that gameplay trumps pretty graphics every time. As they say, simplicity is everything.

First Game: Started on a nearly featureless plain, with lots of sand and dirt but with no visible mountains and virtually NO trees. Having read reviews & watching YouTube videos, I knew how critical it is to find wood & shelter immediately, so this was a Very Bad Thing. :rolleyes: I ran several miles in aimless direction, chopping down only 2 or 3 trees (there weren't any more!) and it was nearly dark when I finally located a tiny mountainside cubby hole where I could build a dirt wall and wait out the night.

I can't describe how creepy & terrifying that night was, cowering in darkness as zombies & spiders clawed at the walls of my hastily built fort. Did I mention already how much I love this game??

Dawn approached, and the monsters were still there, so I got bold and chose to attack them with my newly crafted stone sword. Oops. Killed the spider, but the zombie mercilessly pwn3d me. Game Over -- Respawn? HELL no...

Second Game: Snow world. Instant reload (mainly to preserve my FPS, those snowflakes don't help the lag!)

Third Game: Started in a deep sand pit with tall, natural walls and a small cave no more than five steps away. Can you say lucky?? Chopped a few trees, but mainly spent the scant daylight hours piling dirt on the walls to strengthen my fortifications. Holed up in the cave at night, but I swear I did not hear a single monster that night, or the several following nights. (Based on the many Let's Plays I've watched, I'm incredibly fortunate to have my spawn point right on my doorstep -- very lucky!)

Now, I knew the next step was to dig for coal (and iron, but that's less necessary.) Without coal, you can't make torches, the game's only real light source. Well, I dug and dug but couldn't find coal ANYWHERE -- found some iron, and lots of sand of course, but NO coal. I was getting a little freaked out because my starting cave was getting large but I couldn't dig too deep, for fear of monsters spawning in the darkness. My few ventures into daylight yielded nothing promising, either. I did discover that forges give off ample light while cooking, so my first 4-5 days were spent exploring & chopping wood in daylight, while I cooked sand into glass and kept digging in my cave all night long. Found more iron (LOTS of iron!) and even the entrance to a deep, natural cavern beneath my own cave (with ominous growls from the darkness below...)

You can't imagine my relief when, on the fifth day, I *finally* struck coal. Not much, but enough to craft a few torches, so the nights were no longer spent in utter blackness. What a difference coal makes -- now I could venture out at night, placing torches to light my way, keeping monsters at bay and easily dispatching the ones that attacked anyway. In fact, it was time at last to investigate that monster cave I'd sealed up several night ago...

Well, that's the saga of how my first Minecraft experience began. How 'bout you?

Lobsang

10-11-2010, 10:39 AM

I have discovered a VAST network of mines. I don't know if that's normal or not, but it took about 5 'worlds' into the game to discover it.

Plenty of coal. Some Iron. About 5 blocks of gold, some redstone but I don't have tools strong enough to mine it yet (and I'm not sure if it's good for anything useful)

I was getting quite frustrated with the mines last night. I kept dying, and of course I kept dying upon trying to retreive my stuff from dying. Until I found out you can simply turn the monsters off by setting the difficulty to 'peaceful' (I was on normal)

I want to build a glass sky scraper.

EDIT: On a different world, I am about 70 percent complete on constructing a glass 'viewing cage' of what was previously a dungeon, so the skeletons will be trapped inside a glass box, and when daylight comes I get to watch them all burn. The cage will be suspended so I can walk underneath. I've heard about spawn traps using these dungeons. I might put a door on the glass cage to see if once they've burned to death I can go in and grab the arrows they drop.

Or I may work out how to construct a spawn trap that works constantly. (The above would only work once a 'day')

Lobsang

10-11-2010, 10:47 AM

I also found a saddle, which apparently will allow me to ride a pig.

Edit: When I have a sufficiently worked-on world I may youtube it.

fuzzypickles

10-11-2010, 04:21 PM

Hey Lobsang, thanks for rez'ing my thread. I was dejected that it had suffered such a rapid, pathetic death. :cool:

I have discovered a VAST network of mines. I don't know if that's normal or not, but it took about 5 'worlds' into the game to discover it.
VAST is indeed an understatement -- you know that monster cave mentioned in my OP? Turns out it lead to a giant series of tunnels, which in turn lead to another, larger series of caverns, which itself lead to the MEGA CAVE OF DOOM just like you described. It's all one room, with more than ten floors split by a giant crack in the earth. (When I got to the bottom of the earth and looked up, I could see sky...or the bottom of the ocean, most likely. The lag from that vantage point was horrible, too.) I've gone spelunking down there several times and still haven't cleared the whole damn thing. I doubt if I ever will. (And if I do...what am I gonna do with this cave? Haven't a clue, to be honest...)

Plenty of coal. Some Iron. About 5 blocks of gold, some redstone but I don't have tools strong enough to mine it yet (and I'm not sure if it's good for anything useful)

I was getting quite frustrated with the mines last night. I kept dying, and of course I kept dying upon trying to retreive my stuff from dying. Until I found out you can simply turn the monsters off by setting the difficulty to 'peaceful' (I was on normal)
You need iron tools to mine gold, redstone & diamond. Redstone is used for creating electric circuits, which is why it's so plentiful. I mainly use it for creating red torches, to use as beacons that lead back to the exit. Like you, I've died several times & twice lost all my stuff (the environment has killed me far more often than the monsters themselves) but I refuse to switch to Peaceful, ever. It's a matter of principle, mainly. :)

I want to build a glass sky scraper.
Me too! With a lava waterfall at the top, of course.

EDIT: On a different world, I am about 70 percent complete on constructing a glass 'viewing cage' of what was previously a dungeon, so the skeletons will be trapped inside a glass box, and when daylight comes I get to watch them all burn. The cage will be suspended so I can walk underneath. I've heard about spawn traps using these dungeons. I might put a door on the glass cage to see if once they've burned to death I can go in and grab the arrows they drop.
Believe it or not, I've yet to locate a single working spawner -- I found one "dungeon" that was completely flooded, but wasn't able to get inside it. I think there's a zombie spawner in the MegaGigaCave, one of the few dark areas remaining in fact, but dealing with this cave has left me a little traumatized...heh. I'll finish the cave eventually, of course, but all the torches will probably have changed to lanterns by then. Meanwhile, I'll be working on my giant roller coaster. :D

Lobsang

10-11-2010, 10:11 PM

Today I found a second dungeon only a short walk away from the first one. (In the same cavern).

Was that a mis-type where you said redstone was plentiful? I have found about 4 pieces in my current map. Compare that to about 12 gold, 100s of iron, thousands of coal.

I know you need iron tools for gold, but when I tried to mine some redstone with it it was taking too long, so I had a feeling it wasn't going to yield any redstone (when a tool takes too long to get rid of a block it usually means it won't mine anything from it in my experience)

I too am a little surprised how much fun this game is considering the 'blocky' graphics. I'm usually a sucker for nice graphics.

I can't wait for beta and final release. There's so much potential for this game to evolve. For example I'd like to be able to paint walls, carpet floors.

ETA: Today I learned how to plant trees. I was on an island with TWO small trees, with the nearest island of trees a LONG way away. I had to go on a long journey every time I wanted wood. But now I've planted several trees on my island. Wonder how long it takes for them to become actual trees.

Lobsang

10-11-2010, 10:21 PM

I've also found about 40-60 blocks of obsidian, but it is all in two clumps at different parts of the cavern.

Lobsang

10-11-2010, 10:25 PM

dzeiger

10-11-2010, 10:25 PM

Redstone is, in my experience, more plentiful than gold. Usually around lava, sometimes hard to mine without it falling in. Iron is fine for redstone, but it does take a while.

Then you can have fun with making circuits.

As for dungeons, that mega-cavern I mentioned in the other thread had two dungeons that I know of. Then when wandering back from the eventual exit I found, I ran across a third one that just opened up onto the surface on a beach.

Lobsang

10-11-2010, 10:35 PM

I wonder what the chance of finding diamond is, and what kind of conditions it is likely to be found in.

Lobsang

10-11-2010, 10:55 PM

One more thing. I spotted in your OP that you made yourself a little shelter of dirt to wait out the night.

Well you might already know this by now, but one neat way to get safe in a hurry, is to build a tower underneath yourself. Point directly down, then hold the jump and build keys down. (you'll need lots of building material - best to use something without much value and which is plentiful - i,e, dirt) You'll quickly rise above the range of monsters and skeleton arrows. Just stand on your plinth and admire the scenery until the sun comes up (great place to watch the sun rise too)

At first I didn't have a problem with dying because of infinite respawns, so I'd build huge towers and just fall off them.

One time I got lost while looking for trees. It was weird! - I went what seemed like a short distance away from my house, chopped some trees, then I was lost. Spent AGES going round in circles looking for my house!

So eventually I had an idea - die. If I die I'll respawn and from the respawn point I'll likely remember where I live. Problem is, All the newly chopped wood would be scattered where I'd die, so the plan got an extra sub-plan - build a maximum-height tower to serve as a landmark for where I am. die. Find home. Build another tower at home (also to serve as a landmark) die again. go off to the landmark where I first die. Get my stuff. go back home.

This is where it became apparent just how far I'd managed to stray! - when I had the two towers (get it? lol) I still couldn't see one from the other! even at maximum draw distance.

I decided to just go off walking. Eventually I found my tower, but now I couldn't see the tower I walked from. so I built a new tower at a half way point.

I ended up with four towers built. Each one only just visible from its nearest neighbour.

My home tower now has torches on every side of every block. Looks quite neat.

It'll probably feature in my youtube video when I get around to doing it.

Lobsang

10-11-2010, 10:56 PM

fuzzypickles

10-14-2010, 01:08 AM

fuzzypickles Have you by any chance watched 'Seananners'' youtube videos of him playing minecraft? That's what got me playing this game. I'd seen it before, but was never really interested much. Then I watched a few of his ten-fifteen minute videos and wanted to play.
Not familiar with that particular name, but yes, like you I've watched quite a few Let's Play Minecraft videos and that's what got me hooked on the game. I'd also recommend the playthrus by veriax, davidr64yt, and ZetaPlays -- veriax is especially fun to watch, he's always getting himself into trouble! :)

I wonder what the chance of finding diamond is, and what kind of conditions it is likely to be found in.
Here's a very good tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jx1Unhhn94&feature=player_embedded) on the best way to mine for diamonds. Basically they are most common in the zone 10-16 blocks above bedrock. (Redstone is very common down there too -- you must have been unlucky not to find any yet.)

One time I got lost while looking for trees. It was weird! - I went what seemed like a short distance away from my house, chopped some trees, then I was lost. Spent AGES going round in circles looking for my house!
Hahaha...been there, done that. ;)

I have a terrible habit of walking the perimeter of my encampment, placing extra torches to extend my "safe zone", and then walk in the direction of what I think is home...only to suddenly realize that I'm completely lost, with no real supplies (I wasn't planning on combat) and night is fast falling. Sometimes I'll find high ground and try to fight off the mobs until morning, but that can get really dicey -- with bow & arrow I can do okay, but once I run out of arrows, things tend to go very bad VERY quickly...

So yeah, if you're caught outside at night, the only guaranteed way to survive is to dig a hole (or a tower, like you did) and wait out the night. I do hope they fix the nighttime spawn in the final release -- it was exciting at first, but now it's just become bloody annoying. :smack:

So eventually I had an idea - die. If I die I'll respawn and from the respawn point I'll likely remember where I live. Problem is, All the newly chopped wood would be scattered where I'd die, so the plan got an extra sub-plan - build a maximum-height tower to serve as a landmark for where I am. die. Find home. Build another tower at home (also to serve as a landmark) die again. go off to the landmark where I first die. Get my stuff. go back home.

This is where it became apparent just how far I'd managed to stray! - when I had the two towers (get it? lol) I still couldn't see one from the other! even at maximum draw distance.

I decided to just go off walking. Eventually I found my tower, but now I couldn't see the tower I walked from. so I built a new tower at a half way point.

I ended up with four towers built. Each one only just visible from its nearest neighbour.

My home tower now has torches on every side of every block. Looks quite neat.

It'll probably feature in my youtube video when I get around to doing it.
Did you at least get your stuff back?

fuzzypickles

10-14-2010, 01:27 AM

Oh Lobsang, a question: How long was it before you got punk'd by your first creeper?

Lobsang

10-14-2010, 11:08 AM

fuzzypickles

10-14-2010, 03:14 PM

Seananners refers to them as 'exploding penises' (He's probably not the only one)

I don't know what my first time was, but I've had them sneak up on me plenty of times. They can be bastards in caves because just when you think you're running quite fast away from them they'll dive at you and explode.
Creepers may be the most eeeevil video game monster ever created. Not only are they completely silent, except for just before they explode (and their sole noise sounds completely harmless, like wind in the grass, until you learn to recognize it) they almost always sneak up on you while your attention is focused elsewhere. I love 'em, though -- I use them for demolition work, or do things like "Bungee Creeping", which is jumping on their heads to see how high they'll blast me into the sky. :D

"Did you at least get your stuff back? "

Yes :)
Good...I'm certain you've learned by now, in this game, death is meaningless. But losing all your stuff hurts. :(

I eventually found some diamond in the big cave. I found enough to make one diamond pickaxe, but I'm too scared to use it... it's made of diamond!!!
I've heard others swear by diamond pickaxes, but I've never crafted one -- like you, I'd be afraid to use it. Diamond swords kick serious butt, though. :cool:

Are your cave(s) big enough that you get lost in them? I've got lost in mine a few times. One time was quite frustrating, I spent ages and ages walking around only to find I'd come out at a place I'd been ages ago, still no nearer to getting out.
Hell, yeah!! Even the small to medium-sized caverns (which are ginormous by other game's standards) are very easy to get lost in. Just wait until you uncover one of the truly MASSIVE cave systems -- you'll shit bricks. :D

In fact, last night I went back to my BSCOD (Big Scary Cave of Doom) and saw that I had in fact lighted up nearly the whole thing, but I could hear monster noises through the wall. So I blew it up with some TNT, killed the nearest mobs, and kept exploring until I reached a nexus of no less than SIX dark, crumbling shafts leading to God knows where. (I nearly sat down and cried.) I turned around to go back -- and realized, I was lost. AGAIN. And I hadn't gone more than a few hundred meters! (I think an exploding creeper may have destroyed the way back...haven't checked yet.)

Luckily, the new cave system did lead to a part of the BSCOD which I'd lit up before, but the torches had been placed long before I'd created my "system" of how to use them intelligently, so I couldn't tell where I was or how to get out. Took me about an hour to find a series of torches which were placed intelligently, which led to a staircase, which lead to the exit (albeit a different one than from where I'd entered.) The good news is I didn't encounter a single monster in the lit-up area, but I'm not going back down there until I can reserve time to fix the existing torches -- not knowing where you are in that empty, lit-up labyrinth is more scary than exploring dark holes filled with mobs! :eek:

One problem with recording games is that for this type of game you'll want your video to be quite long (in youtube terms about ten minutes), for a video that long you can end up with a file that is many gigabytes in size (even with fraps settings at their most conservative)
I'm not familiar with FRAPS or other recording software, but I do know that many YouTubers do record gaming sessions for hours at a time (and the YouTube limit is 15 minutes now) so it must be possible. Unfortunately I can't offer much technical advice, because my computer-tinkering knowledge is about 15 years out of date.

Lobsang

10-14-2010, 03:45 PM

"Good...I'm certain you've learned by now, in this game, death is meaningless. But losing all your stuff hurts. :("

Except that on one of my two well maintained worlds, my spawn point is quite a trek away from my home/place of action. So a death means a long tedious trek back to to where I was.

I learned a lesson from that from my other world - make sure you make your 'base' close to your spawn point.

On the subject of getting lost in mines - while I was trying to get out I resolved to set up some sort of 'this way out' system of placing unique items only along a main route, a sort of breadcrumb trail. I place cobblestone doorways ( 3x2 cobblestone structure with a gap of two squares in the middle).

I could make signs, but I don't like using wood to make static things. I prefer to conserve the wood for tools and doors.

Edit: I have wondered this before, but as time goes on I am more and more inclined to suspect it to be true - does lighting stop the spawning? In other words if you had a 100% lit cave system would nothing spawn in it?

fuzzypickles

10-14-2010, 05:02 PM

I learned a lesson from that from my other world - make sure you make your 'base' close to your spawn point.
+1 to that, good buddy. :) In fact, if I start a new world but don't find a good base camp location in the immediate area, I'll restart.

Speaking of death and respawning...just a few hours ago, I was doing some decorative work high in the trees above my spawn point (which is dead center in the courtyard of my primary base, how's that for convenience!) when I slipped and fell to my death -- no problem, just gather up my stuff and...wait a minute, some stuff is missing. My compass and flint & steel were gone. Turns out, I was carrying them in my "Crafting Menu" (the 4 blocks where you can build stuff w/o a crafting bench) and I've now learned that items in those slots do NOT drop when you die -- they are lost forever! :(

So, heads up on that. (Good thing I wasn't carrying my diamond sword today -- that's usually where I stow it!!!)

On the subject of getting lost in mines - while I was trying to get out I resolved to set up some sort of 'this way out' system of placing unique items only along a main route, a sort of breadcrumb trail. I place cobblestone doorways ( 3x2 cobblestone structure with a gap of two squares in the middle).

I could make signs, but I don't like using wood to make static things. I prefer to conserve the wood for tools and doors.
I use redstone torches to mark a trail back to the exit. Doors are good, too -- any type of construction work is a good way to signal to yourself that you've at least been there before, and the area was reasonably safe enough for you to putz around for a bit. :) I like placing signs everywhere, even inside my fortress where I already know where everything is -- gives the place added realism, IMO. They're also good for conveying messages that simple torch patterns can't express (gravel pit under the floor, etc.)

Edit: I have wondered this before, but as time goes on I am more and more inclined to suspect it to be true - does lighting stop the spawning?
Yes -- that's precisely what torches (and soon lanterns) are for. Monsters only spawn in darkness, or at night, and the deeper the darkness, the more likely they are to spawn. They can even spawn inside your base, if you don't keep the light level high enough!! :eek:

Sam Stone

10-15-2010, 12:46 AM

I started a new map yesteray, and wound up on an 'island world'. I've got my own little island, which had plenty of trees. I made a sod house really quickly, eventually found some coal by digging down, and I've lit up the entire island. Then I built a gigantic monolith that I lit up like a skyscraper with torches. That way I can always spot my home island.

Next, I dug a tunnel from my island to the next one. I'm going to connect all the islands with tunnels.

But off in the distance is a huge island with a very large mountain on it, and two giant gaping caves that look like black moons from where I'm standing. It gives me a little quiver just looking at it.

But that's where I'm going.

VanillaGorilla

10-15-2010, 01:41 AM

Dammit, all these stories make me want to go home and play right now. Stupid work. :(

As for stories of my own, all I want to add now, is that I have learned that while dieing always sucks, it can be made much worse if
1. You fall into lava, and almost make it back to safe ground. I was one square away.
2. All items are lost in the lava.
3. Items include a wealth of iron and some diamond, as well as some redstone and a few other things.
4. You fall into lava by incredibly stupidly mining the block you are standing on, even if you know there is lava like right there

Sam Stone

10-15-2010, 03:38 AM

fuzzypickles

10-15-2010, 06:31 AM

But off in the distance is a huge island with a very large mountain on it, and two giant gaping caves that look like black moons from where I'm standing. It gives me a little quiver just looking at it.
This game's CMOA (Crowning Moment of Awesome) came when I stood on the beach staring into featureless fog, switched to "Far" distance view, and watched in wonder as the distant land *rose* from the mist -- it was mesmerizing. In particular, I saw a magnificent range of craggy mountains with breathtaking formations far, far away -- too far away to see on "Normal" view, and I'm too busy with stuff on my home island to visit them any time soon, but I *will* get there and explore them, someday!!

Dammit, all these stories make me want to go home and play right now. Stupid work. :(

As for stories of my own, all I want to add now, is that I have learned that while dieing always sucks, it can be made much worse if
1. You fall into lava, and almost make it back to safe ground. I was one square away.
2. All items are lost in the lava.
3. Items include a wealth of iron and some diamond, as well as some redstone and a few other things.
4. You fall into lava by incredibly stupidly mining the block you are standing on, even if you know there is lava like right there
You forgot:
5. Digging straight up into lava.
6. Digging straight down into lava.
7. Digging sideways into lava.
8. Digging a hole to The Void (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/The_Void), then accidentally breaching the overhead lava pool which floods the bedrock crawl space, blocking all escape routes except that hole to The Void...
9. Blasting away some rubble with TNT, then jumping down onto the containment wall holding back one of the lava pools -- or rather, where the containment wall USED to be...
10. Digging a pilot tunnel near the surface, you can hear what sounds like bubbling lava beyond the next wall, but it can't be lava since you're so close to the surface, right? Completely forgetting about the experimental lava pool you created weeks ago...

I've actually been very lucky -- of all the times I've been drowned, crushed, killed by monsters, suffocated by gravel, or fallen into a bottomless pit, I've lost all my gear only twice (not counting the incident upthread where items in my "Crafting Menu" were lost.) Once was during my Deep Wilderness Trek where hiked in a random direction for several days, and on the 5th day I got tired of hiding from mobs and decided to take them on Jackie Chan style...bad idea!! The second was getting punk'd by a creeper in a cave I thought had been cleared out -- I probably could've recovered my stuff, but didn't bother. (Wasn't carrying anything of value, aside from a brand-new iron pickaxe.)

I build chests right beside my spawn point. If I'm killed, as soon as I materialize I can stock up again. I have storage chests all over the place, actually.
Took me awhile to think of the Emergency Resupply Chest idea. Speaking of chests, I need to consolidate the many chests I have scattered around my island -- I keep running out of certain resources, esp. coal, only to discover later that I'd stashed 50 coal in an out-of-the-way chest that I forgot even existed...d'oh!!!

Next, the caves of doom.
Have fun! But be wary, friend...those Endlessly Massive Caverns are truly beasts unto themselves. Don't forget to bring torches (including redstone torches), lots of arrows (you do NOT want to run out of arrows, ever!) and for heaven's sake, always watch your back!

VanillaGorilla

10-15-2010, 06:37 AM

I build chests right beside my spawn point. If I'm killed, as soon as I materialize I can stock up again. I have storage chests all over the place, actually.

I tunneled over to the third island tonight, and built a glass house where my tunnel emerged, which just happened to be overlooking my first two islands. Then I dug around it so I basically have a pedestal containing my emerge tunnel, with a large glass cantilevered house on top of it. It's quite cool.

Next, the caves of doom.

I prefer to keep my chests a bit more centralized in my house (and by house, I mean castle, obviously :)), personally.
My house is pretty close to my spawn point though.

I think I might have a cave of doom of my own a bit in the distance, which I'm looking forward to exploring. First I'll build some minecart tracks leading there though.

fuzzypickles

10-15-2010, 07:49 AM

I prefer to keep my chests a bit more centralized in my house (and by house, I mean castle, obviously :)), personally.
My house is pretty close to my spawn point though.
I do have a centralized storage area, but I'm in the habit of placing chests & workbenches in areas where I'm doing construction or excavation work. Most of them just contain slag (mainly dirt & cobblestone -- gravel is becoming quite rare, for some reason) but every so often I'll make a tour of the chests and discover stuff that just shouldn't be stored there (saplings in my lava cave?? WTF?)

My fortress was literally built around my spawn point, so each time I die, I reappear right next to the spaceship cockpit where I crash-landed on this desolate planet the front door of my primary fortress. The surrounding land has been de-spawned in a five-mile radius in all directions, protected by ocean to the south and west, sheer cliffs and a gravel pit to the east, and about 10,000 torches (soon to be lanterns) blanketing the ridgeline to the north. I've built pit traps, moats, fences, and other fortifications which are so secure, not even livestock can reach my central courtyard -- I'll get the occasional chicken stuck inside the walls, and every so often an enterprising sheep makes it to my glass roof, but aside from that NO monster can reach me, even if they are chasing me from one of the dark zones.

I think my Big Scary Cave of Doom (BSCOD) has given me a dose of PTSD -- for certain, my character has been terrified of caverns ever since a series of near death experiences deep down in that massive cavern. He's avoided caves entirely for two whole weeks, and even refused to seek shelter in a nearby half-cleared monster cave while wandering the wilderness and night unexpectedly fell...luckily, his "imaginary" companion (a tennis ball named Wilson) convinced him to face up to the deep-dwelling monsters, as well as facing up to his fears in general...

He's been dealing with it, though, and over the last two days has made brief forays into the BSCOD. Last night I went searching for that new monster passage I'd uncovered (as mentioned upthread) but couldn't find it -- apparently, an exploding creeper had triggered a cave-in which blocked the passage AGAIN, and I don't dare dig through the gravel because it's holding up the ocean floor...!! I spent a few hours merely establishing the landscape immediately adjacent to my "safe zone"; it turns out, all three entrances to this cave are very close to each other, despite being in relatively far-flung locations within my base. It is SO easy to get lost down there, though -- seriously, I would walk ten steps forward, turn around, and could NOT see any way back, not even the passage itself where I'd come from!

So the next several caving sessions will be dedicated to reclaiming the BSCOD piece by piece, esp. placing torches in proper locations, with redstone torches to guide myself back to the exit(s). I'll be making sure that no matter where I go in this cave, I'll be able to see a red torch *somewhere*, marking where the exit path lies. It's going to take a long, long time (and that's assuming I can get up the nerve to go down there again -- it is CREEPY!) but I know the reward will be worth it. There are major treasures down there -- gold, diamond, tons upon tons of coal and iron. Maybe even a dungeon spawner, though I've yet to locate one that wasn't completely flooded by the ocean.

Lobsang

10-15-2010, 10:54 AM

If you do manage to get out of the lava, bear in mind that you stay on fire for quite a while. The one time I did escape I happened to have the difficulty on 'peaceful' so I was regenerating as fast as I was dying from being on fire.

I also like to keep my storage centralized. I am inclined to forget where I've put things so I don't have far to search my three large chests in turn.

I also have 4 furnaces in one room. Their main job so far has been making glass.

Time for a confession (nobody at my work can see this so meh!) I maintain two worlds - one at home and one at work. (At work we are allowed to play 'flash games' or browser based games, so at work I play MC in the browser. At home I play the exe file (which allows me to play it in full 1920x1200 rez) I have the draw distance and fog distance set such that I can see as far as possible.

Having towers to find your way home only works if you are near enough to see the tower (see my first post in this thread). I got so far away from home once that I ended up with four intermediately spaced towers to find my way between home and where my stuff was left.

I also have a small lava pit in my house as a place to dispose of stuff (fairly useless stuff that just takes up space in inventories and chests - like snowballs and dirt)

My home world has the massive cave system, and the rapidly growing glass skyscraper.

My work world has the small cave with two dungeons, one of which is being converted into a glass box to hold the skeletons. (I keep wanting to say skelingtons, like a child :) )

Lobsang

10-15-2010, 01:28 PM

Anyone know of a way of avoiding this...

http://imgur.com/QnQ4J.jpg

when making stairs using multiple stair blocks?

fuzzypickles

10-15-2010, 01:46 PM

If you do manage to get out of the lava, bear in mind that you stay on fire for quite a while. The one time I did escape I happened to have the difficulty on 'peaceful' so I was regenerating as fast as I was dying from being on fire.
I think you only burn if you step in a lava spring, not if it falls on your head. The only time I got injured by lava was while working deep in the bedrock and dug up directly into a lava spring -- thankfully, I was saved by an angel, whose soul I had previously rescued from the Great Energy Demon VERY lucky chance, since I'd previously constructed a glass containment chamber which directed most of the lava flow away from me. I did get burned when I touched it, but didn't catch on fire.

Another time, while deep in the BSCOD, I slipped and fell into lava but got immediately flushed into a pool of water -- didn't even realize what had happened for several minutes. (I swear, my character must have the lives of sixteen cats...)

BTW, does anyone else roleplay in Minecraft? I find it adds to the experience tremendously.

Time for a confession (nobody at my work can see this so meh!) I maintain two worlds - one at home and one at work. (At work we are allowed to play 'flash games' or browser based games, so at work I play MC in the browser. At home I play the exe file (which allows me to play it in full 1920x1200 rez) I have the draw distance and fog distance set such that I can see as far as possible.

Having towers to find your way home only works if you are near enough to see the tower (see my first post in this thread). I got so far away from home once that I ended up with four intermediately spaced towers to find my way between home and where my stuff was left.
First of all, I envy your computer! :p I'm stuck with 1152x864 and Short Distance View (the game can run w/Far Distance on, but it gets reeeeal laggy...) However, since Far Distance does work, if I ever get lost w/o a compass again, I can climb to a high place and switch on Far View long enough to locate where I need to go.

My work world has the small cave with two dungeons, one of which is being converted into a glass box to hold the skeletons. (I keep wanting to say skelingtons, like a child :) )
Since they look a lot like Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas, it's fair to call them that, IMO.

I also have a small lava pit in my house as a place to dispose of stuff (fairly useless stuff that just takes up space in inventories and chests - like snowballs and dirt)
Working on that -- I'm going to dig a hole *straight down* (like they tell you never to do) just to see where I wind up, hopefully I'll reach lava or even The Void. Probably will be the next thing I do when I play the game...just hope I remember to strip all my gear, except for a cheap pick & shovel. :)

Speaking of lava...after watching veriax's Minecraft LP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNrtQlUyIxA&t=515), I'm definitely building a gigantic lava-fall. I know exactly where to place it, too!

(After I did the trash pit, of course...)

(And work on the underground chicken farm...)

(And build a causeway to the sand quarry island far across the bay...)

(And explore the ocean more with a boat, maybe find some clay...)

Jeez...there's always something to do in this game, isn't there?? :D

Lobsang

10-15-2010, 02:47 PM

Since you mentioned that Diamond is found near bedrock (or in the bottom 10 rows of blocks of the world) I decided to dig down. Not straight down mind, but diagonal (45 degrees). I got to some grey block that I'd never seen before. It won't go away with an iron axe, so I assume it's bedrock. However, I was under the impression that bedrock was black or nearly black.

Anyway, while there I broke through to some lava. Lost a bunch of iron axes that I'd only just made!!!. Got my 73 torches back though. They landed on the rock next to the lava.

You probably know this, but to create a disposal unit you only need one bucket of lava. Create a 1x1 hole in the middle of some cobblestones (3x3) go get some lava using a bucket. Pour the lava into the 1x1 hole.

fuzzypickles

10-15-2010, 08:11 PM

Since you mentioned that Diamond is found near bedrock (or in the bottom 10 rows of blocks of the world) I decided to dig down. Not straight down mind, but diagonal (45 degrees). I got to some grey block that I'd never seen before. It won't go away with an iron axe, so I assume it's bedrock. However, I was under the impression that bedrock was black or nearly black.
If it's mostly black with flecks of light grey (kind of a salt-and-pepper texture) then it's indeed bedrock. (Did you at least find the Void?) Sometimes you'll find obsidian, which is formed when water flows over a lava spring, but that's even blacker than bedrock.

You probably know this, but to create a disposal unit you only need one bucket of lava. Create a 1x1 hole in the middle of some cobblestones (3x3) go get some lava using a bucket. Pour the lava into the 1x1 hole.
I'm actually hoping to drill a borehole all the way to The Void -- that way, anything I throw away will be REALLY gone -- but I doubt I'll be that lucky. :cool:

Lobsang

10-15-2010, 08:14 PM

I haven't been paying attention. Are you saying there's a void of emptiness under the bedrock?

This isn't on my big cave world, it's on my other one. I basically dug down in a diagonal zig-zag until I reached this bedrock, then dug around a bit (being careful of lava) and could only hit bedrock)

fuzzypickles

10-15-2010, 11:48 PM

I haven't been paying attention. Are you saying there's a void of emptiness under the bedrock?
Yes. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvmQUe5qfMI) :D

Sam Stone

10-16-2010, 03:13 AM

My experience tonight is that I had uncovered a very cool cavern with a lava waterfall pouring into the ground a block away from a lake with its own waterfall. I was admiring it when I got an arrow in the back, which startled me into dropping off the ledge into the lava.

I lost my leather armor, about 10 blocks of iron ore I had just harvested, some bread, four iron picks, an iron shovel and an iron axe. Gah.

Also, the two big scary caves turned out to be not so scary. One turned out to be just a depression in the rock deep enough to look black from a distance. The other was a gigantic tunnel that went all the way through the island, but was otherwise featureless. I decided to dig around the cliff face at the top of tunnel and build something. I'm not quite sure what yet. A glass cliff dwelling, maybe. Or perhaps I'll try carving some lettering into the rocks on the cliff face..

On my home island, I got the idea of building an underwater glass house. That ought to be strange. So I waded out to a point where the water transitioned from one block deep to two, then started laying down a sand foundation. I finally got it all the way out of the water, and filled it as I went. One it was level with the water, I dug everything inside it down to a decent depth. Then I'll put in the glass ceiling , one block below the foundation. Before setting the final glass block, I make a stair and climb out, then put the glass in from on top. Then pick away the dirt ceiling above the glass, breach the foundation and let the water pour in on top.

For an entrance, I'll either dig a tunnel back to land, or I'll swim down, break a sand block in the wall, and let the flooding water suck me into my house. Then I'll turn around and plug the hole. It'll be my secret underwater lair. Learning to do that well could be a real boon for a multiplayer game if you want to hide.

fuzzypickles

10-16-2010, 06:36 AM

My experience tonight is that I had uncovered a very cool cavern with a lava waterfall pouring into the ground a block away from a lake with its own waterfall. I was admiring it when I got an arrow in the back, which startled me into dropping off the ledge into the lava.

I lost my leather armor, about 10 blocks of iron ore I had just harvested, some bread, four iron picks, an iron shovel and an iron axe. Gah.
Ouch...well, it could've been a lot worse.

In fact...I read on the Minecraft forums that your stuff doesn't always disappear when you die. If you die far away from your spawn point, the game unloads the "chunk" you were in, and all your stuff remains in stasis until you re-enter the "chunk" at which point you have five minutes to collect everything before it all disappears. So now, my character's on a mission to retrace the steps of his first trek deep, deep into the wilderness -- if I'm lucky, my diamond sword and iron armor will still be there!

Problem is, I keep getting distracted. On the way out, I decided to plant more torches in Sheep Meadows to shore up a perimeter breech I'd kept forgetting to fix...then night fell, so I took another tour of the battlements, killing mobs and planting even more torches...then I ran out of torches...then I ran out of coal...so now I'm aimlessly prospecting, hoping to find more coal so I can make torches and *finally* get back to what I was doing. Coal is so hard to find in my world; I got a very bad roll on this map, apparently.

Love your idea for an underwater glass house, I'll have to try it! ;)

fuzzypickles

10-16-2010, 09:28 PM

Tonight I had my first creeper-falling-on-my-head moment.

I was setting up my sand quarry outpost, when darkness fell. It was too dark to run back to a safe zone, so I sought refuge in a deep gravel pit which had been partially mined out. Built a dirt roof, mined a bit and discovered iron (but no coal, dagnabbit -- I've been out of coal for days!) and made myself a nice comfortable hidey-hole. Melted some sand into glass, so I decided to make myself a window. Still dark outside, but there was some light from my torches, and a cow was jumping up and down on my roof. So, to fetch its leather, I dug straight up through the dirt ceiling--OH SHIT! CREEP--BLAAAMMMM!!!

Thankfully, I survived with a sliver of health. I'm kinda pissed, though -- my new comfy hole AND my new window were all destroyed! Damn creeper...

Man, I love this game. :cool:

Lightnin'

10-16-2010, 09:35 PM

On one map, the Creepers decided they just flat-out hated me. Every morning, I'd find them lined up outside my door, ready to blow me up. Every morning, as a result, I had to rebuild a good portion of my house.

Then I found some cactus.

I planted some sand in front of my door, and then created a walkway to my door lined with cactus. Now the creeps can't get to my door- they kill themselves on the cactus.

Cactus is now my favorite plant.

Lobsang

10-16-2010, 09:47 PM

I'm so putting cactus everywhere now that I know that!

ETA: Brick/Cobblestone tends to survive creeper explosion quite well.

I am a little too fond of glass though.

fuzzypickles

10-16-2010, 10:00 PM

Where did you guys find cactus?? That's one of two things I haven't found at all yet. (The other is clay.)

Lobsang

10-17-2010, 09:06 AM

As you might expect: cactus isn't very common. Neither is clay. I've found both by accident by roaming (cactus) or digging up sand near water (clay)

fuzzypickles

10-17-2010, 11:01 AM

According to Cartograph (http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=13134|Original) (a nifty mapping program) my entire generated world contains 6498 diamond ores, 1718 obsidian blocks, 328 clay...and twelve (12) cactus. Man, that is stupid rare! Guess I'd better start searching for it. :cool:

Lobsang

10-17-2010, 12:11 PM

I wonder if you can use cactus to grow more. Like trees.

If so, once you do find it you might be able to make it more plentiful.

I once mentioned I occupy an island with NO trees on it. it is now covered in trees.

fuzzypickles

10-17-2010, 02:35 PM

I wonder if you can use cactus to grow more. Like trees.

If so, once you do find it you might be able to make it more plentiful.
You can indeed farm cactus, but I'm not clear on how it's done. (Probably requires sand.)

I once mentioned I occupy an island with NO trees on it. it is now covered in trees.
Once I started tree farming, my supply of wood was no longer an issue. (I don't even use coal in the furnace anymore, only wood.) I remember when I grew my first magnificent "old growth" tree -- couldn't bear to chop that one down, so I built a forest around it. Most of my main fortress is covered by a gigantic canopy of leaves now. :)

VanillaGorilla

10-18-2010, 02:43 AM

You can indeed farm cactus, but I'm not clear on how it's done. (Probably requires sand.)

Yes, growing cactus is very easy. Just place a piece of it on sand, and then you wait.
it grows pretty fast, but I don't think it ever gets any taller that 3 cubes.
I recently created an entire field of cactii, putting them 4 spaces apart. I'm not sure if they need much light, maybe they woun't grow in shadow.

born too late

10-18-2010, 10:10 AM

On one map, the Creepers decided they just flat-out hated me. Every morning, I'd find them lined up outside my door, ready to blow me up. Every morning, as a result, I had to rebuild a good portion of my house.

I had this problem for a while, too. Originally, my base was carved out of a hill about halfway up from level ground, and I would simply jump up terrace levels to get there. After being sabotaged by creepers a few times, I flattened the side of the mountain until it was level vertically with my front door, built a glass "bay window" around the door and erected a ladder up through a portal at the bottom of the bay window. Now I can do a scan of the area before I venture out, and snipe anything brave enough to hang out at the bottom of my ladder.

Strangely, I haven't seen any creepers (or any other baddies for that matter) anywhere near my front door since then. :dubious: Of course, my hilltop base is directly above my main base, and the drop is long, so they can't spawn and pull a death from above anymore, either.

Lobsang

10-18-2010, 05:21 PM

Just found this. Had to share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnjSWPxJxNs

Poor guy!

Palooka

10-18-2010, 05:53 PM

No way that wasn't intentional.

fuzzypickles

10-18-2010, 07:03 PM

Just found this. Had to share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnjSWPxJxNs

Poor guy!

No way that wasn't intentional.

Fake or not, it gets funnier every time I watch it. :D

I don't understand how people can build houses out of wood, though -- wood has so many other invaluable uses, esp. building tools & weapons, that I never have enough left over for building structures with (never mind the fire hazard!)

I love creeper videos, too. Here are some of my faves on YouTube:
Giant Creeper Statue (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0RcShqygUI)
Amazing Creeper Ambush (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aaObLFcIcI)

Lobsang

10-18-2010, 07:25 PM

Fake or not, it gets funnier every time I watch it. :D

And it points out an interesting aspect of this game - what happens stays happened. You can't go back to a previous save. I think more games should have that. You mess up you learn the hard way not to mess up like that again.

I don't understand how people can build houses out of wood, though -- wood has so many other invaluable uses
, esp. building tools & weapons, that I never have enough left over for building structures with (never mind the fire hazard!)

Agreed. I see those wood houses in most of the youtube minecraft videos. That wood isn't doing anything! It should be being made into weapons and tools. I guess they must have more than enough already for the tools they'll need.

I love creeper videos, too. Here are some of my faves on YouTube:
Giant Creeper Statue (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0RcShqygUI)
Amazing Creeper Ambush (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aaObLFcIcI)

[looks up at roof, or rather space where roof used to be]

"Balls."

:D

fuzzypickles

10-18-2010, 07:48 PM

And it points out an interesting aspect of this game - what happens stays happened. You can't go back to a previous save. I think more games should have that. You mess up you learn the hard way not to mess up like that again.
Well, in most games, if you die you are permanently dead, which is what saves are for. But there is a method to back up your save games files, which I STRONGLY recommend! (PM me for details if you want to learn how, it's rather complicated and machine-specific.)

"Balls."

:D
:cool:

Lightnin'

10-19-2010, 08:01 AM

I find that I primarily enjoy the first few nights of the game- I like the survival mechanisms. If I could reset my spawn point, I'd set out exploring one world, rebuilding my camp each night or two. Until we get that feature, I have to restart a new world whenever I want something new.

So last night I started a new world. Holy cow- it's the most gorgeous thing I've seen in the game yet. Soaring mountains with amazing overhangs and hundred-meter waterfalls- it's like some fantasy painting brought to life.

Well, I started setting up my home base (there's tons of coal, just lying around!) when I noticed how many huge trees there were around me. I found one on the edge of a cliff and though, "Hey, how about a treehouse instead of the usual cave?"

So I dug my way into the tree and hollowed out a living area. I built a door where I came in and a ramp (using unsupported wooden stairs) for the entrance. I was really careful to not carve away too much wood so that the canopy wouldn't die- canopy is the only thing you can't replace, so you've got to be careful with it. I ended up with a few saplings, which gave me an idea...

Extreme Horticulture!

In the morning, I found an even larger tree. I made my way up to the top of it on the outside of the tree (using a convenient nearby cliff) and planted some dirt on top of a few of the taller branches... and then planted saplings on the dirt. Once those sprout, I'll knock out the dirt block and replace it with a log, thereby "grafting" the new tree on top of the old. I'm hoping to make an absolutely gigantic tree and make a multi-story treehouse inside it.

Yeah, I'll have to be careful with fire.

fuzzypickles

10-19-2010, 10:14 AM

Yeah, I'll have to be careful with fire.
Fire can jump surprisingly long distances, just like in real life.

Last night, I was in a dense forest and set a giant tree on fire, to act as a beacon. Even though I'd cleared a 2-square perimeter around the tree, the fire "crowned" from one tree to the next, spreading like...well, like wildfire. :) I managed to smash down enough leaves to create a makeshift firebreak, thereby saving half of the forest, but the other half completely burned down, with eternally burning floating logs everywhere.

It actually looks pretty damn cool. :cool:

tr0psn4j

10-19-2010, 02:56 PM

I don't understand how people can build houses out of wood, though -- wood has so many other invaluable uses, esp. building tools & weapons, that I never have enough left over for building structures with (never mind the fire hazard!)

I am not only building myself a house out of wood, I am using the trunks instead of the planks. Love how it looks but the second floor is taking a bit too long to build.

On an unrelated note, I was relocating all of my iron, gold, and diamonds from my mine to my house and I saw a coal tile. I HAD to grab it but it turned out to be right next to some lava which I accidentally fell into. Almost made me quit the game!

fuzzypickles

10-20-2010, 05:09 PM

On an unrelated note, I was relocating all of my iron, gold, and diamonds from my mine to my house and I saw a coal tile. I HAD to grab it but it turned out to be right next to some lava which I accidentally fell into. Almost made me quit the game!
Ouch...well, that's yet another example of why this game needs a Quicksave feature...

In fact -- THIS IS IMPORTANT -- this morning, the power went out while playing Minecraft, and after it was restored, to my horror the game had DELETED MY ENTIRE WORLD!! Thank goodness, I had just backed up my saves the night before, so I only lost 6-8 hours of play...but I did confirm on the Minecraft Forums that yes, this is a known issue, and not an occasional one either. Unfortunately it probably won't get fixed until Beta...

So a word of warning to everyone: BACK UP YOUR WORLDS!! You will be glad you did so!

tr0psn4j

10-20-2010, 05:28 PM

Well, the way I understood it is that it's saving constantly. Unfortunately, it saves after your catastrophe.

There have been times where I've died but have been able to go back and retrieve everything I had on me. That time, though, everything burned up I think. After finding a few more diamonds two days (IRL days, not in-game days), I got killed by a huge Slime Blob Block Thing loosing all my good tools and materials.

dzeiger

10-20-2010, 08:33 PM

Saves are weird. I was playing on my laptop when away from home, and the game randomly freezes with a black screen. When I reload, I find that while I'm in the exact same place I was when it froze, but recent torches I've placed aren't there--a real pain when in the middle of exploring a large cave system.

Even stranger, on one occasion, it froze right after I mined some minerals, and when I restarted, I still had the ore in my inventory, and it was back on the cave wall.

VanillaGorilla

10-21-2010, 02:22 AM

Ouch...well, that's yet another example of why this game needs a Quicksave feature...

I don't know, knowing that there is a risk that you may lose all that you are carrying makes it a bit more interesting to play, IMO.

fuzzypickles

10-21-2010, 09:07 AM

I don't know, knowing that there is a risk that you may lose all that you are carrying makes it a bit more interesting to play, IMO.
It does make the experience a bit more intense, yes.

Even so, it would be nice to have a way of easily recovering an earlier savestate if you *really* screw things up royally. I can live with losing all my equipment...but accidentally destroying one of my artistic projects (e.g. a delicate water statue I'd spent hours building) is a case where I definitely would have restored from a quicksave, if it were possible. (I did have a manual backup, but it was more than 12 hours old, so I didn't bother with it.)

Der Trihs

10-25-2010, 05:50 PM

Just got the game a few days ago.

First world: I spawned on a smallish island, with nothing nearby but more small islands. I fooled around a little getting used to the controls, beat up some trees, then dug a hole to hide in for the night. A little "L" shaped hole, with an opening so I could see if it was day again. While waiting and listening to the creepy noises I figured out how to make sticks, and then went to the crafting section on the wiki to figure out how to make tools and weapons. The next day I made a crafting bench, made a wooden sword and pick and explored some more. I found little of interest, mostly water and sand. I tried a little mining but outside of stone to make better tools and weapons got nothing. After another night in my little hole I tried mining some more, but lacking coal to make torches I couldn't see too well, and managed to dig a hole straight down into a cave with zombies in it. Fell in and got eaten, losing what little I'd collected. Okay....

World 2: Ah, much more interesting. I spawned on the shoreline of a good sized landmass. Ran around a little, and came upon a flattish area in front of a large hill, much more promising than the last time. I dug up the earth a bit to flatten it more and made a small dirt enclosure for the night; two blocks high. Ran around punching trees for wood and looked around. During the night I made a crafting bench, a chest, and tools in my micro-fort. Did some exploratory mining in the hill the next day, and struck coal right off. After another night making a furnace, torches and stone tools I went back and dug more. I made quite the warren that day and the next, which came to an end when three creepers invaded the mine. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! I got most of my stuff back, but the mine was a mess.

For my next project I stocked up on picks and torches and dug a diagonal mineshaft downwards, deeper and deeper and deeper. I found lots of good stuff; iron, and when I came back after restocking and with and iron pick I found redstone, more iron and diamond. I also reached bedrock, and started digging tunnels sideways. After striking lava for the first time I got fried; I put up a sign at the entrance announcing "Dug-Too-Deep Mine, Beware of Balrogs".

In between trips, I'd expanded my fort; I'd flattened more land, and over two nights built a larger fort with stone walls, torches on the corners and inside and a real door, as well as a dirt lookout-tower in the middle topped with a torch. Deciding to branch out, I built a stone stairway from inside my fort to the top of the nearest hill, flattened and walled it in. I'm experimenting with farming there now.

I built a walled pathway to the smaller nearest hilltop, where I have my latest project; a large multifloor tower, with glass windows and everything. Which has gone well, barring the time a creeper blew out much of the first floor and killed me again. On the other hand fighting spiders in the process got me enough string to make a bow, so the fighting is much easier now.

I've also been improving my lower fort; replaced the dirt central lookout with a taller stone one, partially paved the inside. I also built a stone enclosure I intend to put lava in at some point, and a small pool. I'm also digging out the sand around the fort to make windows and am considering a moat; I managed to dig into the underside of my pool and have flowing water over some of the bottom of the trench at least. I've yet to even dip into making anything out of redstone but a compass. I did that after exploring a little and getting lost for two days; since I was carrying an iron bucket and pick I didn't want to just die and respawn. I did come across a really cool looking crater lake in the process though.

So far I like it. It makes me think of legos with monsters.

Jragon

10-25-2010, 06:35 PM

I was playing Minecraft with my girlfriend and we stumbled upon an absolutely massive cave system, ended up dying by creeper, and quitting in frustration.

Today I decided I wanted to explore the cave, but I was feeling relaxive so I shoved it on peaceful. like a pansy The massive cave system is RIDICULOUSLY massive, I spent an hour and no less than three stacks of torches, mining no cobblestone, but only iron (I lost all my iron picks when I died). I came out with one and a half stacks of iron after GIVING UP. Every time I mined some iron or turned another corner I started to scream "oh, come on!" because invariably there'd be another fork or another mini-cave. I STILL haven't explored this cave system fully. All I can say is that this would have been nigh impossible if it wasn't on peaceful, even the small room I died in had 5-6 mobs who presumably wandered in from various parts of the cave. I can't imagine how many swords I would've gone through fighting everything there. I eventually gave up and turned back when I found a giant pit. The weird thing is, I started this network after digging down from the bottom of the natural shear shaft near my base. I'm incredibly surprised I haven't hit bedrock yet.

In all of the videos I've watched I've never seen a cave network so big, this one is rooms upon rooms upon rooms, and I didn't even get to mine half the ore because I was stuck with stone picks. On the plus side, I finally found some diamond!

fuzzypickles

10-25-2010, 08:00 PM

The massive cave system is RIDICULOUSLY massive, I spent an hour and no less than three stacks of torches, mining no cobblestone, but only iron (I lost all my iron picks when I died). I came out with one and a half stacks of iron after GIVING UP. Every time I mined some iron or turned another corner I started to scream "oh, come on!" because invariably there'd be another fork or another mini-cave. I STILL haven't explored this cave system fully.
My own Big Scary Cave system took three very long sessions to clear out, and it's still not completely spawnbusted yet. (In fact, the whole cave is currently off-limits due to environmental hazards, despite being 90% lit up.) Be thankful you didn't get so lost that you had to dig a new passage out -- that's happened to me quite a few times.

All I can say is that this would have been nigh impossible if it wasn't on peaceful, even the small room I died in had 5-6 mobs who presumably wandered in from various parts of the cave. I can't imagine how many swords I would've gone through fighting everything there.
Bow & arrow is your friend. :)

I'm incredibly surprised I haven't hit bedrock yet.
The best way to reach bedrock is to dig your own secure mineshaft. Find some good solid rock, and start digging down at an angle. Eventually you'll hit bedrock, which is easy to spot since it's a block you can't destroy with any tool. (Watch out for lava, of course!)

So far I like it. It makes me think of legos with monsters.
Ain't that the truth? ;)

Der Trihs

10-25-2010, 08:29 PM

Eventually you'll hit bedrock, which is easy to spot since it's a block you can't destroy with any tool. (Watch out for lava, of course!)I keep some rock in the first quickslot and avoid mining anything too close to me; if I strike lava I back up, hit "1" and start spamming blocks until it's dammed. So far I've avoided getting fried since the first time.

fuzzypickles

10-25-2010, 09:03 PM

I keep some rock in the first quickslot and avoid mining anything too close to me; if I strike lava I back up, hit "1" and start spamming blocks until it's dammed. So far I've avoided getting fried since the first time.
Good advice. I do the same thing, except I use glass instead of rock.

Jragon

10-25-2010, 10:40 PM

Bow & arrow is your friend. :)

Yeah, I had one, but I had like 3 stacks of arrows and there were so many mobs I ran out and HAD to use swords.

The best way to reach bedrock is to dig your own secure mineshaft. Find some good solid rock, and start digging down at an angle. Eventually you'll hit bedrock, which is easy to spot since it's a block you can't destroy with any tool. (Watch out for lava, of course!)

Oh, of course, I know, I was just saying I was pretty deep down and was surprised I wan't at the bedrock layer yet naturally.

wayward

10-26-2010, 04:36 AM

I've found the best way of avoiding death-by-lava is to carry a bucket of water in the toolbar. Then even if you land in a pool of lava you can right-click with the bucket and flood the area, turning flowing lava to cobblestone and source blocks to obsidian. Sometimes the water is consumed so it's a good idea to carry an extra two buckets full, then you can make an infinite spring to refill.

The other important thing to remember when exploring underground is take lots of wood! It's trivial to gather in large quantities on the surface but impossible to find naturally underground and absolutely vital for making tools, torches, and boxes to let you carry on your exploration.

Lightnin'

10-26-2010, 07:28 AM

The other important thing to remember when exploring underground is take lots of wood! It's trivial to gather in large quantities on the surface but impossible to find naturally underground and absolutely vital for making tools, torches, and boxes to let you carry on your exploration.

Take saplings, and maybe some dirt. Trees grow perfectly fine underground- all they need is a torch nearby and a good amount of space above.

I found one of those massive caves, and after my second trip back up to the top to get wood, I wised up and just moved my wood source underground.

Unfortunately, grass is a lot harder to grow underground- it can only spread from other grass tiles. And since animals only spawn on grass tiles, it can be really hard to have a full farm.

tr0psn4j

10-26-2010, 11:40 AM

I grew a tree with a 2x2 trunk but I have no idea how I did it.

GameHat

10-26-2010, 08:45 PM

God, this game is cool.

I just got it a few nights ago. I'd watched a few youtube vids so had a very basic handle on the game.

That said - my first world, I kept going further and further from the little pathetic hole I'd dug into the side of a mountain. Somehow had neglected to gather any coal. Then I see the sun going down. :confused:

I race back, and wall myself into to this pathetic little crevice. By the time I place the last block (only 1 high) I hear the zombies grunting. I have no torches. And I've dug far enough in (and I don't know the game mechanics well enough yet) so I'm worried a mob could spawn in the back of my pitch-black refuge.

I'll admit I'm a total wuss for scary games. Spending that terrifying first night - hearing zombies all around me, warily probing the back of my pitch black cave every few seconds, hoping desperately for the sun to come up - that was one of the most memorable gaming experiences I've ever had. I was on edge the whole time. Had to alt-tab more than once just to catch a breath.

Can't wait for the Halloween update!

GSV Consolation of Dreams

10-27-2010, 02:27 AM

This thing is pure gaming crack. Takes me back to the days when I'd play Ultima Underworld in turns with my little brother. Minding your own business in a cave and suddenly you hear the tinkle of skeleton bones... awesome.

Gamehat, I don't think mobs can spawn in the four blocks directly adjacent to you, no matter the light level. Here's (http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=40917) some "research" from the minecraft forums to back me up.

Luckily for me, my spawn point was directly in front of a hill so I just dug in after harvesting wood for a workbench, axe, pick and shovel. Luckily found some coal exposed on a nearby cliff-face. There's a massive pinnacle of earth and rock above the base that I've lit up on all sides to provide a beacon in case I get lost... again.

I also lit up the path from the respawn point to my front door, so I can find home easily if I get killed down below at night.

I'm currently exploring a massive cave system I broke into from my second base. I've got loads of coal, but iron ore is proving elusive and I haven't got deep enough for diamond yet. So many branches and overhead galleries that I haven't been able to light up yet; there could be anything down there...

Next I'm going to pave the route from home base to the second base somehow, or just make a really long connecting tunnel.

fuzzypickles

10-27-2010, 09:47 AM

This thing is pure gaming crack. Takes me back to the days when I'd play Ultima Underworld in turns with my little brother. Minding your own business in a cave and suddenly you hear the tinkle of skeleton bones... awesome.
I've been telling people that a single massive cave system in Minecraft is approx. the same size as the entire Stygian Abyss. It's probably not that large (although it certainly feels that way!) but after scanning my map with Minutor (http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=40919&hilit=minutor), I've discovered that not only is my Big Scary Cave only 1/3 explored, but there's another even LARGER cave system on the other side of my island! Between them, there's enough solid rock to carve out a full-scale replica of the Abyss, every Ultima dungeon, most of the Elder Scrolls dungeons, and every Doom/Heretic/Quake level...and that's on a relatively small (4.0mb) save game. So yeah, this game totally rocks. :cool:

Gamehat, I don't think mobs can spawn in the four blocks directly adjacent to you, no matter the light level. Here's (http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=40917) some "research" from the minecraft forums to back me up.

Luckily for me, my spawn point was directly in front of a hill so I just dug in after harvesting wood for a workbench, axe, pick and shovel. Luckily found some coal exposed on a nearby cliff-face. There's a massive pinnacle of earth and rock above the base that I've lit up on all sides to provide a beacon in case I get lost... again.

I also lit up the path from the respawn point to my front door, so I can find home easily if I get killed down below at night.
Mobs can't spawn within 24 blocks of you, nor can they spawn within 24 blocks of your spawn point, whether you are close to it or not (to prevent you from getting completely pwn3d by mobs if you die & restart in the dead of night, presumably.)

I've stocked an emergency resupply crate right next to my spawn point, just in case I die in the wilderness (again!) and need to quickly retrieve all my stuff from a hostile area (again!) My spawn point's actually in the dead center of my main fortress, I got very lucky in that regard.

Can't wait for the Halloween update!
Yeah, can't wait for zombies & creepers to spawn within my brightly lit, bedrock-level diamond mine... :rolleyes: The other changes look really cool, though -- can't wait to try fishing!

Lightnin'

10-27-2010, 10:29 AM

On a somewhat similar note. (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/gc-10-from-dust/703081) This is yet another game I can't wait to play around with.

Seriously, watch the video. All sorts of coolness there, in the vein of Minecraft.

GameHat

10-27-2010, 08:38 PM

Mobs can't spawn within 24 blocks of you, nor can they spawn within 24 blocks of your spawn point, whether you are close to it or not (to prevent you from getting completely pwn3d by mobs if you die & restart in the dead of night, presumably.)

Thanks for the info! In my "huddled in a cave" game, a lot of the tension came simply from me not knowing the game. And that's kind of a good thing. It's fun to discover - and be scared.

That said, is there a good Minecraft strategy site? There's like one million sites on a simple google search that give you simply crafting recipes; I'd like to find a site that shares game mechanics, design examples, and strategy. Minepedia (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Main_Page) ain't there yet.

RandMcnally

10-27-2010, 08:48 PM

fuzzypickles

10-27-2010, 09:41 PM

That said, is there a good Minecraft strategy site? Minepedia (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Main_Page) ain't there yet.
Not that I know of, but give it time...after all, this game was virtually unknown until a few months ago.

Unfortunately, my island is huge and I am so very, very lost. I've been wondering around for around two days trying to find my home base again. Oh well...
If worst comes to worst, you can always kill yourself...
Or you can mine for some iron & redstone and make a compass.

Snarky_Kong

10-27-2010, 09:52 PM

Within an hour of playing I had a diamond sword and pick, three stacks of coal, two stacks of red dust, gold,hmmm, that's about it.

I'm a little disappointed. I did get lost in that humongo cave though. Then I drowned under some ice. Water is a bitch to get out of. I think I retrieved everything from under the ice shelf though.

tr0psn4j

10-27-2010, 09:59 PM

I just got the game, based on the threads here, and I'm enjoying it so far.

Unfortunately, my island is huge and I am so very, very lost. I've been wondering around for around two days trying to find my home base again. Oh well...

Automap will map your world for you so you can find your way home. Cartograph is another program that does it.

Jragon

10-27-2010, 10:09 PM

Automap will map your world for you so you can find your way home. Cartograph is another program that does it.

Is automap better? I could barely make heads or tails of cartograph's output. Sometimes "oh, that's what it looks like" was kinda cool, but cave view was just unreadable entirely.

tr0psn4j

10-27-2010, 11:36 PM

Is automap better? I could barely make heads or tails of cartograph's output. Sometimes "oh, that's what it looks like" was kinda cool, but cave view was just unreadable entirely.

Yes. Automap is what I use when I get in trouble. It gives you real time updates of your location so you can use it as a GPS.

fuzzypickles

10-27-2010, 11:57 PM

Within an hour of playing I had a diamond sword and pick, three stacks of coal, two stacks of red dust, gold,hmmm, that's about it.
Dug a hole straight down to the bottom of the earth, did ya? Always handsomely profitable. :cool:

Then I drowned under some ice. Water is a bitch to get out of.
Press & hold the Jump key to swim against the current. (Took me forever -- and several drownings -- to figure that out!)

I could barely make heads or tails of cartograph's output. Sometimes "oh, that's what it looks like" was kinda cool, but cave view was just unreadable entirely.
Cartograph is awesome for generating a map of your topside world. (Try "Oblique Angle" + "Rotate" + "Ignore Water" + Night = amazing!) It's useless for caves, though. For that, and finding elusive resources, I'd recommend Minutor (http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=40919&hilit=minutor).

Jragon

10-29-2010, 03:17 AM

So today I explored a little more, got my first diamond pick, mined a stack of obsidian for Halloween hell gates (took for-bleeding-ever) and then I decided what better place to put a hell gate than on a sky island? Now, this is prolly dumb since I may just freefall as soon as I get into Hell, but hey, why not try!? So I spent about two hours carving out the mountain I built my base into and then build a working fortess on the top. Out one end what was a sheer drop near a tiny (maybe 8x8) sky island with a tree on it.

I've done some pretty nice stuff with it, expanded it really far for one. The most difficult thing you can do is make it look natural, I've wasted a lot of dirt which fell to the lower levels jumping down to lower blocks to give that "reverse mountain" look sky islands have in fiction rather than just have a flat plane I built on. I was originally planning to have it be thick enough to have a "core" I could put my gate in, some "ruins" that lead into it, and a garden with trees and water. However, I'm running out of dirt, And we're talking at least 10 stacks of dirt. It's also starting to look rather large and the more you increase the size the more dirt you use for each "improvement" since you have more area to smooth out.

I plan on finishing it out as best I can, and then placing my gate with some flavorful cobblestone (oh, and I used a lot of my cobblestone building my fort), mossy cobblestone, and maybe some extra obsidian wherever I feel is the best looking. This is very difficult, and I'm actually rather impressed on how it's turning out, I wasn't sure I could make it look not awkward, but so far the only weird thing about it is how close it is to the mountain, and that will change once I kill the land bridge and the first couple rows of dirt and replace it with my final glass bridge. I'm really excited for this project despite the fact that I'm losing almost all my "trivial" resources in the process (hey, I only really need one stack of dirt for exploring, everything else is just fluff).

I'll try and post some pictures once I'm done, I'm collecting some working ones as I go.

fuzzypickles

10-29-2010, 10:37 AM

So today I explored a little more, got my first diamond pick, mined a stack of obsidian for Halloween hell gates (took for-bleeding-ever) and then I decided what better place to put a hell gate than on a sky island? Now, this is prolly dumb since I may just freefall as soon as I get into Hell, but hey, why not try!? So I spent about two hours carving out the mountain I built my base into and then build a working fortess on the top. Out one end what was a sheer drop near a tiny (maybe 8x8) sky island with a tree on it.

I've done some pretty nice stuff with it, expanded it really far for one. The most difficult thing you can do is make it look natural, I've wasted a lot of dirt which fell to the lower levels jumping down to lower blocks to give that "reverse mountain" look sky islands have in fiction rather than just have a flat plane I built on. I was originally planning to have it be thick enough to have a "core" I could put my gate in, some "ruins" that lead into it, and a garden with trees and water. However, I'm running out of dirt, And we're talking at least 10 stacks of dirt.
How on earth did you run out of DIRT?!? Did you start in a giant gravel quarry, or something? ;)

I haven't decided where to build my Hell-Gate yet. In fact, I'm not that thrilled about the upcoming patch, to be honest -- fast travel is a nice option, but why must I battle fire-breathing ghasts to get there? (And don't even get me started on torches being replaced by lanterns...)

I hope a future update adds a "Heaven" realm, which allows for fast-travel over even greater distances, but is entirely peaceful. (Imagine a realm filled with white fluffy clouds, with baa'ing & moo'ing livestock everywhere...) Naturally, it should be extremely difficult to get there, perhaps requiring a gate made from 14 diamond blocks or the like.

Jragon

10-29-2010, 12:08 PM

How on earth did you run out of DIRT?!? Did you start in a giant gravel quarry, or something? ;)

I haven't decided where to build my Hell-Gate yet. In fact, I'm not that thrilled about the upcoming patch, to be honest -- fast travel is a nice option, but why must I battle fire-breathing ghasts to get there? (And don't even get me started on torches being replaced by lanterns...)

I hope a future update adds a "Heaven" realm, which allows for fast-travel over even greater distances, but is entirely peaceful. (Imagine a realm filled with white fluffy clouds, with baa'ing & moo'ing livestock everywhere...) Naturally, it should be extremely difficult to get there, perhaps requiring a gate made from 14 diamond blocks or the like.

I had like, a quarter of a chest (conservative estimate) filled with dirt. And now you know how much it takes to make a floating landmass. :P

I'm also a little disappointed about the lanterns. I just hope they won't be unreasonable, like Torch + Glass + Steel Bar + Cloth or something

fuzzypickles

10-29-2010, 12:37 PM

I had like, a quarter of a chest (conservative estimate) filled with dirt. And now you know how much it takes to make a floating landmass. :P
That must be one hell of an island, if you ran short of dirt making it. Can't wait to see pics.

I'm also a little disappointed about the lanterns. I just hope they won't be unreasonable, like Torch + Glass + Steel Bar + Cloth or something
There's a bunch of people on the MC Forums who are convinced lanterns will require flaming blocks only found in "Hell", based entirely on a tweet by Notch (the game designer.) It was a joke, of course, but some people not only believe it, they are convinced it would be a good thing! :rolleyes:

However, I'm concerned they may require iron, which would render lanterns too expensive to make in any reasonable quantities. Especially if you play like I do -- I've placed over 4,000 torches just for spawnbusting, including the areas I rarely visit. I don't think I've found more than 200 iron since I started playing.

Jragon

10-29-2010, 12:59 PM

fuzzypickles

10-29-2010, 01:55 PM

The PC Gamer article linked on Notch's Blog says that the Ghasts are pretty rare and aren't very good at aiming so you can avoid them pretty easily, and a few times none even showed up.

The block from hell appears like it would actually be a good idea, the flaming rock only takes one hit to pop with a diamond pick, so you could get a stack of that stuff and jump back to the safe side without even having to worry too much about dying.
What if you don't have a diamond pick, though? I have one, but it took forever to mine enough diamonds to craft it. (I don't ever carry it with me, either -- it's sole use is for mining obsidian.) BTW, diamond shovels rock. :cool:

As for ghasts, if they're as rare as slimes, it's unlikely that I'll ever meet one...

I'm still a little worried about lanterns, ESPECIALLY with the new "the lower you go the [more light] you need" mechanic though. [fixed to reflect what I presume you meant...snerk.]
Yeah, that part is really gonna be a problem...it makes perfect sense for dark monster caverns, but mobs should NOT spawn in a bedrock-level mine I dug myself! I'm preparing by spamming torches all over my diamond mines, no less than 4 spaces apart...but if that's not enough to prevent spawns, I'll probably go postal or something.

Lightnin'

10-29-2010, 03:21 PM

Jragon

10-29-2010, 05:25 PM

When I first go into Hell, I am so going to go in there with a bunch of rock blocks- so I can build a nice, safe tunnel around me to wherever I want my exit point to be. I like the idea of extra-dimensional fast travel, but I don't like there being monsters when I do it.

And for the record, I hate the idea of monsters spawning in brighter areas as you go deeper down.

I don't think that'll work, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I'm 99% certain that monsters in the Slip can spawn in any arbitrary location. If you're really that worried you may as well turn it to peaceful any time you go through the gate.

Besides, 16 blocks for every 1 is a LOT. Even if 6 ghasts happen to spawn due to Sod's law, keep in mind that going a mere 64 blocks will bring you 1024 away. That means that if you consider each block a yard, a mere 110 (not "short" but not exactly a tall order) blocks is mile. I'm pretty sure I could survive anything short of a wall of creepers with skellies on some ramparts around me if I only had to move 32 blocks to be rid of the danger and be far enough to likely be entirely out of sight of my start point.

Though going through the Slip raises some interesting conundrums. I almost want to test the following:

You have two gates, two spaces apart. Hell only exists one in every 16, how does this translate? Will it glompf the gates into one? Which one do you exit from if that's true?

16 blocks away is a filled in hill, you make a gate from the Slip and exit. What happens? Is the Slip a mapping of the real worlds? How does this mapping work? Is there a block in 16 squares if there's a block 16 squares in the real world? Is each block defined by a "contraction" i.e. how many/what type of blocks exist there in the 16x16x16 box represented by the space? What if you place or remove a block in The Slip and build a gate there? Will a 16x16 block suddenly appear out of nowhere in the real world, or 16x16 be destroyed if you remove it?

There's a lot of stuff you can test here, I imagine all of it will end up being pretty boring, like the gate simply choosing the nearest available surface in the real world and such, but it makes me curious.

Jragon

10-29-2010, 05:41 PM

I don't think that'll work, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I'm 99% certain that monsters in the Slip can spawn in any arbitrary location. If you're really that worried you may as well turn it to peaceful any time you go through the gate.

Oh, I forgot, ghasts also destroy blocks they hit, so your wall will be useless if they can sense you and fire at you without seeing you.

Lightnin'

10-29-2010, 06:22 PM

Oh, I forgot, ghasts also destroy blocks they hit, so your wall will be useless if they can sense you and fire at you without seeing you.

None of the existing monsters will attack through walls- not even Creepers, which is kind of a shame. They can sense you, but they won't attack until they can directly reach you.

Jragon

10-29-2010, 07:18 PM

None of the existing monsters will attack through walls- not even Creepers, which is kind of a shame. They can sense you, but they won't attack until they can directly reach you.

Creepers explode if they get within a block of you, which having a block between you prevent. Skeletons don't do it because they can't hit you anyway. We've never had a mob who can attack "through" walls like this at range (i.e. doesn't trigger by being next to you). Doesn't mean you're not right, of course, but I think it's a foreseeable possibility that they'll attack through walls.

In other news... Angel Island (named in honor of the Sonic games) is done! I think it turned out much more impressive than I expected it to be. I ended up with about 4 stacks of leftover dirt (which may sound like a lot, but go ahead and count how many above for you have. I wasted a lot). It took a lot of effort to get looking JUST right, but I got it just right. There are a few things that may be added or changed later, but for now I'm very happy with the results.

Photobucket album of pics. Only 12 of them, but they should get the feel across nicely:
http://s410.photobucket.com/albums/pp183/Jragonmiris/Minecraft%20Angel%20Island/?action=view&current=AngelIsland-1.png

ETA: Some of them are under construction photos, which ones they are should be obvious, but not everything you see is what ended up being in the final state. I logged on today to finish it and thought "why did I go all the way down again?" I managed to make it look natural enough that it fooled me! I gave myself a pat on the back, which I rarely do.

fuzzypickles

10-29-2010, 10:41 PM

Photobucket album of pics. Only 12 of them, but they should get the feel across nicely:
http://s410.photobucket.com/albums/pp183/Jragonmiris/Minecraft%20Angel%20Island/?action=view&current=AngelIsland-1.png
Nice pictures, hope to see more.

Tonight I spent several hours down in my bedrock-level mine, adding more torches to prevent post-update spawns. Turns out that I'd accidentally dug several "branches" in the wrong place, so I had to tear down half the mine and start over! :smack:

The mine's turning a nice profit, but I'm still woefully short on iron...I have more GOLD than iron right now!

In one of the deepest shafts I could hear a skeleton just beyond the wall...followed by the "tssssss" of him falling into lava. That was satisfying. :D

dzeiger

10-29-2010, 11:28 PM

I've had an amusing couple of days in Minecraft.

I was making one of those canal systems for gathering pigs/cows/etc and dumping them into a lava machine. Was doing OK, but I realized that my collection point was just under the surface, so if I stood there to collect, the 24-block no-spawn zone would take out a chunk of useable area.

So I was extending the collection canal sending it both down and away. I was standing in the water while doing it, which means when I was dropping a level, I was mining directly below.

Yeah, I should know better.

Amusingly, since I was in the water, it came with me, which broke my fall. So I swam back up--and promptly blocked the water flow forgetting that there's not actually anything under me. Ouch.

Bizarre area--where I got dumped wasn't all that big, but I went and grabbed some coal in the floor, and promptly opened into a second cave right beneath it. And when looking around that area, I mined some iron in the wall and broke into a third cave--this one including the biggest lava pool I've ever seen outside of the Hell videos (great, I find massive amounts of lava source blocks two days before we get a near-infinite supply).

Very strange area--multiple caves all separated by really thin walls/floors, and very mineral rich--I wasn't set up to really go mining, but a lot of gold/diamond ore in plain sight, and I grabbed over 2 stacks of iron just casually looking around.

But now I have a nice waterfall drop for my collector, easily below the 24-block radius to the surface.

fuzzypickles

10-30-2010, 01:03 AM

Bizarre area--where I got dumped wasn't all that big, but I went and grabbed some coal in the floor, and promptly opened into a second cave right beneath it. And when looking around that area, I mined some iron in the wall and broke into a third cave--this one including the biggest lava pool I've ever seen outside of the Hell videos (great, I find massive amounts of lava source blocks two days before we get a near-infinite supply).

Very strange area--multiple caves all separated by really thin walls/floors, and very mineral rich--I wasn't set up to really go mining, but a lot of gold/diamond ore in plain sight, and I grabbed over 2 stacks of iron just casually looking around.
No mobs?

tr0psn4j

10-30-2010, 01:17 AM

A cattle and monster farm are on my list of things to do.

I want to build a hobbit hole too but I can't really craft a round door. :(

I never get around to doing any mining so I'm short on iron and diamond.

Then there's obsidian, which I'm not really clear on how to get. I tried mixing water with lava, but all I got was regular stone.

Palooka

10-30-2010, 02:04 AM

MineCraft and the round door comment reminds me of all the fun I had with the Build engine way back in the day. Sure, the possibilities with modern engines are greater, but all of the complexity necessary for that removes a lot of the accessibility and thereby the fun.

Jragon

10-30-2010, 03:50 AM

Then there's obsidian, which I'm not really clear on how to get. I tried mixing water with lava, but all I got was regular stone.

I was confused by this at first as well. To get obsidian it's not water + lava. It's water (running or still) + lava SOURCE block*. Running lava only gives you cobblestone, as you discovered. As such, making an obsidian farm is basically useless. Minecraft wiki tells you how to do it with a 7 or 8 block trough, but if you're gonna bother to get 8 lava source blocks in a bucket you may as as well save yourself the time and/or iron and just drop a bucket of water NEXT TO (not on, or you'll lose the water) a lava lake in a mine or cave. Remember that obsidian requires a diamond pick, and that it takes 25-30 second to mine one block, so don't give up halfway through because you think it's not working.

* Sidenote: You may, at this point, get the idea to create an "infinite lava spring" like you do with that 2x2 pool of water. Unfortunately, there is a finite amount of lava sources in each chunk, there are no mechanics for an "ocean" of lava (as of the current, pre-Halloween version, this may change to make Hell easier to generate). Therefore dropping any combination of any amount of lava in any pattern will never give you more potential obsidian than you started with (though there used to be a bug involving vertical streams, but it was unconfirmed). I guess you could make a cobblestone factory, but if you can't find any cobblestone, you're probably doing it wrong.

fuzzypickles

10-30-2010, 06:24 AM

I guess you could make a cobblestone factory, but if you can't find any cobblestone, you're probably doing it wrong.
...says the person who ran out of DIRT, fer crimeny's sake. :D

Tonight I started work on a new branch mine, inside the mountain where I plan to build my glass/lava tower someday. (I named it Glass Mountain, which became appropriate after placing dozens of windows where the branch tunnels met air.) The mountain yielded its riches, and in just a few hours I'd mined 200+ coal and over 50 IRON...finally, I can get started on my minecart network! Oh, and I'm also officially set for life regarding torches lanterns. :cool:

Der Trihs

10-30-2010, 12:40 PM

Yesterday I roofed over an area with glass and dug a wide, deep shaft with a 2-block wide ramp winding down the rim. Standing at the bottom and seeing that circle of daylight waaay up there is cool.

I'd already dug my way into a natural cave system at the bottom, cleared the nearest part, installed some doors, and set it up as a secondary workshop/storage space. I went exploring the rest of the cavern today, or at least a good sized area of it. After a time I worked my way down to a good sized region that was a series of interconnected caverns filled with waterfalls and lava; rather cool. Also mineral rich; I got quite a bit of iron & gold, gobs of coal and even some diamond.

I had an amusing stroke of good luck when I set out to get obsidian for a Hellgate from those lava & water caves. My first try just turned some lava to cobblestone; I dug it out of the way and surprise! Out pops another waterfall. It flowed over the lava and extinguished it; when I put a stone block down to shut the water off I discovered I now had 30 blocks worth of obsidian, mostly by accident.

fuzzypickles

10-30-2010, 03:00 PM

A heads up for everyone:

(1) The Halloween Update is being released just before midnight, Swedish time, which for USA'ians means this afternoon or later tonight (10/30).
(2) The update will NOT break any current saves, but you should make backups JIC.
(3) Biomes are in, but will only work with newly generated chunks.
(4) Fishing is in (hooray!)
(5) The much maligned torch/lantern change will most likely NOT be in the patch -- Notch hasn't had time to finish it yet. It's coming someday, though.
(6) Pumpkins may or may not make it in time (too bad, since it's a Halloween patch...)
(7) Can't think of what to say here, but I had to write something since 7 is my favorite number. :)

More info:
http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=1016&t=56584

Der Trihs

10-30-2010, 03:58 PM

It updated...

Randy Seltzer

10-30-2010, 05:31 PM

Well, I built my portal and immediately got pwned.

fuzzypickles

10-30-2010, 05:35 PM

It updated...
Hmm...according to Notch's Twitter (http://twitter.com/notch), there's a few major bugs:
# I need to go sleep now. I will migrate the server ASAP, and fix the inventory/death bug.
less than 20 seconds ago via web

# There are a couple of bugs, of course. I've updated both the client and the server to fix two big ones.
2 minutes ago via web
Does anyone know what he's talking about? The Minecraft Forums are too busy to access at the moment...

fuzzypickles

10-30-2010, 05:46 PM

Does anyone know what he's talking about? The Minecraft Forums are too busy to access at the moment...
Answering my own post...

Apparently, if you die, you LOSE ALL YOUR STUFF. That's the bug.
Looks like I'm gonna play offline for a few days. :D

Randy Seltzer

10-30-2010, 05:52 PM

Answering my own post...

Apparently, if you die, you LOSE ALL YOUR STUFF. That's the bug.
Looks like I'm gonna play offline for a few days. :DFor what it's worth, downloaded the update just now and played for 10 minutes. I died (several times) upon reaching Hell, and upon respawning, my stuff was all still safe and sound in my storage boxes. I still haven't figured out how to stay alive for more than 30 seconds in the Hell universe though. Those jellyfish things are pretty tough.

fuzzypickles

10-30-2010, 05:55 PM

I died (several times) upon reaching Hell, and upon respawning, my stuff was all still safe and sound in my storage boxes.
The stuff in your inventory is what you lose...that's what I meant to say. :smack:

Randy Seltzer

10-30-2010, 06:09 PM

The stuff in your inventory is what you lose...that's what I meant to say. :smack:Oh. Well yeah: I lost everything in my inventory, just like I always do when I die. And when I went back to the hell dimension, it was gone. I.e. not floating around in the area where I'd died. I assumed this is because your stuff always disappears if you travel too far from it, and another dimension is altogether too far. Fortunately, I brought almost nothing to the hell dimension on my first trip -- just a few stone tools and a couple dozen torches.

Maybe I'll experiment with dying near my spawn point, and seeing whether my drops are still there...

Randy Seltzer

10-30-2010, 06:22 PM

dzeiger

10-30-2010, 10:59 PM

Not sure if it's a bug or not, but I built a portal, looked around for a bit, then returned--to find myself in a different area of the world--the game constructed a new return portal for me. Either one of my aboveground portals went to the one in the Nether, but taking the one in the Nether back only took me to the second one.

My best guess is that maybe the code to create the Nether portal generated the terrain first, then found that the portal would have been made in an illegal place, so moved it to the nearest legal space, which then would change the overworld destination.

Which is annoying, since it created the new portal smack in the middle of my animal canal farm, not the place I really want a "chance of a ghast spawning."

I'm a mostly-peaceful player anyway, but there's no way in hell I'm going to turn mobs on with portals going where I don't want them and full inventory-loss on death.

Jragon

10-31-2010, 07:34 PM

Confirmed it. You currently do not drop your inventory when you die: it just disappears.

However, on another one of my worlds, I died before the update, downloaded the update, and then signed back on. After respawning, all my items had dropped in the area of my death. So this bug only applies to deaths that occur after the update.

It seems like it may be fixed now, I installed a fresh minecraft on my mom's computer and used an imported save. I died after exploring the Nether for a little and my stuff flied out of my body as normal.

Not sure if it's a bug or not, but I built a portal, looked around for a bit, then returned--to find myself in a different area of the world--the game constructed a new return portal for me. Either one of my aboveground portals went to the one in the Nether, but taking the one in the Nether back only took me to the second one.

My best guess is that maybe the code to create the Nether portal generated the terrain first, then found that the portal would have been made in an illegal place, so moved it to the nearest legal space, which then would change the overworld destination.

The world generation seems to be semi-random. On two different instances of the same save I got different hells, but with similar features. For instance, in both of them I was on land very far from the ground, and they both had a large pit of lava in a similar place in the distance and further, they both had a lava waterfall almost right next to the gate. However, it was noticeably, definitely different.

Though I had the same gate issue as you, exiting from the Angel Island gate spits me out on some random shore pretty east of my island/base. I was almost completely lost until I climbed the mountains to try and find my island as a "where the hell am I?" beacon and it turned out to be JUST past the mountain across from my main base mountain. On the plus side there seemed to be a rather large supply of clay I happily mined on said shore...

fuzzypickles

11-02-2010, 02:36 PM

Q: Has anyone noticed a dramatic increase in spawn rates since the update? People on the MC forums are complaining about monsters spawning inside their secure zones, though I haven't had a problem myself yet.

Der Trihs

11-02-2010, 07:48 PM

Q: Has anyone noticed a dramatic increase in spawn rates since the update?
It seems that way to me, but I haven't played a lot since the update. I did seem to spend much of the day post-update clearing off monsters from my immediate area.

GSV Consolation of Dreams

11-03-2010, 01:27 AM

fuzzypickles

11-03-2010, 12:21 PM

The new version includes new spawning behaviour. Mobs will spawn in brighter areas the further underground you go now. The numbers are also increased somehow. I believe notch has said he is working to balance the new system.
Yeah...right after posting my last message, I got punk'd by a zombie in my basement. Good thing it wasn't a creeper, or I'd be dead. And it's plenty bright down there, tons of torches everywhere. I've also been reading up on the exact changes made to the spawning system, and it's appaling...basically, once you're at level 40 or lower, you need torches no less than 2 spaces apart & off the floor to be safe. That's not even gold level, let alone diamond/redstone; any sort of mid-depth mining is thoroughly impractical now.

At least Notch is aware of the problem and has promised to fix it -- but that does mean re-lighting all the previous safe areas is a waste of time, because it will get patched eventually. (No idea when, though!)

Personally, I'm only playing offline on the next oldest version until the issue is fixed.
So you haven't installed the Halloween Update yet? I didn't either, until the inventory/death bug was fixed...but that's before I was aware of the spawning problem, and it's too late to roll back now. :(

Think I'll go on vacation for awhile, to explore the new biomes. I'd rather be in the wilderness where I know it's dangerous, than inside my supposedly safe house which ATM is anything but safe now.

Randy Seltzer

11-03-2010, 12:52 PM

So I finally managed to make a safe haven in the Nether.

I built a portal room in my house, and built a little "portal shack" at the corresponding nether portal. But that nether portal sent me back to an earth portal that's about a three-minute walk away from my house. So I did the calculations -- by counting exactly how many squares away it sent me -- and built a new portal in the nether that corresponds with the portal in my house. I had to dig into the side of a mountain in the nether to do it. And it totally works: once opened, my heart-of-the-mountain portal in the nether is now hooked up with the portal in my house, and each goes both ways.

Next, I dug straight into the mountain in the nether in a very long straight line. I went through four stone pickaxes. Then I built another portal at the end of that tunnel. Unsurprisingly it popped me out in a totally unfamiliar location on Earth. I was hoping I'd be in a different biome, but no such luck. I went back and grabbed a compass and then tried an experiment. I went through my new portal at dawn and then started walking toward my house, following the compass. I made it home right as the sun was setting. That's a pretty good distance! I think I'm gonna set up an outpost in my new location. I'll conquer the locals and eventually annex the place into Seltzerland.

fuzzypickles

11-03-2010, 01:39 PM

I built a portal room in my house, and built a little "portal shack" at the corresponding nether portal. But that nether portal sent me back to an earth portal that's about a three-minute walk away from my house. So I did the calculations -- by counting exactly how many squares away it sent me -- and built a new portal in the nether that corresponds with the portal in my house. I had to dig into the side of a mountain in the nether to do it. And it totally works: once opened, my heart-of-the-mountain portal in the nether is now hooked up with the portal in my house, and each goes both ways.
So, the portal bug has been fixed? I'm not building a Nether Portal until it's fixed.

In fact I probably won't visit the Nether until I've exhausted all possibilities that the pre-update game has to offer. (Sheesh, I haven't even found a dungeon spawner yet...)

Randy Seltzer

11-03-2010, 02:16 PM

So, the portal bug has been fixed? I'm not building a Nether Portal until it's fixed.Which "portal bug" do you mean? There are several buggy things about the portals at the moment. If you mean that the nether portal doesn't necessarily take you back to your original earth portal... no, that isn't fixed, and I'm not sure it ever will be. You've apparently got to build the "correct" nether portal yourself, as I did.

The theory I've heard (and it makes sense to me), is that when you enter the nether for the first time, its landscape is generated irrespective of where you placed your earth portal. If the corresponding nether position to your earth portal is inaccessible (e.g. deep inside a mountain, or floating way in the air), then the game will place your exit portal in the nearest possible spot in the nether. Of course, when you go through that game-created portal in the nether, it won't correspond to your original earth portal, and a new one will be created somewhere on earth that corresponds with the nether portal. So to make your original earth portal link BOTH ways to a nether portal, you've got to find that inaccessible spot in the nether and build a portal there. For me, it was deep inside a mountain.

Smeghead

11-03-2010, 02:34 PM

Next, I dug straight into the mountain in the nether in a very long straight line. I went through four stone pickaxes. Then I built another portal at the end of that tunnel. Unsurprisingly it popped me out in a totally unfamiliar location on Earth. I was hoping I'd be in a different biome, but no such luck. I went back and grabbed a compass and then tried an experiment. I went through my new portal at dawn and then started walking toward my house, following the compass. I made it home right as the sun was setting. That's a pretty good distance!

Honest question from someone who's only vaguely aware of this game and how it works. I picked on this post because it was handy, but there are plenty more examples of what I'm talking about in this thread.

My question is this: Is this kind of thing not incredibly tedious and boring? A lot of the things I've read about how great this game is seem to involve (presumably) hours and hours and hours of the sort of mindnumbing grinding that people hate so passionately in other games. What am I missing here? I get that the game is huge, and there's tons to do, and no limit to creativity - so far so good. But does this sort of thing not detract from the fun at all?

Jragon

11-03-2010, 03:44 PM

Honest question from someone who's only vaguely aware of this game and how it works. I picked on this post because it was handy, but there are plenty more examples of what I'm talking about in this thread.

My question is this: Is this kind of thing not incredibly tedious and boring? A lot of the things I've read about how great this game is seem to involve (presumably) hours and hours and hours of the sort of mindnumbing grinding that people hate so passionately in other games. What am I missing here? I get that the game is huge, and there's tons to do, and no limit to creativity - so far so good. But does this sort of thing not detract from the fun at all?

Good question, I think there's a key difference in sandbox and not sandbox. In, say, WoW, grinding is hated because it's for a specific goal that's imposed by THE GAME ITSELF. That is, you have to spend hours killing boars for a quest, or you have to do the same quest 1600 times to get reputation so your character can gear/level and you can conquer new content, help your guild, etc. It's the sense that you HAVE to get that gold and there's this mind numbing obstacle in your way.

In Minecraft the only goals are really what you set for yourself. Do you really care if you break into a cave and get diamond so you can make a portal to the nether? Do you care if you ever find gold? Do you just want to make a sky island or a fortress and just clear-cut mountains to get the materials? None of this is a "goal" of them game. You can, literally, do whatever you want. There's no reason you must get any material except for convenience or to mine more rare materials. If you just want a bunch of dirt filling your inventory with stone shovels is fine, cheap, and easy. It won't be as fast as a diamond shovel, but we're talking barely not as fast.

It's sort of like being bored in class. You tap your pencil on your desk because you're bored. It amuses you because you're bored and that's how you chose to alleviate your boredom. But now imagine a hypothetical class on the proper pencil tapping technique. Suddenly it becomes a means to getting an A in the class. It's no longer something you choose to do when you want to to alleviate boredom, it's something that's boring if you don't want to do it that's an obstacle to something greater (your A) and I think it's that feeling that makes something a "grind." It has nothing to do with the task is repetitive, but rather whether the repetitive task is a forced obstacle or something the user chooses to do.

Randy Seltzer

11-03-2010, 03:46 PM

Honest question from someone who's only vaguely aware of this game and how it works. I picked on this post because it was handy, but there are plenty more examples of what I'm talking about in this thread.

My question is this: Is this kind of thing not incredibly tedious and boring? A lot of the things I've read about how great this game is seem to involve (presumably) hours and hours and hours of the sort of mindnumbing grinding that people hate so passionately in other games. What am I missing here? I get that the game is huge, and there's tons to do, and no limit to creativity - so far so good. But does this sort of thing not detract from the fun at all?Well, a little bit. That particular stunt (i.e. digging a straight line deep into a mountain) probably took me less than ten minutes -- digging in minecraft is extremely quick. But those ten minutes of repetitive digging are pretty boring.

However, episodes where you're spending ten minutes doing something boring and repetitive are pretty rare. There's just not much reason to do anything where you're not exploring or building or problem solving.

If you're asking whether my little trek from my new portal to my base is tedious and repetitive, the answer is no. While it did last almost ten minutes, I was climbing over new terrain, swimming across miniature seas, seeing new vistas, and, a couple of times, stopping briefly to gather uncommon resources I spotted along the way.

Check out a couple of videos from this series (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bh4EexJO4I) which show one guy's game with his running commentary, starting from his opening screen where he knows almost nothing about the game, until some 50 videos later, where he's built himself a gigantic empire. They're surprisingly addicting. There are occasions where you watch him do something boring and repetitive, but they're pretty rare.

On preview, I see Jragon has a good perspective as well.

fuzzypickles

11-03-2010, 04:03 PM

If you mean that the nether portal doesn't necessarily take you back to your original earth portal... no, that isn't fixed, and I'm not sure it ever will be. You've apparently got to build the "correct" nether portal yourself, as I did.
Yes, that's the bug -- it's not so much not returning to your portal, but I've heard that the new portal sometimes appears in a very inconvenient place, such as right in the middle of your safe zone or on top of a bridge you spent hours working on. I'd rather not take that risk.

My question is this: Is this kind of thing not incredibly tedious and boring? A lot of the things I've read about how great this game is seem to involve (presumably) hours and hours and hours of the sort of mindnumbing grinding that people hate so passionately in other games. What am I missing here? I get that the game is huge, and there's tons to do, and no limit to creativity - so far so good. But does this sort of thing not detract from the fun at all?
It can get a little tedious, especially if you dig in a branch mine for several hours and can't find a single diamond...the end result is almost always worth it, though.

To expand on what Jragon said, it's not exactly comparable to grinding in WoW or Oblivion. In those games, which are combat and quest oriented, grinding for resources and/or experience distracts from game's main goal, which is killing stuff. :) Minecraft allows you to kill stuff too, but the core game is more like SimCity; sure, the individual details may seem boring, but it's all towards achieving a goal. There's also something serene about the experience itself -- like gardening, or fishing, or knitting in real life.

Randy Seltzer

11-03-2010, 04:11 PM

Yes, that's the bug -- it's not so much not returning to your portal, but I've heard that the new portal sometimes appears in a very inconvenient place, such as right in the middle of your safe zone or on top of a bridge you spent hours working on. I'd rather not take that risk.So what? If it spawns there, knock it down. It's 14 blocks of easy, risk-free obsidian. And if you build the "correct" portal in the nether, the "incorrect" one on Earth won't come back.

fuzzypickles

11-03-2010, 05:29 PM

So what? If it spawns there, knock it down. It's 14 blocks of easy, risk-free obsidian....
Hmm, good point. :)

It does seem like you've figured out a good workaround to the problem. I'll have to try it out, once I finally visit the Nether.

Snarky_Kong

11-03-2010, 08:17 PM

I was making a scale model of the Washington Monument, but I hit the ceiling about halfway up. I could've sworn I read it was way higher.

fuzzypickles

11-04-2010, 12:17 AM

I was making a scale model of the Washington Monument, but I hit the ceiling about halfway up. I could've sworn I read it was way higher.
Try digging a giant pit to bedrock level first...like this guy did (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTjyhggH2Pk). :cool:

Snarky_Kong

11-05-2010, 11:51 AM

Try digging a giant pit to bedrock level first...like this guy did (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTjyhggH2Pk). :cool:

That's only another 62 blocks, right? I'd have to scale down the design still.

Also, too much work. Although the base is smaller, changing all that cobblestone into the smooth stone is a pain.

Lightnin'

11-05-2010, 12:02 PM

Jragon

11-05-2010, 03:14 PM

On a related note, I really hope that Notch increases the world height by at least an order of magnitude. The world itself is supposedly 8 times the surface area of the Earth... but the mountains are just really small hills.

I want to spend days climbing a mountain. Right now, it's possible to climb to the world ceiling in less than a minute.

I've seen his save file structure, and while I haven't seen his chunk generation tools, I can't imagine that it would be that complicated to generate a chunk when you hit the skybox. (For that matter, it wouldn't be hard to expand past the lower bound, but I can understand why that would be more hesitance inducing with how minerals are spawned).

Lightnin'

11-05-2010, 03:48 PM

I've seen his save file structure, and while I haven't seen his chunk generation tools, I can't imagine that it would be that complicated to generate a chunk when you hit the skybox. (For that matter, it wouldn't be hard to expand past the lower bound, but I can understand why that would be more hesitance inducing with how minerals are spawned).

I suspect it's a problem of visibility. It's easier to get away with not drawing something on the horizon, but if you're a mile or so up on a mountain, you'll want to see the plains below you. He'd have to rely on the fog to hide the ground, which might be a bit weird. You'd also want to see the mountain peaks when you're at the base of the mountain.

That said, I still want this to happen. My favorite map has a two-story house up so high on a mountain that I had to build it shorter than I wanted to because I hit the cap... but even that mountain is tiny- I can still clearly see creepers running around at the base.

Der Trihs

11-06-2010, 03:18 AM

Ah! Notch, calling the new spawning rules "far too annoying" (http://notch.tumblr.com/) has reverted to the old rules for now. That should make people happy.

Honest question from someone who's only vaguely aware of this game and how it works. I picked on this post because it was handy, but there are plenty more examples of what I'm talking about in this thread.

My question is this: Is this kind of thing not incredibly tedious and boring? A lot of the things I've read about how great this game is seem to involve (presumably) hours and hours and hours of the sort of mindnumbing grinding that people hate so passionately in other games. What am I missing here? I get that the game is huge, and there's tons to do, and no limit to creativity - so far so good. But does this sort of thing not detract from the fun at all?On top of what the others have said, it isn't quite as dull and repetitive. When you mine there's always a chance of surprises; rare ore or finding a cavern or dungeon or lava or water. It isn't like killing Monster X over and over and over. You are exploring, not just repetitively killing things you've already seen. You are also creating at the same time; whether it's a mine or something larger.

fuzzypickles

11-06-2010, 06:02 AM

Thought you guys might get a kick out of this:

Minecraft Makes Children Sex Slaves And Destroys Our Economy! (http://www.landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=51266)

:D

GameHat

11-15-2010, 10:51 PM

Here comes a bump to an aging post, but I need to post it.

I've finally started to get the hang of this game. I have an initial outpost (rock, mined into the wall of a mountain. Dug until I reached a really neat underground river/waterfall.)

Spoiler is for what I still want to do:

I have a "first home". A nice wood structure, two stories at this point, built on the peak of a nearby island.

I built a nice grove - a 64x64 grass island, in the middle of the ocean. Trees planted and fully grown.

I still need to:

1) Fill in the island where my cabin "first home" is built. It's probably 16-20 blocks above sea level, I fill in the dirt when I can and am trying to build a square stone step pyramid down to sea level.

2) Build a farm. I expect this will be sea level +1 or +2.

3) Build a properly deep mine. I have an idea for my own "Kola Superdeep Borehole" but I need to find a proper area near my cabin to begin construction

4) Find more iron. I've been wussy about exploring surface level caverns. More coal wouldn't hurt either

5) Find more clay. I still have a fancy for an all brick house.

6) Get a system of minecart tracks going. It takes probably 1/4 of daylight to walk from my cabin to my initial spawn and initial dig.

7) Find and exploit some lava

8) Build a portal to the nether

Why I need to post - have you heard of the Tetris Effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris_effect)? That is to say, you play a game intensely enough and it begins to dominate your thoughts and dreams? Well, I'm experiencing the Minecraft Effect.

Two nights in a row now, I've dreamt of Minecraft. Both nights the dreams have taken the form of: "Ok, I'm digging. Still digging. Wait! My goodness! A diamond cluster! Mine it quick and get out!"

...this game truly is a sickness. A wonderful, creative sickness.

fuzzypickles

11-16-2010, 01:09 AM

Why I need to post - have you heard of the Tetris Effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris_effect)? That is to say, you play a game intensely enough and it begins to dominate your thoughts and dreams? Well, I'm experiencing the Minecraft Effect.

Two nights in a row now, I've dreamt of Minecraft. Both nights the dreams have taken the form of: "Ok, I'm digging. Still digging. Wait! My goodness! A diamond cluster! Mine it quick and get out!"
Yep...been there, done that. :cool: Not so much anymore, but occasionally I still dream of walking into my living room and seeing it's made completely out of very large blocks.

Randy Seltzer

11-16-2010, 12:39 PM

Gamehat - instead of making minecart tracks from your spawn to your home, you could do what I did: make a nether portal transport network. In my house's portal room, that portal connects to an underground network of tunnels in the nether. At the end of each tunnel is a portal to a useful spot. I've got my "home sweet home" portal, my "silk factory" portal, my "spawn location" portal, and way down a long hallway is my "outpost ranch" portal. If I die and respawn, I can pop into a portal ten steps away, walk fifteen squares in the nether, and pop right into my house. Saves a lot of walking or minecart riding.

GameHat

11-16-2010, 09:20 PM

Gamehat - instead of making minecart tracks from your spawn to your home, you could do what I did: make a nether portal transport network.

Yeah, that's a good idea. But I've got no Obsidian. Maybe once my "superdeep borehole" is complete I can find some.

MichaelEmouse

11-16-2010, 09:44 PM

Yeah, that's a good idea. But I've got no Obsidian. Maybe once my "superdeep borehole" is complete I can find some.

Can't you manufacture some by having access to water, lava and buckets?

Jragon

11-17-2010, 01:43 AM

Can't you manufacture some by having access to water, lava and buckets?

I honestly don't see the point of obsidian farms. You have two options for obsidian:

A. Make an infinite spring in a cave (or near lava of some sort) and pour water source blocks near the lava for a ton of obsidian with little travel.

OR

B. Waste iron on buckets transporting god knows how much lava to the surface to fill a trough.

Obsidian only comes from source blocks, and there's a finite amount of lava in the world, you can't make a spring like you can with water. Making an "Obsidian Farm" only serves to transport you across the world 8 times to get a stack of something that takes long enough to mine already. The only reason I could see to do this is if your mines are really unsafe and you're worried about creeperplosion, and MAYBE better access to storage/tools, but I think the justifications are flimsy.

ETA: I should mention that yes, if you simply mine the lava in the cave you'll lose some to lava, but as someone who has mined out entire lakes, I can say that the loss is maybe 4 or 5 blocks per stack, pretty negligable, especially since a stack of obsidian will last you a while.

tr0psn4j

11-17-2010, 01:46 AM

Well once you farm enough to go the the Nether, can't you use it's abundent lava for more obsidian? I've never been there so I'm not sure what it exactly is like.

Jragon

11-17-2010, 01:49 AM

Well once you farm enough to go the the Nether, can't you use it's abundent lava for more obsidian? I've never been there so I'm not sure what it exactly is like.

I guess making an obsidian farm out of nether lava could work, but that's mostly because there's tons of the stuff. It is true that water does not exist in the nether, it will disappear on placement, so a farm is the only way to get obsidian out of the nether.

Still would take a lot of buckets though...

Least Original User Name Ever

12-14-2010, 12:03 PM

I just paid for and downloaded the game and started my first game. I'm mining and attempting to build a cave and not have to bother with the mobs quite yet, so I'm trying to mine around this cavern I found until a creeper got me. Ah, yes, I also accidentally created a waterfall in my main cavern as well.

Stupid sand.

I managed to not suffocate myself, but my main problem is mining ADD. Yes, I'll start digging like a mofo in one direction, hop back up my stairs find some other nook, and start mining in that direction.

Also, this game is like Tetris where it invades your dreams.

Bosstone

12-14-2010, 01:46 PM

I picked up Minecraft the other night when I heard it was going to be more expensive once it got into Beta, and...wow. Just wow. It really is an incredible game, isn't it?

I started on Peaceful so I could take my time exploring the mechanics of the game, and the lack of immediate threat doesn't detract from the fact that you have your very own personal world to explore and create things in. It's just as captivating and engaging without enemies as with. I found a beautiful plain by a pond situated between two impressive mountain ranges, and I'm currently laying down the infrastructure to build myself a giant hollow tree (http://picasaweb.google.com/bosstone/Minecraft#5550413611741706482) for my home.

gonzomax

12-14-2010, 02:19 PM

If there is no winning ,how do you know when to quit?

Doug K.

12-14-2010, 02:49 PM

If there is no winning ,how do you know when to quit?

You just decide for yourself. You also get to choose your own goals. It could be to build something big, to see how fast you can find diamonds and gold, try to level out a huge plain, anything. Also, there will be a lot of changes when it's updated next week. He may introduce some kind of goals or scoring.

Lobsang

02-04-2011, 10:12 PM

Hope nobody minds me bumping this thread.

I finally finished my skyscraper :) ...

Here it is before I put the glass in at the top - http://notails.com/minecrafttower.jpg

Here is a video of the finished tower - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EKYKUf6ZV4

And I recently found out how to make pictures - http://notails.com/minecraftpictures.jpg

Still love playing this game!

Final thought: I'd love to be able to patch the game to use high res textures (the highest possible) but what I find by googling looks quite complicated. Anyone here done it?

dzeiger

02-04-2011, 11:21 PM

tr0psn4j

02-05-2011, 12:03 AM

Has anything changed since the Halloween update?

Der Trihs

02-05-2011, 03:22 AM

Has anything changed since the Halloween update?Yes, there's been further changes. You can read of them in the version history (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Version_history) on Minepedia (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Main_Page). Some new blocks, new critters, various changes. The useful ability to turn wood into charcoal, which can substitute for coal.

GSV Consolation of Dreams

02-05-2011, 12:55 PM

Hope nobody minds me bumping this thread.

I finally finished my skyscraper :) ...

Here it is before I put the glass in at the top - http://notails.com/minecrafttower.jpg

Here is a video of the finished tower - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EKYKUf6ZV4

Pretty sweet, and it won't fill up with mobs because the floors are basically all glass. Torches at the edges on the cobble should be sufficient. It would extra fine if you put some lightstone blocks in at the centre of each floor.

Lobsang

02-06-2011, 12:09 PM

Pretty sweet, and it won't fill up with mobs because the floors are basically all glass. Torches at the edges on the cobble should be sufficient. It would extra fine if you put some lightstone blocks in at the centre of each floor.

Thanks.

I don't know how to get or make lightstone, but I'll google it.

I recently applied the high res textures mod (since making that video/screenshots). Not sure yet whether I like the differences... One thing I do like is actually being able to see much more stuff through more than a single layer of glass. For instance I can see the upper 'back' door through the glass when I'm stood on the ground floor.

ETA: My one minecraft video is proving more popular (i.e. number of views in a set time period) than any of my call of duty videos! I might post more. (but then I'd have to do more impressive stuff in minecraft to make videos of :D )

Lobsang

02-06-2011, 12:12 PM

A lot of those instructions may have been from before any texture pack support was put in. I have not done it, but the thread here

http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=1021&t=46173

makes it seem pretty reasonable.

Thanks. I used those instructions, then got a high res pack from one of the posts in the same thread.

Lobsang

03-20-2011, 09:19 PM

Hope it's ok if I bump this thread? I couldn't see another minecraft thread in the game room.

Anyone here got a good mp server they go to? I have been to two so far that I found on reddit (www.reddit.com/r/mcservers)

208.86.251.52:25565

184.95.38.10

also, made some quick videos (quick being the operative word)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A2LUoPXq9E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_i4mjKfAPo

I intend to do something more substantial. One problem is fraps doesn't compress what it records (I guess to allow for better performance while recording), so just a few minutes of footage translates to some pretty massive files (ten minutes of recording generates a file about 4 gigs in size, and that's recording at half-size screen 30fps)

Cyberhwk

03-20-2011, 10:00 PM

I love the death on the first one. At high speeds it's just CREEPER-BOOM-DEAD!

Lobsang

03-21-2011, 01:32 PM

Me too. It was an added little bonus of speeding it up. You can see the creeper through the tree then less than a moment later boomdeadrespawn.

And the thing about creepers is - they creep up on you, so you don't know they're there until it's too late a lot of the time.

Lute Skywatcher

03-21-2011, 04:06 PM

"Sequential Art" webcomic takes on Minecraft. (http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=678) I'm guessing the "giant stone penis" is a Creeper statue.

Lobsang

03-21-2011, 04:18 PM

"Sequential Art" webcomic takes on Minecraft. (http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=678) I'm guessing the "giant stone penis" is a Creeper statue.

Or, typically, just a giant stone penis.

This one kind of reminds me of my own experience - http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=682

(build an awesome tower, only to find that people have built something one hundred times more awesome in multiplayer)

gonzomax

03-21-2011, 09:00 PM

I built my house in Minecraft blocks. Then i built the local bar, Taco Bell. Dairy Queen and the gas station. I am now building Tiger Stadium. It is half size but still huge. Walk out 890foot basepaths and than picture 312 feet rt fld line 325 right field line. Them seats and concessions.

Lute Skywatcher

03-23-2011, 09:20 AM

Start a new world with 404 as the seed number.
Find a large gravel patch next to a small pond.
Dig in gravel.
Watch your step!

Lute Skywatcher

03-23-2011, 10:07 AM

Seed #665822145 is likely to spawn atop a mountain.

Lobsang

03-23-2011, 10:56 AM

Start a new world with 404 as the seed number.
Find a large gravel patch next to a small pond.
Dig in gravel.
Watch your step!

holy crap!

http://i.imgur.com/NBe7p.jpg

gonzomax

03-23-2011, 11:10 AM

I tired of digging for diamonds, which is what the game starts off to be. Instead I started building stuff. I built my house. Then I build the Taco Bell down the street. Then a local bar, the Dairy Queen and a gas station.
Now i am building Tiger stadium. It is a huge undertaking about 3/4rs done.

Lobsang

03-23-2011, 11:16 AM

Start a new world with 404 as the seed number.
Find a large gravel patch next to a small pond.
Dig in gravel.
Watch your step!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoGx-zbA6MI

gonzomax for me, diamonds are a side bonus not a main goal (in fact I never really have a single 'goal' as such. I just potter around and occasionally decide to add or change things to my house)

Lute Skywatcher

03-23-2011, 12:15 PM

Just got the game a few days ago. So far, I'm in a pattern ofestablish a small home in a cliff. dig! Dig! Dig! collect a bunch of stuff. get lost. die. lose my stuff. start a new world. establish a small home in a cliff. repeat.I have those map programs but don't know what to do with 'em.

At least now I can use this (http://mc.42nex.us/) to get the seeds for random worlds I like and start again.

Lute Skywatcher

03-23-2011, 02:17 PM

Part of the problem is, I could never remember to build a chest for my stuff before I go exploring.

Lobsang

03-23-2011, 02:40 PM

I'm starting to get into playing Multiplayer. In Multiplayer I can't decide what is safer - keeping as much stuff as possible in my inventory (so that when I log off, it logs of with me) or keeping it in chests (so that when I die I still have the stuff in chests)

It seems to depend how well maintained and griefer-managed the server is.

Lute Skywatcher

03-23-2011, 08:23 PM

Downloaded Minecraft X-Ray (http://apocalyptech.com/minecraft/xray/), a mapper that not only shows where you are but can also show the location of resources. Now I shouldn't get lost anymore!

Lute Skywatcher

03-23-2011, 10:00 PM

#-1614214034925772170 produces a spawn site that tends to be near a nice, big cavern with plenty of coal and some iron. Didn't even know the cavern was there until I started exploring after digging into the opposite side of the hill. Linked my home to the cavern, closed up the natural entrance and started mining.

Cyberhwk

03-23-2011, 11:17 PM

I want to start a new level but 1.4 drops some time next week. I don't know if they're adding any new blocks but I don't want to have to go on a voyage to get any new blocks like I did when Lapis Lazuli came out.

Cyberhwk

03-24-2011, 03:20 AM

Downloaded Minecraft X-Ray (http://apocalyptech.com/minecraft/xray/), a mapper that not only shows where you are but can also show the location of resources. Now I shouldn't get lost anymore!
Kind of memory hog (maybe my rig is just old), but really useful. Especially if you like dungeon hunting.

gonzomax

03-24-2011, 10:11 AM

Angel of the Lord

03-24-2011, 11:03 AM

I've been playing Minecraft with some friends on a private server, and a little on my own. I'm drawn; part of me sees the game as inherently masturbatory, and without an ultimate *point*. The other part of me was thrilled to find my first diamond. And last night, around 4:45 in the morning, I woke up in a blind panic. In my dream, I was supposed to build a base, except somehow we'd run into some Mossy Cobblestone, and I didn't know how to incorporate it without setting everything on fire. It took myself ten minutes to calm myself down enough to realize that I was being completely effing irrational.

Xan

03-24-2011, 11:09 AM

Combat is useless in Minecraft. No matter how many creepers, ghosts and spiders you kill, there are more being spawned. You can never clean out an area.
It is a challenge to find spawning areas under ground and take the stuff from their chests.

It depends. Hostile mobs won't spawn if the area is well lit enough. This is useful for underground caves/bases.

Lute Skywatcher

03-24-2011, 12:09 PM

Bosstone

03-24-2011, 12:23 PM

I'm drawn; part of me sees the game as inherently masturbatory, and without an ultimate *point*.This implies that there is not a point to masturbation.

Lute Skywatcher

03-24-2011, 01:40 PM

I've been playing Minecraft with some friends on a private server, and a little on my own. I'm drawn; part of me sees the game as inherently masturbatory, and without an ultimate *point*. The other part of me was thrilled to find my first diamond.Minecraft is basically a first-person version of Dwarf Fortress except you're the dwarf.

Biggirl

03-24-2011, 05:24 PM

Also, if you just want to mine & craft without worrying about spawns, set the difficulty to Peaceful (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Difficulty).

There are some things that only drop from mob. String and TNT are two that come to mind. If you don't want these things, then peaceful is great for building beautiful homes. One thing I cannot stand is building my home and having stupid-assed creepers coming to blow it up daily. I spend half the day repairing.

Hey, I just checked the minecraft wiki and found you can now make beds! They let you skip the night. That is soooo cool!

buckgully

03-24-2011, 06:00 PM

A few days ago I was digging an upward sloping passage to join two ends of a big cavern when I hit green moss cobblestone. So I carefully dug around it, blocked off the natural entrance to it, knocked out the floors below it and made a single hole in the floor next to the spawner.

Now I get all the feathers I could ever want, all I have to do is stand on a nearby ledge and the zombies fall out and plummet to their demise.

Now I'm in the process of making one of the Argonath from Lord of the Rings. I ran into a bit of a problem when I hit the world ceiling before finishing the head and had to scale back, but it's coming along.

Well, right now he looks like he's more flipping the bird than standing guard over the passage to Numenor. Only so much you can do with square blocks.

Der Trihs

03-24-2011, 06:46 PM

Just in case anyone missed it, Wolves (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Wolves) that can be tamed into Dogs are due to be added. There's a sample video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Lp9p5yjuo).

Xan

03-24-2011, 10:20 PM

Just in case anyone missed it, Wolves (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Wolves) that can be tamed into Dogs are due to be added. There's a sample video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Lp9p5yjuo).

They aren't in Minecraft yet but they will be in the next update (1.4) which should be released relatively soon.

Cyberhwk

03-25-2011, 12:23 AM

Seed = -115144210771600827

Spawn on a beach with a collapsed dungeon not 15 steps away.

Randy Seltzer

03-25-2011, 02:16 AM

Seed = -115144210771600827

Spawn on a beach with a collapsed dungeon not 15 steps away. Jeez. I tried it, and not only is there a zombie spawner there (not spawning, obviously, because of the sunlight), but two chests containing iron and a MUSIC RECORD! I've played for months and still never encountered a music record. It almost makes me want to invest some time in that world just so I can build a jukebox there.

My current "big" world, where I've invested the most time, was started about six months ago, before even biomes were in the game. I once the next version hits, I'll start a new game so I can experience all the new features I can't get because my nearby chunks are already generated (biomes, lapis, etc.).

On another note, I recently found a youtube video of the most complex machine I've ever seen in minecraft. Boat Dispenser (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VlvxI988Y4). You push a button and a boat pops up in your harbor. When you're done sailing around, you disembark in a designated area, and the machine sucks your boat back in and reloads itself. You can feed extra boats into it, so you can have as many as 10 ready to go. If you feed in an eleventh, the machine recognizes that it's full, destroys the extra boat, and neatly deposits the resulting wood out a chute. Various well-labeled lights tell you whether boats are available, the queue is full, etc. Simply amazing what people can do with redstone circuits. And this was created before repeaters came out.

dzeiger

03-25-2011, 11:59 PM

Yeah, Ethos' stuff is absolutely amazing.

I may never get around to it, particularly since I've gotten back into a MMO now, but I had an idea to use his dispenser and EATS boat road idea, but slow the road down as much as possible and form a big loop in an enclosed space.

I'd then use another of his inventions, the Mobivator, where mobs are taken from an underground spawning pad and brought up to the surface via a water elevator, my idea would be to force them into glass chambers for observation as the boat went around the canal.

Meanwhile, there would be a noteblock song running on endless repeat. The song would be "It's A Small World After All"

Lute Skywatcher

03-26-2011, 08:48 AM

Started messing around with the 404 seed on Peaceful. Dug out some of the sand hill next to the gravel pit down to sandstone and built a sandstone house there, then set about digging a safe way down the shafts. Holy hell, there's a bunch of stuff down there!

Lobsang

03-29-2011, 05:21 PM

I decided to have a go at one of those custom/adventure maps. Here is the result...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwoTL3gkAiY

Cyberhwk

03-30-2011, 02:23 AM

I want to wait for for the new update before starting a new game. They're adding basic achievements and statistics. I want to see how much work I actually do in my new world.

Problem is it sounds like the 1.4 will drop late in the week and I'm out of town all of next week. :(

Der Trihs

03-30-2011, 02:14 PM

I want to wait for for the new update before starting a new game. They're adding basic achievements and statistics. I want to see how much work I actually do in my new world.
I'm looking forward to being able to set a bed as a spawn point.

Bosstone

03-30-2011, 02:25 PM

I'm looking forward to being able to set a bed as a spawn point.I'm not so much. If a bed were just a spawn-point or just a moon-repellent, I'd be okay with it, but conflating those purposes makes it less appealing.

Consider a sequential game. This isn't the typical way to play it, but I'm absolutely enamored of the concept. The big concept behind Chain World was that once you died, you went back to the original spawn point, and the next person to play would have to rediscover all that you had created. If a bed is used and you can't reset the spawn point to the original location, then that rediscovery can't happen and that makes me very sad.

It also removes a lot of the danger inherent in the current game. If you go a long way off from the spawn point, you have to be very careful about dying, because it can mean a long trek back. If you spawn at a nearby bed, meh. It makes survival too easy.

Randy Seltzer

03-31-2011, 01:15 PM

For everyone's information, version 1.4 just came out. New features include wolves and changing your spawn point.

buckgully

03-31-2011, 01:44 PM

Also, random crashes every few minutes.

I had a dog. Then it crashed, and not only did I no longer have a dog but that world file was completely hosed.

Back up your worlds before updating.

Cyberhwk

03-31-2011, 03:17 PM

Notch wasn't able to fix Achievements and Stats in time for this update. He said they will likely be included in the next. Hopefully he can get it done some time next week.

Xan

04-01-2011, 05:47 AM

If only ThinkGeek could make a real USB Nether Portal (http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/looflirpa/e8bf/)

Lute Skywatcher

04-04-2011, 04:01 PM

I put in Pi (copied from Wikipedia) up to about as many digits as the seed field could hold (something like 3.1415926535897932384626433832795, converted to 1675877255 by the game) and got some floating islands near a very large natural arch to the south of the spawn.

The standard 3.1415927 (converts to -1347356516) yields an island chain with a very tall and narrow natural arch northwest of the spawn. This thing is shaped like a flying buttress and dwarfs the tree just south of it! I'm thinking of playing that map and establishing a glass tower inside the arch.

Also tried copying a bunch of digits for e (2.71828182845904523536028747, converts to 1873471693) and got a nice place for a tree house just west of the spawn point, a bit further west of that is an interesting "Y"-shaped natural arch with a borehole at one end. South of the "Y" arch is a pillar that looks remarkably like the top of the Chrysler building. All it needs is a bunch of gold or diamond blocks on the façade.

Xan

04-04-2011, 04:06 PM

Biggirl

04-19-2011, 08:34 PM

If they ever advertise on TV I wonder if this would fly. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Ci09GwAmg)

gonzomax

04-21-2011, 04:56 PM

I have a huge file. I built my home to scale. Then built the Taco Bell, A local Bar, the gas station and then the Dairy Queen. THey are all connected by roads with curbs.
Then I wanted to see how high a building I could construct. I built it through the clouds a floor at a time.
Now I an almost done with Tiger Stadium. The center field bleachers are blue so I am mining for the blue stuff. It is not common so it is taking some time.

GSV Consolation of Dreams

04-22-2011, 12:32 AM

You could use the Lapis to dye wool and then make the seats from that. Maybe not realistic, but extra comfy!

Agent Foxtrot

06-22-2011, 09:34 AM

Breathing new life into this thread...

Before getting Minecraft, I watched a few YouTube videos and read most of the relevant threads on this board. Last night I bought and plunged right in. My first goal is to build a glass skyscraper (I think someone else in this thread was doing the same thing).

So I paid for the game and plunged in. After dying the first night and spending the subsequent three nights in a 2x2x1 tomb I cut for myself in the rockface (the growling and scratching of the monsters right on the other side of the wall was scary as shit!), I finally came upon some much-needed coal. Mining the coal ended up creating a nice little nook which I decided to carve out as my permanent shelter. I stumbled upon the recipes for rock tools, a bow, leather armor and boots, glass, swords, and pressure plates.

I then decided to turn my little shelter into the entrance of a mine. I carefully carved out a staircase into the mountain, digging deeper and deeper and hitting iron. I needed to cheat and look up how to smelt, thereby creating iron tools and armor. I then attacked those gold and redstone deposits I ran into. I'm not sure what to do with the gold yet, but that'll be my task for today.

I'm having a total blast playing this game. I'm on vacation at Rehoboth Beach next week, and I see myself playing a LOT of Minecraft. I'll probably get started on that skyscraper this weekend.

I sincerely hope Notch decides to sell his source code in the future. I can see a ton of innovative games coming from this one sandbox.

Question: How far out will I be able to see redstone torches? I'm planning on creating a lighthouse of sorts since my spawn point isn't close to my shelter.

Least Original User Name Ever

06-22-2011, 09:47 AM

Agent Foxtrot

06-22-2011, 10:11 AM

Jack 'o' lanterns have better light. Glowstone blocks have better yet. Redstone torches aren't all that great for light.Huh. Then why does everyone say to use redstone torches as exit beacons?

Randy Seltzer

06-22-2011, 04:09 PM

Huh. Then why does everyone say to use redstone torches as exit beacons?Possibly because you can set up circuitry to make them flash on and off? Redstone torches themselves barely give off any light. IIRC, they're not even bright enough to keep hostile mobs from spawning one square away.

I personally have quit playing the game (might pick it back up if any of the updates look interesting). However, I've become a religious devotee of a particular YouTube guy's "Let's Play" series, and watch each one when it comes out. The guy specializes in inventing cool things in minecraft, and his episodes usually deal with his gadgets. Etho's Lab (http://www.youtube.com/user/EthosLab). (He's doing two other "Let's Play" series for two other less interesting games, so ignore those.)

Bosstone

06-22-2011, 04:19 PM

Huh. Then why does everyone say to use redstone torches as exit beacons?Use them as beacons separate from the general-illumination torches. You wouldn't use an EXIT sign to light up a room, right?

Last time I played Minecraft I used regular torch placement as a guide back to the entrance; I'd always place torches on my right, so to leave the cavern I'd turn so the torches are to my left. The more complex caverns may not make that so easy, though, with multi-level rooms, various passages crossing over each other and intersecting, and so forth.

Placing torches instead for best illumination and setting up redstone torches in addition to lead a path back to the entrance is way simpler.

Cyberhwk

06-22-2011, 09:56 PM

Yeah, I've read all of the approaches to not getting lost. In my experience, they're pretty much useless in practice. If I come to a fork in the road, I put a single torch on the ground in the branch I came from. All other torches are on the wall. It's only occasionally useful.

Agent Foxtrot

06-23-2011, 09:53 AM

Use them as beacons separate from the general-illumination torches. You wouldn't use an EXIT sign to light up a room, right?Good point.

Question: Should I keep trying to play the game without the wiki, or is that stupid? I'd like to be able to discover all the crafting recipes myself, but I don't know if that's realistic.

Cyberhwk

06-23-2011, 08:30 PM

Question: Should I keep trying to play the game without the wiki, or is that stupid? I'd like to be able to discover all the crafting recipes myself, but I don't know if that's realistic.
As more things get added, recipes get less and less intuitive. Anyone who figured out the recipe for Powered Rails through T&E has got far more patience than I. I've used the Wiki since day one.

Lightnin'

06-28-2011, 12:11 PM

As more things get added, recipes get less and less intuitive. Anyone who figured out the recipe for Powered Rails through T&E has got far more patience than I. I've used the Wiki since day one.

I really wish we could make our own recipes using some sort of editor. I'd also like to be able to set the "rules" for my games (like no Spiders, for example).

I've had a lot of fun recently playing with the random seed function when making a game. My username, WasabiBomb, generates a world that has a large waterfall flowing out of a cave high up on a cliff. The most... interesting seed I've used, though, was 3666440496532277820 . Try it.

Least Original User Name Ever

06-28-2011, 12:44 PM

I really wish we could make our own recipes using some sort of editor. I'd also like to be able to set the "rules" for my games (like no Spiders, for example).

I've had a lot of fun recently playing with the random seed function when making a game. My username, WasabiBomb, generates a world that has a large waterfall flowing out of a cave high up on a cliff. The most... interesting seed I've used, though, was 3666440496532277820 . Try it.

Really close to the spawn for the seed 404, there's a gravel flat. Dig one block down in the gravel, and it'll all collapse under you in a big underground waterfall that goes straight to bedrock.

Agent Foxtrot

07-05-2011, 10:51 AM

Lute Skywatcher

07-05-2011, 11:07 AM

Really close to the spawn for the seed 404, there's a gravel flat. Dig one block down in the gravel, and it'll all collapse under you in a big underground waterfall that goes straight to bedrock.You don't say. (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13604857&postcount=153) ;)

Least Original User Name Ever

07-05-2011, 12:01 PM

You don't say. (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13604857&postcount=153) ;)

D'oh.

Lute Skywatcher

07-05-2011, 01:02 PM

I spent quite a bit of time wandering around 404 (in Peaceful mode) and found a nearby cavern that provides a safe way to the bottom of that shaft.

Least Original User Name Ever

07-05-2011, 01:37 PM

I spent quite a bit of time wandering around 404 (in Peaceful mode) and found a nearby cavern that provides a safe way to the bottom of that shaft.

Where's the fun in that? Ride the waterfall down with a backpack full of goods and dig/fight your way out!

Der Trihs

07-05-2011, 03:31 PM

I was reading a neat article (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Redstone_circuits) in the wiki about Redstone circuits. You can create all the various Boolean logic gates as well as memory(!). How useful would this be as a learning tool for future Computer Science/Engineering students?Well, there's a guy who built a 16 bit computer (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/working-16-bit-computer-built-inside-minecraft/) using redstone circuits.

Lute Skywatcher

07-05-2011, 05:35 PM

Where's the fun in that? Ride the waterfall down with a backpack full of goods and dig/fight your way out!Tried that before I found the adjacent cavern. Wore out nearly a dozen picks before giving up. :)

Trepa Mayfield

09-13-2011, 10:27 PM

Bump.

With the big 1.8 update coming out any day now, I figured it might spark more discussion. That is, if anyone is still playing...

Was there ever a SDMB server? I've been itching to try multiplayer, but I only want to do it on a server with people I know (in the internet sense of the term).

Trepa Mayfield

09-13-2011, 10:29 PM

Anyway:

A while back, I was going to convert my starting hill (which I built a base in) into a sandstone shell. To do that I needed sand, but I didn't want to uglify my nearby beaches. So I sailed to a far-ish beach, and stripped off all of the sand and sandstone, but not touching the stone or dirt. That actually looked ugly enough to be cool, like a real life strip mine. So now I'm making it my goal to strip all the sand off that peninsula.

dzeiger

09-19-2011, 03:20 PM

Decided to start a new world with the new patch. And, apparently, I like pain, as I decided to type in random words as seeds until I got an ocean biome to start with. After about 15 attempts, seed Hypnosis did the trick. 3 islands, 2 trees, nothing else.

This is freaking insane. I've made it through 4 or 5 minecraft days without dying so far, though I may just suicide since I'm just digging below spawn and am currently at 1/2 hearts and no food.

Somehow I've managed to find something like 40 iron before finding any coal at all. Finally broke into some sort of a cave system and saw some coal, but I haven't gone down to get it yet. Charcoal works, but given the lack of wood to start with, it's very, very tough to make anything remotely safe.

No passive mobs spawn in the ocean biome, so no pigs/cows/chickens, an no sheep for beds (managed to get 3 string so far), managed 5 wheat so far, but no point in just making 1 bread when my hunger bar is all the way down. Finally got 1 bone after my third skeleton kill, so hopefully I'll get more going.

Not sure I'm real fond of all the new features. The fact that this is really just "half" of the adventure update makes things hard to judge--XP drops but doesn't do anything yet, strongholds and villages that have no NPCs, etc. I didn't much like "hunger" mechanics in games back 30 years ago when I first started playing the original Ultimas, can't say that I've liked it better over time.

JMLVT68

09-19-2011, 08:38 PM

My very try with the new update spawned me in an ocean biome on a small island with one tree. It's very challenging, but I've decided to stick it out, see if I can last, say, 30 days without dying. I think I'm on day 6 so far.

If you have string, you can make a fishing rod, and that will be plenty of food. Did you save a sapling when you cut down the tree, so you could replant and develop a little sustainable forest? I've also started a small farm, but the plants grow so dang slow! I have also built a boat and traveled to some other islands, found a mess of coal in a mini-ravine of one, but that's it.

Agree that the half-update is odd, but willing to stick it out.

gonzomax

09-19-2011, 09:05 PM

I build. I have built Tiger Stadium. I have built my whole neighborhood including all the bars and restaurants and my house. I built the Johnson Art Museum at Princeton.

Least Original User Name Ever

09-19-2011, 09:43 PM

I like the update. It fleshes it out and makes it more of a game. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the hunger meter. I think it goes down too quickly, but I'll happily accept it.

dzeiger

09-19-2011, 10:27 PM

*slaps forehead* Completely forgot about fishing, it was so damn useless previously. Good thing I didn't have a chance to play tonight, perhaps I'll get out of the half-a-heart situation alive after all.

And yeah, I've got one island pretty well littered with saplings now, the wood situation is now upgraded to "poor" instead of critical.

Thinking of staying as close as possible to spawn so that when 1.9 does come out, I don't have to travel too far to get any new content (as opposed to the world I've had since Alpha, where the Nether portals to get to newly generated chunks for each update are getting ridiculous)

Dahnlor

09-21-2011, 08:04 PM

The first world I generated after 1.8 had an excellent spawn point. I started with an abandoned farm within sight. The first day was spent just exploring the area, and since there were buildings already there, including some torches, I didn't need to find coal on the first day.

Here's a video tour of it. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz7Qe_MjYx4)

Stowed Bob

09-22-2011, 04:26 AM

My very try with the new update spawned me in an ocean biome on a small island with one tree. It's very challenging, but I've decided to stick it out, see if I can last, say, 30 days without dying. I think I'm on day 6 so far.
I love island maps. They're so addicting. I did the survivor island map before seeding was installed and was hooked. I love mining dirt underground to terraform my island. I will intentionally quarantine myself to an island I find if the random generated maps aren't being helpful.

Hardest time I had was on a gravel island where I found a bit of coal on the 8th day and placed four torches before I died falling down a spiral down mineshaft I was using to find coal during the daytime. This was before beds and charcoal torches, so I had to hunt down my island by wandering frantically across the landscape. By the time I found it, all my drops were gone. 16 more in-game days before I found more coal. I was spending all my nights perches on gravel towers, breaking them down and building them up to convert them into flint to be useful as I waited for daylight.

Least Original User Name Ever

09-26-2011, 12:34 PM

It appears my laptop has bit the dust, and now I'm looking for something to replace it, but it has to be able to run Minecraft. Does anyone have any suggestions? Right now, I have this (http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/en_US/pd/productID.231078100/parentCategoryID.44066900/categoryID.50787200/list.true), this (http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC516LL/A?mco=MjM2MDg2NDg), and this (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11678943&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|84|56670|4774&N=4047231&Mo=1&pos=10&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=4774&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC10590-Cat56670&topnav=)in mind, but I have no clue what specs I'd need.

Also, Notch said he's making a craftable mob in 1.9, a snowman golem that'll divert attention away from you and chuck snowballs at enemies.