# Anyone playing Minecraft anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 13, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761 "2012-02-13T23:32:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/101 "2012-03-13T20:42:40Z")
> [@Phatlewt](#): > > You can use (and make) schematic files without modifying Minecraft. There’s third-party programs for this such as [MCEdit](https://github.com/mcedit/mcedit). > > With MCEdit, one can download a building like \[this skyscraper](http://www.planetminecraft.com/project/skyscraper---candler-building-nyc/)\, and drop it into your own city. Alrighty, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/102 "2012-03-13T21:41:40Z")
> [@Phatlewt](#): > > With MCEdit, one can download a building like \[this skyscraper](http://www.planetminecraft.com/project/skyscraper---candler-building-nyc/)\, and drop it into your own city. Did you build that after they raised the ceiling? One of my favorite thrill-rides is building a single-block dirt tower as high as I can. As you can see, I’m not a builder. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Phatlewt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Phatlewt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phatlewt)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/103 "2012-03-14T01:48:33Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > Did you build that after they raised the ceiling? One of my favorite thrill-rides is building a single-block dirt tower as high as I can. As you can see, I’m not a builder. 🙂 Yes. It’s not maximum height or anything, but it’s a bit taller than the old ceiling. You get a pretty nice view from the new max height. I haven’t built anything that tall yet, though. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/104 "2012-03-14T03:26:13Z")
> [@Phatlewt](#): > > Yes. It’s not maximum height or anything, but it’s a bit taller than the old ceiling. You get a pretty nice view from the new max height. I haven’t built anything that tall yet, though. It’s amazing that you made a working elevator that stops at each floor. Well done! ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/105 "2012-03-14T04:55:28Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s amazing that you made a working elevator that stops at each floor. Well done! Except that it kill Minecraft for me (I have an old computer). I learnt something new: Do Not put TNT next to a redstone lamp. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Phatlewt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Phatlewt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phatlewt)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/106 "2012-03-14T16:01:58Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > It’s amazing that you made a working elevator that stops at each floor. Well done! Well, I sort of made it. I built it, but I didn’t come up with the design. I followed a tutorial for that part. [mcKrawll on youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JXVyXibcmI) is the smart one. I just followed the instructions. 🙂 His design even allows you to select a floor in advance and have it stop there, like a real elevator. Unfortunately, the redstone circuitry for that takes up too much space. Half of the building would have been taken up by the elevator. I am always amazed at what people accomplish with redstone. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/107 "2012-03-14T19:39:02Z")
Another dumb question: I see that when you kill mobs, you get little bubbles of xp, and you eventually “go up in level”. What does going up in levels do for you? ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/108 "2012-03-14T19:52:16Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Another dumb question: I see that when you kill mobs, you get little bubbles of xp, and you eventually “go up in level”. What does going up in levels do for you? You can “spend” XP for [enchantments](http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Enchantment)later on. Actually I got that wrong, you spend experience levels for enchantments. (I think) xp= xp levels = enchantments ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/109 "2012-03-15T16:33:19Z")
It’s actually pretty easy to make an enchanting table very early in the game, and even spending a few levels of XP on things like tool enchants is handy to save time and materials (you’ll get efficiency and unbreaking I, usually). Here’s what I do. [spoiler]You will need: - A few picks and torches - A whole bunch of ladders (just need a good amount of wood for this) - 3 ingots of iron to make a bucket - 3 more to make an iron pick (for the diamond ore) - Water in the bucket - Sugar cane (enough to make 3 paper ~ 1 book) Once you have an established base and good supply of food, plan a spot for a deep vertical shaft to bedrock. I usually make this a permanent spot someplace easy to access in my base. Start digging down a 2 block by 1 block shaft. Why this size? You want it to be narrow (quick to dig) but also have enough room that you’re not digging directly underneath yourself. Place a ladder on each block on one side to get back out when you’re done, and torches as needed. You may hit caverns. Divert or wall in the shaft as necessary. Eventually around y level ~5 you will hit bedrock. You need two things for this plan to work: diamonds and lava. Lava is plentiful and near bedrock is the only place to find diamond. Start expanding out tunnels. I usually like to start around y=10 as a little higher means you tend to be at the same level as lava pools rather than under them. BE CAREFUL. It is very likely you will dig into lava – stand back slightly, never dig directly above or underneath yourself, and be prepared to use your bucket to stop the flow (not directly in the lava! Place it adjacently so the water flows into the lava, then pick the water back up to re-use). Carry junk fireproof blocks like cobblestone to plug in holes where lava source is leaking lava into inappropriate spots. Eventually you will find diamond. Carefully mine around the diamond (to ensure you’re not accidentally going to drop the previous diamonds into lava pools underneath.) Once you have 5 diamonds, you have enough. Store 2 in a safe place. Use 3 to make a diamond pick. Use the water next to a lava pool so it flows into the lava to make obsidian. CAREFULLY mine this out (lava is often multiple levels deep, stand in a safe location). Now you have the components to make your enchanting table! You might also want to grab at least 10 additional obsidian blocks to make a Nether Portal while you’re at it. Having a deep shaft to near-bedrock is great for mining, since iron and coal still spawn very deep, but you’ll also get the deep ores as well. [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/110 "2012-03-15T17:37:41Z")
That’s a nice little guide there. I’ve never been very lucky at harvesting obsidian from caves. There’s usually more lava under the obsidian, so once mined, it falls into the lava. Does anyone know a trick to getting it out? I usually end up making my own obsidian. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/111 "2012-03-15T17:52:42Z")
That’s cool, **fluiddruid** , I’ll do that! I don’t know what “bedrock” looks like yet. I already dug a very deep mine. I have a central pillar, and add “stairs” blocks (so no leaping up one block at a time), creating a 3x3 spiral staircase. I got to a point where at the bottom was all obsidian (a very black rock), which my iron pick won’t do squat in terms of mining it. There were little puffs of “smoke” coming up from out of these obsidian blocks, and I believe that means that there is lava underneath. I don’t know how deep in terms of numbers of blocks this mine shaft is, someday I’ll count. I didn’t hit an underground gorge with this shaft, although I did discover a short underground river about 10 or 12 blocks above the obsidian layer. (Never saw diamond or gold veins yet.) Thanks for the info on enchanting! I’m gonna make me an unbrakeable set of tools! ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/112 "2012-03-15T19:40:21Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > That’s a nice little guide there. I’ve never been very lucky at harvesting obsidian from caves. There’s usually more lava under the obsidian, so once mined, it falls into the lava. Does anyone know a trick to getting it out? I usually end up making my own obsidian. If you meet me in VC, **wonderlust** , I’ll show you how to make unlimited amounts of obsidian very cheaply, but completely legitimately. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/113 "2012-03-15T19:43:31Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > That’s cool, **fluiddruid** , I’ll do that! > > I don’t know what “bedrock” looks like yet. > > I already dug a very deep mine. I have a central pillar, and add “stairs” blocks (so no leaping up one block at a time), creating a 3x3 spiral staircase. I got to a point where at the bottom was all obsidian (a very black rock), which my iron pick won’t do squat in terms of mining it. There were little puffs of “smoke” coming up from out of these obsidian blocks, and I believe that means that there is lava underneath. I don’t know how deep in terms of numbers of blocks this mine shaft is, someday I’ll count. I didn’t hit an underground gorge with this shaft, although I did discover a short underground river about 10 or 12 blocks above the obsidian layer. (Never saw diamond or gold veins yet.) > > Thanks for the info on enchanting! I’m gonna make me an unbrakeable set of tools! You have reached bedrock. It’s the black stripey stone that can’t be dug. The puffs of smoke are void fog. You can press F3 to see what level you’re on. The middle value, y, is your depth. It’s taken at eye-level, not foot-level. I love spiral stairs, but have never gotten them to look consistent. Keeping a central post may be the trick; thanks for that. Thanks, **Agent Foxtrot**. I do know how to pour lava into a one-block depth and then flood it with water – in case that’s what you’re referring to. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/114 "2012-03-15T19:43:34Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > That’s cool, **fluiddruid** , I’ll do that! > > I don’t know what “bedrock” looks like yet. > > I already dug a very deep mine. I have a central pillar, and add “stairs” blocks (so no leaping up one block at a time), creating a 3x3 spiral staircase. I got to a point where at the bottom was all obsidian (a very black rock), which my iron pick won’t do squat in terms of mining it. There were little puffs of “smoke” coming up from out of these obsidian blocks, and I believe that means that there is lava underneath. I don’t know how deep in terms of numbers of blocks this mine shaft is, someday I’ll count. I didn’t hit an underground gorge with this shaft, although I did discover a short underground river about 10 or 12 blocks above the obsidian layer. (Never saw diamond or gold veins yet.) > > Thanks for the info on enchanting! I’m gonna make me an unbrakeable set of tools! The puffs of smoke are particles showing you’re very close to the Void (y = 1 through 4). Lava doesn’t doesn’t give any clues that it’s under the block you’re standing on, but if you’re under a block that lava is above, you’ll see it dripping through the block. If you’re near lava, you’ll hear it bubbling and popping. The Void makes no sound. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/115 "2012-03-15T19:46:36Z")
We’re so simul-postey! ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/116 "2012-03-15T21:25:03Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > The puffs of smoke are particles showing you’re very close to the Void (y = 1 through 4). Lava doesn’t doesn’t give any clues that it’s under the block you’re standing on, but if you’re under a block that lava is above, you’ll see it dripping through the block. > > If you’re near lava, you’ll hear it bubbling and popping. The Void makes no sound. > [@wonderlust](#): > > You have reached bedrock. It’s the black stripey stone that can’t be dug. The puffs of smoke are void fog. You can press F3 to see what level you’re on. The middle value, y, is your depth. It’s taken at eye-level, not foot-level. > > I love spiral stairs, but have never gotten them to look consistent. Keeping a central post may be the trick; thanks for that. > > Thanks, **Agent Foxtrot**. I do know how to pour lava into a one-block depth and then flood it with water – in case that’s what you’re referring to. :smack: I thought that stuff was obsidian. Thanks for the tip. Why is “Y” the height axis when everyone else uses “Z”? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/117 "2012-03-17T16:12:41Z")
I posted this last September, you new people may like this: [Minecraft Music Videos and more.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=626145) ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/118 "2012-03-17T19:01:05Z")
Thanks for the post. I like the idea of ridiculous contraptions in the last one. I like a bi’ o’ [Diggy Diggy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR7EAdPUqvQ). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/119 "2012-03-19T16:54:23Z")
> [@wonderlust](#): > > Thanks, **Agent Foxtrot**. I do know how to pour lava into a one-block depth and then flood it with water – in case that’s what you’re referring to. Nope. My method of creating obsidian uses redstone instead of lava, which is way more renewable and far faster. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761/120 "2012-03-19T16:58:11Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > :smack: I thought that stuff was obsidian. Thanks for the tip. > > Why is “Y” the height axis when everyone else uses “Z”? 😃 What do you mean by “everyone else”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-playing-minecraft-anymore/612761.md?page=7)