# Getting lost in a cave in minecraft **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 25, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440 "2015-06-25T14:27:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/21 "2015-06-27T15:32:57Z")
> [@BrianJ](#): > > Carry a bucket of water with you so you can use it to put out lava. This might be the most surreal statement I’ve read this month, so thanks for the chuckle 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/22 "2015-06-27T18:30:07Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Fuck my goddamn fucking life. I just spend an hour and a half in a mine. I did everything right, I put torches on the right side. When I got lost I just dug up. A couple times I hit water (the mine was near a lake) but with planning I eventually hit dirt. > > I had 150+ pieces of iron, 300+ pieces of coal, 20+ pieces of gold, several emeralds, about 30 redstones when I got back to the surface. It was great. > > And I got cornered by a couple of fucking creepers and died when I got to the surface. I lost everything since I didn’t get a chance to get back to my house, put all the stuff in a trunk and sleep in my bed. I am new to the game but it is fucking frustrating. I need to change the difficulty level. Assuming you’re playing on PC, it’s possible to save and restore your game. Find the folder where your Minecraft saves are stored (it’ll be something like C:\Users<your name\>\AppData\Roaming.minecraft\saves) and duplicate the folder with your world in it. The game will see each folder as a separate game world. If you die, or a creeper blows up something you’ve spent a lot of time on, or you just get hopelessly lost, go back to the saves folder, delete the one where you got boned, dupe the copy again, and jump back in to wherever you were when you last backed up your game. Tricky part, of course, is remembering to make the back-up regularly. ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/23 "2015-06-28T00:00:20Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > This might be the most surreal statement I’ve read this month, so thanks for the chuckle 🙂 Water goes a long way in minecraft 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/24 "2015-06-28T03:37:16Z")
> [@blue\_infinity](#): > > If you can get back to the spot where you died within 5 minutes - all your stuff will be there. If that spot is in a different chunk from where you spawn - it might still be there. Yeah, the despawn timer starts counting down once the chunk is loaded. I’ve died in the nether, gotten pissed and not gone back for days and found my stuff floating around on the netherrack. Creepers will destroy a portion of your stuff, though. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/25 "2015-06-28T20:07:44Z")
Reading this thread reminded me that I put minecraft aside for a bit of a lame reason - I couldn’t find melon seeds anywhere. I’d built up to a good level and was having a first dig at dispatching the ender dragon. Failed at this - destroying the beacon things was hard as the towers were absolutely massive. So I reckoned some healing potions were in order, hence the melon seeds. I have yet to find a jungle biome anywhere, and I’ve walked / rode the earth in search of them. I’ve found some seeds once in an abandoned mine, when I was still a noob at the game, and lost them ☹ Do you reckon you’d find an abandoned mine if you put your back into it? Got a bit bored with looking. Or just leave the healing potions and sort the dragon out with a bit of practice? My 7 yo loved playing it with me, and was actually asking me today why I stopped, so thinking of firing it back up. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/26 "2015-06-28T21:10:15Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Do you reckon you’d find an abandoned mine if you put your back into it? Got a bit bored with looking. Or just leave the healing potions and sort the dragon out with a bit of practice? My 7 yo loved playing it with me, and was actually asking me today why I stopped, so thinking of firing it back up. You can try using a few [enchanted golden apples](http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Enchanted_golden_apple) (aka Notch Apple) – costs 72 gold, but you’ll be virtually unkillable. Also, [Minutor](http://seancode.com/minutor/) is a nice program which lets you view a zoomable map of your world. It hasn’t been updated in a long time, but should still work well enough to find mineshafts & stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/27 "2015-06-28T23:08:44Z")
I like Journey Map mini map. ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/28 "2015-06-28T23:19:20Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Reading this thread reminded me that I put minecraft aside for a bit of a lame reason - I couldn’t find melon seeds anywhere. > I’d built up to a good level and was having a first dig at dispatching the ender dragon. Failed at this - destroying the beacon things was hard as the towers were absolutely massive. So I reckoned some healing potions were in order, hence the melon seeds. > I have yet to find a jungle biome anywhere, and I’ve walked / rode the earth in search of them. I’ve found some seeds once in an abandoned mine, when I was still a noob at the game, and lost them ☹ > > Do you reckon you’d find an abandoned mine if you put your back into it? Got a bit bored with looking. Or just leave the healing potions and sort the dragon out with a bit of practice? My 7 yo loved playing it with me, and was actually asking me today why I stopped, so thinking of firing it back up. Try a mapping tool like [mapcrafter](http://mapcrafter.org/index). You can generate both overland and underground maps. Never get lost again! And locate underground features like abandoned mines. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/29 "2015-06-29T03:52:29Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > I have yet to find a jungle biome anywhere, and I’ve walked / rode the earth in search of them. I’ve found some seeds once in an abandoned mine, when I was still a noob at the game, and lost them ☹ /give Busy Scissors 362 64 except use whatever your minecraft name is. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/30 "2015-06-29T22:55:57Z")
Many thanks for the suggestions. I played a pretty simple survival game, so just using what I’d find - pretty sure I have gold coming out of my ears, so the enchanted apple is a possibility. Did a couple of ocean monuments prior to taking a break. That being said, I’m curious to fire up a map just to prove that damn jungle exists! No idea why they spawn so infrequently on the world I’m playing. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/31 "2015-06-29T23:22:11Z")
> [@BrianJ](#): > > Water goes a long way in minecraft 😃 Only eight blocks, on a flat surface. ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/32 "2015-06-29T23:48:33Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Only eight blocks, on a flat surface. I meant in relation to real life. IE using a bucket to solidify any size real lava would not work. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/33 "2015-06-30T01:09:30Z")
For those who enjoy watching Minecraft competitions on YouTube, the newest season of [Mindcrack Ultra Hardcore](http://www.reddit.com/r/mindcrack/comments/3bk6m7/mindcrack_uhc_season_21_episode_1/) started today. > [@BrianJ](#): > > IE using a bucket to solidify any size real lava would not work. But you can [carry lava in a bucket!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxJeY4C6SL4) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/34 "2015-06-30T02:00:35Z")
> [@BrianJ](#): > > I meant in relation to real life. IE using a bucket to solidify any size real lava would not work. I know. I was making a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/35 "2015-06-30T02:04:10Z")
I’ve often wondered how Minecraft buckets work. I’ve never tried, but I’m reasonably sure if I were to put a bucket full of lava into my knapsack, things would not go well for me. At all. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/36 "2015-06-30T13:52:53Z")
> [@BrianJ](#): > > Try a mapping tool like [mapcrafter](http://mapcrafter.org/index). You can generate both overland and underground maps. Never get lost again! And locate underground features like abandoned mines. FYI, Chrome throws Security Error warnings on that site when I try to download it and claims “Attackers on [mapcrafter.org](http://mapcrafter.org) might attempt to trick you into installing programs that harm your browsing experience (for example, by changing your homepage or showing extra ads on sites you visit).” and “Google Safe Browsing recently found harmful programs on [mapcrafter.org](http://mapcrafter.org).” ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/37 "2015-06-30T22:14:34Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I know. I was making a joke. Sorry, hard to tell sometimes in text 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/38 "2015-06-30T22:59:40Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > FYI, Chrome throws Security Error warnings on that site when I try to download it and claims “Attackers on [mapcrafter.org](http://mapcrafter.org) might attempt to trick you into installing programs that harm your browsing experience (for example, by changing your homepage or showing extra ads on sites you visit).” and “Google Safe Browsing recently found harmful programs on [mapcrafter.org](http://mapcrafter.org).” Huh, I never had any problems with the old version, new version my virus scanner blocks it. I thought McAffee was jsut being over diligent like it usually is. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/39 "2015-07-01T01:30:10Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I’ve often wondered how Minecraft buckets work. I’ve never tried, but I’m reasonably sure if I were to put a bucket full of lava into my knapsack, things would not go well for me. > > At all. But what if you put the lava on a treadmill ? ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440/40 "2015-07-01T14:01:12Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > But what if you put the lava on a treadmill ? That’s one half of a cobblestone generator… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-lost-in-a-cave-in-minecraft/723440.md?page=3)