# Minecraft - multiplayer diggin' holes and buildin' things **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 12, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547 "2009-06-12T14:11:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/21 "2010-09-24T12:14:19Z")
> [@Omi\_no\_Kami](#): > > So I’m playing my first game right now, and I’m curious: what am I supposed to do if I can’t find coal? It doesn’t seem to be anywhere on the surface, so should I mine deeper (which I’m wary to do 'cause I don’t wanna spawn a monster) or keep looking on the surface? I really believe that coal is simply too necessary, right at the beginning. I wish there was a way to use sticks to make a campfire, and then use a campfire to make torches (and cook food). The idea of torches being coal-on-a-stick bugs me. I’m seriously loving this game- so much so that I bought it yesterday. Sure, it’s really rough around the (amusingly rectilinear) edges, but it’s definitely got a lot of potential, and I’m really happy to see that a single, independent developer can still make it big in the game industry. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/22 "2010-09-24T12:23:52Z")
> [@Omi\_no\_Kami](#): > > ## Well, I found some coal- thanks for the feedback! I ended up doing something quite close to what you recommended, but a bit more severe. My emergency shelter basically looked like > > - > > = > Where = is the mountainside and \* was my guy. I basically dug 2 squares in, stood on the deeper square and filled the shallower one with 2 cubes. You’re right that this made it somewhat harder, but I just manually pickaxed it down every so often to check if it was daytime yet. > Sooo, what am I supposed to do now? I have all the stone tools I could want, and I’m starting to get enough iron to make decent armor. Is there anything else I have to do to guarantee my survival/progress, or is it all sandbox architecture/mining stuff at this point? Build a small shelter, with trees planted around it. That way, you have a constant supply of wood. Once you have that, you need to dig or find a nearby cave so you can mine diamond. You’ll need it for good armor and tools, but before you can mine diamond, you need steel or another hard metal, not stone. You’ll have to refine those first with a smelter, which can be built as follows. OOO O\_O OOO O representing stone. I recommend, I’d theres not an easily accessible cave, that you follow a simple 1 down, 1 forward dig system. This will allow you to get up and down the cave that you’re using for mining without building stairs separately. You’ll need a good supply of goal (a few stacks of 64 will accumulate quickly when you’re looking for diamond, gold, etc). Google “minecraft crafting wiki” and it’ll show you a full list of craftable stuff. Feel free to set up booby traps, and castles and highways. ---
**Author:** ![Omi\_no\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Omi\_no\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omi_no_Kami)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/23 "2010-09-24T13:00:16Z")
Hmm, if I’m going one down, one forward all the way can I just jump up to get away from lava? I’ve gotten killed before by accidentally tapping into a high-pressure system. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/24 "2010-09-24T13:03:09Z")
That’s never come up, for me. I can move pretty quick though, sometimes you hit a creeper or something spawned in a cave you hit and you have to book it. Luckily as long as the steps are 2x2 in at least some areas, and you use 90 degree turns periodically (every 10-20 steps, make a small room, with a torch) they cant follow you through the tunnels. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/25 "2010-09-24T17:29:59Z")
Can anyone who plays Dwarf Fortress say how this game compares? ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/26 "2010-09-24T17:53:41Z")
In Minecraft, you can craft tools that allow you to harvest or create different types of blocks. You then use those blocks to create structures from your imagination like LEGO. At night, monsters spawn that try to kill you, but you have infinite lives and the monsters are weak and slow. If you kill them, they drop items you can use for crafting. During the day, harmless animals spawn, which drop items you can use for crafting. The interface is simple and everything is rendered in blocky forms with awful textures. In Dwarf Fortress, you know the basics. It’s more about beating the system and the chaos it throws at you than your expression. Dwarf Fortress presents you with challenges that you must overcome; you only face your own challenges in Minecraft. The fortress design stuff is deeper than the creations in Minecraft. Dwarf Fortress’s ASCII and UI are obstacles to enjoyment. Minecraft’s graphics are simple, but charming. I dunno. They are very different games. The simplest way to put it is that Minecraft is a very simple version of Dwarf Fortress with better graphics and the [FUN](http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Fun) removed. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/27 "2010-09-24T19:11:31Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > Build a small shelter, with trees planted around it. That way, you have a constant supply of wood. Just be sure you put some torches in that grove of trees. The nighttime monsters will burst into flames if sunlight hits them, but it has to be direct sunlight- so if you’ve got a lot of trees around your house, you’ll be in for a rude surprise if a monster spawns there at night. ---
**Author:** ![Omi\_no\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Omi\_no\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omi_no_Kami)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/28 "2010-09-24T19:57:09Z")
For my money, after getting used to dwarf fortress Minecraft is just too simple. It has some neat things, and learning the game was fun for a few hours, but there is really no sense of threat, and without external challenges a lot of the effort you go to to design great traps, or mechanisms or whatnot feels wasted. ETA: the observations about the interface are right on, though. Dwarf Fotress is like performing open heart surgery with a handheld mirror while all three arms tied behind your back, whereas Minecraft takes about 3-5 minutes to become fully proficient in its controls and UI. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/29 "2010-09-29T17:09:11Z")
Just got punk’d by a Creeper…at least I think that’s what it was. I had just spent several hours mining in a deep, deep cavern I’d previously cleared out, not a monster in sight, and took forever to find the way back to the surface. After I finally found it, I quickly carved some exit signs to place so I wouldn’t get lost again. Was on the third sign, when \*\*BLAAAMMM!!! You are dead. (Respawn?)\*\* Never even saw the bugger who snuck up on me…thank goodness I’d dropped off my iron & coal before working on the signs. I don’t think I’ll even bother going back for my stuff. (Now, excuse me as I go change my underwear…) ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/30 "2010-09-30T23:42:08Z")
I think the game has great potential, but it needs work. (Not surprising, of course - it’s still in alpha.) Also, I must be an idiot. I’ve played for hours yesterday and again today, and I cannot figure out how to make torches. I’ve Googled how to do so, and followed the directions, I think, but cannot make torches. This is very frustrating and annoying. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/31 "2010-10-01T03:30:25Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > I think the game has great potential, but it needs work. (Not surprising, of course - it’s still in alpha.) > > Also, I must be an idiot. I’ve played for hours yesterday and again today, and I cannot figure out how to make torches. I’ve Googled how to do so, and followed the directions, I think, but cannot make torches. This is very frustrating and annoying. Watch some YouTube intro videos, I know I saw several that showed crafting. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/32 "2010-10-01T04:45:22Z")
Torches should just be coal on a stick, coal on top, stick underneath. There’s a link from the Community page on the main site to a Wiki with the crafting recipes. Just bought the game today, what I had to search for was how to switch between items on the active inventory bar (mouse wheel). Made life so much easier. I also was a wimp and have it set to Peaceful while I’m figuring it out. Feel a bit like a Bond villain, I found a little offshore island, burrowed into it, and then down for the start of a nice, underground island lair. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/33 "2010-10-01T05:02:45Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > I think the game has great potential, but it needs work. (Not surprising, of course - it’s still in alpha.) > > Also, I must be an idiot. I’ve played for hours yesterday and again today, and I cannot figure out how to make torches. I’ve Googled how to do so, and followed the directions, I think, but cannot make torches. This is very frustrating and annoying. One important thing to remember, make sure you’re using coal, and not flint. They look a lot a like. > [@dzeiger](#): > > Just bought the game today, what I had to search for was how to switch between items on the active inventory bar (mouse wheel). Made life so much easier. I also was a wimp and have it set to Peaceful while I’m figuring it out. I’ve been playing since the free weekend and I’m still on Peaceful. I’m more interested in exploring and building than defending myself against monsters. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/34 "2010-10-01T11:27:40Z")
Blooper video: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LnjSWPxJxNs/maxresdefault.jpg "Minecraft FIREE WTFFFFFFF!!!!!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnjSWPxJxNs) 😃 Brian ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/35 "2010-10-01T16:52:00Z")
> [@dzeiger](#): > > I also was a wimp and have it set to Peaceful while I’m figuring it out. Well, IMHO you are missing out on a big part of the game w/o enemies; it’s easy to prevent them from spawning by placing torches everywhere, or staying indoors at night. I have it set on Easy Mode and so far I’ve died more often from learning game mechanics (falling, swimming underwater, etc.) than from monsters, albeit with a few VERY close calls…but seriously, if there wasn’t some element of danger, I probably would’ve gotten bored with this game long ago. Of course, I’m from a hardcore FPS/RPG background, so that probably helps. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/36 "2010-10-02T00:13:05Z")
Also there are some items, e.g. gunpowder & spider silk, which can only be obtained from fighting mobs. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/37 "2010-10-02T02:25:14Z")
Oh, I have no intention of keeping it on peaceful forever, but in my first couple hours I was still trying to figure out what coal looked like when I was getting killed. Now I’ve just managed my first breakthrough to a massive underground cavern, which got me the redstone I needed to make a compass and find and mark a path back to the spawn point, so I’ll probably turn mobs back on shortly. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2010, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/38 "2010-10-02T08:38:28Z")
Well, you _must_ play a new game w/ mobs right from the start, whenever you get bored with your current game. Otherwise you’ll miss out on the first day of hurriedly gathering resources, constructing a hastily built shelter, and cower inside as the sounds of throngs of monsters eminate from outside… Did you read the [Penny Arcade](http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/9/20/) link from above? Totally captures the mood of the game…and I mean totally. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/39 "2010-10-04T01:05:55Z")
Well, turned it back on to Easy mode, and, well, rather than make it more interesting, I found that it made it rather pathetic and stupid. Went to explore a cavern I had broken into but not explored/mined out yet. I’m not sure how many mobs I went through in total, but in my last 30 seconds or so of life, I went through I think 3 zombies, 1 skeleton, 1 spider and about 5 creepers, the last one exploding and knocking me into lava. And this is Easy mode? I’m sorry, but that’s just not what I want. Some amount of danger from unexplored areas? Sure, that’d be great. But if I wanted to fight a constant stream of low-resolution enemies in an underground environment, well, I’m sure I can download the original Doom somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547/40 "2010-10-04T17:25:25Z")
Haha, it’s rather strange to come back and see my old thread revived long after I’ve lost interest in the game. I played a version before the zombies/crafting/wielding/wild popularity so I can’t even follow the discussion! I’m just going to leave this video here: [enjoy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnjSWPxJxNs)! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minecraft-multiplayer-diggin-holes-and-buildin-things/499547.md?page=3)