In the free Survival mode you get a lot more than two monsters in one place at a time. You get half a dozen spiders or creepers on the surface during the day.
Question for Omi no Kami, Grumman, Mince, and the others who don’t “get” Minecraft – how old are you guys? Did you play with Lego blocks (or similar toys) while growing up?
I’m beginning to believe this game’s demographics skew towards those who used to play with toys that stimulate the imagination, instead of being weaned on modern video games with hyper-realistic graphics that don’t leave any room for your imagination to fill in the blanks.
I’m 41 yo, but my enjoyment of something is not a function of my age. I don’t believe I’ve ever played with Lego blocks, but I also don’t believe that would be a barrier to me enjoying a Lego block based game, if it was enjoyable.
I’m in my late 20s, and love legos. What bugs me about Minecraft is that it feels too aesthetic: there is very little in the way of physics or mechanics beyond the water and sand, and so I feel like what I’m doing is pointless and quickly grow bored.
Dwarf Fotress, on the other hand, I could (and have) play that for hours.
Wait, are you suggesting that this “leeches off the success” of WoW?
And how is not enjoying something not “getting” something? Even you must admit that the gameplay is not terribly sophisticated. There is isn’t much to get, hence, not much to enjoy; at least in my world.
You know, you’re right. I mean, the term “craft” isn’t exclusive to Blizzard, right? That’s why, when I start my own MMORPG, I’ll have no moral hesitation in calling it “World of EverWarCrafting Quest.”
But minecraft isn’t a MMO. It is not even a RPG (even if people are setting up RP servers).
If Minecraft was similar to WoW or Starcraft/warcraft in any way, I would agree with you, but it pretty much isn’t.
I mentioned the age thing because, with modern games, there’s little room for inventiveness or creativity. Video games, especially, have become so photorealistic that it feels like you’re watching a movie, not playing a game. I don’t think kids these days (heh) will ever experience the wonderment of games like Colossal Cave Adventure, which, despite having NO visuals at all, was utterly captivating. To the youngsters who grew up with Halo 2 and Crysis, it’s just a bunch of boring words.
Hmm…hard to know what to say. Yes, Minecraft’s graphics and physics are deceptively simplistic – when I first glanced at some videos, my initial reaction was, “What’s the big deal? It looks blocky and boring!” It wasn’t until I watched some Let’s Plays, and discovered what the experience of the game feels like, that I was immediately hooked. Perhaps you merely haven’t reached that level of personal investment yet? How long have you been playing?
Never heard of Dwarf Fortress until now…but after watching just one minute of a YT vid, I turned it off – it looks scarily fun, and I can’t afford another obsession right now! 
MC does have multiplayer mode, though I don’t know how large the worlds are. And while there’s no level/quest/reward system, there’s certainly room for a lot of roleplaying, if you choose to play that way.
Agreed, but I’d still argue that Minecraft is neither MMO or RPG, even if it has multiplayer mode, and some people chose to roleplay.
In any case, it is really not very similar to WoW, which was the point I was trying to make.
I couldn’t give less of a damn. It’s still impressive to look at.
I’ve got a few questions about game mechanics:
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Do mobs travel over water? I’ve got an island that I’ve completely lit up. Is it safe to go outside at night? So far it seems to be, but I’m not letting my guard down.
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Creepers seem to last through at least part of the day, as do spiders (although spiders seem docile). Are there rules around this? I almost got smoked by a creeper today in broad daylight, and I managed to get up on a bluff where he couldn’t follow. But he seemed to be out there, bouncing around below the bluff for a a long time. Eventually I went about my business, and when I came back he was gone. Do they vanish if they lose sight of you in daylight or something?
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I have a tunnel with a house at each end. As far as I can tell, everything is sealed up tight and well lit. But I keep finding animals in it - cows, chickens, pigs. Where are they coming from? And is it safe to say that if animals are getting in, monsters can also get in?
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Just how dark does it have to be for monsters to spawn? I think I read something about spaces where the lighting goes below ‘seven’. But I have no idea how to translate that into what I’m seeing in the game. Does it have to be pitch black? Or just an area that’s semi-dark? I’m trying to figure out how many torches I have to lay out in some of the larger areas to be comfortable that no monsters can spawn, but I don’t know how much lighting to use.
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Is killing monsters the only way to get string? I’d like to make a bow, but the only monsters I’m consistently seeing around here are creepers, and they’re not much fun to fight with a sword. They don’t leave string anyway.
In daylight, spiders only attack if you attack first.
I think string comes from spiders.
Spawning doesn’t require pitch black.
Yes, mobs will chase you across water, but they will not spawn in water. You may want to lay down a row of torches on the opposite shore, depending on how far away it is, so the mobs never get close enough to spot you.
When the sun rises, and after zombies & skellingtons burn up, the spiders become non-hostile (unless they have already targeted you), but creepers will remain a danger. However, creepers never spawn in daylight, nor do any other hostile mob. All creatures (including livestock) will despawn if you leave the “chunk” they are in (a 64x64x64 cube, I think – not quite sure of the exact dimension) but bear in mind, creepers can stalk you for a long distance.
Livestock will wander towards any light source, especially at night, whereas monsters are repelled by light. If you’re seeing livestock in your house, then yes, potentially, monsters can get inside – but only if they are stalking you, or all the lights go out for some reason. For an extra added level of security, you should build physical fortifications (fences, pits, automatic doors, etc.) until NO livestock can reach your central area, which makes you nearly 100% safe from monsters. (It’s not always necessary, but it does add peace of mind, especially if your base is VERY close to a dark zone.)
Redstone torches have a Light Output of seven, which is right at the threshold where monsters can spawn. (Therefore, red torches aren’t at all effective for preventing monster spawns, although they do make very good beacons. Anecdote: I lit a good sized part of my cavern with only redstone torches before learning they were useless for preventing spawns – however, NO creature spawned during all that time. YMMV.) The darker the area, the greater chance of spawn…and after the Halloween update, the chance of spawns will greatly increase the deeper you go into the earth (so even more light will be needed to prevent mobs from spawning!)
AFAIK you can only get string from spiders.
You can find string in the storage crates of dungeons.
All good answers except for this:
Livestock (i.e. non-aggressive mobs) will spawn anywhere there is grass. So what’s probably happening is that some part of Sam Stone’s enclosed house has grass floor, animals spawn there, and they wander from there to other parts of his house. Don’t worry though: as long as it’s lit, no aggressive mobs will spawn there.
Oh, and from what I can tell, aggressive mobs can only chase you across shallow water. That is, water that is 1 or 2 meters deep. They will drown in 3+ meter water. And a row of torches on the opposite shore won’t do much. Light only keeps monsters from spawning; it doesn’t keep them from wandering through lighted areas.
Mobs will indeed chase you across water – I know this because a skeleton archer chased me all the way across the ocean once.
And where did you hear that hostile mobs will enter lighted areas? They shun light, which is the whole purpose of having a lighted perimeter. They will chase you into the light, yes, but aside from that, if light didn’t keep them at bay, the entire point of lighting up your perimeter would be moot.
Creepers float - as I found to my detriment.