Minecrafting: New Perspectives

In the last couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to delve into an aspect of Minecraft which I had previously ignored, and one which I believe may hold the true key to the game's success: Multiplayer.

My previous experiences with multiplayer in Minecraft had been less than ideal: Early on, creative mode servers or incredibly buggy, combat-less Alpha servers were the only options available. With the arrival of the Minecraft Beta, however, there was now more reason to give multiplayer another shot. Unfortunately, public servers were often so overrun with players as to be shredded and lifeless, or else laggy to the point of being unplayable. I didn't know anyone with a private server until some real-life friends and their own acquaintances generously brought a new server into the equation. With this new virtual playground, our small group has begun to colonize the landscape like so many architecturally gifted ants.

With that in mind, I'll introduce you to the other locals . . .

~ kinxer ~

One of the server operators, kinxer, was among the very first to build in the server. His small fortress, comprised of a multi-layered wall of cobblestone, glass, obsidian, and lightstone, has been around for some time now, and is also the former residence of the server's other OP, Relondo.

Visitors to kinxer's abode will immediately notice the craggy canyon surrounding the fort, which was actually the site of an unfortunate landscaping misadventure. kinxer, along with Relondo and myself, dug a deep trench around the castle to fill with TNT, but early in the TNT-placing phase of our plans, kinxer set off the TNT and immolated me (and, presumably, Relondo). This, naturally, left a very lopsided crater on one side of the castle. Since then, the canyon has been completed and decorated with lightstone and assorted waterfalls, and several unexplored cave segments can also be seen to branch off into the darkness.

Inside the castle, kinxer's castle is garishly lit by an abundance of lightstone, as well as a large pool of lava under the glass courtyard. Evidence of possible dissension between kinxer and the now-absent Relondo can be seen next to their respective storage areas.

 

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It is also worth noting that above the castle, a hovering pig spawner rains pork onto any unwary pedestrians passing below.

~  Sunkendoughnut ~

Besides being my real-life friend, Sunkendoughnut is also my virtual neighbor. In fact, my front door gives me an excellent view of his organic-looking open-air dwelling, which is effectively built to mesh with the landscape around it.

He intends for the finished structure to be "natural and zen-like", and is using wood and natural stone instead of cobblestone for the exterior. There's something to be said for having an aesthetically conscious neighbor living next door.

~ Relondo ~

Relondo, the other server OP, recently moved away to a distant desert region. Since then, he's begun to colonize and terraform an impressive floating island. The rock, now given the curious name of Farwagon, has a small vegetable garden and an impressively tall waterfall descending from the island's center. This waterfall also doubles as an atypical method for entry, as evidenced by a number of boats littering the treetops below Farwagon.
The secret of Farwagon's location is, apparently, known only to Relondo, who teleports his guests directly to his island. So far, the only clue to where it could be found is that it hovers over a craggy mountain range bordered by desert.

~ LostSpider ~

This bewildered newcomer actually arrived in our world for the first time while I was in the midst of writing this post. We waited out the night together in a small hole, and I left a set of tools, coal, and wood for the aptly-named fellow to use when I left the next morning.

I later returned to see a small house being built in the hill, and labeled with the grandiose title "LostSpider Manor". A little hyperbole never hurts . . .

In the near future, I'll spotlight my some of my own work in the server. I'm also planning on leading an expedition to search for the new lapis lazuli ore in distant lands, so that ought to be . . . interesting, as well.

Cheers,
~ Talos ~

Minecrafting: Holiday Hindsight

The holidays, with all the time-consuming fun entailed, have successfully kept me very occupied for some time now, and obviously my posting habits have suffered. However, I am now pleased to inform you that I did, in fact, find some time over the holidays to celebrate Christmas in our Minecraft world, though it wasn't as easy as I had originally hoped.

Now, without further ado, I give you . . .


Part 5 of the ongoing adventure in the mysterious world of Minecraft . . .

~                   ~                    ~

It's the Christmas season, and while there might not be any ornaments, stockings, or even appropriately blocky packages in Minecraft, I'm going to celebrate as best I can. In fact, Notch's stunt with adding a Christmas cape has given me an idea -

I'll build a Christmas tree!

With the world being as pixellated as it is, I decide to use Notch's own cape image as a rough guide to my final product. I have a feeling that this will turn out to be a bit less simple than it sounds, so I decide to construct test models out of dirt before I work on the final version. With this aim in mind, I trudge down into the valley, where a swarm of undead attempt to impede my construction.

They meet a swift end, after which I grab my not-inconsiderable pile of dirt blocks (with a couple of logs to use as a base) and get to work.

Christmas Tree Mk. I is . . . less than satisfactory.

I compare it to my saved picture of the cape. Nope, not even close. I build a new model.

This is embarrassing. Maybe my standards are too high, but that just doesn't look right at all. A pair of creepers take advantage of my distraction and try to sneak up on me, but I have little trouble dispatching them.

Once again, a new tree is erected.

Still weird-looking, but I'm doubting whether I could even build an ideal three-dimensional tree out of 1-meter cubes even under the best conditions. I load the second one with torches for a festive look, but it doesn't help much.

The sun has set, so it's time that I got back to my house.
Thanks to the thriving local population of creepers, I've got enough sulphur stockpiled to make TNT.

And so I do. Four sand is mixed with five sulphur, and now I have a block of incredible destructive power in my possession.
I spend the rest of the night building a new room, and adding an expansive window overlooking the valley where I plan to put the final Christmas tree.

The next morning, I venture out on top of the cliff I inhabit, and gaze down upon the lumpy dirt trees below me. Under the circumstances, I think I'm going to have to go with the second model I developed, since it's the most tree-like one of the bunch. As for the method, I think I'll start by checking to see if trimming a normal tree down to size could possibly work.

Unfortunately, I'm so caught up in my moment of contemplation that I lose my footing and fall off the cliff.
*splat*

After retrieving my scattered and damaged belongings, I plant a few saplings to experiment upon. Naturally, a wandering creeper blasts one of them into a smoking crater.

I pick a tree to modify, and once again set to chopping. Once satisfied, I switch to Fast Graphics mode to turn the leaves opaque, then load it with festive torches.
With that final touch . . . it's done!

Well hey, I guess it's not that bad.

A belated Happy New Year, everyone!

Next: Cliff Dwelling 2.0