Minecraft - f13 Server is: chugging along... again (Read OP)

[Zaljerem]

or any child, amirite?!

Damn you restraining order!

j/k

Ah, I love this place. I need to post more often instead of just lurking ...  

EDIT: It's taking up valuable Minecraft time though ... :)

[Thrawn]

Ah, I love this place. I need to post more often instead of just lurking ...  

Do not ever open the Politics forum or you will lose faith in humanity right before your brain shrivels.

Also, I'll be sure to remove that big waterfall I placed for no reason other then to experiement when I get home. 

[tgr]

Do not ever open the Politics forum or you will lose faith in humanity right before your brain shrivels.

This is wisdom right here.

[MrHat]

I haven't had a "Whoa" moment in a video game in ages.

Walking through the F13 server had me actually marvelling at the wonders.

Who's biodome?  Insanity.

[ffc]

Who's biodome?  Insanity.

Bzalthek.  Say his name 3 times and the server explodes.

[UnSub]

One thing that occurs to me right away: the MMOG devs who've said with near-religious fervor that nobody wants sandboxes, sandboxes can't work anyway, etc.? Seriously, consider another line of work.

There's plenty of examples that smaller multiplayer situations can allow for emergent gameplay.

However, you open it up to 'massive' numbers of players and you send in the clowns.

[Koyochi]

I've only been playing this game for 4 days, yet I'm already literally dreaming of caves and cubes. I don't think any game has kept me so busy while having so few goals.

[Khaldun]

So when you guys are building something that's up high, what's your strategy? Right now I build scaffolding, but it's kind of time consuming. Sometimes I can nudge just right to add blocks to a structure from the up-high block I'm presently on, but it often takes going right to the edge of a block to do it and sometimes I fall off.

What's the weird ominous quasi-musical noise you sometimes hear when underground? I've got the spider noises, zombie noises, and skeleton noises solidly identified, but every once in a while there's this little creepy quasi-music that makes me think something dreadful is about to happens, but then nothing does happen.

The section on Minepedia about redstone wiring is both exciting and confusing. I certainly have enough of the stuff to want to do something with it.

What exactly controls monster spawning and behavior in Alpha, in the outdoors? They seem to go towards structures/lights whether or not you're in them--I can see from my high tower that at night there are quite a few of them hanging around another place I built and put torches in. Do they respawn in caves once you've cleared them out (besides slimes, that is)?

[Khaldun]

One thing that occurs to me right away: the MMOG devs who've said with near-religious fervor that nobody wants sandboxes, sandboxes can't work anyway, etc.? Seriously, consider another line of work.

There's plenty of examples that smaller multiplayer situations can allow for emergent gameplay.

However, you open it up to 'massive' numbers of players and you send in the clowns.

I should clarify. There is no way this should be a massively multiplayer game. In fact, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that any 'virtual world' game should me "small multiplayer": they flourish with 50 or 100 people with some common interests or inclinations, die with thousands of massively divergent strangers.

But a lot of MMO devs haven't concentrated on the numbers of players, instead have argued that the thing that breaks MMOs is any hint of sandbox-iness, that players don't want to have to fiddle with design or make content or anything like that, and what we need is casual games that run on rails. I think something like Minecraft suggests to me that a lot of devs say that as a cover story because the truth is, most of them don't know how to make a sandbox, are afraid of player-driven content creation, etc.: the problem is with them, not with a lack of desire on the part of players.

[Jobu]

I think something like Minecraft suggests to me that a lot of devs say that as a cover story because the truth is, most of them ... are afraid of player-driven content creation...

Or maybe all their lawyers are? Giant dongs, eye-watering profanity, reproductions of Mickey Mouse and Mario: those are the things that keep their marketing and legal overlords awake at night.

[ffc]

So when you guys are building something that's up high, what's your strategy?

Nudging along or scaffolding works for me.  Eventually an option will be added to duck/crawl which will prevent you from falling off an edge.

[Tarami]

So when you guys are building something that's up high, what's your strategy?

Nudging along or scaffolding works for me.  Eventually an option will be added to duck/crawl which will prevent you from falling off an edge.

It's already in. It's on shift I think.

[Thrawn]

So when you guys are building something that's up high, what's your strategy?

Nudging along or scaffolding works for me.  Eventually an option will be added to duck/crawl which will prevent you from falling off an edge.

Hold shift, it was put in last month.

[ffc]

Hold....shift....a month ago.....all the falling....the rage....ye gods

[NiX]

What's the weird ominous quasi-musical noise you sometimes hear when underground? I've got the spider noises, zombie noises, and skeleton noises solidly identified, but every once in a while there's this little creepy quasi-music that makes me think something dreadful is about to happens, but then nothing does happen.

...

What exactly controls monster spawning and behavior in Alpha, in the outdoors? They seem to go towards structures/lights whether or not you're in them--I can see from my high tower that at night there are quite a few of them hanging around another place I built and put torches in. Do they respawn in caves once you've cleared them out (besides slimes, that is)?

1. One is a dragon noise, which isn't apparent. The other is just a noise that plays randomly to keep you on your toes. I've suspected that it may mean you're close to a spawner, but I haven't been able to confirm that one.

2. I've never found them to be attracted to light. They typically just walk around randomly, but can seem like they're sticking to a specific area if there's a "room" nearby they can't enter. I think it's more of a pathing issue where they just keep trying to enter your house, but can't. Also, they respawn as long as there's darkness, which is why torches are key and the upcoming Halloween patch scares the shit out of everyone.

[Khaldun]

Ah, yes, I was seeing that. Here's hoping lanterns will be cheap to make, yeah--one thing I don't like is the thought of having to hassle constantly with monsters in built or cleared areas. I like the challenge of dealing with making good monsterproof structures and I like the fear of carelessly breaking into cave systems/water/lava and having to think fast. But getting jumped all the time while mining or building could get old.

Though actually, at this point, I suspect my deaths have a statistical breakdown about like this:

1) Falling repeatedly while building or down a really really deep shaft that I forgot to make good stairs for.
2) Forgetting to be careful about not pickaxing the block above my head and getting crushed by a huge column of gravel that was above the cobblestone.
3) Miscalculating the height of a lava flow where I'm trying to dig up to where the spring is.

Distant fourth:

4) Monsters (mostly getting hit by arrows out of dark places where it takes me too long to realize that I'm getting hit by arrows)

Best death:

Opening a channel to a lava flow and a water flow at about the same time and having my pickaxe expire on me as I did so, and then forgetting I'd sealed the passage behind already because there had been a slime wandering around and I didn't want to get jumped by it.

[KallDrexx]

I really don't get the point of having unlit torches.  Either they are wayyyy cheaper than lanterns, in which case you have to keep farming flint and steel just to do normal activities and protect yourself, or lanterns are cheap/easy and there's no point in ever using torches.  Either way, you would have to wait until a torch goes out before relighting it, which means you are still vulnerable to a spawn in that time (and if cave diving, you risk having your whole exit blocked off by spawned mobs).

blah.  Just seems like an all around bad game design.

[NiX]

It falls in line with Notch's idea for Minecraft, which is a challenging adventure experience. There's no challenge if your only worry is in front of you. Every experience I've had where I pulled a total "Oh shit" and jumped out of my chair was from missing an area with a torch and having something come up behind me.

I play on Peaceful 80% of the time, so it doesn't bother me at all.

[Samwise]

I dunno, I like the feeling of "claiming" the caves I discover by exploring them, killing any monsters that might be there, and then planting torches everywhere and knowing that they won't be coming back.  Fencing the monsters out is more fun for me than killing them.  I guess I could play on peaceful mode and just pretend there were zombies wandering around outside the house, but I think it'd lose something.

[Paelos]

I would like the torches idea if I could connect them to a network of redstone wires that would fire up a series of torches along my mine wall. That would be bad ass. LIGHT EM UP BOYS! 

[Malakili]

My main problem is more or less that I think the game is really really brilliant right now, and frankly I feel like the more fiddling he does, the worse it will turn out in the end.  I mean, the basic mechanic is compelling, so it can't go all bad, but like I've said before, the more (mandatory) "game" they add, the less I'll likely play.  I have lots of games I love playing already, I like Minecraft because it isn't those.

EDIT to make my point explicitly:  The Torch/Lantern thing does absolutely nothing good for the game from this perspective.

[Bzalthek]

I think it largely depends on the length of time a torch burns.  If it's a day or two, I don't think it'll effect much in the grand scheme of things.  I kinda want lanterns to have a larger light radius though.

[Samwise]

Lanterns having a larger light radius would be a good way to make up for them being more expensive.

Heh, it just occurred to me that lava sheds light... it might end up being easier to light everything with lava canals.   

[NiX]

My main problem is more or less that I think the game is really really brilliant right now, and frankly I feel like the more fiddling he does, the worse it will turn out in the end.  I mean, the basic mechanic is compelling, so it can't go all bad, but like I've said before, the more (mandatory) "game" they add, the less I'll likely play.  I have lots of games I love playing already, I like Minecraft because it isn't those.

EDIT to make my point explicitly:  The Torch/Lantern thing does absolutely nothing good for the game from this perspective.

The glory of Minecraft is that you can simply play the old version by not logging in. It's not necessary to anything you do in the Singleplayer.

[Malakili]

My main problem is more or less that I think the game is really really brilliant right now, and frankly I feel like the more fiddling he does, the worse it will turn out in the end.  I mean, the basic mechanic is compelling, so it can't go all bad, but like I've said before, the more (mandatory) "game" they add, the less I'll likely play.  I have lots of games I love playing already, I like Minecraft because it isn't those.

EDIT to make my point explicitly:  The Torch/Lantern thing does absolutely nothing good for the game from this perspective.

The glory of Minecraft is that you can simply play the old version by not logging in. It's not necessary to anything you do in the Singleplayer.

Thats neat, I didn'tknow that actually.  Thanks.  Still, I'll update cause I just have to se for myself! (backup the old version of course!)

[NiX]

Once again, map updated!

Two days in a row. I'm competent or something.

[Malakili]

Anyone know if there is a mod or way to turn off the day night cycle?   I miss the time of eternal days on the f13 server, and while I don't think most people want to go back the way i do, I'd sure be nice to get a single player game going with it on.

[Lantyssa]

So when you guys are building something that's up high, what's your strategy? Right now I build scaffolding, but it's kind of time consuming. Sometimes I can nudge just right to add blocks to a structure from the up-high block I'm presently on, but it often takes going right to the edge of a block to do it and sometimes I fall off.

Gravel and/or Sand pillars.  Jump and place a block and you can climb to great heights.  If you fall off, you can knock it down to collect your pillar materials.  That's also what I use for markers, since I can reach the cloud layer in less than 30 seconds.

[NiX]

Anyone know if there is a mod or way to turn off the day night cycle?   I miss the time of eternal days on the f13 server, and while I don't think most people want to go back the way i do, I'd sure be nice to get a single player game going with it on.

There's a server mod that lets you do this, but someone has to repeatedly reset the day cycle to keep the sunlight.

[Yegolev]

Heh, it just occurred to me that lava sheds light... it might end up being easier to light everything with lava canals.   

Yes.  My thoughts.

[MrHat]

Heh, it just occurred to me that lava sheds light... it might end up being easier to light everything with lava canals.   

Yes.  My thoughts.

I'm pretty sure that's the point that a cave becomes a lair.

[Thrawn]

I'm pretty sure that's the point that a cave becomes a lair.

Now I just need a way to get chickens down to my lair to feed the monsters with.

[tgr]

Lit grass seems to spawn them just fine in my SP lair.

[Zaljerem]

I'm pretty sure that's the point that a cave becomes a lair.

Now I just need a way to get chickens down to my lair to feed the monsters with.

Dungeon Keeper ... 

[Lantyssa]

I totally need to make a Dark Mistress avatar skin now.