Minecraft: Finale!

Now, finale usually indicates a climactic ending filled with suspense and awesome, and while I can provide awesome, it's more of a satisfying "sweet" finale. I have established a base a good ways away from my spawn point, I traveled through the nether and successfully secured a safe path between the portals, and I've even turned to decorations and other neat things.

My base looks awesome at night.

I cleared out the dirt to make a flat courtyard; I found a small tunnel behind the back wall to use as an escape route; I hung my first picture on the wall; and my best achievement is an actual mini-port.

Half-blocks prevent water flow, yet allow me to exit the boat easily.

I spent several days spelunking with plenty of success, mining plenty of gold, diamond, and redstone. I started a small farm and was pleased by how easy it was to build off just one seed.

Mmmm... Wheat!

But best of everything was just wandering this new region, with amazing mountain formations and huge forests; it's truly breathtaking to stand on top of a mountain with the fog set to normal. It makes everything look so much bigger than reality, which is what I appreciated most of all.

Awww... too bad it's over, huh?

I have had such a great time playing through on hard, and while I still prefer the risk-free settings available, it has allowed me to have the full experience of Minecraft. I have a new appreciation for all the various materials and objects available in the Minecraft world, where diamond and TNT was once the only tools I used.

While this story has reached a conclusion, my time in Minecraft is just beginning. The next project I am working on is a special with one of the best and most awesome-filled sandbox games available: Just Cause 2.

More gaming goodness to come!

Minecraft: Day 10-A Foothold

As the sun rose on a new day, I decided to spend it exploring the surrounding area. This place turned out to be more magnificent than I first realized, with steep cliffs and mountains blocking my view in every direction.

This world had rapidly changed from a bleak, hopeless wilderness to a beautiful utopia worth living in. I was inspired, encouraged: this was a world I could flourish in.

I was careful not to wander too far, and as night began to fall again, I felt more confident and informed of what lay around me. Now it was time to mine. Digging once again proved to be a long process, and it was nearly half a mile of digging before I found anything: another underground lake greeted me, this time with a miniature waterfall as it's source. Just beyond that I broke through into another cavern, but the sight that greeted me was slightly unnerving.

I managed to block the entrance before the two creepers got to me, but if there were more of them I wasn't sure I wanted to proceed. I stabbed at them through the small opening until they died, and then I carefully proceeded through into the cavern beyond. My fears were fortunately unfounded, and no more creatures charged at me immediately. A waterfall conveniently marked the location of my entrance in case I wandered too far.

The cavern proved to be far larger than I anticipated. Caves stretched in every direction, iron and coal littered the area, and more waterfalls flowed down into the darkness. I considered exploring more, but I had already spent a great deal of time mining, and I needed some fresh air. The caves would still be here when I was ready, but for now I took one last look around before heading back to the surface.

I was grateful nothing dangerous had fallen on my head from up there.

It was daytime when I made it back, and I decided it was time for another round of exploring. It was best to mix things up between mining and exploring; too much of either without taking a break could see me dead with everything I gathered lost. This time I decided to clear out some of the trees surrounding my hut; this would allow me to expand this base and cover a much larger area. The tree closest turned out to be made of several trees; this was problematic as leaves don't disintegrate as long as wood is still connected, and larger trees often had wood blocks hidden among the leaves. This is why I had flint.

Fire should take care of the problem, and the gap between the trees would keep the fire contai- uh oh...

Oh... well that's not good... or maybe it is... yeah, I totally planned for this! This is EXACTLY what I had in mind from the beginning; now I wouldn't have to cut down that other tree. Or that one. Or that one. Or...

Smokey the bear would be disappointed.

Okay, I could live with this; with my large supply of cobblestone from my mining expedition, I began construction of a wall to surround my hut. I had to work quickly while it was still daylight, as the fires would only provide a temporary defense against the night. Fortunately I managed to finish my perimeter as night fell, and with a feeling of triumph I looked over my premature fortress.

More tomorrow!

Not a Post

It's my son's first birthday, so if you miss the Minecraft goodness, just go out and buy the game!

Minecraft: Day 9-A Tunnel (Friday)

I had survived my trek through the nether and managed to build a portal a good distance away. The sight that greeted me on the other side was amazing, like a whole world lay before me. This would be perfect for a second base; if I died I could rush back to my main base and then use the portal system to get back. Of course, the Nether was an extremely treacherous place; running back and forth through the portals felt a little too risky, especially if I went the wrong way. There was only one thing to do: go back to my main base, collect the cobblestone I had saved for my future fortress, and build a tunnel/bridge from portal A to portal B. The process might prove to be more difficult than running back and forth a thousand times ever would, but I was willing to give it a try. However, when I turned back to my portal, I realized something wasn't right.

Okay... the portal is no longer creepy purple but creepy black... I'm pretty sure that's not normal. Well, I guess there's only one thing to do now, and that is enter the strange portal and do my best to get back. As I stepped into the darkened space, the black faded back to purple and I almost felt I could relax again. Minus the fact that I was entering hell once more, of course.

Getting back through the nether proved to be more arduous than my first trip. Halfway through I had apparently used a floating island to hop from one cliff to the next, only this side wasn't as friendly to the process. I had a couple moments of panic where the ground collapsed beneath me and caused me to lose my sense of direction briefly. But once again my trip through the nether ended in success.

I gathered up as much cobblestone as I could carry and began working on my tunnel through the nether.

Going was slow, as every now and then I had to duck under my incomplete cover as fireballs rained down at me; but other that building in the wrong direction at first, it was a success.

Finally, after what felt like hours, I closed off the last open space and my tunnel was complete. Travel from portal to portal would be risk free, and I could now focus on building up my second base.

Daylight was beginning to fade, so I went straight to building. I kept it simple, making it only as spacious as necessary. With my extra workbench it was starting to feel like home. All it needed was a hole disappearing into the ground.

Beautiful... Well, I might as well stick around with the sun setting. This would be the first night I spent in this little hovel; and as humble as it was, I had some pretty grand plans in mind.

More to come!

Minecraft: Day 8-The Nether

The world of Minecraft has been completely brutal so far, and while I have only died twice, each death has set me further back than I could really afford. Building up my resources was fun, to be sure, but it was starting to feel a little repetitive and a little boring. But I wouldn't be deterred; I had determined to at least visit the Nether, and see for myself what it is truly like.

I'd lost all my wood and torches when I died, so first I had to turn to tending my tree farm. I only had to cut down half of the trees to have a full stack of wood, and it took the rest of the day to try and replant the saplings I collected. I spent the night in my house rebuilding all of my tools and equipment; the only threat was a creeper that continued to circle the house trying to find a way in.

I'd had the presence of mind to build my house with an escape tunnel that lead to my original base, so I was able to avoid the creeper entirely. I had to focus on my task at hand; my plans for the diamond originally were to save them until I had enough to make a complete set of armor, but that was an unrealistic goal for now. Instead, I made a diamond pickax and set to work mining the small lava lake I had turned to obsidian in my earlier expeditions. I only needed 14 blocks, but I decided to mine as much as I could. It was a long tedious process as it takes a full 15 seconds to mine a single block of obsidian, but fortune smiled upon me as the pool of lava proved to be only one layer deep... for the most part.

I had to rush back to the pool of water nearby to put the fire out (they don't support stop, drop, and roll in this game), but other than that minor incident I managed to collect a lot of obsidian. And so I began building the portal. I didn't really have a plan for this expedition, but I figured if it proved survivable, I would just travel a good distance and then build a second portal back.

I was pleased with my finished work; the portal was built lower and against a wall so I wouldn't get too disoriented upon my return. With pride, I lit the center of the portal with my flint, and a woosh of purple washed over my vision.

I was as prepared as I could be for this; it was now or never. My proving ground lay beyond, and whether I lived or died there would be no regrets. With a feeling of trepidation I stepped into the purple glow.

I emerged into a dimly lit realm, surrounded by fire and the eerie cries of ghasts echoing from every direction. The occasional grunts I could hear could only belong to the zombie pigmen I'd heard so many rumors about.

What made it most terrifying was that the cries of the ghasts seemed to be coming from very close by, but for the life of me I couldn't actually see any of them. I began carefully trekking in my chosen direction, the noises driving away any curiosity for exploring this place.

Very interesting formation to be sure... I guess I'll head that direction.

Just a short hop found me on the other side, and my descent led to a large cavern filled with zombie pigmen.

This place would suit my needs; it was far enough away that I likely wouldn't recognize the world when I left. As I finished building the second portal, I felt a rush of panic as the cries of the unseen ghasts suddenly changed to what I can only describe as outrage.

With my heart in my throat, I dove into the portal; the world around me appeared to erupt as fireballs rained down on me. But the purple sheet enveloped me, protecting me; the Nether faded away and I stepped out into the bright sunlight to check my surroundings.

Jackpot!

More to come!

Minecraft: Day 7-Creepers

I was beginning to notice a pattern to my time in Minecraft; mine until I was bored of mining, then work above ground until nightfall. With my house complete I turned once again to the caverns winding way beneath my shelter. I had explored most of them, but as it always is in Minecraft, there is no end. Sure enough, while mining out some coal, I broke through into yet another cave.

This cave proved to be even more expansive, with pillars, sudden drops, narrow paths above chasms; it was perfect for an exploration addict like me. With iron and bits of diamond here and there, it was wonderful to be free to wander as I wished. I managed to kill both a skeleton and a creeper trapped behind a waterfall, behind which was even more cavern to explore. I felt bold, like Indiana Jones; treasure was available everywhere I looked, and danger was proving to be inconsequential. Sure, I'd take a hit every now and then, but I would be careful to return when my armor started getting... oh... my armor IS getting a little worn, isn't it. Well, time to turn back and find my way out...

Oh... yeah, this place is huge. It's very hard to tell where I came from, but I couldn't stop and fool around. Following my trail of torches proved to be difficult too; with a cave this big, I often had to pick between several different paths that might lead back out.

Nope, not that one. Those glowing red eyes in the distance could only belong to a spider, and I didn't need to take that kind of risk.

After what felt like hours, I finally began to recognize where I was. That waterfall trapping the skeleton and creeper earlier was the culprit, effectively hiding the way out. I picked up my pace, anxious to reach safety when up ahead I recognized the cold, cruel sound of my worst fear.

*TWANG*

Really? Why are you doing this to me? This was beginning to feel like the director from Left 4 Dead: a virtual intelligence that judged how well you were doing and decided how much death needed to be thrown at you to finish you off. The skeleton had the jump on me, nailing me with a direct hit before I had time to react. I had to backpedal a good distance to find a rock to cower behind, but the skeleton was fast approaching. It wouldn't have surprised my if this was the same abomination that killed me earlier; I would make sure it didn't have that opportunity again. Simultaneously swallowing some bacon and jumping out at the skeleton, the enclosed area gave me the advantage I lacked in our first encounter. Skeletons tend to strafe while they fire at you, but in this cave it only managed to trap itself in a corner, allowing me to better predict and dodge the arrows as I charged in for the kill.

Finally, the skeleton fell to the ground defeated. The encounter had drained a good bit of my health and my armor had gaping holes in it, but I was alive, and my nemesis dead. Elated, I hurried on, determined to make it back before anything else attacked. My good fortune continued when I spotted the exit to my stairwell; a sight for sore eyes to anyone lost in a cave.

This is where my good fortune ended.

The director was back, and this time he felt he had something to prove. Imagine, if you will, playing Left 4 Dead, successfully fighting of a hoard of zombies, finishing off the last hunter pinning your friend to the ground, seeing the safe house in the distance, knowing that you have no more health packs to help you along your way. Suddenly not one, but two tanks appear between you and safety. Yeah, that sucks.

As a way of foreshadowing, my framerate dropped suddenly, making it hard to move. There they were, a zombie and TWO creepers, just a few feet away blocking my path to freedom. I like to imagine that under normal circumstances I could have easily escaped them and found another route. But with my screen only updating every couple seconds, running away meant getting myself trapped in the same corner that was the downfall of the skeleton earlier. The dual exploding creepers sent my body flying several feet, and my armor several more. The game over screen flashed at me, and the taste of defeat made me gag.

Dead again so soon... with my stock of materials depleted from my last death, recovering now was going to be quite a task. Sure enough, there were no tools, no sticks, no wood to greet me when I made it back to my shelter after respawning. When morning came I would go out and gather more wood from the forest above my shelter. For now I sat and considered my options; I had for quite a while focused on building myself up enough to survive, but with death apparently haunting my every step it was starting to get a little tedious. I had little to show for all my efforts besides a the diamonds I had gathered earlier, but maybe that was enough. Maybe I was just stalling from what I really needed to do. At that point I determined, once I replenished my basic supplies I would build my first portal, and enter the Nether for the first time as a true mortal.

That's tomorrow, folks!

Minecraft: Day 6-Recovery

My first death in Hardmode... I had been careless, allowing my armor to degrade far past what I should have. Fortunately, I had stored a second set of armor in my shelter. With nightfall, I would have to wait until morning to try and recover my loot. Unfortunately another aspect of Hard in Minecraft is that fallen loot doesn't wait around for you. All that delicious roasted pork was lost, along with my bow, flint and steel, and tools. Fortunately, the trees I had planted on top of my shelter provided the necessary wood to replenish most of my needed supplies. I made sure to collect and replant any saplings the rapidly degrading leaves dropped, and I realized that this process was making my small forest grow exponentially. I possessed the power to turn this bleak wilderness into a utopia.

In the meantime I focused on supplementing my supplies. With the sudden depletion of pork, I decided to turn to a more readily available recourse: fish. While fish were not as effective as pork as a restorative, they were much easier to obtain. Although as much as I'd hoped it would work, fish did not actually take up residence in a bucket of water.

But still, I would have the option of fishing in the ocean that was literally right at my doorstep. For now, with my supplies finally replenished, I turned again to the tedium of mining for precious materials. The cavern I had uncovered earlier proved fruitful once more, and even when I reached a dead end it took only brief digging to uncover another cavern. This one was carved out by a giant underground river, stretching for miles into the darkness.

I followed the river down into the earth, and pretty soon I was forced to jump to the side to avoid being swept over the edge of a waterfall. Another important lesson is look before you leap, and sure enough I could see a zombie waiting waiting for me at the bottom. I was trying to figure out the best way to eliminate him safely, and short of a bow I had to resort to probably the best method for eliminating the undead: burial. Sand is one of the few substances that actually gives in to gravity, a lesson learned usually by burying oneself. I had eight beautiful blocks of sand I unceremoniously dumped onto the zombie's head.

Sure enough, the groans were replaced by repeated grunts of pain as the zombie suffocated under the weight of the sand. I was once again free to proceed with my exploration. This cave proved to be even more expansive than the first, and had all kinds of amazing phenomena like unnatural lighting;

Floating rocks;

And golden pillars;

I found more amazing underground rivers and rare minerals, and before long I found a section of the cave that went straight up to what appeared to be a ceiling of sand.

It required a little effort to climb up to it, but once there it took only a second to cause the whole ceiling to collapse and reveal sunlight... and water.

Thanks to Mincraft physics, the water poured endlessly into my cavern without actually filling it or lowering the ocean level in any way. Also, it's apparent my Minecraft character is incredibly athletic, and I was able to swim up the waterfall and all the way to the surface. The surface proved to be pretty close to my shelter, and I was able to safely deposit my valuables and restock my supplies a bit.

Okay, spelunking was fun and all, but it was time to make a second attempt at an above-ground shelter. This time I would build in the center of the small forest I was growing, which would be close enough that if I was killed in the process of building, I would be able to recover my gear before it vanished. It took a couple cycles of day and night, but I successfully completed my home without incident, and I stepped back to view my handiwork.

Ugly, yet efficient. I was proud of my success. I created a second workbench and large chest as furniture, and even made a defensible rooftop. A little more work to spread the forest, and I was able to call it a day. My death hadn't set me too far back, and now that I had replaced most of what was lost, I was beginning to feel comfortable in my ability to survive once again.

Look for more tomorrow!

Minecraft: Day 5-Surprises

Giant creepy spiders... while they have a more intimidating presence than the rest of the monsters, they at least have the decency of being too wide to pass through small doorways. Other than being a little shaken, I was left no worse for wear as I eliminated it. I took a few precautions to prevent any more invasions by filling every corner with light from my stockpile of torches. This didn't stop other animals from entering of course, but they provided an opportunity to practice my archery on the new bow I was able to make.

After my ritualistic sacrifice, I crafted as many spare pickaxes as I could carry, and then I returned to my mining operation way down in the earth's core. I mined...

And I mined...

And I mined...

And I mi-LAVA!!!!

I had to act fast to close off the hole the lava was pouring out of. Even with every cheat and mod available, lava was always lethal; it was also in a way valuable. Lava could be turned into obsidian, a material used to create a portal into the nether. The nether was a place of pure terror, with very few objects of value and very full of everything that could ever want to kill you. Carefully, I mined my way upward until I broke through into the small cave with the lava lake. my bucket of water came in handy once again, and the dangerous substance was instantly transformed into the harmless obsidian I needed.

It would have to wait until I found the diamonds necessary to make a pickax strong enough to mine the obsidian, but it was the first lava I'd found so far. The cavern beyond proved to be rather expansive, so I chose to return to my base and empty my inventory of valuables once more. I had somehow collected enough sulfur to craft my first block of TNT, of which I was very proud. I left it in the chest with my other belongings and headed back down into the caverns. And sure enough, there was my first taste of diamonds!

Ah, sweet, sweet diamond! The most coveted material Minecraft had to offer, and I had found it in Hardmode. I hadn't even died once yet! I was a conquerer! I was a survivor! I was- CREEPER!

Argh! Danger seemed to be around every corner in this place. Fortunately for me, the creeper had a fear of heights; this was probably not the best flaw for someone in the business of suicide bombing. Well, enough with danger, I'm heading back up for some fresh air. The diamond, gold, and lap- lapis- la... blue stuff I had collected needed to be stored somewhere safe befo- ZOMBIES!

Stop doing this to me! Seriously, this is getting old. It seems around every corner there's something waiting to kill me. Zombies are the easiest enemies to deal with, so they proved to be of little consequence. Man, I was good! I figured it was time to work on the first of my goals: building a house. I returned to the mining operation and dug my way to the surface; where I broke through was admittedly a good distance away from my spawn location, but the tunnel I had dug would provide a safe passage between my two bases.

I returned to my main shelter and gathered all the cobblestone I could carry. Cobblestone is considered a rudimentary, ugly building material, but aesthetics are not my concern right now; wood may be more popular, but I didn't want to live in a giant fire hazard. By the time I returned to my selected building site it was beginning to grow dark. But I figured I would at least be able to get a basic wall built before anything came after me. I really, really regret this choice. I had just finished the first layer of my shelter when from the darkness came the sound of my nemesis.

*TWANG*

The arrow seemed to have lodged directly in my skull, as my health took an instant beating. I spun to face the skeleton, waving my sword courageously I called out my challenge. I had survived assault by zombies, creepers, spiders, skeletons, and even trees; one little skeleton was no real threat to me!

*TWANG*

Despite my attempt to dodge the assault, it was a direct hit, and I realized I would not survive the next hit. My options flashed before me: I could run, but with his accuracy, the skeleton was unlikely to miss me; I could try to recover my health, but I had forgotten which of my pockets the hams were stuffed in; or I could keep charging, and hope to finish the creature off first, but it would take me four hits to kill him with the basic sword I had. When it comes to any type of game, I'm usually pretty cautious when I'm haven't attracted attention; but whenever it came to a showdown, I always chose to charge headlong. That was my choice here; like a scene from 300, I charged forward, ducking and weaving to make myself a more difficult target. Sword drawn, I screamed my battle cry and struck the skeleton directly across the chest.

*TWANG*

My open mouth caught the speeding arrow, and I fell to the dead to the ground.

Taking a break tomorrow. Happy Valentines Day to all!