The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
7/30/2015
Posts:
48
Member Details
Hello there! I started playing Minecraft four days ago. At first it was testing it out on the pocket edition. I had heard about it, but it sounded boring. I LOVED it, so I bought it and started playing it on my PC. I consider myself relatively self-reliant when it comes to information. Yes, this means it sometimes takes me longer to pick up stuff then when people have their hand held. But I try to find answers to my questions before I go looking for someone to ask. That being said, I welcome all comments and suggestions. If you see a better way for me to do something or have a tip, feel free to offer. At least it will let me know someone is reading this besides myself.
Also! If you know of a good multiplayer server gentle for newbies (no pvp, I can barely stay alive against ingame mobs) let me know, I would be interested in trying one out.
The world I am working on right now is my...fifth I believe. The first five died swift deaths when I got myself into impossible situations - I remember at least three of those worlds I found myself trapped with a zombie at a spawn point. No thanks - /delete.
The world I am on now is working out just fine though. It feels like home.
I began in a humble hole in the wall, struggling to survive the night intact, unlike so many times before. While trapped in there overnight by roaming monsters, I did a bit of mining. By now I had educated myself that I should go down, not just find a high mountain and mine through it. I was new, don't yell at me.
Of course a hole in the mountain won't work for long. I made my way down off the mountain and onto the nicest little peninsula. Big expansive grasslands, water views everywhere you looked...it was heaven. So I scrambled for a temporary shelter. I couldn't build into the mountain here, but I managed to stack some dirt blocks around me, finishing just as the sun set. I didn't even have a door that first night, just a block preventing entry. I don't have a picture of it as it was, but part of it now serves as part of the sheep pen.
I got to work, having an idea of what I wanted for a house. I didn't want to use someone else's plans for a house, but I did study how they were built a bit before I started work. It looks horrible, but its mine and I LOVE it. Later I plan on making this prettier, but I am ridiculously proud of it. This house was a lot of hard work for me - both in planning, gathering materials, etc. Lots of starting over and swearing in frustration. There is a little loft area I haven't used yet, but I have torches up there so no bad guys will spawn. It was nearly two full days of playing before I got it done, and move in night was a proud one!
The house consists of three rooms. The work room is the one you walk into, it holds my furnace and crafting table. Then you walk back into the bedroom, and off to the right is the storage room with all my chests. It needs to be bigger, I am afraid.
I was having an awful time mining. I kept trying different cave systems, desperate for iron and coal, and entirely unlucky except for a few nodes here and there. So I went researching, and I discovered the wonder of mine shafts. A lot of people recommended building it right underneath your house, to limit monster access as well as to make it easy for YOU to access. So that is precisely what I did. Most of my work has gone into my mine. I am...probably just as proud of my mine shaft as my house. It too has been a lot of work. I wish it was as pretty as other ones I have seen, and one day it will. But it is beautiful anyway, because it is MINE.
The entrance:
The main stairway down:
The Grand Junction, where I hit bedrock and started spreading out. The chests were just added today because I ran out of room upstairs for all the ore I have. My craft table and furnace are up the stairs a bit, I plan on bringing them down to Grand Junction when I have time, probably Monday while I am at work.
At first when I encountered lava I ran away and hid in the corner and cried. But today I started learning to work around it. Here is where I just gave up and was all "Screw it. If you INSIST on getting in my way, let's make it GLORIOUS!"
Here is the view when I turn around from that lava flow...the symmetry is so satisfying...
Yesterday I went on a big adventure. I learned how to make a map, and got all excited and collected the ingredients and made one. I pronounced it cool. Then I learned you can make the map BIGGER! So I promptly took my trusty map, a boat, and a whole crapton of stuff including my only two pieces of diamond armor and went on an adventure seeking more sugarcane for paper. I figured I was on a big island, and decided I would hug the coast and - two minecraft days tops and I would be back home.
Nope.
Five minecraft days later I am almost in tears. Lost, confused, and homesick for my humble little hand crafted minecraft home. I didn't know if I was going in circles, somehow drifted off course to another continent entirely, or just the world was bigger than I thought. So in desperation I turned to the forums, and they got me all sorted out. As a result, I committed suicide, saying goodbye to my pretty toys. But I had an amazing adventure! I ran from zombies, destroyed two boats, met some villagers who were rather...aloof. Saw some strange sights and lands and plants. And saw a glorious mile high lava fall right next to a waterfall. It was sooooo beautiful. I wish I had pictures, but alas this was pre-journal time and I don't know how to get back there. But the whole adventure inspired me to make roads! I haven't gotten very far, but here are some screenshots of my budding road system.
This is near the start of my road. A gentle stroll through the forest, by the pond with chickens splashing merrily, past small clusters of pretty wildflowers...
The first junction. Road signs coming up once I decided to name the places these go to.
My first bridge! Simple it might be, but this was the result of research, planning, and many unexpected dives into the bayou.
One plan I have with these roads is about every 3/4 of a Minecraft day of travel I will put up a waypoint station. These stations will be stocked with essentials such as extra armor, food, tools, etc. There will also be a crafting table and a furnace. Here is my first waypoint station, just finished today, complete with a dock!
I really like this journal! It's more of a recap than anything else, you're really precise with what you're talking about without over-explaining things. I'm so glad somebody else uses waypoint stations, I thought I was a little strange.
Great writing! This journal looks like fun. I remember starting in Minecraft and it is really fun encountering all the stuff for the first time and learning how a world works.
I wish I'd seen your help post because my recommendation would have been to start a new base where you were. Eventually you'd get more cane for maps and could do a more systematic search for your old place, and then you'd have had two bases.
Those are nice-looking tunnels. Lava is less of a problem if you tunnel at y=11. You don't get quite as much diamond, but it's close and the reduced hassle is well worth it.
If you like exploring and travel you'll probably find it worth your while to make a map wall.
Oh, and since the terrain gen changes with 1.7 there are very few true islands now. The whole world is one infinite continent with these long skinny lakes scattered about. Minecraft *used* to have continents in an infinite ocean but they were Hu-YUGE and you probably wouldn't have wanted to go around one, at least not early in the game. You can probably re-explore the lake you got lost on when you have enough maps (always stay on your map when exploring) and find the cool places you saw.
Your house does not look "horrible"; it's rather nice, especially for an early iteration. Keep it up.
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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. I will face my fear. I will let it pass over me and through me, and when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
If you don't want to run into lava while mining underground, press f3 to see your coordinates and go up to y=12. You'll still find diamonds at that level but the caves there are not filled to the brim with lava.
I like the way you play, the way you build, the way you ENJOY every minute of this --->GAME<---!!!
You REALLY remind me of myself the first couple of weeks of play. Myself, for instance, I didnt even know that I could WEAR ARMOR for at least a couple months. And I must have unnecessarily fallen to my death a thousand times before I learned a trick not to. And I never even tried to make tools out of something besides cobblestone forever. lastly, I remember when I made everything out of dirt and cobble, and when I accidently mined out a block of a wall or ceiling and didnt know that I could put one back in that matched, lol..... ahhh the joys of babyhood.
I hesitate to coach too much, but there are a couple 'hints' I would offer;
Try cooking EVERYTHING in an oven and see what you get... EVERYTHING!
Try using various things for fuel in the oven and see what happens.
Learn what 'sneak' is and how to use it in various situations
Play A LOT on legit vanilla survival, before you join a server of any kind... they will overwhelm you with completely non-understandable words, concepts, expectations etc, until you loose your noobiness. Trust me... from what Im reading here you dont need them. You just need google.
And last, PLEASE keep entertaining us with this awesome guide, and its flashbacks for us surv builders. We are gonna LOVE it long time, I promise. If you ever get tempted to cheat or use a 'Mod File' send me a PM and Ill make some suggestions on which ones I use that dont break the 'earn it the hard way' feeling that I treasure with you. You dont need cheats yet or maybe ever.... search my profile for my threads and see what Ive done straight legit-survival for proof, Chant.
Oh... PS.... never dig straight up or straight down.... You'll wish you hadn't.
Good journal! I'm sure it reminds us all of our first days in minecraft. I remember that i didn't know that you could make stone tools....I was stuck with wooden tools for a week.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
7/30/2015
Posts:
48
Member Details
New Landing needs:
-Iron ingots - 25
-Cobblestone load for roads
-Coal – 64
Master Schultz: I think it is strange NOT to have waystations. I think they are essential to a good road system, otherwise you will spend your entire days running back and forth to work. Right about the time I am not able to do much work each day because of the run, I start thinking about a waystation. My second one was made a little but further than it should have been but I knew where I wanted it, and it was close enough to push a bit.
Zeno – That is a really good idea! I wish you had responded too, I think probably a new base would have been better, though at the time I may not have thought so because I was REALLY missing my old one lol. But looking back it was because I felt homeless and unsafe – and that is never a good feeling, even in a game. So a new base might have helped. I owe you a HUGE thank you thought, because I never heard of a map wall before you mentioned it. Immediately I googled it and squealed out loud. I WANT ONE! I AM GOING TO HAVE ONE! I am going to have the BIGGEST MAP WALL in the WORLD!....ahem. Anyway, thank you for introducing me to that.
Alakite - *hugs* Thank you so much! I look at the other amazing things people do and then look at my house and then just shake my head in pity. But I do love it, it’s MINE so it must be loved lol.
Pink – thank you so much fo the advice! Other’s mentioned that on my other thread, and I was introduced to the F3 button. Since then I use it frequently, and have the coordinates for my home base and each of my waystations recorded.
Turtle – Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Swervish – MY HERO! Seriously, after you responded to my first thread crying for help and I saw the builds you have done I have just been in awe of you. I will definitely follow your advice about cooking, and update my journal with results. I also learned about sneak while I was building my bridge. A handy little tool. I am half inclined to agree with you on the server things. That is why I am going to be fairly picky about one – I want it to be a vanilla one, welcoming newbies, no pvp. I haven’t seen one, doubt it exists. And if I did join one I would still spend most of my time on my solo world. Cause its MINE!
LittleHobbit: Thank you, I am glad you are enjoying it. I use Google fairly relentlessly when playing so I think I am doing ok for being such a newbie. I really, really need to make a diamond pick though!
******************************
I made it! Today was my closest call ever. While out working on my road the day got cloudy, promising rain. I worked faster, knowing it was still pretty early. Just kept a sharp eye out. But then before I realized it it was quickly growing dark. I began a mad scramble back to my first waypoint station, now named New Landing. I encountered several freshly spawned zombies along the way, but managed to make it to safety JUST as the sun slid over the horizon. I was chased, and saw a frustrated gray face at my closed door. I admit, I stuck my tongue out at it. Childish, I know.
So at the top of New Landing I have added a rail, and will periodically go up there and look around. I went up when I got there and saw a spider down at the ground. It saw me.
Woah!
Who knew spiders could fly!? That thing took a flying leap up at me, shocked the crap out of me but I killed it.
I met some new monsters besides the flying spiders. I found the baby zombies, three today alone. Two at once attacked me, then another attacked me on another minecraft day. I also found what looked like a villager…but wasn’t. At least I don’t think so. He threw something at me that slowed me down and I assumed he was hostile and took him down.
I built my second waypoint in a lovely spot at the edge of a desert, near a nice little lake surrounded by cattle. Named Blue Ranch, it was constructed hastily after a long run from New Landing, and the construction was not finished before nightfall. I endured the night without a roof and clumsy construction that needed to be half undone the next day to make it right. Even then, I do not like the look of the wood blocks with the slabs, I think later I will change it to oak wood blocks and it will look better.
Then I had issues with the porch. This is a ranch, it NEEDS a porch. I had planned for one, and had made a bunch of wooden slabs for it. But that porch was the biggest headache ever! I kept having issues with it meeting my door properly so I could both install the door, get into it, and it looked…right. Eventually I gave up on the wooden slabs and just went with regular blocks. I do have my porch though! All in all construction took three minecraft days..and I installed the floor at night.
Blue Ranch has an amazing view from that front porch too!
I am particularly excited about Blue Ranch because it has the first cows I have seen in the game so far! Also because it is the first time I have used my road system to encounter new territory, which is exactly what it is designed for. And it is working gloriously. I also discovered pumpkins at the very top of a large mountain I have known about since day one but not climbed yet. I had climbed it to scout paths for my road. So all in all, even though I haven’t gotten very far yet with my road system I still feel like it has helped a lot.
Time to explore the desert and dig another mine in search of iron. Screw diamonds...I need iron badly. I will need coal soon, but am good on that for now. But iron...I am down to a total of 12 bars spread out between Safe Refuge - my home base, New Landing, and Blue Ranch.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
7/30/2015
Posts:
48
Member Details
Cure – thank you so much!
RatStrangler – Thank you! I have heard about witches in reading the forums and such, but they sounded much nastier than the guy I ran into. Maybe I got lucky though! And rest assured, I will continue the journal. I am enjoying writing it ALMOST as much as I enjoy playing the game itself.
************************************************
Yet another day of adventure happened! I couldn’t wait to get started exploring the desert, but my first day was a rainy one and I am reluctant to go out in new territory in the rain. So I waited, twiddling my thumbs restlessly, then figured HEY! I am in one area right now with my cows, but I want to go to the desert. Maybe they won’t have rain there!
So I went out and sure enough when I crossed over into the desert it stopped raining. Now I don’t know if that is because it naturally stopped raining or my crossing into the different area made it stop raining. Either way I was happy. The first place I went to was the creepy looking hooded man mountain I can see from my porch. I call it…The Hooded Man. Creative, I know. ANYWAY I climbed halfway up into it and tossed up a torch to see if it made it more creepy at night. It does. But I want to – in the future when I am terribly bored (read never) climb up in there and reposition the torch and add another so it looks like eyes. That would be freaking awesome.
After leaving the Hooded Man I went exploring elsewhere. And then I had an instant panic attack because I WAS MISSING MY DIAMOND SWORD! And I had no idea where I dropped it. I ran back, trying to backtrack myself. Got to a higher point and looked and didn’t see it. Dropped down to continue backtracking myself and landed right on my sword. Whew, what a relief.
I continued exploring and got all excited when I saw a house hanging off the side of a mountain. A house I didn’t build. A village! I ran over there, scrambled up the side of the mountain and jumped onto the little backporch they had. They didn’t seem to like me, but I confess I was a bit…intrusive. Then when I tried to leave I realized I couldn’t. I couldn’t jump over the railing and the door was blocked by a block of stone. Fortunately I had my trusty little pick with me and mined my way out. They seemed happy to be free of the building, and two immediately exited. There was a little bit of a cave leaving the building I explored briefly, but didn’t go too deep. I will revisit it later.
I barely made it back to Blue Ranch before nightfall. And the next day I went right back to exploring. This time I wanted to visit what I call Bell Tower Ridge, a mountain top that looks kind of like a bell tower atop a cathedral from my porch. It was cool, but I decided not to climb to the top just yet, reserving that for yet another one of those boring days that I foresee will never come. Instead I kept exploring around there, and I discovered an unusual structure.
It was very symmetrical beautiful. Rather than try to ruin the structure by mining my way into the front I went around it looking for another way in. I found a back entrance that was easier to get into and climbed in through that. It was beautiful inside, and I ran around checking things out – everything was empty. I went to the front entrance to gaze out…
AND SOMETHING EXPLODED BEHIND ME!
It knocked me right out of the temple, and ruined the façade. Confused and injured (slightly) and with sunset quickly approaching I dug a hideyhole into the side of the mountain and consulted the forums. Reassured it was not dangerous, that my Desert Temple had riches awaiting me, I hurried back the next day. Visions of diamonds and gold and lapis lazuli dancing in my head. What riches would I find?
I mined through the blue plate in the center, only to find….a hole.
I dug down, making myself a stairway as I went. And the riches that awaited me? An iron ore cluster and another of coal.
Woopee. <Read that in a sarcastic voice>
BUT! It was an adventure!
So I climbed out and went exploring again. I SHOULD have backtracked to Blue Ranch and worked on my road system taking me out to the desert. But nope. I love exploring, and I went right on doing it.
Another village! A desert one! I ran down off the side of the mountain to introduce myself.
And woah! I REMEMBER THIS PLACE! This is near where I crashed my first boat on my BIG ADVENTURE from before, and I actually spent the night here. Now I have hope I will one day find that glorious waterfall and lava fall again someday. I discovered a new food there – potatoes! I harvested them all then replanted them. I didn’t want to be a rude tourist.
I spent the night there again, and the next day and night as well since I got distracted with RL lunch. Mmm…chicken Ropa Vieja…
Anyway when I DID manage to leave, I got myself kind of turned around and lost again. I consulted my trusty map and…*gasp*…I seemed to be beyond the edge of it. But I didn’t panic this time! I stopped and thought, and realized that by the direction of the setting sun I was heading in the wrong direction. So I dug myself a hidey hole for the night and chilled. I set out the next day with confidence. Surely over the next couple ridges I would see the outline of my pretty little Blue Ranch.
But the day passed. Ridge after ridge passed under my hurrying little feet. No Blue Ranch. By now I had eaten my way through the three roasted chickens I had brought with me and I was very, very hungry. As I ran I ate a couple potatoes raw, but that didn’t do much for me. Finally I was forced to stop for the night again, in an area on the edge of the desert, but completely unfamiliar territory to me. There was, however, wood and sheep. So as the sun slipped over the horizon I killed two sheep and chopped down a tree. In my little hidey hole in the side of the mountain I cooked a delicious dinner of roast mutton. Then, remembering what I was advised by someone I have drafted as my mentor (he had no say in it), I tossed some cactus and a few of the potatoes in the oven to see what happened. To my delight I got baked potatoes, and…something called cactus green I am still not sure of.
Will I find Blue Ranch tomorrow?
………
I didn’t find it. I was in completely unfamiliar territory, and according to my F3 button I was in something with sunflowers. Somewhere I had never been. Clearly I was going in the wrong direction. So before I headed back out into the desert I slew every sheep I could see for their mutton, then grimly headed back out. I WILL find Blue Ranch! Or a road! Or New Landing! Or SOMETHING!
But finally I had to admit it – I was completely lost. I had wandered for days, lost and confused. I found everything BUT Blue Ranch, even some horses! SO! I decided to do what Zeno, earlier in this thread, suggested I do if I got lost again. I made another map. Fortunately sugarcane was plentiful where I was. I did have to dig another mine for redstone. Along the way I picked up quite a bit of iron and even some diamonds! Woo!
So I made a map. It didn’t help. I made another one. It didn’t help. I expanded both. Still nothing. I expanded my first one, and FINALLY I have a marker on it (yep, that’s how far off I was). So then began the run back home.
Minecraft DAYS AND DAYS after I began my little exploring adventure, I went up over a rise, and what do I see…..?
Home sweet home…one of them anyway.
This was an even better adventure than last time because I came out ahead and found my way home, whereas last time I had to kill myself to get back home.
I have been updating my journal here daily since I began, but I will only be doing it daily on my days off. I start work tomorrow, and will probably only be updating it a couple times a week.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
2/26/2012
Posts:
43
Minecraft:
Russettip
Member Details
Oh my! I absolutely ADORE this journal thing - I'm totally going to be following it as long as you write it. I'm sure you've been told before, but the way you write this is incredible. You bring me back to my first few days in minecraft - it's just such an adventure! *wipes away single tear*
Anyway, I would love to invite you to my server! Sadly, it's currently on-hold due to technical issues, but the only other person on is my friend who I began it with. We live the simple life - just your average farmers/miners/builders, and I think it would be really fun to invite you to play with us as soon as the server is running again! In the mean time - keep playing. There's so much to learn and discover that in the early stages, it's really just a blast.
Woops that was a weird/too long message, but yeah I just love your journal! Keep it up!
(P.S. - PM me if you want to eventually join my server. If you have a skype then that'd be even better because of IM-ing and all)
(P.P.S. - if you want some immediate help in-game, PM me and I can send you my skype name for any help or coaching that you need... but just and FYI- I'm no expert XD)
OH MY GOD THIS IS AMAZING! Please continue this and try to do it as much as possible! This is freaking awesome dude I just got Minecraft recently as well and I may do something like this.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
3/28/2014
Posts:
70
Xbox:
RaGeD X ViPeR
Member Details
It's over? NO. NOOOOOOO.
I'm absolutely loving the journal. I remember when I started playing minecraft, when it first came out for 360, and discovered Iron tools. Now THAT was a gamechanger haha. It's making me really happy seeing someone having fun in good old SSP. Myself, I had gotten bored of it, but now I realize that it's because I just keep the same routine every time I play, so I'm going to try something different this time around. Thank you for inspiring me to adventure and have fun in this game again, I was just starting to lose hope Diamonds for you good sir!
Looking forward to the next update, but for now, I think I'm going to make myself a map wall...
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"And the universe said everything you need is within you, and the universe said you are stronger than you know."
I mined through the blue plate in the center, only to find….a hole.
The explosion looks like a creeper. Comparing the before/after screenshots, it looks like a perfect blast zone for a creeper standing on the far left sand block directly in front of the right "column" of the entrance.
Something must have also spawned in the lower room of the desert temple below the stained blue clay and walked on the pressure plate, setting off the TNT "booby trap" at the bottom of the pit. This would have destroyed the 4 chests(most likely their contents as well), but if something set off the pressure plate and you hadn't checked the room for 5 minutes the items may have simply despawned with the chance for you to salvage them despite the TNT trap going off.
I've actually never set off one of the desert temple traps so I'm not entirely sure how the explosion chain progresses.
The picture below is what the room under the stained blue clay looks like if the TNT trap is not set off, the gray pressure plate in the center of the room is obviously the trigger.
I still can't remember what ingredients make which potions half the time and have no idea how to craft newer/infrequently used items lol. When I was a new player I kept the wiki open at all times so I could just alt-tab whenever I needed to look something up.
I would also recommend all of the following building resources.
I've actually never set off one of the desert temple traps so I'm not entirely sure how the explosion chain progresses.
They all go off at once. Kaboom!
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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. I will face my fear. I will let it pass over me and through me, and when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Hello there! I started playing Minecraft four days ago. At first it was testing it out on the pocket edition. I had heard about it, but it sounded boring. I LOVED it, so I bought it and started playing it on my PC. I consider myself relatively self-reliant when it comes to information. Yes, this means it sometimes takes me longer to pick up stuff then when people have their hand held. But I try to find answers to my questions before I go looking for someone to ask. That being said, I welcome all comments and suggestions. If you see a better way for me to do something or have a tip, feel free to offer. At least it will let me know someone is reading this besides myself.
Also! If you know of a good multiplayer server gentle for newbies (no pvp, I can barely stay alive against ingame mobs) let me know, I would be interested in trying one out.
The world I am working on right now is my...fifth I believe. The first five died swift deaths when I got myself into impossible situations - I remember at least three of those worlds I found myself trapped with a zombie at a spawn point. No thanks - /delete.
The world I am on now is working out just fine though. It feels like home.
I began in a humble hole in the wall, struggling to survive the night intact, unlike so many times before. While trapped in there overnight by roaming monsters, I did a bit of mining. By now I had educated myself that I should go down, not just find a high mountain and mine through it. I was new, don't yell at me.
Of course a hole in the mountain won't work for long. I made my way down off the mountain and onto the nicest little peninsula. Big expansive grasslands, water views everywhere you looked...it was heaven. So I scrambled for a temporary shelter. I couldn't build into the mountain here, but I managed to stack some dirt blocks around me, finishing just as the sun set. I didn't even have a door that first night, just a block preventing entry. I don't have a picture of it as it was, but part of it now serves as part of the sheep pen.
I got to work, having an idea of what I wanted for a house. I didn't want to use someone else's plans for a house, but I did study how they were built a bit before I started work. It looks horrible, but its mine and I LOVE it. Later I plan on making this prettier, but I am ridiculously proud of it. This house was a lot of hard work for me - both in planning, gathering materials, etc. Lots of starting over and swearing in frustration. There is a little loft area I haven't used yet, but I have torches up there so no bad guys will spawn. It was nearly two full days of playing before I got it done, and move in night was a proud one!
The house consists of three rooms. The work room is the one you walk into, it holds my furnace and crafting table. Then you walk back into the bedroom, and off to the right is the storage room with all my chests. It needs to be bigger, I am afraid.
I was having an awful time mining. I kept trying different cave systems, desperate for iron and coal, and entirely unlucky except for a few nodes here and there. So I went researching, and I discovered the wonder of mine shafts. A lot of people recommended building it right underneath your house, to limit monster access as well as to make it easy for YOU to access. So that is precisely what I did. Most of my work has gone into my mine. I am...probably just as proud of my mine shaft as my house. It too has been a lot of work. I wish it was as pretty as other ones I have seen, and one day it will. But it is beautiful anyway, because it is MINE.
The entrance:
The main stairway down:
The Grand Junction, where I hit bedrock and started spreading out. The chests were just added today because I ran out of room upstairs for all the ore I have. My craft table and furnace are up the stairs a bit, I plan on bringing them down to Grand Junction when I have time, probably Monday while I am at work.
At first when I encountered lava I ran away and hid in the corner and cried. But today I started learning to work around it. Here is where I just gave up and was all "Screw it. If you INSIST on getting in my way, let's make it GLORIOUS!"
Here is the view when I turn around from that lava flow...the symmetry is so satisfying...
Yesterday I went on a big adventure. I learned how to make a map, and got all excited and collected the ingredients and made one. I pronounced it cool. Then I learned you can make the map BIGGER! So I promptly took my trusty map, a boat, and a whole crapton of stuff including my only two pieces of diamond armor and went on an adventure seeking more sugarcane for paper. I figured I was on a big island, and decided I would hug the coast and - two minecraft days tops and I would be back home.
Nope.
Five minecraft days later I am almost in tears. Lost, confused, and homesick for my humble little hand crafted minecraft home. I didn't know if I was going in circles, somehow drifted off course to another continent entirely, or just the world was bigger than I thought. So in desperation I turned to the forums, and they got me all sorted out. As a result, I committed suicide, saying goodbye to my pretty toys. But I had an amazing adventure! I ran from zombies, destroyed two boats, met some villagers who were rather...aloof. Saw some strange sights and lands and plants. And saw a glorious mile high lava fall right next to a waterfall. It was sooooo beautiful. I wish I had pictures, but alas this was pre-journal time and I don't know how to get back there. But the whole adventure inspired me to make roads! I haven't gotten very far, but here are some screenshots of my budding road system.
This is near the start of my road. A gentle stroll through the forest, by the pond with chickens splashing merrily, past small clusters of pretty wildflowers...
The first junction. Road signs coming up once I decided to name the places these go to.
My first bridge! Simple it might be, but this was the result of research, planning, and many unexpected dives into the bayou.
One plan I have with these roads is about every 3/4 of a Minecraft day of travel I will put up a waypoint station. These stations will be stocked with essentials such as extra armor, food, tools, etc. There will also be a crafting table and a furnace. Here is my first waypoint station, just finished today, complete with a dock!
I really like this journal! It's more of a recap than anything else, you're really precise with what you're talking about without over-explaining things. I'm so glad somebody else uses waypoint stations, I thought I was a little strange.
Please continue with this guide
Great writing! This journal looks like fun. I remember starting in Minecraft and it is really fun encountering all the stuff for the first time and learning how a world works.
I wish I'd seen your help post because my recommendation would have been to start a new base where you were. Eventually you'd get more cane for maps and could do a more systematic search for your old place, and then you'd have had two bases.
Those are nice-looking tunnels. Lava is less of a problem if you tunnel at y=11. You don't get quite as much diamond, but it's close and the reduced hassle is well worth it.
If you like exploring and travel you'll probably find it worth your while to make a map wall.
Oh, and since the terrain gen changes with 1.7 there are very few true islands now. The whole world is one infinite continent with these long skinny lakes scattered about. Minecraft *used* to have continents in an infinite ocean but they were Hu-YUGE and you probably wouldn't have wanted to go around one, at least not early in the game. You can probably re-explore the lake you got lost on when you have enough maps (always stay on your map when exploring) and find the cool places you saw.
Geographicraft (formerly Climate Control) - Control climate, ocean, and land sizes; stop chunk walls; put modded biomes into Default worlds, and more!
RTG plus - All the beautiful terrain of RTG, plus varied and beautiful trees and forests.
Your house does not look "horrible"; it's rather nice, especially for an early iteration. Keep it up.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. I will face my fear. I will let it pass over me and through me, and when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Nice journal!
If you get lost again use f3 to get your coordinates, make a chest and fill it with all of your loot, then kill yourself.
Later you can get the coordinates of your base and navigate to your chest, then you can easily get home with all your loot.
Great journal!
This is quite cool keep it up!
If you don't want to run into lava while mining underground, press f3 to see your coordinates and go up to y=12. You'll still find diamonds at that level but the caves there are not filled to the brim with lava.
Hope this helps!
GREAT BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE!!!!
I like the way you play, the way you build, the way you ENJOY every minute of this --->GAME<---!!!
You REALLY remind me of myself the first couple of weeks of play. Myself, for instance, I didnt even know that I could WEAR ARMOR for at least a couple months. And I must have unnecessarily fallen to my death a thousand times before I learned a trick not to. And I never even tried to make tools out of something besides cobblestone forever. lastly, I remember when I made everything out of dirt and cobble, and when I accidently mined out a block of a wall or ceiling and didnt know that I could put one back in that matched, lol..... ahhh the joys of babyhood.
I hesitate to coach too much, but there are a couple 'hints' I would offer;
Try cooking EVERYTHING in an oven and see what you get... EVERYTHING!
Try using various things for fuel in the oven and see what happens.
Learn what 'sneak' is and how to use it in various situations
Play A LOT on legit vanilla survival, before you join a server of any kind... they will overwhelm you with completely non-understandable words, concepts, expectations etc, until you loose your noobiness. Trust me... from what Im reading here you dont need them. You just need google.
And last, PLEASE keep entertaining us with this awesome guide, and its flashbacks for us surv builders. We are gonna LOVE it long time, I promise. If you ever get tempted to cheat or use a 'Mod File' send me a PM and Ill make some suggestions on which ones I use that dont break the 'earn it the hard way' feeling that I treasure with you. You dont need cheats yet or maybe ever.... search my profile for my threads and see what Ive done straight legit-survival for proof, Chant.
Oh... PS.... never dig straight up or straight down.... You'll wish you hadn't.
Good journal! I'm sure it reminds us all of our first days in minecraft. I remember that i didn't know that you could make stone tools....I was stuck with wooden tools for a week.
New Landing needs:
-Iron ingots - 25
-Cobblestone load for roads
-Coal – 64
Master Schultz: I think it is strange NOT to have waystations. I think they are essential to a good road system, otherwise you will spend your entire days running back and forth to work. Right about the time I am not able to do much work each day because of the run, I start thinking about a waystation. My second one was made a little but further than it should have been but I knew where I wanted it, and it was close enough to push a bit.
Zeno – That is a really good idea! I wish you had responded too, I think probably a new base would have been better, though at the time I may not have thought so because I was REALLY missing my old one lol. But looking back it was because I felt homeless and unsafe – and that is never a good feeling, even in a game. So a new base might have helped. I owe you a HUGE thank you thought, because I never heard of a map wall before you mentioned it. Immediately I googled it and squealed out loud. I WANT ONE! I AM GOING TO HAVE ONE! I am going to have the BIGGEST MAP WALL in the WORLD!....ahem. Anyway, thank you for introducing me to that.
Alakite - *hugs* Thank you so much! I look at the other amazing things people do and then look at my house and then just shake my head in pity. But I do love it, it’s MINE so it must be loved lol.
Pink – thank you so much fo the advice! Other’s mentioned that on my other thread, and I was introduced to the F3 button. Since then I use it frequently, and have the coordinates for my home base and each of my waystations recorded.
Turtle – Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Swervish – MY HERO! Seriously, after you responded to my first thread crying for help and I saw the builds you have done I have just been in awe of you. I will definitely follow your advice about cooking, and update my journal with results. I also learned about sneak while I was building my bridge. A handy little tool. I am half inclined to agree with you on the server things. That is why I am going to be fairly picky about one – I want it to be a vanilla one, welcoming newbies, no pvp. I haven’t seen one, doubt it exists. And if I did join one I would still spend most of my time on my solo world. Cause its MINE!
LittleHobbit: Thank you, I am glad you are enjoying it. I use Google fairly relentlessly when playing so I think I am doing ok for being such a newbie. I really, really need to make a diamond pick though!
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I made it! Today was my closest call ever. While out working on my road the day got cloudy, promising rain. I worked faster, knowing it was still pretty early. Just kept a sharp eye out. But then before I realized it it was quickly growing dark. I began a mad scramble back to my first waypoint station, now named New Landing. I encountered several freshly spawned zombies along the way, but managed to make it to safety JUST as the sun slid over the horizon. I was chased, and saw a frustrated gray face at my closed door. I admit, I stuck my tongue out at it. Childish, I know.
So at the top of New Landing I have added a rail, and will periodically go up there and look around. I went up when I got there and saw a spider down at the ground. It saw me.
Woah!
Who knew spiders could fly!? That thing took a flying leap up at me, shocked the crap out of me but I killed it.
I met some new monsters besides the flying spiders. I found the baby zombies, three today alone. Two at once attacked me, then another attacked me on another minecraft day. I also found what looked like a villager…but wasn’t. At least I don’t think so. He threw something at me that slowed me down and I assumed he was hostile and took him down.
I built my second waypoint in a lovely spot at the edge of a desert, near a nice little lake surrounded by cattle. Named Blue Ranch, it was constructed hastily after a long run from New Landing, and the construction was not finished before nightfall. I endured the night without a roof and clumsy construction that needed to be half undone the next day to make it right. Even then, I do not like the look of the wood blocks with the slabs, I think later I will change it to oak wood blocks and it will look better.
Then I had issues with the porch. This is a ranch, it NEEDS a porch. I had planned for one, and had made a bunch of wooden slabs for it. But that porch was the biggest headache ever! I kept having issues with it meeting my door properly so I could both install the door, get into it, and it looked…right. Eventually I gave up on the wooden slabs and just went with regular blocks. I do have my porch though! All in all construction took three minecraft days..and I installed the floor at night.
Blue Ranch has an amazing view from that front porch too!
I am particularly excited about Blue Ranch because it has the first cows I have seen in the game so far! Also because it is the first time I have used my road system to encounter new territory, which is exactly what it is designed for. And it is working gloriously. I also discovered pumpkins at the very top of a large mountain I have known about since day one but not climbed yet. I had climbed it to scout paths for my road. So all in all, even though I haven’t gotten very far yet with my road system I still feel like it has helped a lot.
Time to explore the desert and dig another mine in search of iron. Screw diamonds...I need iron badly. I will need coal soon, but am good on that for now. But iron...I am down to a total of 12 bars spread out between Safe Refuge - my home base, New Landing, and Blue Ranch.
Good luck with your endeavors! Honestly i've been playing since 1.3 and your house is way better than mine
Cure – thank you so much!
RatStrangler – Thank you! I have heard about witches in reading the forums and such, but they sounded much nastier than the guy I ran into. Maybe I got lucky though! And rest assured, I will continue the journal. I am enjoying writing it ALMOST as much as I enjoy playing the game itself.
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Yet another day of adventure happened! I couldn’t wait to get started exploring the desert, but my first day was a rainy one and I am reluctant to go out in new territory in the rain. So I waited, twiddling my thumbs restlessly, then figured HEY! I am in one area right now with my cows, but I want to go to the desert. Maybe they won’t have rain there!
So I went out and sure enough when I crossed over into the desert it stopped raining. Now I don’t know if that is because it naturally stopped raining or my crossing into the different area made it stop raining. Either way I was happy. The first place I went to was the creepy looking hooded man mountain I can see from my porch. I call it…The Hooded Man. Creative, I know. ANYWAY I climbed halfway up into it and tossed up a torch to see if it made it more creepy at night. It does. But I want to – in the future when I am terribly bored (read never) climb up in there and reposition the torch and add another so it looks like eyes. That would be freaking awesome.
After leaving the Hooded Man I went exploring elsewhere. And then I had an instant panic attack because I WAS MISSING MY DIAMOND SWORD! And I had no idea where I dropped it. I ran back, trying to backtrack myself. Got to a higher point and looked and didn’t see it. Dropped down to continue backtracking myself and landed right on my sword. Whew, what a relief.
I continued exploring and got all excited when I saw a house hanging off the side of a mountain. A house I didn’t build. A village! I ran over there, scrambled up the side of the mountain and jumped onto the little backporch they had. They didn’t seem to like me, but I confess I was a bit…intrusive. Then when I tried to leave I realized I couldn’t. I couldn’t jump over the railing and the door was blocked by a block of stone. Fortunately I had my trusty little pick with me and mined my way out. They seemed happy to be free of the building, and two immediately exited. There was a little bit of a cave leaving the building I explored briefly, but didn’t go too deep. I will revisit it later.
I barely made it back to Blue Ranch before nightfall. And the next day I went right back to exploring. This time I wanted to visit what I call Bell Tower Ridge, a mountain top that looks kind of like a bell tower atop a cathedral from my porch. It was cool, but I decided not to climb to the top just yet, reserving that for yet another one of those boring days that I foresee will never come. Instead I kept exploring around there, and I discovered an unusual structure.
It was very symmetrical beautiful. Rather than try to ruin the structure by mining my way into the front I went around it looking for another way in. I found a back entrance that was easier to get into and climbed in through that. It was beautiful inside, and I ran around checking things out – everything was empty. I went to the front entrance to gaze out…
AND SOMETHING EXPLODED BEHIND ME!
It knocked me right out of the temple, and ruined the façade. Confused and injured (slightly) and with sunset quickly approaching I dug a hideyhole into the side of the mountain and consulted the forums. Reassured it was not dangerous, that my Desert Temple had riches awaiting me, I hurried back the next day. Visions of diamonds and gold and lapis lazuli dancing in my head. What riches would I find?
I mined through the blue plate in the center, only to find….a hole.
I dug down, making myself a stairway as I went. And the riches that awaited me? An iron ore cluster and another of coal.
Woopee. <Read that in a sarcastic voice>
BUT! It was an adventure!
So I climbed out and went exploring again. I SHOULD have backtracked to Blue Ranch and worked on my road system taking me out to the desert. But nope. I love exploring, and I went right on doing it.
Another village! A desert one! I ran down off the side of the mountain to introduce myself.
And woah! I REMEMBER THIS PLACE! This is near where I crashed my first boat on my BIG ADVENTURE from before, and I actually spent the night here. Now I have hope I will one day find that glorious waterfall and lava fall again someday. I discovered a new food there – potatoes! I harvested them all then replanted them. I didn’t want to be a rude tourist.
I spent the night there again, and the next day and night as well since I got distracted with RL lunch. Mmm…chicken Ropa Vieja…
Anyway when I DID manage to leave, I got myself kind of turned around and lost again. I consulted my trusty map and…*gasp*…I seemed to be beyond the edge of it. But I didn’t panic this time! I stopped and thought, and realized that by the direction of the setting sun I was heading in the wrong direction. So I dug myself a hidey hole for the night and chilled. I set out the next day with confidence. Surely over the next couple ridges I would see the outline of my pretty little Blue Ranch.
But the day passed. Ridge after ridge passed under my hurrying little feet. No Blue Ranch. By now I had eaten my way through the three roasted chickens I had brought with me and I was very, very hungry. As I ran I ate a couple potatoes raw, but that didn’t do much for me. Finally I was forced to stop for the night again, in an area on the edge of the desert, but completely unfamiliar territory to me. There was, however, wood and sheep. So as the sun slipped over the horizon I killed two sheep and chopped down a tree. In my little hidey hole in the side of the mountain I cooked a delicious dinner of roast mutton. Then, remembering what I was advised by someone I have drafted as my mentor (he had no say in it), I tossed some cactus and a few of the potatoes in the oven to see what happened. To my delight I got baked potatoes, and…something called cactus green I am still not sure of.
Will I find Blue Ranch tomorrow?
………
I didn’t find it. I was in completely unfamiliar territory, and according to my F3 button I was in something with sunflowers. Somewhere I had never been. Clearly I was going in the wrong direction. So before I headed back out into the desert I slew every sheep I could see for their mutton, then grimly headed back out. I WILL find Blue Ranch! Or a road! Or New Landing! Or SOMETHING!
But finally I had to admit it – I was completely lost. I had wandered for days, lost and confused. I found everything BUT Blue Ranch, even some horses! SO! I decided to do what Zeno, earlier in this thread, suggested I do if I got lost again. I made another map. Fortunately sugarcane was plentiful where I was. I did have to dig another mine for redstone. Along the way I picked up quite a bit of iron and even some diamonds! Woo!
So I made a map. It didn’t help. I made another one. It didn’t help. I expanded both. Still nothing. I expanded my first one, and FINALLY I have a marker on it (yep, that’s how far off I was). So then began the run back home.
Minecraft DAYS AND DAYS after I began my little exploring adventure, I went up over a rise, and what do I see…..?
Home sweet home…one of them anyway.
This was an even better adventure than last time because I came out ahead and found my way home, whereas last time I had to kill myself to get back home.
I have been updating my journal here daily since I began, but I will only be doing it daily on my days off. I start work tomorrow, and will probably only be updating it a couple times a week.
Oh my! I absolutely ADORE this journal thing - I'm totally going to be following it as long as you write it. I'm sure you've been told before, but the way you write this is incredible. You bring me back to my first few days in minecraft - it's just such an adventure! *wipes away single tear*
Anyway, I would love to invite you to my server! Sadly, it's currently on-hold due to technical issues, but the only other person on is my friend who I began it with. We live the simple life - just your average farmers/miners/builders, and I think it would be really fun to invite you to play with us as soon as the server is running again! In the mean time - keep playing. There's so much to learn and discover that in the early stages, it's really just a blast.
Woops that was a weird/too long message, but yeah I just love your journal! Keep it up!
(P.S. - PM me if you want to eventually join my server. If you have a skype then that'd be even better because of IM-ing and all)
(P.P.S. - if you want some immediate help in-game, PM me and I can send you my skype name for any help or coaching that you need... but just and FYI- I'm no expert XD)
OH MY GOD THIS IS AMAZING! Please continue this and try to do it as much as possible! This is freaking awesome dude I just got Minecraft recently as well and I may do something like this.
cactus green.... not real tasty, huh?
Try putting EVERYTHING in the oven.
Try putting EVERYTHING in the crafting table, in various combos.
I could tell you what it is of course, and so could everyone else reading this, but discovery is half the fun.... we wont steal it from you.
Beautiful journal! The fact that you aren't a Minecraft genius makes it fun to read. Keep up the great work! I look forward to the next update.
It's over? NO. NOOOOOOO.
I'm absolutely loving the journal. I remember when I started playing minecraft, when it first came out for 360, and discovered Iron tools. Now THAT was a gamechanger haha. It's making me really happy seeing someone having fun in good old SSP. Myself, I had gotten bored of it, but now I realize that it's because I just keep the same routine every time I play, so I'm going to try something different this time around. Thank you for inspiring me to adventure and have fun in this game again, I was just starting to lose hope Diamonds for you good sir!
Looking forward to the next update, but for now, I think I'm going to make myself a map wall...
"And the universe said everything you need is within you, and the universe said you are stronger than you know."
The explosion looks like a creeper. Comparing the before/after screenshots, it looks like a perfect blast zone for a creeper standing on the far left sand block directly in front of the right "column" of the entrance.
Something must have also spawned in the lower room of the desert temple below the stained blue clay and walked on the pressure plate, setting off the TNT "booby trap" at the bottom of the pit. This would have destroyed the 4 chests(most likely their contents as well), but if something set off the pressure plate and you hadn't checked the room for 5 minutes the items may have simply despawned with the chance for you to salvage them despite the TNT trap going off.
I've actually never set off one of the desert temple traps so I'm not entirely sure how the explosion chain progresses.
The picture below is what the room under the stained blue clay looks like if the TNT trap is not set off, the gray pressure plate in the center of the room is obviously the trigger.
I'm not trying to ruin anyone's fun, but I find the wiki an invaluable resource. It can be a bit to process as a whole though...
http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Minecraft_Wiki
I still can't remember what ingredients make which potions half the time and have no idea how to craft newer/infrequently used items lol. When I was a new player I kept the wiki open at all times so I could just alt-tab whenever I needed to look something up.
I would also recommend all of the following building resources.
Voxel Shape Generator
Plotz Modeller
Perfect Circles
The BEST way to mine diamond, layer 12 and you.
They all go off at once. Kaboom!
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. I will face my fear. I will let it pass over me and through me, and when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.