For a little while now I have been experimenting with something I want to find: a good door model that offers as much protection as possible from mobs and that can be used to go both in and out while mounted on horseback. Sure, I could just make a two block high wall and place normal doors there; but what I'm looking for is a door design that will protect myself from mobs as well.
As you all know, a player on horseback is more than two blocks tall, so normal doors with a row of solid blocks above them are a no-go. Moreover, a horse is a little over one block wide, so you can't get through a single door either. What I devised is this:
Stone and iron were chosen as wall materials to offer creeper protection. The right door can be opened via either an inside or outside button next to it; the left door can be opened via the lever on the inside. There is a half slab joined to the upper half of the directly above row of wall blocks to make enough space for the player on horseback to ride in and out, but not enough for spiders to crawl in. To get to the outside, you open the left door with the lever, push the button to open the second door and while the button effect lasts, you get out. Now, given the player height when mounted and the space between the doors and the half blocks, there is enough space to activate the lever while mounted from the outside too. So, while one door will close itself automatically, you can close the other one from the outside while mounted using the lever. Likewise, to get in while mounted you switch the lever, push the button, get inside, switch back the lever.
Now, while this works well enough for me, I feel it is too complicated when it could be made easier. Yet I can't figure out how. So, how do you guys build gates for mounted players, if you do?
As you all know, a player on horseback is more than two blocks tall, so normal doors with a row of solid blocks above them are a no-go. Moreover, a horse is a little over one block wide, so you can't get through a single door either. What I devised is this:
Stone and iron were chosen as wall materials to offer creeper protection. The right door can be opened via either an inside or outside button next to it; the left door can be opened via the lever on the inside. There is a half slab joined to the upper half of the directly above row of wall blocks to make enough space for the player on horseback to ride in and out, but not enough for spiders to crawl in. To get to the outside, you open the left door with the lever, push the button to open the second door and while the button effect lasts, you get out. Now, given the player height when mounted and the space between the doors and the half blocks, there is enough space to activate the lever while mounted from the outside too. So, while one door will close itself automatically, you can close the other one from the outside while mounted using the lever. Likewise, to get in while mounted you switch the lever, push the button, get inside, switch back the lever.
Now, while this works well enough for me, I feel it is too complicated when it could be made easier. Yet I can't figure out how. So, how do you guys build gates for mounted players, if you do?