I've already built a mob grinder on a multiplayer server I frequent. The problem is mobs spawn really slowly and I must leave the general area before they start to spawn. It's killed creepers, zombies, and skelletons so far and the loot floats to a hopper that deposits its contents into a chest. So I know the grinder works. The design is as follows:
The walls are 4 blocks high and in the center of the structure it drops straight down 3 blocks where mobs will be pushed into the lava and their drops will flow into a hopper and into a chest.
This design is a bit dated and so I've been told it doesn't work very well anymore. Any tips on how to improve it?
1)mobs can spawn around the player in a spherical zone of 24 blocks away up to 128 blocks away. Unless this is built high up in the sky near the build height limit, chances are you have tons of dark caves underground in the surrounding zone of your mob grinder. Mobs WILL spawn there instead of in your grinder, so light them all up (this will not be a quick or easy process).
2)mob grinders work by moving mobs out of the spawning areas quickly. Mobs that get "stuck" will clog things up. Spiders can climb walls, and if you are hanging out more than 32 blocks away mobs will just stop wandering around and could get stuck on the spawn platforms. Mobs cannot spawn where other mobs are standing, so this reduces your spawn rates.
This is a design I use that is stackable with good success. Unfortunately there is no shortcut to lighting all areas within 128 block radius of the mob grinder.
Thanks to DuhDerp and bylt for the tip on spawning distances. That's the problem, it doesn't spawn unless I go farther away.
To OcAMD, I actually have redstone lamps above the spawner grinder and I can turn them off and on with a switch. It's pretty useful if I'm working on the grinder and I don't want to get killed while doing so! Lots of redstone was needed to make all the lamps, repeaters, etc.. Also, what program did you use to generate that diagram? It's quite pretty!
That is a picture from online that I have used for sometime so I don't know which program was used; sorry.
I was referring to the distance of caves and ground surface that is necessary to be lit up to avoid mobs from spawning and adding to the mob cap; whereas stealing from your grinder. You just said spawner? If in fact you are using a spawner the distance that you need to be is within a 16 block radius for it to function. That means you need to move mobs quickly away from the spawner (more than 24 blocks away) so more can spawn (max of 6 per spawner). A quick guide is that if there are flames around it you are in working distance.
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I see that your design works fine. Now, the larger the farm, the more the mobs. In this case, you could make a bunch of this design and connect it. Now the darker the spawning area, the more the mobs. And that's where I see the problem. The lava seems to make it less dark near the center of your spawner, thus making less mobs spawn there, and there's not much more room for them to spawn. So ulitmately, I recommend to build like four of that design, and then the drop on each of the four (which by the way should border one another and look like one big building) should have water flowing towards the middle. By this point, if there is lava, the light will not effect mob spawning, and from here you will get much more loot. And by the way, mobs don't usually spawn super close to players, and they can spawn up to over 100 blocks away, so don't put it super close to your house.
I quit using lava blades at kill points a long time ago in favor of gravity kill instead. If I want to shorten the drop I will use lava in the drop chute and drop the mobs though it to set them on fire, just make sure they drop at least 4 blocks to gain momentum to punch through or they will swim in it and drops will be lost. Gravity kill has the benefit of working on all mob types (excluding golems), zero chance of burning drops, and simple to setup.
As for your spawning floors, you'll want to use many smaller pads if you don't want to use a flushing/pushing mechanism.
Yes, you need to not allow mobs to spawn within 128 blocks of ANY player in the game (outside your mob grinder) to have good spawning rates.
That is THE main thing (assuming the grinder is adequately constructed and you are 24+ blocks away from the spawning area in the mob grinder.)
It really matters, a lot. If you don't take care of that then nothing else matters much.
If you can't assure that, then you could try building LOTS of floors on it and/or moving near and away from the mob grinder (to force some despawning) but rates will likely just be permanently rather low.
By far the easiest way to assure that there are no caves or dark areas within 128 blocks of yourself is to build your mob grinder around Y=200 or so and stand near it, 24 blocks from it. (Or you could build the mob grinder on the ground and stand 128 blocks above it, but then you'll have despawning happening to the mobs in it.) Obviously this is tough to get to and from so build a nether portal system.
Your basic water canal design is fine. You'll need something fancier (pistons, string, redstone, moving floors, buckets of water) if you are going to be making a huge grinder of many floors or standing far away from it. If you are far away, it's important to get each mob processed in the minute or so before it despawns.
But a basic water canal design is more than productive enough for most people IF you can keep the hostile mob count down (count of hostile mobs within 128 blocks of any player must be low, ideally zero but certainly less than 79 or so.)
Hello,
I've already built a mob grinder on a multiplayer server I frequent. The problem is mobs spawn really slowly and I must leave the general area before they start to spawn. It's killed creepers, zombies, and skelletons so far and the loot floats to a hopper that deposits its contents into a chest. So I know the grinder works. The design is as follows:
The walls are 4 blocks high and in the center of the structure it drops straight down 3 blocks where mobs will be pushed into the lava and their drops will flow into a hopper and into a chest.
This design is a bit dated and so I've been told it doesn't work very well anymore. Any tips on how to improve it?
-Nia
If it drops very far, you should add lava then signs below 2 blocks above the fall point to set them on fire and kill them- and not lose the drops!
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Just Cause series
Come to think of it, I mainly play fighting-based games.
I have ladders below the furthest point of the lava flow. Drops aren't destroyed.
-Nia
1)mobs can spawn around the player in a spherical zone of 24 blocks away up to 128 blocks away. Unless this is built high up in the sky near the build height limit, chances are you have tons of dark caves underground in the surrounding zone of your mob grinder. Mobs WILL spawn there instead of in your grinder, so light them all up (this will not be a quick or easy process).
2)mob grinders work by moving mobs out of the spawning areas quickly. Mobs that get "stuck" will clog things up. Spiders can climb walls, and if you are hanging out more than 32 blocks away mobs will just stop wandering around and could get stuck on the spawn platforms. Mobs cannot spawn where other mobs are standing, so this reduces your spawn rates.
You could add extra water streams as shown. (Do the same to all 4 corners)
This makes mobs fall faster.
If this doesn't work for some reason someone let me know.
Who am I? An outside the box thinking person with a passion for creating custom maps.
This is a design I use that is stackable with good success. Unfortunately there is no shortcut to lighting all areas within 128 block radius of the mob grinder.
Thanks to DuhDerp and bylt for the tip on spawning distances. That's the problem, it doesn't spawn unless I go farther away.
To OcAMD, I actually have redstone lamps above the
spawnergrinder and I can turn them off and on with a switch. It's pretty useful if I'm working on the grinder and I don't want to get killed while doing so! Lots of redstone was needed to make all the lamps, repeaters, etc.. Also, what program did you use to generate that diagram? It's quite pretty!-Nia
How much farther?
24 blocks _should_ be enough.
Just testing.
That is a picture from online that I have used for sometime so I don't know which program was used; sorry.
I was referring to the distance of caves and ground surface that is necessary to be lit up to avoid mobs from spawning and adding to the mob cap; whereas stealing from your grinder. You just said spawner? If in fact you are using a spawner the distance that you need to be is within a 16 block radius for it to function. That means you need to move mobs quickly away from the spawner (more than 24 blocks away) so more can spawn (max of 6 per spawner). A quick guide is that if there are flames around it you are in working distance.
I slipped up actually. I meant grinder.
Thanks for your advice
-Nia
I see that your design works fine. Now, the larger the farm, the more the mobs. In this case, you could make a bunch of this design and connect it. Now the darker the spawning area, the more the mobs. And that's where I see the problem. The lava seems to make it less dark near the center of your spawner, thus making less mobs spawn there, and there's not much more room for them to spawn. So ulitmately, I recommend to build like four of that design, and then the drop on each of the four (which by the way should border one another and look like one big building) should have water flowing towards the middle. By this point, if there is lava, the light will not effect mob spawning, and from here you will get much more loot. And by the way, mobs don't usually spawn super close to players, and they can spawn up to over 100 blocks away, so don't put it super close to your house.
Minecraftism
I quit using lava blades at kill points a long time ago in favor of gravity kill instead. If I want to shorten the drop I will use lava in the drop chute and drop the mobs though it to set them on fire, just make sure they drop at least 4 blocks to gain momentum to punch through or they will swim in it and drops will be lost. Gravity kill has the benefit of working on all mob types (excluding golems), zero chance of burning drops, and simple to setup.
As for your spawning floors, you'll want to use many smaller pads if you don't want to use a flushing/pushing mechanism.
by c0yote
I tried it with terrible results. I gave my wife my glasses for a second, a creeper showed up and now my wife is pregnant.
Stupid 3D..
Yes, you need to not allow mobs to spawn within 128 blocks of ANY player in the game (outside your mob grinder) to have good spawning rates.
That is THE main thing (assuming the grinder is adequately constructed and you are 24+ blocks away from the spawning area in the mob grinder.)
It really matters, a lot. If you don't take care of that then nothing else matters much.
If you can't assure that, then you could try building LOTS of floors on it and/or moving near and away from the mob grinder (to force some despawning) but rates will likely just be permanently rather low.
By far the easiest way to assure that there are no caves or dark areas within 128 blocks of yourself is to build your mob grinder around Y=200 or so and stand near it, 24 blocks from it. (Or you could build the mob grinder on the ground and stand 128 blocks above it, but then you'll have despawning happening to the mobs in it.) Obviously this is tough to get to and from so build a nether portal system.
Your basic water canal design is fine. You'll need something fancier (pistons, string, redstone, moving floors, buckets of water) if you are going to be making a huge grinder of many floors or standing far away from it. If you are far away, it's important to get each mob processed in the minute or so before it despawns.
But a basic water canal design is more than productive enough for most people IF you can keep the hostile mob count down (count of hostile mobs within 128 blocks of any player must be low, ideally zero but certainly less than 79 or so.)