Hello! Feel free to read any of the categories below to get any information you need for this survival/adventure map I've been creating! Leave any and all criticism/praise in the comments. I will not be taking any requests, as I have this all planned out. Sorry. Also, I had no source of inspiration for this map - I came up with the idea the instant I started playing Minecraft.
WARNING: ANYTHING YOU READ HERE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
THE MAP IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO AN ALPHA VERSION AND IS STILL MOSTLY CONCEPTUAL
ALL STRUCTURES PICTURED HERE MAY LOOK DIFFERENT OR EVEN NOT EXIST WHEN YOU PLAY THE MAP AFTER RELEASE
[size=large]-Backstory-[/size]
This is a map I've been working on since I first started playing Minecraft. Actually - I made the first version of this map in classic, and then rebuilt it block by block in 1.2.5 when I bought the game. Originally, I just wanted to build a castle in the sky, but, as time passed, I wanted to make a land in the sky, and, now, a world in the sky. When I first started, I built Skyland 141x141(with 5 "biomes") without the help of any editing programs, as my OCD told me that was cheating and that it only counts if it's purely vanilla. Then, in August of 2012 (only two months after I started working on the map), I moved to Europe, and lost access to my world until August of this year (2013). After I got my world back, however, I used MCEdit (my mind has since changed) to expand it to 281x281 and fix biomes, and I'm currently turning it into a massive circle. Once that's done, I'm going to build outer biomes and begin working on the Twilight Forest.
[size=large]-Gameplay-[/size]
It's going to be a survival/adventure map, but without a forced-upon-you storyline (like Minecraft itself). Unlike previous adventure maps, which force you into an immersive storyline (or are no fun without the story), I want this to feel more like an RPG-type map, where the world is yours and you control it. You spawn in the middle of Skyland, in the middle of a birch forest, and right in front of a small, peaceful-looking castle. There are small villages scattered about, and you can use these and natural resources to your advantage to get better tools and armor until you've got diamond equipment, and are ready to take on the Skycastle. You enter, fight your way through the hordes of opponents to get to the throne room, where you grab extra gear and drop into the far more hostile Twilight Forest, where the sun never shines and everything wants to eat you. Surviving down there will be tough, but worth it when you make your way into the Twilight Stronghold and defeat the Wither/Ender Dragon, ultimately paving the way for you to make it to the Underworld and defeat the Ender Dragon/Wither (not sure which order I want you to fight them). Or, of course, you can just skip the silly games and barrel through it all and kill everything, if that suits your fancy.
[size=large]-Layout/Biomes-[/size]
[size=large][size=medium]Skyland will have many biomes (excluding cold ones), and I'll list them, here:[/size][/size]
The birch forest is in the center of Skyland, and, unlike other biomes, in which I'll try to include some sort of cave or dungeon, the birch forest's dungeon is the castle itself, which is comfortably situated on the northern border of the forest, near the desert and jungle.A creeper lurking in the forest.An early screenshot of Skyland, with the birch forest and illuminated castle clearly visible in the center.A skeleton takes refuge from the sun in the forest.An overhead view of the forest.
[size=large][size=medium]-Jungle-[/size][/size]
The jungle is on the northeast border of the birch forest, and is separated from the other biomes (excluding the savanna and the roofed forest) by a wide river. In the spirit of a true jungle, I made sure that little to no light reaches the forest floor, and the underbrush is a nightmare to navigate. The jungle, along with the savanna and the roofed forest, make up the dark/grassy biomes of Skyland. This will be by far the most dangerous corner of Skyland (except for the castle, itself), and I would advise extreme caution when navigating these biomes.This is an early screenshot of the jungle while I was still constructing it. You can see my beginning progress on the volcano in the bottom left corner.Here, an ocelot look at me with interest as the (at the time) newly-finished volcano roars in the background. Of course, that was a long time ago.This screenshot was taken soon after I finished my volcano. While it's small, I was extremely proud of myself after first finishing it, since this was the first volcano I'd ever built (just as Skycastle was the first anything I ever built).This is a very recent screenshot of the jungle. Depending on popular consensus, I may just change all biomes to "jungle", to keep everything one nice, even color.This is probably the most clear view you'll get when inside the jungle. Beware.A picture of the northern side of the volcano, where you can see the jungle thin out as it (eventually) transitions to the savanna.
[size=large][size=medium]-Desert-[/size][/size]
The desert is a relatively flat, open biome to the northwest of the birch forest. It has the highest villager population of all the biomes, due to the large village in the center. Of all the biomes, this is probably the safest (next to the mushroom biome, of course) due to the wide, unobstructed view.This is a very early screenshot of the desert, taken before I added small mountains to the back and before I renovated the village.The village will also contain one of the two time portals essential to the storyline of the map (no further explanation)
Obviously the safest biome, this one is characterized by jagged peaks and beautiful views. Next to the roofed forest (which I'm building by hand), this is arguably one of the toughest biomes I've built. It is directly southeast of the birch forest.An early screenshot of the sun setting over a primitive Skyland. You can see the (at the time) only mountain in the biome as it dominates most of the screenshot.Another early screenshot of the biome. Don't ask me why there's a random mycelium block on that mushroom - I honestly don't know.A far more recent screenshot of the biome. While it isn't pictured, there's only one easy way into the biome, as most of it is a small valley. As evidenced by the light and red glass, there is a villager living inside that red mushroom.Behold! Another shot of the tiny island!
[size=large][size=medium]-Swamp-[/size][/size]
The swamp is a very flat, watery biome southwest of the birch forest. It has nothing more than a dungeon and a few trees, flowers, and mushrooms. Due to the low mobility from the water, it is not recommended to stay in the swamp at night.This is a ridiculously early screenshot of the swamp.Here, you can see a much more recent screenshot of the swamp.This is also a recent screenshot.Wham! This is a very recent screenshot of the swamp!
I have not yet built the extreme hills, though, when I do, they will be directly east of the mushroom biome, and will be based off of China's sacred mountains.
I have begun work on the roofed forest, and, unlike the jungle, which is like perpetual night, the roofed forest is like perpetual sunset, at a steady light level of around 7. It has a large lake and a small, abandoned village, and is located directly east of the jungle.A recent screenshot of the forest. I built it in the snapshots, before we had dark oak wood or could grow the trees. I used MCEdit to turn all the oak wood in the forest into dark oak wood, but could not do the same with the leaves, since they began to decay.A small pond in the forest.This lake is in the center of the forest, and has three small islands.One of the abandoned mushroom houses in the forest.You can see the witch's tower sticking out of the forest. Also - savanna lighting errors.
[size=large][size=medium]-Savanna-[/size][/size]
I have not advanced very far in the construction of the savanna. It will have one large, Kilimanjaro-like mountain near the northern edge that has a river flowing out of it and into the mesa.Here is a recent screenshot of the savanna. As I said, not much currently exists.Those silly zombies.Yay! More progress! I want the top of the Savanna's plateau to be reminiscent of Skyrim. Don't ask me why.Here, you can see the glacier, which is responsible for separating the mesa, savanna, jungle, and roofed forest from the rest of Skyland as it is the source of Skyland's major river.
[size=large][size=medium]-Mesa-[/size][/size]
I have not advanced very far into the construction of the mesa. It will does have a river in its winding, narrow canyons.Here, you can see the slope of the plateau.The mesa, as viewed from the castle.Another screenshot of the mesa.This will eventually become a canyon with a waterfall pouring in from the savanna.Another W.I.P. screenshot of the river as it flows between the mesa and the desert.I've made a TON of progress since the last update.Yay! Almost there! I also have a HUGE secret for the mesa (and all of Skyland, really) that I won't be revealing here.Just an overhead view of my progress.Scenic "river in canyon" clichéThe river serves as the border between the Mesa and the plainsHow does the mesa look? I'd like feedback. The part of the mesa that you're currently looking at is the "Quilted Plateau".Just another picture of the border of the mesa and desert.The finished mesa. There's also a HUGE feature that I'm not showing you...
[size=large][size=medium]-Plains-[/size][/size]
I have not yet built the plains, though, when I do, it will be directly west of the desert and contain a large city and the second time portal *spoilers*.
I've finished the plains! Here's the view from the border of the mesa, desert, and plains.
Here's the entire plains biome! While there isn't much NOW *spoiler hint*, there WAS and will be.
Once again, you can see the layout of the city, here.
I literally just turned 180 degrees and took another screenshot.
I have only just begun with the construction of the Mega Taiga. It will be directly west of the swamp.The only screenshot of the Mega Taiga. I've almost finished the mega taiga! It should be finished within the next two to three days!Here's the recently-finished mega taiga in all its foresty glory.Another screenshot of the mega taiga.One more screenshot of the taiga.
[size=medium]Here's an early screenshot of Skyland, showing all inner biomes (in their early, incomplete states):[/size][/size][size=large][size=medium][/size][/size]
[size=large]-Structures-[/size]
[size=large][size=medium]Skyland will have a multitude of structures, ranging from caves, to dungeons, to villages. Right now, I only have a few structures in Skyland, so I'll show those off: (UNRELATED: each biome has a diamond block hidden in it.)[/size][/size]
[size=large][size=medium]Skycastle:[/size][/size]
Arguably the toughest dungeon in Skyland, the castle is filled to the brim with spawners, so don't let its serene appearance fool you. You'll have to be well-armored to take on the castle, and don't think you can just waltz right in through a hole you put in the side to make your life any easier. I'm eventually going to add a system that doesn't let players enter the castle until... well... [size=small]time portals... [size=x-small]skulls...[/size] [size=xx-small]spoilers...[/size][/size]The castle in the daytime. Even with all the mountains around it, it's still the tallest thing (NOT ANYMORE) in Skyland, at (only) 45 meters tall.The castle shines like a star at night.An early screenshot of the throne room.If you were to enter the castle and look up, this is what you would see.An early screenshot of some of the loot acquired from the castle.The castle as viewed from the northern edge of Skyland.
Probably the vest place to start off, as it has beds, food, and lighting. Your only problem here is a zombie invasion. I originally built it out of the four types of logs and oak planks, but, since I just got the world back, I changed the planks.A very recent screenshot of the village. Here, you can see the four houses, which each holds 5 villagers, or something ridiculous like that, since there's a villager spawner, nearby.A very early screenshot of the village, with an iron golem that's long-dead.
This is an abandoned village (villagers apparently don't recognize mushroom blocks as blocks) on the edge of the roofed forest. There isn't much loot, but there is easy shelter (and a golem AND one of the four special horses) in an otherwise hostile environment.One of the four houses that make up the village.
[size=large][size=medium]Mushroom Island Hut:[/size][/size]
This is a giant mushroom turned into a home, situated at the top of the highest peak on the island. There is a priest, inside.It should be obvious as to which one is the hut.Just to be safe, though - here's a closer look.
This city is the dominating feature of the plains biome as it takes up much of the space available, there. You can only enter the city from one direction and you cannot build or break blocks inside as that could mess up many important quests and even the main storyline itself. Here it is:This is the layout of the city. It's quite large for something built in an area with so little available space.Yes - the gate will be closeable. Also, the yellow building is the bakery, the red one is the smithy, and the magenta one is the butcher's shop.All colored buildings are shops.While this is the poorer part of the city, this is also (ironically) the safer part of the city since it's better lit than other parts meaning that mobs won't spawn here as often.Two more shops.The blacksmith's shop connects to the guard's tower for obvious reasons.Just a few more shops.Here's the entrance to the temple.The inside of the temple. This place will be crucial to the story's plot and, even though it's difficult to tell, the stained windows actually tell the player's story.
This is a ridiculously tough dungeon located in the roofed forest. completing it gets you an entire diamond block, but is it worth losing your precious tools and armor over?The grass is ridiculously tall and the canopy is ridiculously short around the hut. Be careful when navigating.Here's the entrance. Nothing says "turn around, now" like four doors in the space of one doorway.The back of the tower.The rest of the tower, as viewed from the canopy.
[size=large][size=medium]Swamp Hut:[/size][/size]
This is a small hut in the swamp. I originally made it as a small joke, but decided to keep it. With 1.4 being released, I will probably turn this into a witch hut.The home of Creepy the Hut-Hermit.
Mega Taiga Ruins:
This small, forlorn tower in the heart of the mega taiga seems odd, but trust me when I say that it will play a much larger role than it initially appears to.This small tower is on the brink of collapse. It couldn't possibly hold any secrets, could it?
Desert Ruins:
Just some old ruined thing. Pay it no mind. It is most certainly not involved with a major plot point and mechanic that I keep refraining from telling you guys about.
Mountainside Ruins:
I'll be honest with you - those desert ruins do have a lot to do with a huge game mechanic. This is where you'll find that mechanic.
[size=large]-Questing-[/size]
I currently have begun work on a questing system, so do not fear! You will be able to be rewarded for what you do! I feel like quests add an interactive and immersive aspect to the map, so quests will lead to more quests and certain quest endings lead to other special quests. In the main world, you will only be able to do simple retrieval and story quests, but in the Adventure Mode areas of the map (large cities and such), you will be able to do large, immersive quests that can have a huge impact on your gaming experience. This game is taking the Legend of Zelda approach to questing and storylines - it just drops you in and expects you to learn as you go along. I feel like adding a backstory that you get as soon as you spawn feels superficial and boring, so I'm going to let you learn it as you go along if you wish to learn more. There will be lorebooks for sale at shops an journals and books in ruined structures that let you learn more about why you're there and why your actions are so important.I've several types of quests planned. There will be story quests that advance you in the storyline and give you access to areas previously inaccessible, there will be survival quests that involve killing special mobs and retrieving items, and there will be adventure quests that involve all sorts of cool stuff and can reward you with some pretty awesome stuff.
[size=large]-Cool Concepts, Possible Features, and Map Trivia-[/size]
I'll try to include as much as possible here without spoiling the map or my major plans. This will mainly include smaller tidbits and concepts to keep you informed without sacrificing my big surprises.
I plan to include somewhat-smoothly animated cutscenes of sorts
Large-scale, complicated, and immersive boss fights that are hard but in a challenging (not unfair) way. They will require thinking and skill to beat, but will still remain fun
Fun Easter eggs will be hidden throughout
The majority of the map will be in Survival Mode
To save myself the hassle of adding command blocks everywhere to change a player that's leaving an Adventure Mode area back to Survival, I may just instead label Adventure Mode as a "disease" in-canon and instead place a shrine somewhere to lift the "curse" of Adventure Mode. I may instead place "doctors" in several villages, though I will most likely use a shrine.
When you begin, all you'll have is a short cutscene and then a title telling you where to go to begin your first quest. You'll just be thrown in with little/no (depending on your attentiveness) information or explanation as to what happened and where you are. As the story progresses, more of the world becomes available to you for free travel throughout. You'll learn more about why the world is the way it is and even more about your own character. It's my own way of avoiding the clichés set by EVERY. SINGLE. OTHER MINECRAFT MAP. EVER. I want this to feel like its own RPG/Sandbox video game - not just "a Minecraft map".
There may be some sort of Smithing/weapon improvement system put in place that allows you to improve existing weapons of yours
Side quests!
There may be "chapters" of the game
I may try to include jails and bounties that involve a combination of redstone questing logic and the cutscenes. Screw up and you may get arrested or be forced to fight the police.
Time
I'll try to find a way to get the bosses to have special attacks beyond what a boss normally has.
Each biome has its own, special type of hostile mob found only in that biome. Roofed Forests, for instance, have skeletons that look like Robin Hood and use their green cover to ambush you.
[size=large]-Traversing the Map-[/size]
This is just a simple guide to getting around the map and making it easier to get around the map. Since the map can be very treacherous and only gets tougher as you get farther into the story, I've made it easier by giving you a few rewards for exploration or even goofing off and looking around. Before I get into the easter egg steeds, I'll first give you a guide to what is safe and smart as you go along: For starters, when you spawn, you'll be looking at the castle. DO NOT enter it, as you will die and I will be happy, and you do not want me to be happy. Your best friend in these early stages of your time in my world will be the desert and the mushroom biome. All other locations spell death or death at night (even the towns and cities). After you've gotten your hands on some chain or iron armor, you'll want to begin taking quests or looting dungeons to get better tools/weapons/armor. With this better armor, you will now be able to safely traverse most biomes with the exclusions of the jungle (light level 0 on the forest floor, with unique and tough opponents scattered across) and roofed forest (light level 7 with vigilante bowmen keeping intruders away). Your best bet will be quests as the dungeons are tough, and, even though they all reward you with a diamond block, they are also very difficult to conquer, and you need a diamond pick to enter them, anyways, meaning that you will lose your valuable pickaxe to the denizens of these dungeons. Once you do have diamond armor, Skyland is yours to travel all across, meaning that you can either explore or simply finish the story quests and move on to the Twilight Forest.As for the "easter egg steeds" - these are special horses that will make traversing Skyland easier and will also come with some nostalgia as they all have names of well-known steeds. For example, you can find Arion (an ancient Greek mythological horse that ran ridiculously fast) running around Skyland. He's not very useful as he's too fast to control, but if teleportation suits your fancy... The best horse is arguably Epona, and, while I won't go into the details of how you aquire her (I'd spoil one of my favorite game mechanics that you guys will love), I will say that she's fast, but not too fast, she jumps high, but not too high, and she's invincible.
[size=large]-Dungeons-[/size]
This is just a quick note on dungeons:The dungeons are my way of adding a fun break for those that are tired of collecting items or surviving. Due to building space restraints, the dungeons in Skyland itself are simply of the "run in, beat-em-up, and leave" variety, but those in the Twilight Forest and (SPOILER) are much more challenging and include fun puzzles and unique gimmicks. Most dungeons are just for unique loot, but a few must be completed to advance the story and move on to other areas of the map. Have faith when I say that the dungeons will be awesome. I'll give you a few spoilers: hookshot, flame rod, boss.I made a test dungeon, and this is it. It has, as I previously stated, hookshot compatibility. Once you find a special book, you can then use any bow as a hookshot in the temples.Firing at this will pull you towards the target and to the other side. There are barrier blocks that prevent you from crossing the water in any other way.As I said, it's a test dungeon. In-game, these will be far away from Skyland (as not to be an eyesore), but will be accessed by teleporting there from the "entrance" to the dungeon, which is a small building. Canonically, the dungeons are just smaller on the outside, so, according to my map, you'll actually just be shrunken down inside of the building you entered.
Good news - Skyland is now a circle! This means that I can now construct the rest of the biomes! However - I cannot find a good biome changing program, as MCEdit does not have the 1.7 biomes, and Norton recognizes BiomePainter as a virus, and deletes it.
maybe use worldpainter! Its usually very handy when it comes to biome painting and the general lay out of the land. Otherwise, read up on voxelsniper. Makes creating organic shapes especially much easier (you can "paint" in-game with "brushes". That way you can add multiple blocks in one click, and in different shapes, fi a ball. Youtube has many tutorials for creating entire stunningly pretty forests in a very limited amount of time using this program).
I refuse to use Worldpainter. I use Biomepainter for the biomes, though. I will only use worldpainter for the mountains that I want to have surrounding the edge of the map. Also - I'm going to add a few more screenshots, soon. I've gotten a ton of work finished on the Mesa, Savanna, and Roofed Forest. And by "surrounding the edge of the map", I mean "away from Skyland". The mountains will not touch the sky island.
out of curiosity, why do you refuse to use worldpainter? It sounds so bitter, I like the program a lot, if only because it is updated very steadily for a long time now.
I want everything to be handmade. It makes for a smaller map, but it also makes for a better map.It also makes you more appreciative of the work you've done, and therefore less likely to screw it up since you'll be more skeptical of every idea that crosses your mind.
For instance - I currently have a ton of command blocks in the castle since I'm trying to make better spawners, and even that is killing me. I don't want them there. I'm almost afraid that I'll forget them there.
I want everything to be handmade. It makes for a smaller map, but it also makes for a better map.
It also makes you more appreciative of the work you've done, and therefore less likely to screw it up since you'll be more skeptical of every idea that crosses your mind.
For instance - I currently have a ton of command blocks in the castle since I'm trying to make better spawners, and even that is killing me. I don't want them there. I'm almost afraid that I'll forget them there.
Well if you ever do get into bigger maps, I suggest using 'some' outside programs, building everything by hand is rewarding, but very time-consuming. Don't be afraid to copy and paste!
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Well if you ever do get into bigger maps, I suggest using 'some' outside programs, building everything by hand is rewarding, but very time-consuming. Don't be afraid to copy and paste!
I am using a bit of MCEdit with the map. Anyways, as promised, I'll start taking and uploading screenshots.
I just completed a test run of the map; if I can beat it, it's too easy; expect things to become far more difficult.Of course, it's probably partially so easy because the village has a chest in it that has four snow blocks, two pumpkins, two speed potions, four regeneration potions, 6 healing potions, two fire resistance potions, and four tier II golden apples.
Im happy you say you use worldpainter for mountains, because I wouldnt want to know what hellish work that would be to do manually.
I haven't used WP for the mountains, yet. And, yes - it is quite worse than "hellish". I'm only going to use WP for the massive mega-mountains outside of the main map.
I haven't used WP for the mountains, yet. And, yes - it is quite worse than "hellish". I'm only going to use WP for the massive mega-mountains outside of the main map.
On the other hand, being able to test more ideas that come to mind before ditching them "because maybe not good enough" might be a waste of a good idea. With extra, time-saving tools, you have the ability to test more creative ideas and see what they do in the same amount of time, probably giving you more ideas as you try your initial idea. Next to that, you could use the tools to make a general lay-out. Its the way I do it, I still go over every inch of the land in game to make sure its all done exactly how I want it, which still comes down to a lot of manually fixing stuff. Im happy you say you use worldpainter for mountains, because I wouldnt want to know what hellish work that would be to do manually, especially mountain ranges. Do you actually know voxelsniper? I would classify this as "manual", its in game, just a way to place more then one block at a time. It is still very rewarding to pull something of thats handmade with this program.
Im not trying to criticise you, just giving my 2cents and what you do with it is entirely up to you. I do agree with you that using external programs usually leads to people creating to large a map and then not having the stamina to go over all the terrain or leads to people thinking "close enough to what I wanted it to look like".
Regarding the command blocks, place them at y=2 or something and cover them with bedrock? If ever there is a player that is going to discover it (imagine the chances of that happening), it will still look like a flat plateau of bedrock at y=3, no biggie I'd say. And moving all these command blocks there is way easier with external programs again.
ALso, should I put an ice spikes biome around the outskirts of the map?
your call I guess. What are your fors and against? As you state you are not using any cold biomes, you might have to think about how to blend it in with the rest of the biomes. Would be a good giveaway to players that they are venturing to the edges of the map, and you could make a natural looking border by having more and taller spires the further players go away from the center of the map, culminating in one big ice-wall like thing they cant cross. But hej, this is creative thinking, Im sure you can think up something good seeing what you have already achieved.
No - I only said that I wasn't using cold biomes in Skyland itself. I have plans to use cold biomes around the edge of the map. Of course - If I do make Ice spikes, it'll be realitsic. It'll look like the REAL ice spikes that we see on Earth - ice fumaroles on the slopes of a volcano, like Mt. Elbrus.
I want everything to be handmade. It makes for a smaller map, but it also makes for a better map.
It also makes you more appreciative of the work you've done, and therefore less likely to screw it up since you'll be more skeptical of every idea that crosses your mind.
I, respectively, disagree. I make maps myself. Not mainstream maps that people download, but maps for myself and for my friends, and one day, for my YouTube channel. I can understand wanting everything to be handmade, because I once wanted to do that, but I disagree with your statement "It makes for a smaller map, but it also makes for a better map." I've looked at the pictures of your world, and I was a little surprised too see that all of the biomes were right next to each other. For a giant floating skyworld, you wouldn't expect to see so many biomes right next to each other. I expected the biomes to be huge and spread out, but instead they were very small and close together, which isn't realistic. Not to mention that the villages were very small too. In the first village, there were only four houses. I wouldnt call four houses a village, I would call that four crazy people that decided to build their house away form civilization. And if you were to ever get into map making, no one would wait around for long periods of time for such a small map. Right now, OCDisco and CNBMinecraft are making an adventure map. It has been in development for around six or seven months, if not longer, and the only reason Im still waiting on them is because I know if it takes this long to make, this it will truly be incredible!
Also, I dont believe you would be more appreciative of your work afterwards either. I make very large scale things, and Im very proud of something after I finish it. But taking a lot of time to finish one small project; I can see myslef being more thankful that Im done than proud. I also have ocd, and I make sure too go over every inch of my work. I hate blocks that are left untouched when making a mountain, and yet I still use a lot of mcedit, along with ingame changes.
Im not saying that your map sucks. Infact, thats far from what Im saying. Its a great idea for a map, and I can see it going far. I just think you should rethink how you feel about external programs for editing. It will allow you to truly make a skyworld, thats huge and full of awesome! and it will cut the time it will take to do it to a fraction. But agiain, if this is the way you want to create your map, if that is what makes you happy, then disregard this whole comment, even flag me if you are truly offended, and I wont post again.
I, respectively, disagree. I make maps myself. Not mainstream maps that people download, but maps for myself and for my friends, and one day, for my YouTube channel. I can understand wanting everything to be handmade, because I once wanted to do that, but I disagree with your statement "It makes for a smaller map, but it also makes for a better map." I've looked at the pictures of your world, and I was a little surprised too see that all of the biomes were right next to each other. For a giant floating skyworld, you wouldn't expect to see so many biomes right next to each other. I expected the biomes to be huge and spread out, but instead they were very small and close together, which isn't realistic. Not to mention that the villages were very small too. In the first village, there were only four houses. I wouldnt call four houses a village, I would call that four crazy people that decided to build their house away form civilization. And if you were to ever get into map making, no one would wait around for long periods of time for such a small map. Right now, OCDisco and CNBMinecraft are making an adventure map. It has been in development for around six or seven months, if not longer, and the only reason Im still waiting on them is because I know if it takes this long to make, this it will truly be incredible!
Also, I dont believe you would be more appreciative of your work afterwards either. I make very large scale things, and Im very proud of something after I finish it. But taking a lot of time to finish one small project; I can see myslef being more thankful that Im done than proud. I also have ocd, and I make sure too go over every inch of my work. I hate blocks that are left untouched when making a mountain, and yet I still use a lot of mcedit, along with ingame changes.
Im not saying that your map sucks. Infact, thats far from what Im saying. Its a great idea for a map, and I can see it going far. I just think you should rethink how you feel about external programs for editing. It will allow you to truly make a skyworld, thats huge and full of awesome! and it will cut the time it will take to do it to a fraction. But agiain, if this is the way you want to create your map, if that is what makes you happy, then disregard this whole comment, even flag me if you are truly offended, and I wont post again.
I understand from where it is you're coming, but I'm not all that talented with external programs (looking up WP tutorials now for a different map I'm making), and making skyland too large would mean that the underside would be unrealistically flat. I want to be able to add some character to even the stone bottom of the floating island. Also - all biomes being there in a small area isn't realistic, and I know that - the realism thing doesn't mesh well with a giant chunk of dirt in the sky. However, if you notice, the biomes are all grouped by other similar biomes. Every biome in Skyland is either exclusively or capable of being counted as a warm/hot biome. Also, the biomes are all grouped by similarity - The jungle and savanna are right next to each other, just as there are many pockets of jungle-like groves in the Serengetti. The roofed forest is dark, and so is the jungle - they border each other. They're all three grassy, thus making for the dangerous dark/grassy corner of Skyland. The mesa is a hot biome - it borders the savanna, desert, and plains. Plains are transition biomes that often seperate hot/mild biomes, hot/cold biomes, and mild/cold biomes, and thus seperates the mesa from the mega taiga. The mega taiga is a wet, warm biome, and thus borders the flower forest and the swamp. (Quick note - all the inner biomes were built in 1.2.5, and, at the time, I had absolutely no plans to make this an adventure map. I just wanted a little castle in the sky, so that little castle was the first thing I ever built. I then wasted a home for the castle, so I built hills and added birch trees. It was my little home, and nobody could change it. Then, I decided that the little birch forest was too small, so I expanded it. I then had the idea of adding different biomes, so I could have my own little diverse world in the sky, so I added them. I had all sorts of fantastical ideas of a beautiful land floating in the sky with a dark, dangerous forest with trees tall enough to touch the clouds resting beneath, the trees being forced to grow so large to accomodate for the lack of sunlight. It was at this point that I moved to Europe, and lost access to my home computer for a full year. Only in August did I get it back, but, by then, my vision had changed. No longer was it my place - it was my land, and I had all sorts of ideas for turning it into an adventure map that I could then let others enjoy, though, as I stated before, it was now my land, and I put so many little secrets in it that only I would know. This way, I could always know that nobody would know the land as well as I did, but they could hopefully enjoy it just as much. On second thought - that was the longest "quick note" I've ever seen; sorry.) The flowered forest borders the taiga since both are hilly biomes, and since the taiga is both warm and hilly, it borders the mushroom island. The mushroom island is mountainous, so it borders the extreme hills. The extreme hills is seperated from the roofed forest by a river. What I'm trying to say is that while the biomes are unrealistically small, they are (in my opinion) realistically placed. Thanks for the feedback, though!
NOTE: I decided to see how WP would look, so I made a backup of this world and then used WP to edit the terrain, but WP then froze and corrupted the worldsave - in other words, WP's a bit sketchy.
Alright, folks! After a long, long wait, I've finally updated this thread with just a fraction of the stuff I've been working on and have planned, and even that is a large amount to add to this! I normally don't bump, but I think it'll be acceptable, here, considering the reasoning behind it (the rules state that you can bump with good reason). What does everyone think?
WARNING: ANYTHING YOU READ HERE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
THE MAP IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO AN ALPHA VERSION AND IS STILL MOSTLY CONCEPTUAL
ALL STRUCTURES PICTURED HERE MAY LOOK DIFFERENT OR EVEN NOT EXIST WHEN YOU PLAY THE MAP AFTER RELEASE
willdoes have a river in its winding, narrow canyons.I have not yet built the plains, though, when I do, it will bedirectly west of the desert and contain a large city and the second time portal *spoilers*.I've finished the plains! Here's the view from the border of the mesa, desert, and plains.
Here's the entire plains biome! While there isn't much NOW *spoiler hint*, there WAS and will be.
Once again, you can see the layout of the city, here.
I literally just turned 180 degrees and took another screenshot.
The only screenshot of the Mega Taiga.I've almost finished the mega taiga! It should be finished within the next two to three days!I'll try to include as much as possible here without spoiling the map or my major plans. This will mainly include smaller tidbits and concepts to keep you informed without sacrificing my big surprises.
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
I refuse to use Worldpainter. I use Biomepainter for the biomes, though. I will only use worldpainter for the mountains that I want to have surrounding the edge of the map. Also - I'm going to add a few more screenshots, soon. I've gotten a ton of work finished on the Mesa, Savanna, and Roofed Forest. And by "surrounding the edge of the map", I mean "away from Skyland". The mountains will not touch the sky island.
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
I want everything to be handmade. It makes for a smaller map, but it also makes for a better map.It also makes you more appreciative of the work you've done, and therefore less likely to screw it up since you'll be more skeptical of every idea that crosses your mind.
For instance - I currently have a ton of command blocks in the castle since I'm trying to make better spawners, and even that is killing me. I don't want them there. I'm almost afraid that I'll forget them there.
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
I am using a bit of MCEdit with the map. Anyways, as promised, I'll start taking and uploading screenshots.
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
I haven't used WP for the mountains, yet. And, yes - it is quite worse than "hellish". I'm only going to use WP for the massive mega-mountains outside of the main map.
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
ALso, should I put an ice spikes biome around the outskirts of the map?
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
No - I only said that I wasn't using cold biomes in Skyland itself. I have plans to use cold biomes around the edge of the map. Of course - If I do make Ice spikes, it'll be realitsic. It'll look like the REAL ice spikes that we see on Earth - ice fumaroles on the slopes of a volcano, like Mt. Elbrus.
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
I, respectively, disagree. I make maps myself. Not mainstream maps that people download, but maps for myself and for my friends, and one day, for my YouTube channel. I can understand wanting everything to be handmade, because I once wanted to do that, but I disagree with your statement "It makes for a smaller map, but it also makes for a better map." I've looked at the pictures of your world, and I was a little surprised too see that all of the biomes were right next to each other. For a giant floating skyworld, you wouldn't expect to see so many biomes right next to each other. I expected the biomes to be huge and spread out, but instead they were very small and close together, which isn't realistic. Not to mention that the villages were very small too. In the first village, there were only four houses. I wouldnt call four houses a village, I would call that four crazy people that decided to build their house away form civilization. And if you were to ever get into map making, no one would wait around for long periods of time for such a small map. Right now, OCDisco and CNBMinecraft are making an adventure map. It has been in development for around six or seven months, if not longer, and the only reason Im still waiting on them is because I know if it takes this long to make, this it will truly be incredible!
Also, I dont believe you would be more appreciative of your work afterwards either. I make very large scale things, and Im very proud of something after I finish it. But taking a lot of time to finish one small project; I can see myslef being more thankful that Im done than proud. I also have ocd, and I make sure too go over every inch of my work. I hate blocks that are left untouched when making a mountain, and yet I still use a lot of mcedit, along with ingame changes.
Im not saying that your map sucks. Infact, thats far from what Im saying. Its a great idea for a map, and I can see it going far. I just think you should rethink how you feel about external programs for editing. It will allow you to truly make a skyworld, thats huge and full of awesome! and it will cut the time it will take to do it to a fraction. But agiain, if this is the way you want to create your map, if that is what makes you happy, then disregard this whole comment, even flag me if you are truly offended, and I wont post again.
I understand from where it is you're coming, but I'm not all that talented with external programs (looking up WP tutorials now for a different map I'm making), and making skyland too large would mean that the underside would be unrealistically flat. I want to be able to add some character to even the stone bottom of the floating island. Also - all biomes being there in a small area isn't realistic, and I know that - the realism thing doesn't mesh well with a giant chunk of dirt in the sky. However, if you notice, the biomes are all grouped by other similar biomes. Every biome in Skyland is either exclusively or capable of being counted as a warm/hot biome. Also, the biomes are all grouped by similarity - The jungle and savanna are right next to each other, just as there are many pockets of jungle-like groves in the Serengetti. The roofed forest is dark, and so is the jungle - they border each other. They're all three grassy, thus making for the dangerous dark/grassy corner of Skyland. The mesa is a hot biome - it borders the savanna, desert, and plains. Plains are transition biomes that often seperate hot/mild biomes, hot/cold biomes, and mild/cold biomes, and thus seperates the mesa from the mega taiga. The mega taiga is a wet, warm biome, and thus borders the flower forest and the swamp. (Quick note - all the inner biomes were built in 1.2.5, and, at the time, I had absolutely no plans to make this an adventure map. I just wanted a little castle in the sky, so that little castle was the first thing I ever built. I then wasted a home for the castle, so I built hills and added birch trees. It was my little home, and nobody could change it. Then, I decided that the little birch forest was too small, so I expanded it. I then had the idea of adding different biomes, so I could have my own little diverse world in the sky, so I added them. I had all sorts of fantastical ideas of a beautiful land floating in the sky with a dark, dangerous forest with trees tall enough to touch the clouds resting beneath, the trees being forced to grow so large to accomodate for the lack of sunlight. It was at this point that I moved to Europe, and lost access to my home computer for a full year. Only in August did I get it back, but, by then, my vision had changed. No longer was it my place - it was my land, and I had all sorts of ideas for turning it into an adventure map that I could then let others enjoy, though, as I stated before, it was now my land, and I put so many little secrets in it that only I would know. This way, I could always know that nobody would know the land as well as I did, but they could hopefully enjoy it just as much. On second thought - that was the longest "quick note" I've ever seen; sorry.) The flowered forest borders the taiga since both are hilly biomes, and since the taiga is both warm and hilly, it borders the mushroom island. The mushroom island is mountainous, so it borders the extreme hills. The extreme hills is seperated from the roofed forest by a river. What I'm trying to say is that while the biomes are unrealistically small, they are (in my opinion) realistically placed. Thanks for the feedback, though!
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/
http://www.minecraft...d-mob-spawning/