Couple of things you need to know for your redstoneless mob farm, to be efficient. Mobs spawn in a distance from 24 to 128 blocks sphere area around the player, and after 128 they immediately despawn, after 32 blocks mobs become idle, so your spawning platforms have to be in the range of 24-32 blocks from you and it's better if you build your farm high above the ocean, so you could use those 10-20 extra blocks of water (preventing hostile mob spawn) above the unlit caves down below. Mobs spawn in bulk on large flat areas, but in the same time you want your water canals close by, so it can flush the mobs away.
My WSP is quite a ways away from where I built my first base. I have only built one base.
My WSP is X -74 Y 65 Z -149
My Base is X -67 Y 63 Z -249
I checked the E: line, while standing directly under my spawner and pointing straight up. The reading was E: 0/272
It was daylight when I took the reading.
Ok, the WSP is far enough away to not be the problem.
The next step is to find out what those 272 entities are, how many of them are hostile.
If they are cows, sheep, item frames, minecarts etc then that's not a problem.
If there are a lot of hostile mobs then you'd have to do something about it.
And if anybody else is on the server mobs near them can be a problem.
I do have a cow, chicken and sheep farm at my base, with about 50 total animals. Also 9 item frames for my map wall. Would it help if I did a 128x128 map, centered on my spawner, and check all areas around it.
I discovered that I missed a few blocks in the chute coming down from the spawn platforms. I filled them in and the drop rate increased. When I stand directly under the spawned, I get 2-3 drops every 5 minutes which is much better than before.
I now have 12 bones, 14 gunpowder, 6 string, 8 flesh in the chest below the hoppers. I also saw 3 witches fall down which was nice to kill without getting poisoned... lol
I guess I was initially disappointed that I was not getting the drop rates I saw in the YouTube video. However, thanks to your explanations, I understand that their videos were on a flat world so they wouldn't have any other entities around them to limit their spawn rates. Am I correct in that thinking?
I do have a cow, chicken and sheep farm at my base, with about 50 total animals. Also 9 item frames for my map wall. Would it help if I did a 128x128 map, centered on my spawner, and check all areas around it.
I discovered that I missed a few blocks in the chute coming down from the spawn platforms. I filled them in and the drop rate increased. When I stand directly under the spawned, I get 2-3 drops every 5 minutes which is much better than before.
I now have 12 bones, 14 gunpowder, 6 string, 8 flesh in the chest below the hoppers. I also saw 3 witches fall down which was nice to kill without getting poisoned... lol
I guess I was initially disappointed that I was not getting the drop rates I saw in the YouTube video. However, thanks to your explanations, I understand that their videos were on a flat world so they wouldn't have any other entities around them to limit their spawn rates. Am I correct in that thinking?
Yeah you must have some dark caves in the area. I recommend going down to around y=35 below the trap then mining out a tunnel about 100 blocks long in all 4 directions and listen for mob sounds. If you hear some, mine toward where it sounds like they are coming from until you locate where they are. Sounds generally only travel about 14 blocks so if you hear them they are relatively close. If you find even one pocket and light it up you'll likely notice an increase in the productivity of your trap.
How to you tell which direction the mob sounds are coming from ? The don't seem to change volume as I turn around ?
Try earfones.
It is hard, I usually don't bother, I keep digging the tunnel until the noises get lower again, try to find the place where they are the loudest (or halfway inbetween where the noises stop) and dig a grid of 8X8 squares around the loudest point, no point in getting more than 16 blocks from the loudest point because the noise only travels 16 blocks or so. If I haven't found the cave I go up or down 8 blocks and dig a new grid.
You just start digging and listening carefully. Isolate for each axis in turn, if it sounds like it's getting softer then reverse course and check the other way. When it's as loud as it can possibly be to your ears, start going up or down or along the second horizontal axis.
This method will be a little bit tricky if it's a big cave, as the mob you are hearing may wander away and cause you to continue digging through stone trying to follow the sound as opposed to breaking into the cave.
I built a circular staircase down to y=36 to start the exploration. I have a good gaming headset. I will try your suggestions. Thanks everyone
UPDATE: Found a couple of large caves. I lost my enchanted armor and gear, when I accidentally opened a block to lava and had forgotten to bring my water bucket .... lol
I am starting to get better mob drops on the spawner since I cleared out some of the local caves and mines. Thanks for that everyone.
Another question:
My mobs drop 28 blocks and immediately die at the bottom and their bones/gunpowder/flesh/arrows are going into my chest at the bottom, but I don't get any XP.
If I put another opening in the shaft, up higher, where the mobs wouldn't die but just be at half strength, and built a set of stairs up there with a 1 block opening, could I harvest and XP by hacking away at their ankles ?
If I put another opening in the shaft, up higher, where the mobs wouldn't die but just be at half strength, and built a set of stairs up there with a 1 block opening, could I harvest and XP by hacking away at their ankles ?
Yes.
I think 23 blocks is about right though mobs with armor will have more health left than those without and witches will heal themselves.
And you have to be wary of creepers, if you stand lower enough they shouldn't notice you but they can explode anyway if they get shot by a skeleton, the best protection is to build the bottom of the drop out of obsidian.
Also a 1 block opening will allow baby zombies to get out, make the opening 1/2 block if you can.
Depending on your setup either have the mobs fall on a slab and hit them through the upper half of the block space or if you have them fall on a full block place a half slab in the upper part of the one block opening and hit them through the lower half of the block space.
If you have a large drop area, say 3x3 its best to make sure you're standing a little higher in relation to the hole and to avoid getting too close maybe surround the drop area with stone fence to keep you from getting right up to the opening and creating a line of sight for the mobs on the far side of the shaft.
If the water is freezing, either move the drops farm to a warmer biome (Flower Forest, Desert, Mesa) or put torches near the water sources.
To make sure that the chunks are loaded just stay in the area and make shure that you can see the spawning platform.
When i first made this spider kept on climbing doen to attack me, but there are many ways to stop this. Pistons, gaps, and cactus can all work if you use them properly.
If the water is freezing, either move the drops farm to a warmer biome (Flower Forest, Desert, Mesa) or put torches near the water sources.
To make sure that the chunks are loaded just stay in the area and make shure that you can see the spawning platform.
When i first made this spider kept on climbing doen to attack me, but there are many ways to stop this. Pistons, gaps, and cactus can all work if you use them properly.
It's better if you just cap it off with half slabs for a roof, if you put torches near the spawning platforms you will limit the mob spawns. Overworld hostile mobs need light level of 7 or less to spawn.
If the water is freezing, either move the drops farm to a warmer biome (Flower Forest, Desert, Mesa) or put torches near the water sources.
To make sure that the chunks are loaded just stay in the area and make shure that you can see the spawning platform.
When i first made this spider kept on climbing doen to attack me, but there are many ways to stop this. Pistons, gaps, and cactus can all work if you use them properly.
I am not sure why you are commenting on ice. I am not in a biome that can freeze, so that is not an issue. I am still new to this game so I have no idea what you mean about "chunks are loaded" .
It's better if you just cap it off with half slabs for a roof, if you put torches near the spawning platforms you will limit the mob spawns. Overworld hostile mobs need light level of 7 or less to spawn.
Thanks. I have removed all torches around the spawning platform.
One question though. If a torch is on the outside of the stone shaft that the mobs drop down, will that light have any effect at all ?
Thanks. I have removed all torches around the spawning platform.
One question though. If a torch is on the outside of the stone shaft that the mobs drop down, will that light have any effect at all ?
Light can't go through solid blocks, so no. You can see the current light level on "Light" if you press F3 in-game. And what pizza_boi_2006 meant is: if your mob farm is high up in the sky, in extreme hills biomes for example above y=95 rain turns into snow and water freezes.
Light can't go through solid blocks, so no. You can see the current light level on "Light" if you press F3 in-game. And what pizza_boi_2006 meant is: if your mob farm is high up in the sky, in extreme hills biomes for example above y=95 rain turns into snow and water freezes.
Thanks. I had removed the torches and I saw no difference anyway. I am getting a few spawns, but I still have way to many caves, in my area, that I need to light up and clear out so my spawn farm can produce better.
Ok, I understand now what he was talking about. My spawn area is at y=92
Couple of things you need to know for your redstoneless mob farm, to be efficient. Mobs spawn in a distance from 24 to 128 blocks sphere area around the player, and after 128 they immediately despawn, after 32 blocks mobs become idle, so your spawning platforms have to be in the range of 24-32 blocks from you and it's better if you build your farm high above the ocean, so you could use those 10-20 extra blocks of water (preventing hostile mob spawn) above the unlit caves down below. Mobs spawn in bulk on large flat areas, but in the same time you want your water canals close by, so it can flush the mobs away.
Ok, the WSP is far enough away to not be the problem.
The next step is to find out what those 272 entities are, how many of them are hostile.
If they are cows, sheep, item frames, minecarts etc then that's not a problem.
If there are a lot of hostile mobs then you'd have to do something about it.
And if anybody else is on the server mobs near them can be a problem.
Just testing.
I do have a cow, chicken and sheep farm at my base, with about 50 total animals. Also 9 item frames for my map wall. Would it help if I did a 128x128 map, centered on my spawner, and check all areas around it.
I discovered that I missed a few blocks in the chute coming down from the spawn platforms. I filled them in and the drop rate increased. When I stand directly under the spawned, I get 2-3 drops every 5 minutes which is much better than before.
I now have 12 bones, 14 gunpowder, 6 string, 8 flesh in the chest below the hoppers. I also saw 3 witches fall down which was nice to kill without getting poisoned... lol
I guess I was initially disappointed that I was not getting the drop rates I saw in the YouTube video. However, thanks to your explanations, I understand that their videos were on a flat world so they wouldn't have any other entities around them to limit their spawn rates. Am I correct in that thinking?
Yeah you must have some dark caves in the area. I recommend going down to around y=35 below the trap then mining out a tunnel about 100 blocks long in all 4 directions and listen for mob sounds. If you hear some, mine toward where it sounds like they are coming from until you locate where they are. Sounds generally only travel about 14 blocks so if you hear them they are relatively close. If you find even one pocket and light it up you'll likely notice an increase in the productivity of your trap.
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..
rodabon - thanks. you, and the others, have been very helpful. I will try that tonight
I have definitely learned a lot this last week on mobs and spawning.
How to you tell which direction the mob sounds are coming from ? The don't seem to change volume as I turn around ?
Try earfones.
It is hard, I usually don't bother, I keep digging the tunnel until the noises get lower again, try to find the place where they are the loudest (or halfway inbetween where the noises stop) and dig a grid of 8X8 squares around the loudest point, no point in getting more than 16 blocks from the loudest point because the noise only travels 16 blocks or so. If I haven't found the cave I go up or down 8 blocks and dig a new grid.
Just testing.
You just start digging and listening carefully. Isolate for each axis in turn, if it sounds like it's getting softer then reverse course and check the other way. When it's as loud as it can possibly be to your ears, start going up or down or along the second horizontal axis.
This method will be a little bit tricky if it's a big cave, as the mob you are hearing may wander away and cause you to continue digging through stone trying to follow the sound as opposed to breaking into the cave.
Yes I play with headphones so it is a bit easier to tell directions, but still can be tricky.
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..
I built a circular staircase down to y=36 to start the exploration. I have a good gaming headset. I will try your suggestions. Thanks everyone
UPDATE: Found a couple of large caves. I lost my enchanted armor and gear, when I accidentally opened a block to lava and had forgotten to bring my water bucket .... lol
Another lesson in humility from Minecraft...
I am starting to get better mob drops on the spawner since I cleared out some of the local caves and mines. Thanks for that everyone.
Another question:
My mobs drop 28 blocks and immediately die at the bottom and their bones/gunpowder/flesh/arrows are going into my chest at the bottom, but I don't get any XP.
If I put another opening in the shaft, up higher, where the mobs wouldn't die but just be at half strength, and built a set of stairs up there with a 1 block opening, could I harvest and XP by hacking away at their ankles ?
Yes.
I think 23 blocks is about right though mobs with armor will have more health left than those without and witches will heal themselves.
And you have to be wary of creepers, if you stand lower enough they shouldn't notice you but they can explode anyway if they get shot by a skeleton, the best protection is to build the bottom of the drop out of obsidian.
Also a 1 block opening will allow baby zombies to get out, make the opening 1/2 block if you can.
Just testing.
Depending on your setup either have the mobs fall on a slab and hit them through the upper half of the block space or if you have them fall on a full block place a half slab in the upper part of the one block opening and hit them through the lower half of the block space.
If you have a large drop area, say 3x3 its best to make sure you're standing a little higher in relation to the hole and to avoid getting too close maybe surround the drop area with stone fence to keep you from getting right up to the opening and creating a line of sight for the mobs on the far side of the shaft.
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..
Thanks Hexalobular and rodabon
I moved up to a 23 block drop and put 4 slabs in there with a one block opening. I am getting XP now, as well as gear.
I am able to "one hit" them at that level.
thing to make sure of:
The water isnt freezing into ice
the chunks are loaded.
the mobs are dying
If the water is freezing, either move the drops farm to a warmer biome (Flower Forest, Desert, Mesa) or put torches near the water sources.
To make sure that the chunks are loaded just stay in the area and make shure that you can see the spawning platform.
When i first made this spider kept on climbing doen to attack me, but there are many ways to stop this. Pistons, gaps, and cactus can all work if you use them properly.
It's better if you just cap it off with half slabs for a roof, if you put torches near the spawning platforms you will limit the mob spawns. Overworld hostile mobs need light level of 7 or less to spawn.
I am not sure why you are commenting on ice. I am not in a biome that can freeze, so that is not an issue. I am still new to this game so I have no idea what you mean about "chunks are loaded" .
Thanks. I have removed all torches around the spawning platform.
One question though. If a torch is on the outside of the stone shaft that the mobs drop down, will that light have any effect at all ?
Light can't go through solid blocks, so no. You can see the current light level on "Light" if you press F3 in-game. And what pizza_boi_2006 meant is: if your mob farm is high up in the sky, in extreme hills biomes for example above y=95 rain turns into snow and water freezes.
Thanks. I had removed the torches and I saw no difference anyway. I am getting a few spawns, but I still have way to many caves, in my area, that I need to light up and clear out so my spawn farm can produce better.
Ok, I understand now what he was talking about. My spawn area is at y=92