So I know lots of people say they have tried this and from the sounds of it no one has ever gotten far before giving up or losing interest. I have been playing my map close to 6 months now and I haven't started doing large sections. Sticking to layers of sections. Going in and every third block, so there is only a 1 block ceiling, creating a 2 block high area and expand out. Using ladders to go up. Have already accomplished quite a bit. Keep in mind none of this has been in creative mode because I am currently trying to do a minecart track that goes from end of the "island" to the other. (Among other boredom driven projects) I just started on the forum and so far there are several things that aren't working for me. I.E: Following topics and changing my display pic. Once I figure it out or when it will let me I am going to attempt to post photos that I posted to facebook. Thoughts? Opinions? Ideas? Luck Wishing? Haha
Also I have no interest in the time it takes and since I have work and school to worry about so that is why I have been working on it as long as I have.
I've done some math for an old project of mine: Coating the entire sky with a single layer of Lapis Blocks.
Under the effect of Speed II, it takes about 3 minutes to make one like from the E/W world edge.
Approximating there are 850 lines to be made, that takes me 42.5 hours to cover just the sky.
Assuming the world evens out perfectly at 64 (the caves make up for what the mountains give), that'd be about 45.5 million blocks.
With an efficiency of 2 blocks a second and a pick with unlimited durability, (if I did the math correctly), you'd be digging for 6,321.875 hours, or 263 days.
Doesn't bother me any. Lol If I was really dedicated to doing it quickly I would be a lot further along, but as it stands I've been clearing blocks as I've doing other random boredom induced activities. Actually I think I have probably cleared more blocks below sea level (~Y: 64) than I have above. Haha My forum etiquette, usage, or understanding is lacking. So please be patient and understanding. I actually know next to nothing about forums because I've never felt the need to give them a try until this one. Haha
Operation Bedrock is apparently still active. I haven't kept up with it, but I just checked and his most recent video was uploaded to YouTube on January 25, 2014. The first video of the series where he started to mine his map went up on June 15, 2012.
I have a similar goal, but it's a bit more realistic. I'm trying to find every diamond in the world and make them into blocks. I'm getting pretty close to mining out every third block on layers 12 and 13. I expected it to take much longer, but it's going pretty quickly. My diamond block pyramid is looking nice though.
If building a track from one side of the world to another seems daunting, you wont get far. I have a couple dozen of those just to save time while mining.
Under the effect of Speed II, it takes about 3 minutes to make one like from the E/W world edge.
Approximating there are 850 lines to be made, that takes me 42.5 hours to cover just the sky.
Assuming the world evens out perfectly at 64 (the caves make up for what the mountains give), that'd be about 45.5 million blocks.
With an efficiency of 2 blocks a second and a pick with unlimited durability, (if I did the math correctly), you'd be digging for 6,321.875 hours, or 263 days.
God help you.
Stay fluffy~
I think the goal is destruction rather than construction... OP: May I suggest copious amounts of TNT?
If building a track from one side of the world to another seems daunting, you wont get far. I have a couple dozen of those just to save time while mining.