Anyone have any ideas on how to make trenches that look nice and function well?
ohh... WWI style Trenches...
Just make them roughly 2 blocks deep by 1-3 blocks wide, and make it wind about somewhat erratically... if you want them somewhat functional, you may want to line the floor with something like wooden half slabs so players can see out of the trench and still have pretty good cover most of the time.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
12/7/2014
Posts:
273
Member Details
I was tempted to make it stick out of the ground on one side so that creapers can not jump into it. Possibly using a wall made of a wood plank and half slab combo.
my concern is this would take away from the fact that it's a trench.
You have to remember that anything that isn't strictly decorative was created to meet a specific set of needs and conditions, and if those change, it will be different in some way. Medieval castles weren't built that way because they looked good -- they were built that way because it was the best way to fulfill the specific needs of their builders (defense, power projection, etc.). The same thing is true of WWI trenches: they were built to provide protection from gunfire at approximately ground level and fragments from bursting artillery shells. When conditions changed (for example, soldiers in a trench would be sitting ducks for a strafing P51) the nature of defensive works changed, too, and trenches were rarely built because they were usually no longer useful.
Trenches were not designed with creepers in mind, so the trench as historically constructed isn't going to have much in the way of creeper defense; in fact, it's more like a collecting and channeling system for creepers, which is exactly what you don't want (unless you're farming creepers). If you want your trenches to look like those that were created for one purpose (defense against gunfire) while serving another purpose (defense against creepers) you're going to need to be creative, and probably accept some compromises.
I'd suggest two things: First, on the outward (enemy-facing) side of your trench, dig a 1-block-deep trench along the walls, and then put a half slab on the parapet of the trench, so that you have a 1.5-block-high wall, which the creepers can't cross. A few strategically placed ladders will ensure that you can. Second, make the trench 2 blocks deep, and put a fire step one block high on the outward edge, then floor both the trench and fire step with wood slabs (wood for historical authenticity). With that, you can jump up on the fire step and shoot arrows over the parapet at the enemy (presumably mobs, in this case) or be protected in the floor of the trench.
Trenches should zigzag a bit to cut lines of sight (you don't want the enemy skeletons jumping into one part and being able to shoot you at long range), and multiple concentric trenches should be connected by simple 2-block-deep communication trenches so you can get from one to the other. Small shelters (aka dugouts) should be a block lower than the trench they connect to, with some wooden steps and possibly a door.
And if you want some barbed wire in no man's land, what would be better than a row of cacti?
Well positioned ocelots/cats can help keep creepers at bay... and although I agree with Akynth that a row of cactus would have the prickly barrier of barbed wire, for visual aesthetics, I would consider using cobwebs instead...they don't prickle like the cacti, but they are somewhat transparent and they look more like barbed wire from a distance.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
ohh... WWI style Trenches...
Just make them roughly 2 blocks deep by 1-3 blocks wide, and make it wind about somewhat erratically... if you want them somewhat functional, you may want to line the floor with something like wooden half slabs so players can see out of the trench and still have pretty good cover most of the time.
This might give you some ideas too:
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1311&bih=926&q=ww1 trenches&oq=ww1 trenches&gs_l=img.3..0l10.2032.6430.0.6623.12.7.0.5.5.0.61.382.7.7.0.msedr...0...1ac.1.59.img..0.12.391.zJnj4XoeAuA#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=ww1 trenches minecraft&imgdii=_
my concern is this would take away from the fact that it's a trench.
-
View User Profile
-
View Posts
-
Send Message
Retired StaffTrenches were not designed with creepers in mind, so the trench as historically constructed isn't going to have much in the way of creeper defense; in fact, it's more like a collecting and channeling system for creepers, which is exactly what you don't want (unless you're farming creepers). If you want your trenches to look like those that were created for one purpose (defense against gunfire) while serving another purpose (defense against creepers) you're going to need to be creative, and probably accept some compromises.
I'd suggest two things: First, on the outward (enemy-facing) side of your trench, dig a 1-block-deep trench along the walls, and then put a half slab on the parapet of the trench, so that you have a 1.5-block-high wall, which the creepers can't cross. A few strategically placed ladders will ensure that you can. Second, make the trench 2 blocks deep, and put a fire step one block high on the outward edge, then floor both the trench and fire step with wood slabs (wood for historical authenticity). With that, you can jump up on the fire step and shoot arrows over the parapet at the enemy (presumably mobs, in this case) or be protected in the floor of the trench.
Trenches should zigzag a bit to cut lines of sight (you don't want the enemy skeletons jumping into one part and being able to shoot you at long range), and multiple concentric trenches should be connected by simple 2-block-deep communication trenches so you can get from one to the other. Small shelters (aka dugouts) should be a block lower than the trench they connect to, with some wooden steps and possibly a door.
And if you want some barbed wire in no man's land, what would be better than a row of cacti?
The golden age: it's not the game, it's you ⋆ Why Minecraft should not be harder ⋆ Spelling hints