Minecraft Forums

Just curious since maps for PC are freakin HUGE and have absolutley massive caves, how do you decide where you want to start building your stuff/base/etc??

Perhaps I over think it, but I just wanted to know how others go about their business

Edit---

Most importantly (for me anyway) if you are setting up a strip mine or any mining operation what do you do when your mines intersect a massive cave or something?

I like flat areas

So for you guys there isn't any criteria you look for before hunkering down?

I like flat areas too, I just wish we had the option of turning cave generation off, but still being able to have dungeons, strongholds villages and mineshafts.

Pick a desert, dig a shelter into the ground and start flattening the whole thing (still at this stage), and of course immediately organize food supplies such as animal and plant farms.

Depends on what I am building.

Main house?
Good view with some space for farms and the such.

Server base for PvP or Factions?
Flat forested area for space to build, trees for wood and to slow them down. Cover trees with vines to slow them down further.

Huge farm?
Tons of flat space and near water to give some slight sense of realism.

I look for a specific biome first, then try to find a spot that's got enough preexisting flat space to use and that is pretty to look at. Caves don't really factor into it, unless I'm lucky enough to find one with such a good shape and location that I can live in it as-is. It doesn't take all that long of concentrated effort to deplete even the richest cave, and then it's back to either looking for another one or starting the strip mine.

Quote from kanokarob

I somewhat flat area, surrounded on at least 3 sides by heavy mountainous terrain, with a flat but tall peak to build my tower. The valley is for my town sort of thing.

I didn't even realize until after reading the terrain generation posts, but when playing MCXB I loved the terrain with lots of hills and weird things, but I hated how small the map was so I bought the PC version and got so overwhelmed by map size and biomes that I totally overlooked the fact that there are no longer mountains everywhere.

I'm actually a little sad by this now that it's been brought to my attention. xbox must still use the old terrain generator.

Quote from Epicness1324

I like flat areas

This^

I swear I delete so many worlds when I end up in hill forst and other biomes with too much water. -.-


Give me flat grassy area and ill do well with my farms

I like building in places with a spectacular view. Sometimes extreme hills are wonderful for this, and I clear off a small space on top of a mountain. Other times it can be in a forest where the grass is a more lush green color, or sometimes even in the plains where the land is flat and perfect for making a small village in.

I almost never build in a desert or jungle. Desert there's no grass to plant trees with (have to bring your own dirt), and the jungle there's all those trees in the way, so it becomes a hassle to build anywhere.

depends on what I have in mind:

I have:

1-built a tree house of sorts on groups of jungle trees high up on a hill, it looked bad ass since i made it look like an actual tree house with many levels spiraling all over and not floating or sticking out in a horrible way.

2-biuld a house in a cliff side that has a view over a lake and a near by jungle with a river snaking out of it, in the distance there is a temple near the water bank.

3-built massive ass castles of epic proportions near villages and transformed villages into port towns with light houses and big trade buildings and such.

4-build a mage tower that reached sky limit that is so complex and beautiful no one will ever make anything like it.

all in all i usually pick a spot depending on what i have in mind, if its a castle i pick a nice hill that oversees a village or a forest, if i fell dwarfy I pick a nice cliff/mountain area and just build stuff into cliffs on multiple levels, if I'm feeling mage-y i just pick any where I think the view would look best .

for tree houses I pick jungle islands that are on high hills

i never pick flat areas cause they are lame and uninspiring

Quote from hulduet

Sometimes the swamp biome can be pretty... bland.

I agree. It's usually flat, lots of water, and the grass is an awful shade of green. But with other texture packs (I like dokucraft's version the most), it's actually not that bad. Sure the terrain is still bland, but the swamp looks much nicer. And I could imagine building there in the swamp.

i like building houses inside big mountains

I like to find a place that looks good, and design the base around the natural landscape, but I know some people that get an idea in mind first, then look for a spot that idea would work with. I don't care if there's caves nearby, since I just branch mine on layer 12 anyway, I just like to have a good view from the base.

Anything that is near at least more than 3 biomes. Specifically, near a desert biome and/or a forest biome. I need the resources to build my industrial empire.

I tend to build in swamps and deserts, depending on what I'm building. The one exception is if I'm really set on not just having a mob farm, but one to center my base around, I will build in the middle of the ocean.

I have a lot of strict requirements. (I'll break a rule or to, but I only keep these to preserve my own sanity.)

-Must be in a desert or a forest (other biomes usually have a flaw of some sort)
-If in a desert, an NPC village should be nearby nearby
-Must not be near hills (ugly) or water springs (ugly).
-Must not be near a river, either (ugly).
-Should not be within view of another biome (at least reasonably; a 50 block walk to a biome otherwise obscured is okay).
-An EH biome must be somewhat nearby, but not close enough to be in view (for emerald mines).
-Nearby land should not be swiss-cheesed with surface caves.


This is to try to get the least objectionable terrain possible. Some things can be fixed by hand, of course.

I build my base underground 90% of the time. So I can build pretty much everywhere there isn't a cave system.