So for the sake of utility I'm going to leave this suggestion fairly open so that it can be tweaked in the favor of functionality.
The idea:
Hell is too easy to mine through. The majority is made of the Bloodstone which is incredibly easy to chew through, despite it dissolving my pickaxes like water. So this suggestion is meant to introduce a new, harder block. Something to provide a larger barrier between the player and that place he wants to go.
Bones.
What's better for a hell-themed world than bones?
So it doesn't have to be a block made entirely of bones, but perhaps a dark grey/black stone with skulls/bones embedded in it. (We've already got a sand block with a face on it, so why not)
Options:
This "bone" block could be broken up with a pick at about the same rate as coal. Perhaps it could even simply be coal, but adapted for the hell biome. But for the sake of originality this block could perhaps instead yield a black dust for later alchemical use, or whatever Notch has in store for that "Alchemy" he's mentioned.
For added difficulty, perhaps the bone blocks would be better hacked apart with an axe, however? Just to throw a wrench in the player's careful preparation when they realize not bringing an axe "because there's no trees in Nether" was a bad idea.
TL;DR
A new block for the Nether that is made of bones fused together with a black substance. Takes as long as coal to break apart with a pick and yields either Coal or a new black powder. This block would function like stone does for the normal world- a neutral medium to provide a small level of difficulty when mining that the Bloodstone does not accomplish, making carving through Nether a bit more difficult.
While interesting, I think traveling through hell is already made difficult by the massive cliffs, impassable lava lakes, and constant ghast assaults on the surface.
But don't you find it a little bland that 90+ of the world is entirely a SINGLE block type? A block type that does nothing more than burn indefinitely?
It desperately needs some variety, and a little bit more impassibility provided by blocks rather than simply air or lava. The bloodstone should be the meat of the Nether, but it needs some bones as well.
Bloodstone Soil Bones Stone
This isn't necessarily about providing an added level of difficulty, but more variety to the materials you encounter in the Nether.
I agree, but i also think some bone blocks should appear in the surface world, and that they'd have something to do with the Fossil concept ( viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56774 ) I like where your going, but not too sure about the coal bit, we already have that. Lots of it.
How about "Twisted Roots" Black material that spreads down from under mushrooms, replacing hellstone, slowsand and lava, as if leafless trees grew upside down from underneath them. It takes almost as long as obsidian to break by hand, and can only be mined with a stone axe or stronger, it will drop flint or coal depending on whether it was "grown" from a brown or poison mushroom, but in rare cases will drop iron ore or perhaps even a single iron ingot.
This would provide another block type, and also provide a small chance of getting out of the Nether without dying if you managed to lose your flint and steel and the portal got taken down by an explosion.
Hrm, though if the focus is to give the player an out, then it should still be minable by hand, but it takes as long as obsidian to do it that way.
I do like this, a lot. hell the Nether is in dire need of more blocks, and a bone-themed block would be just the thing. I'd get a good laugh out of it if you could see bones that resembled creatures you found in hell, but that's just me being silly.
At first, the idea of having properties similar to coal is enticing, but there area already enough fire and light themed blocks. I was thinking along the lines of construction. Mining it with an axe is win, btw.
It would be resistant to ghastfire, much like cobblestone, and could even be a nether equivalent of such, yeilding broken bone when mined, and then being smelted to produce a tarred-together, smoother version.
As for GreyAcumen's suggestion, I'm not entirely in favour of finding real-world materials in the nether. Black Roots block seems like a frivilous block, leaning towards god-modely, though not extremely.
I Really Dislike this. It's completely unnecessary. "WOOHOO, Lets make the nether harder!!!"
Dang, Notch would be wasting time on this? We need better things, like books having writing.
Or shields. or boomerangs. Come on, ppl.
Quote from greycolors »
While interesting, I think traveling through hell is already made difficult by the massive cliffs, impassable lava lakes, and constant ghast assaults on the surface.
The Bloody Cobbelstone would be like Dirt in the normal world, while the Bone Blocks would function like Stone.
Just something you find under the surface after digging a bit. It would probably, quite simply, be a building material for use in the Nether that is strong enough to withstand Ghast attacks (Something no block in the Nether can currently do).
Also, sorry I haven't been very active in this thread, I missed a ton of replies apparently.
I was thinking they would grow in giant veins, like lightstone but bigger, and underground. I quite like the idea of hell being predominantly hellstone, as the main purpouse of hell is to travel. There shouldn't be a huge reason to explore it, but adding variety such as this wouldn't hurt.
So either having it function as stone, or in layers, would work. Would it be both at the top and bottom of the Nether, or just the bottom?
Hmph. Well to keep things simple I would have simply suggested these bone blocks be created in large layers throughout the Nether, but giving them a twisted, unpredictable form might be more interesting.
Making giant curling, sprawling reaches of this Bone block (both buried and not) would be an interesting addition to the landscape.
Just throwing out some more ideas (don't want to let this die :tongue.gif:)
So, hacking the block apart would yeild bones, which would also be dropped by zombies in the overworld instead of feathers.
These bones could either be crafted into tools that were more effective in the nether than the overworld (overworld use/strength similar to wood), or be cobbled together to make a building block.
There's a good potential for bones in Alchemy, and a variety of tools. (Technology wise, bone tools were probably right in line behind Stone)
Also, thanks for the bumps. I don't want the thread to die either, I just can't think of anything worthwhile beyond simply: "It's a new, tougher, nether block that provides some fitting variety to the existing dimension."
Which is good enough for me, but unfortunately not anything particularly amazing... Just kind of needed. :tongue.gif:
The idea:
Hell is too easy to mine through. The majority is made of the Bloodstone which is incredibly easy to chew through, despite it dissolving my pickaxes like water. So this suggestion is meant to introduce a new, harder block. Something to provide a larger barrier between the player and that place he wants to go.
Bones.
What's better for a hell-themed world than bones?
So it doesn't have to be a block made entirely of bones, but perhaps a dark grey/black stone with skulls/bones embedded in it. (We've already got a sand block with a face on it, so why not)
Options:
This "bone" block could be broken up with a pick at about the same rate as coal. Perhaps it could even simply be coal, but adapted for the hell biome. But for the sake of originality this block could perhaps instead yield a black dust for later alchemical use, or whatever Notch has in store for that "Alchemy" he's mentioned.
For added difficulty, perhaps the bone blocks would be better hacked apart with an axe, however? Just to throw a wrench in the player's careful preparation when they realize not bringing an axe "because there's no trees in Nether" was a bad idea.
TL;DR
A new block for the Nether that is made of bones fused together with a black substance. Takes as long as coal to break apart with a pick and yields either Coal or a new black powder. This block would function like stone does for the normal world- a neutral medium to provide a small level of difficulty when mining that the Bloodstone does not accomplish, making carving through Nether a bit more difficult.
Monster Ideas: Poltergeist and Shadow
Dynamic Water
Scaffolding Blocks
Bone Block for the Nether
It desperately needs some variety, and a little bit more impassibility provided by blocks rather than simply air or lava. The bloodstone should be the meat of the Nether, but it needs some bones as well.
Bloodstone Soil Bones Stone
This isn't necessarily about providing an added level of difficulty, but more variety to the materials you encounter in the Nether.
Monster Ideas: Poltergeist and Shadow
Dynamic Water
Scaffolding Blocks
Bone Block for the Nether
This would provide another block type, and also provide a small chance of getting out of the Nether without dying if you managed to lose your flint and steel and the portal got taken down by an explosion.
Hrm, though if the focus is to give the player an out, then it should still be minable by hand, but it takes as long as obsidian to do it that way.
PLEASE ALSO SUPPORT:
Sabata & Grey Acumen's "New Nether"
Grey Acumen's Minecraft 2.0 Suggestion Series
hellthe Nether is in dire need of more blocks, and a bone-themed block would be just the thing. I'd get a good laugh out of it if you could see bones that resembled creatures you found in hell, but that's just me being silly.At first, the idea of having properties similar to coal is enticing, but there area already enough fire and light themed blocks. I was thinking along the lines of construction. Mining it with an axe is win, btw.
It would be resistant to ghastfire, much like cobblestone, and could even be a nether equivalent of such, yeilding broken bone when mined, and then being smelted to produce a tarred-together, smoother version.
As for GreyAcumen's suggestion, I'm not entirely in favour of finding real-world materials in the nether. Black Roots block seems like a frivilous block, leaning towards god-modely, though not extremely.
I was surrounded by red stone. I would have LOVED some variation.
thumbs up!
Thanks, voicelessbard for the great avatar and sig! (search him in the MC forums)
Dang, Notch would be wasting time on this? We need better things, like books having writing.
Or shields. or boomerangs. Come on, ppl.
Portal Corruption suggestion
Just something you find under the surface after digging a bit. It would probably, quite simply, be a building material for use in the Nether that is strong enough to withstand Ghast attacks (Something no block in the Nether can currently do).
Also, sorry I haven't been very active in this thread, I missed a ton of replies apparently.
Monster Ideas: Poltergeist and Shadow
Dynamic Water
Scaffolding Blocks
Bone Block for the Nether
So either having it function as stone, or in layers, would work. Would it be both at the top and bottom of the Nether, or just the bottom?
Making giant curling, sprawling reaches of this Bone block (both buried and not) would be an interesting addition to the landscape.
Monster Ideas: Poltergeist and Shadow
Dynamic Water
Scaffolding Blocks
Bone Block for the Nether
Portal Corruption suggestion
"I am a floating tree with limbs living in Antarctica. Screw logic."-floatingmagictree
So, hacking the block apart would yeild bones, which would also be dropped by zombies in the overworld instead of feathers.
These bones could either be crafted into tools that were more effective in the nether than the overworld (overworld use/strength similar to wood), or be cobbled together to make a building block.
Also, thanks for the bumps. I don't want the thread to die either, I just can't think of anything worthwhile beyond simply: "It's a new, tougher, nether block that provides some fitting variety to the existing dimension."
Which is good enough for me, but unfortunately not anything particularly amazing... Just kind of needed. :tongue.gif:
Monster Ideas: Poltergeist and Shadow
Dynamic Water
Scaffolding Blocks
Bone Block for the Nether
I think I'd prefer the inverse: Making bone blocks from bits of skeletons, which could drop bones.