Alright, after reading the super creepy, somewhat incredulous invisible mob thread I came upon an interesting idea. Specifically, what if there were a realm of shadows in the game which looked precisely like the normal game world (No need for actual alternate world files) but with a dark, spooky greyscale tone and subtle mysterious differences.
The game mechanic aspect of this alternate reality would be that any changes made in this shadow realm - That's blocks destroyed / created - Would not reflect in the normal world.
The method for switching between shadow and non-shadow realities could either be a portal or by constructing an item - Perhaps one that comes in stacks and is consumed on use, or takes damage like a tool.
Think of it, you could hide the entrance to your base by building a long tunnel into a mountain from within the shadow realm and then the actual base itself safely ensconced in said mountain in the normal realm. So all you'd need to do is pop into the shadow realm at your 'front door', walk down a tunnel, and pop back out in your base.
Heck, someone adventurous might even build their entire base in the shadow realm.
What's more, shadow realm-altered blocks could be redstone activated! Just as an example you could carve a doorway out of a stone wall in the shadow realm, pop back to the normal realm, lay a pressure plate in front of it, step on it and bam! - Secret door.
Not only this, but the shadow realm could exhibit peculiar differences from the normal realm. Maybe unique mobs or ores. Sky's the limit!
So how does this sound? Has this been suggested before and I've just missed it? Any further suggestions?
I approve of this.. put it on get satisfaction. ALSO
An idea for this
Shade helmet!!!
Its the helm(Or any other clothing) you use to get into the world(Can decay from hits only, but being in the shadow world that can be a problem.)
Itt will ALWAYS decay last for prolonged useage.
When destroyed you pop out... can be dangerous in a tunnel
In the shade world sand does not fall.. nor does gravel
Armor will be weak and possibly be made from the shadeglass proposed in the nether update thread viewtopic.php?f=1&t=146410
Hey, responses! Glad most of you seem to like the idea. I'd actually been thinking more about it, this time from a technical point of view. And I've come to the conclusion that if the realm of shadows were to simply be a hidden extension of the normal world, that it'd actually require just a single bit of extra data per block to tell if said block had been altered between realms. That means very little overhead overall. Still, with Minecraft's current limitations I'm not 100% it's technically possible.
Also, I'm definitely thinking different mobs in the shadow realm. Really really creepy mobs. Things that attack swiftly in groups and then retreat repeatedly, so they're difficult to find and dispatch unless your timing is right. And yes, it should always be dark. Darker than the normal world at night. And no sources of light in the normal world should cast any of said light in the realm of shadows. Maybe if / when carry-able light sources become available there may be an upgraded version specifically able to work in the shadow realm in order to circumvent this limitation. Or just special torches - Glowstone blocks / glowstone torches?
The only unbalancing characteristic of the shadow realm that I can think of would be your ability to collect double the ore per vain - IE: Find some diamonds, pop into the shadow realm, mine said diamonds, pop out, and then re-mine said diamonds. You could make it annoying to do so by adding a cooldown timer to whatever item phases you between realms, or it could be a stationary portal you'd have to construct. Or maybe just every block you mine in the shadow realm gives you no equivalent item version. Hmmm... Or maybe it gives you an alternative 'shadow-variant' of the block.
Finally, nope! Never once watched Yugioh actually. Shadow realms are pretty much a bread and butter affair for lots of fantasy settings though. I probably pulled it from D&D or something, personally.
The game mechanic aspect of this alternate reality would be that any changes made in this shadow realm - That's blocks destroyed / created - Would not reflect in the normal world.
The method for switching between shadow and non-shadow realities could either be a portal or by constructing an item - Perhaps one that comes in stacks and is consumed on use, or takes damage like a tool.
Think of it, you could hide the entrance to your base by building a long tunnel into a mountain from within the shadow realm and then the actual base itself safely ensconced in said mountain in the normal realm. So all you'd need to do is pop into the shadow realm at your 'front door', walk down a tunnel, and pop back out in your base.
Heck, someone adventurous might even build their entire base in the shadow realm.
What's more, shadow realm-altered blocks could be redstone activated! Just as an example you could carve a doorway out of a stone wall in the shadow realm, pop back to the normal realm, lay a pressure plate in front of it, step on it and bam! - Secret door.
Not only this, but the shadow realm could exhibit peculiar differences from the normal realm. Maybe unique mobs or ores. Sky's the limit!
So how does this sound? Has this been suggested before and I've just missed it? Any further suggestions?
Although it reminds me of YuGiOh...
An idea for this
Shade helmet!!!
Its the helm(Or any other clothing) you use to get into the world(Can decay from hits only, but being in the shadow world that can be a problem.)
Itt will ALWAYS decay last for prolonged useage.
When destroyed you pop out... can be dangerous in a tunnel
In the shade world sand does not fall.. nor does gravel
Armor will be weak and possibly be made from the shadeglass proposed in the nether update thread
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=146410
Also, I'm definitely thinking different mobs in the shadow realm. Really really creepy mobs. Things that attack swiftly in groups and then retreat repeatedly, so they're difficult to find and dispatch unless your timing is right. And yes, it should always be dark. Darker than the normal world at night. And no sources of light in the normal world should cast any of said light in the realm of shadows. Maybe if / when carry-able light sources become available there may be an upgraded version specifically able to work in the shadow realm in order to circumvent this limitation. Or just special torches - Glowstone blocks / glowstone torches?
The only unbalancing characteristic of the shadow realm that I can think of would be your ability to collect double the ore per vain - IE: Find some diamonds, pop into the shadow realm, mine said diamonds, pop out, and then re-mine said diamonds. You could make it annoying to do so by adding a cooldown timer to whatever item phases you between realms, or it could be a stationary portal you'd have to construct. Or maybe just every block you mine in the shadow realm gives you no equivalent item version. Hmmm... Or maybe it gives you an alternative 'shadow-variant' of the block.
Finally, nope! Never once watched Yugioh actually. Shadow realms are pretty much a bread and butter affair for lots of fantasy settings though. I probably pulled it from D&D or something, personally.