Pretty much every new biome that has been introduced has been given some sort of unique mechanics that make it both an interesting place to visit, and a place that's worthwhile to visit. Just consider the new nether biomes: Not only are all of them interesting aestheticly, but they all have unique resources, mobs, and mechanics that make them worth exploring.
The same can be said of the new cave biomes- but this cannot be said of older, existing Overworld biomes. (Or the End, which is, frankly, another matter entirely.) While terrain generation is getting a fantastic, much needed overhaul, biome generation seems to be much in need of improvement.(And Mojang has made it clear this is quite likely, given the recent biome votes.) Seeing as most people will spend more time in the Overworld than, say, the Nether, it feels like the Overworld biomes should be just as detailed and unique as their netherworld counterparts.
In this thread, I wanted to analyze which biomes could actually use improvements, and what some possible overhauls could look like. What do you think could be cool (and useful) additions to existing biomes? Thoughts on any of this?
Also, I haven't included underground, Nether, or Ocean biomes, firstly because they've been added recently enough that I don't think any overhauls are likely in the near future, and secondly, because I personally don't think any overhauls are necessary. Seriously, it continues to amaze me how well these last few updates have done.)
Plains are big, empty swathes of grass- on some level, they don't need to be 'improved' because that emptiness is sort of the point. Forests, on the other hand, sort of imply a certain sense of... things, I suppose? That is, more than just trees and grass. The forest vibe is done really well with the new and improved taigas- between the diverse range of trees, berry bushes, local foxes, cobblestone boulders, and a mixture of grass, podzol, and coarse dirt on the forest floor, the entire biome feels atmospheric, and worth exploring. Dark Oak Forests? Not nearly as much. Oak and Birch Forests? Definitely pretty boring, especially considering how often you're going to be wandering through one. Some Ideas for forests include:
- More diverse undergrowth. As it is right now, forests just have grass and occasional patches of flowers. adding in some small patches of coarse dirt, or podzol for denser forests like the Dark Oak forest would go a long ways towards differentiating forests from other biomes, and adding just a bit more atmosphere. (Consider warped forests- which have a unique tree type, a unique grass-type block, and a sprout, vine, and root plant all unique to the biome; along with a special background color, ambiance, and enderman gimmick. Now compare that to, say, a birch forest.)
-Parity with bedrock- bedrock forests can have fallen logs, tree stumps, and spiderwebs/vines in forests with bigger trees. I'm not sure why this isn't a thing in Java, but it would certainly be a decent, if minor improvement.
-One cool idea I've seen in some biome mods is a unique 'clearing' sub biome that generates small, open, flowery areas in forests. It's not a big change, but again, a nice atmospheric tweak to add a bit more life to the woods.
-Something to differentiate Oak and Birch forests from other forest types. (Taking a leaf out of the Taiga's book... no pun intended.) Dark Oak forests have mushroom trees, Taigas have all sorts of stuff, Flower forests have flowers... but Oak and Birch forests don't really have anything to their name other than a unique wood type, and could use some sort of other biome specific thing to make them just a bit more interesting.
-Alternatively, birch or oak wood could be given some specific use. As it is, a lot of utility blocks appear to be made of a specific type of wood, (Spruce wood for barrels, birch wood for fletching tables, dark oak for the cartography table, oak for regular crafting tables, etc; but in actuality they can be crafted using any wood type. It could be made so that specific wood types are required, or so that there are multiple variations of these blocks based on the wood types used. Both methods would be a bit irritating, but I think well worth it in the long run.)
Let's be brutally honest: As they are, swamps are more of an inconvenience than anything. They have enough water to make them tricky to travel across by land, they have enough land to make traveling by boat a bad idea, and the color pallete isn't exactly the most agreeable ever. That being said, there's a lot of potential- and Mojang's announced changes for the swamp, as well as better generation, (with swamps generating mostly at low altitudes around rivers in 1.18), bodes well for improvements.
-Swamps could be given a unique wood type in addition to the teased 'Mangrove trees.' I've usually seen this done as a wood type with a greenish cast, and all the things you'd expect of a new wood type. (Admittedly, I feel like at some point you have to draw the line of too many wood types. More variation is nice... but I feel like it will get a bit redundant eventually.)
-Frogs could be a cool addition. They should have some sort of unique mechanic though- possibly something to do with brewing, or a unique drop that makes them worth finding. (Any ideas regarding frogs?)
-Slimes ought to generate more frequently in swamps at night. Maybe this is just me, but slimes seem like their kind of stupidly difficult to find. (They either generate specifically in random caves with no indication of what caves generate slimes, or in swamps, but exclusively during a new moon.) Considering how useful slime is, this is one of those few cases where I think more hostile mobs would definitely be a good thing.
-And once again, more details for the terrain generation in the same vein as forests. How about patches of a 'mud' block that behaves sort of like powdered snow, but mostly just impedes movement? It could be gathered in a bucket the same way, and could be hardened into sod, which could in turn be used to make sod bricks. (Maybe you can also make sod using dirt and clay?) Sod and sod bricks could also have some unique properties, such as being pretty tough and blast resistant for something made out of dirt; but collapsing if unsupported.
-And how about cattails, or some sort of plant life unique to swamps? (Besides the flowers, which are pretty, but not the most interesting thing ever, and Lilypads, which are admittedly more interesting.) Maybe cattails can only be crown in shallow water, and can be used as a source of fuel.
It doesn't seem like there should be much to say about deserts, seeing as the whole point is an empty, open expanse of sand without much of anything in it. However, I'm sure there's room for more variation in the types of barren, lifeless wastes we could encounter...
-New Subbiomes for deserts- how about a desert edge biome that has patches of grass and Acacia shrubs? Generally, whenever I see deserts generate, the border between them and whatever happens to be nearby tends to be pretty abrupt. There could also be a rocky desert variant with jutting, jagged sandstone boulders.
-Maybe a paler sky background for the desert? Purely for atmosphere.
-Otherwise... I can't really think of anything to add to deserts. Aside from a little bit more variation, and better biome borders, there isn't much to add to a place specifically designed to be devoid of stuff.
Badlands, on the other hand, are already extremely cool. Between mineshafts, terracotta, gold, and the cool eroded badlands variant, they're objectively one of the cooler biomes in the game. I did find it a bit odd that this was one of the biomes chosen to be updated, given that it already seems pretty complete, but there's still some potential for new stuff.
-Acacia wood for badlands, instead of Oak trees that look a whole lot like acacia trees? Guess it's more of a personal preference. Conversely, Savannahs should also have a layer of terracotta there; it makes them more unique, and also means you don't have to obliterate one of the game's nicest looking biomes for terracotta.
-Could have a unique village type- or maybe, rather, a unique type of ruined village that generates exclusively in the badlands. It would look really cool to see a village type made from terracotta and oak, (I mean acacia), wood. Possibly with some sort of unique hazards. (How about some sort of mine trap involving dynamite?)
-On that note, what about a terracotta shingle block? terracotta is already a pretty useful block, but shingles could be a nice addition, and would go well with a new village, or even existing village types.
-Finally, there could be some new mob. I recall that vultures have been suggested- what about something like coyotes? They could be sort of like more hostile, or maybe more thieving versions of wolves, or something.
Much in the same vein as the badlands, I don't really see much that needs improvement for the jungle. They've got unique plants like melons, bamboo, and cocoa beans, there's cool subbiomes like modified jungles, bamboo forests, and jungle edges; unique mobs like pandas and parrots, and the biome itself just looks and feels fantastic to discover and explore. Most of the things I could think of are pretty superficial, but I'll try and come up with some stuff anyways.
-More uses for Cocoa beans! They're interesting to farm, and they're really underappreciated. As it is, they're literally just used to make brown dye, (does anyone ever use brown dye?), and to make cookies, which are far from the greatest food source ever. Even just some sort of chocolate item made from sugar and cocoa beans would be cool. (Maybe it restores a lot of hunger, but no saturation.)
-Patches of moss could be found in the jungle too. There's a decent argument for keeping it unique to Lush caves, and there's admittedly already a ton of useful stuff you can find in jungles, (Melons, Cocoa, bamboo, etc), but it could be a nice addition, assuming it isn't too unbalanced.
-How about yet another jungle biome variant- a sort of jungle plateau with tons of lakes and waterfalls? 'Cascade Plateaus?' just throwing it out there, it could be interesting, if a bit far fetched.
Similar to deserts, biomes like the tundra aren't exactly known for being the most interesting biomes ever. However, there's a lot more variation, (Especially with the new mountain biomes), that makes these places more interesting. I guess besides maybe having some patches of powdered snow in tundras, or maybe some spruce shrubs or something, I can't think of much room for improvement. (Or it's possible I'm just running low on ideas.)
Thoughts? Any other biomes that could use a facelift, or cool tweaks for biomes mentioned above? There's no such thing as a bad idea! (Unless it involves vertical slabs.)
Pretty much every new biome that has been introduced has been given some sort of unique mechanics that make it both an interesting place to visit, and a place that's worthwhile to visit. Just consider the new nether biomes: Not only are all of them interesting aestheticly, but they all have unique resources, mobs, and mechanics that make them worth exploring.
The same can be said of the new cave biomes- but this cannot be said of older, existing Overworld biomes. (Or the End, which is, frankly, another matter entirely.) While terrain generation is getting a fantastic, much needed overhaul, biome generation seems to be much in need of improvement.(And Mojang has made it clear this is quite likely, given the recent biome votes.) Seeing as most people will spend more time in the Overworld than, say, the Nether, it feels like the Overworld biomes should be just as detailed and unique as their netherworld counterparts.
In this thread, I wanted to analyze which biomes could actually use improvements, and what some possible overhauls could look like. What do you think could be cool (and useful) additions to existing biomes? Thoughts on any of this?
Also, I haven't included underground, Nether, or Ocean biomes, firstly because they've been added recently enough that I don't think any overhauls are likely in the near future, and secondly, because I personally don't think any overhauls are necessary. Seriously, it continues to amaze me how well these last few updates have done.)
Plains are big, empty swathes of grass- on some level, they don't need to be 'improved' because that emptiness is sort of the point. Forests, on the other hand, sort of imply a certain sense of... things, I suppose? That is, more than just trees and grass. The forest vibe is done really well with the new and improved taigas- between the diverse range of trees, berry bushes, local foxes, cobblestone boulders, and a mixture of grass, podzol, and coarse dirt on the forest floor, the entire biome feels atmospheric, and worth exploring. Dark Oak Forests? Not nearly as much. Oak and Birch Forests? Definitely pretty boring, especially considering how often you're going to be wandering through one. Some Ideas for forests include:
- More diverse undergrowth. As it is right now, forests just have grass and occasional patches of flowers. adding in some small patches of coarse dirt, or podzol for denser forests like the Dark Oak forest would go a long ways towards differentiating forests from other biomes, and adding just a bit more atmosphere. (Consider warped forests- which have a unique tree type, a unique grass-type block, and a sprout, vine, and root plant all unique to the biome; along with a special background color, ambiance, and enderman gimmick. Now compare that to, say, a birch forest.)
-Parity with bedrock- bedrock forests can have fallen logs, tree stumps, and spiderwebs/vines in forests with bigger trees. I'm not sure why this isn't a thing in Java, but it would certainly be a decent, if minor improvement.
-One cool idea I've seen in some biome mods is a unique 'clearing' sub biome that generates small, open, flowery areas in forests. It's not a big change, but again, a nice atmospheric tweak to add a bit more life to the woods.
-Something to differentiate Oak and Birch forests from other forest types. (Taking a leaf out of the Taiga's book... no pun intended.) Dark Oak forests have mushroom trees, Taigas have all sorts of stuff, Flower forests have flowers... but Oak and Birch forests don't really have anything to their name other than a unique wood type, and could use some sort of other biome specific thing to make them just a bit more interesting.
-Alternatively, birch or oak wood could be given some specific use. As it is, a lot of utility blocks appear to be made of a specific type of wood, (Spruce wood for barrels, birch wood for fletching tables, dark oak for the cartography table, oak for regular crafting tables, etc; but in actuality they can be crafted using any wood type. It could be made so that specific wood types are required, or so that there are multiple variations of these blocks based on the wood types used. Both methods would be a bit irritating, but I think well worth it in the long run.)
Let's be brutally honest: As they are, swamps are more of an inconvenience than anything. They have enough water to make them tricky to travel across by land, they have enough land to make traveling by boat a bad idea, and the color pallete isn't exactly the most agreeable ever. That being said, there's a lot of potential- and Mojang's announced changes for the swamp, as well as better generation, (with swamps generating mostly at low altitudes around rivers in 1.18), bodes well for improvements.
-Swamps could be given a unique wood type in addition to the teased 'Mangrove trees.' I've usually seen this done as a wood type with a greenish cast, and all the things you'd expect of a new wood type. (Admittedly, I feel like at some point you have to draw the line of too many wood types. More variation is nice... but I feel like it will get a bit redundant eventually.)
-Frogs could be a cool addition. They should have some sort of unique mechanic though- possibly something to do with brewing, or a unique drop that makes them worth finding. (Any ideas regarding frogs?)
-Slimes ought to generate more frequently in swamps at night. Maybe this is just me, but slimes seem like their kind of stupidly difficult to find. (They either generate specifically in random caves with no indication of what caves generate slimes, or in swamps, but exclusively during a new moon.) Considering how useful slime is, this is one of those few cases where I think more hostile mobs would definitely be a good thing.
-And once again, more details for the terrain generation in the same vein as forests. How about patches of a 'mud' block that behaves sort of like powdered snow, but mostly just impedes movement? It could be gathered in a bucket the same way, and could be hardened into sod, which could in turn be used to make sod bricks. (Maybe you can also make sod using dirt and clay?) Sod and sod bricks could also have some unique properties, such as being pretty tough and blast resistant for something made out of dirt; but collapsing if unsupported.
-And how about cattails, or some sort of plant life unique to swamps? (Besides the flowers, which are pretty, but not the most interesting thing ever, and Lilypads, which are admittedly more interesting.) Maybe cattails can only be crown in shallow water, and can be used as a source of fuel.
It doesn't seem like there should be much to say about deserts, seeing as the whole point is an empty, open expanse of sand without much of anything in it. However, I'm sure there's room for more variation in the types of barren, lifeless wastes we could encounter...
-New Subbiomes for deserts- how about a desert edge biome that has patches of grass and Acacia shrubs? Generally, whenever I see deserts generate, the border between them and whatever happens to be nearby tends to be pretty abrupt. There could also be a rocky desert variant with jutting, jagged sandstone boulders.
-Maybe a paler sky background for the desert? Purely for atmosphere.
-Otherwise... I can't really think of anything to add to deserts. Aside from a little bit more variation, and better biome borders, there isn't much to add to a place specifically designed to be devoid of stuff.
Badlands, on the other hand, are already extremely cool. Between mineshafts, terracotta, gold, and the cool eroded badlands variant, they're objectively one of the cooler biomes in the game. I did find it a bit odd that this was one of the biomes chosen to be updated, given that it already seems pretty complete, but there's still some potential for new stuff.
-Acacia wood for badlands, instead of Oak trees that look a whole lot like acacia trees? Guess it's more of a personal preference.
-Could have a unique village type- or maybe, rather, a unique type of ruined village that generates exclusively in the badlands. It would look really cool to see a village type made from terracotta and oak, (I mean acacia), wood. Possibly with some sort of unique hazards. (How about some sort of mine trap involving dynamite?)
-On that note, what about a terracotta shingle block? terracotta is already a pretty useful block, but shingles could be a nice addition, and would go well with a new village, or even existing village types.
-Finally, there could be some new mob. I recall that vultures have been suggested- what about something like coyotes? They could be sort of like more hostile, or maybe more thieving versions of wolves, or something.
Much in the same vein as the badlands, I don't really see much that needs improvement for the jungle. They've got unique plants like melons, bamboo, and cocoa beans, there's cool subbiomes like modified jungles, bamboo forests, and jungle edges; unique mobs like pandas and parrots, and the biome itself just looks and feels fantastic to discover and explore. Most of the things I could think of are pretty superficial, but I'll try and come up with some stuff anyways.
-More uses for Cocoa beans! They're interesting to farm, and they're really underappreciated. As it is, they're literally just used to make brown dye, (does anyone ever use brown dye?), and to make cookies, which are far from the greatest food source ever. Even just some sort of chocolate item made from sugar and cocoa beans would be cool. (Maybe it restores a lot of hunger, but no saturation.)
-Patches of moss could be found in the jungle too. There's a decent argument for keeping it unique to Lush caves, and there's admittedly already a ton of useful stuff you can find in jungles, (Melons, Cocoa, bamboo, etc), but it could be a nice addition, assuming it isn't too unbalanced.
-How about yet another jungle biome variant- a sort of jungle plateau with tons of lakes and waterfalls? 'Cascade Plateaus?' just throwing it out there, it could be interesting, if a bit far fetched.
Similar to deserts, biomes like the tundra aren't exactly known for being the most interesting biomes ever. However, there's a lot more variation, (Especially with the new mountain biomes), that makes these places more interesting. I guess besides maybe having some patches of powdered snow in tundras, or maybe some spruce shrubs or something, I can't think of much room for improvement. (Or it's possible I'm just running low on ideas.)
Thoughts? Any other biomes that could use a facelift, or cool tweaks for biomes mentioned above? There's no such thing as a bad idea! (Unless it involves vertical slabs.)
I don't know about the other biomes, I haven't put much thought into what changes I would like for them, but I know a change I would like to see with jungles if they don't exist with 1.17, I agree with your suggestion on this one.
an extreme mountain variant of Minecraft,
in amplified biomes world generation you can technically get this,
but as far as I am aware, they don't exist for normal terrain generation, only regular height jungles exist,
although they can connect to mountains that have snow on them, this happens rarely though.
Jungles could be a lot more varied if say, some generated on mountains and went up to cloud level.
it would also be nice to have wide water falls and rivers generate in this variant of the jungle biomes, and mimic something like the amazon rainforest.
with the plateaus having actual large lakes on them that connect to these insane waterfalls I've just mentioned.
The ultra wide waterfalls could also appear something like this, imagine the possibilities here,
especially if water physics were to receive another update that made water travel faster if it were an actual waterfall,
jungle biomes would be so much more fun, and jungle plateau biome as you've suggested has the potential to be a favourite
or the top 5 biomes in the game. I'm also of the opinion that being able to climb waterfalls is overpowered and broken,
so I wouldn't care if the increased water flow speed made it impossible for players to climb waterfalls, and have to use vines or ladders instead.
Birch and oak forests are just boring. The worst part of them is that the trees are just to small.
They could be 2-4 blocks higher imo. Forests are the main reason why i don't use horses.
Aside from that, i dislike the look of walls of short trees.
I've heard that bedrock edition has fallen trees, why doesn't the java edition?
The dark oak forest may not be amoung my favourit biomes but it's one of the more interesting looking biomes imo.
I don't think they need to be overhauled right now.
About the swamps...
Well i understand why ppl think of them as ugly (colour palette) but i'm actually ok with the terrain.
I mean what do you expect from traveling a swamp? It's defenetly not an easy walk through a park.
What annoys me the most is that my inventory fills up with lilly pads, my most favourit item aside from rotten flesh!
But i can bypass this issue by using frostwalker. People may say it's a useless enchantment but it works well in swamps.
At the moment swamps are great for harvesting oakwood since they don't generate bigger then you can mine them from the ground.
Which isn't positiv. Swamps need more tree variations.
Actually swamps could work with every tree sort, as a sub biome generating in or next to other forests.
But that's not a realistic suggestion topic right now. I vote for the oak and birch forests to be overhauled.
With the increased world height in 1.18, doesn't it make sense to change how high trees can grow in the game? good point about the birch and oak forests by the way, they are a total nuisance for riding horses through, when they shouldn't be.
it would be better if oak and birch became 2 blocks wide as well as 12 to 16 blocks tall with some visible small branches underneath some of the leaf blocks, they can be done even with a blocky aesthetic to them.
With the increased world height in 1.18, doesn't it make sense to change how high trees can grow in the game? good point about the birch and oak forests by the way, they are a total nuisance for riding horses through, when they shouldn't be.
it would be better if oak and birch became 2 blocks wide as well as 12 to 16 blocks tall with some visible small branches underneath some of the leaf blocks, they can be done even with a blocky aesthetic to them.
I agree on the 2x2 oak trees but it wouldn't make much sence for birch trees imo.
I'm not an expert at this but i have never seen a birch so thick that i couldn't hug my arms around it.
They are generally slender trees, aren't they?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My projects:
-are abandoned for now. I might pick 'em up in the future.
For now i'm working on a private modpack that suit's my own playstyle.
I am gonna stay in modded 1.12.2 untill my potato dies. No mercy! :Q
I agree on the 2x2 oak trees but it wouldn't make much sence for birch trees imo.
I'm not an expert at this but i have never seen a birch so thick that i couldn't hug my arms around it.
They are generally slender trees, aren't they?
It does look like it from the pictures I can see, but then again oak starts out thin before it reaches full maturity, doesn't it? it is a big tree, but I believe there are bigger ones in the world. The biggest tree in the world according to livescience is the giant sequoia, which does not exist in Minecraft.
If Mojang really wanted to, they could add these trees and they could surpass the jungle tree in both width and height,
In the interest of improving forests, I've taken some inspiration from terrain generation mods, (Namely Terraforge and William Wyther's, which, admittedly, is a datapack), and made some vague concept art, as well as some more specific ideas regarding the three main forests in the game. (I'm considering Taigas/spruce forests to be a bit more complete, compared to the others. Also keep in mind that, as there are multiple variations of each forest type, these are just general idea. I'm not doing concept art for, say, the Tall birch forest as well as the ordinary birch forest.
I'm here using the Stay True resource pack and BSL shaders. (As well as far more time and effort than was really nessasary for this. ...Who am I kidding, it was a fun project.)
The idea here, (vaguely), is that forests should be more atmospheric, more distinguishable and unique from other forests, and generally more interesting, without sacrificing functionality or changing gameplay too drastically. (By making oak trees thicker and shorter, and birch trees taller and slimmer, the forests become more interesting, while each is still relatively easy to chop down- albeit requiring different methods.)
Oak Forests
Oak forests are somewhat dense, with thicker, lower lying trees. They're one of the more diverse and interesting forests to explore, with occasional birch trees, patches of mushrooms and flowers, and pumpkins; with a forest floor of podzol, coarse dirt, and grass. Patches of cobble provide a handy early game source of stone, and occasional clearings offer some respite from a biome that's moderately difficult to travel through.
Birch Forests
Birch forests are grassier, and substantially easier to travel through, with a higher canopy, taller trees, and less undergrowth. The resource pack I'm using gives birch trees an orange hue in birch forests, (And a pink hue elsewhere), which isn't for everyone... even if I sort of like it. Mushrooms don't grow here, but some varieties of flowers are more common, as are beehives. Clearings are also more common here, offering plenty of scenic places to rest.
Dark Oak Forests
Menacing and brooding, the darkness has an annoying tendency to breed a variety of hostile creatures. Dark Oak trees are big and thick, and making your way through this place can be challenging, even on foot. Spiderwebs, mushrooms, vines, and mycelium fill this place, along with enormous fungi intermingled with the dense canopy. Clearings cannot be found here, offering little respite from the dangers lurking herein.
I think forests are in the most need for updating. They seem a bit plain to me.
How trees generate could be changed too, they could be made taller and thicker, and have visible cubed like branches on them like some mods show, but it is about time vanilla survival got these in my honest opinion.
With the Caves and Cliffs update, which so far I wholly despise due to the ore distribution, the 320 block world height can easily be used to justify cloud level being raised in the game, so it doesn't make the taller trees look like an eye sore in the Minecraft worlds as a result.
To get these updated forests at original spawn, players would almost certainly have to start new worlds, but that's okay,
I think a lot of people would be fine with that if it means they get a completely different set of forests local to their base.
How trees generate could be changed too, they could be made taller and thicker, and have visible cubed like branches on them like some mods show, but it is about time vanilla survival got these in my honest opinion.
With the Caves and Cliffs update, which so far I wholly despise due to the ore distribution, the 320 block world height can easily be used to justify cloud level being raised in the game, so it doesn't make the taller trees look like an eye sore in the Minecraft worlds as a result.
To get these updated forests at original spawn, players would almost certainly have to start new worlds, but that's okay,
I think a lot of people would be fine with that if it means they get a completely different set of forests local to their base.
At this point I don't know whether or not I want larger trees because (mod-wise) I have seen both the good and bad side of them.
If large trees can spawn on mountains, then the change to clouds is necessary.
One other con is that big trees are intimidating...at least to me.
I may decide to avoid large forests as a result. Interesting, jungles don't really give me the same fear that the 1.18 mountains or modded forests have given me. Jungles aren't that tall in vanilla and vines mean height is a 'reduced' problem. Mega taigas are so-so because there are still smaller trees among the giants. Not extremely comfortable for me but not unbearable.
I could be totally wrong here but i don't remember a single one.
Every time i run into a taiga-village, i am prepared to NOT find a blacksmith.
Also, the only villages where i found equiped armorstands where the taiga variants.
I don't really consider adding new structures to the game a "biome improvement", and really in Minecraft vanilla people are supposed to do their own builds from their imagination, so requests for more in-game structures that generate do need limits to them, villages are fine, they just give players and the villager NPC's the basics, players still have the option to make improvements to those villages and have the Villagers live in a nice looking and well secure town that doesn't have monsters hunting them down every night.
I've never seen an armour stand in a taiga or any village type...are you on bedrock?
I've also never seen a blacksmith in them either, I chalk that up to the trees catching fire too easy.
Perhaps armour stand buildings replace blacksmiths in this case.??
I'm on Java. I'm certain, that those small "carports" (the builds which have grind stones under the roof) sometimes have equiped armorstands next to them.
I have been flying around for 10 minutes in a superflat taiga world but i was unable to find one with armor.
While i do play with mods, this instance has mostly clientside mods. Nothing that would speciffically add armorstands to villages.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My projects:
-are abandoned for now. I might pick 'em up in the future.
For now i'm working on a private modpack that suit's my own playstyle.
I am gonna stay in modded 1.12.2 untill my potato dies. No mercy! :Q
Pretty much every new biome that has been introduced has been given some sort of unique mechanics that make it both an interesting place to visit, and a place that's worthwhile to visit. Just consider the new nether biomes: Not only are all of them interesting aestheticly, but they all have unique resources, mobs, and mechanics that make them worth exploring.
The same can be said of the new cave biomes- but this cannot be said of older, existing Overworld biomes. (Or the End, which is, frankly, another matter entirely.) While terrain generation is getting a fantastic, much needed overhaul, biome generation seems to be much in need of improvement.(And Mojang has made it clear this is quite likely, given the recent biome votes.) Seeing as most people will spend more time in the Overworld than, say, the Nether, it feels like the Overworld biomes should be just as detailed and unique as their netherworld counterparts.
In this thread, I wanted to analyze which biomes could actually use improvements, and what some possible overhauls could look like. What do you think could be cool (and useful) additions to existing biomes? Thoughts on any of this?
Also, I haven't included underground, Nether, or Ocean biomes, firstly because they've been added recently enough that I don't think any overhauls are likely in the near future, and secondly, because I personally don't think any overhauls are necessary. Seriously, it continues to amaze me how well these last few updates have done.)
------------------------------------------------------------
Forests
Plains are big, empty swathes of grass- on some level, they don't need to be 'improved' because that emptiness is sort of the point. Forests, on the other hand, sort of imply a certain sense of... things, I suppose? That is, more than just trees and grass. The forest vibe is done really well with the new and improved taigas- between the diverse range of trees, berry bushes, local foxes, cobblestone boulders, and a mixture of grass, podzol, and coarse dirt on the forest floor, the entire biome feels atmospheric, and worth exploring. Dark Oak Forests? Not nearly as much. Oak and Birch Forests? Definitely pretty boring, especially considering how often you're going to be wandering through one. Some Ideas for forests include:
- More diverse undergrowth. As it is right now, forests just have grass and occasional patches of flowers. adding in some small patches of coarse dirt, or podzol for denser forests like the Dark Oak forest would go a long ways towards differentiating forests from other biomes, and adding just a bit more atmosphere. (Consider warped forests- which have a unique tree type, a unique grass-type block, and a sprout, vine, and root plant all unique to the biome; along with a special background color, ambiance, and enderman gimmick. Now compare that to, say, a birch forest.)
-Parity with bedrock- bedrock forests can have fallen logs, tree stumps, and spiderwebs/vines in forests with bigger trees. I'm not sure why this isn't a thing in Java, but it would certainly be a decent, if minor improvement.
-One cool idea I've seen in some biome mods is a unique 'clearing' sub biome that generates small, open, flowery areas in forests. It's not a big change, but again, a nice atmospheric tweak to add a bit more life to the woods.
-Something to differentiate Oak and Birch forests from other forest types. (Taking a leaf out of the Taiga's book... no pun intended.) Dark Oak forests have mushroom trees, Taigas have all sorts of stuff, Flower forests have flowers... but Oak and Birch forests don't really have anything to their name other than a unique wood type, and could use some sort of other biome specific thing to make them just a bit more interesting.
-Alternatively, birch or oak wood could be given some specific use. As it is, a lot of utility blocks appear to be made of a specific type of wood, (Spruce wood for barrels, birch wood for fletching tables, dark oak for the cartography table, oak for regular crafting tables, etc; but in actuality they can be crafted using any wood type. It could be made so that specific wood types are required, or so that there are multiple variations of these blocks based on the wood types used. Both methods would be a bit irritating, but I think well worth it in the long run.)
------------------------------------------------------------
Swamps
Let's be brutally honest: As they are, swamps are more of an inconvenience than anything. They have enough water to make them tricky to travel across by land, they have enough land to make traveling by boat a bad idea, and the color pallete isn't exactly the most agreeable ever. That being said, there's a lot of potential- and Mojang's announced changes for the swamp, as well as better generation, (with swamps generating mostly at low altitudes around rivers in 1.18), bodes well for improvements.
-Swamps could be given a unique wood type in addition to the teased 'Mangrove trees.' I've usually seen this done as a wood type with a greenish cast, and all the things you'd expect of a new wood type. (Admittedly, I feel like at some point you have to draw the line of too many wood types. More variation is nice... but I feel like it will get a bit redundant eventually.)
-Frogs could be a cool addition. They should have some sort of unique mechanic though- possibly something to do with brewing, or a unique drop that makes them worth finding. (Any ideas regarding frogs?)
-Slimes ought to generate more frequently in swamps at night. Maybe this is just me, but slimes seem like their kind of stupidly difficult to find. (They either generate specifically in random caves with no indication of what caves generate slimes, or in swamps, but exclusively during a new moon.) Considering how useful slime is, this is one of those few cases where I think more hostile mobs would definitely be a good thing.
-And once again, more details for the terrain generation in the same vein as forests. How about patches of a 'mud' block that behaves sort of like powdered snow, but mostly just impedes movement? It could be gathered in a bucket the same way, and could be hardened into sod, which could in turn be used to make sod bricks. (Maybe you can also make sod using dirt and clay?) Sod and sod bricks could also have some unique properties, such as being pretty tough and blast resistant for something made out of dirt; but collapsing if unsupported.
-And how about cattails, or some sort of plant life unique to swamps? (Besides the flowers, which are pretty, but not the most interesting thing ever, and Lilypads, which are admittedly more interesting.) Maybe cattails can only be crown in shallow water, and can be used as a source of fuel.
------------------------------------------------------------
Deserts
It doesn't seem like there should be much to say about deserts, seeing as the whole point is an empty, open expanse of sand without much of anything in it. However, I'm sure there's room for more variation in the types of barren, lifeless wastes we could encounter...
-New Subbiomes for deserts- how about a desert edge biome that has patches of grass and Acacia shrubs? Generally, whenever I see deserts generate, the border between them and whatever happens to be nearby tends to be pretty abrupt. There could also be a rocky desert variant with jutting, jagged sandstone boulders.
-Maybe a paler sky background for the desert? Purely for atmosphere.
-Otherwise... I can't really think of anything to add to deserts. Aside from a little bit more variation, and better biome borders, there isn't much to add to a place specifically designed to be devoid of stuff.
------------------------------------------------------------
Badlands
Badlands, on the other hand, are already extremely cool. Between mineshafts, terracotta, gold, and the cool eroded badlands variant, they're objectively one of the cooler biomes in the game. I did find it a bit odd that this was one of the biomes chosen to be updated, given that it already seems pretty complete, but there's still some potential for new stuff.
-Acacia wood for badlands, instead of Oak trees that look a whole lot like acacia trees? Guess it's more of a personal preference. Conversely, Savannahs should also have a layer of terracotta there; it makes them more unique, and also means you don't have to obliterate one of the game's nicest looking biomes for terracotta.
-Could have a unique village type- or maybe, rather, a unique type of ruined village that generates exclusively in the badlands. It would look really cool to see a village type made from terracotta and oak, (I mean acacia), wood. Possibly with some sort of unique hazards. (How about some sort of mine trap involving dynamite?)
-On that note, what about a terracotta shingle block? terracotta is already a pretty useful block, but shingles could be a nice addition, and would go well with a new village, or even existing village types.
-Finally, there could be some new mob. I recall that vultures have been suggested- what about something like coyotes? They could be sort of like more hostile, or maybe more thieving versions of wolves, or something.
------------------------------------------------------------
Jungles
Much in the same vein as the badlands, I don't really see much that needs improvement for the jungle. They've got unique plants like melons, bamboo, and cocoa beans, there's cool subbiomes like modified jungles, bamboo forests, and jungle edges; unique mobs like pandas and parrots, and the biome itself just looks and feels fantastic to discover and explore. Most of the things I could think of are pretty superficial, but I'll try and come up with some stuff anyways.
-More uses for Cocoa beans! They're interesting to farm, and they're really underappreciated. As it is, they're literally just used to make brown dye, (does anyone ever use brown dye?), and to make cookies, which are far from the greatest food source ever. Even just some sort of chocolate item made from sugar and cocoa beans would be cool. (Maybe it restores a lot of hunger, but no saturation.)
-Patches of moss could be found in the jungle too. There's a decent argument for keeping it unique to Lush caves, and there's admittedly already a ton of useful stuff you can find in jungles, (Melons, Cocoa, bamboo, etc), but it could be a nice addition, assuming it isn't too unbalanced.
-How about yet another jungle biome variant- a sort of jungle plateau with tons of lakes and waterfalls? 'Cascade Plateaus?' just throwing it out there, it could be interesting, if a bit far fetched.
------------------------------------------------------------
Cold Biomes
Similar to deserts, biomes like the tundra aren't exactly known for being the most interesting biomes ever. However, there's a lot more variation, (Especially with the new mountain biomes), that makes these places more interesting. I guess besides maybe having some patches of powdered snow in tundras, or maybe some spruce shrubs or something, I can't think of much room for improvement. (Or it's possible I'm just running low on ideas.)
------------------------------------------------------------
Thoughts? Any other biomes that could use a facelift, or cool tweaks for biomes mentioned above? There's no such thing as a bad idea! (Unless it involves vertical slabs.)
Cooking with Mindthemoods ~ Biomes ~ Archeology
---
~ My Portfolio ~ Skindex ~ Test ~ Discs ~
I don't know about the other biomes, I haven't put much thought into what changes I would like for them, but I know a change I would like to see with jungles if they don't exist with 1.17, I agree with your suggestion on this one.
an extreme mountain variant of Minecraft,
in amplified biomes world generation you can technically get this,
but as far as I am aware, they don't exist for normal terrain generation, only regular height jungles exist,
although they can connect to mountains that have snow on them, this happens rarely though.
Jungles could be a lot more varied if say, some generated on mountains and went up to cloud level.
it would also be nice to have wide water falls and rivers generate in this variant of the jungle biomes, and mimic something like the amazon rainforest.
with the plateaus having actual large lakes on them that connect to these insane waterfalls I've just mentioned.
The ultra wide waterfalls could also appear something like this, imagine the possibilities here,
especially if water physics were to receive another update that made water travel faster if it were an actual waterfall,
jungle biomes would be so much more fun, and jungle plateau biome as you've suggested has the potential to be a favourite
or the top 5 biomes in the game. I'm also of the opinion that being able to climb waterfalls is overpowered and broken,
so I wouldn't care if the increased water flow speed made it impossible for players to climb waterfalls, and have to use vines or ladders instead.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Iguacu-Falls
Birch and oak forests are just boring. The worst part of them is that the trees are just to small.
They could be 2-4 blocks higher imo. Forests are the main reason why i don't use horses.
Aside from that, i dislike the look of walls of short trees.
I've heard that bedrock edition has fallen trees, why doesn't the java edition?
The dark oak forest may not be amoung my favourit biomes but it's one of the more interesting looking biomes imo.
I don't think they need to be overhauled right now.
About the swamps...
Well i understand why ppl think of them as ugly (colour palette) but i'm actually ok with the terrain.
I mean what do you expect from traveling a swamp? It's defenetly not an easy walk through a park.
What annoys me the most is that my inventory fills up with lilly pads, my most favourit item aside from rotten flesh!
But i can bypass this issue by using frostwalker. People may say it's a useless enchantment but it works well in swamps.
At the moment swamps are great for harvesting oakwood since they don't generate bigger then you can mine them from the ground.
Which isn't positiv. Swamps need more tree variations.
Actually swamps could work with every tree sort, as a sub biome generating in or next to other forests.
But that's not a realistic suggestion topic right now. I vote for the oak and birch forests to be overhauled.
My projects:
-are abandoned for now. I might pick 'em up in the future.
For now i'm working on a private modpack that suit's my own playstyle.
I am gonna stay in modded 1.12.2 untill my potato dies. No mercy! :Q
With the increased world height in 1.18, doesn't it make sense to change how high trees can grow in the game? good point about the birch and oak forests by the way, they are a total nuisance for riding horses through, when they shouldn't be.
it would be better if oak and birch became 2 blocks wide as well as 12 to 16 blocks tall with some visible small branches underneath some of the leaf blocks, they can be done even with a blocky aesthetic to them.
I agree on the 2x2 oak trees but it wouldn't make much sence for birch trees imo.
I'm not an expert at this but i have never seen a birch so thick that i couldn't hug my arms around it.
They are generally slender trees, aren't they?
My projects:
-are abandoned for now. I might pick 'em up in the future.
For now i'm working on a private modpack that suit's my own playstyle.
I am gonna stay in modded 1.12.2 untill my potato dies. No mercy! :Q
It does look like it from the pictures I can see, but then again oak starts out thin before it reaches full maturity, doesn't it? it is a big tree, but I believe there are bigger ones in the world. The biggest tree in the world according to livescience is the giant sequoia, which does not exist in Minecraft.
If Mojang really wanted to, they could add these trees and they could surpass the jungle tree in both width and height,
being 3 blocks wide, and 35 blocks tall.
https://www.livescience.com/29144-worlds-largest-tree.html
In the interest of improving forests, I've taken some inspiration from terrain generation mods, (Namely Terraforge and William Wyther's, which, admittedly, is a datapack), and made some vague concept art, as well as some more specific ideas regarding the three main forests in the game. (I'm considering Taigas/spruce forests to be a bit more complete, compared to the others. Also keep in mind that, as there are multiple variations of each forest type, these are just general idea. I'm not doing concept art for, say, the Tall birch forest as well as the ordinary birch forest.
I'm here using the Stay True resource pack and BSL shaders. (As well as far more time and effort than was really nessasary for this. ...Who am I kidding, it was a fun project.)
The idea here, (vaguely), is that forests should be more atmospheric, more distinguishable and unique from other forests, and generally more interesting, without sacrificing functionality or changing gameplay too drastically. (By making oak trees thicker and shorter, and birch trees taller and slimmer, the forests become more interesting, while each is still relatively easy to chop down- albeit requiring different methods.)
Oak Forests
Oak forests are somewhat dense, with thicker, lower lying trees. They're one of the more diverse and interesting forests to explore, with occasional birch trees, patches of mushrooms and flowers, and pumpkins; with a forest floor of podzol, coarse dirt, and grass. Patches of cobble provide a handy early game source of stone, and occasional clearings offer some respite from a biome that's moderately difficult to travel through.
Birch Forests
Birch forests are grassier, and substantially easier to travel through, with a higher canopy, taller trees, and less undergrowth. The resource pack I'm using gives birch trees an orange hue in birch forests, (And a pink hue elsewhere), which isn't for everyone... even if I sort of like it. Mushrooms don't grow here, but some varieties of flowers are more common, as are beehives. Clearings are also more common here, offering plenty of scenic places to rest.
Dark Oak Forests
Menacing and brooding, the darkness has an annoying tendency to breed a variety of hostile creatures. Dark Oak trees are big and thick, and making your way through this place can be challenging, even on foot. Spiderwebs, mushrooms, vines, and mycelium fill this place, along with enormous fungi intermingled with the dense canopy. Clearings cannot be found here, offering little respite from the dangers lurking herein.
Cooking with Mindthemoods ~ Biomes ~ Archeology
---
~ My Portfolio ~ Skindex ~ Test ~ Discs ~
I think forests are in the most need for updating. They seem a bit plain to me.
I love your concept arts. If they where to be added like this right away, i would enjoy them.
You are great at this stuff!
My projects:
-are abandoned for now. I might pick 'em up in the future.
For now i'm working on a private modpack that suit's my own playstyle.
I am gonna stay in modded 1.12.2 untill my potato dies. No mercy! :Q
How trees generate could be changed too, they could be made taller and thicker, and have visible cubed like branches on them like some mods show, but it is about time vanilla survival got these in my honest opinion.
With the Caves and Cliffs update, which so far I wholly despise due to the ore distribution, the 320 block world height can easily be used to justify cloud level being raised in the game, so it doesn't make the taller trees look like an eye sore in the Minecraft worlds as a result.
To get these updated forests at original spawn, players would almost certainly have to start new worlds, but that's okay,
I think a lot of people would be fine with that if it means they get a completely different set of forests local to their base.
At this point I don't know whether or not I want larger trees because (mod-wise) I have seen both the good and bad side of them.
If large trees can spawn on mountains, then the change to clouds is necessary.
Pros of taller tree generation:
More wood per sapling, more realistic looking trees, ideal for treehouse building etc.
Cons:
Hazardous in survival, and the wider treetops would facilitate more
hostile mob spawning in daytime on the ground.
Would be slightly more taxing on hardware, especially when trees have been chopped
and more leaves begin the process of decay and converting to sticks and saplings.
But be honest here, technology has changed significantly since when the game first came out,
the extra load on hardware isn't going to be an issue since most people who play Minecraft
would have computers more powerful than what the general consumer had back in 2011.
If your computer didn't have problems with Caves and Cliffs,
it will not have a problem with taller trees.
One other con is that big trees are intimidating...at least to me.
I may decide to avoid large forests as a result. Interesting, jungles don't really give me the same fear that the 1.18 mountains or modded forests have given me. Jungles aren't that tall in vanilla and vines mean height is a 'reduced' problem. Mega taigas are so-so because there are still smaller trees among the giants. Not extremely comfortable for me but not unbearable.
Abaout taiga-Villages:
Have you ever seen one with a blacksmith?
I could be totally wrong here but i don't remember a single one.
Every time i run into a taiga-village, i am prepared to NOT find a blacksmith.
Also, the only villages where i found equiped armorstands where the taiga variants.
My projects:
-are abandoned for now. I might pick 'em up in the future.
For now i'm working on a private modpack that suit's my own playstyle.
I am gonna stay in modded 1.12.2 untill my potato dies. No mercy! :Q
I don't really consider adding new structures to the game a "biome improvement", and really in Minecraft vanilla people are supposed to do their own builds from their imagination, so requests for more in-game structures that generate do need limits to them, villages are fine, they just give players and the villager NPC's the basics, players still have the option to make improvements to those villages and have the Villagers live in a nice looking and well secure town that doesn't have monsters hunting them down every night.
I've never seen an armour stand in a taiga or any village type...are you on bedrock?
I've also never seen a blacksmith in them either, I chalk that up to the trees catching fire too easy.
Perhaps armour stand buildings replace blacksmiths in this case.??
I'm on Java. I'm certain, that those small "carports" (the builds which have grind stones under the roof) sometimes have equiped armorstands next to them.
I have been flying around for 10 minutes in a superflat taiga world but i was unable to find one with armor.
While i do play with mods, this instance has mostly clientside mods. Nothing that would speciffically add armorstands to villages.
My projects:
-are abandoned for now. I might pick 'em up in the future.
For now i'm working on a private modpack that suit's my own playstyle.
I am gonna stay in modded 1.12.2 untill my potato dies. No mercy! :Q