Perhaps it's a bit ambitious to make several suggestions in my first post ever on the forums, but regardless I feel it's worth a shot. Here's a list of (hopefully well-explained) ideas that I would love to see implemented and am tempted to try to implement myself since I seem to always be bored nowadays
Cement
The idea
6 or some other number of gravels above a bucket of water would yield a bucket of cement (that's not quite a bucket, but I tried). The bucket would return to being a normal bucket after pouring the cement. Once poured, it would flow slowly like lava (and could use the same physics as well) and solidify after maybe 20 seconds. It would be very blast resistant and durable, as it is in real life. Also, being in contact with cement when it dries would result in the player becoming stuck and having to break free. Mining cement blocks would probably yield gravel.
Another option that would require a much larger change to Minecraft would be to add a Limestone block. This would drop Lime Powder, which could then take the place of or go alongside gravel when crafting cement buckets.
Pros
Actually gives gravel a use for once
Makes construction of tall walls very quick and cheap
Safer construction due to less hopping around
Cons
If a bucket of concrete were to be crafted with 6 gravel and could yield 20 after pouring the cement, letting it solidify, and mining it again, this loophole could yield infinite gravel
Probably wouldn't be able to be picked up after being poured, otherwise one bucket could be used infinitely in small increments
Issues with partially filled blocks: should they solidify as full blocks or disappear?
Very limited horizontal flow
Repair Hammers
The idea
An iron above a stick could yield one or multiple repair hammers. These would be used to repair tools and armor that are nearly broken. The repair could be done by placing both the hammer and the item to be repaired in the Crafting boxes and clicking the product box. The hammers would have a limited number of uses and would not be able to be repaired by other repair hammers (or at least it would not be beneficial to repair a repair hammer with another repair hammer). They could also be used to repair boats (since I believe boats have some form of health).
I guess the other materials used for tools could also be used as hammer materials. The number of uses and amount repaired would then have to change depending on the material.
Pros
Makes owning a suit of armor much more practical, since it's not a single-use investment
Could encourage the use of valuable diamond tools on simple blocks like dirt and sand
Possible to repair on the fly since hammers could be crafted and repairs could be done without the aid of a crafting table
Cons
It might make the game too easy if the player only needs one suit of diamond armor for all time
The repairing mechanism I described is a little clunky
Berries/Fruits
The idea
Berry bushes could be found in the wild, and would resemble tree leaves. Once mined, they would yield several berries, which could either be used as food or seeds to plant more berry bushes. Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are some off the top of my head that would probably make sense in the game. Similarly, fruit trees could drop fruit when their leaves are mined. This would make apple trees, pear trees, orange trees, and a whole host of other trees possible.
Pros
Makes food much more bountiful and varied
Gives greater diversity to biomes
More things to farm besides cacti, wheat, and sugarcane
Cons
Minecraft might become 3-d Farmville :sad.gif:
The addition of new block types to an existing map
Fruit trees would be useless after being harvested once
Palm Trees
The idea
Palm trees would be found on beaches in seemingly tropical environments. I had a little trouble envisioning how palm leaves could be created in Minecraft, but I believe 2 crossed 2-d images (like mushrooms) could make them work. They would grow only in sand. Palm trees would occasionally drop coconuts, which would hurt anything they hit as they fell. Coconuts could then be used as projectiles or as a food (and coconut milk could be an alternative to cow milk).
Pros
Adds diversity to biomes
Gives a tropical feel
Very standard shape, so could be used easily for decoration
Cons
Adding trees to existing maps wouldn't work well
Rivers and Waterfalls
The idea
Rivers and waterfalls could be added to maps to diversify them and make the world more realistic. It's a simple idea, I know, but I figured it would be worth mentioning.
Pros
Map diversity
Exploring is more exciting/dangerous
Cons
The physics of flowing water are a little funky in Minecraft
Going over a waterfall in real life doesn't end well. But, you travel slowly in water in Minecraft and take no fall damage, which makes waterfalls completely safe with the current physics system
Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear feedback so I can perhaps make better suggestions in the future.
Cement
The idea
6 or some other number of gravels above a bucket of water would yield a bucket of cement (that's not quite a bucket, but I tried). The bucket would return to being a normal bucket after pouring the cement. Once poured, it would flow slowly like lava (and could use the same physics as well) and solidify after maybe 20 seconds. It would be very blast resistant and durable, as it is in real life. Also, being in contact with cement when it dries would result in the player becoming stuck and having to break free. Mining cement blocks would probably yield gravel.
Another option that would require a much larger change to Minecraft would be to add a Limestone block. This would drop Lime Powder, which could then take the place of or go alongside gravel when crafting cement buckets.
Pros
- Actually gives gravel a use for once
- Makes construction of tall walls very quick and cheap
- Safer construction due to less hopping around
ConsRepair Hammers
The idea
An iron above a stick could yield one or multiple repair hammers. These would be used to repair tools and armor that are nearly broken. The repair could be done by placing both the hammer and the item to be repaired in the Crafting boxes and clicking the product box. The hammers would have a limited number of uses and would not be able to be repaired by other repair hammers (or at least it would not be beneficial to repair a repair hammer with another repair hammer). They could also be used to repair boats (since I believe boats have some form of health).
I guess the other materials used for tools could also be used as hammer materials. The number of uses and amount repaired would then have to change depending on the material.
Pros
- Makes owning a suit of armor much more practical, since it's not a single-use investment
- Could encourage the use of valuable diamond tools on simple blocks like dirt and sand
- Possible to repair on the fly since hammers could be crafted and repairs could be done without the aid of a crafting table
ConsBerries/Fruits
The idea
Berry bushes could be found in the wild, and would resemble tree leaves. Once mined, they would yield several berries, which could either be used as food or seeds to plant more berry bushes. Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are some off the top of my head that would probably make sense in the game. Similarly, fruit trees could drop fruit when their leaves are mined. This would make apple trees, pear trees, orange trees, and a whole host of other trees possible.
Pros
- Makes food much more bountiful and varied
- Gives greater diversity to biomes
- More things to farm besides cacti, wheat, and sugarcane
ConsPalm Trees
The idea
Palm trees would be found on beaches in seemingly tropical environments. I had a little trouble envisioning how palm leaves could be created in Minecraft, but I believe 2 crossed 2-d images (like mushrooms) could make them work. They would grow only in sand. Palm trees would occasionally drop coconuts, which would hurt anything they hit as they fell. Coconuts could then be used as projectiles or as a food (and coconut milk could be an alternative to cow milk).
Pros
- Adds diversity to biomes
- Gives a tropical feel
- Very standard shape, so could be used easily for decoration
ConsRivers and Waterfalls
The idea
Rivers and waterfalls could be added to maps to diversify them and make the world more realistic. It's a simple idea, I know, but I figured it would be worth mentioning.
Pros
- Map diversity
- Exploring is more exciting/dangerous
ConsThanks for reading, and I'd love to hear feedback so I can perhaps make better suggestions in the future.