Today I was exploring the world. I had found a strange outcropping atop a mountain over a lake, and hollowed it out into a shelter with a fantastic view of my main base on the horizon and untamed wilderness in the distance. From this vantage, I was to decide where I'd set up my next base on the horizon within view of my current base. I found myself using the 'manual zoom', bringing my head closer to the screen to get a closer look at some of the terrain in the distance, and found myself wishing I had a tool to zoom the view. Then I realized: What I wanted was a spyglass.
How to craft it: 4 glass panes = 1 lens. 2 lens + iron bar = Spyglass.
What it does: It zooms in by shrinking the field of view. It does not change what terrain is loaded, so you still can't see past your fog distance.
Difficulty adding to the game: Very low, as the item is just moving your 'field of view' slider down to a single digit view.
Utility: For those of us who love to set up little bases across the world because we're big sissies afraid of being caught outside after dark, a spyglass would be a great addition to the game. From our many observation towers we could scout the terrain, scoping out where we'd like to check out for our next base. You could get a nice close-up look at the creepers in the distance, check out that plateau in the distance before you trudge over, or examine your giant redstone circuit from your tower instead of walking up and down each aisle to find the broken part.
Alternatives: A higher tech version of the spyglass, requiring diamonds instead of glass, allows for variable zoom levels.
NIGHT VISION GOGGLES
I was exploring a giant cavern in the side of a mountain today, and found it was easier to just wall off the entrance of it than actually explore it due to the difficulty placing torches. If only I could see into the dark areas for just a moment, I'd know how dangerous it would be to trudge in there to place the torches.
How to craft it: 4 glass panes = 1 lens. 2 lens + 2 glowstone + 3 leather = Night vision goggles
What it does: It alters your view so that everything is evenly illuminated in a yellow tint.
Drawback: Activating the goggles triggers the special view for five seconds. A pair of goggles will last for 10 uses, so you only get 50 seconds per crafting.
Utility: Getting a quick glance around a dark cave before you go to place your torches. Due to the very short duration, these are a situational item for when you need to see a large dark area, or need to make a frantic dash from where you are to a safe place and want to know just how many creepers want to blow you up on the way.
NOTE: The night vision goggles are a bit of a stretch at the moment, as we'll have to see just how 'high tech' minecraft eventually gets.
Today I was exploring the world. I had found a strange outcropping atop a mountain over a lake, and hollowed it out into a shelter with a fantastic view of my main base on the horizon and untamed wilderness in the distance. From this vantage, I was to decide where I'd set up my next base on the horizon within view of my current base. I found myself using the 'manual zoom', bringing my head closer to the screen to get a closer look at some of the terrain in the distance, and found myself wishing I had a tool to zoom the view. Then I realized: What I wanted was a spyglass.
How to craft it: 4 glass panes = 1 lens. 2 lens + iron bar = Spyglass.
What it does: It zooms in by shrinking the field of view. It does not change what terrain is loaded, so you still can't see past your fog distance.
Difficulty adding to the game: Very low, as the item is just moving your 'field of view' slider down to a single digit view.
Utility: For those of us who love to set up little bases across the world because we're big sissies afraid of being caught outside after dark, a spyglass would be a great addition to the game. From our many observation towers we could scout the terrain, scoping out where we'd like to check out for our next base. You could get a nice close-up look at the creepers in the distance, check out that plateau in the distance before you trudge over, or examine your giant redstone circuit from your tower instead of walking up and down each aisle to find the broken part.
Alternatives: A higher tech version of the spyglass, requiring diamonds instead of glass, allows for variable zoom levels.
NIGHT VISION GOGGLES
I was exploring a giant cavern in the side of a mountain today, and found it was easier to just wall off the entrance of it than actually explore it due to the difficulty placing torches. If only I could see into the dark areas for just a moment, I'd know how dangerous it would be to trudge in there to place the torches.
How to craft it: 4 glass panes = 1 lens. 2 lens + 2 glowstone + 3 leather = Night vision goggles
What it does: It alters your view so that everything is evenly illuminated in a yellow tint.
Drawback: Activating the goggles triggers the special view for five seconds. A pair of goggles will last for 10 uses, so you only get 50 seconds per crafting.
Utility: Getting a quick glance around a dark cave before you go to place your torches. Due to the very short duration, these are a situational item for when you need to see a large dark area, or need to make a frantic dash from where you are to a safe place and want to know just how many creepers want to blow you up on the way.
NOTE: The night vision goggles are a bit of a stretch at the moment, as we'll have to see just how 'high tech' minecraft eventually gets.
You mean this one?
http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/500948-posting-there-is-a-mod-for-that-is-a-warnable-offence/