If you have netherrack, put a block on a high hill and light it on fire. Then when you are just about to loose sight of it put another one in a high location. Then just follow the fires on your way home.
Torches along the primary travel axis NS/EW
-with towers of sandstone, lit with torches, every 1k
Jack-o-lanterns under water unless I feel like building a water-based dirt tower
When I have access to it, I build a lava tower not far from my house, with a water pit surrounding it for safety. Makes for nice light during nighttime, but also can be seen from quite far away.
You have to Make the Map at the house for it to be centered there.
Thank you for Knowing about maps. i don't have to say it now.
Also, what i do is i build a Huge tower untill Sky limit or a bit down from that. helps quite a bit to see where your house is if you live in a valley.
If you play on Tiny - Every 20 blocks, make a 1x1 tower of sand or gravel to around elevation 100, then jump down into water and not hurt yourself.
If you play on Small (fog) - Every 30 blocks make a 1x1 tower of sand or gravel to around elevation 100
If you play on Normal (fog) - Everyone 60 blocks make a 1x1 tower of sand or gravel to around elevation 100
If you play on far - Every 100 blocks makes a 1x1 tower of sand or gravel to elevation 100
To find your elevation, press f3 and look for the y coordinate. The reason I recommend sand or gravel is so you don't waste your time trying to get to the top to dig it down. All you would have to do is break the bottom, place a torch and let the sand and gravel break itself. OR if you are inexperienced with that technique, I recommend learning it or just keep breaking the bottom sand/gravel.
At least a couple people mentioned F3 and the coordinate system. If you know how to use that and you know how the sun/moon and clouds move, you won't need any materials to find your way back home. Even in the rain, coordinates never fail. As someone else mentioned, make it easier on yourself by only exploring in one cardinal direction at a time.
Step by step:
1. At your home, hit F3 and write down the coordinates (X and Z).
2. Move in any cardinal direction (NSEW) and then hit F3 again and note which number changed. Now you know which is the NS number and which is the EW number.
3. Explore in any of those four directions, confident that you now have all the knowledge you need to get back home.
The coordinate system is nice and very useful, but not always helpful.
When I play SSP on my laptop, for some reason the animated graph at the bottom left (is that pingtime?) nearly instantly obliterates the coordinates and makes it difficult to use unless I close out, then reopen.
At home on my primary desktop, though, it's never a problem.
It is, however, safer to follow my paths of torches (etc) than to end up with tunnel vision on the coordinates and walk into a ravine or a creeper :wink.gif:
I just build my house near a landmark like a large mountain or a river, or the meeting of a desert and a forest. I don't stray too far until I can get resources to make a map.
When I play I like to go off and explore BUT, I get worried I might lose track of direction. What do I do? :blink.gif:
You can download a mod which makes a track after you a red line, its toggle so you can decide if its on or off. Its like a red line that tells you where you have walked, works fine! :biggrin.gif: http://www.youtube.com/user/AdamzoneTopMarks#p/u/20/S2mrJ46bKrc
The compass will only point to your first spawn.
This is how I use mine :biggrin.gif:
Torches along the primary travel axis NS/EW
-with towers of sandstone, lit with torches, every 1k
Jack-o-lanterns under water unless I feel like building a water-based dirt tower
When I have access to it, I build a lava tower not far from my house, with a water pit surrounding it for safety. Makes for nice light during nighttime, but also can be seen from quite far away.
Thank you for Knowing about maps. i don't have to say it now.
Also, what i do is i build a Huge tower untill Sky limit or a bit down from that. helps quite a bit to see where your house is if you live in a valley.
If you play on Small (fog) - Every 30 blocks make a 1x1 tower of sand or gravel to around elevation 100
If you play on Normal (fog) - Everyone 60 blocks make a 1x1 tower of sand or gravel to around elevation 100
If you play on far - Every 100 blocks makes a 1x1 tower of sand or gravel to elevation 100
To find your elevation, press f3 and look for the y coordinate. The reason I recommend sand or gravel is so you don't waste your time trying to get to the top to dig it down. All you would have to do is break the bottom, place a torch and let the sand and gravel break itself. OR if you are inexperienced with that technique, I recommend learning it or just keep breaking the bottom sand/gravel.
^Click^
ooh, i like that idea!
I usually make cobble pillars, carry a bucket and drop the water at the top then scoop it up and float down while it disappears (thanks antvenom!)
I also have been building shorter pillars and bonmealing a mushroom at the top. thats harder to put torches on though!
I also build roads to find my way to landmarks near-ish my house.
When I really get lost I make a new mine and dig to redstone, make a compass and find my way back to spawn.
I always forget about the maps until its too late, lol.
Build your house at the original spawn point where you entered the world. Then, make a compass because they point to the original spawn point.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/tibtuner04
Step by step:
1. At your home, hit F3 and write down the coordinates (X and Z).
2. Move in any cardinal direction (NSEW) and then hit F3 again and note which number changed. Now you know which is the NS number and which is the EW number.
3. Explore in any of those four directions, confident that you now have all the knowledge you need to get back home.
When I play SSP on my laptop, for some reason the animated graph at the bottom left (is that pingtime?) nearly instantly obliterates the coordinates and makes it difficult to use unless I close out, then reopen.
At home on my primary desktop, though, it's never a problem.
It is, however, safer to follow my paths of torches (etc) than to end up with tunnel vision on the coordinates and walk into a ravine or a creeper :wink.gif:
They're free and easy to use
Helping raise Dragons
isn't a huge pain! Just
give 'em a click!
You can download a mod which makes a track after you a red line, its toggle so you can decide if its on or off. Its like a red line that tells you where you have walked, works fine! :biggrin.gif: http://www.youtube.com/user/AdamzoneTopMarks#p/u/20/S2mrJ46bKrc
This is a mod that makes a red line follow you so you can see where you have walked, its toggle so you can decide if its on or off. Works just fine! :biggrin.gif: http://www.youtube.com/user/AdamzoneTopMarks#p/u/20/S2mrJ46bKrc