(I've heard the word "aesthetics" enough for 10 lifetimes. Lord.)
One of the most common questions in Minecraft: How do I make my buildings look nicer? The answer, however, isn't one simple way. There's many different ways to improve the look of a building. In this thread, I'll cover some basic (and advanced, too!) ways to improve your buildings.
-- -- -- -- --
Before we really get to any "bulk" of the topic, there's a few things to know:
* Everyone has their own opinions of things in Minecraft. Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder.
* Nearly everyone is using a different texture pack. This could make your building "ugly" to someone else. (More about this later!)
* Even following this guide isn't guranteed to make your building perfect. It takes alot of time, practice, and patience. Rome wasn't built in a day.
* There will ALWAYS be someone who doesn't like what you make. (Or, so they say.)
* There will ALWAYS be someone who LOVES what you make. Don't let anyone stop you.
* There are millions of Minecraft players, and that means millions of different styles, of the relatively same things.
* In Minecraft, there is no WRONG or RIGHT way to make something. Only YOUR way.
-- -- -- --
First off (and probably most importantly!): Texture Packs.
Texture packs can really make a difference. In most of my screenshots here, I'll be using Visibility. It's a simple design, and retains the basic style of the default textures. I find that it's a good "all-around" texture pack, and isn't specifically made for a certain building type.
Textures can make or break your building. Like I already said, everyone is probably using something different! When you present your building, ALWAYS present in the texture pack you designed it around, and STATE THAT you designed it around a certain texture pack, and, if possible, provide the link to said pack. Many popular packs exist, such as Painterly, Doku's, JohnSmith, SMP's, etc. etc. (Some of my work is featured in Painterly, by the way! :tongue.gif:)
There's sure to be the perfect pack out there for you! If you design something in one pack, and switch to another, more often than not, it won't look as good as it did before. There's not much you can do about that, honestly. It's just a fact of Minecraft, now that textures can be changed.
-- -- -- -- --
There's some basic aspects to every (almost every..!) structure:
*Exterior features (Wall design/pattern)
This is usually just the walls. When making your walls, it's normally best to find a trim material, and another for in between the trim. Of course, this is just one option.
(Pics to come.)
*Landscaping around it (Pathways, lighting, flora and fauna)
Often, a little bit of simple landscaping can really add to a building! Things like well-placed bushes and flowers can really do wonders:
*Interior features (Rooms and such)
Alot can be done with interior design! I'll go into more depth later on about this, but here's just a few things to fill the inside of your house with: Tables, chairs, chandeliers, faux-TV's, bedrooms, a kitchen, a gallery, bathrooms, treasure rooms, and much more!
*Roof.
Now, you've got to have something over your head, right? Roofs can be done in many fashions, and each work well with their own style of building. The roof can definitly change the feel of a house, for sure. Don't underestimate it!
-- -- -- -- --
I'm going to just make a list of things that can improve structures. I'll try to get examples of every one of these, eventually:
Patterns: Patterns are usually for walls, as mentioned above.
Trim: Trim can be many different things. Here, the blue is wall trim, and the red is window trim.
Balcony/Patio: Here's a simple balcony. These can be built in, as such, or more complex. Usually, they're about like this. The lower covered section can be considered as a patio, since it's at ground-level.
Tray-Ceilings: These usually refer to ceilings that gradually go up in levels, as shown.
Pools
Gardens: Gardens can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be!
Recessed Lighting: This is one of my favorites. Glowstone in floors and ceilings works well for lighting in more "modern" style houses. It can also be placed on the ceiling, and surrounded by trap-doors, which looks pretty nice as well.
*Any suggestions can be added, I just got tired of listing everything that came to mind.)
-- -- -- -- --
Alright. I guess it's time we start on something, shall we? I'll go more into theory around buildings placement and design after we cover this.
To start off, let's take this very plain, very basic house:
As you can see it's all one material, and rather drab. It could be your first night in Minecraft, which is perfectly understandable. However, if you've got a chest full of diamonds in your basement, I think it's time you make some changes. First, I'm going to change the house so that it has a cobblestone trim:
Now, it's getting there, slowly. Next, we can work on that roof! Often, roofs don't work that well with whole blocks on smaller structures. They make it feel very "boxy" and cramped. For smaller homes and buildings, slabs often work well:
That's pretty good! The house is still lacking alot of personality, though! Let's work on some exterior details! I'll add some plants and other details around the house, and a fence as well:
Now that's looking alot better! This is just a small example of what can be done with a few small adjustments.
-- -- -- --
So, time for a bit of "building theory" and whatnot. Here's a few basic things to ask yourself before you build.
* What am I building?
* Where am I building?
* How big is my building going to be?
* How many resources will I need to finish my building?
If you can clearly answer these questions, you're in good shape to prepare for buildings!
-- --
Now, some cliches that definitly come into play: "Location, location, location."
- Yes. Location is EVERYTHING. I can't tell you how many cool buildings I've seen ruined by just a bad location for them.
(Pics coming)
"Bigger is better."
-Yes, and no. Sometimes, yes, bigger is better. It all just depends on the structure in mind.
-- --
Planning Structures and "Prebuilding":
If you don't have a plan, things can still turn out alright, but there's more room for error. Personally, to plan, I use MS Paint and Minecraft Structure Planner, and PAINT.Net, occasionally. Being able to plan what you build before you actually do can really make a difference. It allows you to see things in perspective really well. I recommend you use these programs as well. Here's some examples of what planning can do for you:
A simple MS-Paint plan that would be extremely difficult to visualize without a representation of it.
And, Minecraft Structure Planner, which allows you to design your buildings from the ground up, and render them in 3D!
-- -- --
*This "guide" is still largely a WIP. Please be patient with me while I assemble the post! Thanks! :biggrin.gif:*
Hopefully this guide has helped you (and will continue to do so) with your building and planning in Minecraft! Stay tuned for more, and if you've benefited from them, don't forget about the +REP button in the bottom corner of each post! Thanks!
Merc i seriously advice you to use the community to rate thing because rating from our own building can just lead to give very low rating unless you dont care that people are better than you.
Here is the rating form im using feel free to modify it.
Aesthetic: ?/5 ( The overall beauty of the building )
Material mixing: ?/5 ( Use of the material in diversity and in mixing )
Use of the environement: ?/5 ( Using environement at the advantage of the house )
Architecture: ?/5 ( The Style of the house / inspiration ex: modern, roman, arabic, ect )
Originality: ?/5 ( Well you know )
Personal constructive remark
I asked minecrafters to rate others building and when i get enough rating i make an average rating and add a personal comment
Hmm...I'll withhold anything cynical until I see how this turns out. It could be a great help for others, though there are quite a few similar threads kicking around, and most of it is just common sense. Still.
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Click on my signature to get taken to my Profile, from where you can see my Posts and other Details!
Hmm...I'll withhold anything cynical until I see how this turns out. It could be a great help for others, though there are quite a few similar threads kicking around, and most of it is just common sense. Still.
I understand. There are more out there, but there's some gaps in them, in my opinion. Rather than just barge in and attempt to run the thread, I made my own. Soon, I'll have alot more to contribute, once I being my project.
Mercman, I know I've already come off to the community as a ****, and this is just going to further people's opinion on me as such, but you aren't ready for a rating thread. I have reasoning behind this. First of all, the house that you had me rate; it didn't even make it to middle tier. Another thought, is that you are teaching people to use a slab roof; a slab roof is one of my no-nos that I tell people against. Go ahead and make a rating thread if you really want to, I'm trying to influence your decision, my opinion doesn't dictate whether or not you are ready, but just sit on that for a moment, and maybe reconsider.
Why is a slab roof bad? Its simple, eloquent, and if used right, helps to make the house or structure feel more natural.
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“Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces to your aid. But the first essential is that you begin. Once the battle is startled, all that is within and without you will come to your assistance.” ~ Robert Collier
Sorry but Yono, i think no ones is really happy by one of your ratings, and i really think that MercMan has alot of potential in building , and the fact is that he try to help other by posting a guide , while you try to tell people that their building skills are ****.
Always to yours , why are you always comparing everything to yours , building with slabs is perfect but no only on a 6 by 6 square , if you look closely to his exemple you can see how the slab looks good on a house with a rectangle shape.
Not everyone need to have your building style yono, everyone has their and thats why you shouldnt be comparing others building to yours because you think yours is way better than everyother else.
So i will ask you to just dont post your things here because i think if MercMan is doing a guide thread , he know what hes doing.
@MercMan : when are you gonna update it ? I cant wait to see more
Here's a little example of why I don't like slab roofs. Just compare the slab roof to my roof.
In this example, yes, the slab roof looks like ****. I would prefer the slanted roofing over the slab any day. However, there are situations where slab roofing is still appropriate and even preferred to going crazy with slopes.
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“Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces to your aid. But the first essential is that you begin. Once the battle is startled, all that is within and without you will come to your assistance.” ~ Robert Collier
Well, if you notice, the slab roof featured in this guide is on a 7 by 7 house; which is why I put the slanted stair roof on a 7 by 7 house. I'd like to see those situations where the slab roof looks better, as I haven't seen that before.
Most Japanese Architecture? Most that I have seen tend to run with rather flat roofs (hence the slab reference). Also, in the example pics, the slab roof was actually pulled off quite nicely, giving the building a mobile home feel, which very well could have been the style of building that the player was using.
I'm not saying that the idea can't be improved upon, but I am saying that there must be a good aesthetic middle ground between your Staircase mania and a flat roof.
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“Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces to your aid. But the first essential is that you begin. Once the battle is startled, all that is within and without you will come to your assistance.” ~ Robert Collier
Haha, I just noticed, MercMan is using my fencing tip I gave him, to replace the bottom fence with a block! Haha! Gotta love seeing your ideas pop up. I can agree though, the example in which he states he adds personality it does look half-decent, although the picture above it really kills me.
I agree. The box with slabs on top looks like total ****.
I agree with your methods, and many of your tips. I just wish that you would account for other styles of buildings when you look at them. There is much to learn from examining how various cultures and times (and even mini-cultures such as the Southern US or Western US) build and create homes.
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“Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces to your aid. But the first essential is that you begin. Once the battle is startled, all that is within and without you will come to your assistance.” ~ Robert Collier
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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Of course. Its the want for acceptance that drives that overvalue of others opinions.
No matter, as I have stated before, you have great tastes aesthetically as do many other (Emily, Mercman kinda). I wish to see more guides, to cover the large variety of styles that there are, and maybe the common things between these guides pointed out for all to see and understand.
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“Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces to your aid. But the first essential is that you begin. Once the battle is startled, all that is within and without you will come to your assistance.” ~ Robert Collier
Mercman, I know I've already come off to the community as a ****, and this is just going to further people's opinion on me as such, but you aren't ready for a rating thread. I have reasoning behind this. First of all, the house that you had me rate; it didn't even make it to middle tier. Another thought, is that you are teaching people to use a slab roof; a slab roof is one of my no-nos that I tell people against. Go ahead and make a rating thread if you really want to, I'm trying to influence your decision, my opinion doesn't dictate whether or not you are ready, but just sit on that for a moment, and maybe reconsider.
I'm not rating anyone's buildings. I'm giving techniques and different forms of building, in almost a "guide" thread.
I don't want to sound like an asshole here, but I will for a minute. You've got your share of friends/enemies, and that's fine. I'll leave the rating to you, for now. I've had more experience than it seems. I've submitted quite a bit of work around here, and that ammount is soon to up, once I begin documenting work on my soon-to-begin project. I'm not telling people to use "slab-roofs". I'm showing them one way (out of thousands!!) to *POSSIBLY* make something look better. I'm not telling them "DON'T EVAR USE SLABS!!!11". No. I'm just showing them a possibility.
--- --- --- --- ---
Back on track, a major overhaul of the OP is in progress, guys. I got wrapped up a bit yesterday in some personal matters, and didn't get to get nearly as much added as planned.
Haha, I just noticed, MercMan is using my fencing tip I gave him, to replace the bottom fence with a block! Haha! Gotta love seeing your ideas pop up. I can agree though, the example in which he states he adds personality it does look half-decent, although the picture above it really kills me.
That by no means is "your" tip. Nothing in Minecraft is "original" anymore, usually.
I agree. The box with slabs on top looks like total ****.
I agree with your methods, and many of your tips. I just wish that you would account for other styles of buildings when you look at them. There is much to learn from examining how various cultures and times (and even mini-cultures such as the Southern US or Western US) build and create homes.
I don't mind your guys opinions, but this IS A SHITTY HOUSE. It's not like I'm trying to go out there and show people some ****ing fantastic Dubai-tier building! In this particular example, I'm showing it to people on a "low-tier", so that maybe it seems more "real" and "possible" to them. Anyone can build ANYTHING in Minecraft, but if you show someone a possible technique in a modest example, they can possibly grasp it better, ya know? Just my thoughts here. I don't mean to get so fired up, but really. I can build, as can you all.
I hope you know I was referring to when you stated you might make a rating thread soon.
I'm just as capable as your are, as in anyone else. No one here on these forums is "above" anyone, in any way. Now that you mention it, I might make one eventually, just to spite you.
DJ you know that calling everyone troll all the time will get you hated by the community.
You consider everything that looks like your thread like trolling then you make bad advertising and stuff.
As one wrote in your rating thread (So you pretty much think it's more important in a thread about grading others, to show us progression of your own projects instead of giving decent critisism to those you rate poorly. This is pretty much just a soap box for your own ego then.)
another one ( You're the only one allowed with a grading thread on these boards and if anyone dares to open another one with a different approach, you'd be offended. That's just downright facist. You're not the first to come up with something like this and you certainly won't be the last ) , ( And on top of that, some people simply don't agree with your methods. You've said that several times in this thread yourself.
So you know there are people who would like a different system, but you don't want them to create their own thread around it)
and ( Because no one keeps his ego in check and he thinks the entire world of Minecraft revolves around his opinion on stuff.)
And if we obey to your rules you are a troll because you opened a guide which is copying MercMan idea.
In all respect, I'd like to request that you guys don't argue back ands forth. It doesn't make any of us look good. And, just to point out, this thread is general aesthetics and such,and in DJ's thread, it says "HOUSES." Therefor, his is more narrowed, and more specialized. This thread is broader, and will include more than just homes. This will soon become apparent, as I've said, once my project starts. I'm just waiting on the map to be provided to me. If I have to, I'll start with the smaller map that I already have, which I might just do.
Regardless, he can have his thread, I don't mind. I'd just rather him not "downplay" my thread, as if it's any less important than his.
One of the most common questions in Minecraft: How do I make my buildings look nicer? The answer, however, isn't one simple way. There's many different ways to improve the look of a building. In this thread, I'll cover some basic (and advanced, too!) ways to improve your buildings.
-- -- -- -- --
Before we really get to any "bulk" of the topic, there's a few things to know:
* Everyone has their own opinions of things in Minecraft. Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder.
* Nearly everyone is using a different texture pack. This could make your building "ugly" to someone else. (More about this later!)
* Even following this guide isn't guranteed to make your building perfect. It takes alot of time, practice, and patience. Rome wasn't built in a day.
* There will ALWAYS be someone who doesn't like what you make. (Or, so they say.)
* There will ALWAYS be someone who LOVES what you make. Don't let anyone stop you.
* There are millions of Minecraft players, and that means millions of different styles, of the relatively same things.
* In Minecraft, there is no WRONG or RIGHT way to make something. Only YOUR way.
-- -- -- --
Texture packs can really make a difference. In most of my screenshots here, I'll be using Visibility. It's a simple design, and retains the basic style of the default textures. I find that it's a good "all-around" texture pack, and isn't specifically made for a certain building type.
Textures can make or break your building. Like I already said, everyone is probably using something different! When you present your building, ALWAYS present in the texture pack you designed it around, and STATE THAT you designed it around a certain texture pack, and, if possible, provide the link to said pack. Many popular packs exist, such as Painterly, Doku's, JohnSmith, SMP's, etc. etc. (Some of my work is featured in Painterly, by the way! :tongue.gif:)
There's sure to be the perfect pack out there for you! If you design something in one pack, and switch to another, more often than not, it won't look as good as it did before. There's not much you can do about that, honestly. It's just a fact of Minecraft, now that textures can be changed.
-- -- -- -- --
*Exterior features (Wall design/pattern)
This is usually just the walls. When making your walls, it's normally best to find a trim material, and another for in between the trim. Of course, this is just one option.
(Pics to come.)
*Landscaping around it (Pathways, lighting, flora and fauna)
Often, a little bit of simple landscaping can really add to a building! Things like well-placed bushes and flowers can really do wonders:
*Interior features (Rooms and such)
Alot can be done with interior design! I'll go into more depth later on about this, but here's just a few things to fill the inside of your house with: Tables, chairs, chandeliers, faux-TV's, bedrooms, a kitchen, a gallery, bathrooms, treasure rooms, and much more!
*Roof.
Now, you've got to have something over your head, right? Roofs can be done in many fashions, and each work well with their own style of building. The roof can definitly change the feel of a house, for sure. Don't underestimate it!
-- -- -- -- --
Patterns: Patterns are usually for walls, as mentioned above.
Trim: Trim can be many different things. Here, the blue is wall trim, and the red is window trim.
Balcony/Patio: Here's a simple balcony. These can be built in, as such, or more complex. Usually, they're about like this. The lower covered section can be considered as a patio, since it's at ground-level.
Tray-Ceilings: These usually refer to ceilings that gradually go up in levels, as shown.
Pools
Gardens: Gardens can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be!
Recessed Lighting: This is one of my favorites. Glowstone in floors and ceilings works well for lighting in more "modern" style houses. It can also be placed on the ceiling, and surrounded by trap-doors, which looks pretty nice as well.
*Any suggestions can be added, I just got tired of listing everything that came to mind.)
-- -- -- -- --
To start off, let's take this very plain, very basic house:
As you can see it's all one material, and rather drab. It could be your first night in Minecraft, which is perfectly understandable. However, if you've got a chest full of diamonds in your basement, I think it's time you make some changes. First, I'm going to change the house so that it has a cobblestone trim:
Now, it's getting there, slowly. Next, we can work on that roof! Often, roofs don't work that well with whole blocks on smaller structures. They make it feel very "boxy" and cramped. For smaller homes and buildings, slabs often work well:
That's pretty good! The house is still lacking alot of personality, though! Let's work on some exterior details! I'll add some plants and other details around the house, and a fence as well:
Now that's looking alot better! This is just a small example of what can be done with a few small adjustments.
So, time for a bit of "building theory" and whatnot. Here's a few basic things to ask yourself before you build.
* What am I building?
* Where am I building?
* How big is my building going to be?
* How many resources will I need to finish my building?
If you can clearly answer these questions, you're in good shape to prepare for buildings!
-- --
Now, some cliches that definitly come into play:
"Location, location, location."
- Yes. Location is EVERYTHING. I can't tell you how many cool buildings I've seen ruined by just a bad location for them.
(Pics coming)
"Bigger is better."
-Yes, and no. Sometimes, yes, bigger is better. It all just depends on the structure in mind.
-- --
Planning Structures and "Prebuilding":
A simple MS-Paint plan that would be extremely difficult to visualize without a representation of it.
And, Minecraft Structure Planner, which allows you to design your buildings from the ground up, and render them in 3D!
-- -- --
*This "guide" is still largely a WIP. Please be patient with me while I assemble the post! Thanks! :biggrin.gif:*
Hopefully this guide has helped you (and will continue to do so) with your building and planning in Minecraft! Stay tuned for more, and if you've benefited from them, don't forget about the +REP button in the bottom corner of each post! Thanks!
Well, thanks, haha! :biggrin.gif:
Thanks! There's been tons of threads like this, but, I'm sure this won't be the last!
Here is the rating form im using feel free to modify it.
Aesthetic: ?/5 ( The overall beauty of the building )
Material mixing: ?/5 ( Use of the material in diversity and in mixing )
Use of the environement: ?/5 ( Using environement at the advantage of the house )
Architecture: ?/5 ( The Style of the house / inspiration ex: modern, roman, arabic, ect )
Originality: ?/5 ( Well you know )
Personal constructive remark
I asked minecrafters to rate others building and when i get enough rating i make an average rating and add a personal comment
Click on my signature to get taken to my Profile, from where you can see my Posts and other Details!
I understand. There are more out there, but there's some gaps in them, in my opinion. Rather than just barge in and attempt to run the thread, I made my own. Soon, I'll have alot more to contribute, once I being my project.
Why is a slab roof bad? Its simple, eloquent, and if used right, helps to make the house or structure feel more natural.
Not everyone need to have your building style yono, everyone has their and thats why you shouldnt be comparing others building to yours because you think yours is way better than everyother else.
So i will ask you to just dont post your things here because i think if MercMan is doing a guide thread , he know what hes doing.
@MercMan : when are you gonna update it ? I cant wait to see more
In this example, yes, the slab roof looks like ****. I would prefer the slanted roofing over the slab any day. However, there are situations where slab roofing is still appropriate and even preferred to going crazy with slopes.
Most Japanese Architecture? Most that I have seen tend to run with rather flat roofs (hence the slab reference). Also, in the example pics, the slab roof was actually pulled off quite nicely, giving the building a mobile home feel, which very well could have been the style of building that the player was using.
I'm not saying that the idea can't be improved upon, but I am saying that there must be a good aesthetic middle ground between your Staircase mania and a flat roof.
I agree. The box with slabs on top looks like total ****.
I agree with your methods, and many of your tips. I just wish that you would account for other styles of buildings when you look at them. There is much to learn from examining how various cultures and times (and even mini-cultures such as the Southern US or Western US) build and create homes.
No matter, as I have stated before, you have great tastes aesthetically as do many other (Emily, Mercman kinda). I wish to see more guides, to cover the large variety of styles that there are, and maybe the common things between these guides pointed out for all to see and understand.
I'm not rating anyone's buildings. I'm giving techniques and different forms of building, in almost a "guide" thread.
I don't want to sound like an asshole here, but I will for a minute. You've got your share of friends/enemies, and that's fine. I'll leave the rating to you, for now. I've had more experience than it seems. I've submitted quite a bit of work around here, and that ammount is soon to up, once I begin documenting work on my soon-to-begin project. I'm not telling people to use "slab-roofs". I'm showing them one way (out of thousands!!) to *POSSIBLY* make something look better. I'm not telling them "DON'T EVAR USE SLABS!!!11". No. I'm just showing them a possibility.
--- --- --- --- ---
Back on track, a major overhaul of the OP is in progress, guys. I got wrapped up a bit yesterday in some personal matters, and didn't get to get nearly as much added as planned.
-- -- -- --
That by no means is "your" tip. Nothing in Minecraft is "original" anymore, usually.
I don't mind your guys opinions, but this IS A SHITTY HOUSE. It's not like I'm trying to go out there and show people some ****ing fantastic Dubai-tier building! In this particular example, I'm showing it to people on a "low-tier", so that maybe it seems more "real" and "possible" to them. Anyone can build ANYTHING in Minecraft, but if you show someone a possible technique in a modest example, they can possibly grasp it better, ya know? Just my thoughts here. I don't mean to get so fired up, but really. I can build, as can you all.
I'm just as capable as your are, as in anyone else. No one here on these forums is "above" anyone, in any way. Now that you mention it, I might make one eventually, just to spite you.
You consider everything that looks like your thread like trolling then you make bad advertising and stuff.
As one wrote in your rating thread (So you pretty much think it's more important in a thread about grading others, to show us progression of your own projects instead of giving decent critisism to those you rate poorly. This is pretty much just a soap box for your own ego then.)
another one ( You're the only one allowed with a grading thread on these boards and if anyone dares to open another one with a different approach, you'd be offended. That's just downright facist. You're not the first to come up with something like this and you certainly won't be the last ) , ( And on top of that, some people simply don't agree with your methods. You've said that several times in this thread yourself.
So you know there are people who would like a different system, but you don't want them to create their own thread around it)
and ( Because no one keeps his ego in check and he thinks the entire world of Minecraft revolves around his opinion on stuff.)
And if we obey to your rules you are a troll because you opened a guide which is copying MercMan idea.
Regardless, he can have his thread, I don't mind. I'd just rather him not "downplay" my thread, as if it's any less important than his.