Would you consider it a compliment if I said you've destroyed my self esteem and made me unable to face my substandard creations ever again, and that I probably won't play Minecraft anymore for the next six months? Lol but these are very nice low-tech builds. Watching LPers like DocM and Etho tends to make me forget that a lot of it is in the details. I really like your builds; they're attractive and certainly what I wish I could do.
I most assuredly take it as a compliment, but hope your stated intent to quit the game isn't serious. If it's any consolation, I don't consider myself much of a builder in the traditional sense. Most of what you see in my posted captures is a result of trail-and-error, false starts and rebuilds.
After all this time, I've yet to figure out how to finish off the Hill Fort keep. I know it will have one more floor, and a true roof. But beyond that? Then there's my Naval Abomination, an eyesore if there ever was one. Can't figure out what to do with it either. These things will eventually working themselves out, either via a moment of inspiration or, far more likely, endless tinkering and sheer luck.
P/S: By the way, I think I'd like to see the interior of the mushroom farm. I know you think it's dull but going by the bulk of your posts in this thread, the worst it could ever be is probably just normal.
I at first thought to respectfully decline this request. The "farm" is drab and utilitarian to an extreme. Its "rooms" are nothing more than tiny, bare stone cubes with recessed torch lighting, a ladder in one corner, and shrooms growing on the floor. I briefly thought to expand the two upper floors, which can be done on three sides, but in the end decided to stick with the "sink hole's" original dimensions.
ADDENDUM: An image of my mushroom farm interior seen here was transferred to my initial post (#1). It was removed here due to redundancy and a need to reduce PhotoBucket bandwidth consumption.
This is either the second or third (of three) floor, identical except that one grows reds, the other browns. (The bottom floor, being somewhat larger, grows both.) Alas, I captured the image soon after harvesting. Lack of shrooms filling the entire floor makes the scene even more boring and colorless than it needs to be. All this said, I am neither unhappy with nor embarrassed by the farm. It serves its purpose, which in this case is all I ask.
I don't think many people are builders in the traditional sense, then. It takes skill and practice (or training) to know what you're building before you build it. It's Minecraft. Terraform a mountain that's in the way, who cares? Haha. Just make sure you have more a tougher ego than I do. I lose motivation for a while every time I mess up a build.
Thanks for showing me the sinkhole; I wanted to see what you did. Everyone's all up in the automated "get thousands of mushrooms!!1!" farms. I think utilitarian isn't a problem. If anything, dirt holes growing mushrooms makes sense. Some people grow mushrooms on lapis blocks in decked out, complicated towers. Ridiculous. Although I sorta feel like growing mushrooms in holes isn't practical anymore since they nerfed the spread rate. I remember my first world, where I tried growing mushrooms in an 8x8 room and almost starved to death lol.
I sorta feel like growing mushrooms in holes isn't practical anymore since they nerfed the spread rate. I remember my first world, where I tried growing mushrooms in an 8x8 room and almost starved to death lol.
Yeah. Had I a real need for shrooms I'd likely have designed a far different farm. Or not. LOL.
Not much has transpired since my last update, certainly nothing of significance. Shelving is at last in place at the Temple enchanters station. Ironically, not an hour after installing the final shelf I learned that the max-shelving requirement was reduced from thirty to fifteen. I, of course, installed thirty. In my defense, not that it's needed:
This is only my second enchanters station. The first, at the Hill-Fort, was constructed during MC125.
The reduction occurred during MC131 or thereabouts.
I skipped MC13x, jumping from 125 straight to 14x. (As I recall, either my texture-pack-of-choice or the sole true mod I run didn't update for 13x until only a few days prior to 14x launch, at which point why bother?.)
Not that I minded in the least. These games are at their heart time-sinks. Had I not been assembling shelves I'd have been doing something else to pass time. Otherwise, why play?
I also added a tiny cocoa bean farm near the northeast corner of the Temple grounds:
It's far from ideal. There simply isn't room within the enclosure for a decent-size cocoa farm. The log was originally one block higher, so that its western end rested atop the higher ground level. It looked better that way. But...in that position mobs abutting the perimeter fence could not be seen. This being a survival play-through first-and-foremost, when push comes to shove security and safely win out over aesthetics.
I can tell you have made a ton of progress in your world but I can't stand the texture pack. (Note, it's just my opinion)
I highly recommend it to change it to default.
But if you don't then that's cool, like I said I'm just saying.
I can tell you have made a ton of progress in your world but I can't stand the texture pack. (Note, it's just my opinion)
I highly recommend it to change it to default.
But if you don't then that's cool, like I said I'm just saying.
^ Or JohnSmith, Legacy's still pretty good and the textures match up well internally.
Thanks for the comments!
I quite like JohnSmith. It's prolly my favorite x32 pack. Sadly, for me anything less than x128 tends to wear thin over time.
That said, I'm a fan of Ovo's Rustic Redemption, an x64 pack. I use it on my secondary computer, which doesn't quite have the muscle to handle x128 without lag and stutters. I think my world looks pretty decent with Ovo, though nothing was built with Ovo in place. It might be my primary recommendation for those who download my world. (Images seen in my various posts are almost all captured with an unholy blend of two x128 packs that must remain private-use only.
As to vanilla graphics, I gave it some thought early on, but ultimately decided against it. Those who wish to see my world sans texture pack can, after all, simply DL the file and look for themselves. A down side, I made a fair number of cosmetic changes to the Hill Fort upper plateau since posting my current download. They're not significant enough to warrant a new DL, but imo a definite improvement.
I've no new build images, my MC time being spent spelunking, branch mining and harvesting surface resources. I did visit the "naval abomination" thinking to at last redo that monstrosity. As always nothing came of it.
I find that anything over x64 ruins the feel for me. Minecraft isn't a realistic game because it's made up of metre-cubes, so realistic textures on the unrealistic world creates a sort of dissonance in my mind. It's like a ridiculous action film that suddenly does something so ridiculous, you simply can't suspend disbelief anymore; your brain stops the ride and goes, "Wait, what?" It breaks the immersion.
I mean, (relatively) superhigh resolution like x128 immerses me in games like Half-Life or Doom (hell Doom was like x16 or something lol), but in Minecraft, it just doesn't click. I need a cartoon-ish feel for the fantastical Minecraft world.
Anyway that's why I play with Faithful. I'd play JohnSmith, except when viewed in Vanilla it doesn't look good.
My Minecraftian days have been spent spelunking and resource gathering, with no construction to speak of. I did attempt to add another tower similar to Enchanters Tower at the southwest corner of the Hill Fort upper plateau, but failed miserably. Three tries all ended in total demolition.
That said, on 17 Jun 2013 I began work on what will eventually be an Inn / Hotel at the only decent-sized village discovered thus far in my world. (The other village is teeny-tiny, one or two homes and a smith.) Oddly, this is my first attempt at constructing a more-or-less recognizably conventional structure. I'm winging it, learning as I go.
ADDENDUM: Images originally seen here became obsolete. They have been deleted or transferred to another post as of 2013-06-26.
Wow, are you by any chance an architect? I love how all the materials look with each other
Nay, but I do think I have a bit of a knack for selecting interesting complementary building materials that enhance what might otherwise be rather drab structures.
2013-07-03 addendum: Images and text originally were removed or transferred to another post due to obsolescence and a need to reduce Photobucket bandwidth consumption.
Views of my images exceeded free Photobucket's 10gb per month bandwidth limit. They have been disabled until whatever day of the month I established my Photobucket account. The count will then reset to zero. Images will be viewable.
How in the world did it happen? So far as I know, my various image threads received no marked increase in visits. If judged solely by recent viewer participation, which approaches non-existence, they might actually have receive fewer views. But that is obviously not the case.
I'm not complaining. Not really. Heck, I want my imaged to be seen. Elsewise why bother to post them? Heck, the more views the better! Keep on viewing, with my thanks!
I am taking steps to hopefully remedy this situation in the future, or at least lessen its chance to occur. I have established an Imgur account and will upload many captures there. My goal is to have a half-and-half mixture of Photobucket and Imgur. That should reduce the bandwidth strain on any one online image storage service. I also contemplate subdividing my Minecraftian images between several threads, all under the umbrella heading "Autocracy of Decrepia". This thread, for instance, would be retitled "Autocracy of Decrepia - My Survival Hill Fort", and house only images pertaining to the fortress and its immediate surrounds. My various major pathways would get their own thread: "Autocracy of Decrepia - Roadways of the Empire". The Testificate village I recently began modifying would branch off as "Autocracy of Decrepia - Autarch Neglect Village". So forth and so on.
In any case, sorry for the temporary image non availability.
ADDENDUM:
Reading up on Imgur makes it seem a less than ideal solution, since images are not permanently stored there. Now, if images get viewed every so often (at least once each six months?) they supposedly won't be removed. Kind of scary none the less. I'll have to rethink this. Any ideas? (And no, I do not plan to reduce the number of images seen in my Screenshot forum threads, other than by deleting some obsolete WIP views.)
Views of my images exceeded free Photobucket's 10gb per month bandwidth limit. They have been disabled until whatever day of the month I established my Photobucket account. The count will then reset to zero. Images will be viewable.
How in the world did it happen? So far as I know, my various image threads received no marked increase in visits. If judged solely by recent viewer participation, which approaches non-existence, they might actually have receive fewer views. But that is obviously not the case.
I'm not complaining. Not really. Heck, I want my imaged to be seen. Elsewise why bother to post them? Heck, the more views the better! Keep on viewing, with my thanks!
I am taking steps to hopefully remedy this situation in the future, or at least lessen its chance to occur. I have established an Imgur account and will upload many captures there. My goal is to have a half-and-half mixture of Photobucket and Imgur. That should reduce the bandwidth strain on any one online image storage service. I also contemplate subdividing my Minecraftian images between several threads, all under the umbrella heading "Autocracy of Decrepia". This thread, for instance, would be retitled "Autocracy of Decrepia - My Survival Hill Fort", and house only images pertaining to the fortress and its immediate surrounds. My various major pathways would get their own thread: "Autocracy of Decrepia - Roadways of the Empire". The Testificate village I recently began modifying would branch off as "Autocracy of Decrepia - Autarch Neglect Village". So forth and so on.
In any case, sorry for the temporary image non availability.
If I could just make a suggestion in hosting switch, I would recommend picBox. They have a program for windows (Like the snipping tool but automatically uploads to the site) and even a Minecraft mod for it.
There is no bandwidth limit or anything! I recommend it for you
If I could just make a suggestion in hosting switch, I would recommend picBox. They have a program for windows (Like the snipping tool but automatically uploads to the site) and even a Minecraft mod for it. There is no bandwidth limit or anything! I recommend it for you
I thank you one and all for your concern. Budgeh, I will definitely give picBox a look-see while investigating solutions to my Photobucket monthly bandwidth limit dilemma.
Please check out post #1 for new and/or updated images related to Autarch Neglect Village. That post also reflects changes in presentation, with more images housed inside spoilers to hopefully cut down on load time.
UPDATE: Autarch Neglect Village - Perimeter Walls completed Saturday 2013-07-06
Yesterday saw the last stretch of protective wall surrounding Autarch Neglect Village in place. Work is of course not done. More sophisticated lighting will likely be installed at some point. I might add a demibastion smack in the middle of the east wall between its two entrances.
Here's an bland image captured at Minecraftian dawn as I inspected the battlements for faults and oversights:
The wall contains five entrances (two along the east wall) and five bastions. Two entrances are double-wide to allow farm-animal passage. Each entrance is protected by exterior-side fencing to keep creepers at distance.
The Inn can be seen mid distance. Otherwise the village remains relatively unaltered, beyond common repairs, plugging cave entrances, converting several fields from wheat to more needed crops, and establishing temporary tree farms. Oh! I did place lots of (temporary) doors around a vanilla home, which allowed four additional villagers to spawn.
Should I prepare an updated download? It's been half a year since my current download was posted. On the other hand, there is little new of significance: the WIP village, modest extension of my West Road, including its end-of-the-road converted temple supply dump, and mostly cosmetic changes to the Hill Fort. Nothing to get excited over. I could and prolly should wait until completing a roadway between Hill Fort and Village, but that might well mean months of delay.
UPDATE: New world download available as of 2013-07-08
My SPS world is available in a new "Farewell to MC152" edition, downloadable via this MediaFire link.
UPDATE: Autarch Neglect Village - Clay & Brickwork Shoppes WIP
Between status reports I updated the game to v162, did a good bit of spelunking and resource gathering, constructed a not-quite-finished storage/basement with attached tiny mushroom farm beneath Autarch Neglect Inn, and recently began work on a combined Clay & Brickwork Shoppe across from the Inn.
This image shows progress on the shoppe to-date:
Do not be deceived. This structure is nowhere near complete. Only its north and west walls, maybe half the roof, and two small sales rooms are in place. Nothing else exists, not even outer walls.
It's been a trying project. The second floor, as originally conceived, proved unworkable. Just as well. I find I prefer how it is now over what I had envisioned. Even so, in order to correct a miscalculation, the south wall will be one block too near the Village Perimeter Wall. It's not a lease-breaker, but will definitely narrow my accessorizing options.
I'm not convinced those pink clay upper walls are a keeper. Green would look nice, but I already use that for interiors. Blue might work, but I want the Shoppes to contrast with the Inn, which is of course blue. Had white clay in place for a while, but....blah. Time will tell, I reckon. A problem with pink, discounting its suitability, is that I'm having a heck of a time getting enough red flowers for dye. (Yellow flowers, on the other hand, grow in profusion.)
Don't be surprised if my Photobucket images again disappear for a period of time. I have already received notice of approaching my monthly bandwidth limit, as happened last month (or was it the month before?). Not sure what's going on. Far as I can tell, this thread receives no more views than it ever has. Plus, a number of posted images have been transferred from Photobucket to Imgur. In any case, should it happen inaccessibility will be temporary.
UPDATE: Autarch Neglect Village - Clay & Brickwork shoppes WIP
A surprising amount of progress occurred by the time I departed for RL work yesterday. South and east walls are in place. Interiors are more or less complete if not wholly accessorized. Roof and balcony are in place.
Clay & Brickwork Shoppe viewed from the northwest:
We stand atop Village Perimeter Wall battlements facing the structure's south and east walls and upper-floor balcony. The shoppe's obligatory oven banks (for hardening clay and bricks) are situated outdoors by necessity...I quite like the arrangement. A jungle wood trunk serves as both balcony support pillar and brown dye cocoa farm. A small cactus patch attached to the east wall provides green dye. The chimney is not, alas, perfectly aligned with those oven banks. I pretend they connect via in-wall ductwork. The balcony is too small to do much with, one small bush was added post-screenshot.
I wish I had constructed the roof from jungle wood rather than spruce. It's hard to tell what is Shoppe from what is Inn (which also sports a spruce roof). At some point I might switch over. Time and resource consuming, but otherwise monkey-work easily accomplished. (Obscured by the jungle-wood pillar, an employees-only rear entrance/exit door.)
"All Things Clay" sales floor:
One of two sales areas, accessorized though labeling will likely change. Illuminated by a single glowstone embedded in the ceiling. Despite apparent dimness, F3 shows the room adequately lit to prevent mob spawn. Both sales areas suffer an unsightly lighting glitch, easily noticed just below the ceiling. Also seen is a sales & service counter, and the rear entrance/exit door.
"Ye Olde Brickwork" sales floor:
The other sales area. (All else is shared between shoppes.) An irony is that constructing the shoppe consumed nearly all my clay/brick reserve. The shoppe's many storage chests are next to empty, and will likely remain so for some time. Also seen: a bit of the cubbyhole housing a ladder to the upper floor.
Upper floor hallway:
We stand at the northwest corner, from which the entirety of the small "V" shaped hall can be seen. From left to right are 1) pink clay framed door to the north-side bedroom, 2) hatch-protected ladder leading to the ground floor, 3) red clay framed door to the balcony, 4) obligatory dedication plaque, 5) pink clay framed door to the west-side study.
Upper floor north-side bedroom (left) and west-side study (right):
The shoppe contains living quarters for the proprietor's family. Additional workforce lives outside the premises. I had no room to install either kitchen facilities or latrine. Thankfully these needs can be met at the Inn just across the street.
Shoppe north and west walls slightly updated:
Not much has changed since my nearly identical view seen in post #158. A corner street-lamp was added. Other exterior lighting has been altered but is not permanent. Roofing just below the highpoint has been subtly modified to give it a more solid feel. Chimney smoke can be seen flowing in a properly westward direction.
Crop fields seen in the immediate foreground will eventually be relocated behind and/or beside the Inn, and shoppes of some sort erected in their place.
The Clay & Brickworks Shoppe remains a WIP. Construction will slow as I shift emphasis to replenishing reserves of clay, stone and wood.
The bulk of this evening's session was spent branch mining at diamond level to replenish exhausted cobble reserves. Inventory at last bulging with stone, I headed for the surface. Part way up the unmistakable sound of rapid lightning strikes filled the air. I surfaced into a torrential downpour. Not twenty Minecraftian feet outside the mine entrance I saw, off in the distance, a bolt of lightning strike the roof of Autarch Neglect Inn. It took fire. I kicked into a sprint and raced to the village. I entered the Inn and ascended the stairs, intending to chop away burning wood and wool and save what I could. Turns out heavy rain did much of the work for me. Only a few burning embers remained for me to dispose of.
Here's the third-floor room that took the brunt of the damage:
Here it is again, seen from the outside:
Had rain not continued long after lightning ceased, things might have gone far worse, considering how much of the two upper floors are wood and wool.
Truth be told, I suspected this would happen sooner or later. The area surrounding Autarch Neglect is very storm prone, more so than at the Hill Fort. The Inn is a substantial target of flimsy material. What to do? I suppose I'll convert Cyan wool outer walls to light-blue hardened clay. Should have done so soon as I updated to MC162, despite wool looking distinctly better (with my textures of choice). Gonna have to devote time to extended clay harvesting expeditions to replace all that wool.
I most assuredly take it as a compliment, but hope your stated intent to quit the game isn't serious. If it's any consolation, I don't consider myself much of a builder in the traditional sense. Most of what you see in my posted captures is a result of trail-and-error, false starts and rebuilds.
After all this time, I've yet to figure out how to finish off the Hill Fort keep. I know it will have one more floor, and a true roof. But beyond that? Then there's my Naval Abomination, an eyesore if there ever was one. Can't figure out what to do with it either. These things will eventually working themselves out, either via a moment of inspiration or, far more likely, endless tinkering and sheer luck.
I at first thought to respectfully decline this request. The "farm" is drab and utilitarian to an extreme. Its "rooms" are nothing more than tiny, bare stone cubes with recessed torch lighting, a ladder in one corner, and shrooms growing on the floor. I briefly thought to expand the two upper floors, which can be done on three sides, but in the end decided to stick with the "sink hole's" original dimensions.
This is either the second or third (of three) floor, identical except that one grows reds, the other browns. (The bottom floor, being somewhat larger, grows both.) Alas, I captured the image soon after harvesting. Lack of shrooms filling the entire floor makes the scene even more boring and colorless than it needs to be. All this said, I am neither unhappy with nor embarrassed by the farm. It serves its purpose, which in this case is all I ask.
Thanks for showing me the sinkhole; I wanted to see what you did. Everyone's all up in the automated "get thousands of mushrooms!!1!" farms. I think utilitarian isn't a problem. If anything, dirt holes growing mushrooms makes sense. Some people grow mushrooms on lapis blocks in decked out, complicated towers. Ridiculous. Although I sorta feel like growing mushrooms in holes isn't practical anymore since they nerfed the spread rate. I remember my first world, where I tried growing mushrooms in an 8x8 room and almost starved to death lol.
2013-07-03 addendum: Images and text originally seen here were removed due to obsolescence and a need to reduce Photobucket bandwidth consumption.
Yeah. Had I a real need for shrooms I'd likely have designed a far different farm. Or not. LOL.
I also added a tiny cocoa bean farm near the northeast corner of the Temple grounds:
It's far from ideal. There simply isn't room within the enclosure for a decent-size cocoa farm. The log was originally one block higher, so that its western end rested atop the higher ground level. It looked better that way. But...in that position mobs abutting the perimeter fence could not be seen. This being a survival play-through first-and-foremost, when push comes to shove security and safely win out over aesthetics.
I highly recommend it to change it to default.
But if you don't then that's cool, like I said I'm just saying.
Thanks for the comments!
I quite like JohnSmith. It's prolly my favorite x32 pack. Sadly, for me anything less than x128 tends to wear thin over time.
That said, I'm a fan of Ovo's Rustic Redemption, an x64 pack. I use it on my secondary computer, which doesn't quite have the muscle to handle x128 without lag and stutters. I think my world looks pretty decent with Ovo, though nothing was built with Ovo in place. It might be my primary recommendation for those who download my world. (Images seen in my various posts are almost all captured with an unholy blend of two x128 packs that must remain private-use only.
As to vanilla graphics, I gave it some thought early on, but ultimately decided against it. Those who wish to see my world sans texture pack can, after all, simply DL the file and look for themselves. A down side, I made a fair number of cosmetic changes to the Hill Fort upper plateau since posting my current download. They're not significant enough to warrant a new DL, but imo a definite improvement.
I've no new build images, my MC time being spent spelunking, branch mining and harvesting surface resources. I did visit the "naval abomination" thinking to at last redo that monstrosity. As always nothing came of it.
I mean, (relatively) superhigh resolution like x128 immerses me in games like Half-Life or Doom (hell Doom was like x16 or something lol), but in Minecraft, it just doesn't click. I need a cartoon-ish feel for the fantastical Minecraft world.
Anyway that's why I play with Faithful. I'd play JohnSmith, except when viewed in Vanilla it doesn't look good.
My Minecraftian days have been spent spelunking and resource gathering, with no construction to speak of. I did attempt to add another tower similar to Enchanters Tower at the southwest corner of the Hill Fort upper plateau, but failed miserably. Three tries all ended in total demolition.
That said, on 17 Jun 2013 I began work on what will eventually be an Inn / Hotel at the only decent-sized village discovered thus far in my world. (The other village is teeny-tiny, one or two homes and a smith.) Oddly, this is my first attempt at constructing a more-or-less recognizably conventional structure. I'm winging it, learning as I go.
ADDENDUM: Images originally seen here became obsolete. They have been deleted or transferred to another post as of 2013-06-26.
Nay, but I do think I have a bit of a knack for selecting interesting complementary building materials that enhance what might otherwise be rather drab structures.
2013-07-03 addendum: Images and text originally were removed or transferred to another post due to obsolescence and a need to reduce Photobucket bandwidth consumption.
Views of my images exceeded free Photobucket's 10gb per month bandwidth limit. They have been disabled until whatever day of the month I established my Photobucket account. The count will then reset to zero. Images will be viewable.
How in the world did it happen? So far as I know, my various image threads received no marked increase in visits. If judged solely by recent viewer participation, which approaches non-existence, they might actually have receive fewer views. But that is obviously not the case.
I'm not complaining. Not really. Heck, I want my imaged to be seen. Elsewise why bother to post them? Heck, the more views the better! Keep on viewing, with my thanks!
I am taking steps to hopefully remedy this situation in the future, or at least lessen its chance to occur. I have established an Imgur account and will upload many captures there. My goal is to have a half-and-half mixture of Photobucket and Imgur. That should reduce the bandwidth strain on any one online image storage service. I also contemplate subdividing my Minecraftian images between several threads, all under the umbrella heading "Autocracy of Decrepia". This thread, for instance, would be retitled "Autocracy of Decrepia - My Survival Hill Fort", and house only images pertaining to the fortress and its immediate surrounds. My various major pathways would get their own thread: "Autocracy of Decrepia - Roadways of the Empire". The Testificate village I recently began modifying would branch off as "Autocracy of Decrepia - Autarch Neglect Village". So forth and so on.
In any case, sorry for the temporary image non availability.
ADDENDUM:
Reading up on Imgur makes it seem a less than ideal solution, since images are not permanently stored there. Now, if images get viewed every so often (at least once each six months?) they supposedly won't be removed. Kind of scary none the less. I'll have to rethink this. Any ideas? (And no, I do not plan to reduce the number of images seen in my Screenshot forum threads, other than by deleting some obsolete WIP views.)
If I could just make a suggestion in hosting switch, I would recommend picBox. They have a program for windows (Like the snipping tool but automatically uploads to the site) and even a Minecraft mod for it.
There is no bandwidth limit or anything! I recommend it for you
My Photobucket monthly bandwidth limit has been reset. Images from that source are again viewable!
I thank you one and all for your concern. Budgeh, I will definitely give picBox a look-see while investigating solutions to my Photobucket monthly bandwidth limit dilemma.
Please check out post #1 for new and/or updated images related to Autarch Neglect Village. That post also reflects changes in presentation, with more images housed inside spoilers to hopefully cut down on load time.
Yesterday saw the last stretch of protective wall surrounding Autarch Neglect Village in place. Work is of course not done. More sophisticated lighting will likely be installed at some point. I might add a demibastion smack in the middle of the east wall between its two entrances.
Here's an bland image captured at Minecraftian dawn as I inspected the battlements for faults and oversights:
The wall contains five entrances (two along the east wall) and five bastions. Two entrances are double-wide to allow farm-animal passage. Each entrance is protected by exterior-side fencing to keep creepers at distance.
The Inn can be seen mid distance. Otherwise the village remains relatively unaltered, beyond common repairs, plugging cave entrances, converting several fields from wheat to more needed crops, and establishing temporary tree farms. Oh! I did place lots of (temporary) doors around a vanilla home, which allowed four additional villagers to spawn.
Should I prepare an updated download? It's been half a year since my current download was posted. On the other hand, there is little new of significance: the WIP village, modest extension of my West Road, including its end-of-the-road converted temple supply dump, and mostly cosmetic changes to the Hill Fort. Nothing to get excited over. I could and prolly should wait until completing a roadway between Hill Fort and Village, but that might well mean months of delay.
UPDATE: New world download available as of 2013-07-08
My SPS world is available in a new "Farewell to MC152" edition, downloadable via this MediaFire link.
Between status reports I updated the game to v162, did a good bit of spelunking and resource gathering, constructed a not-quite-finished storage/basement with attached tiny mushroom farm beneath Autarch Neglect Inn, and recently began work on a combined Clay & Brickwork Shoppe across from the Inn.
This image shows progress on the shoppe to-date:
Do not be deceived. This structure is nowhere near complete. Only its north and west walls, maybe half the roof, and two small sales rooms are in place. Nothing else exists, not even outer walls.
It's been a trying project. The second floor, as originally conceived, proved unworkable. Just as well. I find I prefer how it is now over what I had envisioned. Even so, in order to correct a miscalculation, the south wall will be one block too near the Village Perimeter Wall. It's not a lease-breaker, but will definitely narrow my accessorizing options.
I'm not convinced those pink clay upper walls are a keeper. Green would look nice, but I already use that for interiors. Blue might work, but I want the Shoppes to contrast with the Inn, which is of course blue. Had white clay in place for a while, but....blah. Time will tell, I reckon. A problem with pink, discounting its suitability, is that I'm having a heck of a time getting enough red flowers for dye. (Yellow flowers, on the other hand, grow in profusion.)
Don't be surprised if my Photobucket images again disappear for a period of time. I have already received notice of approaching my monthly bandwidth limit, as happened last month (or was it the month before?). Not sure what's going on. Far as I can tell, this thread receives no more views than it ever has. Plus, a number of posted images have been transferred from Photobucket to Imgur. In any case, should it happen inaccessibility will be temporary.
A surprising amount of progress occurred by the time I departed for RL work yesterday. South and east walls are in place. Interiors are more or less complete if not wholly accessorized. Roof and balcony are in place.
Clay & Brickwork Shoppe viewed from the northwest:
We stand atop Village Perimeter Wall battlements facing the structure's south and east walls and upper-floor balcony. The shoppe's obligatory oven banks (for hardening clay and bricks) are situated outdoors by necessity...I quite like the arrangement. A jungle wood trunk serves as both balcony support pillar and brown dye cocoa farm. A small cactus patch attached to the east wall provides green dye. The chimney is not, alas, perfectly aligned with those oven banks. I pretend they connect via in-wall ductwork. The balcony is too small to do much with, one small bush was added post-screenshot.
I wish I had constructed the roof from jungle wood rather than spruce. It's hard to tell what is Shoppe from what is Inn (which also sports a spruce roof). At some point I might switch over. Time and resource consuming, but otherwise monkey-work easily accomplished. (Obscured by the jungle-wood pillar, an employees-only rear entrance/exit door.)
"All Things Clay" sales floor:
One of two sales areas, accessorized though labeling will likely change. Illuminated by a single glowstone embedded in the ceiling. Despite apparent dimness, F3 shows the room adequately lit to prevent mob spawn. Both sales areas suffer an unsightly lighting glitch, easily noticed just below the ceiling. Also seen is a sales & service counter, and the rear entrance/exit door.
"Ye Olde Brickwork" sales floor:
The other sales area. (All else is shared between shoppes.) An irony is that constructing the shoppe consumed nearly all my clay/brick reserve. The shoppe's many storage chests are next to empty, and will likely remain so for some time. Also seen: a bit of the cubbyhole housing a ladder to the upper floor.
Upper floor hallway:
We stand at the northwest corner, from which the entirety of the small "V" shaped hall can be seen. From left to right are 1) pink clay framed door to the north-side bedroom, 2) hatch-protected ladder leading to the ground floor, 3) red clay framed door to the balcony, 4) obligatory dedication plaque, 5) pink clay framed door to the west-side study.
Upper floor north-side bedroom (left) and west-side study (right):
The shoppe contains living quarters for the proprietor's family. Additional workforce lives outside the premises. I had no room to install either kitchen facilities or latrine. Thankfully these needs can be met at the Inn just across the street.
Shoppe north and west walls slightly updated:
Not much has changed since my nearly identical view seen in post #158. A corner street-lamp was added. Other exterior lighting has been altered but is not permanent. Roofing just below the highpoint has been subtly modified to give it a more solid feel. Chimney smoke can be seen flowing in a properly westward direction.
Crop fields seen in the immediate foreground will eventually be relocated behind and/or beside the Inn, and shoppes of some sort erected in their place.
The Clay & Brickworks Shoppe remains a WIP. Construction will slow as I shift emphasis to replenishing reserves of clay, stone and wood.
The bulk of this evening's session was spent branch mining at diamond level to replenish exhausted cobble reserves. Inventory at last bulging with stone, I headed for the surface. Part way up the unmistakable sound of rapid lightning strikes filled the air. I surfaced into a torrential downpour. Not twenty Minecraftian feet outside the mine entrance I saw, off in the distance, a bolt of lightning strike the roof of Autarch Neglect Inn. It took fire. I kicked into a sprint and raced to the village. I entered the Inn and ascended the stairs, intending to chop away burning wood and wool and save what I could. Turns out heavy rain did much of the work for me. Only a few burning embers remained for me to dispose of.
Here's the third-floor room that took the brunt of the damage:
Here it is again, seen from the outside:
Had rain not continued long after lightning ceased, things might have gone far worse, considering how much of the two upper floors are wood and wool.
Truth be told, I suspected this would happen sooner or later. The area surrounding Autarch Neglect is very storm prone, more so than at the Hill Fort. The Inn is a substantial target of flimsy material. What to do? I suppose I'll convert Cyan wool outer walls to light-blue hardened clay. Should have done so soon as I updated to MC162, despite wool looking distinctly better (with my textures of choice). Gonna have to devote time to extended clay harvesting expeditions to replace all that wool.