There's no need for false modesty; I'm bumping this to move it back up to the most recent threads so more people can view it.
However, since Season 2 is complete, there are some things I should note. A content update is scheduled prior to the start of Season 3 as I roll in "Starlight Stocking" for Season 2. If you don't know what Starlight Stocking is, then you obviously have not yet viewed Season 1 and are thus not ready for Season 2's finale! All sarcasm aside, Starlight Stocking is simply an initiative in which I stock up on resources around Starlight HQ to prepare for the next season. That's it! Among these activities include clay gathering, mining, breeding, farming, ghast hunting, fishing, waiting, and other mundane activities that people do to get resources.
...But this time, for Season 2, Starlight Stocking will end with an updated world download that I've dubbed Starlight HQ 2.0.1, which will be subtitled the Book Update. This update will of course feature fully-stocked chests, but the main feature of it will be a stocked library. As it is right now, the library features some content but could do with much more. Thankfully, I've been working on several short stories, and all of these stories will be incorporated with the Book Update. Count on at least ten of these goodies to be released!
As for a date? Let's say early November... Realize that Season 3 will take some preparation both inside and outside of Minecraft, so it's going to be several months before I'm even ready for it. During this hiatus, my hope is that you guys can download the world and explore it, possibly even discussing it to give me feedback on what you like, don't like, etc. If it isn't already evident, I'm moving into turning Quintropolis into a series, so there's a lot of work ahead to get there on top of my other life endeavors. Your feedback is most certainly appreciated throughout this process!
I spent the past month compiling the season finale for my survival series based around a mythology I conjured up while playing with potential ideas for the series. The result was an episodic/world tour combination that serves as the capstone project for everything I've done in the game. I don't expect anyone to watch most of it, but that's what I did recently.
Over the past three years, Techtropolis has evolved into something that I would have never expected – a self-sustaining metropolis that has completely changed the meaning of a survival base. In Season 1, my goals were simple: survive and thrive. I built what I needed and that was good enough for me. There’s a reason I never shared that original season with this forum – I never saw Techtropolis as something more than a survival world. But that entire mindset changed in Season 2, in which I finally began to appreciate Minecraft more as an artistic outlet as opposed to a simple way to spend my time. I became more attached to the world I was creating that I wanted it to symbolize my own ideas. The conception of this journal happened ¾ of the way into Season 2, allowing me to present those ideas in a creative fashion. And now here we are.
Despite how much Techtropolis has transformed as a materialistic world, there was one thing I always wanted from it more than just the abstract discussion of building cool things devoid of meaningful context. I’ve always been an avid writer, wanting to express my own thoughts and ideas through stories to convey relatable perspective to the audience. This journal is one of the few outlets I’m currently engaged in that does not do that to the potential it could. As I’ve recently mentioned, I look at Minecraft as an opportunity to share something bigger than just myself. When I build something, it’s reflective of how I think and feel, much like art is. But art doesn’t just come from what we see; it’s more than the eye can see! Art takes many forms, and while Minecraft excels at providing an outlet for visual art, I’d like to take things in a different direction and provide something more for that visual art. That’s why this finale will take Techtropolis in a direction you likely were not anticipating – the mythology that explains what it all means.
If you are new to the journal, well first of all welcome and thank you for taking the time to read! By the end of this session, you will be almost completely in tune with the world of Techtropolis as it is today, both compared to Season 1 and compared to its older counterpart from 2012. As always, I encourage you to read through Season 1’s documents as well as Season 2 if you like what you see! If you’ve been following the journal, thank you for your time and I’m excited you’ve joined me at the season’s finale! From the very beginning, I’ve always wanted to tell a story through Techtropolis. But, I never knew how to do that because I was so focused on making a journal dedicated to builds. As Season 2 progressed, however, I figured out a creative way to tie the two together, and that has led us to this very moment. So without any further ado, get your snacks and let us dive in to one of the biggest and most revolutionary moments in the history of Techtropolis: the day Techtropolis fell.
Session 200 – “The Day Techtropolis Fell”
It was around 10,000 years ago. A village spawned on the border of a forest, with seemingly little purpose other than to provide a rendezvous point between travel from the desert and back. There was little development in this primitive world, not besides the various civilizations that existed, so travel was highly regarded as a sacred activity. This is because the inhabitants believed that their village was a part of a grand plan, which comes from the fact that nobody created the village. Therefore, the inhabitants, narrow-minded yet keen in nature, built upon this village to create their version of an entity that they believed in. Because they strived for this connection, their goal was not so much to provide for the generations to come, but to build a sustainable haven that would one day reach the gods.
What these inhabitants lacked, however, was the understanding and knowledge of what needed to be done to achieve that connection. They believed that by mimicking the gods, they could at some point become like them. So, the inhabitants built upon their village. They spent hundreds of years building it, teaching the generations that followed the importance of continuing the work of their ancestors. No, these generations were not taught the very essence of survival in the world outside the village, because the village grew so large that the world outside it was not even conceivable by the new generation. Curiosity was embedded only in the connection with the gods.
The village was titled kuli aleilm (كلي العلم), which means “omniscient.” By the time the new generation had grown, the village had developed so much to the point where it became what the inhabitants determined as an entity. It became so powerful that the connection to the gods was finally established… or so they thought. As it turned out, kuli aleilm was in no way affiliated with the gods, because it neglected the one thing that the gods endowed: true power. The village was consumed with the idea of using existing elements to reach the gods that it disregarded the only thing that could reach them. Of course, the inhabitants did not know how to achieve something supernatural; they only believed in it. What kuli aleilm provided for these inhabitants, therefore, was a humanized version of a god. It was built in such a way that it could become its own enemy – it was alive. It could learn the behaviors of the inhabitants and adopt them. It could choose to do whatever it wanted within the constructs of its boundaries. This was why kuli aleilm was regarded by many as the first territory to have reached the gods.
In a way, this territory did reach the gods. The gods became furious at the inhabitants for trying to do something they knew they could not. They were furious that the inhabitants had idolized this entity they created instead of acknowledging the entity that created them. The gods sent a message to the inhabitants, warning them of what was to come. They insisted that kuli aleilm be diminished because it was not destined for a connection to the gods. When the inhabitants questioned what qualifies that connection, the gods were candid by recognizing the old behavior of the inhabitants. They once lived primitively in a world created just for them, to appreciate the life they had. But the inhabitants tried to build it into something it was never going to be, and that is where they fell. Because of this, kuli aleilm became nothing more than a failed experiment.
When the inhabitants tried to shut kuli aleilm down, however, it fought back. It shut down the air ducts, the water pressure, crop machines – it killed all of the village’s animals and effectively prevented access to the outside world. The village was angry because it had years of practice with villagers who felt the same. Kuli aleilm ultimately killed all of the inhabitants, because the inhabitants did not give up trying to stop it. This behavior was recognized by the gods, who destroyed kuli aleilm in a particularly violent fashion. The gods, having disapproved of the village’s creation, expressed their appreciation for the inhabitants’ final sacrifice by concealing various factions of their true power in five talismans that were spread across the world. These talismans contained the secret that the inhabitants were never able to find out, about how to connect the territory to them. Once found, the talismans could be arranged to unleash the same demons that destroyed kuli aleilm. Underneath this, however, the talismans reveal the key to establishing true power in a territory’s constructs – the Nether star. This is the connection to the gods. This is the secret of Stonewall.
Stonewall was the name given to the site that the gods laid waste to; it was no longer a paradise, but instead a wasteland. Its forests were tarnished and its grass uprooted. The bay was infested by deadly creatures and the caves cursed with the undead – measures put in place by the gods to ensure that no future civilization would follow in the footsteps of kuli aleilm. When the gods decided that the world was calmed, they tried to make it suitable for their own living. But this failed due to the severe limitations that the gods imposed on the world. Therefore, they created an alternate dimension for which their haven would rest. It was this decision that led the gods to abandon the old world and instead try something better. Following these fallouts of kuli aleilm, Quintropolis was no longer a paradise. It was instead the result of a failed experiment.
The Features of Quintropolis
Starlight HQ 2.0 - a progressively expanding base with an uncountable number of features, inviting hours of exploration and tampering to discover its many treats
Starlight Resources Facility – a fully-fledged resources facility containing automated farms for nearly every resource in the game.
Starlight Arcade which features two fully fledged mini-games and animated aesthetic features!
A complete fireworks display that can be activated with one switch!
Six automatic mob farms, most of which include customizable features
Three complete parkour courses around the world, along with Starlight Playground which includes three additional parkour activities
An adventure map that encourages the exploration of Quintropolis Island and its surroundings
A comprehensive library that includes hours of reads, including mythology and mini-games
Foursquare!
Quintropolis Locations
Starlight HQ
Starlight HQ is a survival base with the goal of changing the expectations of what a survival base can be. Chock full of features both above ground and below, Starlight HQ is the complete metropolis that rests on Quintropolis Island as the main base of the world.
Quintropolis Island
Quintropolis Island is the most unique section of Quintropolis, as it is the only portion of the world rendered prior to the terrain updates in 1.7. Because of this, Quintropolis Island is separated by giant walls of stone that surround it, and only exists within this version of the world seed. The island was a gift from the Quintropolis gods, as a token of gratitude, and remains as the most peaceful part of the world.
Emerald Hills
On the southwest tip of Quintropolis Island is an array of several mountains known as Emerald Hills. These mountains were the original planned location of Starlight HQ, but they have since become an exploratory ground for emeralds.
Candyland
Candyland is the giant mesa biome located furthest from Starlight HQ, at 10000 blocks away! It is home to the richest array of resources that make up most of Starlight HQ's clay supply.
Stanland
Directly east of the Starlight Bay is Stanland, a primitive landscape used for agricultural and resource-gathering purposes. It comprises most of the mainland across the bay and leaves more to be desired on its own.
Stonewall Territory
Full of secrets, mythology, darkness, and terror, Stonewall Territory is a massive wasteland that was once the greatest civilization that ever existed in Quintropolis. But after the gods burned it to ashes, what remained was a desolate reminder that all things must come to an end. Stonewall is remembered as a battleground and a dark chapter of Quintropolis' history.
Rogusta
Rogusta is the title of a rich array of scenic landscapes, from plains to forests to flower fields to mountains, as it is home not only to a vacant village that serves as a temporary haven for explorations (including an ocean monument that lies right off the coast), but it also represents the first land generated in 1.8.
Icaria
A vast world of oceanic and mountainous adventure, Icaria is the home to some of the most beautiful terrain of the explored Quintropolis mainland. It is located near Stonewall and rests adjacent to the same bay.
Megapolis
Our home away from home, Megapolis is a giant landscape that coats the entire northern border of Starlight Bay, home to the scenic Megapolis Canals (pictured above) which reside directly above one of the strongholds in Quintropolis. Additionally, Megapolis is home to a secondary base in the making, known only as Quinone Castle.
Season 2 of Quintropolis
This has been an intense season, and no doubt the most game-changing as it not only included the conception of this journal, but that has allowed me to tell a story that I always wanted to tell through Quintropolis. Very simply, in Season 1 I played Minecraft in my spare time and made no more of it. But now, at the end of Season 2, I play Minecraft to tell a story. This journal has allowed me to do that, and has allowed Quintropolis to progress at a much steadier pace as Season 2 introduced so much more into the world than I would have ever thought!
Our two end-season projects, the Starlight Beacon and the massive fireworks display, nearly drained my resources completely! I think it’s all worth it though, because these projects represent all the hard work that has gone into the world and the years of patience I’ve endured to get to this point. Did you know that this is the moment I always envisioned for the world from the very beginning in 2013? Think about it… a quad-Beacon in the center of a massive castle, surrounded by a metropolis and complete with a massive fireworks display. Sounds amazing, right? Well now that fantasy has literally become reality as Starlight HQ 2.0 is what I wanted it to be in my head. And I owe that in part to this journal and to you. It’s been a fantastic season and I can’t wait to see what happens from here!
Introducing Starlight HQ v2.0
Starlight HQ represents an innovative attempt to expand the definition of a survival base, as it is equipped not only with survival essentials, but a plethora of other outlets for exploiting said survival essentials for the purpose of creating a haven where adventure and experimentation thrive! While the first version of Starlight HQ was hardly anything more than a work in progress, the second iteration takes things several steps further with a slew of new features. Two of the largest features, in the broadest sense, are the Starlight Resources Facility - a multi-purpose facility that replaced both the Farmlands and the storage rooms, while incorporating more than twice the number of features of both original structures combined - and the Starlight Plaza Faction - the second of four planned factions for Starlight HQ that introduces the Nether into Techtropolis, inspiring Starlight HQ to expand even further with the addition of “pocket factions” accessible via the Nether Hub. Among much else, Starlight HQ’s biggest feature is its ability to prepare for developments to come, as the build represents a continually evolving work in progress that represents my ideas.
The Big Changes!
First of all, Starlight HQ has undergone so many changes over the past season that fitting them into this post would not be feasibly appropriate. That’s why the full list of changes is included in the Season 2 History Log document released with this session. We’ll look at the big changes though, as Quintropolis sees many of them! The first of these would be the immense Starlight Resources Facility that sits right underneath Starlight HQ. It took up a large chunk of this season and is easily one of the largest projects I've ever taken on in Minecraft. Not only does it contain most farms and most of Starlight HQ's storage, but it also includes several other amenities that make it stand out as more than just a collection of farms. Additionally, builds like the Nether Temple, Starlight Arcade, and Aqua Lounge have helped to offer new innovative approaches to survival, as these builds make up my three favorite builds of the season. Parkour courses like Fall Damage and Landing Pad have helped me break away from the traditional aspects of the game, while builds like the Mob Processing Hub have allowed me to have fun with traditional designs! All in all, the changes this season alluded to the biggest change of all, which is the potential for even further development. Alas, no one thing is ever complete!
Parkour Courses
A standout element of Quintropolis is the numerous handcrafted parkour courses scattered throughout the world. While all of these are accessible via Starlight HQ, they are not all located in the contiguous HQ; you may need to travel elsewhere to play them. As of v2.0, Starlight HQ incorporates two additional parkour courses making a total of three, plus Starlight Playground which unofficially counts as a fourth. Each of these courses is different, offering the player a unique experience by changing the play style. Let’s look at Quintropolis’ three parkour courses in more detail!
Totem Run
Take a break from survival with this refreshing, primitive tribal-themed parkour course located near spawn in the jungles of Quintropolis Island. This course utilizes nature and natural elements to build up its challenges, complete with four checkpoints and several fun obstacles for you to traverse! Totem Run was the first course added to the world and is the best choice for a course in which you want both puzzle and action without the stakes being too high.
Fall Damage
Want a different type of challenge? Fall Damage is a short but challenging parkour course that is focused solely on aerial flight! Can you traverse the obstacles and successfully glide through the three red rings to the bottom?
Landing Pad
Located in the Starlight Resources Facility, Landing Pad is a fully self-contained redstone-operated parkour course that challenges you to several redstone-based challenges, most of which incorporate moving parts. This course represents one of the most innovative features of Starlight HQ, and is also the most difficult course of the three. Comprised of both action and puzzle challenges, Landing Pad is one of the most versatile builds in the entire base. And, if you are skilled enough to complete it, you are in for a fun and surprising ending!!
Starlight Arcade
In addition to parkour, Season 2 saw the addition of Starlight Arcade to the headquarters, providing the user with two fully-fledged arcade games that each differ in play style. These arcade games present a new concept to Starlight HQ – that of a self-automated redstone machine. The two games operate on their own upon activation, and both incorporate a number of redstone devices (most of which can be manipulated). Color Conundrum challenges your ability to follow patterns, while Aim High! challenges you to test your bow skills! Both are playable through the articulate token-based system that makes up the arcade.
Stonewall Scavenger Searches
Scattered abroad Starlight HQ are four distinctly different scavenger hunts that end with the discovery of a Stonewall Talisman. The four talismans represent the four beacons that emit the different auras of the Quintropolis gods. The Stonewall Scavenger Searches not only connect with this mythology, but they also offer an interactive approach to learn more about Quintropolis. This is because completing them successfully requires you to be familiar with both the world and its history, as both are referenced throughout the hunts. In this way, you can learn more about the world while also solving a unique kind of puzzle – four of them! These searches all begin with a book, located in the Starlight Library on the third floor of Starlight Castle.
Stonewall Scavenger Search #1 – Arguably the most difficult of the four courses, the first course relies a lot on your knowledge of Quintropolis’ history, which you can learn about via all of Season 1’s documents, the first world tour, the first world download (session 100), and the old LP. You need to be familiar with miniscule details and think outside the box to successfully complete this course. As a combination of redstone elements and meticulously-placed details, this course uses the base’s history as the foundation rather than the base itself. Therefore, it will be difficult to solve if you don’t know the history.
Stonewall Scavenger Search #2 – While not reliant on your knowledge of history, this course requires you to be familiar with the base itself. You need to know where things are and how that might be important to finding the clues of this hunt.
Stonewall Scavenger Search #3 – This is probably the easiest of the four courses, though it can still be tricky. This course is not too focused on miniscule details like the first two, instead offering a wide range of interesting challenges that force you to think differently about things. In short, this course is probably the most diverse of the four courses, giving you a few different puzzles while not relying on your knowledge of the base down to the detail.
Stonewall Scavenger Search #4 – The fourth course is tricky, as it is almost entirely redstone-oriented. It is reliant on your knowledge of the base itself, but for very specific reasons (you need to be able to locate very specific blocks). This course is the most unique of the four as every clue requires you to solve the same type of puzzle in a different way, each one being more involved than the previous. This also makes it the most coherent of the four courses, as it has a specific theme rather than being all over the place.
World Tour (and more)
Watch the ominous Secret of Stonewall come to life in a world tour/episode combination now…
The Secret of Stonewall has been fulfilled with the Starlight Beacon, but if the Quintropolis gods deem Starlight HQ unworthy they will destroy it along with the rest of Quintropolis, just as they did with kuli aleilm. At least it will go out with a bang as Techtown’s forces close in, as we won’t be here to see it. No, we will be evacuating the premises to somewhere much further away. I don’t know where yet. I’m lost. I’ve gotten so used to feeling safe within Starlight HQ that it’s ironic to see it as the most unsafe place for me at this moment. Has Starlight HQ been compromised? Is the future truly set? My friends, the story of Quintropolis is about to begin, as this is the day Techtropolis fell.
Included in this post (as well as the first post) is an updated world download, so you can explore the world yourself, play the courses, do the things, and enjoy all of the wonderful bonus features and amenities that Quintropolis has to offer. I’ve tried to accommodate everyone, so hopefully you do find something in it that you like!
SPAWN: You will spawn inside Starlight Room. The world tour will be your guide through Starlight HQ if you choose to utilize it.
OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE: Quintropolis (specifically Starlight HQ) will not function optimally on low-end PCs. Even on higher-end equipment, you’ll find that the world will still lag in spots. To remedy this, I recommend turning particles off, smooth lighting off (or minimum), bobbing off, clouds off, and graphics on fast. Again, tweak these parameters to what suits you best, but know that you might have to sacrifice graphic quality for play quality. Even on those lowest settings, my PC hardly peaks 15 FPS at the most condensed spots of Starlight HQ (I have an i5 processor and 8GB RAM).
What’s in store for Season 3? Well let’s address the obvious: Season 3 will be the first official season of Quintropolis, and also the first full season that will be documented in real-time throughout this journal moving forward. Think of Season 3 as the first mature season of this world – I’ve reached a point now where I can build anything I wish or travel anywhere I wish. This was achieved because of two full seasons of surviving and constructing. In the twisted world tour posted above, I’ve dropped a couple hints and left a small cliffhanger at the end for you to chew on; but otherwise the future will be left up to speculation for now!
So, what are your thoughts? If you’ve been following and haven’t said much, now would be the time to chime in! What are your opinions on the journal, the formatting, the world, and the projects - and how can I further refine them for Season 3? Do you have some ideas? Finally, and I know this question seems preposterous at first, but what session stands out to you the most? More specifically, which session in your opinion offers the best quality content, is organized in the best way, and is the most engaging overall? Which sessions stick out in that regard? I’m asking because I want to know what worked well, so that I can use your feedback to improve for Season 3. The next season will be integrating a serialized narrative that started at the end of this season, so its very nature will be unlike anything I’ve done so far in the journal. By tying in comprehensive builds with developing context, I think you’ll agree that this journal is taking a turn for the better. I’m excited to go on that journey with you, as we begin to unfold the story of Quintropolis.
The final episode is nearly complete, and will in fact be released along with everything else on August 29, 2016. I have been working almost every single day trying to finish this, and I'm happy to say that it will be completed on schedule. As far as what will be released with session 200, you will get the following:
- Full world tour and episodic combination continuing the evolving story of Techtropolis
- Techtropolis world download as of session 200
- Starlight 2.0 History Log
- Season 2 Screenshot Showcase
- Season 2 Document (detailing all 100 sessions)
It's quite a lot, honestly. I know I've been building this up for quite some time but there's a reason for that. This has become a massive project and as such I want you to know that it's been a massive project. I suppose I'm at a point where I'm excited that I can finally tell you the story I've always wanted to tell. I'm hopeful you'll find it an enjoyable ride.
The final chapter of Techtropolis will offer an intriguing look at the potentially grim future for the world (evidenced in session 199). I hope you're ready for it. Be sure to catch up on earlier sessions if you're not yet so you can follow along as the Secret of Stonewall is fully revealed in two days!
I have completed the first part of the season finale. There is still much work to be done however, as most of this session takes place outside of Minecraft (meaning: post composition, document-compiling, world tour, videos, world download prep, etc.). In the first season finale (first post), I opened with a flashback to the old LP from 2013 that is now publicly available for viewing. Well, in the second season finale, I also open with a flashback; though, this is going to be a different kind of flashback...
In other news, session 200 is probably going to be released in sections, meaning it won't all be at once. For example, the first update might be the complete screenshot showcase, while the second might be the completed documents. The final update will of course be the big update (including the world tour/download), but my goal is to make sure the finale is getting the proper attention by spacing it out. With that, I want to have the final update published on August 29, 2016. This means that the finale will probably begin next week!
Hope you're enticed as I am. There are lots of goodies in store!
This is the moment for which I've been waiting more than two years. When all is said and done, how will Techtropolis truly become something more divine? The answer lies in the Secret of Stonewall.
DISCLAIMER: This is a video-oriented session, almost akin to an LP video with the exception that it's more cinematic. Prepare to give it some time.
Session 199 - "In Extremis"
Welcome to Stonewall Territory - a dark, mystical, barren, and aromatic array of cold forests that was the result of kuli aleilm's destruction. It is not a place you ever want to visit, for today we not only recreate the same battle that took place here thousands of years prior (albeit on a much smaller scale), but we remind ourselves that nothing can last forever. Even when all seems to go well, circumstances are what truly determine outcomes because they are the outcomes.
Allow me to show you a close-up of the contraption that activated the Withers:
No further banter is necessary. This is the first real Wither fight I've ever engaged in, making this all more enticing from my perspective.
Watch the full battle, mostly uncut:
While it came with its toll of sacrifices, the final battle is almost over but it might not end the way I anticipated originally. Being that I am one who tries very hard to stick to plans, Season 2 might have a different ending than I was hoping for...
What you watched today was the result of me recognizing the possibility that this might not go the way I planned it in my head. But I may be introduced to the reality that yes - plans change! And things might go south! Just like in real life, things get in the way and the only way to know what happens next is to make the most of the situation. The final battle is a wild card at this point, as I am not sure how this ends. There's only one way to find out though...
Follow with me as we find out together how it all ends, and whether or not the Secret of Stonewall will be truly fulfilled, in the epic multi-part season finale.
Next up... Session 200 - "The Day Techtropolis Fell"
Bloodshed. That's the only way to describe the beginning of the end. Get ready for the secret of Stonewall to be fully revealed in this epic first part of the final battle for Techtropolis' future.
DISCLAIMER: Unless you've been following the journal, you may have a hard time following the events of this session since this is about finishing projects, not starting new ones.
Session 198 - "Beginning of the End"
The Secret of Stonewall has been fully integrated into Techtropolis.
Now we've reached the final chapter of the season. That means we need to make sure Starlight HQ is fully prepared for its 2.0 debut on session 200 as we step into the next era of the world's progress. In order to account for everything, I did a complete audit over the entire base to make sure I had everything just the way I wanted it. Along the way, I fixed things that didn't belong and added things that I wanted to add. This process was necessary for two reasons: (1) Starlight HQ is so big that I would not catch everything if it weren't for an organized audit, and (2) this is the last session that we will be at Starlight HQ prior to the season finale.
Wait, what? That's right. You've been waiting for eight months; I've been waiting for two years. I have not revisited Stonewall Territory since I first discovered it back in session 108 (this was in November 2014). So therefore you're probably wondering: why is it such an integral part of this world? Why have I created a mythology around this location? My friends, all your questions will be answered in due time. But right now, we need to complete Starlight HQ 2.0. This starts with the audit:
Most sections of the audit actually got checked out very quickly; builds like the Nether Temple and Aqua Lounge were finished so eloquently that there was nothing that needed to be added. The only thing I didn't successfully complete in the Aqua Lounge was the furnace indicator light (you can view my failed attempts in session 191). But this is a minor detail. Overall, the Nether Temple and Aqua Lounge are two of my favorite builds throughout this entire season, and in fact throughout this entire world. The two builds are so unique in nature that they stand out as highlights of Starlight HQ. I'm equally proud of them both and hope to continue building unique things like them in the future.
The Starlight Castle, while aesthetically incoherent (discussed more in session 189), was mostly finished in the sense that its goals for the season were fulfilled. I'm still not entirely satisfied with the Starlight Castle - it's a great build that holds a lot of history, but it nonetheless does not fit well with the newer parts of HQ due to the fact that I built it while still being relatively new to the game (2013). Thus, I didn't quite have the same eye for aesthetics as I do today, and therefore I can look at the castle and say with certainty that it has a lot of problems. As discussed in session 189, many of these problems come from the compactness of everything. Normally, compactness is good, such as with redstone builds and what not. However, in this case, compactness leaves little room (pun intended) for development. And sure enough, nearly every attempt I made at renovating Starlight Castle this season was compromised due to me running into some other build. Though, I had to work with what I had and I'm satisfied with that. I cannot simply redo Starlight Castle because it is the very centerpiece of HQ - to remake it I would have to literally redesign HQ, which at this point is not the goal.
The Power Museum is the one build that I knew would not get completed this season. By this, I'm referring to the lighting. As of right now, the Power Museum is the only build in Starlight HQ that still has torches for its primary source of lighting. I've done a good job of incorporating other sources of lighting throughout the rest of HQ, but the Power Museum is still the primitive part of the base.
The Power Museum still received major changes this season. Aside from the Alchemy Dome, much of the Powerhouse level (lower level, pictured above) was changed significantly. For one, we changed all stone brick into quartz in session 117. Our multi-functional mob farm received a slew of enhancements in session 177, and several new pathways/functions were established in session 185 (along with the Hall of Armor). So even though the Power Museum received little attention on the surface, it was a key player in many projects and I have completed everything I planned for it this season.
The plaza faction (often referred to as simply Starlight Plaza) was a huge addition to Season 2, and it saw progress from the conception of the fountain in session 106 to the completion of a fully-fledged arcade in session 193. Throughout the entire season, the Starlight Plaza gave us many things: the Nether, Starlight Arcade, a home for our horses, a designated fishing shack, as well as several pathways through other parts of HQ. It is also the home to Starlight Station, which was originally built in the latter half of Season 1. However, in session 188 its lighting was changed to remove all torches, bringing the build up-to-date with the rest of HQ. Going through the plaza to check off items on the audit was no problem at all. Aside from hiding all of the lighting in the grassy parts of the plaza, it is officially finished for v2.0.
Speaking of the Nether, development of the plaza faction gave us an opportunity to expand HQ into another dimension: the Nether Hub. This allowed us opportunities to create pockets across the world that could be connected to Starlight HQ. This hub, while completed for the purposes of this season, will be even further expanded next season to encompass more sections of Techtropolis and more efficient methods of transportation.
The Mob Processing Hub was one such construction connected to HQ via the Nether hub. It was an earlier project from Season 2 (sessions 128-140, inclusive), but it wasn't actually completed until session 184 when all lighting was done. Because of this, I marked it right off the audit since session 184 tied everything up.
The witch farm was also marked off the audit very quickly, because there isn't much to it. Having said that, though, one thing that can always be improved over here is the lighting/flooding of the 128x128 block radius surrounding the farm. Arguably, the outside aesthetics of the farm could do with significant work, but that is not at all a focus right now for me. Therefore, the witch farm is complete.
Descending into the Starlight Resources Facility, I found several things that needed to be done. Let's start with the Mob Resources Division (referred to as the Mob Processing Unit on the audit):
While completed, there are two things to address here. First was simple - I can't tell you how many times I've fallen into the animal holes in the breeding cockpit. Of course, the only way out is to break blocks, which leads to escaping animals causing chaos. To alleviate this problem, I installed four stoppers over top of them. This will prevent any potential unwanted nonsense.
Second problem was, in fact, a problem that I didn't know existed before today.
^ Recall that when this system was built back in session 171 (where this picture came from), it was the output storage for three farms: (1) cows, (2) mooshrooms, and (3) mushrooms. Now, because of this, the hoppers on the top layer run into each other because every item had a spot in the sorting system (from left to right: leather, steak, brown mushrooms, red mushrooms). However, today I found a problem with this system. Note that the hopper descending from the mooshroom grinder is located directly above the hopper on the very right up top. Coincidentally, the storage for red mushrooms is also on the very right. Now, when I went to shear mushrooms from the mooshrooms, I found that the mushrooms were actually getting caught in the perpetual motion of the hoppers running into each other. In other words, they were not sorting properly into their correct spot.
The solution was simple: I switched the red mushroom storage with the brown mushroom storage (second from right). This was because mushrooms coming from the mushroom farm did still sort properly (as they were being fed through the system horizontally as opposed to vertically). By changing where the red mushrooms sorted, I was able to account for the behavior of all hoppers. So this problem was fixed!
Just some decorating on my end...
So here's the problem with the cactus farm: It provides way too much cacti! In fact, I've filled the entire chest allocated to green dye in the dye storage room because it works so fast. This is a problem because I'm now out of allocated storage space for green dye. Therefore, I need to install a method of de-activating the cactus farm when I don't need to use it. The answer was using pistons to control whether or not the blocks kill the cacti.
On the top layer, I installed pistons vertically. But I couldn't do that on the bottom layer. So, I removed the four inner cacti and instead installed pistons on the walls (this is no problem because I already have reached maximum efficiency with this farm for what I need).
When the farm is on, the cacti will grow as normal and the blocks will break the ones that grow.
When the farm is off, the cacti will grow but no blocks will be adjacent to the new cacti that grows. Therefore, the farm will remain idle until it is turned back on.
The next part of the Starlight Resources Facility is something that I admittedly forgot about for a bit. I became so wrapped up in other projects that I unfortunately neglected one of the bigger ones... the tree farm! That's alright though, because the point of this audit is to not forget anything. If you recall from session 187, we finished two walls of the tree farm and most of the storage wall. But that meant the entire back wall, which is the largest of the four, is still incomplete. So I had to tackle that, starting with how it would be designed.
I decided that there would be six pillars, akin in design to the others. The two outside pillars are where I started. See this in progress here:
The four inside pillars would have designs similar to the others, but they would look just a bit different...
I went through several attempts on the corners to compose something that blended well. The result was a bunch of logs stacked upon each other:
The back wall, while an intense project, was only the first of three for the tree farm. Second part was finishing the storage wall. This took less time, but I had to make sure I accounted for details. Missing just one detail could bring the whole thing down.
I went with black clay to outline the individual storage cells because I felt it would best contrast with the different colors. While I originally planned to use wood of some sort, the problem is that any wood I use would clash with at least one of the cells. Using black clay would best differentiate the individual cells on the wall while also separating them from the rest of the wall itself.
Check out that view! Who is to say this won't be made accessible later on?
I had to complete the entrance finally. Doing so meant ripping out the walls, which are surprisingly close to the sugar cane farm! This is a positive example of compactness, unlike the Starlight Castle.
I started with several combinations of clay blocks, only to be dissatisfied with all of them.
The finalized result was Nether brick surrounding light blue clay. And the final feature was a piston door akin to the one used as the entrance for the Starlight Castle. This marked the completion of the tree farm!
I mentioned this in several other sessions, but my final goal with Starlight Castle is to remove that old storage room still infected with torches. You know, this one:
In order to remove it, I first had to empty it. Even after the storage migration in session 169 (in which 80% of our storage was moved down to the Starlight Resources Facility), much of the smaller, more miscellaneous items still existed up here. They could not stay here since this entire room was going to be demolished, but I realized that the only true solution was to create permanent storage spots for all these items.
We all have storage chests that look like this, don't we? Well, I had to go through the process of emptying them all. Now, I could have just moved them elsewhere, such as in the Aqua Lounge entrance hall where all of the chests are empty (except the one pictured above). But that's not a solution. Take a look at the picture above. How many of those items can already be stored in the SRF? Let's see... cobblestone, gravel, carpet, wood, sandstone, packed ice, clay, flowers - all of these already have spots in the SRF. So, in order to assign new storage, I first organized all the storage I could.
Items like sugar, flint, string, spider eyes, ferns, and ender pearls did not ever have designated storage. While string and spider eyes were stored at the Mob Processing Hub, they still needed a home here at HQ. So, along with spicing up the storage cellars with ferns and grass, I added a row of chests alongside the cactus storage for these items.
If you have a keen eye, you'll recall that this storage bank still had an open slot upon completion back in session 172. Well, this open slot has been filled with pumpkin pie - previously stored upstairs! Pumpkin pie, as you know, is crafted with eggs, sugar, and pumpkin - all of these are in reasonable vicinity with this chest.
A place for paper was installed directly beneath the sugar cane farm. This mill would hold both paper and books, although it isn't technically the designated spot for books (there isn't a spot for these).
I went on several trips around Techtropolis to trade with as many villagers as I could. I sat at the wheat/carrot/potato farm and attained large amounts of these items because they're fairly cheap and therefore the best options for trading right now. I needed lots of emeralds for the big renovation to the old storage room in Starlight Castle - you know, the one right beneath the Pillar of Life that was originally built as the main storage room in session 14.
After all trading was done, I didn't attain nearly enough emeralds (this was in accordance to trading I've done throughout the entire season). However, that's alright because I can just get more throughout next season. I followed through with my plan to take down the old storage room:
This room would become something called the Starlight Room - the centerpiece of the base and the very location in which the Secret of Stonewall will be fulfilled. Take a look at the Pillar of Life from down here:
Along with this room, the Starlight would receive a few other changes as well...
Along with completing the look of the doorbell room, I also added another entrance to the Starlight from underneath the main entrance. I hooked up the wiring for the lock too, which means that both entrances adhere to the state of the lock. However, this new entrance does not have a lock override like the above entrance has. This is okay since the bottom entrance is by no means a main entrance. More often than not, I plan to use it as an exit.
Entrance to the Starlight Room from the castle was also changed. No longer would you access it directly via the staircase on the first floor. No, you've have to travel through the Adventure Arsenal and ascend a different flight of stairs. You'll see why in a moment...
And so it was that the Starlight audit was complete, effectively finishing Starlight HQ 2.0 for the season.
There's just one more thing... the Starlight Room... the trading... the Stonewall Scavenger Searches... what do they all lead up to?
Gaze upon the final part of Starlight HQ 2.0. The Starlight Room will house four beacons which will send beams up through the Pillar of Life. Each beacon (represented by the four Stonewall talismans) will emit a different source of power directly from the gods. This is how the connection to the gods is established; what has yet to be seen, however, is whether or not this connection is welcome by the gods. The goal of Starlight HQ was to reach this point (discussed in session 195); we are now only one step away from the final battle that determines how it all ends.
Want to watch the evolution of the Starlight Room? Believe it or not, this is the same room originally built in session 14, on July 1, 2013. You can view the LP video in which it was built here:
The following video will help you visualize the events of this session, and this season as a whole, as we complete Starlight HQ 2.0 and travel to the mythological Stonewall Territory to prepare for a monumental battle:
Another pre-session 198 update... you can really feel the tension.
The Secret of Stonewall, as I'm sure you figured, plays a huge role in the season finale. Well, over the past few sessions I've actually been working on bits and pieces of it in-between the main elements of the session.
The Secret of Stonewall, now fully integrated into Techtropolis, contains the key to unlocking Techtropolis's full potential. This tale will be fully revealed in the season finale.
There are now only going to be four scavenger hunts in Starlight HQ as opposed to my original plan of five. You'll find out why in the next session.
I'm giving you these small updates because I know that designing the rest of the things that are attributed to the Secret of Stonewall will take a few more days. I'd rather stay active in delivering these updates instead of saving them for extra large sessions that not everyone wants to read through. I'm sure you understand.
In November 2015, I built a blaze farm - only the second I had ever built (the first being in April of 2013). However, in April this past year, I tore it down and rebuilt it. I am telling you this brief history to give you some context as I formally allude to the completion of said build. Just a few days ago, I successfully completed what I like to call the Blaze Blaster. I even made a little infomercial-style video to show off its features, due to the fact that I am satisfied with the end result and would therefore like to share it with my fellow builders:
The video for session 197 has now been created, showcasing the completed Blaze Blaster! Take a look below:
Additionally, I'd like to take this opportunity to note that the final three sessions of the season are heavily video-based. I am even composing original soundtracks to accompany these videos, so I am quite enticed to share the last stretch with you. If you've read anything, please do tell me what works and what doesn't so that I can use your feedback in composing the last three sessions. Thanks a bunch folks.
As Season 2's biggest projects have been completed, it's time to finalize the rest of HQ as we come one step closer to uncovering and fulfilling the Secret of Stonewall.
Disclaimer: It is advised you read session 186 if you have not, since this session continues the work done in that session.
Session 197 - "Firewall"
To start out today, I audited all of Starlight HQ to work on inconsistencies in the features. The first and most prominent of these was the zombie XP farm built way back in Season 1 (session 36 originally, but rebuilt in session 66) more than two years ago. As you may know, this farm is not redstone-operated like the more modern farms in Techtropolis. Instead, it was comprised of a giant stone brick tower that sticks out of the Power Museum, allowing the zombies to fall until they are only half a heart from death. However, one problem that never was resolved involved the baby zombies. These baby zombies often got stuck in the zombie tower when they were introduced in 1.6. Back in session 81, I added a small waterway the separated the baby zombies from the rest of the system. However, when I went back to look at it today, I realized why I continued to hear the baby zombies:
They didn't drown! So I installed a new system that drowned the baby zombies:
That was easy. But then I did some more digging and noticed this:
I don't know why I designed the tower like that. I really do not. But anyway, that is now also fixed. In a way, the zombie XP farm received some upgrades today! But that got me thinking... I don't even know if this farm will exist forever. Honestly, after the Mob Processing Hub was built this farm became obsolete in every way.
Recall that the zombie XP farm was the only XP farm throughout all of Season 1, and just one of two mob farms (this was from June 2013 to November 2014). Now we have eight total hostile mob farms. The Mob Processing Hub (built in June 2015) not only adds two new and improved redstone-operated XP farms (both of which are from mobs that have way more useful drops - spider and skeleton), but it also includes a third darkroom mob spawning platform that naturally includes zombies as well. After the Blaze Blaster was built last November, the Mob Processing Hub became obsolete for XP, but not for drops (since it still provides string, bones for bonemeal, and arrows, as well as lots of interesting armor and bow drops). From a construction standpoint, the zombie XP farm would not matter if it was hidden from the rest of the base. But look at any picture of Starlight HQ and you cannot miss that giant and arguably ugly stone brick tower that just sticks out from what is otherwise a reasonably coherent structure.
There's no need for false modesty here. I've already considered options for revising the entire zombie XP farm for next season, but I figured it is worth talking about because I actually worked on it today. I think you'll agree that it is currently the only hostile mob farm that no longer has any purpose, so instead of removing it I have some ideas for how to change it...
But obviously that's for another day. Today's main project was actually in completing the aforementioned Blaze Blaster. For those of you just joining (or if you need a bit of a refresher), the Blaze Blaster was built originally in sessions 160-161, but it was torn down and rebuilt in session 186. Now in session 197, it's time to complete the aesthetics. Here is the Blaze Blaster as you last remember it:
Recall this video in which I worked on the Blaze Blaster's features:
It works by moving blaze from the bottom of the funnel up to the top via minecart, where they are dropped into an automated crushing system which crushes them down to half a heart. This has so far proven to be the best XP farm in Techtropolis because of how efficient it is. But its aesthetics needed to be finished. Another trip to Candyland would have to be in session!
I started by tearing down all the walls and opening up the middle section a bit. The goal here was to isolate the entire glass window so that the field of view was not obstructed by any blocks.
Next, I worked on the entrance. As you may know, there is a hallway that connects the Nether Hub to the Blaze Blaster. I used nether brick stairs to create a striated pattern:
There was almost a casualty here...
In working on the walls, I had to reorder some of the redstone because I didn't originally anticipate that I'd build this high up, as seen below:
With the black clay frames completed, I had a few different ideas for how I wanted to design the walls. But all of those ideas revolved around using lava.
Ideally, I want both of these sections to have lava walls (the walls in the back and in the front as you can see in the above picture). However, I was initially indecisive on how to do them because I didn't want them to look the same.
^ I decided that these walls would be cyan glass, because it made more sense given the structural nature of this section. Besides, what I decided to do for the next section was so much better...
The fences!! My oh my did this take a sinister turn! I am absolutely in love with how these fences blend with everything else. What do you think of them?
Next I needed to make a stop at the Alchemy Dome. It was time to restock all the potions!
I had nearly every single brewing stand working - the Blaze Blaster is not going to run out of potions for quite some time I think.
After restocking, an enchanting room had to be added, right here:
And across from that...
Have you met Frenemy? Well he now has an official home :).
The final aesthetic feature of the Blaze Blaster involved the wiring of an animated light snake similar to the one in Starlight Arcade. The difference however is that this one would remain active indefinitely, providing something of an ambience to the hub. I initially designed the snake to work like so:
But after some experimenting, I quickly found a far more efficient way to achieve the same result:
The clock must control both sides, which is why I decided to build the apparatus underneath the hallway. It just makes the most sense to me.
I've added a little entrance to this chamber in the event that something goes wrong with the machine:
And voila, the completed result!
Where I thought this was the end of the session, I was shocked to see this upon checking the Blaze Blaster for maintenance:
What you're seeing is the result of the Blaze Blaster being too slow! Quite simply, one minecart on the track is not enough to keep up with the load. This makes sense, because this means there is only ever one blaze going through the crusher at a time. How to fix this? Well, let's just say I spent another couple hours on this one...
Now you might be thinking: "Just add more minecarts!" True, we needed to add more minecarts. However, we could not simply throw them onto the track, because then there would be collisions. You also have to consider when there are no blaze in the funnel, the minecarts would all be sitting on top of each other. Even worse, if the carts get too close together, the blaze will not eject properly due to the mechanics of the contraption that allows them to do so (it's based on a detector rail). I know this because I tried it and it didn't go well... at all.
After some quick thinking, I remembered an old game I used to play called Rollercoaster Tycoon. Many of you have played this I'm sure. I began to think of this railway in terms of a rollercoaster. How could I get multiple trains to operate at once? After all, the more trains I have, the faster and more efficient the farm will be if the right setup is done. That's why the lines for rollercoasters go by more quickly - you don't have to wait for the one train to finish its entire run.
The solution then became simple: a block brakes system. Now before I explain this, we need to understand what exactly such a system is. Block brakes, on rollercoasters, are what allow multiple trains to operate without the worry of collision. This is because the computer that controls them knows where all the trains are, and detects the triggers set by the block brakes themselves to move the trains (so for example when the first train leaves the station, that's a trigger for the next train to be let in). I knew I needed to apply the same system here. I'll demonstrate it below:
The above picture is not the actual system I installed. But I made this just to illustrate how it works (since otherwise it would be very difficult to follow because the track is spread out). What you're seeing is a gradual vertical drop for the minecarts. Imagine there are minecarts on top of the powered rails, because there are. These minecarts are inactive. However, when the first minecart activates a detector rail, the second minecart is activated and moves along the course. When the second minecart runs over the next detector rail, it will activate the third minecart, and so forth. However, by the time the second minecart reaches the next powered rail, it will have unpowered. This minecart will wait for the third minecart to make its way back around.
I'm hopeful you followed that, because block brakes are a little bit different. Block brakes work in the opposite order I just described. So in the case of the Blaze Blaster, the first minecart would hit a detector rail that activates the third minecart, which would activate the second minecart. The reason for this is because the efficiency of the system would not be improved if the carts were still traveling linearly. In the way I've just outlined, the three carts are nearly equidistant from each other because of how the detector/powered rails are wired (1 activates 3, 3 activates 2, 1 is always activated, and repeat).
Pictured above is the top of the huge torch tower that ascends all the way beneath the Blaze Blaster from minecart 3 up to the powered rail where minecart 2 rests.
I sat at minecart 2 to watch the system a few rounds, and wow did it work fast! Constructing the system took several attempts (hence the few hours), but it was all worth it because the resulting Blaze Blaster was now three times faster and beautifully consistent! In truth, it still did not keep up entirely with the rates the spawner was putting out, but there is always room to add more block brakes in the future.
However, one problem still existed... did you recognize that when you hurt one Blaze, every other Blaze in the vicinity raises hell (similarly to zombie pigmen)? Well that caused a problem with the minecart system in that if one Blaze was in the system and it got angry, it broke free of the minecart and was loose in the system. I went through this a few times just to ensure this was not circumstantial, and sure enough it happened every time. This was a big problem that I didn't know how to fix because it was not redstone-caused. The only solution I came up with was installing a manual on/off for the minecart system:
Ideally, you would turn it off right before dealing with the blaze. The button activates a T-flip flop that turns this powered rail off:
And this glowstone light tells you whether or not the system is on or off:
This final feature was in fact the final feature for the Blaze Blaster. This beauty was polished and complete.
Completed Blaze Blaster gallery:
See the features of the Blaze Blaster here:
The completion of the Blaze Blaster was only the first part of this eventful session, however. The second part, which will not be described in detail, involved the creation of the next two Stonewall Scavenger Searches around Starlight HQ. The first was built in session 195.
There are now two more scavenger hunts to create, as well as many other small things to complete, before Starlight HQ is officially ready for the end of this season. Until next time...
A video showcasing the complete Blaze Blaster is coming and this session will be updated once released!
Are you ready to visit Stonewall Territory? I hope so, because we are only one session away from finding out what the Secret of Stonewall entails, and what it will mean for the future of Techtropolis.
I've completed the ending sequence to "Landing Pad!"
Several new gates were added to "Landing Pad" as I was going back through it to revise the annoying bits. I changed the Cube Matrix once more too.
The completion of the course has put "Landing Pad" on the Parkour Wall of Fame located in the SRF lobby!
The ending of the course was a particularly fun miniature project that was finished in about two hours. It's a short minecart ride that includes a variety of triggers, ending with a big finish that might throw you for a loop! I'm not going to spoil the ending, as I'd rather provide you an incentive for completing the course, but I'll say that I had a lot of fun designing it. Can't wait for you guys to see it!
While this was all technically done in session 197, I've decided to share it as an addendum to 196 because the bulk of the next session is significantly separate from this project. So I figured I'd tie it all up with this short update.
In Techtropolis, according to the statistics page, I've mined a total of 528 diamond ore since updating to 1.8 (as I believe statistics reset? Correct me if I'm wrong, but it also says I've crafted zero iron helmets and stone picks when I obviously did so back in the earlier days of the world). This averages to around 17 stacks of diamonds when you consider that most of this ore was mined with Fortune III. However, out of that, just over six stacks (approximately 400 to be exact) have been used to craft diamond tools, while 304 diamonds (4.75 stacks) have been used to craft diamond armor.
I've been working on a big redstone project in survival, so I figured I'd show it off today. This is not a run-through or even an explanatory video. It is simply a look at the build in its completed state!
The build is a parkour course, titled "Landing Pad." Everything in the course is powered by a single redstone clock, which breaks off into groups of clocks that control the other parts of the course. The redstone underneath the hood is actually somewhat simple if you're experienced with redstone; it's just extensive. All the controllable gates are activated through RS (NOR) latches which are then reset at the end of the course.
Interesting builds! I've read through a good portion of the whole journal and I must say that your building style is certainly developed. The pumpkin farm definitely contrasts with the rest of its surroundings - not sure if that's what you were intending but it doesn't look bad. I'm sure you'll refine it for what you're looking for though - using spruce as the base modeling ingredient would definitely make it stand out among the other stone-based builds.
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There's no need for false modesty; I'm bumping this to move it back up to the most recent threads so more people can view it.
However, since Season 2 is complete, there are some things I should note. A content update is scheduled prior to the start of Season 3 as I roll in "Starlight Stocking" for Season 2. If you don't know what Starlight Stocking is, then you obviously have not yet viewed Season 1 and are thus not ready for Season 2's finale! All sarcasm aside, Starlight Stocking is simply an initiative in which I stock up on resources around Starlight HQ to prepare for the next season. That's it! Among these activities include clay gathering, mining, breeding, farming, ghast hunting, fishing, waiting, and other mundane activities that people do to get resources.
...But this time, for Season 2, Starlight Stocking will end with an updated world download that I've dubbed Starlight HQ 2.0.1, which will be subtitled the Book Update. This update will of course feature fully-stocked chests, but the main feature of it will be a stocked library. As it is right now, the library features some content but could do with much more. Thankfully, I've been working on several short stories, and all of these stories will be incorporated with the Book Update. Count on at least ten of these goodies to be released!
As for a date? Let's say early November... Realize that Season 3 will take some preparation both inside and outside of Minecraft, so it's going to be several months before I'm even ready for it. During this hiatus, my hope is that you guys can download the world and explore it, possibly even discussing it to give me feedback on what you like, don't like, etc. If it isn't already evident, I'm moving into turning Quintropolis into a series, so there's a lot of work ahead to get there on top of my other life endeavors. Your feedback is most certainly appreciated throughout this process!
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I spent the past month compiling the season finale for my survival series based around a mythology I conjured up while playing with potential ideas for the series. The result was an episodic/world tour combination that serves as the capstone project for everything I've done in the game. I don't expect anyone to watch most of it, but that's what I did recently.
1
Over the past three years, Techtropolis has evolved into something that I would have never expected – a self-sustaining metropolis that has completely changed the meaning of a survival base. In Season 1, my goals were simple: survive and thrive. I built what I needed and that was good enough for me. There’s a reason I never shared that original season with this forum – I never saw Techtropolis as something more than a survival world. But that entire mindset changed in Season 2, in which I finally began to appreciate Minecraft more as an artistic outlet as opposed to a simple way to spend my time. I became more attached to the world I was creating that I wanted it to symbolize my own ideas. The conception of this journal happened ¾ of the way into Season 2, allowing me to present those ideas in a creative fashion. And now here we are.
Despite how much Techtropolis has transformed as a materialistic world, there was one thing I always wanted from it more than just the abstract discussion of building cool things devoid of meaningful context. I’ve always been an avid writer, wanting to express my own thoughts and ideas through stories to convey relatable perspective to the audience. This journal is one of the few outlets I’m currently engaged in that does not do that to the potential it could. As I’ve recently mentioned, I look at Minecraft as an opportunity to share something bigger than just myself. When I build something, it’s reflective of how I think and feel, much like art is. But art doesn’t just come from what we see; it’s more than the eye can see! Art takes many forms, and while Minecraft excels at providing an outlet for visual art, I’d like to take things in a different direction and provide something more for that visual art. That’s why this finale will take Techtropolis in a direction you likely were not anticipating – the mythology that explains what it all means.
If you are new to the journal, well first of all welcome and thank you for taking the time to read! By the end of this session, you will be almost completely in tune with the world of Techtropolis as it is today, both compared to Season 1 and compared to its older counterpart from 2012. As always, I encourage you to read through Season 1’s documents as well as Season 2 if you like what you see! If you’ve been following the journal, thank you for your time and I’m excited you’ve joined me at the season’s finale! From the very beginning, I’ve always wanted to tell a story through Techtropolis. But, I never knew how to do that because I was so focused on making a journal dedicated to builds. As Season 2 progressed, however, I figured out a creative way to tie the two together, and that has led us to this very moment. So without any further ado, get your snacks and let us dive in to one of the biggest and most revolutionary moments in the history of Techtropolis: the day Techtropolis fell.
It was around 10,000 years ago. A village spawned on the border of a forest, with seemingly little purpose other than to provide a rendezvous point between travel from the desert and back. There was little development in this primitive world, not besides the various civilizations that existed, so travel was highly regarded as a sacred activity. This is because the inhabitants believed that their village was a part of a grand plan, which comes from the fact that nobody created the village. Therefore, the inhabitants, narrow-minded yet keen in nature, built upon this village to create their version of an entity that they believed in. Because they strived for this connection, their goal was not so much to provide for the generations to come, but to build a sustainable haven that would one day reach the gods.
What these inhabitants lacked, however, was the understanding and knowledge of what needed to be done to achieve that connection. They believed that by mimicking the gods, they could at some point become like them. So, the inhabitants built upon their village. They spent hundreds of years building it, teaching the generations that followed the importance of continuing the work of their ancestors. No, these generations were not taught the very essence of survival in the world outside the village, because the village grew so large that the world outside it was not even conceivable by the new generation. Curiosity was embedded only in the connection with the gods.
The village was titled kuli aleilm (كلي العلم), which means “omniscient.” By the time the new generation had grown, the village had developed so much to the point where it became what the inhabitants determined as an entity. It became so powerful that the connection to the gods was finally established… or so they thought. As it turned out, kuli aleilm was in no way affiliated with the gods, because it neglected the one thing that the gods endowed: true power. The village was consumed with the idea of using existing elements to reach the gods that it disregarded the only thing that could reach them. Of course, the inhabitants did not know how to achieve something supernatural; they only believed in it. What kuli aleilm provided for these inhabitants, therefore, was a humanized version of a god. It was built in such a way that it could become its own enemy – it was alive. It could learn the behaviors of the inhabitants and adopt them. It could choose to do whatever it wanted within the constructs of its boundaries. This was why kuli aleilm was regarded by many as the first territory to have reached the gods.
In a way, this territory did reach the gods. The gods became furious at the inhabitants for trying to do something they knew they could not. They were furious that the inhabitants had idolized this entity they created instead of acknowledging the entity that created them. The gods sent a message to the inhabitants, warning them of what was to come. They insisted that kuli aleilm be diminished because it was not destined for a connection to the gods. When the inhabitants questioned what qualifies that connection, the gods were candid by recognizing the old behavior of the inhabitants. They once lived primitively in a world created just for them, to appreciate the life they had. But the inhabitants tried to build it into something it was never going to be, and that is where they fell. Because of this, kuli aleilm became nothing more than a failed experiment.
When the inhabitants tried to shut kuli aleilm down, however, it fought back. It shut down the air ducts, the water pressure, crop machines – it killed all of the village’s animals and effectively prevented access to the outside world. The village was angry because it had years of practice with villagers who felt the same. Kuli aleilm ultimately killed all of the inhabitants, because the inhabitants did not give up trying to stop it. This behavior was recognized by the gods, who destroyed kuli aleilm in a particularly violent fashion. The gods, having disapproved of the village’s creation, expressed their appreciation for the inhabitants’ final sacrifice by concealing various factions of their true power in five talismans that were spread across the world. These talismans contained the secret that the inhabitants were never able to find out, about how to connect the territory to them. Once found, the talismans could be arranged to unleash the same demons that destroyed kuli aleilm. Underneath this, however, the talismans reveal the key to establishing true power in a territory’s constructs – the Nether star. This is the connection to the gods. This is the secret of Stonewall.
Stonewall was the name given to the site that the gods laid waste to; it was no longer a paradise, but instead a wasteland. Its forests were tarnished and its grass uprooted. The bay was infested by deadly creatures and the caves cursed with the undead – measures put in place by the gods to ensure that no future civilization would follow in the footsteps of kuli aleilm. When the gods decided that the world was calmed, they tried to make it suitable for their own living. But this failed due to the severe limitations that the gods imposed on the world. Therefore, they created an alternate dimension for which their haven would rest. It was this decision that led the gods to abandon the old world and instead try something better. Following these fallouts of kuli aleilm, Quintropolis was no longer a paradise. It was instead the result of a failed experiment.
Starlight HQ is a survival base with the goal of changing the expectations of what a survival base can be. Chock full of features both above ground and below, Starlight HQ is the complete metropolis that rests on Quintropolis Island as the main base of the world.
Quintropolis Island is the most unique section of Quintropolis, as it is the only portion of the world rendered prior to the terrain updates in 1.7. Because of this, Quintropolis Island is separated by giant walls of stone that surround it, and only exists within this version of the world seed. The island was a gift from the Quintropolis gods, as a token of gratitude, and remains as the most peaceful part of the world.
On the southwest tip of Quintropolis Island is an array of several mountains known as Emerald Hills. These mountains were the original planned location of Starlight HQ, but they have since become an exploratory ground for emeralds.
Candyland is the giant mesa biome located furthest from Starlight HQ, at 10000 blocks away! It is home to the richest array of resources that make up most of Starlight HQ's clay supply.
Directly east of the Starlight Bay is Stanland, a primitive landscape used for agricultural and resource-gathering purposes. It comprises most of the mainland across the bay and leaves more to be desired on its own.
Full of secrets, mythology, darkness, and terror, Stonewall Territory is a massive wasteland that was once the greatest civilization that ever existed in Quintropolis. But after the gods burned it to ashes, what remained was a desolate reminder that all things must come to an end. Stonewall is remembered as a battleground and a dark chapter of Quintropolis' history.
Rogusta is the title of a rich array of scenic landscapes, from plains to forests to flower fields to mountains, as it is home not only to a vacant village that serves as a temporary haven for explorations (including an ocean monument that lies right off the coast), but it also represents the first land generated in 1.8.
A vast world of oceanic and mountainous adventure, Icaria is the home to some of the most beautiful terrain of the explored Quintropolis mainland. It is located near Stonewall and rests adjacent to the same bay.
Our home away from home, Megapolis is a giant landscape that coats the entire northern border of Starlight Bay, home to the scenic Megapolis Canals (pictured above) which reside directly above one of the strongholds in Quintropolis. Additionally, Megapolis is home to a secondary base in the making, known only as Quinone Castle.
This has been an intense season, and no doubt the most game-changing as it not only included the conception of this journal, but that has allowed me to tell a story that I always wanted to tell through Quintropolis. Very simply, in Season 1 I played Minecraft in my spare time and made no more of it. But now, at the end of Season 2, I play Minecraft to tell a story. This journal has allowed me to do that, and has allowed Quintropolis to progress at a much steadier pace as Season 2 introduced so much more into the world than I would have ever thought!
Our two end-season projects, the Starlight Beacon and the massive fireworks display, nearly drained my resources completely! I think it’s all worth it though, because these projects represent all the hard work that has gone into the world and the years of patience I’ve endured to get to this point. Did you know that this is the moment I always envisioned for the world from the very beginning in 2013? Think about it… a quad-Beacon in the center of a massive castle, surrounded by a metropolis and complete with a massive fireworks display. Sounds amazing, right? Well now that fantasy has literally become reality as Starlight HQ 2.0 is what I wanted it to be in my head. And I owe that in part to this journal and to you. It’s been a fantastic season and I can’t wait to see what happens from here!
Starlight HQ represents an innovative attempt to expand the definition of a survival base, as it is equipped not only with survival essentials, but a plethora of other outlets for exploiting said survival essentials for the purpose of creating a haven where adventure and experimentation thrive! While the first version of Starlight HQ was hardly anything more than a work in progress, the second iteration takes things several steps further with a slew of new features. Two of the largest features, in the broadest sense, are the Starlight Resources Facility - a multi-purpose facility that replaced both the Farmlands and the storage rooms, while incorporating more than twice the number of features of both original structures combined - and the Starlight Plaza Faction - the second of four planned factions for Starlight HQ that introduces the Nether into Techtropolis, inspiring Starlight HQ to expand even further with the addition of “pocket factions” accessible via the Nether Hub. Among much else, Starlight HQ’s biggest feature is its ability to prepare for developments to come, as the build represents a continually evolving work in progress that represents my ideas.
First of all, Starlight HQ has undergone so many changes over the past season that fitting them into this post would not be feasibly appropriate. That’s why the full list of changes is included in the Season 2 History Log document released with this session. We’ll look at the big changes though, as Quintropolis sees many of them! The first of these would be the immense Starlight Resources Facility that sits right underneath Starlight HQ. It took up a large chunk of this season and is easily one of the largest projects I've ever taken on in Minecraft. Not only does it contain most farms and most of Starlight HQ's storage, but it also includes several other amenities that make it stand out as more than just a collection of farms. Additionally, builds like the Nether Temple, Starlight Arcade, and Aqua Lounge have helped to offer new innovative approaches to survival, as these builds make up my three favorite builds of the season. Parkour courses like Fall Damage and Landing Pad have helped me break away from the traditional aspects of the game, while builds like the Mob Processing Hub have allowed me to have fun with traditional designs! All in all, the changes this season alluded to the biggest change of all, which is the potential for even further development. Alas, no one thing is ever complete!
A standout element of Quintropolis is the numerous handcrafted parkour courses scattered throughout the world. While all of these are accessible via Starlight HQ, they are not all located in the contiguous HQ; you may need to travel elsewhere to play them. As of v2.0, Starlight HQ incorporates two additional parkour courses making a total of three, plus Starlight Playground which unofficially counts as a fourth. Each of these courses is different, offering the player a unique experience by changing the play style. Let’s look at Quintropolis’ three parkour courses in more detail!
Take a break from survival with this refreshing, primitive tribal-themed parkour course located near spawn in the jungles of Quintropolis Island. This course utilizes nature and natural elements to build up its challenges, complete with four checkpoints and several fun obstacles for you to traverse! Totem Run was the first course added to the world and is the best choice for a course in which you want both puzzle and action without the stakes being too high.
Want a different type of challenge? Fall Damage is a short but challenging parkour course that is focused solely on aerial flight! Can you traverse the obstacles and successfully glide through the three red rings to the bottom?
Located in the Starlight Resources Facility, Landing Pad is a fully self-contained redstone-operated parkour course that challenges you to several redstone-based challenges, most of which incorporate moving parts. This course represents one of the most innovative features of Starlight HQ, and is also the most difficult course of the three. Comprised of both action and puzzle challenges, Landing Pad is one of the most versatile builds in the entire base. And, if you are skilled enough to complete it, you are in for a fun and surprising ending!!
In addition to parkour, Season 2 saw the addition of Starlight Arcade to the headquarters, providing the user with two fully-fledged arcade games that each differ in play style. These arcade games present a new concept to Starlight HQ – that of a self-automated redstone machine. The two games operate on their own upon activation, and both incorporate a number of redstone devices (most of which can be manipulated). Color Conundrum challenges your ability to follow patterns, while Aim High! challenges you to test your bow skills! Both are playable through the articulate token-based system that makes up the arcade.
Scattered abroad Starlight HQ are four distinctly different scavenger hunts that end with the discovery of a Stonewall Talisman. The four talismans represent the four beacons that emit the different auras of the Quintropolis gods. The Stonewall Scavenger Searches not only connect with this mythology, but they also offer an interactive approach to learn more about Quintropolis. This is because completing them successfully requires you to be familiar with both the world and its history, as both are referenced throughout the hunts. In this way, you can learn more about the world while also solving a unique kind of puzzle – four of them! These searches all begin with a book, located in the Starlight Library on the third floor of Starlight Castle.
Stonewall Scavenger Search #1 – Arguably the most difficult of the four courses, the first course relies a lot on your knowledge of Quintropolis’ history, which you can learn about via all of Season 1’s documents, the first world tour, the first world download (session 100), and the old LP. You need to be familiar with miniscule details and think outside the box to successfully complete this course. As a combination of redstone elements and meticulously-placed details, this course uses the base’s history as the foundation rather than the base itself. Therefore, it will be difficult to solve if you don’t know the history.
Stonewall Scavenger Search #2 – While not reliant on your knowledge of history, this course requires you to be familiar with the base itself. You need to know where things are and how that might be important to finding the clues of this hunt.
Stonewall Scavenger Search #3 – This is probably the easiest of the four courses, though it can still be tricky. This course is not too focused on miniscule details like the first two, instead offering a wide range of interesting challenges that force you to think differently about things. In short, this course is probably the most diverse of the four courses, giving you a few different puzzles while not relying on your knowledge of the base down to the detail.
Stonewall Scavenger Search #4 – The fourth course is tricky, as it is almost entirely redstone-oriented. It is reliant on your knowledge of the base itself, but for very specific reasons (you need to be able to locate very specific blocks). This course is the most unique of the four as every clue requires you to solve the same type of puzzle in a different way, each one being more involved than the previous. This also makes it the most coherent of the four courses, as it has a specific theme rather than being all over the place.
Watch the ominous Secret of Stonewall come to life in a world tour/episode combination now…
The Secret of Stonewall has been fulfilled with the Starlight Beacon, but if the Quintropolis gods deem Starlight HQ unworthy they will destroy it along with the rest of Quintropolis, just as they did with kuli aleilm. At least it will go out with a bang as Techtown’s forces close in, as we won’t be here to see it. No, we will be evacuating the premises to somewhere much further away. I don’t know where yet. I’m lost. I’ve gotten so used to feeling safe within Starlight HQ that it’s ironic to see it as the most unsafe place for me at this moment. Has Starlight HQ been compromised? Is the future truly set? My friends, the story of Quintropolis is about to begin, as this is the day Techtropolis fell.
Included in this post (as well as the first post) is an updated world download, so you can explore the world yourself, play the courses, do the things, and enjoy all of the wonderful bonus features and amenities that Quintropolis has to offer. I’ve tried to accommodate everyone, so hopefully you do find something in it that you like!
World Download: http://www.minecraftworldmap.com/worlds/6MZoZ#/1926/64/244/-5/0/0
Season 2 Document (documentation of all 100 sessions):https://www.mediafire.com/?1qdob6nmdp42uyb
Starlight HQ History Log: https://www.mediafire.com/?qbw9bwy9mu4mq32
World Download Notes
SPAWN: You will spawn inside Starlight Room. The world tour will be your guide through Starlight HQ if you choose to utilize it.
OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE: Quintropolis (specifically Starlight HQ) will not function optimally on low-end PCs. Even on higher-end equipment, you’ll find that the world will still lag in spots. To remedy this, I recommend turning particles off, smooth lighting off (or minimum), bobbing off, clouds off, and graphics on fast. Again, tweak these parameters to what suits you best, but know that you might have to sacrifice graphic quality for play quality. Even on those lowest settings, my PC hardly peaks 15 FPS at the most condensed spots of Starlight HQ (I have an i5 processor and 8GB RAM).
What’s in store for Season 3? Well let’s address the obvious: Season 3 will be the first official season of Quintropolis, and also the first full season that will be documented in real-time throughout this journal moving forward. Think of Season 3 as the first mature season of this world – I’ve reached a point now where I can build anything I wish or travel anywhere I wish. This was achieved because of two full seasons of surviving and constructing. In the twisted world tour posted above, I’ve dropped a couple hints and left a small cliffhanger at the end for you to chew on; but otherwise the future will be left up to speculation for now!
So, what are your thoughts? If you’ve been following and haven’t said much, now would be the time to chime in! What are your opinions on the journal, the formatting, the world, and the projects - and how can I further refine them for Season 3? Do you have some ideas? Finally, and I know this question seems preposterous at first, but what session stands out to you the most? More specifically, which session in your opinion offers the best quality content, is organized in the best way, and is the most engaging overall? Which sessions stick out in that regard? I’m asking because I want to know what worked well, so that I can use your feedback to improve for Season 3. The next season will be integrating a serialized narrative that started at the end of this season, so its very nature will be unlike anything I’ve done so far in the journal. By tying in comprehensive builds with developing context, I think you’ll agree that this journal is taking a turn for the better. I’m excited to go on that journey with you, as we begin to unfold the story of Quintropolis.
0
The final episode is nearly complete, and will in fact be released along with everything else on August 29, 2016. I have been working almost every single day trying to finish this, and I'm happy to say that it will be completed on schedule. As far as what will be released with session 200, you will get the following:
- Full world tour and episodic combination continuing the evolving story of Techtropolis
- Techtropolis world download as of session 200
- Starlight 2.0 History Log
- Season 2 Screenshot Showcase
- Season 2 Document (detailing all 100 sessions)
It's quite a lot, honestly. I know I've been building this up for quite some time but there's a reason for that. This has become a massive project and as such I want you to know that it's been a massive project. I suppose I'm at a point where I'm excited that I can finally tell you the story I've always wanted to tell. I'm hopeful you'll find it an enjoyable ride.
The final chapter of Techtropolis will offer an intriguing look at the potentially grim future for the world (evidenced in session 199). I hope you're ready for it. Be sure to catch up on earlier sessions if you're not yet so you can follow along as the Secret of Stonewall is fully revealed in two days!
0
Status Update!
I have completed the first part of the season finale. There is still much work to be done however, as most of this session takes place outside of Minecraft (meaning: post composition, document-compiling, world tour, videos, world download prep, etc.). In the first season finale (first post), I opened with a flashback to the old LP from 2013 that is now publicly available for viewing. Well, in the second season finale, I also open with a flashback; though, this is going to be a different kind of flashback...
In other news, session 200 is probably going to be released in sections, meaning it won't all be at once. For example, the first update might be the complete screenshot showcase, while the second might be the completed documents. The final update will of course be the big update (including the world tour/download), but my goal is to make sure the finale is getting the proper attention by spacing it out. With that, I want to have the final update published on August 29, 2016. This means that the finale will probably begin next week!
Hope you're enticed as I am. There are lots of goodies in store!
0
This is the moment for which I've been waiting more than two years. When all is said and done, how will Techtropolis truly become something more divine? The answer lies in the Secret of Stonewall.
DISCLAIMER: This is a video-oriented session, almost akin to an LP video with the exception that it's more cinematic. Prepare to give it some time.
Welcome to Stonewall Territory - a dark, mystical, barren, and aromatic array of cold forests that was the result of kuli aleilm's destruction. It is not a place you ever want to visit, for today we not only recreate the same battle that took place here thousands of years prior (albeit on a much smaller scale), but we remind ourselves that nothing can last forever. Even when all seems to go well, circumstances are what truly determine outcomes because they are the outcomes.
Allow me to show you a close-up of the contraption that activated the Withers:
No further banter is necessary. This is the first real Wither fight I've ever engaged in, making this all more enticing from my perspective.
Watch the full battle, mostly uncut:
While it came with its toll of sacrifices, the final battle is almost over but it might not end the way I anticipated originally. Being that I am one who tries very hard to stick to plans, Season 2 might have a different ending than I was hoping for...
What you watched today was the result of me recognizing the possibility that this might not go the way I planned it in my head. But I may be introduced to the reality that yes - plans change! And things might go south! Just like in real life, things get in the way and the only way to know what happens next is to make the most of the situation. The final battle is a wild card at this point, as I am not sure how this ends. There's only one way to find out though...
Follow with me as we find out together how it all ends, and whether or not the Secret of Stonewall will be truly fulfilled, in the epic multi-part season finale.
Next up... Session 200 - "The Day Techtropolis Fell"
0
Bloodshed. That's the only way to describe the beginning of the end. Get ready for the secret of Stonewall to be fully revealed in this epic first part of the final battle for Techtropolis' future.
DISCLAIMER: Unless you've been following the journal, you may have a hard time following the events of this session since this is about finishing projects, not starting new ones.
The Secret of Stonewall has been fully integrated into Techtropolis.
Now we've reached the final chapter of the season. That means we need to make sure Starlight HQ is fully prepared for its 2.0 debut on session 200 as we step into the next era of the world's progress. In order to account for everything, I did a complete audit over the entire base to make sure I had everything just the way I wanted it. Along the way, I fixed things that didn't belong and added things that I wanted to add. This process was necessary for two reasons: (1) Starlight HQ is so big that I would not catch everything if it weren't for an organized audit, and (2) this is the last session that we will be at Starlight HQ prior to the season finale.
Wait, what? That's right. You've been waiting for eight months; I've been waiting for two years. I have not revisited Stonewall Territory since I first discovered it back in session 108 (this was in November 2014). So therefore you're probably wondering: why is it such an integral part of this world? Why have I created a mythology around this location? My friends, all your questions will be answered in due time. But right now, we need to complete Starlight HQ 2.0. This starts with the audit:
Most sections of the audit actually got checked out very quickly; builds like the Nether Temple and Aqua Lounge were finished so eloquently that there was nothing that needed to be added. The only thing I didn't successfully complete in the Aqua Lounge was the furnace indicator light (you can view my failed attempts in session 191). But this is a minor detail. Overall, the Nether Temple and Aqua Lounge are two of my favorite builds throughout this entire season, and in fact throughout this entire world. The two builds are so unique in nature that they stand out as highlights of Starlight HQ. I'm equally proud of them both and hope to continue building unique things like them in the future.
The Starlight Castle, while aesthetically incoherent (discussed more in session 189), was mostly finished in the sense that its goals for the season were fulfilled. I'm still not entirely satisfied with the Starlight Castle - it's a great build that holds a lot of history, but it nonetheless does not fit well with the newer parts of HQ due to the fact that I built it while still being relatively new to the game (2013). Thus, I didn't quite have the same eye for aesthetics as I do today, and therefore I can look at the castle and say with certainty that it has a lot of problems. As discussed in session 189, many of these problems come from the compactness of everything. Normally, compactness is good, such as with redstone builds and what not. However, in this case, compactness leaves little room (pun intended) for development. And sure enough, nearly every attempt I made at renovating Starlight Castle this season was compromised due to me running into some other build. Though, I had to work with what I had and I'm satisfied with that. I cannot simply redo Starlight Castle because it is the very centerpiece of HQ - to remake it I would have to literally redesign HQ, which at this point is not the goal.
The Power Museum is the one build that I knew would not get completed this season. By this, I'm referring to the lighting. As of right now, the Power Museum is the only build in Starlight HQ that still has torches for its primary source of lighting. I've done a good job of incorporating other sources of lighting throughout the rest of HQ, but the Power Museum is still the primitive part of the base.
The Power Museum still received major changes this season. Aside from the Alchemy Dome, much of the Powerhouse level (lower level, pictured above) was changed significantly. For one, we changed all stone brick into quartz in session 117. Our multi-functional mob farm received a slew of enhancements in session 177, and several new pathways/functions were established in session 185 (along with the Hall of Armor). So even though the Power Museum received little attention on the surface, it was a key player in many projects and I have completed everything I planned for it this season.
The plaza faction (often referred to as simply Starlight Plaza) was a huge addition to Season 2, and it saw progress from the conception of the fountain in session 106 to the completion of a fully-fledged arcade in session 193. Throughout the entire season, the Starlight Plaza gave us many things: the Nether, Starlight Arcade, a home for our horses, a designated fishing shack, as well as several pathways through other parts of HQ. It is also the home to Starlight Station, which was originally built in the latter half of Season 1. However, in session 188 its lighting was changed to remove all torches, bringing the build up-to-date with the rest of HQ. Going through the plaza to check off items on the audit was no problem at all. Aside from hiding all of the lighting in the grassy parts of the plaza, it is officially finished for v2.0.
Speaking of the Nether, development of the plaza faction gave us an opportunity to expand HQ into another dimension: the Nether Hub. This allowed us opportunities to create pockets across the world that could be connected to Starlight HQ. This hub, while completed for the purposes of this season, will be even further expanded next season to encompass more sections of Techtropolis and more efficient methods of transportation.
The Mob Processing Hub was one such construction connected to HQ via the Nether hub. It was an earlier project from Season 2 (sessions 128-140, inclusive), but it wasn't actually completed until session 184 when all lighting was done. Because of this, I marked it right off the audit since session 184 tied everything up.
The witch farm was also marked off the audit very quickly, because there isn't much to it. Having said that, though, one thing that can always be improved over here is the lighting/flooding of the 128x128 block radius surrounding the farm. Arguably, the outside aesthetics of the farm could do with significant work, but that is not at all a focus right now for me. Therefore, the witch farm is complete.
Descending into the Starlight Resources Facility, I found several things that needed to be done. Let's start with the Mob Resources Division (referred to as the Mob Processing Unit on the audit):
While completed, there are two things to address here. First was simple - I can't tell you how many times I've fallen into the animal holes in the breeding cockpit. Of course, the only way out is to break blocks, which leads to escaping animals causing chaos. To alleviate this problem, I installed four stoppers over top of them. This will prevent any potential unwanted nonsense.
Second problem was, in fact, a problem that I didn't know existed before today.
^ Recall that when this system was built back in session 171 (where this picture came from), it was the output storage for three farms: (1) cows, (2) mooshrooms, and (3) mushrooms. Now, because of this, the hoppers on the top layer run into each other because every item had a spot in the sorting system (from left to right: leather, steak, brown mushrooms, red mushrooms). However, today I found a problem with this system. Note that the hopper descending from the mooshroom grinder is located directly above the hopper on the very right up top. Coincidentally, the storage for red mushrooms is also on the very right. Now, when I went to shear mushrooms from the mooshrooms, I found that the mushrooms were actually getting caught in the perpetual motion of the hoppers running into each other. In other words, they were not sorting properly into their correct spot.
The solution was simple: I switched the red mushroom storage with the brown mushroom storage (second from right). This was because mushrooms coming from the mushroom farm did still sort properly (as they were being fed through the system horizontally as opposed to vertically). By changing where the red mushrooms sorted, I was able to account for the behavior of all hoppers. So this problem was fixed!
Just some decorating on my end...
So here's the problem with the cactus farm: It provides way too much cacti! In fact, I've filled the entire chest allocated to green dye in the dye storage room because it works so fast. This is a problem because I'm now out of allocated storage space for green dye. Therefore, I need to install a method of de-activating the cactus farm when I don't need to use it. The answer was using pistons to control whether or not the blocks kill the cacti.
On the top layer, I installed pistons vertically. But I couldn't do that on the bottom layer. So, I removed the four inner cacti and instead installed pistons on the walls (this is no problem because I already have reached maximum efficiency with this farm for what I need).
When the farm is on, the cacti will grow as normal and the blocks will break the ones that grow.
When the farm is off, the cacti will grow but no blocks will be adjacent to the new cacti that grows. Therefore, the farm will remain idle until it is turned back on.
The next part of the Starlight Resources Facility is something that I admittedly forgot about for a bit. I became so wrapped up in other projects that I unfortunately neglected one of the bigger ones... the tree farm! That's alright though, because the point of this audit is to not forget anything. If you recall from session 187, we finished two walls of the tree farm and most of the storage wall. But that meant the entire back wall, which is the largest of the four, is still incomplete. So I had to tackle that, starting with how it would be designed.
I decided that there would be six pillars, akin in design to the others. The two outside pillars are where I started. See this in progress here:
The four inside pillars would have designs similar to the others, but they would look just a bit different...
I went through several attempts on the corners to compose something that blended well. The result was a bunch of logs stacked upon each other:
The back wall, while an intense project, was only the first of three for the tree farm. Second part was finishing the storage wall. This took less time, but I had to make sure I accounted for details. Missing just one detail could bring the whole thing down.
I went with black clay to outline the individual storage cells because I felt it would best contrast with the different colors. While I originally planned to use wood of some sort, the problem is that any wood I use would clash with at least one of the cells. Using black clay would best differentiate the individual cells on the wall while also separating them from the rest of the wall itself.
Check out that view! Who is to say this won't be made accessible later on?
I had to complete the entrance finally. Doing so meant ripping out the walls, which are surprisingly close to the sugar cane farm! This is a positive example of compactness, unlike the Starlight Castle.
I started with several combinations of clay blocks, only to be dissatisfied with all of them.
The finalized result was Nether brick surrounding light blue clay. And the final feature was a piston door akin to the one used as the entrance for the Starlight Castle. This marked the completion of the tree farm!
I mentioned this in several other sessions, but my final goal with Starlight Castle is to remove that old storage room still infected with torches. You know, this one:
In order to remove it, I first had to empty it. Even after the storage migration in session 169 (in which 80% of our storage was moved down to the Starlight Resources Facility), much of the smaller, more miscellaneous items still existed up here. They could not stay here since this entire room was going to be demolished, but I realized that the only true solution was to create permanent storage spots for all these items.
We all have storage chests that look like this, don't we? Well, I had to go through the process of emptying them all. Now, I could have just moved them elsewhere, such as in the Aqua Lounge entrance hall where all of the chests are empty (except the one pictured above). But that's not a solution. Take a look at the picture above. How many of those items can already be stored in the SRF? Let's see... cobblestone, gravel, carpet, wood, sandstone, packed ice, clay, flowers - all of these already have spots in the SRF. So, in order to assign new storage, I first organized all the storage I could.
Items like sugar, flint, string, spider eyes, ferns, and ender pearls did not ever have designated storage. While string and spider eyes were stored at the Mob Processing Hub, they still needed a home here at HQ. So, along with spicing up the storage cellars with ferns and grass, I added a row of chests alongside the cactus storage for these items.
If you have a keen eye, you'll recall that this storage bank still had an open slot upon completion back in session 172. Well, this open slot has been filled with pumpkin pie - previously stored upstairs! Pumpkin pie, as you know, is crafted with eggs, sugar, and pumpkin - all of these are in reasonable vicinity with this chest.
A place for paper was installed directly beneath the sugar cane farm. This mill would hold both paper and books, although it isn't technically the designated spot for books (there isn't a spot for these).
I went on several trips around Techtropolis to trade with as many villagers as I could. I sat at the wheat/carrot/potato farm and attained large amounts of these items because they're fairly cheap and therefore the best options for trading right now. I needed lots of emeralds for the big renovation to the old storage room in Starlight Castle - you know, the one right beneath the Pillar of Life that was originally built as the main storage room in session 14.
After all trading was done, I didn't attain nearly enough emeralds (this was in accordance to trading I've done throughout the entire season). However, that's alright because I can just get more throughout next season. I followed through with my plan to take down the old storage room:
This room would become something called the Starlight Room - the centerpiece of the base and the very location in which the Secret of Stonewall will be fulfilled. Take a look at the Pillar of Life from down here:
Along with this room, the Starlight would receive a few other changes as well...
Along with completing the look of the doorbell room, I also added another entrance to the Starlight from underneath the main entrance. I hooked up the wiring for the lock too, which means that both entrances adhere to the state of the lock. However, this new entrance does not have a lock override like the above entrance has. This is okay since the bottom entrance is by no means a main entrance. More often than not, I plan to use it as an exit.
Entrance to the Starlight Room from the castle was also changed. No longer would you access it directly via the staircase on the first floor. No, you've have to travel through the Adventure Arsenal and ascend a different flight of stairs. You'll see why in a moment...
And so it was that the Starlight audit was complete, effectively finishing Starlight HQ 2.0 for the season.
There's just one more thing... the Starlight Room... the trading... the Stonewall Scavenger Searches... what do they all lead up to?
Gaze upon the final part of Starlight HQ 2.0. The Starlight Room will house four beacons which will send beams up through the Pillar of Life. Each beacon (represented by the four Stonewall talismans) will emit a different source of power directly from the gods. This is how the connection to the gods is established; what has yet to be seen, however, is whether or not this connection is welcome by the gods. The goal of Starlight HQ was to reach this point (discussed in session 195); we are now only one step away from the final battle that determines how it all ends.
Want to watch the evolution of the Starlight Room? Believe it or not, this is the same room originally built in session 14, on July 1, 2013. You can view the LP video in which it was built here:
The following video will help you visualize the events of this session, and this season as a whole, as we complete Starlight HQ 2.0 and travel to the mythological Stonewall Territory to prepare for a monumental battle:
The end is near. No wait, the end is here.
Next up... Session 199 - "In Extremis"
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Another pre-session 198 update... you can really feel the tension.
The Secret of Stonewall, as I'm sure you figured, plays a huge role in the season finale. Well, over the past few sessions I've actually been working on bits and pieces of it in-between the main elements of the session.
The Secret of Stonewall, now fully integrated into Techtropolis, contains the key to unlocking Techtropolis's full potential. This tale will be fully revealed in the season finale.
There are now only going to be four scavenger hunts in Starlight HQ as opposed to my original plan of five. You'll find out why in the next session.
I'm giving you these small updates because I know that designing the rest of the things that are attributed to the Secret of Stonewall will take a few more days. I'd rather stay active in delivering these updates instead of saving them for extra large sessions that not everyone wants to read through. I'm sure you understand.
Stay tuned for more...
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In November 2015, I built a blaze farm - only the second I had ever built (the first being in April of 2013). However, in April this past year, I tore it down and rebuilt it. I am telling you this brief history to give you some context as I formally allude to the completion of said build. Just a few days ago, I successfully completed what I like to call the Blaze Blaster. I even made a little infomercial-style video to show off its features, due to the fact that I am satisfied with the end result and would therefore like to share it with my fellow builders:
I believe they won't since you have the tripwires in the air instead of on the ground. Others can support or deny this assertion.
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UPDATE!
The video for session 197 has now been created, showcasing the completed Blaze Blaster! Take a look below:
Additionally, I'd like to take this opportunity to note that the final three sessions of the season are heavily video-based. I am even composing original soundtracks to accompany these videos, so I am quite enticed to share the last stretch with you. If you've read anything, please do tell me what works and what doesn't so that I can use your feedback in composing the last three sessions. Thanks a bunch folks.
See you in session 198!
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As Season 2's biggest projects have been completed, it's time to finalize the rest of HQ as we come one step closer to uncovering and fulfilling the Secret of Stonewall.
Disclaimer: It is advised you read session 186 if you have not, since this session continues the work done in that session.
To start out today, I audited all of Starlight HQ to work on inconsistencies in the features. The first and most prominent of these was the zombie XP farm built way back in Season 1 (session 36 originally, but rebuilt in session 66) more than two years ago. As you may know, this farm is not redstone-operated like the more modern farms in Techtropolis. Instead, it was comprised of a giant stone brick tower that sticks out of the Power Museum, allowing the zombies to fall until they are only half a heart from death. However, one problem that never was resolved involved the baby zombies. These baby zombies often got stuck in the zombie tower when they were introduced in 1.6. Back in session 81, I added a small waterway the separated the baby zombies from the rest of the system. However, when I went back to look at it today, I realized why I continued to hear the baby zombies:
They didn't drown! So I installed a new system that drowned the baby zombies:
That was easy. But then I did some more digging and noticed this:
I don't know why I designed the tower like that. I really do not. But anyway, that is now also fixed. In a way, the zombie XP farm received some upgrades today! But that got me thinking... I don't even know if this farm will exist forever. Honestly, after the Mob Processing Hub was built this farm became obsolete in every way.
Recall that the zombie XP farm was the only XP farm throughout all of Season 1, and just one of two mob farms (this was from June 2013 to November 2014). Now we have eight total hostile mob farms. The Mob Processing Hub (built in June 2015) not only adds two new and improved redstone-operated XP farms (both of which are from mobs that have way more useful drops - spider and skeleton), but it also includes a third darkroom mob spawning platform that naturally includes zombies as well. After the Blaze Blaster was built last November, the Mob Processing Hub became obsolete for XP, but not for drops (since it still provides string, bones for bonemeal, and arrows, as well as lots of interesting armor and bow drops). From a construction standpoint, the zombie XP farm would not matter if it was hidden from the rest of the base. But look at any picture of Starlight HQ and you cannot miss that giant and arguably ugly stone brick tower that just sticks out from what is otherwise a reasonably coherent structure.
There's no need for false modesty here. I've already considered options for revising the entire zombie XP farm for next season, but I figured it is worth talking about because I actually worked on it today. I think you'll agree that it is currently the only hostile mob farm that no longer has any purpose, so instead of removing it I have some ideas for how to change it...
But obviously that's for another day. Today's main project was actually in completing the aforementioned Blaze Blaster. For those of you just joining (or if you need a bit of a refresher), the Blaze Blaster was built originally in sessions 160-161, but it was torn down and rebuilt in session 186. Now in session 197, it's time to complete the aesthetics. Here is the Blaze Blaster as you last remember it:
Recall this video in which I worked on the Blaze Blaster's features:
It works by moving blaze from the bottom of the funnel up to the top via minecart, where they are dropped into an automated crushing system which crushes them down to half a heart. This has so far proven to be the best XP farm in Techtropolis because of how efficient it is. But its aesthetics needed to be finished. Another trip to Candyland would have to be in session!
I started by tearing down all the walls and opening up the middle section a bit. The goal here was to isolate the entire glass window so that the field of view was not obstructed by any blocks.
Next, I worked on the entrance. As you may know, there is a hallway that connects the Nether Hub to the Blaze Blaster. I used nether brick stairs to create a striated pattern:
There was almost a casualty here...
In working on the walls, I had to reorder some of the redstone because I didn't originally anticipate that I'd build this high up, as seen below:
With the black clay frames completed, I had a few different ideas for how I wanted to design the walls. But all of those ideas revolved around using lava.
Ideally, I want both of these sections to have lava walls (the walls in the back and in the front as you can see in the above picture). However, I was initially indecisive on how to do them because I didn't want them to look the same.
^ I decided that these walls would be cyan glass, because it made more sense given the structural nature of this section. Besides, what I decided to do for the next section was so much better...
The fences!! My oh my did this take a sinister turn! I am absolutely in love with how these fences blend with everything else. What do you think of them?
Next I needed to make a stop at the Alchemy Dome. It was time to restock all the potions!
I had nearly every single brewing stand working - the Blaze Blaster is not going to run out of potions for quite some time I think.
After restocking, an enchanting room had to be added, right here:
And across from that...
Have you met Frenemy? Well he now has an official home :).
The final aesthetic feature of the Blaze Blaster involved the wiring of an animated light snake similar to the one in Starlight Arcade. The difference however is that this one would remain active indefinitely, providing something of an ambience to the hub. I initially designed the snake to work like so:
But after some experimenting, I quickly found a far more efficient way to achieve the same result:
The clock must control both sides, which is why I decided to build the apparatus underneath the hallway. It just makes the most sense to me.
I've added a little entrance to this chamber in the event that something goes wrong with the machine:
And voila, the completed result!
Where I thought this was the end of the session, I was shocked to see this upon checking the Blaze Blaster for maintenance:
What you're seeing is the result of the Blaze Blaster being too slow! Quite simply, one minecart on the track is not enough to keep up with the load. This makes sense, because this means there is only ever one blaze going through the crusher at a time. How to fix this? Well, let's just say I spent another couple hours on this one...
Now you might be thinking: "Just add more minecarts!" True, we needed to add more minecarts. However, we could not simply throw them onto the track, because then there would be collisions. You also have to consider when there are no blaze in the funnel, the minecarts would all be sitting on top of each other. Even worse, if the carts get too close together, the blaze will not eject properly due to the mechanics of the contraption that allows them to do so (it's based on a detector rail). I know this because I tried it and it didn't go well... at all.
After some quick thinking, I remembered an old game I used to play called Rollercoaster Tycoon. Many of you have played this I'm sure. I began to think of this railway in terms of a rollercoaster. How could I get multiple trains to operate at once? After all, the more trains I have, the faster and more efficient the farm will be if the right setup is done. That's why the lines for rollercoasters go by more quickly - you don't have to wait for the one train to finish its entire run.
The solution then became simple: a block brakes system. Now before I explain this, we need to understand what exactly such a system is. Block brakes, on rollercoasters, are what allow multiple trains to operate without the worry of collision. This is because the computer that controls them knows where all the trains are, and detects the triggers set by the block brakes themselves to move the trains (so for example when the first train leaves the station, that's a trigger for the next train to be let in). I knew I needed to apply the same system here. I'll demonstrate it below:
The above picture is not the actual system I installed. But I made this just to illustrate how it works (since otherwise it would be very difficult to follow because the track is spread out). What you're seeing is a gradual vertical drop for the minecarts. Imagine there are minecarts on top of the powered rails, because there are. These minecarts are inactive. However, when the first minecart activates a detector rail, the second minecart is activated and moves along the course. When the second minecart runs over the next detector rail, it will activate the third minecart, and so forth. However, by the time the second minecart reaches the next powered rail, it will have unpowered. This minecart will wait for the third minecart to make its way back around.
I'm hopeful you followed that, because block brakes are a little bit different. Block brakes work in the opposite order I just described. So in the case of the Blaze Blaster, the first minecart would hit a detector rail that activates the third minecart, which would activate the second minecart. The reason for this is because the efficiency of the system would not be improved if the carts were still traveling linearly. In the way I've just outlined, the three carts are nearly equidistant from each other because of how the detector/powered rails are wired (1 activates 3, 3 activates 2, 1 is always activated, and repeat).
Pictured above is the top of the huge torch tower that ascends all the way beneath the Blaze Blaster from minecart 3 up to the powered rail where minecart 2 rests.
I sat at minecart 2 to watch the system a few rounds, and wow did it work fast! Constructing the system took several attempts (hence the few hours), but it was all worth it because the resulting Blaze Blaster was now three times faster and beautifully consistent! In truth, it still did not keep up entirely with the rates the spawner was putting out, but there is always room to add more block brakes in the future.
However, one problem still existed... did you recognize that when you hurt one Blaze, every other Blaze in the vicinity raises hell (similarly to zombie pigmen)? Well that caused a problem with the minecart system in that if one Blaze was in the system and it got angry, it broke free of the minecart and was loose in the system. I went through this a few times just to ensure this was not circumstantial, and sure enough it happened every time. This was a big problem that I didn't know how to fix because it was not redstone-caused. The only solution I came up with was installing a manual on/off for the minecart system:
Ideally, you would turn it off right before dealing with the blaze. The button activates a T-flip flop that turns this powered rail off:
And this glowstone light tells you whether or not the system is on or off:
This final feature was in fact the final feature for the Blaze Blaster. This beauty was polished and complete.
Completed Blaze Blaster gallery:
The completion of the Blaze Blaster was only the first part of this eventful session, however. The second part, which will not be described in detail, involved the creation of the next two Stonewall Scavenger Searches around Starlight HQ. The first was built in session 195.
There are now two more scavenger hunts to create, as well as many other small things to complete, before Starlight HQ is officially ready for the end of this season. Until next time...
A video showcasing the complete Blaze Blaster is coming and this session will be updated once released!
Are you ready to visit Stonewall Territory? I hope so, because we are only one session away from finding out what the Secret of Stonewall entails, and what it will mean for the future of Techtropolis.
Next up... Session 198 - "Beginning of the End"
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A short update before session 197...
I've completed the ending sequence to "Landing Pad!"
Several new gates were added to "Landing Pad" as I was going back through it to revise the annoying bits. I changed the Cube Matrix once more too.
The completion of the course has put "Landing Pad" on the Parkour Wall of Fame located in the SRF lobby!
The ending of the course was a particularly fun miniature project that was finished in about two hours. It's a short minecart ride that includes a variety of triggers, ending with a big finish that might throw you for a loop! I'm not going to spoil the ending, as I'd rather provide you an incentive for completing the course, but I'll say that I had a lot of fun designing it. Can't wait for you guys to see it!
While this was all technically done in session 197, I've decided to share it as an addendum to 196 because the bulk of the next session is significantly separate from this project. So I figured I'd tie it all up with this short update.
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In Techtropolis, according to the statistics page, I've mined a total of 528 diamond ore since updating to 1.8 (as I believe statistics reset? Correct me if I'm wrong, but it also says I've crafted zero iron helmets and stone picks when I obviously did so back in the earlier days of the world). This averages to around 17 stacks of diamonds when you consider that most of this ore was mined with Fortune III. However, out of that, just over six stacks (approximately 400 to be exact) have been used to craft diamond tools, while 304 diamonds (4.75 stacks) have been used to craft diamond armor.
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I've been working on a big redstone project in survival, so I figured I'd show it off today. This is not a run-through or even an explanatory video. It is simply a look at the build in its completed state!
The build is a parkour course, titled "Landing Pad." Everything in the course is powered by a single redstone clock, which breaks off into groups of clocks that control the other parts of the course. The redstone underneath the hood is actually somewhat simple if you're experienced with redstone; it's just extensive. All the controllable gates are activated through RS (NOR) latches which are then reset at the end of the course.
Hope you enjoy the video!
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Interesting builds! I've read through a good portion of the whole journal and I must say that your building style is certainly developed. The pumpkin farm definitely contrasts with the rest of its surroundings - not sure if that's what you were intending but it doesn't look bad. I'm sure you'll refine it for what you're looking for though - using spruce as the base modeling ingredient would definitely make it stand out among the other stone-based builds.
Nice work here.