It wasn't my intention to compile every single cock-a-maney challenge some random person on the forum has dreamed up. To make that clear, I edited my original post to specify "notable" challenges - that is, challenges that are unique, creative and have garnered a lot of attention in the Minecraft community.
I have added the Tree Spirit challenge, thanks bpx and shard for mentioning it. I've left off "Go West My Son" because, while cool, it doesn't sound particularly unique or creative compared to the other challenges on the list.
Added the 404 challenge. I've heard of it but forgot all about it until bolongy's post. Thanks.
I looked up the Tree of Life, and it seems to be a custom map. I'm not looking for custom maps (so-called "adventure" maps), but rather challenges that can be done on naturally spawned maps. I apologize if my google-fu failed me and it turns out there's actually a non-custom map challenge called the Tree of Life.
I'm looking to compile a list of all the [notable] survival challenges that exist, as an aid to those bored of regular Minecraft gameplay. At the moment, there are only two I know of, so I need your help in finding more. Links and videos explaining/demonstrating the challenge will help greatly. I will continue to update the list as I get more challenges.
Found a good video of a guy doing the challenge here:
By your scoring system, he earned a whopping 365 points, getting all 16 colors of wool plus the following bonuses:
Finish before the time is up--15 points
If you do take damage and don't use food to heal--30 points
Kill a creeper while playing--75 points
He may have gotten more, but there's one bonus I don't fully understand:
Don't get the black/gray/light gray/brown/pink wool from naturally spawned sheep--10 points
Does that mean you get 10 extra points for each one of the five, or in order to get the 10 point bonus you must get all 5 through dyes? He got the brown wool from a spawned sheep but used dyed for the other black, gray, light gray and pink. Either way, the video's a pretty impressive demonstration of the challenge, I didn't expect him to find lapis lazuli but he pulled it off.
A fascinating yet absurdly hard challenge. 30 minutes? The blue dye alone could take an hour....if you're lucky! I would propose the scoring for this challenge be modified to make each color have different point values. Blue wool should be worth more than white wool, and purple wool more than blue wool, etc.
So far it sounds like I'm going to have to wait until the patch actually comes out and wait for new servers. It's a shame, I'd love to boot up a server of my own but I'm moving from the US to Germany in a week and I'll likely be too busy with the transition to run a server. I'm shocked nobody has announced an upcoming new server, but I know there will definitely be new ones popping up once 1.8 is up and running.
I've suggested this on 2 servers, however both times I got "No, we've worked too hard."
Yes, I could see why a lot of well-established servers would have no interest in resetting their map. I wouldn't want all my hard work erased either - which is precisely why I haven't gotten into a new SMP server until 1.8 is up. However, there certainly must be some people planning on starting new servers when the patch comes up - I wouldn't mind doing that myself if I had the free time to spare. Anybody? I know you're out there.
I'm currently playing single player exclusively, and want to get back into SMP but I'm waiting for the update to do so to enjoy the new worlds that will be created. Any servers planning on starting once 1.8 is up, or restarting an existing server?
After slaving away in the mines day and night with your friends, bravely fighting off creepers and narrowly avoiding lava pools, it's time to kick back and celebrate a successful diamond haul. This thread will suggest some party items to liven up the Minecraft social scene.
Fireworks:
<G><D><G>
<S>
< ><T>< >
D = Dye (any color)
P = Paper
G = Gunpowder
S = String
T = Stick
Fireworks are available in any color that exists in dye form - the color of your firework is determined by the color dye you use. In order to use your firework, plant in the ground with right-click, then light it with flint and steel. In 3 seconds, your firework will launch 20 blocks into the air and explode into a colorful burst of light. Fireworks can also be lit using redstone instead of flint and steel, allowing for elaborately choreographed firework shows!
Barbeque Grill:
<C><C><C>
< >
I = Iron Ingot
C = Cobblestone
P = Wooden Plank
A grill is a variant of the furnace. It can only cook meat (Raw Porkchops and Raw Fish, and Raw Chicken and Raw Steak if they are added in future patches), but the benefit is a grill can cook two pieces of meat at the same time using only one fuel source. Opening a grill gives you a menu that looks like this:
[ ] [ ]
====> [ ] [ ]
[ ]
The grill is not only a crowd pleaser for hungry guests at parties, but also an effective way of preparing nourishment for long journeys. It is an efficient use of fuel, as the fuel lasts for just as long as it would in a furnace, but the grill can not be used to heat anything other than food.
Keg:
P = Wooden Plank
I = Iron Ingot
A keg is used as the container for ale.
Boiled Water:
Boiled Water is an ingredient for ale. It is created by putting a bucket of water in a furnace.
Keg of Ale:
<W><W><W>
< ><K>< >
W = Wheat
B = Boiled Water
K = Keg
[The buckets holding the Boiled Water are returned after creating a Keg of Ale.]
A Keg of Ale is a key ingredient to any party. It is the liquid variant of cake. To use a Keg of Ale, place it on any solid block. A Keg of Ale has 12 uses before it is drained. Once the Keg of Ale is drained, the empty Keg may be used again for another batch of Ale.
Drinking Ale not restores 1 heart. However, if the player's health is already full, the player's maximum health will be temporarily increased be 1 heart. This may be done up to a maximum of 3 times for a total of 13 hearts. Each additional heart lasts 60 seconds. However, each time a player takes a swig of ale, he becomes inebriated, causing blurry vision and difficulty walking. The more the player drinks, the worse the effect becomes.
These items should help jump start your next SMP barbeque, gala or pool party. If you have suggestions for any other items, please contribute them here.
Since it looks like the OP is getting mauled here I'm going to come in and put my two cents in. I agree with him that I don't want Minecraft to be a roguelike. If Notch wants to include is a new gameplay mode separate from Survival or Creative, great! Different strokes for different folks, and more is always better. But if he's going to force it into the existing gameplay modes that some of us have grown to love I'm not a fan of this change.
People can play the "You only paid for a beta" card if they please, but understand Notch wouldn't be where he is without people paying for Minecraft as it is. Without us, there would be no Mojang Studios, no paid employees, no fame and glory. It's ultimately his game, but he needs to have an eye and an ear for those who made his game possible, and it's a disservice to his fans to change the game so drastically on them.
I feel like a lot of people on page 1 didn't read the entire OP or totally misunderstood it. They are giving him advice that is the exact opposite of what he wants. The OP doesn't want to have to choose between Creative or Survival, that's exactly what's he railing against, and I agree with him. The beauty of Minecraft is the blend of the two. I don't want to play creative because I find my buildings not as exciting when I didn't have to put in an effort to acquire the materials. But when I play, my primary focus is the building, and I don't want survival to become a mode where building is pushed entirely to the wayside. I think if we're going to have different modes, there should be three modes. Creative and Survival should stay the way they are now, and all the RPG and combat elements can go into the Adventure mode. The mixed nature of Survival as it is now shouldn't be compromised.
Some of your points are good, but I take objection to your criticism of currency.
For starters, your arguments against currency contradict each other. You say in the beginning that money would restrict the player's ability to comfortably obtain items, and then say it would make it too easy to acquire items. Which is it? The question of defining the value of an item is very simple - let the free market decide (as it mostly works in real-life)! Put currency into a server and players will decide how much they are willing to pay for items people are offering.
Currency would not at all discourage mining and building, since if nobody did those things, there would be no items for sale, and players would have nothing to sell to get currency! I think the problem is your argument is actually a straw-man; you sound more like you arguing against the existence of server-run shops with infinite items for sale. Certainly, that would cause problems. But currency on its own has none of those problems.
Implementing a functional currency would be fairly simple. Make a plug-in that allows players to sell gold ingots to the server in exchange for 100 Coins. This is the only way to get coins; they cannot be spawned, given by mods, or won in rigged casinos. So players are forced to go mining to get the economy running.
The problem of inflation would be dealt with by implementing gold sinks. The specific gold sinks would depend on the nature of the server. If there is a shop plug-in, make it so creating a shop costs money. If there's an auction plug-in, make the plug-in take a 5-10% commission on all sales. If the server has towny mod, make creating a town very expensive. There are many other potential gold sinks, but it depends on what the server has and what its goal is.
Speaking more generally, I think the problem with your post is that you are attacking very specific ideas of your own creation. Certain RPG elements are indeed viable in SMP (Note I said SMP, I'm not considering single player in my discussion of this since RPG elements are almost always added as SMP mods). Your post gives the impression that any and all RPG elements are unviable in any form of Minecraft, whereas you have only targeted a few narrow concepts, forgetting there are many different ways these things can be implemented.
I'm wondering if a server similar to this exists; I figure one probably does. Anyway, my idea for an RP server is that everyone on the server works together to make one massive capital city. The key to its greatness is the division of labor, where each person eventually joins one of four guilds that keep the city running.
When you join the server, you have the rank of citizen, and you are given a small room in the town boarding house with a bed, a couple chests and a furnace or two. This city is run by its guilds, and only through joining one will a citizen get a plot.
The Guilds
Each guild is run by a Guildmaster, who is an OP on the server since they are also vital in facilitating gameplay. Each guild has a Deputy Guildmaster who carries out the Guildmaster's functions whenever he is away. Each guild has a large guild hall (probably 50x50) where they carry out basic administrative functions, store their guild's collective treasury and where guild members can test their ideas and skills.
The Architects' Guild
This guild is responsible for urban planning. They decide where roads will go and where new plots will go. They also design buildings, infrastructure and prepare plots and structures at the request of the other guilds. Architects must not only have the foresight to see how the kingdom's land may best be used, but they must also be creative, as they are expected to build structures that are not only functional but works of art that show off the glory of the empire.
The Soldiers' Guild
The Soldiers' Guild upholds the defense of the kingdom. They work with the architects' guild to erect city walls, monitor the town for any security breaches and otherwise maintain the city's defenses. Soldiers are also assigned specializations based on their skills. For example, the Soldiers' Guild would have an archery range, and those who demonstrate proficiency in archery will be made rangers. Those who are good with defensive structures such as wall building, traps and redstone will be engineers.
The soldiers also are the exploration wing of the kingdom, and go out into the wild to find new territory and valuables that cannot be acquired in towns.
The Miners' Guild
The Miners' Guild deals with everything underground. Their primary goal is to acquire valuable metals for the other guilds and for the kingdom's trade. They work hand-in-hand with the Soldiers' Guild both when exploring caves (as they rely on the soldiers to provide security) and to identify potential underground dangers to the city.
The Farmers' Guild
The Farmers' Guild deals with anything that can be grown. Every member of the Farmers' Guild is assigned a 50x50 plot, of which 15x15 is for their home and the rest is for farming purposes. The following things must be grown:
Oak Trees
Birch Trees
Pine Trees
Wheat
Sugarcane
Cactus
Each farmer is assigned 1-3 things to grow on his farm, and it is his responsibility to maximize the efficiency of his land to grow as much of his assigned materials as possible. The Farmers' Guild maintains a bakery where bread must always be available for the members of the town, both for healing purposes and (when realism mode is released) for sustenance.
The goal of this nature of server is to use specializations to exploit everyone's talents as much as possible to build one massive city that would be the most beautiful and impressive in all of Minecraftia, while also surviving in the harsh wilds, as mods are absolutely forbidden from spawning items and danger lurks in all corners.
This idea could also be expanded into making two kingdoms which are at war. I currently play on a server that revolves around Towny, but a lot of the towns are very poorly designed, and I long to see a town that truly impresses.
0
It wasn't my intention to compile every single cock-a-maney challenge some random person on the forum has dreamed up. To make that clear, I edited my original post to specify "notable" challenges - that is, challenges that are unique, creative and have garnered a lot of attention in the Minecraft community.
I have added the Tree Spirit challenge, thanks bpx and shard for mentioning it. I've left off "Go West My Son" because, while cool, it doesn't sound particularly unique or creative compared to the other challenges on the list.
0
I looked up the Tree of Life, and it seems to be a custom map. I'm not looking for custom maps (so-called "adventure" maps), but rather challenges that can be done on naturally spawned maps. I apologize if my google-fu failed me and it turns out there's actually a non-custom map challenge called the Tree of Life.
0
I. Totem Quest
Goal: Playing as a nomad, construct a totem using a collection of rare materials.
Link: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/102835-want-a-goal-play-totemquest/
II. Color Wheel:
Goal: In 30 minutes, collect all 16 colors of wool.
Link: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/581104-challenge-color-wheel/
III. 404
Required Seed: 404
Goal: Enter the dreaded 404 cave and survive as long as possible.
Link: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/175468-ironman-challenge-series-404/
IV. The Tree Spirit
Goal: Play while always touching logs originating from a single tree.
Link: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/336073-challenge-the-tree-spirit/page__hl__tree spirit
0
By your scoring system, he earned a whopping 365 points, getting all 16 colors of wool plus the following bonuses:
Finish before the time is up--15 points
If you do take damage and don't use food to heal--30 points
Kill a creeper while playing--75 points
He may have gotten more, but there's one bonus I don't fully understand:
Don't get the black/gray/light gray/brown/pink wool from naturally spawned sheep--10 points
Does that mean you get 10 extra points for each one of the five, or in order to get the 10 point bonus you must get all 5 through dyes? He got the brown wool from a spawned sheep but used dyed for the other black, gray, light gray and pink. Either way, the video's a pretty impressive demonstration of the challenge, I didn't expect him to find lapis lazuli but he pulled it off.
1
0
0
Yes, I could see why a lot of well-established servers would have no interest in resetting their map. I wouldn't want all my hard work erased either - which is precisely why I haven't gotten into a new SMP server until 1.8 is up. However, there certainly must be some people planning on starting new servers when the patch comes up - I wouldn't mind doing that myself if I had the free time to spare. Anybody? I know you're out there.
0
1
Fireworks:
<G><D><G>
<S>
< ><T>< >
D = Dye (any color)
P = Paper
G = Gunpowder
S = String
T = Stick
Fireworks are available in any color that exists in dye form - the color of your firework is determined by the color dye you use. In order to use your firework, plant in the ground with right-click, then light it with flint and steel. In 3 seconds, your firework will launch 20 blocks into the air and explode into a colorful burst of light. Fireworks can also be lit using redstone instead of flint and steel, allowing for elaborately choreographed firework shows!
Barbeque Grill:
<C><C><C>
< >
I = Iron Ingot
C = Cobblestone
P = Wooden Plank
A grill is a variant of the furnace. It can only cook meat (Raw Porkchops and Raw Fish, and Raw Chicken and Raw Steak if they are added in future patches), but the benefit is a grill can cook two pieces of meat at the same time using only one fuel source. Opening a grill gives you a menu that looks like this:
[ ] [ ]
====> [ ] [ ]
[ ]
The grill is not only a crowd pleaser for hungry guests at parties, but also an effective way of preparing nourishment for long journeys. It is an efficient use of fuel, as the fuel lasts for just as long as it would in a furnace, but the grill can not be used to heat anything other than food.
Keg:
P = Wooden Plank
I = Iron Ingot
A keg is used as the container for ale.
Boiled Water:
Boiled Water is an ingredient for ale. It is created by putting a bucket of water in a furnace.
Keg of Ale:
<W><W><W>
< ><K>< >
W = Wheat
B = Boiled Water
K = Keg
[The buckets holding the Boiled Water are returned after creating a Keg of Ale.]
A Keg of Ale is a key ingredient to any party. It is the liquid variant of cake. To use a Keg of Ale, place it on any solid block. A Keg of Ale has 12 uses before it is drained. Once the Keg of Ale is drained, the empty Keg may be used again for another batch of Ale.
Drinking Ale not restores 1 heart. However, if the player's health is already full, the player's maximum health will be temporarily increased be 1 heart. This may be done up to a maximum of 3 times for a total of 13 hearts. Each additional heart lasts 60 seconds. However, each time a player takes a swig of ale, he becomes inebriated, causing blurry vision and difficulty walking. The more the player drinks, the worse the effect becomes.
These items should help jump start your next SMP barbeque, gala or pool party. If you have suggestions for any other items, please contribute them here.
0
0
People can play the "You only paid for a beta" card if they please, but understand Notch wouldn't be where he is without people paying for Minecraft as it is. Without us, there would be no Mojang Studios, no paid employees, no fame and glory. It's ultimately his game, but he needs to have an eye and an ear for those who made his game possible, and it's a disservice to his fans to change the game so drastically on them.
0
0
For starters, your arguments against currency contradict each other. You say in the beginning that money would restrict the player's ability to comfortably obtain items, and then say it would make it too easy to acquire items. Which is it? The question of defining the value of an item is very simple - let the free market decide (as it mostly works in real-life)! Put currency into a server and players will decide how much they are willing to pay for items people are offering.
Currency would not at all discourage mining and building, since if nobody did those things, there would be no items for sale, and players would have nothing to sell to get currency! I think the problem is your argument is actually a straw-man; you sound more like you arguing against the existence of server-run shops with infinite items for sale. Certainly, that would cause problems. But currency on its own has none of those problems.
Implementing a functional currency would be fairly simple. Make a plug-in that allows players to sell gold ingots to the server in exchange for 100 Coins. This is the only way to get coins; they cannot be spawned, given by mods, or won in rigged casinos. So players are forced to go mining to get the economy running.
The problem of inflation would be dealt with by implementing gold sinks. The specific gold sinks would depend on the nature of the server. If there is a shop plug-in, make it so creating a shop costs money. If there's an auction plug-in, make the plug-in take a 5-10% commission on all sales. If the server has towny mod, make creating a town very expensive. There are many other potential gold sinks, but it depends on what the server has and what its goal is.
Speaking more generally, I think the problem with your post is that you are attacking very specific ideas of your own creation. Certain RPG elements are indeed viable in SMP (Note I said SMP, I'm not considering single player in my discussion of this since RPG elements are almost always added as SMP mods). Your post gives the impression that any and all RPG elements are unviable in any form of Minecraft, whereas you have only targeted a few narrow concepts, forgetting there are many different ways these things can be implemented.
0
When you join the server, you have the rank of citizen, and you are given a small room in the town boarding house with a bed, a couple chests and a furnace or two. This city is run by its guilds, and only through joining one will a citizen get a plot.
The Guilds
Each guild is run by a Guildmaster, who is an OP on the server since they are also vital in facilitating gameplay. Each guild has a Deputy Guildmaster who carries out the Guildmaster's functions whenever he is away. Each guild has a large guild hall (probably 50x50) where they carry out basic administrative functions, store their guild's collective treasury and where guild members can test their ideas and skills.
The Architects' Guild
This guild is responsible for urban planning. They decide where roads will go and where new plots will go. They also design buildings, infrastructure and prepare plots and structures at the request of the other guilds. Architects must not only have the foresight to see how the kingdom's land may best be used, but they must also be creative, as they are expected to build structures that are not only functional but works of art that show off the glory of the empire.
The Soldiers' Guild
The Soldiers' Guild upholds the defense of the kingdom. They work with the architects' guild to erect city walls, monitor the town for any security breaches and otherwise maintain the city's defenses. Soldiers are also assigned specializations based on their skills. For example, the Soldiers' Guild would have an archery range, and those who demonstrate proficiency in archery will be made rangers. Those who are good with defensive structures such as wall building, traps and redstone will be engineers.
The soldiers also are the exploration wing of the kingdom, and go out into the wild to find new territory and valuables that cannot be acquired in towns.
The Miners' Guild
The Miners' Guild deals with everything underground. Their primary goal is to acquire valuable metals for the other guilds and for the kingdom's trade. They work hand-in-hand with the Soldiers' Guild both when exploring caves (as they rely on the soldiers to provide security) and to identify potential underground dangers to the city.
The Farmers' Guild
The Farmers' Guild deals with anything that can be grown. Every member of the Farmers' Guild is assigned a 50x50 plot, of which 15x15 is for their home and the rest is for farming purposes. The following things must be grown:
Oak Trees
Birch Trees
Pine Trees
Wheat
Sugarcane
Cactus
Each farmer is assigned 1-3 things to grow on his farm, and it is his responsibility to maximize the efficiency of his land to grow as much of his assigned materials as possible. The Farmers' Guild maintains a bakery where bread must always be available for the members of the town, both for healing purposes and (when realism mode is released) for sustenance.
The goal of this nature of server is to use specializations to exploit everyone's talents as much as possible to build one massive city that would be the most beautiful and impressive in all of Minecraftia, while also surviving in the harsh wilds, as mods are absolutely forbidden from spawning items and danger lurks in all corners.
This idea could also be expanded into making two kingdoms which are at war. I currently play on a server that revolves around Towny, but a lot of the towns are very poorly designed, and I long to see a town that truly impresses.
0
The entrance could either be from the top of the cliff or via some sort of sky bridge from the side of the cliff.