Minecraft Forums

I name my sword Witherwrath, my pickaxe Rockrive, my bow Blazebane, my ax Woodreave, and my shovel Sundersoil. I haven't come up with any names for my armor yet.

I agree.

Well, Microsoft has bought Mojang. It's done. I suspect this will change much of the current situation with requests for specific things from the community. I hope that Microsoft will bring in more people to help the current developers, and we'll probably see more requests from the community being granted. I hope this will speed up the amount of updates to the game. Maybe, they might even decide to start working on Cubic Chunks.

Quote from Tuaam»

Idiot.

Please do not insult other people like that. There's no point in it, and if you've pointed out a mistake they've made, they're probably chiding themselves well enough without your help.

It's also against the rules.

Quote from BlueComp

Can't beleive mojang does not want to implement this.

I don't think they don't want to add it. I think they just consider it too hard to code. It will be hard to implement, but it will be worth it.

Quote from WatcherInTheShadows

Well, I generally see little reason to be polite to people who won't return the favor.
A failing of mine yes.

I can understand why you have little patience for people you consider idiots. I want to say things like you say, and then I think about how stupid the person I'm dealing with must be, and I just pity them. I want to be an example, you see.

Quote from O4343

To be honest, the ban on semi-automatic weapons is secondary in my prioties list regarding firearms. Repealing the 2nd is first in my playbook. Eliminate it, and I'd no longer push for a ban on semi-autos, and if one had been established, I'd consider pushing for its elimination. Repeal the 2nd, and not every American will be able to get a firearm: Only those properly trained, without criminal backgrounds, and with a clean bill of mental health would get guns, if I had my way. In that case, I'd feel infinitely more confident in gun owners' ability to be responsible and safe members of society, and as such, I'd be more willing to see them with a more varied arsenal.

I wouldn't die for such a ban, but I would be willing to sacrifice a lot for a repeal of the 2nd.

I see no reason to die for such a right. So what if you lost the right? Then you'd just have to jump through a few more hoops for your firearms. It's not like you'd lose them completely, unless you were a danger to society as a result of your ownership, which is unlikely.


That might be how it worked back in the 1700s, but a lot has changed. The government, when it works (and it works most of the time), will protect your freedom. The police, the military, your elected congressmen are all there (ostensibly) to serve the American people, and to protect those freedoms on your behalf. As long as we do our part as citizens, and exercise our freedoms of speech, assembly, and press, and exercise our right to vote in every election, then we can continue to defend our rights as Americans from all that opposes it. A gun is no longer necessary (or useful) for doing the same.

You're delusional, if you think guns are the only defense people have. Also, you're selling Americans short, and as a patriot, I find that insulting.

Pretty sure that's close-mindedness. There are no absolute facts; just facts supported by evidence. You've got belief, and I can't cede to such belief.

I won't die for my reasoning, no. If you'll die for your belief, you're no different from a religious radical; a fool who has no understanding of the value of a human life, and cannot see reason when it stands right in front of them.

I would not kill you over your 'right' to bear arms; a human life is worth more than such a petty 'right'. I would not, however, object if someone else killed you over it.

There is no reason for violence on this matter. This is not the beginning of some Nazi regime, or the end of America; it's simply a change to the Constitution, a change long overdue. After all is said and done, you'll most likely still have your guns, and I still won't have a single one. Nothing much will change for regular, law-abiding Americans; what will change will be a minority of people will no longer have guns, and no longer be able to have them, and the majority will be better off as a result.

You said; "There are no absolute facts; just facts supported by evidence." That's a self-defeating argument. It's like saying, "This sentence does not exist." I mean, really? Did you really just do that?

I do not understand what you mean when you say I'm "Selling Americans short." Would you please explain this to me? I find your entire mindset insulting, but I won't complain about it.

You said; "The government, when it works (and it works most of the time), will protect your freedom." I cannot believe that. Have you ever seen this picture? Or this one? The first terrible event was courtesy of F.D.R., I would like to point out.

I'm not delusional. I'm trying to not stoop to name calling, and I ask that you do the same. I'm not saying guns are the only defense people have.
I'm saying they are the ultimate defense. They are the last, most effective resort.

Thomas Jefferson said; "The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it." I feel like like this is relevant to this discussion.

The Second Amendment will never be repealed as long as there are people like who are willing to die and to kill to defend it.

Is your belief that semi-automatic firearms, (or any other type of firearm available to the general public,) should be banned from possession by the general public? And if so, (and more importantly,) do you believe this is worth dying for?

Because I believe that protecting one's right to possess firearms is worth dying for. And I believe it necessitates committing the most horrible act of killing another human being to defend this right, because this human being would take this right away from me.

I understand that without a way to defend one's rights, (such as the freedom of speech, the right to privacy,) one never had those rights in the first place. You may say you have the right to say what you will, but you may only do so until someone tells you to shut up.

Without a way to defend yourself against close-minded idiots like this, you are at their mercy, and your rights are nothing.

I am far beyond the reach of any argument you could make against the idea that everyone has the right to arm themselves. (This is not close-mindedness, it's a belief in an absolute fact.)

From your previous posts, you appear to be beyond any argument I could make for the idea that everyone has the right to arm themselves with semi-automatic weapons, so we are at an impasse.

Are you willing to die to enforce your belief? Because I'm willing to die to preserve mine. And that is the core of the matter.

When all is said and done, when there is no more desire to have open debate, when this worldwide argument reaches it's end, I would kill you to defend my belief in self-defense. Would you kill me to defend your belief? That is the core of this debate.

They clarified and reinforced the original EULA. I hope it stays the way it is now.

Quote from Cuchaz

Mojang has known about this idea for a long time. I don't think "raising awareness" will accomplish anything useful here.

You are completely wrong. "Raising awareness" is one of the most useful things we can do. As Avaruusmurkku said;

Quote from Avaruusmurkku

It would spread the awareness and thus make this thing more popular. The more people know about cubic chunks and their possibilities the better. Also the "want" pressure might make Mojang a bit more enthusiastic to implement this.

We need people who can code the mod, (like you,) to have a proof-of-concept to raise awareness and get enough people to tell Mojang to implement it in the game. But you must understand it would be better for everyone if Mojang went ahead and did it themselves. (It's what they're being paid to do.)

Quote from UltimateFanBoy

Well, THAT was a mean way of putting it.

It was a pessimistic way of putting it too.

Could someone please explain exactly what needs to be done to get the "exclusive forum title" mentioned hereby Sacheverell.

He says, "Every user that provides valuable feedback during the beta will be given anexclusive forum titleto use once the site is live!"

What is "valuable feedback?" Is it limited to reporting a bug? Suggesting a new feature? Is it simply stating one's approval (or disaproval,) for the new layout? I would like to know.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

hello everybody,

I am sure it has not been unnoticed that my activity in the forum has dwindled quite extremely which for the most part is due to my personal problem with forums itself and that there are now better ways to contact me about conquest and everything connected to it.

So in case you have questions regarding the pack etc please make sure to contact me on discord or via pm as its keeps things more organized so we can focus on whats important =)

If you have questions regarding Conquest_ check out the Conquest_ community hub on discord ( https://discord.gg/ehTcUDk ) from where you can send me pm's or ask the community in order to get help

For a timely and accurate changelog you can go here

https://www.planetminecraft.com/texture_pack/conquest-32x32/#tab_log

to see what coming to conquest next check out my twitter @ https://twitter.com/Monsterfish_

and if you are curious about how Monsterfish_ works on his texture for the next update check me out one twitch @

A while back notch said that water bodies would not all be located at y=65. And they arent. They are somewhere between 64 and 66. When I heard this I thought it would be some 30 block difference between water bodies, but nope. Sometimes we get a glitched pattern when the water level does down by one but thats it.

We need waterfalls that look something like this

Picture from inHaze's custom world
http://www.planetmin...nforest-valley/



Input Needed

Fill in the poll and a comment with what size you think waterfalls should be. Do you want to see waterfalls that are as humongous as the one above or do you think they should be somewhat smaller?

According to the current poll results, it looks like roughly 22% want waterfalls that are not quite as big as the one above and almost 100% support adding waterfalls.



Support the thread

Copy this into your signature box if you support waterfalls

<a href="http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/944112-waterfalls/"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/e2dvN.png"></a>

It looks like this



Thanks ObscuryT for the banner


Current Supporters

Supporters up to 8/20/13

[represent]

NOTICE: This version of Amidst is out of date, and no longer being maintained. A newer version of this program can be found here: http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding/minecraft-tools/2626547

AMIDST Project Formerly Minecraft Stronghold Finder
Advanced Minecraft Interface and Data/Structure Tracking


About
AMIDST is designed to help enhance the process of finding structures, biomes, and players in minecraft.
By accessing your minecraft files, it's able to draw the biomes of the world out and show where points of interest are likely to be.

What AMIDST can do.
- Find Strongholds
- Find Villages
- Find Witch huts
- Find Temples
- Find Player Spawn
- Map Biomes
- Move Players
- Save an image of the map
- Load map data from different versions of Minecraft.

What AMIDST can't do.
- Show modifications to the world.
- Give information on individual blocks.


READ ME
[INFO] 57Digital appears to have made an iOS verison of this! (iTunes link)
[BUG] Spawn points, villages, temples, and witch huts may be slightly less accurate than normal.
[BUG] Moving your player on the map WILL put you into the sky. It is unclear on how to fix this issue.
[INFO] AMIDST uses Google Analytics to anonymously gather general statistics.
[INFO] AMIDST attempts to check for updates each launch.
[INFO] AMIDST is now completely open-source. Check it out on GitHub.


BUG REPORTING
Please report all bugs with as much detail as possible to the issue tracker.
Feel free to also make a post, or send me an email at: [email protected]


Download
AMIDST v3.7 Supports 1.2.4 - 1.7.4
( Ad free | Adf.ly ) Windows [Exe]
( Ad free | Adf.ly ) Mac OS X [App]
( Ad free | Adf.ly ) Linux [Jar]

Please note: I am unable to create Mac builds for the moment. I suggest using the Linux version as a Mac user. The current link may be broken.


Previous Changes:

Older versions
All versions of AMIDST 3+ are available for download at: https://github.com/s...AMIDST/releases

Special thanks
A big thanks to the people over at http://www.57digital.co.uk/ for their very generous support.

Supporting the project
Aside from using adf.ly, there are a few ways you can help improve AMIDST.

Check out the GitHub page. Bug submissions, feature suggestions, and any improvements to the source code are always welcome.

Due to requests, I have now added a donation link back in.



Media
A video tutorial on v3.0 will be up eventually. Until then, here are some screenshots:

Legal
License information can be found at https://github.com/s...ter/LICENSE.txt


Outdated Versions
If you are interested in the old Minecraft Stronghold Finder, all the old information can be found here:

Downloads & Versions No point in reading this if you don't download it!

Version 1.4.1 <---- Download if you have 1.9-pre 5 or 4
Download EXE or JAR
The EXE version now works!

Changes:
-Updated for 1.9-pre4!
-Fixed a bug where it sometimes wouldn't work.

Older Versions:
Version 0.4.2 <---- Download if you have 1.8.1
Download ad free (JAR) (EXE)
Download through adf.ly (JAR) (EXE)

Original topic is here. Additionally, the download to AMIDST v2.1 can be found here:

Ok, so I had an idea, and I searched for Slime, got about 3 related results in the whole listing, the rest were just random. Also: The full editor is stupid, it deletes all the empty lines, like you'd never pressed enter, to I have to put those back every time.

• So here's my (first) idea: Slime slabs and panes

When the player right clicks a block with a slimeball, it places a slimy green semi-translucent block, about the size of snow (not snow blocks, but the thin snow), it slows the player down and can be broken to give a slime ball. It is most easily harvested by hand, and occurs naturally in slime spawning areas. Also it can be placed on a wall where it will become a Slime Pane.

• My next idea: Slime caves

My next idea is a new generated structure, called a Slime Cave, the slime cave looks a series of caves that stay rather flat (not going very much higher or lower at any spot than any other spot). These caves are often covered in slime slabs and slime panes, with slimes spawning here excessively, and other mobs having a much lower chance to spawn.In addition, there would be a room with slime spawners and a giant slime for a "boss" of sorts, he wouldn't drop anything special though, he's just a very large slime who would split into 4 large slimes.New: May contain some of those new slime blocks that they're adding in 1.8, not really sure how that would work so post ideas.

• My Third idea: More Slime colors

(Currently the most liked idea in the poll.)More slime colors: So, you're probably thinking "well what if I don't want it to be green" (well, you're probably not thinking that, but still) so, I have a solution for you: Slimeballs could be dyed (crafted with dyes) to make another color slimeball, and therefore another color slime slab.But it doesn't stop there, Slimes will actually have a 5% each chance of spawning (40% chance total) in the following colors:

• darker Green
• red
• orange
• yellow
• blue
• pink
• black
• white

This really has no effect other than aesthetics, and one can die them into ordinary Slimeballs using lime dye.New: The player can also dye slimes directly, you want all your slimes you spawned green? just right click the slimes themselves with lime dye.This would also allow map makers with custom resource packs to re texture a certain color of slime, for example: A map maker making a partially undersea level could texture yellow slimes to look like sponges, then spawn in several slimes, and color some yellow to make the look like sponges while dying others blue to blend in with the water and a third group green for enemies on land.Example two: A map maker could texture red slimes to look like dirt, yellow ones to look like stone and white ones to look like diamond ore, then spawn slimes in various locations and dye them into a camouflaged color to ambush the player on their map. The Slime blocks would also be dyable. Also, name a Slime jeb_ for a rainbow slime.

• Magma cubes

Per request of Roundninja, I'm putting this section here.Magma cubes, like slimes have their own equivalent of the ideas I've proposed for slimes. Magma Cube Panes and Slabs currently have no differences from their Slime equivalents other than appearance.Magma cubes would have Magma Cube Caverns, covered in Magma Cream Slabs. Magma Cube Caverns are larger and more spacious than Slime caves, but lava often generates inside of them.Magma cubes can also be died, but they can only be died certain colors:

• Red (They look brighter red)
• Orange (They look similar to lava)
• White (Look brighter than they were before)
• Black (Look like their original form)

I know this is short, but I already explained how these things' Slime counterparts function and work, and the Magma Cube versions are the same unless specified otherwise..Other

• rarekwiebus suggested bouncing off Slime blocks' sides

Notes

• White Slimes look a slightly pale blue tinted clear color, and are much more translucent than other colors.
• Please view this, it's sort of a forth idea of this suggestion: http://www.minecraft...th-a-new-twist/

Gallery Slime Slab, made with Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 Here's a banner, please put it in your signature to attract more readers: make sure to post the URL elsewhere in your signature so people don't just get horribly lost looking for this post.

---

Table of Contents:

Overview
Changes in how things work
Frequently Asked Questions
[WIP] The Cubic Chunks Mod!
Gallery
Supporting this suggestion
Special thanks

[spoiler=Tl:dr]Q: Won't this increase lag?
A: Absolutely not. The title of this suggestion and big red letters at the top of this post aren't lying. If you want to know how, then I suggest you actually read this post.

Q: Will this change terrain? Will this break existing worlds?
A: No. Terrain change is not necessary. Existing worlds can be converted fairly easily with a process described later in this post.

Q: How can sunlight or rain work with infinite vertical space?
A: I suggest you read Coping with sunlight, because it's too complex for a tl;dr.

Q: I have a different question but still don't feel like reading this post. What do I do?
A: Too bad, read the FAQ. I put way too much work into this for the entirety of it to be ignored.[/spoiler]

---

Overview:

In Minecraft, the sky is the limit - literally. It doesn't matter how many thousands of blocks a player has traveled, or what dimension they're in, or even if they're playing in creative or survival, the highest they can ever build is up to a height of 256. Why is that? If Minecraft can have a world that's infinite in the north, in the south, in the east, and in the west, why can't that world be infinite up and down too?

In Minecraft's earliest days, in Classic and Indev, the world was not infinite in any direction. This was because the entire world needed to be generated at the same time, and the entire world needed to be simulated at the same time as well. This led to a conundrum - the bigger the world, the more it lagged.
Notch didn't like this. He knew his players liked to explore and build large creations, so he found a way to make the world truly infinite. When the Minecraft '' class='bbc'>Infdev came out, it brought with it truly infinite worlds. Suddenly, players could travel hundreds of thousands of blocks in any direction, and never encounter a barrier, or become too laggy.
The Infdev update brought about a very large change to Minecraft worlds to accomplish this feat. For the first time, instead every world being just a single huge piece, they were broken up into a two-dimensional grid of pieces, called chunks. Through breaking the world up into pieces, this 'chunk system' enabled infinite worlds by letting Minecraft create new pieces and simulate them only when it needs to.

Why does that not apply to the vertical axis? Because the type of 'chunk system' Minecraft uses right now is a linear one, which, by using only a two-dimensional grid to map out chunks, means that it is impossible for chunks to stack on top of one another, and by extension, meaning that a single chunk must cover the entire vertical space. This brings back the problem that the Infdev update was supposed to eradicate, now only with chunks, instead of an entire world; the bigger a chunk is, the more laggy it is. You can't just increase the height limit and make chunks taller, because it will become laggier, and laggier, and laggier to do it.
That's why, to fix this, Minecraft must change over to a cubic chunk system. Under this system, 16³ block chunks are aligned on a three-dimensional grid, completely eliminating maximum height as an aspect of lag.

The immediate benefits:
•Minecraft worlds become as virtually infinite vertically as they are horizontally: The absolute limit being Y = ±30,000,000.
•A large FPS increase: Alpha testers report an FPS increase of 100~200%.
•Increase in running capability: Computers running Minecraft on Tiny render distance will handle only 30% the blocks they do now.

The possible features:
•Spherical render/load distance: Reduce handled blocks by up to 30% by cutting corners made of unneeded chunks.
•Server chunk occlusion/exclusion: Reduce bandwidth usage and defeat hackers by only sending data for visible chunks.
•Three-dimensional biomes: Save biome data per chunk rather than per block column, create volcanoes with magma chambers, underground rivers, tropical skylands floating over icy taigas, and more.

The disadvantages:
•Unloaded gravity-pause: Falling non-player entities and fluids will be forced to pause their fall if they reach unloaded chunks, but will resume falling when those chunks are loaded.
•Slow falling-pause: Players with slower computers and smaller render distances will have falling occasionally paused as they fall into unloaded chunks, until new chunks can be loaded.

The problems:
•Current sunlight and rain calculation methods cannot work with infinite vertical space: The solution to this is described here.
•Current BiomeDecorator cannot work with multiple vertical chunks simultaneously: The BiomeDecorator code must be altered to function correctly with this, or removed.
•Current cave generation method is executed an extra time for each vertical chunk created simultaneously, leading to lag spikes on world generation: Cave generation's method must be altered to suit this system more.
•Current grass/dirt generation algorithm forces additional chunk requests when chunks are loaded, causing chunks to load slower than they should: This algorithm must be replaced with something else.

---

Changes in how things work:

Obviously, the implementation of this new chunk system will change quite a few things. These changes are mostly either necessary or in the interest of increased efficiency. Such changes are categorized and explained below.

How worlds will be stored:
[spoiler]How the current storage works, and what changes:
Interestingly enough, the current method of storage, the Anvil format, is derived from the storage method that the original Cubic Chunks mod used. The Anvil format stores individual chunk as a series of 16³ quasi-cubic chunks. These 'fake' cubic chunks allow for easier reference of specific data, but they still can't be separated from each other, meaning that it fails to reap the full benefits of this system. Even so, the change allowed Mojang to double the maximum height with no performance hit. Chunks are stored in groups of 32², inside 'MCRegion' files, for a total of 1024 chunks.
By nature, cubic chunks does away with the 'quasi-cubic' nonsense. In terms of chunk grouping, instead of using groups of 32³ chunks, new "3DRegion" files would contain groups of 16³. This means each 3DRegion file contains 4096 chunks, four times as many as MCRegion files. However, each 3DRegion contains only one fourth the amount of blocks. For per-chunk positional metadata, 3DRegion files would use the same number of bits as MCRegion files, after compression. Calculations show that the same area encompassed by a single MCRegion file would consume 64 kilobytes of extra space with 4 3DRegion files, which is nothing.

Converting existing worlds:
Most people are probably wondering something like "But won't this totally destroy all existing worlds?". Absolutely not; conversion could not be simpler. When a non-cubic world is loaded after the implementation of this system, a conversion process will begin and convert the entire world at once(To avoid making chunk loading take longer during play). First, all existing MCRegion files will be divided into quarters to create 3DRegion files. Then, all existing chunks are divided into sixteenths using the quasi-cubic properties to identify boundaries. After that, conversion is done.

The "isEmpty" flag optimization:
A 1-bit flag is added to each chunk, named "isEmpty". If the chunk consists of 100% air blocks, this bit is 1, any other case makes it 0. When the bit is 1, all data for the chunk besides the isEmpty flag is deleted and ignored, which reduces filesize. Empty chunks are never loaded, and locations where they occur are merely simulated as entities reside in them. The chunk will only load when something requires saving inside it.[/spoiler]

Changes to terrain, ores, etcetera:
[spoiler]Terrain:
By default, nothing will change. Small bits of terrain generation code need to be reconfigured to work properly with Cubic Chunks.

Biomes:
By default, nothing will change.

Ore generation:
By default, nothing will change.

Structures:
By default, nothing will change.

The Void:
After conversion to Cubic Chunks, the void and bedrock layer will still exist and generate as they always have. However, the void(Not the bedrock layer!) will not exist as a hard limit and is able to be moved, but not removed, by editing an associated NBT data tag inside a world's level.dat. This feature, that allows for increasing the maximum depth, is intentionally disabled without external programs, to prevent terrain change of any sort. It is intended to be used by experienced mapmakers and world generation mods only.

Superflat settings:
Existing superflat worlds will not change. However, new superflat worlds will gain a new decoration parameter, 'void'. Inclusion of this parameter will cause the void to form below the lowest defined layer. Exclusion of it will cause all layers below the lowest defined layer to copy the settings of that layer.[/spoiler]

Coping with sunlight:
[spoiler]There used to be a solution here, but it wasn't deemed good enough by Jeb. Suggest solutions in this thread.[/spoiler]

Changes to servers:
[spoiler]Settings:
There's a setting inside the Server.properties file called 'max-build-height'. The setting makes it impossible for any player to place or remove blocks above that height.
With the implementation of Cubic Chunks, a new setting named "maximum-generation-depth" would be added. The void, bedrock layers, and magma layers will generate normally at and above the Y level designated by the value of this setting.

Chunk occlusion/exclusion:
Using the raytracing methods already available in the code and used for explosion calculations, servers can identify which chunks are visible to a player, within safe assumptions, and only send the data for those chunks. This both reduces bandwidth usage, and cripples the usefulness of X-Ray cheats.[/spoiler]

Render/Load distance alterations:
[spoiler]After the implementation of Cubic Chunks, view distances' radii will apply to the vertical axis too. This reduces handled blocks in the cases of tiny and short render distances, and increases them in the cases of normal and far render distances. This can be optimized by utilizing a spherical render distance instead of a cubic one, which would reduce handled blocks in all distances except Far.[/spoiler]

---

Frequently Asked Questions:

[spoiler=FAQ]Q: This is impossible.
A: No it's not. See below.

Q: Is this available as a mod?
A: Not yet! But it will be!

Q: I like X-ray! What if I don't want it to be broken?
A: First of all, breaking X-ray hacks will only be possible to do in multiplayer. That said, the system that would break X-ray would be possible to disable by the server owner. If the owner doesn't disable the system, then they don't want you using X-ray, and you should not be doing what the server owner doesn't want in the first place.

Q: I play on a PvP/Anarchy/Raid/Faction server. Won't this system let people pillar up into the sky and create a base thousands of blocks in the air and never be found?
A: No.

Q: I like Minecraft's current height limits. What if I don't want to have an infinite sky or infinite underground?
A: If this system is added, all worlds will not automatically gain an infinite underground. As stated below, the Void will remain in all worlds, even after the conversion to Cubic Chunks. The ability to remove the Void will simply be there. As for infinite space in the sky, the current build limit is over one hundred blocks above any terrain that vanilla Minecraft can possibly generate. It is ENTIRELY your decision on whether or not you take advantage of this height. If you play on a server, like stated above, the server owner can set a maximum build height. If s/he doesn't, then don't play on their server - you don't play on servers where the server owners allow things you don't like. Why would you play on an anarchy server if you hate being stolen from and killed?

Q: Will this affect Redstone at all?
A: No. This system will simply make it possible to make larger redstone circuitry than before.

Q: Won't this break existing worlds?
A: No. Existing worlds can be easily converted by dividing each MCRegion file into 4 pieces, then slicing the existing 256 block-high chunks inside them into 16 individual chunks.

Q: Won't this affect mods? Won't mod authors have a hard time updating their mods?
A: The answer to this question depends solely on the answer to the following two questions: Do parts of the modification code rely on chunk data/metadata? Does the mod author want to take advantage of the features of the new chunk system? If the answers to the first and second question are both "No", then updating a mod to this system should be very easy and quick. If the answer to the first question is "Yes", then those parts of the code will need to be rewritten somewhat, but in most cases, the changes should be fairly quick and easy. The only time that it should be hard to update a mod to this system, is if the answer to the second question is "Yes".

Q: Won't this require a total rewrite of the mod API if that's released first?
A: No. Whether or not even a small part of the mod API needs to be rewritten depends on the way that it is implemented and whether or not there are API inclusions for chunk handling and other chunk-related behavior.

Q: Could a player fall into unloaded chunks if chunks aren't loaded fast enough?
A: No, they could not, and for several reasons. Minecraft has a terminal velocity, though it might not seem like it. This velocity is slower than it should take to load new chunks below the player. In cases with exceptionally slow computers, even if the player did manage to reach an unloaded chunk, their fall would be paused until that chunk can be loaded.

Q: What would happen when water, sand, or a mob falls into an unloaded chunk?
A: Nothing. The water/sand/mob would freeze in place until the chunk is loaded and it can continue moving. You can already see this same thing happening on the horizontal axis.

Q: What will happen to the Void?
A: It will still exist, along with all its effects. The only difference is that the Void is no longer a hard limit and it can be moved. After the conversion to Cubic Chunks, the Void's location will be stored in a world's ' class='bbc'>level.dat, and this location can be changed with NBT editing tools. When and where the Void exists, chunks will cease to generate.

Q: Will this affect terrain?
A: No. However, terrain generators will gain the ability to use infinite height.

Q: Will this affect ore generation?
A: No. Ore is a part of terrain generation. As stated above, terrain will not be changed.

Q: Won't all current terrain generators be incompatible with this system and need to be rewritten?
A: No. Terrain generators work independently of chunks. When a chunk is generated for the first time, it calls the terrain generator and receives a specific section of the resultant terrain to save inside itself. Because of this, some custom terrain generators can generate steep terrain all the way to Y256, where you can experience a large, flat cut-off. Since there are no chunks above Y256 to call the terrain generator for terrain, no terrain exists there.

Q: What would happen if there's a huge solid ceiling so far above you that it is unloaded? Wouldn't you just see the sky, just with everything being completely dark?
A: Yes. This already happens on the horizontal axis, and it is an issue with sky rendering, not this chunk system. As such, this has nothing to do with this suggestion. Please do not post about this.

Q: If you go deep underground, will your plants grow/ores smelt/animals grow?
A: No, because those chunks would be unloaded, just as if you had walked far away. This is a flaw with any chunk system, regardless of shape. It is a necessary evil that allows Minecraft to have infinite worlds. The only way to fix this would be to introduce a separate new system that works with chunks as they are loaded and unloaded. This suggestion deals with the chunk system itself, and not sister processes. Because of that, that is outside of the scope of this suggestion. Please do not post about this.[/spoiler]

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[WIP] The Cubic Chunks Mod! (Tall Worlds Mod):

Cuchaz has taken it upon himself to bring us the glorious Cubic Chunks, since Mojang refuses to do so.

Cuchaz is using a API of his own creation to help assist in the making of this mod, and he's quite far along, as seen in these two tech demo videos:
[spoiler=T-Demo 1: Vertical chunk loading][/spoiler]
[spoiler=T-Demo 2: Broken height cap and no lag!][/spoiler]
With the basic functionality in place - a complete overhaul of the basic chunk system, and height limit removed - this whole concept can already be considered proven. What remains is making sure everything else functions correctly under the new chunk system. In any case, stay tuned for future updates if it interests you(If it doesn't, then you are the weakest link - goodbye!).

You can follow the mod's development in much more depth in its very own topic!

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Gallery:

[spoiler=A mountainside with an experimental engine using Cubic Chunks designed by Nocte. 960 block view radius, and 30 FPS.][/spoiler]
[spoiler=A different view of the mountainside with the same engine by Nocte. This time, with 1600 block view radius and 15 FPS.][/spoiler]
[spoiler="A video demonstrating Nocte's engine."]

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Support & Submission to Mojang:

If you support this, hit the rep button in the bottom-left corner of this post. It is the only good way of accurately measuring support here.

If you wish, you can put the following banner, courtesy of laz2727, into your signature. It helps to attract support from all parts of the forum!

 [url=http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1707097-cubic-chunks-infinite-height-elimination-of-x-ray-and-more-60-supporters/page__st__0][img]http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/443/hov.png[/img][/url]

Please help us get word out of this suggestion! Share this with your friends, with Minecraft celebrities if you're familiar with them, or even with Mojangsters like Jeb or Dinnerbone! (Do not share this with Notch. Notch doesn't work with Minecraft anymore.)

The purpose of this suggestion is to have Cubic Chunks implemented in Vanilla. Being available as a modification does not fulfill that purpose. The modification featured in this suggestion is to act as a proof-of-concept only(Note: Its being featured here is to act as a proof-of-concept. The modification itself is on its way to becoming a fully fledged modification).

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Special thanks:
Cuchaz, for taking Barteks' proof and running with it, to give us a truly functional Cubic Chunks mod.
Barteks2x, for updating the Cubic Chunks mod to 1.6.2, proving that it is possible.
Azraile, for posting the original suggestion and allowing me to take ownership of it.
Nocte, for helping resolve flaws and designing Hexahedra.
MineCrak, for a large amount of valuable insight and enthusiasm into the topic of Cubic Chunks.
aaronfranke, for helping resolve flaws.
PanJouda, for creating the original banner.
Flexico, for creating the predecessor to the current banner.
laz2727, for creating the current banner.
Robinton, for creating the original Cubic Chunks mod.
The_Watchman13, for answering all those stupid questions so I don't have to.

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Note: Many calculations and information can be found among the many posts of this topic. There are too many for me to cite here, but if you wish, you can search for them yourself.

Quote from 4HeadTiger»

More importantly, before investing 2 billion dollars, Microsoft would have done their research, and would know perfectly well that what makes Minecraft so popular is not just the game, but the entire community and atmosphere around it.

The Minecraft IP is worth a tremendous amount of money because it already has a huge and diverse global community surrounding it, and while they could probably exploit that and sell a new version of the game, I highly doubt that they would do anything that risks alienating the community, at least not this early into the investment anyway...

Could not be stated anymore perfectly.

More importantly, before investing 2 billion dollars, Microsoft would have done their research, and would know perfectly well that what makes Minecraft so popular is not just the game, but the entire community and atmosphere around it.

The Minecraft IP is worth a tremendous amount of money because it already has a huge and diverse global community surrounding it, and while they could probably exploit that and sell a new version of the game, I highly doubt that they would do anything that risks alienating the community, at least not this early into the investment anyway...