Minecraft Forums

I've been thinking about the OG textures recently, and I realized something: I can easily tell when texture or model is going for a "Programmer Art" aesthetic, but I have no idea how to describe what that aesthetic actually is, what rules it follows.

No other "pixel art" game seems to have captured the same vibe as Minecraft did—including (post-1.14) Minecraft, so I figured it might be fun to pick the aesthetic apart and try to properly define it, trace its predecessors and inspirations, etc.

There's some irony in having any semi-serious conversation about these textures—I've already given them more thought than Notch and co. ever did when they made them—but who cares? It's fun to yap.

What patterns or inspirations do y'all see in the classic Minecraft aesthetic? For instance I feel like I see a lot of common ground with the aesthetic of dungeon crawlers of the late 90s-early 2000s (which makes sense given Notch's prior work).

Quote from Princess_Garnet»

That sounds like a lovely reminiscence of nostalgia if I ever heard one, and I mean that in a good way in case it's not clear.

Thanks! I appreciate you giving it a read.

This post is incidental timing with myself because I've been going through a similar feeling and I've been making my own post partly as a result of that (and also because I've... never talked at length about my favorite game in one spot so I figured better late on a dead forum than never?). It's more about the game itself than my nostalgia for the past, but I do relate because it's one I've loved and played for years, and fittingly the game itself sort of deals with some themes of life, like how it is fleeting and fragile and how you should make the best of something in the moment, before it passes by.

This sounds really cool actually, I'll have to go give it a look! Forums definitely seem like a good platform for these sorts of passion-driven mini essays.

We always look back on our formative years especially fondly, but even as you get older you'll have nostalgia for the past. Time, it's an enigma like that. There's benefit to reflecting on the treasures of the past, but don't miss out on the opportunities to make treasures of now that will become your treasures of the past in the future.

Very aptly put—that's something I've been trying to focus on a lot in my life right now; simply finding a way to be present can make a world of difference, but it can be so hard to remember to commit to and ground yourself, et cetera.

And yes, forums are the superior format compared to most other social media formats in my mind, but their heyday was a couple of decades ago and I can't imagine it's coming back any time soon. It seems like the rise in the use of phones and the change towards instant gratification and lower attention spans in the last decade especially is part of why. Forums were great in a different tech/internet landscape but I'm not sure if/when they'll return with prominence. Though, this one seems especially inactive for what it is; it deals with Minecraft of all things and yet there's still far more active forums out there. (I also just noticed the other day the gaming forum has a newer account spamming pages of posts for some weeks that are nothing but videos to advertise a YouTube channel and nobody noticed, and I imagine some of the other inactive forums might have that going on [?], so take that as a sign of how dead some categories are.)

I agree. While I would love forums to be as central to everything as they once were, the current mainstream internet ecosystem is just not built for this sort of community anymore. I've noticed the same thing about this forum in particular being strangely less active than other less popular ones; I think it just comes down to the type of Minecraft content people share being less project-oriented. Not many people are map makers anymore, and modders just seem to post development updates on Discord these days. Age might be another factor, as there's another forum I'm on which is a lot more niche, but way more active and I have to imagine it's due to a target audience that's been on forums way longer than most average Minecraft players ever have been.

That's because the face is still there, not sure what they're on about.

More on topic, I will say I'm gonna miss the dirt background. I feel like it's one of the few remaining parts of the game that's still grounded in that imperfect indie game aesthetic it used to have. Not surprised by the change though, or too bothered by it (love resource packs 🙏)

For me, it's the not-so-subtle rebranding of OG Minecraft as "Java Edition" and dropping the subtitles from the Bedrock Editions. I can't think of any reason for them to do that other than to try and pull focus towards the version of Minecraft that's ridden with microtransactions.

Hello all!

Fair warning: this is a rambly post. I feel that it's relevant and interesting enough to share, but if it's not your speed then tl;dr at the bottom.

It's been a very long time since I last visited this website. There was a point in time—amidst the Minecraft craze that swept my peers and I back in the early 2010s—where this website meant so much to me. Minecraft Forums was the anchor for my experience growing up with this game and its culture. I read each and every update changelog as they were posted on the home page. I scoured the suggestions forum in search of some hidden genius ideas, naively dreaming that the devs at Mojang might find these same threads if we made enough noise. And yet, despite my investment, at some point I unknowingly posted my last reply, and this account began to gather dust.

I am not who I was when I last posted on this account. I've grown up. I never truly stopped playing Minecraft (because you never really put it down for good), but I have certainly dedicated less and less time to it with each year. And that makes sense! Everyone has so much more time to spend when they haven't yet been bogged down by the responsibilities, hardships, and fulfillment of growing up. But after growing up, and after stumbling across this place by chance, I realized that I miss this website.

Now, I don't miss who I used to be when I last was posting on this website. I look back on my post history and I cringe (please don't look). I find my own words hard to read. I see the insecurities that have always plagued me take form in the weird, awkward, annoying way I wrote while learning how to communicate on the internet for the first time. That being said, I'm grateful I went through that phase. Every misstep in life, including cringy forum posts, teaches you how to do better the next time. And to have a permanent and easily accessible digital record of my years-old missteps is cringe-inducing—but strangely, it's healing too. It gives me context for who and where I am now. It is tangible proof that—in the midst of my present-day struggles with insecurity, doubt, anxiety, et cetera—I am doing so much better than before. I have made real, evidential progress. I am not who I was.

So why do I miss this place? Even though I don't want to be my younger self, he existed in a time where things felt easier. That's a separate can of worms that might be too sappy even for this post, but the relevant part of that equation is social media. I started using social media around the time I stopped using Minecraft Forums, but it was not an equal trade.

Social media has been decried at length, despite its omnipresence in most of our lives. Its algorithmically-driven nature seems to somehow be the root cause of both of these truths. It creates a trap that the general public recognizes for what it is, yet it has ensnared and invaded so many aspects of our life that to escape from it feels like too much effort. As I rediscovered Minecraft Forums—now with my present-day perspective, feelings, and thoughts in the back of my mind—I realized that the appeal of the forum is the lack of any algorithm, or immediacy, or any of the other cheap tricks social media pulls. It's what social media could never be: a place for positive, human-driven social interaction. You can post a somewhat-sappy, overly sentimental retrospective on growing up with online forums, and it'll get just as much of a chance on the front page as anything else. Everyone can be heard. Anyone can make a splash.

I do believe that something has been lost with the abandonment of forums in the online ecosystem. I think the world might genuinely be better off with more forums—but effecting that kind of cultural shift is well above my pay grade. So, for the time being, the best I can do is post a little more often.

If you read all the way through this, thanks so much! I hope these thoughts and feelings I've put here resonated with you, and I encourage you to do the same. The state of online forums isn't exactly something that just comes up in my day-to-day life, so it's a topic I've been dying to broach. If y'all are still active after all these years, then I have a feeling you have reason to be—and I'd love to hear your stories as well!

(tl;dr: Rediscovering MCF led to me reflecting on my growth as a person and the place of online forums in today's world)

That is an End Crystal. They're found in the End dimension and give health to the Ender Dragon during the boss fight. I believe the crafting recipe has glass blocks taking up the first row and the first and last spots in the second and third rows, with an eye of ender in the middle and a ghast tear in the bottom center. They're only placable on bedrock, however, as their primary purpose is to restart the boss battle.

Quote from CyberneticSquid»

I'm not sure how banners for book covers could work with books using pre-drawn art.

I agree, especially how the book texture sits at an angle; wouldn't a complex banner design get lost in the lower resolution?

I completely agree with everything else here, though.

Support.

Very interesting take, I haven't seen much like it.

I will say that heavy attacks dealing 50% to shield-users seems a bit over-powered. Maybe 30% instead?

Besides that nitpick, Support.

Pretty fitting that you spawn in "Africa" too.

Nicely done!

Quote from Wolftopia»

I guess it doesn't have to be quite as bright as glowstone. I definitely want it to be brighter than torches, though, so they are worth collecting for reasons other than just aesthetics.

Ah, that makes sense.

Quote from Wolftopia»

What do you guys think of this? Do you think it fits well enough with vanilla?

Works really well imo, almost a necessity.

I really love this, I've been thinking about things like it but this is better than anything I'd think of.

Support.

(Also, why does a firefly jar produce 15 light? they aren't that bright.)

Quote from Mancu32»

That's a good idea, I support it.

Also, I found an idea of Sticky Rails

That one's good too. I'm surprised it isn't in the actual game at this point.

Quote from Wolftopia»

That's pretty good. I put my support in it. Now we just need one more person.

By the way, have you joined the discord?

I haven't yet. It's on my list of todos, but I have a lot of other stuff going on too. I'll join it as soon as I can.