If there's one question that seems to be on everyone's minds, it's, (rightfully so), what the heck is the enormousframe of unbreakable new blocks in the center of the Deep Dark City? I wanted to record my personal theory, (and my thoughts on others), in this thread. Please share any ideas or suggestions you have about this topic!
Important Points
Mojang has stressed they don't intend to add any new dimensions until all existing areas of the game have been updated. (In particular, I think this means the Overworld's biomes for the Wild Update, and the End in a subsequent update.)
The fact that Mojang has not revealed the function of the frame yet, (nor outright denied various theories regarding its purpose), suggest it does has some purpose. Furthermore, the rarity and difficulty of the cities, (compared with the somewhat lacking loot), suggests it will be a function well worth the risk.
...The Frame is weirdly large compared to the other two existing portals in the game. (Nether portals can be of a similar size, but the ones we find naturally generating in the game are not.)
Portal Theory
...In spite of Mojang's suggestions about overhauling existing parts of the game, it's entirely possible the most obvious solution is, in fact, the right one. I do not think this is the case, (for several reasons), but I don't want to entirely rule it out. ...That being said...
The Deep Dark already has enough unique features, that it's hard to picture an entire new dimension based off of it. (On a larger note, the three existing dimensions are already distinct enough that it's hard for me to imagine a fourth dimension at all, when there's already an overworld, underground, and sky themed dimension in the game.)
Again, there's the issue of so many other things, (namely the End and Overworld Biomes), needing updating, (and already having updates confirmed to some extent), that it's hard to imagine an entire new dimension just coming out of nowhere.
...Plus, the Deep Dark has already been delayed once before. I seriously doubt another enormous expansion would be in the works.
Teleporter Theory
Another idea is that the Deep Dark Frames will serve as some sort of portals between cities, allowing players to travel instantaneously. ...I actually think this is more plausible than the first idea, but still falls apart pretty easily. Consider:
The Nether is already used for long distance transportation.
This wouldn't be very helpful, firstly because of the rarity and random locations of the cities, and secondly because of the difficulty of getting to them. A place that frequently spawns terrifying soul abominations isn't exactly the best place to build a travel hub. (Honestly, there is literally no worse place in the overworld to try to build a travel hub.)
...It also makes little sense given the shape and size of the frame. If you were going to implement some sort of teleportation system, something like Waystones would be much more sensible.
Reverse Portal Theory
Another idea suggests that the frame is a portal, but not a portal for us- that instead, the portal lets something in.
...Again, it could be possible, but I honestly don't have any idea how this would work. The city itself is far from ideal as a boss arena, (it's clearly designed for the warden, not something else.) I don't really have much more to say about this idea.
Enhancement Theory
Perhaps the portal grants some sort of special, never seen before upgrade to the player upon passing through. ...Again, it's possible, but seems unlikely, or at the very least underwhelming... and to me, not nearly as amazing and inarguable as my personal theory, which is as follows:
WIP Theory
Personally, I think the portal is a work in progress, and has something to do with an upcoming End Update, possibly replacing strongholds as the means of accessing an overhauled End-Dimension. This isn't just a hunch, I have a couple of reasonings for this particular theory: (Again- theory! Theories are hardly set in stone, and are up for debate.)
Mojang has deliberately avoided mentioning anything about the Portal, or the Strongholds in the past few updates- the strongholds in particular being quite outdated. ('Otherside,' for example, can be found in both the Strongholds, and the Deep Dark.)
It would make sense to keep the function of the frame secret if an end update is in the works- revealing the function of the portal would spoil the theme of the next update, (and might serve as a letdown to the community if the Wild Update hadn't yet been released.)
From a Gameplay perspective, (...as well as a lore perspective?) the Deep Dark makes far more sense as a means of accessing the End than the Stronghold, which hardly poses any threat to the player. (Though it's unclear how Eyes of Ender would interact with this, if at all.)
Strongholds are one of the older structures in the game, and, (unlike mineshafts, and to a lesser extent, dungeons); recieved no changes whatsoever with a new update deliberately devoted to the underground.
...These are just my thoughts, but I'd love to hear your theories regarding the frame! (...Either way, we'll know soon enough.)
The new music added in the latest snapshot is fantastic- I'll admit, while I've always admired Lena Raine as a composer, I never thought she'd be able to make really... 'minecrafty,' music- but oh boy have these last few updates proven me wrong. Her soundtrack for 'Celeste,' for example, is driving, a bit retro, a bit classical, slightly anxious- perfectly fitting, (and at least in part creating) the game's vibes. But hearing her recent work for Minecraft, I can't help but feel she's grown even further as a composer, making lush, immersive tracks- toeing the line perfectly between offering something new and fresh, while still fitting well with the game's existing (and equally fantastic) soundtrack by C418.
...But I'm not just here to gush about Lena Raine's skills as a composer- more importantly, I wanted to note a change that I think may be going overlooked- and which may have important implications:
The new music introduced by Lena Raine is important for another reason: firstly, in that it introduces biome specific music to the Overworld. (Which is a first, to the best of my knowledge!) Secondly: this snapshot also adds biome specifiers to music introduced in the last update. In particular, several songs are now exclusive to lush caves, swamps, old-growth taigas... and forests. (Along with 'Ancestry,' which now exclusively plays in Deep Dark Cities- and 'Infinite Amethyst'- which, to the best of my knowledge, no longer plays anywhere.)
I may be grasping at straws here- but I believe this has enormous significance: Every new piece is exclusive to biomes that have been updated recently. (Taigas, Lush Caves, Swamps, and Ancient Cities are all relatively new parts of the game.) Which means I find it very interesting that forests are included in the list of biomes these songs can play in.
THEORY ~
To me, this change, (along with some other notable points), indicates that the Wild Update may bring more than just improvements to Swamps- that, much like the Caves and Cliffs update, the Wild Update may very well aim to upgrade much, much more of the Overworld. My (somewhat dubious) reasons are as follows:
The previously mentioned correlation between new music and updated parts of the game.
Concept Art released by Mojang, (which depicted a much fancier looking Birch Forest)
Correlation between the Caves and Cliffs Update (Which unexpectedly overhauled all of terrain), and the Wild Update, (Which could very well overhaul many or most of the biomes.)
...Just how easy this would be to do. Add some better groundcover, new models for trees, maybe a couple new plants... (Compare this to adding a structure as complicated as the Ancient City, and a brand new biome with a new tree type.) With much of the officially announced features more or less complete, there's plenty of time left before release to go overboard, (again), in the best way possible.
...And on a more personal level, the necessity of upgrades to forests, which currently feel really underappreciated. (Especially compared to other, newer biomes.)
Unlike oceans, caves, or even the Netherworld, the overworld itself is eerily silent for the most part, and can feel somewhat empty or lifeless. One idea I had a while ago, (and wanted to elaborate on), was a means of simultaneously adding more visual and audible ambience to the Overworld in the form of a single mob- Beetles, specifically.
The trouble with ambient noise in the Overworld is that, whereas it makes sense in other areas for weird noises to occur randomly, the Overworld is supposed to feel cozier and more peaceful. Hence, if ambient noise is added, it ought to have some visual source. ...And thus, beetles: small, passive arthropods that come in a variety of different colors, are unique to certain biomes, and make ambient noises.
There are sixteen different colors of beetle- each color also has a rarer spotted and shiny variety to encourage collecting them. The color and variety of the beetle determines which ambient noises it makes. Since different colors are unique to different biomes, each biome thus has its own set of ambient noises. ...The ambient noise wouldn't necessarily have to be realistic either. Some beetles could make bird sounds or whatnot, but there could also be chimes, stick noises, and other distinctive (but not entirely identifiable) sounds. (Think woodpecker noises for taigas, ice chimes for cold biomes, etc.)
Beetles try to fly away from the player- they can be caught more easily using a net, which catches any beetles in a small radius when used, and can automatically put them in bottles. (It also works with fish and buckets.) You can catch and release beetles using bottles.
Beetles can also be used to farm dyes- they have a 50% chance of dropping their corresponding dye, and can be bred using any variety of seeds.
Frogs, Silverfish, and Spiders all attack beetles. (And beetles try to avoid them.)
You could also brew beetles into a potion- beetles take on the effects of the potion. Once released from their bottles, they target the next thing you attack, inflicting it with their potion effect. Brewing a beetle with a potion is the only way to obtain a White Beetle, which makes some especially weird ambient noises.
At last, the arena is finished! And, (to the best of my knowledge), relatively bug free! You can check out the finished version on the aforementioned curseforge page.
I'm pleased with how this turned out, all things considered- going into this with little former knowledge, I have to say the end result is still pretty fantastic- and more importantly, taught me a lot about planning for large scale projects, and applying this randomization to other ideas. (Such as the dungon builder machine I'm currently working on.) ...Plus, it's pretty fantastic to finally have a finished product to show off.
Anyways, check out some screenshots! I wound up being a bit lazy when it comes to architecture, but I guess the arena generator is sort of the star of the show anyways.
...Maybe the Ice box really is just a refrigerator? I guess the... ice, and, uh, all the food inside would sort of imply that. And it could sort of explain the trap too- there aren't any farms in the city: it must have been running out of food. Thus, as the Skulk took over, none of the enchanted gear, magical books, or rare artifacts would have mattered to the city's inhabitants- food, on the other hand, would have been extremely valuable to the city, and thus would necessitate traps and defense measures.
I think that seems like the most reasonable explanation- though, again, ice doesn't actually have a refrigeration effect in the game, so it's up for interpretation. I think my problem to begin with was that I was thinking in terms of what would be valuable to the player- not necessarily to whomever built the city itself.
...Okay, just had one possible theory regarding some of the unsolved bits: The residents of the city wouldn't have gone immediately from super-advanced mages to stone-age cave dwellers living in harmony with the Skulk. There would have been a transitional era during which they still possessed some knowledge of advanced magic/technology, but were becoming increasingly superstitious as a result of the Skulk. Hence, they might have built the statues of the warden during this time in some strange attempt to appease it; would have created the swift-sneak enchantment, carpeted their halls, and passed on a healthy fear of the skulk to their descendants.
...Still doesn't explain the blasted ice-box though.
With the introduction of the ancient cities, it seems we've finally been given the tragic conclusion to Minecraft's mysterious and extensive lore. At first glance, these places might seem mysterious... but every other aspect of the game points to their origins, giving us their story without so much as saying a word. We can infer from a variety of sources how these strange places came about... and even while the city is still in its early stages of design, its details can tell us a great deal about the people who lived and died there.
The Origins of the City ----------------
It has long been theorized that the Overworld was at one time inhabited by an ancient race of builders- those responsible for the temples, sunken settlements, shipwrecks, and other structures found throughout the Overworld. At some point, they discovered a terrible virus- possibly from their meddling with interdimensional travel- a virus that didn't merely kill its hosts, but transformed them into zombies, living only to spread the illness further. In its later stages, nothing remained but a skeleton, stripped of flesh... however, the ailment was relatively contained- all they had to do was destroy the portals, and the problem would be solved.
...But the builders were naturally zealous. They didn't want to merely avoid the virus, they wanted to overcome it. The villagers had a greater immunity- the villagers perhaps having split off long ago, and, having forsaken building, grown far less intelligent- perhaps there simply wasn't as much brain for the virus to feed on. Through kidnapping and experimenting on the villagers, they discovered the solution- gold, naturally imbued with magical and purifying properties, shaped into an edible vessel; and potions of weakness with which to keep the virus temporarily at bay, easily made from spider eyes. (Only mammals seemed to be affected- arthropods bore a natural immunity.)
But Golden Apples were phenomenally difficult to make- requiring nearly an entire solid block of gold for a single antidote. But where was there plenty of gold? The Netherworld... the origin of the virus.
The Builders created the piglins through further experiments- deformed, mutant slaves to toil for them in the fiery nether, despite being wildly unsuited to it. They constructed massive mining facilities, training their new servants to bear an obsession with gold. When some of the piglins began to show signs of the virus, they naturally assumed it was merely a side effect of their mutant origins... And so the gold was shipped en.masse to the Overworld, carrying viral spores along with it- it was stored in the massive Ocean Temples, and from there shipped to every part of the Overworld- all the while spreading the virus to the furthest corners of civilization.
Calamity would not even begin to describe the disaster that befell the Overworld; the player enters the world long, long after this apocalypse, and even then hordes of monsters still roam the earth. At the time, this would have been tenfold: even for all their prowess, the Builders would have been overwhelmed as their own creations turned on them. Everything around them; every symbol of their power was crumbling before their eyes. The Bastions were first to fall- with the resolve of their masters weakening, they rebelled, chasing the overseers out of the Bastions and claiming them for themselves- centuries later, they would still dwell in these ruins. The monuments came next, their protectors transformed into drowned. With every other option exhausted, the survivors fled to their one remaining haven- deep, deep underground.
The City Itself ---------------
Any speculations about the ancient cities themselves must, naturally, remain speculations- at least until the complete structures was released. However, especially with the recent additions in the latest snapshots, there seems to be much we can infer about what happened here.
Looking at these cities, it seems almost as if they had two different residents- we have the original, deepslate structures; intricate, ruined, and overrun with skulk- and then we have newer, wooden structures- more recently built, covered with carpet, and seemingly designed with the express purpose of avoiding the terror that lurks in the ruined city's streets. This is not the case: Rather, these cities were inhabited for such an incredibly long time, that its residents gradually forgot how to repair their crumbling home.
Originally, the city was likely devoid of skulk- but there are some interesting conclusions we can draw from skulk; and they are as follows:
Skulk is artificial: It originates in the cities, and is exclusively found around them.
Skulk is magical; indeed, likely the most magically charged material in the game. Every other magical element of Minecraft has something to do with life and death; be it potions grown from fungi, (detrivores); totems of undying, enchanting (using experience primarily obtained by killing things), etc.
Skulk is alive, if not in the same manner as anything else in the game. It can respond to external stimuli, it can grow, and spread... and it can defend itself.
Perhaps skulk came about naturally as countless citizens of the city died in the same place as the years went on. But more likely, I think this was one last fatal oversight on the part of the builders. They were clearly accustomed to using souls as an energy source- the city is filled with soul lanterns, torches, and fires. They needed a means of storing soul energy- experience- in a more reliable fashion. ...Hence, they created Skulk. What they did not expect, (but possibly should have anticipated), was that creating a mutated, magical material capable of storing lost souls might be a bad idea.
Whatever the case, the Skulk spread and began to consume the city... and its residents gradually adapted. At this point, they couldn't even conceive of leaving- they had grown accustomed to living alongside the gnarled overgrowth of the tormented souls of their ancestors. (Again, this is a children's game...) They began to devote the vast majority of their time to avoiding the stuff- filling everything with carpeting, repairing the city with watchtowers and crude bridges- lit, (notably), by regular torches instead of their soul variants. By the time the last of them were finally consumed by the Skulk, it's likely that no memory of the surface world remained.
Unsolved Mysteries --------------------
Obviously, there's plenty of problems that remain unsolved. If the warden only came about after the Skulk began to fill the city, why is there a giant statue of it in the city's center? On that note, what the heck is the statue even for? Most confusing to me, however, is the mystery of one of the structures added in the recent snapshot: The mysterious Ice-Box.
The structure itself is relatively simple; a raised, box-like deepslate structure with a staircase leading up to it. The structure is trapped with noteblocks near the entrances, activated by pressure plates; an iron trapdoor gives access to the internal structure, and can be locked from the inside. Within the structure is a room filled with ice and snow- a single chest contains more snow, ice, and food.
This ought to raise some very obvious questions. Namely, why the heck would the residents of the city need ice? Where did they even get the food that's apparently being refrigerated there? Why is this important enough to be protected by a trap, but other chests throughout the city- filled with enchanted gear and other rarities- are left out in the open? And on that note, what's with the trap? This demonstrates a knowledge of Redstone, so it was clearly built in the early days of the city. But its mechanic is designed in such a manner to work with Skulk- which supposedly only overgrew the city much later. In short, the Ice Box is driving me more than a bit crazy.
Any thoughts regarding the Ancient City? In particular, regarding my confusion with this one particular structure?
I think there's a fair bit of misunderstanding about the new system- from what I understand, the engine generates terrain first- and then different biomes are more or less likely to generate based on the terrain. Not every biome is compatible with rugged terrain, or vice versa. Swamps, for example, are supposed to only generate in low lying areas, in particular around rivers. This is also why biomes now tend to avoid generating next to each other when they have big differences in temperature or humidity.
...Personally, I'm a big fan of the new terrain. Not necessarily because of realism, but because it feels far more varied and interesting to explore- and yes, more aesthetic. I'm more than happy to travel far from spawn when the scenery is this fantastic.
I agree that Mojang has made fundamental changes to the game before; it's more that these changes enhance existing systems rather than replacing them. Honey blocks allowed for new varieties of flying machines; recent terrain improvements enhance existing biomes- with a special focus on blending with existing worlds. Water mechanics... were pretty fundamentally changed, but again, in a way that was arguably intended as a fix.)
Ultimately, I just can't see the developers implementing such a controversial change, especially for purely cosmetic reasons.
Good idea- I often keep journals in my survival world, and it can be infuriating to have to page through everything when you want to keep writing. On a side note, (as long as books are being tweaked), it would also be nice if you could dye written books for clarification- (I've also frequently mixed up books with similar titles...)
Here's another screenshot of work in progress: I've just about got the upper layer of rooms working. I've basically been copying and pasting this randomizer machine, and the generation is... more or less functional. I've decided to add the possibility for more rooms on the uppermost layer, though the odds of this should decrease the further one gets from the center.
...And, editing this; the catacomb layer should be fully complete. Bearing in mind that this is just a demo, the catacombs shouldn't be too extensive. Not all temples will have two layers, but some can have quite a lot of chambers if the RNG is lucky.
Lower layers contain much better loot, (including enchanted books, diamonds, etc), but also far more dangerous traps. I don't want to spoil anything at the moment... but suffice to say, I'm having a great deal of fun with the Sculk Sensor...
(And I will be turning off bounding boxes when I'm finished- they're just helpful for reference.)
Pro ~ Furniture would add new possibilities for building, more customization and decor options, etc.
Con ~ The same can be said of any addition to the game.
Pro ~ Proper furniture would certainly look nicer than the existing methods of combining different blocks that sort of resemble furniture.
Con ~ Personally, I find the whole block-hacks community to be really interesting, and it's kind of fun to see new and creative ways of making new things out of parts of the game that weren't necessarily intended for it.
Con ~ There are plenty of readily available mods that add furniture, if you really feel that strongly about it.
Pro ~ This isn't really grounds to dispose of any idea; in the past, things that started as mods have been incorporated into the game in some respect.
Con ~ ...However, if the idea is an especially controversial one, I think the mod argument holds a bit more weight.
Major Con ~ Adding furniture to the game would invalidate all old builds that used the previous methods of decoration, including many existing naturally generated structures. Generally, Mojang does not add things that would affect existing worlds in such a fundamental way.
Pro ~ ...Admittedly, some of the naturally generated structures could use a redesign anyways.
Con ~ Personally, I just don't like furniture. I'd rather see more options for existing blocks than an entirely new system. However, that is just my opinion.
The Arena is now fully functional! And, if you really, (really), want to try it out, you should now be able to download an early version on Curseforge!
A couple of changes in this build; and of course, plenty more to come in terms of decoration and finer details:
Discovered/Created and subsequently fixed several new issues.
Added a save system w/ three save slots for each arena. (Many backups were used to get this working...)
Finished Armory rooms.
Finished Scoreboards, (and hooked up to armory rooms.)
Added Toggle function to connect armory death counters to the scoreboards. (This occurs automatically when the scoreboards are activated.)
I also added a bit more decoration to the Control room. ...It's not great, but it at least has walls now. (This is what I get for building the machinery first and the architecture second. ...And also for trying to work with circles, I suppose.) Nonetheless, I still enjoy the decoration aspect far more than the machinery... even if the machine is the main feature.
I think the OP is suggesting some sort of Glow effect; similar to the variety you can currently get from spectral arrows. ...Admittedly, I don't see this being the most useful thing ever, but it could still be an interesting mechanic. Adding some sort of potion application could make glow berries a bit more useful.
...Or, here's a kind of random idea- you know the kind of vaguely dubious resource pack/shader options that make ores glow? Maybe this could be implemented as a proper feature in the form of some sort of glowberry effect or potion that briefly illuminates the locations of ores, (That is, changes their textures to have high brightness), making caving an even more viable option for mining.
I'm kind of hooked on the idea of a Sulfuric Cave biome; which could consist of normal stone, sulfuric materials, and small pockets of glowstone, (which would decrease mob spawning in favor of environmental hazards.) I whipped up some concept art for fun.
Brimstone ~ Drops sulfur powder when mined. Disintegrates when exposed to any source of fire, (including torches), and causes a chain reaction that makes other sulfur adjacent to it disintegrate. Sulfur powder serves as a replacement for gunpowder, but can also be used to make these sulfuric materials. (This could make for some really interesting traps!)
Alkistone ~ Forms weird rock formations in the caves, as well as boiling aquifers. Water directly above Alkistone, (in a similar vein to magmastone and soul sand), becomes 'Acidic,' dealing rapid damage to things that fall in it regardless of armor. It also deals gradual damage on contact from any side.
Fumes ~ An environmental hazard unique to this area, these blocks randomly produce clouds of harming gas. They also do this when powered by redstone.
Crabs ~ A neutral arthropod unique to Sulfuric Caverns, produces a cloud of harming gas when injured or aggravated; it becomes hostile in the presence of sources of fire, and produces a large amount of gas if lit on fire. (Not entirely sure what these should drop?)
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If there's one question that seems to be on everyone's minds, it's, (rightfully so), what the heck is the enormous frame of unbreakable new blocks in the center of the Deep Dark City? I wanted to record my personal theory, (and my thoughts on others), in this thread. Please share any ideas or suggestions you have about this topic!
Important Points
Portal Theory
...In spite of Mojang's suggestions about overhauling existing parts of the game, it's entirely possible the most obvious solution is, in fact, the right one. I do not think this is the case, (for several reasons), but I don't want to entirely rule it out. ...That being said...
Teleporter Theory
Another idea is that the Deep Dark Frames will serve as some sort of portals between cities, allowing players to travel instantaneously. ...I actually think this is more plausible than the first idea, but still falls apart pretty easily. Consider:
Reverse Portal Theory
Another idea suggests that the frame is a portal, but not a portal for us- that instead, the portal lets something in.
...Again, it could be possible, but I honestly don't have any idea how this would work. The city itself is far from ideal as a boss arena, (it's clearly designed for the warden, not something else.) I don't really have much more to say about this idea.
Enhancement Theory
Perhaps the portal grants some sort of special, never seen before upgrade to the player upon passing through. ...Again, it's possible, but seems unlikely, or at the very least underwhelming... and to me, not nearly as amazing and inarguable as my personal theory, which is as follows:
WIP Theory
Personally, I think the portal is a work in progress, and has something to do with an upcoming End Update, possibly replacing strongholds as the means of accessing an overhauled End-Dimension. This isn't just a hunch, I have a couple of reasonings for this particular theory: (Again- theory! Theories are hardly set in stone, and are up for debate.)
...These are just my thoughts, but I'd love to hear your theories regarding the frame! (...Either way, we'll know soon enough.)
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OVERVIEW ~
The new music added in the latest snapshot is fantastic- I'll admit, while I've always admired Lena Raine as a composer, I never thought she'd be able to make really... 'minecrafty,' music- but oh boy have these last few updates proven me wrong. Her soundtrack for 'Celeste,' for example, is driving, a bit retro, a bit classical, slightly anxious- perfectly fitting, (and at least in part creating) the game's vibes. But hearing her recent work for Minecraft, I can't help but feel she's grown even further as a composer, making lush, immersive tracks- toeing the line perfectly between offering something new and fresh, while still fitting well with the game's existing (and equally fantastic) soundtrack by C418.
...But I'm not just here to gush about Lena Raine's skills as a composer- more importantly, I wanted to note a change that I think may be going overlooked- and which may have important implications:
The new music introduced by Lena Raine is important for another reason: firstly, in that it introduces biome specific music to the Overworld. (Which is a first, to the best of my knowledge!) Secondly: this snapshot also adds biome specifiers to music introduced in the last update. In particular, several songs are now exclusive to lush caves, swamps, old-growth taigas... and forests. (Along with 'Ancestry,' which now exclusively plays in Deep Dark Cities- and 'Infinite Amethyst'- which, to the best of my knowledge, no longer plays anywhere.)
I may be grasping at straws here- but I believe this has enormous significance: Every new piece is exclusive to biomes that have been updated recently. (Taigas, Lush Caves, Swamps, and Ancient Cities are all relatively new parts of the game.) Which means I find it very interesting that forests are included in the list of biomes these songs can play in.
THEORY ~
To me, this change, (along with some other notable points), indicates that the Wild Update may bring more than just improvements to Swamps- that, much like the Caves and Cliffs update, the Wild Update may very well aim to upgrade much, much more of the Overworld. My (somewhat dubious) reasons are as follows:
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Unlike oceans, caves, or even the Netherworld, the overworld itself is eerily silent for the most part, and can feel somewhat empty or lifeless. One idea I had a while ago, (and wanted to elaborate on), was a means of simultaneously adding more visual and audible ambience to the Overworld in the form of a single mob- Beetles, specifically.
0
At last, the arena is finished! And, (to the best of my knowledge), relatively bug free! You can check out the finished version on the aforementioned curseforge page.
I'm pleased with how this turned out, all things considered- going into this with little former knowledge, I have to say the end result is still pretty fantastic- and more importantly, taught me a lot about planning for large scale projects, and applying this randomization to other ideas. (Such as the dungon builder machine I'm currently working on.) ...Plus, it's pretty fantastic to finally have a finished product to show off.
Anyways, check out some screenshots! I wound up being a bit lazy when it comes to architecture, but I guess the arena generator is sort of the star of the show anyways.
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...Maybe the Ice box really is just a refrigerator? I guess the... ice, and, uh, all the food inside would sort of imply that. And it could sort of explain the trap too- there aren't any farms in the city: it must have been running out of food. Thus, as the Skulk took over, none of the enchanted gear, magical books, or rare artifacts would have mattered to the city's inhabitants- food, on the other hand, would have been extremely valuable to the city, and thus would necessitate traps and defense measures.
I think that seems like the most reasonable explanation- though, again, ice doesn't actually have a refrigeration effect in the game, so it's up for interpretation. I think my problem to begin with was that I was thinking in terms of what would be valuable to the player- not necessarily to whomever built the city itself.
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...Okay, just had one possible theory regarding some of the unsolved bits: The residents of the city wouldn't have gone immediately from super-advanced mages to stone-age cave dwellers living in harmony with the Skulk. There would have been a transitional era during which they still possessed some knowledge of advanced magic/technology, but were becoming increasingly superstitious as a result of the Skulk. Hence, they might have built the statues of the warden during this time in some strange attempt to appease it; would have created the swift-sneak enchantment, carpeted their halls, and passed on a healthy fear of the skulk to their descendants.
...Still doesn't explain the blasted ice-box though.
0
With the introduction of the ancient cities, it seems we've finally been given the tragic conclusion to Minecraft's mysterious and extensive lore. At first glance, these places might seem mysterious... but every other aspect of the game points to their origins, giving us their story without so much as saying a word. We can infer from a variety of sources how these strange places came about... and even while the city is still in its early stages of design, its details can tell us a great deal about the people who lived and died there.
The Origins of the City ----------------
It has long been theorized that the Overworld was at one time inhabited by an ancient race of builders- those responsible for the temples, sunken settlements, shipwrecks, and other structures found throughout the Overworld. At some point, they discovered a terrible virus- possibly from their meddling with interdimensional travel- a virus that didn't merely kill its hosts, but transformed them into zombies, living only to spread the illness further. In its later stages, nothing remained but a skeleton, stripped of flesh... however, the ailment was relatively contained- all they had to do was destroy the portals, and the problem would be solved.
...But the builders were naturally zealous. They didn't want to merely avoid the virus, they wanted to overcome it. The villagers had a greater immunity- the villagers perhaps having split off long ago, and, having forsaken building, grown far less intelligent- perhaps there simply wasn't as much brain for the virus to feed on. Through kidnapping and experimenting on the villagers, they discovered the solution- gold, naturally imbued with magical and purifying properties, shaped into an edible vessel; and potions of weakness with which to keep the virus temporarily at bay, easily made from spider eyes. (Only mammals seemed to be affected- arthropods bore a natural immunity.)
But Golden Apples were phenomenally difficult to make- requiring nearly an entire solid block of gold for a single antidote. But where was there plenty of gold? The Netherworld... the origin of the virus.
The Builders created the piglins through further experiments- deformed, mutant slaves to toil for them in the fiery nether, despite being wildly unsuited to it. They constructed massive mining facilities, training their new servants to bear an obsession with gold. When some of the piglins began to show signs of the virus, they naturally assumed it was merely a side effect of their mutant origins... And so the gold was shipped en.masse to the Overworld, carrying viral spores along with it- it was stored in the massive Ocean Temples, and from there shipped to every part of the Overworld- all the while spreading the virus to the furthest corners of civilization.
Calamity would not even begin to describe the disaster that befell the Overworld; the player enters the world long, long after this apocalypse, and even then hordes of monsters still roam the earth. At the time, this would have been tenfold: even for all their prowess, the Builders would have been overwhelmed as their own creations turned on them. Everything around them; every symbol of their power was crumbling before their eyes. The Bastions were first to fall- with the resolve of their masters weakening, they rebelled, chasing the overseers out of the Bastions and claiming them for themselves- centuries later, they would still dwell in these ruins. The monuments came next, their protectors transformed into drowned. With every other option exhausted, the survivors fled to their one remaining haven- deep, deep underground.
The City Itself ---------------
Any speculations about the ancient cities themselves must, naturally, remain speculations- at least until the complete structures was released. However, especially with the recent additions in the latest snapshots, there seems to be much we can infer about what happened here.
Looking at these cities, it seems almost as if they had two different residents- we have the original, deepslate structures; intricate, ruined, and overrun with skulk- and then we have newer, wooden structures- more recently built, covered with carpet, and seemingly designed with the express purpose of avoiding the terror that lurks in the ruined city's streets. This is not the case: Rather, these cities were inhabited for such an incredibly long time, that its residents gradually forgot how to repair their crumbling home.
Originally, the city was likely devoid of skulk- but there are some interesting conclusions we can draw from skulk; and they are as follows:
Perhaps skulk came about naturally as countless citizens of the city died in the same place as the years went on. But more likely, I think this was one last fatal oversight on the part of the builders. They were clearly accustomed to using souls as an energy source- the city is filled with soul lanterns, torches, and fires. They needed a means of storing soul energy- experience- in a more reliable fashion. ...Hence, they created Skulk. What they did not expect, (but possibly should have anticipated), was that creating a mutated, magical material capable of storing lost souls might be a bad idea.
Whatever the case, the Skulk spread and began to consume the city... and its residents gradually adapted. At this point, they couldn't even conceive of leaving- they had grown accustomed to living alongside the gnarled overgrowth of the tormented souls of their ancestors. (Again, this is a children's game...) They began to devote the vast majority of their time to avoiding the stuff- filling everything with carpeting, repairing the city with watchtowers and crude bridges- lit, (notably), by regular torches instead of their soul variants. By the time the last of them were finally consumed by the Skulk, it's likely that no memory of the surface world remained.
Unsolved Mysteries --------------------
Obviously, there's plenty of problems that remain unsolved. If the warden only came about after the Skulk began to fill the city, why is there a giant statue of it in the city's center? On that note, what the heck is the statue even for? Most confusing to me, however, is the mystery of one of the structures added in the recent snapshot: The mysterious Ice-Box.
The structure itself is relatively simple; a raised, box-like deepslate structure with a staircase leading up to it. The structure is trapped with noteblocks near the entrances, activated by pressure plates; an iron trapdoor gives access to the internal structure, and can be locked from the inside. Within the structure is a room filled with ice and snow- a single chest contains more snow, ice, and food.
This ought to raise some very obvious questions. Namely, why the heck would the residents of the city need ice? Where did they even get the food that's apparently being refrigerated there? Why is this important enough to be protected by a trap, but other chests throughout the city- filled with enchanted gear and other rarities- are left out in the open? And on that note, what's with the trap? This demonstrates a knowledge of Redstone, so it was clearly built in the early days of the city. But its mechanic is designed in such a manner to work with Skulk- which supposedly only overgrew the city much later. In short, the Ice Box is driving me more than a bit crazy.
Any thoughts regarding the Ancient City? In particular, regarding my confusion with this one particular structure?
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I think there's a fair bit of misunderstanding about the new system- from what I understand, the engine generates terrain first- and then different biomes are more or less likely to generate based on the terrain. Not every biome is compatible with rugged terrain, or vice versa. Swamps, for example, are supposed to only generate in low lying areas, in particular around rivers. This is also why biomes now tend to avoid generating next to each other when they have big differences in temperature or humidity.
...Personally, I'm a big fan of the new terrain. Not necessarily because of realism, but because it feels far more varied and interesting to explore- and yes, more aesthetic. I'm more than happy to travel far from spawn when the scenery is this fantastic.
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I agree that Mojang has made fundamental changes to the game before; it's more that these changes enhance existing systems rather than replacing them. Honey blocks allowed for new varieties of flying machines; recent terrain improvements enhance existing biomes- with a special focus on blending with existing worlds. Water mechanics... were pretty fundamentally changed, but again, in a way that was arguably intended as a fix.)
Ultimately, I just can't see the developers implementing such a controversial change, especially for purely cosmetic reasons.
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Good idea- I often keep journals in my survival world, and it can be infuriating to have to page through everything when you want to keep writing. On a side note, (as long as books are being tweaked), it would also be nice if you could dye written books for clarification- (I've also frequently mixed up books with similar titles...)
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Here's another screenshot of work in progress: I've just about got the upper layer of rooms working. I've basically been copying and pasting this randomizer machine, and the generation is... more or less functional. I've decided to add the possibility for more rooms on the uppermost layer, though the odds of this should decrease the further one gets from the center.
...And, editing this; the catacomb layer should be fully complete. Bearing in mind that this is just a demo, the catacombs shouldn't be too extensive. Not all temples will have two layers, but some can have quite a lot of chambers if the RNG is lucky.
Lower layers contain much better loot, (including enchanted books, diamonds, etc), but also far more dangerous traps. I don't want to spoil anything at the moment... but suffice to say, I'm having a great deal of fun with the Sculk Sensor...
(And I will be turning off bounding boxes when I'm finished- they're just helpful for reference.)
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My thoughts on this:
Thoughts on my thoughts?
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The Arena is now fully functional! And, if you really, (really), want to try it out, you should now be able to download an early version on Curseforge!
A couple of changes in this build; and of course, plenty more to come in terms of decoration and finer details:
I also added a bit more decoration to the Control room. ...It's not great, but it at least has walls now. (This is what I get for building the machinery first and the architecture second. ...And also for trying to work with circles, I suppose.) Nonetheless, I still enjoy the decoration aspect far more than the machinery... even if the machine is the main feature.
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I think the OP is suggesting some sort of Glow effect; similar to the variety you can currently get from spectral arrows. ...Admittedly, I don't see this being the most useful thing ever, but it could still be an interesting mechanic. Adding some sort of potion application could make glow berries a bit more useful.
...Or, here's a kind of random idea- you know the kind of vaguely dubious resource pack/shader options that make ores glow? Maybe this could be implemented as a proper feature in the form of some sort of glowberry effect or potion that briefly illuminates the locations of ores, (That is, changes their textures to have high brightness), making caving an even more viable option for mining.
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I'm kind of hooked on the idea of a Sulfuric Cave biome; which could consist of normal stone, sulfuric materials, and small pockets of glowstone, (which would decrease mob spawning in favor of environmental hazards.) I whipped up some concept art for fun.
Brimstone ~ Drops sulfur powder when mined. Disintegrates when exposed to any source of fire, (including torches), and causes a chain reaction that makes other sulfur adjacent to it disintegrate. Sulfur powder serves as a replacement for gunpowder, but can also be used to make these sulfuric materials. (This could make for some really interesting traps!)
Alkistone ~ Forms weird rock formations in the caves, as well as boiling aquifers. Water directly above Alkistone, (in a similar vein to magmastone and soul sand), becomes 'Acidic,' dealing rapid damage to things that fall in it regardless of armor. It also deals gradual damage on contact from any side.
Fumes ~ An environmental hazard unique to this area, these blocks randomly produce clouds of harming gas. They also do this when powered by redstone.
Crabs ~ A neutral arthropod unique to Sulfuric Caverns, produces a cloud of harming gas when injured or aggravated; it becomes hostile in the presence of sources of fire, and produces a large amount of gas if lit on fire. (Not entirely sure what these should drop?)