Triple Updates!

Sky-Bridges 2013

A little bit more to show you. Now admittedly I haven't done much to it lately over the last few weeks, but I have topped off the fort and begun the first sky-bridge!

Finally headed towards the next mountain! Long way to go yet but I can't wait to get to the other mounain and start building the first proper home! I shall endevour to do more on this in the weeks to come.

No current developments on AllBases world.

Some big changes on my original Alpha world since I last posted in July. As you may or may not remember, I was changing the corridor on level #3 from sandstone and sand walls/pillars to stained blow clay on the lower half of the walls, light blue wool for the upper walls and blue carpets all the way along. Although I haven't done anything very recently I had been working on it for a long time after I last posted and managed to get all the way to the end of the corridor.

Last time:

Currently:

There was some creeper damage, so I'm going to have to go out and find more clay again to make stained clay. Carpets are so much better than wool floors though, you get much more for your crafting. Speaking of carpets, I have also begin changing the patterned floor in the future dinning room on this same level.

As it was:

As you can see it was a mix of a sand border and red and (floor planks) squares with a stone slab inter-section. For now, I've kept the pattern but have changed the red wool to red carpet, floor planks to brown carpet, the sand to white carpet and the stone slabs to light grey carpets.

It's going well, I think the biggest change is the use of the white for the border. Of course the rest of the room needs modernizing, but that will happen in time. Literally just the other day, I have also been doing work on the area around my home at the very bottom of the mountain on level #7 around all the lava pools. I have added accent stone-brick trim to certain edges of the walls, begun adding the lava fall columns in the walls, (behind glass) and completely slabbed the rest of the entire floor. (Which I still want to do something a bit extra with, not sure what yet.)

As well as the lava columns, I have also found new ways to light it with Netherrack instead of the two block, lit columns. (Shown above.) After doing this for the corridor for my Nether-wart farm on my main world, I have implemented it here, having two lit Netherrack set back in the walls. it adds even more light as well as the lava columns and nullifies having torches all about the place. I have also introduced this in the lobby area to this level after you arrive down the stairs.

As well as making the window an extra height by one block at the top, I have also added cobble staircases around the ceiling and have slabbed all of the floor with stone slabs. Still needs something a little extra, but by slabbing the floor it's also allowed me a bit of head space around the lava pools below this floor as the head height was very low when walking around the lava pool walkways..

Have also begun the walls inside the home on this level:

I'll have to cover the back wall in the last picture as it'll show on the other side (Outside) if I change the wall itself.

(Yes we have a banner at last!)

Bit of news on this one, surprisingly. I've been doing some work on the back of the house, last time I posted about it was in May - but that was the front of the house and the living room. The last time I posted about the back of the house was in April, where the majority of it was still the dirt frame and an unfinished roof round the back:

Since then, the roof was finished, normal (Un-colored) stained clay was added to the largest section, the smallest section of dirt had changed and the middle section had become glass with (at the time) a black border:

Recently, the black wool border has changed to black stained clay (Although it looks brown because of the muted nature of colored stained clay blocks), and I have finally decided on what colour the stained clay for the main part of the back of the house should be. I was very unsure what it could be but decided on white, (Bonemeal) which because of the muted colors for stained clay, comes out as a fleshy kind of color.

Still a long way to go and lots more clay to get. The dirt roof on the small building is only temporary, so a roof of some sort needs to be added there too.

Inside:

I know, still need to change the grass floor, but it's coming along, started to add the ceiling as well now so work can eventually begin on the upstairs. I've also got rid of the trap-door and ladder to storage and have added some nice stairs in the hallway, next to the spiral staircase

I may have to make the floor in storage i floor deeper however, as shown to the right of the picture.


Finally, I might change the resource pack for the old Ravine Home project to HerrSommer Dye as I've been using this a lot lately and it's grown on me. Not only that but I started renovating a ravine in creative again, (Wasn't sure if it was going to be upper = apartments, lower = shopping mall like the last creative venture or a home) but it's turning out rather well. The ravine is better than my survival one too as it bends where as my survival one is quite a straight ravine. Either way using this resource pack might inspire me for my legit survival ravine home.

Creative ravine home:

Pre-build

After a few hours:

 

Whilst adding steps up to the surface there was this off-shoot cave, so I altered the steps to create a landing and walk-way towards it.  All I've done is wall over the cave mouth using Nether-Quartz, it's when you go inside it starts to get interesting.

Shower room, also plenty of space for a toilet and sinks.

But wait, what's upstairs? An upstairs in a bathroom?..

Why it's your own private area to have a bath!

Bathe, dry and change in privacy!

This texture pack makes me a lot more hopeful for my old survival ravine home. Hopefully it's enough to get me back into it.

Sky-Bridges 2013!

In this post, I talked about my World #1from Alpha and the original idea in the over world, that is to build sky bridges from mountain top to mountain top and build a home on each. Well knowing what I know now, after playing Minecraft for 2 & 3/4 years, almost three in September; I decided to try the idea again for 2013! A lot of things have changed within those years (Not least the terrain generation) but within myself as well. My building style, the way I use materials, and like most Minecraft players over time a capacity to evolve.

Despite the terrain generator having changed over the years, I knew this would be tricky, but I was determined to give it a go. I spawned in a forest and after making my way across into a connecting swamp, I was soon faced with a desert. So far nothing in the way of being able to do my project, I did spot a village in the distance however and visited to raid them of  their goods; notably the wheat. Thankfully there was a blacksmith's there as well as a few decent things there were three diamonds! Immediately I thought about making a diamond pick or sword but instead opted for a more sensible sword and shovel. As I went back into the desert I took more notice of the giant sand mountain that was there and also noticed some nearby sizable normal mountains. Straight away I had the basis for two mountains and there was another sand mountain nearby as well. Building in the desert had not been a consideration of mine, but a desert/sand fort for the start on top of a sand mountain soon became that more of an interesting challenge. Had I ventured on, no doubt I would've made another cobble fort to begin with on top of a normal mountain.

The sand mountain is just out of shot to the left.

When I reached the top of the sand mountain, I began flattening the area out so it was level, using the sand I collected to expand the area out as much as I could to make it bigger. Something again back in 2010 I wouldn't have thought of doing being a MInecraft n00b. I could only so this so much though, so it has ended up a bit squarish but at least one of the things I'm proud of; is that I've took my time with this. I used decorative sandstone for the corner pillars and normal sandstone for the walls with a wooden floor. I haven't just thrown the fort up or even attempted to start a sky-bridge yet. It also takes time to gather up enough sand to covert not only to said sandstone, but the decorative type as well. Some of which had to be made into stairs as well my my way up and down the mountain.

I've also took the time to make it aesthetic to the surrounding area, by removing sand around this mountain I exposed lots of stone, notable in smaller patches than the one above. So I've took the time to cover these over as well to make it look natural, and will continue the process. That sand dune in the distance to the left could be another potential build area. After dying a few times during the night and running back to get my things, (To give you an idea it's a 500 minecraft mile sprint from the forest spawn); I went looking for trees of different varieties to start a tree farm on the nearest grass as possible near my desert home. I even have a nice sized farm going as well!

Okay it's not very pretty right now, but I can tart it up later. I had to build some temporary dirt walls to protect it from mobs. The advantage of being in a desert - plenty of sand for glass. I have wheat, potatoes, melon and I just have a small carrot farm, thanks to a zombie. In the first picture of this post I went to the other mountain, the dirt one and loo0ked for a cave for resources, but couldn't find a near one. (Which is a first, usually you can't help but trip over them!) Instead I ended up digging a stair case down in a very small flat area between the dirt mountains. I didn't even get to bedrock when I went of to the side because of coal and found a passage way. I thought it was a cave, but the gravel down (as it was below) led me to none other than n abandoned mine! (Luckiest spawn ever?) I still haven't found a ravine but I explored the mineshaft like crazy, killing my pet hate - cave spiders and their spawners (Died a few times again.) and came up the usual iron, some gold, several emeralds, lots of Lapis and melon seeds.

Here are some recent pics I took whilst writing this blog:

Tree farm growing nicely now round the back of the food farm. (Which came first before the farms.)

Hopefully when I next post about this world, I'll have the start of a sky-bridge to show you!

allyourbasesbelongtome.. now.

I picked up another world recently as I had changed the texture pack into a resource pack, and er... anyone remember this world?...

So like I said I got the John' Smith's Legacy Texture pack which I think is a fan continuation of the pack, and had a look around. First things first the front had to change.. I wanted to get rid of the sand and make it more medieval looking by replacing it with cobblestone. (In one room upstairs I've also added timber beams to the ceiling.) More than that though there was far too much log!

So here are some similar angle changes:

As well as changing the sand to cobblestone I added some window sills (Upside down stairs) and window shutters (Hatches/trap-doors). I also had to drop the log border down one because of the cobblestone now underneath the windows upstairs, but even that was needed. Other things you may notice is that I went and got two of the other saplings - pine and birch and planted them in the garden so I have one each of those. Also the fencing around the water drop in picture #2 is actually on the ground not floating in front of it. It narrows the access round there but it's not a major deal.

After getting a potato of a zombie, one strip of the wheat farm has been turned into a potato strip. Just need a carrot now! Melon seeds as well - but that will require adventuring; a future thing to do. The rooms inside as they are:

The kitchen and living area both need modernizing. although I kinda like the plain kitchen floor - sandstone I believe. I don't like the wool in this texture pack however, so before I add timbers beams to the ceiling, I shall change it to my traditional use of snow blocks. Upstairs the bedroom has new ceiling beams which will be a theme throughout, however the spare room is exactly as it was:

Lots to do! I will need maybe a chicken farm, don't really need a pic or cow one, and not a sheep one as I won't be using wool that much. (Though I need to see what carpets look like in this texture pack.) A bathroom upstairs is needed, the back of the housing in the first picture as viewed from the shore needs renovating, as does the lower front of the house. Whilst writing this blog entry I made a proper infinite water source in the garden and through the side door in the wall, I stopped the water coming through and changed it to a dry area. Then got the idea of using the enclosed space as another area for a food farm?

This is a perspective view of where it is:

 The work in progress:

I shall keep you updated about the further progress of this old world.

BIG changes on level #3!

On the 28th July I finished the wooden floor in my base home on level #7, and after fixing some glass and finally managing to get a potato of a zombie, started a mass potato farm using a stack of bonemeal as previously mentioned. I still needed jungle wood and coca beans to start a farm so I went traveling in this world for the first time in years. I had explored a good deal, so I went in the direction I'd least traveled in, in the vein hope of finding a jungle. Instead I found a Desert (And then a jungle at the back of a desert) and a desert temple! I made my way carefully down, the loot was some Iron, Gold, rotten flesh and a good few diamonds! I ended up spending the night here and waited for morning before heading out to the jungle.

I returned with my jungle logs, coca beans and jungle saplings, and made my coca bean farm, but I would venture out to that chunk again. The second time I went looking for a ravine, in the hope of finding either an abandoned mine or dungeon to get some melon seeds and start a melon farm. Sure enough I found one, and after making a bucket to make a water shoot down I went exploring. The actual ravine itself wasn't anything special, no abandoned mine, but it was the caves off it that were where the adventure began. One of them did eventually lead to an abandoned mine. I had a job finding any chest however, I think I only found a couple, lots of iron on the way, gold, lapis and finally two different dungeons. One zombie one first, the other a skeleton one. It was within these that I found some melon seeds at last - and a couple of saddles. (Even though I still don't have a carrot to tame pigs) Also got some diamonds.

When I made the screenshots for the last blog post it occurred to me of rooms I didn't have - bathroom, living room etc. So I began planning. First and foremost as mentioned, I renovated my base home at the very bottom of the cavern on level #7, removing a wall by the lava pools (That just had three furnaces embedded in it and replaced it with glass.) So now I have a nice over-view window of lava. I also dug out an area opposite the intial space - family dinning area? The new wood floor is the original size of the room:

The back wall where the chest is - is as far as I could go before breaking into the lobby area. The door you can narrowly see on the right, which wasn't there before; leads into a small room. It goes back as far as it can before running into a strip mine corridor.

The biggest change is happening on level #3 - the corridor to the future dining room, right now a nicely decorated empty room. As mentioned, one of the rooms I realized I didn't have was a living room, so at first I tried to squeeze it in f the stairs down up to the first corner. (Now I think about it I'm not sure why I didn't think of the wall opposite given there's a cave behind that wall! - Dammit!) With the redstone for the redstone lamps in the ceiling however, there was no way I could squeeze it in. Instead, I chose a door at the end of the next corridor which hid a cave for mining. After clearing the cave and straightening the walls, as well as dropping the floor 2 blocks to be level with the corridor I have a big empty room ready to convert to a living room:

That's not even the biggest change however. The corridor lo0oked like this:

After taking those screenshots however, I questioned whether I actually need those steps up that only go a very short way along, then back down again before the end wall with door. (Future living room.) I decided not and took to the great task of removing them..

Following this I decided to redecorate the entire corridor in a major way! Both in terms of look and color!

It's slow work but I used the recent Lapis I found to make blue carpet, I wanted to make the top walls stained clay as well like the bottom, but I doubt I'd ever find enough clay to do the entire length of the corridor! I think the waterfalls between the pillars are taken out in these pictures, however, I did get the water shader working again with the 1.6.2 new launcher so they wil be clear anyway for the most part. Lots of work to do though and more clay hinting but I'm going for a water colored theme, marking a very grand change for this old corridor!

I also did some tidying up with the interior outer farms, just changing the cobble in the stone walls (Always been temporary filler for holes), back to stone, Especially over the brown mushroom door farm so it looks neater, end extended the brickwork around the glass entrance to two blocks on the sides and the other wall as you come down the stairs from level #2; the kitchen.

Also if you remember I mentioned a small room off the stairs from level #6 down to #7, just round the corner and up to this small enclosed cave room with a water feature:

Circa 2001:

Well I can now report that the water feature is no more and it's actually a portal room! I must've done this last time I played on the world before recently picking it up. There was already a portal, and a chest with lots of Netherrack and Nether Quartz, so I am continuing to change the stone walls to Netherrack and I have improved the entrance up to that room as well!:

Isn't the marble texture pretty in Misa's Realistic texture pack?! The upper walls in picture #1 that are dirt, stone and cobble will be Nether rack too.

Minor changes to Lava Way (Level: #6.)

Before:

After:

That wall by the stairs added and the entire alcove sealed in, floor changed, border of the lava enclosure changed to Obsidian

More news to come on this world as it develops!

Next up:  The mother of all come-backs, the return of a world started in September 2011, (1.8 rolling out), and; one I haven't properly done anything to since March 2012!

As I say so often, "No world of mine truly stays dead!".