A blocky world

In Minecraft everything is a square block, there are no curves or circles. And at first glance this is something to get used to, also because it can make Minecraft look rather simplistic. But Minecraft is much more than merely a simple looking environment which tries to mimic the real world a bit.

An often seen misconception is that because Minecraft looks simple the gaming mechanics are also considered to be simple. Surely this game is much less taxing than those which try to create very realistically looking images? Well, you'd be wrong ;-) . In the end a realistic looking environment (Skyrim for example) still consists of a simple skeleton layer which has a skin applied to it. The only thing the engine needs to do is load the appropriate sections.

Minecraft on the other hand has an environment which fully consists of blocks. Everything is a block. The sand, the dirt, the grass, the flowers and also the stone and several minerals which you can find underground. This means that every part of an area can be changed. But as a result of that the engine will need to remember all those changes as well. After all: you don't want to spend hours on building a house, then traveling to another location only to discover that the house is gone after you got back.

Game mechanics

This is me in my own Minecraft world...

There is usally a lot going on in an average Minecraft world, and the world itself is affected by several specific gamerules. For example: grass blocks will spread their grass (texture) onto adjacent dirt blocks. If any liquid is placed (only known types at this time are water and lava) then this will spread out. Lava will actually destroy dropped items and set certain block types on fire (like wood), water on the other hand is pretty much harmless and can actually transport dropped items.

A Minecraft world also knows different 'zones' called biomes which each have their different temperatures, which in its turn can also have its affect on the world. Water will actually turn to ice in an colder environment, and ice will turn back into water when it's melted. Either by placing a heat source nearby or placing the block in a warmer area.

A world also has a day/night -time cycle and the weather can change from clear and sunny (as shown in the picture above) to rain which can even trigger a thunderstorm.

It is that massive attention for detail which can make a Minecraft world so inviting to play in. And this only covered the 'physical' world mechanics. Usually there are also animals walking around ("mobs") which follow specific behavioral rules of their own. And then there are the crafting mechanics...

Finding resources, and using them...

In order to survive in this world you're going to need some decent tools. So where to get those? Simple: you make these yourself. There are several materials which you can use to make ("craft") tools and weapons; ranging from wood, stone, iron, gold to diamond (which is also the best material in the game). But it's not just weapons used for combat. A shovel can be used to easily dig up dirt, an axe is used to chop down trees and wood, a hoe can be used to prepare farm ground, shears can be used to shear sheep and remove leave blocks from trees. And speaking of farming ground: that can be used to plant seeds and vegetables so that you can grow your food. You may have guessed it: in this world hunger is also a thing, so you need to stay fed.

And this is only one small example of all the things you can do. Take for example a tree. If you chop it down you'll get wood log blocks. Eventually also the leaves will decay which creates a random chance of them dropping a sappling. You can plant those after which a new tree will grow. But back to the wood logs. You can craft 1 wood log block into 4 wooden plank blocks. Then you can use 2 plank blocks and craft those into 4 sticks. Sticks are important in the game, you need those for creating most tools and they're also used to make torches and ladders.

My inventory, one log block gets me four wooden plank blocks.

Now you're almost ready to make your first tools. There's only one problem: the 2x2 grid which you see above can only be used to craft very basic items. If you want more then you'll need some extra equipment: a crafting table. You can make that by using 4 plank blocks. This will give you access to a 3 x 3 grafting grid which can be used to make all sorts of items.

Take those plank blocks for instance. Apart from crafting hand tools you can also use them to make chests, slabs (a slab is the half of a plank block), stair blocks (these can be used to climb), fences, fence gates, signs, boats even a jukebox to play records in!

And the goal of the game?

This is what I like best about Minecraft: there really isn't a specific set goal. That's also because Minecraft is the kind of game which you never really finish playing. There's always more to discover and something different to do. Also very important to know: Minecraft is the type of game where you decide how to play it. A truly open world game.

However... Once you managed to open the portal to one of the two other dimensions, the End, you'll soon encounter the offical end boss of the game: the Ender dragon. If you manage to defeat it you'll be rewarded with the most unique item in the game (the dragon egg) after which the portal leading back to the main world will open. Once you step through you'll trigger the in-game credits and that more or less marks the 'end' of the (survival) game. Of course things don't have to stop there, not by a long shot.

The End dimension with the Ender dragon.

Because apart from the portal which will take you home you'll also notice another portal opening up. This one can take you further out into the End where you can find the so called End cities which contain other hostile mobs and ways to obtain even more rewards. And of course, all the blocks and items which you find in the End can be taken home where you might be able to use them to enhance your existing buildings or to build completely new ones.

But Minecraft is a game which never really 'ends'.

And there's even more...

What I described above is only the 'survival' part of the game. Minecraft can be so much more. Lets say you simply want to build some things and you don't really feel like trying to find all the materials you might need. In fact: what materials can you find anyway?

Well, not to worry because Minecraft also allows you to 'cheat'. The game has 3 specific game modes which you can use. The default one, described above, is the survival gamemode. You can take damage, will grow hungry and you can only use the resources which you find around you to create things of your own. Next there's the so called 'Creative mode'. You will no longer take damage, blocks break instantly, you won't grow hungry and to make things even more special you can also fly! And if you open your inventory screen you'll notice that you gained access to every block in the game. This is ideal if all you want to do is to build something without having to worry about getting enough resources.

In Creative mode you get access to every item in the game, even ice!

Then there's a third gamemode: adventure mode. Adventure mode is much like survival mode with the main difference that you can no longer break any blocks. That is... Not unless the map maker allows you to break certain blocks. Adventure mode is normally used to play maps made by other players. There are tons of those out there. People have made all sorts of adventure maps for Minecraft. Ranging from simple mazes which you need to solve, dropper maps in which you need to jump down and somehow land without dying, and there are even gamemaps. Playing a game of battleships for example is perfectly possible in Minecraft!

And finally there's a fourth mode called spectator mode. Now you'll become completely invisible to all mobs and other players, and you can fly through the world. So: you can fly through every block in the game. This allows you to get a complete overview of the world beneath the surface. You can also click on mobs to take over their view. Then you'll see the same thing which the mob (or the player) does.

Also noteworthy: a Minecraft world can be fully customized to meet your demands. But I'll share more about that in another section.

Welcome to my creative redstone world ;-)

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