Top Ten Tips for Minecraft

Minecraft! It's a relatively new game. It's not even technically finished, yet it's already sold over 2 million copies! Creative mode is available for free, but it's more of a suggestion of what Minecraft is really all about. Do yourself a favor and buy the game for the full experience. Not sure of how to play, or just looking for a quick renewal of the basics, or perhaps a few helpful tips for Minecraft? Then read on, my good friend. Happy mining!

 

#10 You want that coal.

Don’t be tempted to skip over coal deposits on your journeys, you never know when danger happens and you need a cooked pork chop, or you may decide later on that yes you do need 20,000 blocks of smooth stone for that totally awesome castle. You can techincally skip it over if you don't actually have a pick, because if you're in a dire need of light you can always cook up logs in a furnace to make some quick charcoal. Redstone though? Unless you’re building a 16-bit CPU chances are you don't need it.

 

#9 Build air pockets!

When you want to hunt some squid or you’re diving for clay that’s gone a little deeper than you realize, save yourself some time and build a small air pocket. You won’t have to surface as much and you get the work done a lot faster, also there is considerably less death in this method.

 

#8 Be prepared!

Build yourself a traveler’s kit of sorts before you head out on your adventures. Keep a stack of logs with you while you go mining. Bring extra supplies! Keep in mind where you are going. Spelunking? Bring a stack of logs for sticks and some wheat in case the going gets tougher than you expected. No one said you couldn’t go back, or even build a temporary hut for safety and storage.  

 

#7 Mod it!

The modding community for this game is rich with awesome ideas and beautiful creations. Do yourself a favor: Expand your Minecraft experience and download a few mods. For example, not happy with how the game looks? Download a texture pack, or open up that photoshop or download Paint.net. Please do take the time to read as much as you can about the mod, especially if you’ve never done this kind of thing before. Whatever image manipulation program you use, just make sure it’s capable of altering transparencies (MS Paint cannot do this).

 

#6 Google it!

Do you find redstone logic gates confusing? Did you discover a dungeon for which you want to be able to use your now endless supply of skeletons but you’re not sure how to do so? There are a million guides out there that will teach you all of this and more. Take the time to study them and save them for later so you don’t have to dig up your projects again.

 

#5 Patience!

Did the newest update break all of your mods? Make sure you keep backups of your Minecraft folder, wherever it may be. Name them by their most recent update. When you run the game just simply choose not to update and there you go! You can keep playing with your mods until they update. Be sure to check Notch’s tumblr page to stay up to date! http://notch.tumblr.com/

 

#4 Plan it out!

Get yourself some graph paper, or keep a file on your computer just for your collection of building plans. Draw out what you want to build, and count up how much resource needed it will take. Decide where, if any, scaffolds may need to go, of which you can simply use dirt or gravel. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and resources instead of being that guy who's replaced a smooth stone block for the 14th time. Always remember that this is an unfinished game as well, and that your old maps may no longer be viable. If you’ve built something you’d hate to see go, record your methods so you can rebuild it later. 

 

#3 Hide it!

Playing with others online? How safe is that server you’re playing on? Don’t just stick your hard-earned Diamonds and Mossy Cobblestone in a chest out in the open of your obvious storeroom, hide it! The key is to be creative, and don’t hide things behind a painting unless you are sure that painting looks close enough to everyone else’s texture that it actually hides something. Even then it’s not the most ingenious place. Invite a close friend to your humble abode and ask them to find your goods. If your friend has easily found them, try harder.

 

#2 Experiment!

Do you live in a log cabin? Do you want a fireplace? Turns out that fire burns wood (yeah I know who would have thought?). Construct experiments outside your home. Rebuild your living room and install the fireplace. If it went up in flames, try again.

 

#1 Bored of the game? You’re not thinking hard enough!

Move out to the desert and try to live with as few wood supplies as possible, move underwater and build a glass biosphere to live in. Browse the internet for new things to build. Teach yourself logic gates by building a redstone testing center. Download new mods to test out. Remember that this is a sandbox game, so it is limited only by you. Once you decide it’s done, then you’re done, too.