First
off, let’s set the record straight… Minecraft kicks ass. If you
don’t own this masterpiece of video game crack, stop reading right
now, open a new tab, go to minecraft.net,
and buy it. At under $27, it’s a bargain considering the near unlimited replay value and immense loads of fun it provides.. Don’t worry, I’ll
be here when you get back.
Ok,
now that you’ve gotten to know and understand the greatest of this
game, what do you do next? After all, Minecraft isn’t exactly known
for its tutorials. But that’s ok, because tutorials are for
pussies. It just sort of throws you into this massive world of
randomization, giving you nothing but your blocky fists, and your
sharp wits to build an empire, and fend off the various creatures of
the night, all of whom want you dead.
As
someone who has probably put in over 100 good hours of Minecraftin’,
I have fought through the hell and the awesomeness that this game
entails. I have triumphed in glory, died horrible deaths, and gone
through all the trial and error of the seemingly endless random
situations this game throws at you. Like life itself, it is you
against the world, and you don’t know what to expect. There’s
going to be a lot of multitasking going on. You can use your skill
and your intuition to rise to the top, or in your incompetence and
greed, lose it all at the hands of an explosive green guy known as a
“Creeper.” Alright, so maybe that last part isn’t exactly like
life. But this game certainly brings out the real life adventurer in
us all, and exploits the hell out of the human desire for
exploration, acquisition and triumph.
Anyway,
let’s cut to the chase: As a first timer walking through your
world, I’m sure you are overwhelmed at the sheer scope of the
world, and the freedom granted to you. While this game is extremely
fun and addictive, certainly takes awhile to wrap your head around
of, despite its seemingly simple mechanics. This is why I have felt
it appropriate to give you a rundown of some basic tips and notes
about the game, so that you can be off and running. Before you know
it, you will sit atop a castle of gold as you defeat hundreds of
spider-riding skeletons with your diamond sword.
#1:
Mine wood.. A CRAPLOAD of it
This
one is absolutely key. Wood is essentially the foundation of the
minecraft. You use it to create almost EVERYTHING: shovels, swords,
building blocks, doors, picks for mining, you name it. And those
items you DON’T use it for, I promise you that wood will be
required in some form to at least build up TO that item. Do this very
early in the game. Spend at least a few days dedicated to this,
(Minecraft days, not real days, you crazy..) and seriously just keep
chopping wood from trees with your axe. I’d recommend scoping out a
very woodsy area.
It
may seem tedious now, but you will thank yourself later. I can’t
tell you how annoying it got during the several times I ran out of
wood during my first game. And it always seemed to happen when I
urgently needed it. So suck it up and get the lame work out of the
way first. Fill a whole large treasure chest’s worth.
Congratulations, the boring shit is over. Now you’ve got this game
by the balls, and you haven’t even built anything yet.
#2:
Have some sort of temporary protective “base” early in the game
This
should probably be done before your wood chopping marathon, or at
least in conjunction with it. Otherwise you’re going to be spending
some hellish nights running away from all sorts of deadly monsters
who will take you down in a heartbeat. Or, if you want to be cheap
like me and simply don’t have the time and/or patience of building
anything early in the game, stack a tower of blocks directly below
you, creating a tall tower, which will protect you from the things
that go bump in the night. Just be sure you’re out of reach of the
skeleton’s frightening arrows, and be prepared to sit out a whole
boring night a top your thin tower as you wait for your friend, the
sun, to return. Oh and if you DO build a tower, be sure to put a lip
around the exterior, as spiders can crawl up the top and give you an
unpleasant surprise. Trust me, that is not a fun experience. Sneaky
bastards spiders..
But
anyway, you will definitely want some sort of temporary safe haven to
retreat to during the night, while you gather resources for your more
permanent mansion. Just remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
#3:
Always Watch your Back…
I
know it sounds simple and stupid, but this is a very neglected move,
that may in fact save your life on multiple occasions, as well as
several valuable items in your inventory. I’m not just talking at
night here, but during the day too. For those damn sneaky Creepers
roam lands during the morning hours as well, and they always seem to
sneak up behind you with their explosive greetings right as you are
calming your nerves from the previous night. The worst part about
them is, they are so damn silent, that you generally don’t hear
them until it’s too late, in the form of a snake-like HISSSSS.. And
while you are far less likely to run into your unwanted buddy during
the later afternoon hours, never just assume they wont be there. I’m
telling you, they can sense your feelings of ease.
#4:
Expand your Mining Business: Branch Out
Once you’ve settled in with an ample supply of wood, picks, and a decent shelter, it’s time to quench your thirst for riches – time to dig!
While you can essentially have the freedom to create any sort of underground tunnel/path that you wish, I would recommend getting some sort of organized tunnel system planned out. Basically, allow yourself maximum room to mine, with easy access to all compartments/corridors of your mine. Perhaps the simplest way to achieve this is to carve out sort of a central mining “hub” for yourself, at which point you dig several corridors that branch out from it in all different directions. From there, you can dig farther and farther in one direction, or farther down, with little chance of running into one of your other corridors.
Or,
if you want to get a bit more advanced, you can try more of a
vertical branching system, where you have several smaller hub
“floors”, if you will, and from there, branch out sideways on
each floor. Here is a nice example of what I’m talking about.
Or,
if you’d rather be more lazy about the whole thing, just keep on
digging and randomly branching out at different points. I warn you
though; while this method may seem like an easy and quicker
short-term plan, it could grow to be a burden in the long run, as you
find yourself getting lost in your own cave. And if you don’t get
lost from this, you almost CERTAINLY will once you’ve inevitably
stumbled upon the large pockets of natural cave systems already
underground. If you’re going to take this route, I’d advise you
at least have a large supply of signs that can help navigate you
around, either with simple arrows, or with text labeling each “area”
of your cave, like “1-A, 1-B, 2-A…” and so forth…
#5:
Get to Love Cobblestone
Chances
are you’ll be using LOTS of it, much like wood. It is the easiest
element to mine, and it is in abundance. Seriously, it is EVERYWHERE.
Once you’ve made your way underground, you’ll see what I’m
talking about. Consider them the lego pieces of your game, which you
will use to build your master creation. So get yourself well
stocked on the stuff. Happy building!
#6:
ALWAYS prepare for Battle During Cave Exploration:
Seriously,
I know you probably think you’re on top of the world and can kick
the ass of anything that gets in your way, but all it takes is a
quick humbling from an arrow to the face to bring you back down to
earth with empty pockets.
If
you’ve been at work mining for a long enough time, chances are you
have stumbled on a few natural caverns crawling with monsters, maybe
some so gigantic and awe-inspiring that you can’t even find your
way around it. A word of advice before you go recklessly trotting out
into the underground depths, ALWAYS be prepared.
This
means:
– LOTS
of torches (a full pack of 64 for almost any sized cave, two or three
full packs for those extra large ones)
– A few weapons at hand – preferably close AND long range
– Armor – Iron would be ideal, but if nothing else, go with the leather, made from cow hide
– Plenty of Picks – After all, half the fun of exploring these massive caves are the bounty of treatures that await. Plus, you may need to dig your way to the surface in case you get lost.
– FOOD – Bread is good, cooked pork is better. Bring LOTS of it, depending of course on how big and dangerous the cave appears. If and when you run out of these lifelines during your exploration endeavors, consider turning back, unless the end of the cave is in sight and you feel you are clear of baddies.
– Wood for boxes – This one isn’t quite as imperative, but you may find it a good idea to drop all your valuables in a box that you craft, just in case things get dicey and you find yourself close to death. As long as your things are in a box, they will not disappear.
– A few weapons at hand – preferably close AND long range
– Armor – Iron would be ideal, but if nothing else, go with the leather, made from cow hide
– Plenty of Picks – After all, half the fun of exploring these massive caves are the bounty of treatures that await. Plus, you may need to dig your way to the surface in case you get lost.
– FOOD – Bread is good, cooked pork is better. Bring LOTS of it, depending of course on how big and dangerous the cave appears. If and when you run out of these lifelines during your exploration endeavors, consider turning back, unless the end of the cave is in sight and you feel you are clear of baddies.
– Wood for boxes – This one isn’t quite as imperative, but you may find it a good idea to drop all your valuables in a box that you craft, just in case things get dicey and you find yourself close to death. As long as your things are in a box, they will not disappear.
As
I said before, if you on your last legs, just dig your way back to
the surface. If you are out of picks however, then you are SOL my
friend. Just don’t carry any valuables with you other than the
essentials for survival, so if you DO meet your tragic end, it’s
not the end of the world.
#7:
Lava is your Friend – AND your Enemy
If
you are mining and run into a pool of the deadly molten rock, don’t
get too daring. Keep your distance, and mine AWAY from that shit.
Yes, lava cannot hurt you unless you actually touch it yourself, but
you’d be amazed how many times people have met their fate with this
force of nature just because they delved too greedily and too deep.
You can back into it accidentally, it can suddenly pour out of a hole
you’ve mined, or the arrow of a sabotaging skelly can knock you
right in. Basically, don’t neglect its danger.
However,
at the same time, lava CAN be useful. If you find a pool, try an
carve out an easy passage to it, as it can be used for destroying old
garbage to make room in your inventory, a light source, an efficient
substitute for coal (in a bucket of course), an instant cobblestone
generator (when touching water), or as a powerful destructive force
against enemies. You can also make a pretty badass lava-fall that
pours down from your palace. Work well with nature, and it will work
well for you.
#8:
Take up Farming
You
you quickly find that slaughtering pigs isn’t exactly the
most efficient method for maintaining your food supply, which
you will constantly need. While I suppose you COULD resort to the
delicious hog meat to survive, especially since the implementation of
beds, which restore health, there is a smarter, more efficient
method; farming.
So
how do you make a farm? It’s really quite simple, as long as you’ve
got the patience to let nature do its thing..
– First, makes some hoes (not THOSE kind, wise guy). You’ll need two sticks, and two blocks of wood/stone/iron for the top row.
– Next, find a patch of flat grass, however large or small is up to you, and right click with the hoe to till the soil. Try to get an area near water, as hydrated soil will help your crops grow quicker.
– Then, take some seeds (which you gather by punching tree branches) and lay them on the tilled soil.
– Give it a few days, and BAM! You’ve got wheat. Just click on the crop and wheat will usually emerge, as well as more seeds. A row of three wheat will make you a scrumptious loaf of bread, which will heal two hearts. Congrats! You are now a farmer!
#9
Build yourself a Highway for Optimal Adventuring
What
is an empire without a highway? As you’ve gone deeper into your
Minecraft experience and seemingly collected as many riches in your
immediate area as you can get your hands on, you will soon likely
find you want to travel outwards – not just downwards. You
will find yourself gazing out atop your tower or palace to an endless
wilderness just waiting to be explored and plundered.
Problem
is, Minecraft is paradoxically set up in such a way that it is nearly
impossible to travel significant distances and actually EXPLORE your
endless world without getting into major trouble.
If you thought
those massive caves were dangerous, just try wandering off your
property into the depths of a dark forest. You won’t last very
long, I promise you. So what to do? Build a highway! Or at least some
sort of protected road that can protect you from the enemies of the
night while you can safely journey farther and farther from the
friendly confines of your home. Just make sure your wall/road is tall
enough to avoid or protect you from skelly arrows, and is lipped on
the top to block the path of spiders. You might also find as you’re
highway expands farther, walking is no longer a sufficient means of
travel. So slap a railroad track on that beast, and sit back while
you enjoy your roller-coaster ride through your massive world of
blocky wilderness.
#10:
Try new things! Be Creative!
Minecraft
is all about exploring outside the confines of what we know. Exploit
this awesome feature of the game.. Think out side the box. Be
creative with your structures. Make an underwater dome of glass. Mess
with redstone and set up traps. Maybe just up and leave your home one
day with only a few items of survival and start anew in a distant
land. Basically, leave all options on the table, and don’t confine
yourself to the same old routine. Challenge yourself to push the game
to its limits. After all, the game’s given you the freedom. Use it!
Hopefully
these nuggets of tips and information were sufficient to provide you
with the foundation (no pun intended) to get yourself going at this
endlessly fun sandbox game. So go forth, unnamed pixelated
adventurer, and hunt and build your way to glory!
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