EDIT: I thought of a name for the technique! Will it catch on? Who knows! Does it matter? Probably not!
This all started when I saw Tyrannious' vid on Working with the assumption that what can be done with boats can be done with minecarts, I built this:
As it turns out, I was right. With this set up, one can teleport from minecart to minecart instantly, in the same fashion as demonstrated with teleboatation. This has a distinct advantage over its predecessor, however, in that minecarts can be more easily contained. Boats glitch out, and in trying to build an ordered boat transit system, I found myself dealing with boats floating through the guard rails intended to contain them. Minecarts can be built on a track, and with blockages at either end will not shift, aside a small amount on the track.
This was the second matter to be addressed. The carts were displacing one another on the rail, and so kept shuffling back and forth. The effect might be useful visually, if you want something that vaguely resembles a caterpillar for a transit system, but damn it, I wanted something orderly.
So I did this:
In so doing, I also produced a method that allows transit even faster than the first minecart-based system. Now each click made you leap two blocks, instead of one. However, having that iron block in the way made it hard to see the next cart in the chain, so I modified it:
Now we're talking. Faster than the original test, and you can easily target the next cart in the sequence. The next step would be the figure out a maximum teleportation range. I tested out a two-block seperation between carts (3-block jump per click, if we include the minecart). A system with three blocks of spacers between carts was tested, and found non-working. And so, the final system was constructed:
Faster than a rail system (OK, so that could be conjecture... the actual speed test is on my to-do list), and not prone to shifting around messily like a teleboater chain.
@ledraps and harvestpixel: I'm glad you guys like it!
In response to harvestpixel's question: I've tried to get a vertical system working, but thus far have not had any successful tests. The closest I've gotten is stepped teleporters, but those run diagonally and thus require more room. Something like a water elevator is probably more space efficient (and therefore more easily integrated into structures) and likely faster, too.
@ledraps and harvestpixel: I'm glad you guys like it!
In response to harvestpixel's question: I've tried to get a vertical system working, but thus far have not had any successful tests. The closest I've gotten is stepped teleporters, but those run diagonally and thus require more room. Something like a water elevator is probably more space efficient (and therefore more easily integrated into structures) and likely faster, too.
Make a wall with holes in it and put carts in the holes just sticking out enough to not make u suffocate.
@Xaiier: That would indeed work nicely. The problems I was running into were due to the blocks I had placed to keep the carts from shifting. Silly me, I should have though to rotate the set-up 90 degrees. So long as track holding the minecart stationary runs into the side walls of the hole it's placed in*, then that original issue ceases to be.
Thanks for the suggestion!
* Meaning the cart-opening has one wall to the East, and one to the West.
Dude, just make the minecarts go sideways on the horizontal track, too. No need for half blocks, and even easier targeting.
top view:
=ground level
=walls
=track
=cart
Step one)
Step two)
Step three)
Step four)
Step five)
As for vertical rise, try to avoid it (cut tunnels and bridges to keep a level track), but if you need to rise, do it all at once at the ends, with downward movement being a drop into a pool, and upward movement going like this:
Dude, just make the minecarts go sideways on the horizontal track, too. No need for half blocks, and even easier targeting.
*cut for post length reasons*
As for vertical rise, try to avoid it (cut tunnels and bridges to keep a level track), but if you need to rise, do it all at once at the ends, with downward movement being a drop into a pool, and upward movement going like this:
*cut for post length reasons*
This is almost faster than a freefall, but upward.
This is why I posted to begin with. I figured that at some point, someone would take what I'd done, and make it better. And so you did.
Good stuff, I figured out much of the same things ago when I was experimenting with this. A minor thing I'd suggest is when using this is to have an empty slot in your hot bar. If you misclick the next minecart when going around a corner or upwards, you don't want to place a block in your way, or something annoying like that.
Here's a fun fact: the same concept can also apply to saddled pigs. That is, right clicking another saddled pig will jump you to that pig. Obviously not a practical method of transportation, but funny at the leat.
I was thinking of at least starting to use boosters instead of gravity with my minecarts, though if I did this with boats I could use my iron for better purposes.
I'm guessing the "Carpal Tunneling" is a reference to all the clicking you have to do? =P How does this stack up materials wise (iron bars) vs actually laying minecart tracks? It must look hilarious to anyone watching on a SMP server.
Use boats for the vertical using something like this:
Top down view:
First layer: 3x3 with a block of dirt in the center. You can use anything in place of the glass, but I use it for visibility.
Second Layer (on top of the first):
Same as the first layer but leave the center open.
[]
Once you have that, get above it by a block or two, and place a boat directly in the middle, on top of the dirt, it will be centered in the glass.
Then from underneath, break out the dirt block, leaving the boat sandwiched in between the two layers, like so...
Then stack more on top of each other... It will work ascending vertrtically, but you'd have to stagger it somehow to descend since you can't look through the boat when sitting in it to see the one underneath you.
I'm guessing the "Carpal Tunneling" is a reference to all the clicking you have to do? =P
Yup.
Quote from Armitige »
How does this stack up materials wise (iron bars) vs actually laying minecart tracks? It must look hilarious to anyone watching on a SMP server.
The track and minecart, together, account for 11 iron bars. One teleporter lets you cover three blocks, and three blocks' worth of plain track would need 7 more iron bars per three block stretch. Then add another 5 bars for the cart (more if you're using boosters). That's for horizontal travel.
If you're going up, then smurfsahoy's method lets you do so while saving even more iron per block moved.
EDIT: And ashien's method lets you cut out iron entirely.
Quote from robynes »
I was thinking of at least starting to use boosters instead of gravity with my minecarts, though if I did this with boats I could use my iron for better purposes.
I tried this with boats (following the method in the video I posted), but didn't like how much they slid around. Adding rows of blocks to try and hold them in place didn't help either, as the boats would just float around on the ground, and often get sucked into adjacent blocks. Having a two-block-wide channel would probably fix that, though (if still allowing some drift... but that may not be a problem from your perspective).
As long as you stand above the container that will be holding the boat by 2 blocks, and look straight down into the center when you place the boat it doesn't move.
As long as you stand above the container that will be holding the boat by 2 blocks, and look straight down into the center when you place the boat it doesn't move.
Side view when placing:
Ah, OK, thank you. I'll have to try out a boat-only system.
Using the boats would really only be advantageous ascending vertically. If you were to try and use them horizontally, then the blocks holding them in place would get in the way. And removing any of the blocks once the boat is placed (other than the middle bottom dirt block during construction) would allow them to slip and move if bumped.
I was just suggesting the boats as a vertical ascension alternative since you would be able to look straight up and spam click to move upwards.
The track and minecart, together, account for 11 iron bars. One teleporter lets you cover three blocks, and three blocks' worth of plain track would need 7 more iron bars per three block stretch. Then add another 5 bars for the cart (more if you're using boosters). That's for horizontal travel.
*snip
Not to nitpick, but wouldn't 18 iron get you 48 track, not 3?
This all started when I saw Tyrannious' vid on Working with the assumption that what can be done with boats can be done with minecarts, I built this:
As it turns out, I was right. With this set up, one can teleport from minecart to minecart instantly, in the same fashion as demonstrated with teleboatation. This has a distinct advantage over its predecessor, however, in that minecarts can be more easily contained. Boats glitch out, and in trying to build an ordered boat transit system, I found myself dealing with boats floating through the guard rails intended to contain them. Minecarts can be built on a track, and with blockages at either end will not shift, aside a small amount on the track.
This was the second matter to be addressed. The carts were displacing one another on the rail, and so kept shuffling back and forth. The effect might be useful visually, if you want something that vaguely resembles a caterpillar for a transit system, but damn it, I wanted something orderly.
So I did this:
In so doing, I also produced a method that allows transit even faster than the first minecart-based system. Now each click made you leap two blocks, instead of one. However, having that iron block in the way made it hard to see the next cart in the chain, so I modified it:
Now we're talking. Faster than the original test, and you can easily target the next cart in the sequence. The next step would be the figure out a maximum teleportation range. I tested out a two-block seperation between carts (3-block jump per click, if we include the minecart). A system with three blocks of spacers between carts was tested, and found non-working. And so, the final system was constructed:
Faster than a rail system (OK, so that could be conjecture... the actual speed test is on my to-do list), and not prone to shifting around messily like a teleboater chain.
Thoughts and suggestions welcome.
we need moar inventions in minecraft
[Zombie]
[|] [Leaves]
with a side of healthy green leaves
In response to harvestpixel's question: I've tried to get a vertical system working, but thus far have not had any successful tests. The closest I've gotten is stepped teleporters, but those run diagonally and thus require more room. Something like a water elevator is probably more space efficient (and therefore more easily integrated into structures) and likely faster, too.
Make a wall with holes in it and put carts in the holes just sticking out enough to not make u suffocate.
Thanks for the suggestion!
* Meaning the cart-opening has one wall to the East, and one to the West.
This is around 4x faster!
top view:
=ground level
=walls
=track
=cart
Step one)
Step two)
Step three)
Step four)
Step five)
As for vertical rise, try to avoid it (cut tunnels and bridges to keep a level track), but if you need to rise, do it all at once at the ends, with downward movement being a drop into a pool, and upward movement going like this:
[] [] []
[] [] []
[] [] []
[] []
[] []
[] []
[]
[]
[]
This is almost faster than a freefall, but upward.
This is why I posted to begin with. I figured that at some point, someone would take what I'd done, and make it better. And so you did.
Here's a fun fact: the same concept can also apply to saddled pigs. That is, right clicking another saddled pig will jump you to that pig. Obviously not a practical method of transportation, but funny at the leat.
What do you mean it doesn't work? - Flint Generator
Once upon a time in Minecraft... - The Three Little Pigs
Ready! Set! Go! - Speedboat Racecourse
Look out below! - Death From Above
I was thinking of at least starting to use boosters instead of gravity with my minecarts, though if I did this with boats I could use my iron for better purposes.
I'll look into doing this in my own world.
Top down view:
First layer: 3x3 with a block of dirt in the center. You can use anything in place of the glass, but I use it for visibility.
Second Layer (on top of the first):
Same as the first layer but leave the center open.
[]
Once you have that, get above it by a block or two, and place a boat directly in the middle, on top of the dirt, it will be centered in the glass.
Then from underneath, break out the dirt block, leaving the boat sandwiched in between the two layers, like so...
Then stack more on top of each other... It will work ascending vertrtically, but you'd have to stagger it somehow to descend since you can't look through the boat when sitting in it to see the one underneath you.
Yup.
The track and minecart, together, account for 11 iron bars. One teleporter lets you cover three blocks, and three blocks' worth of plain track would need 7 more iron bars per three block stretch. Then add another 5 bars for the cart (more if you're using boosters). That's for horizontal travel.
If you're going up, then smurfsahoy's method lets you do so while saving even more iron per block moved.
EDIT: And ashien's method lets you cut out iron entirely.
I tried this with boats (following the method in the video I posted), but didn't like how much they slid around. Adding rows of blocks to try and hold them in place didn't help either, as the boats would just float around on the ground, and often get sucked into adjacent blocks. Having a two-block-wide channel would probably fix that, though (if still allowing some drift... but that may not be a problem from your perspective).
Side view when placing:
Ah, OK, thank you. I'll have to try out a boat-only system.
16 minecarts + the one track piece to sit on for each = 86 iron
86 iron bars divided by 6 iron per track craft = 14.33 crafts. 14 crafts x 16 tracks per craft = 224 tracks.
but you need a cart for this track so lets say one cart plus 208 tracks.
soo... I dunno his way covers about (3x16) 48 spaces
compared to 208 with a normal track and cart? (booster/booster carts and booster track not included)
Edit: added booster
carpal method gets two more carts = 54 spaces
normal track gets a boost cart and 16 tracks for it = 208 spaces still
Btw not bashing the idea , I really like it! just doing some math
I was just suggesting the boats as a vertical ascension alternative since you would be able to look straight up and spam click to move upwards.
Not to nitpick, but wouldn't 18 iron get you 48 track, not 3?