I started a game about a year ago, which I'm still playing. And I know that without starting a new game I won't get the technologies that were released in patches after my game started. But I'm not ready to start a new game yet, since I have a few projects going on. One of them are building 30 storey skyscraper, and those carpets would be useful on those floors. But I haven't access to them in my game, too bad.
But even though I don't get newer tecnologies without starting a new game, I have discovered that some elements in the game have gotten new properties. For example, I can place wood sideways (it seems nearly impossible not to). But what's worse: when I were about to move my farm animals, I discovered that my pigs didn't react to the wheat. Ok, I know that they follow and breed with carrots now. But there are no carrots in my game. So... how am I supposed to move them? Maybe I could saddle them up and ride them to the new location. But I only got two saddles, which I haven't tried yet. And I'll bet that if you saddle a pig, it stays saddled up 'till it dies.
When I read the title, I thought this was a dicussion of how useless pigs were before the update. For now, I'll pretend like that's what this topic is about, and give my opinion:
Yes, before the update, pigs were one of the most useless mobs in the game. They wouln't always drop food, and were pretty useless to ride. Even with the update, they're still fairly useless. They need carrots to breed, which can be a hassle to get. You can ride them, but when we get horses, they will be more efficient riding mobs.
Cows are better animals to raise because they drop leather, and provide milk.
Well for me, I don't farm most of the time. I just spend some time killing wild animals, gives me some good food yield. I usually seek out the cows, so for me, those are the better animals.
Got 9 types of food in my fridge, a half stack of each, all of the meats from fly-by killing.
I keep cow, pig, and sheep farms. Mostly for making villager trades. All those emeralds add up.
I can usually get good amounts of beef, pork and chicken from just killing wild animal. But if I find that I have a lot of villagers asking for a certain type of meat, then I'll make a small farm behind the butcher's shop.
But I usually earn most of my emeralds off paper and wheat trades.
Ok, thanks for your replies everyone (except one of you, I'm not gonna mention any names).
I must admit that I didn't do enough research before writing my post. The carrot issue still stands, though I see now that I actually have the possibility to make the carpets I wanna use, and the other new technologies that came with later patches without starting a new game. But I guess finding quartz and carrots in nature won't be possible in this game, since I also guess that the world I'm playing in won't change when installing a patch... or am I wrong about this also? But maybe I can get a carrot eventually when killing a lot of zombies...
Still, in all the time I have played this game I have yet to find any ozelots, melons or blazes. I managed by pure luck to find a single pumpkin, which I planted and now I have lots of them. I have also only encountered two kinds of trees.
Carpets and quartz are avalible with tu14. If your world has no quartz, you can reset your nether, just open more options before loading a world. To get carrots or potatoes, you will need tu15. Ocelots will be availible in almost any world if you have downloaded tu12. You can't find melons naturally, but you can melon slices (Which can be crafted into seeds) from farmer villagers, or find melon seeds in abandoned mineshafts.
I can usually get good amounts of beef, pork and chicken from just killing wild animal. But if I find that I have a lot of villagers asking for a certain type of meat, then I'll make a small farm behind the butcher's shop.
But I usually earn most of my emeralds off paper and wheat trades.
I've found wool and wheat trading to be pretty profitable. 6 sheep generate an emerald or 2 per day, at least in my experience. It's especially useful if the same farmers offers emeralds for wheat. You can use up both trade options before you have to buy the last item in the list to refresh the trades. I didn't have much luck with paper. All of the ones I tried I had to refresh the trades too often. I'd make 3-4 trades and then have to buy a bookshelf for 3 emeralds.
Zombies will drop carrots. Just kill lots of zombies until you get one... then plant it so you can get more.
Carpets can be crafted without starting a new world.
In general, updates that add new crafting recipes, mobs, mob behavior, or rare drops do not require a restart.
Updates that add new generation features, such as new blocks, structures, or biomes, will require a restart to generate those features in your world.
The Nether can be reset without damaging anything in your overworld. Essentially, you can do this multiple times to get infinite quartz.
PS - paper trades are the way to go. Less time-consuming than wheat. Less expensive than wool (those shears go quick and iron is too valuable, IMO). And less annoying than raw chicken or cooked fish.
But even though I don't get newer tecnologies without starting a new game, I have discovered that some elements in the game have gotten new properties. For example, I can place wood sideways (it seems nearly impossible not to). But what's worse: when I were about to move my farm animals, I discovered that my pigs didn't react to the wheat. Ok, I know that they follow and breed with carrots now. But there are no carrots in my game. So... how am I supposed to move them? Maybe I could saddle them up and ride them to the new location. But I only got two saddles, which I haven't tried yet. And I'll bet that if you saddle a pig, it stays saddled up 'till it dies.
Well who cares? Cows are better anyway...
Yes, before the update, pigs were one of the most useless mobs in the game. They wouln't always drop food, and were pretty useless to ride. Even with the update, they're still fairly useless. They need carrots to breed, which can be a hassle to get. You can ride them, but when we get horses, they will be more efficient riding mobs.
Cows are better animals to raise because they drop leather, and provide milk.
Got 9 types of food in my fridge, a half stack of each, all of the meats from fly-by killing.
I can usually get good amounts of beef, pork and chicken from just killing wild animal. But if I find that I have a lot of villagers asking for a certain type of meat, then I'll make a small farm behind the butcher's shop.
But I usually earn most of my emeralds off paper and wheat trades.
I must admit that I didn't do enough research before writing my post. The carrot issue still stands, though I see now that I actually have the possibility to make the carpets I wanna use, and the other new technologies that came with later patches without starting a new game. But I guess finding quartz and carrots in nature won't be possible in this game, since I also guess that the world I'm playing in won't change when installing a patch... or am I wrong about this also? But maybe I can get a carrot eventually when killing a lot of zombies...
Still, in all the time I have played this game I have yet to find any ozelots, melons or blazes. I managed by pure luck to find a single pumpkin, which I planted and now I have lots of them. I have also only encountered two kinds of trees.
I've found wool and wheat trading to be pretty profitable. 6 sheep generate an emerald or 2 per day, at least in my experience. It's especially useful if the same farmers offers emeralds for wheat. You can use up both trade options before you have to buy the last item in the list to refresh the trades. I didn't have much luck with paper. All of the ones I tried I had to refresh the trades too often. I'd make 3-4 trades and then have to buy a bookshelf for 3 emeralds.
Zombies will drop carrots. Just kill lots of zombies until you get one... then plant it so you can get more.
Carpets can be crafted without starting a new world.
In general, updates that add new crafting recipes, mobs, mob behavior, or rare drops do not require a restart.
Updates that add new generation features, such as new blocks, structures, or biomes, will require a restart to generate those features in your world.
The Nether can be reset without damaging anything in your overworld. Essentially, you can do this multiple times to get infinite quartz.
PS - paper trades are the way to go. Less time-consuming than wheat. Less expensive than wool (those shears go quick and iron is too valuable, IMO). And less annoying than raw chicken or cooked fish.
Thanks for answers...