Minecraft weather is, although simple, somewhat of a marvel. It adds atmosphere to the game. It adds a sense of realism, a feeling, a soul. Walking through the forest during a rainy evening or getting caught in a snow flurry at midday simply adds to the overall fun of the game.
However, rain, snow, and thunderstorms just don't seem like enough. So, I had some time to myself, and I brainstormed a few ideas for new weather types, changes and variants, including a few biome-specific ones (unrealistic/fantasy ideas are marked as such).
VARIANTS
Rain -The "density" of rain drops should be determined by the biome the player is presently in. For example, being in a warm or dry biome such as a forest, plains, or even a savannah biome should have a much lighter rain image, to make it feel like it's really only sprinkling or showering. On the contrary, generally humid or moisture-filled biomes such as jungles or any biome near the ocean should have a much denser rain image, to seem like it's pouring and raining very hard.
Snow - Density of snow should be changed similarly to the rain. Because there are fewer "snow" biomes than rain biomes, there can't be that much variation, so snow density could also vary by altitude. That is, the higher Y coordinate you are, the denser the snow will appear. Snowy biomes that are near a body of water would also have noticeably denser snow images, while dry biomes like tundra variants would have a lighter snowfall.
NEW WEATHER
Knife Storm (Fantasy/Unrealistic) - Visualize that one episode of Adventure Time where Finn and Jake get caught in a knife storm.
Microburst/Supercell - Similarly to real life weather, these microbursts would only affect a certain small area (typically one of the biomes with denser rainfall or moisture) and within that area, players would experience very extreme conditions for a short time. These conditions include incredibly heavy rainfall, louder thunder, and very frequent lightning strikes.
Gale/Windstorm - These weather events would have the player buffeted by strong winds in a certain direction over a period of time. These events would only really occur in windy areas, such as mountains, plains, savannahs, and warmer biomes near to the ocean (think monsoons). While not overpowered, these windstorms would impede movement against the wind, while aiding it in the direction of the wind. Winds would gradually taper off, and in general, breezes and winds would permeate the entire world in various (yet logical) directions.
Droughts and Frosts - A drought is simply a long period without precipitation that is typically accompanied by hot and dry conditions. During a period of drought, crops and plants would grow much slower, and water can evaporate from cauldrons (water source blocks would not be affected). Players could also be given status effects such as Dehydration and Heat Stroke, which would cause conditions such as slowness, increased hunger, and periodic health loss. A frost is essentially a cold drought, with a little bit more moisture. During a frost, plant growth would also be slowed, and the player could become Frostbitten or Hypothermic - these could be new status effects that cause various conditions like slowness, increased hunger, and periodic health loss (like Drought effects). If a Frost strikes in a cold biome, water could flash freeze if unprotected. If a Drought strikes in a desert biome, water source blocks could theoretically evaporate over time.
Cursed Lightning (Fantasy/Unrealistic) - Similar to a normal thunderstorm, a cursed lightning storm would cause frequent bolts of white-purple lightning to strike dangerously close to the player. These lightning bolts have a chance to summon special variants of mobs that have randomly-assigned armor, weapons, and/or status effects. If a player is struck by a cursed lightning bolt, he/she will take 5 damage (2 1/2 hearts) which will be dealt at full strength and can only be mitigated by enchanted armor.
CHANGES
-Water bottles can be filled by holding them in your hand while standing in the rain, similarly to how cauldrons can be filled. A water bottle would take roughly ten seconds of continuous exposure to the rain in order to fill up.
-After sufficient rainfall has hit it, a dirt/grass block can become Mud, which can be picked up and placed as normal. Mud has similar properties to Soulsand, including slower movement and the "sinking in" effect. Mud will, over time, dry up and turn back into Dirt. This process happens faster in desert or savannah biomes.
-After being exposed to the rain, dry farmland can become hydrated farmland, causing crops to grow faster on it. Over time, however, if not already near a water block, it will turn back into normal farmland.
-Any weather event could combine with any other by pure coincidence, causing their effects to be felt simultaneously (for example, a Microburst mixed with a Windstorm).
-Blocks with a weak blast resistance, such as freestanding Dirt, Netherrack, or Wood Planks, can be blown down/destroyed by a large enough Windstorm.
-Wood Planks, after being exposed to the rain long enough, can begin to rot, gradually changing their appearance to look worse and worse until they disappear altogether.
-If you are wearing or holding Leather Armor in the rain, it can become wet and cause slower movement when worn. It takes roughly 1 in-game day to dry out, regardless of where it is kept, but it can also be dried manually in a furnace (Note: May cause slight discoloration on dyed fabrics - hint hint).
This is my first suggestion here, so what do you guys think of these ideas? Any of your own changes to weather you'd like to see?
I support some , and go against some at the same time ... as you know , gameplay > realism , I will give my opinions on your ideas :
For rain and snow variety , I support !
Knife storms : Nah , Mojang won't just steal ideas from a TV show , I prefer some - Ender related - weather where it turns into night for 2 days and Ender men will spawn as frequent as in the end , it starts raining particles like the nether portal , and they will be hostile to EVERY mob . It is rare and you should worry when this happens , they won't spawn in light areas though
If you mean a strong rare wave of thunder striking , then I support ! and maybe it comes with little rain so the chances of fire occurring is high . maybe also snow storms that cause the snow layers to be 2 blocks deep !
for the wind , nah , It doesn't seem that important .
for the drought , how about crops aren't hydrated anymore but still will not return to normal dirt , and water will be gone if it's only one source block ( if you put 1 bucket of water in a hole , it will be gone ) and for the frost , all water will turn into ice , but returning back into water when the frost stops .
For cursed lightning , I support , but maybe it doesn't summon mobs , just try to hit you with lighting .
I support filling water bottles like cauldrons when it's raining , A small but useful change .
For the mud ... not really , Unless it also spawns in swamps
For rain hydrating farmland , we already have that ... right ?
No , I don't want my amazing dirt house that took me years to build to be gone ! but seriously , if someone builds an epic structure with wood in creative mode , it will all be destroyed if a windstorm happens ... same for when they are exposed to rain for a long time .
No ! Leather armor is already considered useless by most players , no need to make it worst !
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I support some , and go against some at the same time ... as you know , gameplay > realism , I will give my opinions on your ideas :
For rain and snow variety , I support !
Knife storms : Nah , Mojang won't just steal ideas from a TV show , I prefer some - Ender related - weather where it turns into night for 2 days and Ender men will spawn as frequent as in the end , it starts raining particles like the nether portal , and they will be hostile to EVERY mob . It is rare and you should worry when this happens , they won't spawn in light areas though
If you mean a strong rare wave of thunder striking , then I support ! and maybe it comes with little rain so the chances of fire occurring is high . maybe also snow storms that cause the snow layers to be 2 blocks deep !
for the wind , nah , It doesn't seem that important .
for the drought , how about crops aren't hydrated anymore but still will not return to normal dirt , and water will be gone if it's only one source block ( if you put 1 bucket of water in a hole , it will be gone ) and for the frost , all water will turn into ice , but returning back into water when the frost stops .
For cursed lightning , I support , but maybe it doesn't summon mobs , just try to hit you with lighting .
I support filling water bottles like cauldrons when it's raining , A small but useful change .
For the mud ... not really , Unless it also spawns in swamps
For rain hydrating farmland , we already have that ... right ?
No , I don't want my amazing dirt house that took me years to build to be gone ! but seriously , if someone builds an epic structure with wood in creative mode , it will all be destroyed if a windstorm happens ... same for when they are exposed to rain for a long time .
No ! Leather armor is already considered useless by most players , no need to make it worst !
Thanks for your feedback!
Also, the knife storm was meant to be a joke, among other things.
One thing I just want to point out, the 'cursed lightning' idea is almost the exact same thing as Super Hostile Mode from Minecraft 2.0 (The prank Mojang pulled) but instead it is just as a weather event instead of being all the time.
However, rain, snow, and thunderstorms just don't seem like enough. So, I had some time to myself, and I brainstormed a few ideas for new weather types, changes and variants, including a few biome-specific ones (unrealistic/fantasy ideas are marked as such).
VARIANTS
Rain - The "density" of rain drops should be determined by the biome the player is presently in. For example, being in a warm or dry biome such as a forest, plains, or even a savannah biome should have a much lighter rain image, to make it feel like it's really only sprinkling or showering. On the contrary, generally humid or moisture-filled biomes such as jungles or any biome near the ocean should have a much denser rain image, to seem like it's pouring and raining very hard.
Snow - Density of snow should be changed similarly to the rain. Because there are fewer "snow" biomes than rain biomes, there can't be that much variation, so snow density could also vary by altitude. That is, the higher Y coordinate you are, the denser the snow will appear. Snowy biomes that are near a body of water would also have noticeably denser snow images, while dry biomes like tundra variants would have a lighter snowfall.
NEW WEATHER
Knife Storm (Fantasy/Unrealistic) - Visualize that one episode of Adventure Time where Finn and Jake get caught in a knife storm.
Microburst/Supercell - Similarly to real life weather, these microbursts would only affect a certain small area (typically one of the biomes with denser rainfall or moisture) and within that area, players would experience very extreme conditions for a short time. These conditions include incredibly heavy rainfall, louder thunder, and very frequent lightning strikes.
Gale/Windstorm - These weather events would have the player buffeted by strong winds in a certain direction over a period of time. These events would only really occur in windy areas, such as mountains, plains, savannahs, and warmer biomes near to the ocean (think monsoons). While not overpowered, these windstorms would impede movement against the wind, while aiding it in the direction of the wind. Winds would gradually taper off, and in general, breezes and winds would permeate the entire world in various (yet logical) directions.
Droughts and Frosts - A drought is simply a long period without precipitation that is typically accompanied by hot and dry conditions. During a period of drought, crops and plants would grow much slower, and water can evaporate from cauldrons (water source blocks would not be affected). Players could also be given status effects such as Dehydration and Heat Stroke, which would cause conditions such as slowness, increased hunger, and periodic health loss. A frost is essentially a cold drought, with a little bit more moisture. During a frost, plant growth would also be slowed, and the player could become Frostbitten or Hypothermic - these could be new status effects that cause various conditions like slowness, increased hunger, and periodic health loss (like Drought effects). If a Frost strikes in a cold biome, water could flash freeze if unprotected. If a Drought strikes in a desert biome, water source blocks could theoretically evaporate over time.
Cursed Lightning (Fantasy/Unrealistic) - Similar to a normal thunderstorm, a cursed lightning storm would cause frequent bolts of white-purple lightning to strike dangerously close to the player. These lightning bolts have a chance to summon special variants of mobs that have randomly-assigned armor, weapons, and/or status effects. If a player is struck by a cursed lightning bolt, he/she will take 5 damage (2 1/2 hearts) which will be dealt at full strength and can only be mitigated by enchanted armor.
CHANGES
-Water bottles can be filled by holding them in your hand while standing in the rain, similarly to how cauldrons can be filled. A water bottle would take roughly ten seconds of continuous exposure to the rain in order to fill up.
-After sufficient rainfall has hit it, a dirt/grass block can become Mud, which can be picked up and placed as normal. Mud has similar properties to Soulsand, including slower movement and the "sinking in" effect. Mud will, over time, dry up and turn back into Dirt. This process happens faster in desert or savannah biomes.
-After being exposed to the rain, dry farmland can become hydrated farmland, causing crops to grow faster on it. Over time, however, if not already near a water block, it will turn back into normal farmland.
-Any weather event could combine with any other by pure coincidence, causing their effects to be felt simultaneously (for example, a Microburst mixed with a Windstorm).
-Blocks with a weak blast resistance, such as freestanding Dirt, Netherrack, or Wood Planks, can be blown down/destroyed by a large enough Windstorm.
-Wood Planks, after being exposed to the rain long enough, can begin to rot, gradually changing their appearance to look worse and worse until they disappear altogether.
-If you are wearing or holding Leather Armor in the rain, it can become wet and cause slower movement when worn. It takes roughly 1 in-game day to dry out, regardless of where it is kept, but it can also be dried manually in a furnace (Note: May cause slight discoloration on dyed fabrics - hint hint).
This is my first suggestion here, so what do you guys think of these ideas? Any of your own changes to weather you'd like to see?
For rain and snow variety , I support !
Knife storms : Nah , Mojang won't just steal ideas from a TV show , I prefer some - Ender related - weather where it turns into night for 2 days and Ender men will spawn as frequent as in the end , it starts raining particles like the nether portal , and they will be hostile to EVERY mob . It is rare and you should worry when this happens , they won't spawn in light areas though
If you mean a strong rare wave of thunder striking , then I support ! and maybe it comes with little rain so the chances of fire occurring is high . maybe also snow storms that cause the snow layers to be 2 blocks deep !
for the wind , nah , It doesn't seem that important .
for the drought , how about crops aren't hydrated anymore but still will not return to normal dirt , and water will be gone if it's only one source block ( if you put 1 bucket of water in a hole , it will be gone ) and for the frost , all water will turn into ice , but returning back into water when the frost stops .
For cursed lightning , I support , but maybe it doesn't summon mobs , just try to hit you with lighting .
I support filling water bottles like cauldrons when it's raining , A small but useful change .
For the mud ... not really , Unless it also spawns in swamps
For rain hydrating farmland , we already have that ... right ?
No , I don't want my amazing dirt house that took me years to build to be gone ! but seriously , if someone builds an epic structure with wood in creative mode , it will all be destroyed if a windstorm happens ... same for when they are exposed to rain for a long time .
No ! Leather armor is already considered useless by most players , no need to make it worst !
Thanks for your feedback!
Also, the knife storm was meant to be a joke, among other things.