TL;DR : Reworking terrain generation and its traits such as rivers and ravines would make the worlds better (imho).
The world is mostly ugly.
I came to this conclusion by looking at the works of youtubers (like fWhip, Jeracraft or Aurelien-sama), then at my worlds.
As it is, moutains/extreme hills are oddly shaped, beaches have a steep descent into the sea which are spotted with tiny islands unfit for building. Lakes are ponds, and rivers are actually more like waterstreams, on top of being everywhere. Some biome patches are also small enough that bases or villages built in them can border other biomes, offsetting the scenery. Such statements can be made by looking at a seed generator or by strolling in a world.
Thus, I think a better scenery would be more inspirating. Someone made a similar suggestion a few years ago which shares the same spirit and whose example pics give a rough idea of what I think we should lean towards : better looking basic terrain, not necessitating terraforming to look appealing for construction (note that he expanded the maps by 4, which is a lot and perhaps more than needed).
The consequential problem would be ease of travel, requiring to pay attention to not turn plains into immense steppe, making moutains impassable and rivers Danubes, or having to travel thousands of blocks to find looked-after resources like ice spikes, mesa, mushroom biomes or structures. Making rivers, cliffs, ravines and other features bigger but fewer would be my idea for them. Sea connection is also debatable : smoother slopes for sandy beaches and cliffs for high biomes are desirable imo.
I'll admit that I have a hard time finding how to reach a compromise between not making a generation revamp punitive and giving the biomes we have enough space to attain serious potential, but
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I think reaching it would make creativity bloom since visualizing one's projects would be easier and more intuitive, and terrain specificities might more often be taken into account and built around.
It would be a hefty task, but perhaps a worthwhile one.
It's not just about size, but also shape and frequency. On "larger biomes" or "amplified" mountains are still misshapen, and beaches still have a steep slope into the ocean. Bigger rivers would look better, but making them much rarer is also worth considering because like I said they are everywhere, and scar the biomes with their water/grass colors (very noticeable in swamps). In their case, I'd say them being so over-common is more of a problem than their look. As for ravines, they're often too narrow and short to be good building spaces. The more build-worthy ones I found had something like 15-20 blocs of width, whereas most of the ravines I come across are 6-8 blocks wide.
But even basic terrain could use some work. The ground is not smooth and sprinkled with erratic hills, and I'm talking about the soils of plain/desert generation. Though oceans are shallow, the surface has a greater need of reworking.
TL;DR : Reworking terrain generation and its traits such as rivers and ravines would make the worlds better (imho).
The world is mostly ugly.
I came to this conclusion by looking at the works of youtubers (like fWhip, Jeracraft or Aurelien-sama), then at my worlds.
As it is, moutains/extreme hills are oddly shaped, beaches have a steep descent into the sea which are spotted with tiny islands unfit for building. Lakes are ponds, and rivers are actually more like waterstreams, on top of being everywhere. Some biome patches are also small enough that bases or villages built in them can border other biomes, offsetting the scenery. Such statements can be made by looking at a seed generator or by strolling in a world.
Thus, I think a better scenery would be more inspirating. Someone made a similar suggestion a few years ago which shares the same spirit and whose example pics give a rough idea of what I think we should lean towards : better looking basic terrain, not necessitating terraforming to look appealing for construction (note that he expanded the maps by 4, which is a lot and perhaps more than needed).
The consequential problem would be ease of travel, requiring to pay attention to not turn plains into immense steppe, making moutains impassable and rivers Danubes, or having to travel thousands of blocks to find looked-after resources like ice spikes, mesa, mushroom biomes or structures. Making rivers, cliffs, ravines and other features bigger but fewer would be my idea for them. Sea connection is also debatable : smoother slopes for sandy beaches and cliffs for high biomes are desirable imo.
I'll admit that I have a hard time finding how to reach a compromise between not making a generation revamp punitive and giving the biomes we have enough space to attain serious potential, but
It would be a hefty task, but perhaps a worthwhile one.
Heavens above I have found someone who agrees with me. Minecrafts generation is hideous. I really wish this post gained traction.
A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker could have.
Easy fix that would solve all your problems: Make terrain larger. Higher mountains, bigger biomes, wider rivers, deeper oceans, et cetera.
My suggestions: Enhancements - Throwable Fire Charges - On Phantoms and Elytra. Also check out The Minecraftian Language. This signature is not here to waste your space.
It's not just about size, but also shape and frequency. On "larger biomes" or "amplified" mountains are still misshapen, and beaches still have a steep slope into the ocean. Bigger rivers would look better, but making them much rarer is also worth considering because like I said they are everywhere, and scar the biomes with their water/grass colors (very noticeable in swamps). In their case, I'd say them being so over-common is more of a problem than their look. As for ravines, they're often too narrow and short to be good building spaces. The more build-worthy ones I found had something like 15-20 blocs of width, whereas most of the ravines I come across are 6-8 blocks wide.
But even basic terrain could use some work. The ground is not smooth and sprinkled with erratic hills, and I'm talking about the soils of plain/desert generation. Though oceans are shallow, the surface has a greater need of reworking.