Minecraft Forums

The previous thread for this topic has been deleted, most likely for its extreme hostility. I have edited it into my own words in order for it to be more professional and respectable.

There's a lot of hate towards this game. Specifically, the "main" game mode, survival. First you must know this is not a thread meant to whine about the game. I would not spend time doing this if I did not really enjoy the game, that is why I want to make it better. Here are some fundamental flaws I or other people have noticed. (All objective of course, if you agree/disagree, add your discussion to the thread!

1. The reliance on the wiki/community.

Survival mode relies too heavily on the wiki or the community to understand how the game is played. Minecraft isn't quite the simple game it used to be, there are many complex actions in the game that aren't as easy to pickup and learn such as moving, or jumping. If it weren't for wiki entries or update videos, it would be nearly impossible to know how say, Brewing works, or how eyes of ender are obtained in order to get into the End.

There are always exceptions, some may prefer to learn how to use these things by themselves, which is perfectly fine. However, not everyone has the time or patience to use trial-and-error to learn the game. The Xbox 360 version of Minecraft has this already figured it out. Something similar to it, like a book you can spawn with (as an option of course) would be very nice and would make the game more professional. Nothing too fancy is needed, just something that will point the player in the right direction.

2. Game Difficulty.

The game's difficulty needs to be much deeper than simply changing monster health and damage. It could be much better if it also changed some of the game's mechanics. Mojang has started to do this with Creeper behaviour in Hard mode, but has not yet translated that into the rest of the game. Allowing spiders to climb ceilings in hard mode is a great example, or allowing monsters to see you from a greater distance in harder difficulties. Hard mode could also have faster enemies to make it more difficult to simply run from them.

3. The Monsters

Everyone remembers how the monsters were when they first played Minecraft. They were pants-shittingly terrifying. They were iconic. However, for anyone who has been playing the game for longer than a few weeks, they become much easier and instead of a challenge are another task to deal with.

This is why mobs need more specialization and variety. Again, Mojang was heading the right direction when they gave spiders the ability to climb walls. Another step could make monsters much better. Minecraft does a good job at making different monsters more than simple reskins. This could go even further with prefix mobs that spawn rarely, some only certain biomes, such as fire skeletons that shoot flaming arrows, or zombies with armor, or even faster creepers that create smaller but more concentrated explosions. So far there is already a prefix mob, but they are the rarest monster in the game. Charged creepers. You may have heard of them, when lightening strikes a creeper they begin to glow and create devastatingly large explosions. Minecraft needs more of these kinds of monsters.

4. Biomes and Terrain.

Minecraft terrain is already pretty good. Biomes have given it more variety, and the new height limit again is moving in the right direction. However, many of the biomes feel too cookie-cutter esque, and could use much more variety. As it is, deserts are plains biomes with sand and cacti instead of trees. Deserts certainly should not have water pools like they currently are filled with, and deserve to have more of their own content. Some good examples of this would be desert snakes, that are passive unless attacked or stepped on, and sandstorms when other biomes would be raining/snowing. Deserts could also use some sort of desert spider that jumps twice as much as a regular spider, and is the size of a cave spider. (But does not poison the player)

More on cookie-cutter biomes, the taiga looks the same as a forest biome, but with different trees and snow. Snow biomes could use more properties that make it unique, like rare snowmen (without pumpkin heads) that roam around very slowly and lazily, or even icy and snowy caves similar to how jungle caves are filled with vines.

Jungles are another great example of Mojang moving in the right direction, but not quite translating to the game. Jungle biomes feel like a completley different area, unlike deserts or taigas, except for the fact that their only biome specific mob is the ocelot. Poisonous snakes or silverfish-like bugs would be very cool in junble biomes.

Swamps are almost just right, except instead of slimes spawning in "Slime Chunks," they should only spawn in swamp biomes. This makes it much easier for the player to find slimes while also making them relatively rare. Swamps could also use some sort of cat-tail like tallgrass around the water.

Plains and Hills need to be redefined. Plains should be flatter, and the current plains should become a new biome called "hills." At the same time, "desert plains" needs to be more like the Savanna, with yellower grass and sparse tall, big trees like this.

5. Weapons and Armor

Minecraft needs another upgrade for combat. Mojang once again went in the right direction with their update that included sprinting and critical hits, but never quite finished what they started. The game could really use new weapons, such as spears that can either be used to stab an enemy with extra range or thrown with the right mouse button. Sledge-hammer-like tools could knockback an enemy more than swords but have a much slower attack speed. A Mace could deal less damage and knockback then a sword but give enemies a "bleeding" effect that causes damage and hunger overtime.

More importantly, different materials need more variety other than direct-upgrades. Weaker tools and armor should be lighter and allow the player to manuever and sprint faster, while heavier, stronger tools like diamond should slow the player and make it more difficult to swim up waterfalls and against currents. This would give the game much more depth and allow the player to make more of a creative decision in terms of what materials to use for their tools. (Otherwise nobody will ever use wooden tools except for making a wooden pick to get three cobblestone blocks at the very beginning)

To add even more depth, leather armor could be "warmer" than the other armor types, and be more effective in cold biomes. Chainmail could have a chance deflect arrows. (They would bounce off the player like they sometimes do in multiplayer)

Lastly, more enchantability and potions would add even more depth to weapons. Speed enchants for bows to shoot faster, or even poison swords would be great. Enchantments for Fishing-Rods, Flint&Steel, and even boats could be very useful. Different kinds of arrows, such as iron arrows that are heavier and fall faster but deal more damage would be awesome. Many of the effects of potions exist in the code but are unused. Blindness, Disorientation, Walking on Water, High jumping, wall-climbing, and flying are all effects that could be put into potions with biome-specific items like cacti, lily-pads, and cocoa-beans.

6. Player Manuverability.

Player Manuverability hasn't changed much since pre-alpha other than sprinting and sneaking. Mojang again was moving in the right direction with those updates but needs to continue with easier manuvering and better player animations for different actions. There is an amazing mod (I unfortunatley forgot the name of it) that adds swimming and ladder climbing animations, and even gives the player the ability to slowly crawl in order to fit into small spaces. This should have been added to the game since its very beginning, I feel it's hard to disagree with that. Sprinting really needs to be moved to a key rather than being a double-tap. While palying Ultra Hardcore I quickly noticed how hard it is to sprint away from a threat in the heat of a moment. The current sprinting is very unreliable.

Another small detail that would be nice would be the loss of "air bubbles" when getting hit or hurt underwater. In fact, oceans and lakes could use much more variety in terms of blocks found at the bottom as well as different fish and water monsters like sharks. Notch mentioned similar ideas but never put them into action, unfortunately.


7. The Community!

This is the most important part of this thread. These improvements probably won't happen if unless everyone comes together and contributes. We all need to discuss ideas with each other without being hostile towards each other. I know there are many users on here that are willing to have a decent and mature discussion about these issues. Let's strive to make this community better and improve the quality of our posts! A better community makes a better game!

For example, putting blind faith into either side, whether it be praise or angst, is not going to solve anything. The Developers are people. They make many mistakes, but also work very hard on what they do. They are professionals, but they could also use criticism on what they do without being insulted and without being insulted by other users feeling the need to defend them. Nobody wishes any hate or harm to Mojang while making these suggestions, time spent fighting over who is giving who enough credit is time wasted. This time could be better spent discussing different ideas to make Minecraft better! Perhaps we as a community can come together to make a large community mod putting ideas discussed in this thread (Not just in my post) into one, in order to get Mojang's attention.

Again, if you agree or disagree with any point I have made, I strongly encourage you to post your own opinions!

Please do not post useless topics.

You know this without even playing with them?

Wtf is an Eldermen?

Found a new space game, and I've been addicted ever since. It's called Kerbal Space Program. Basically, you design a spaceship (Ballistic Missile) and launch it. It's pretty crazy. It's unimaginably amusing to watch your simple rockets become bombs as soon as you launch.


Try it out.

There awesome? Really? Jesus christ pick up a dictionary.

Lmao that's not a coin.

You people are not going to figure this out. :/

Quote from Penultimatey

Your not helpfull XD

YOU'RE! YOU'RE!

Fat nut, I bought it in Alpha. I'm awesome, you're not. I'm the best. Me, not you.

Quote from Udontlikecake

THIS

And also I think some of you guys dont get this 2 million people bought the game and it might be 3 million by release so if all say 2.5 million people only had to pay the original fee than they might go bankrupt after release if not as many people buy it. So it only really matters is equal to or more people buy it AFTER the release.

I bought it in Beta 1.2 BTW

This is the worst 2 posts I've seen on here in a WHILE. You really have no clue how game creation works. Besides, it would be pointless for Notch to make DLC if everyone would get it, because after release, there aren't going to be many people buying Minecraft, it will most likely still be the original buyers from Alpha and Beta.

Also, sorry for double post.

Why does every child feel that they "deserve" to get something because someone else might get something? Pathetic.

What are retail buyers going to get then? Since beta buyers would be "getting something special" now, to make things "fair" in your eyes, why not even it out and make something special just for retail buyers too? Then everyone can feel special and loved and warm and fuzzy. Or y'know, we can realize that we have no information whatsoever yet on if Notch is going to add to the game anyway, or if he'll even charge for additions yet. "But we want to feel special too!" Tough cookies. The real world doesn't work like that. You don't get stuff just because someone else is getting something. Learn to deal with it or become a hermit, completely removed from society. Notch is going to honor his alpha agreement, but the beta agreement is not the same, thus Notch has no obligation or reason to extend his generosity (even though I heard he originally wanted to, but was advised against it).

Am I really in a thread where people are flaming between Beta and Alpha buyers? And are people seriously saying that Beta buyers are better than Alpha???

Lets get a few things straight... The main reason Alpha buyers are getting more is because they invested into the game much earlier than most, and at the time, no one knew if Minecraft would ever get a full release. Beta buyers came in a bit later, but aren't getting as much because at this point we know the game will get a full release and they should be happy just to get the game at 25% off or 50% off or whatever. Besides all of that, most of you who are doing the flaming saying Beta buyers are better than Alpha and Alpha's have no life are just flat out stupid. Honestly, does buying a game for less money and more DLC and content really make you a no life? People need to sort out there priorities, I can't stand these Forums sometimes.

Quote from eritzcolong

well if 1.7 is goin to be adventure mode

Quote from eritzcolong

1.7 is goin to be adventure mode

Quote from eritzcolong

adventure mode

Either link to where he says 1.7 will be adventure mode or just stfu up about it. I am tired of the idiots on here who say "derp derp arverntur mod" even when Notch has already stated this update will only make adventure and combat more rewarding.

First of all, the main reason you haven't seen a slime is just bad luck. The slime spawn rate is just very low and you have to be quite lucky to see some of them.
Another reason could be the location of the room you build. Since it is underneath your monster trap thing a lot of monster spawn in that specific chunk. The amount of mobs per chunk is limited so if there are a lot already no new mobs can spawn. This could also be a reason no slimes spawn in your room.
The best way I can think of to meet a slime is just traveling across your map and doing a lot of caving. You see slimes mostly when you are caving.
If that doesn't help at all, just open your world with MCedit and place a slime spawner in that room of yours and it will be filled in minutes.

Quote from Jnvn

Technically only four pistons would be able to contact the coal block, because pistons don't fire diagonally >_>

Also, as Keldon said, you'd need ridiculous amounts of heat..so you'd have to do it in the Nether or something. In a lava pool.

Yes, I said in.

Please go and place a block on top of another block, destroy the bottom block and count how many sides are on the block which is now floating in mid-air.
Thank you.