If you hadn’t figured it out
by now, I really have come to love the game Minecraft which was developed by
the game company Mojang. The game is an open ended sandbox game that basically
gives the player all the tools and resources they need to create most anything
they want and delivers it in a way that is challenging, yet easy to pick up for
new players. The game has systems built into it to create unique biomes,
develop simple and complex electronics, build small or even massive buildings
and make them look good to boot. Like most players I was very excited to have
horses added to the game in the 1.6 update and I’m already getting pumped for
the extra biomes, enchantment options, and other cool new surprises in store
with the 1.7 update, but I feel like there’s one area that really needs to be
addressed that the developers have yet to touch on, which is understandable
given the scope of what needs to be added for it.
Well isn't this exciting?
Most of those who have played
Minecraft for any length of time have run into one or more ocean biomes which
as you might imagine are rather large bodies of water some with the occasional
island tossed in the middle for good measure. While I’ll be the first to admit
that these are necessary topographical features it seems that they and their
cousins, the deep oceans coming with update 1.7 are severely underdeveloped
areas in the game. So far we have a couple helmet enchants that allow for
longer stays under water and even faster mining, and of course they are adding
some new fishing mechanics with 1.7, but there’s still so much that could be
added. Most notable among the needed additions is of course some kind of ship,
or at least larger boats that are (please Mojang) less fragile than their
smaller counterparts. To this end I believe there is hope for those eagerly
awaiting this change as mods currently exist for the game that allow such
things and as the developers at Mojang were willing to work with mod developers
to implement horses into the game, maybe they’d be willing to do something
similar with ships. Even just making it possible to build on top of several
boats (as though they were normal blocks) would be a step in the right
direction.
Now that's a bit more like it
Of course what is adventure
on the high seas without some sort of creature to be feared in the ocean
depths? So far the oceans in Minecraft have actually served as a kind of
sanctuary for players. Stuck far from home at night? No problem! Swim out into
the ocean and tread water for a while. It’s a little inconvenient yes, but no
more so than being shot, chewed, bitten, and exploded to death by mobs. Of
course we have the fearsome squids to contend with, but what we really need are
some hostile mobs down in the depths and maybe a deep sea boss or two somewhere
down there… The kind of boss you need to shoot TNT cannons at to defeat maybe
(just a suggestion).
Adding some more life and
features to the ocean biomes would definitely go a long way toward adding much
needed content to the game and would open up so many new options for current
and future players to develop and create with the tools they’re given (I mean
really, just think of the mini-game options, not to mention multi-player).
So if you’re on board for
adding some seafaring features to the official version of Minecraft, be sure to
pass this article along to any of your other friends and family who’d be
interested as well and of course to the staff at Mojang; not to pester them,
but just to let them know what we’re hoping to see in update 1.8 here at the
N3rd C0rn3r.
So I had this crazy idea one night while watching a Minecraft let's play on YouTube about writing this story. I noticed for the first time that the NPC villagers have churches in some of their villages, but as a sandbox game the creators of Minecraft haven't created a great deal of official lore to go with the world. As I am very familiar with religious texts I thought it might be fun to give them a hand and write up a religion for the villagers that could easily be official lore as it's based entirely off of the games development and mechanics, but from the perspective of the villagers. The story that follows is what resulted from that idea. Read, share, and enjoy!
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In the Beginning was chaos, energy seeking order, purpose,
and unity. Trying instinctually, desperately to become part of something more,
but alone there was no hope and every attempt was met with only disorder and
eventual darkness. Then came
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the greater being James Gosling who wrote into being the
structure for the Java giving rise to order where before there was none. After
four years James Gosling was satisfied with all his work and moved on to other
things beyond our
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understanding leaving the Java to become what it may. The
Java remained untouched and unspoiled for nearly fourteen years until it had
structure written into it once more. A great being called Notch found a small
corner of the Java with the
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potential to be far more than it was and wrote out of what
was there the whole land. All that you can see, touch, and hear he made, adding
as he saw fit and taking away as was deemed neccessary. But the touch of Notch
brought with it unforeseen
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consequences. The raw creative forces brought with them
roving dimensional rifts. These weak points in the fabric of space and time
allowed monstrous things to cross over and possess Notch's creation. This
angered the great being Notch and so he
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fashioned from all the material and all the power he had
remaining in him a mighty guardian to watch over the land. Sadly this guardian
was only powerful enough to guard the land during the day and had to retreat to
replenish its strength each
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night. While this didn't stop the creatures scourge on the
land, it did grant the people of the great being's creation a fighting chance
against them. Into the vacuum left by the greater being Notch stepped his
apprentice the greater being
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Jeb. The great being Jeb continued his teacher's work adding
to the world and giving its people many gifts. Among the most blessed were the
mighty warriors that arose from amongst the people. To them the greater beings
granted the ability
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To craft, to build, and to fight. However their greatest
gift and their curse was their immortality. Even when the enemy overcame one of
these mighty warriors the greater beings would restore their life and allow
them to carry on. Death however
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was not without its costs. Even the mightiest warriors would
find themselves as weak and feeble as a newborn after death forcing them to
train and work that much harder again to continue the fight. This is their blessing.
This is their curse.
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There are those however who rise up without the blessing of
the greater beings. Their torch burns bright and quick. These heroes do not
linger on as do others. They are honored in song and legend for their courage
despite the odds against them.
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It is these heroes both immortal and not that protect the
children of the greater beings during the long nights. These heroes however are
not immune to corruption and some do fall, becoming champions of the dark.
These lost souls seek only
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to bring about pain, suffering, and destruction. They would
seek to undo all that the greater beings have sought to accomplish. To prevent
all of their order from falling, the last of the heroes established a code of
conduct that would
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protect them from their own weakness. First the heroes
pledged to watch over the creation of the greater beings, preventing damage
where possible, fixing damage where necessary, and improving where desirable.
Next they pledged to
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train and learn to fight the creatures that plagued the
land. They became experts in melee and ranged combat using technique and
strategy to overcome their foes. They pledged also to master their worlds,
gathering the elements around
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them and repurposing them to aid in the fight against the
dark. The heroes learned not only how to create light, but how to fight the
scourge even in the deepest darkness. They pledged to use every advantage given
them in their fight, even the
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arcane arts to better their chances. Finally they pledged to
guard the weak from the creatures of the night even fighting through the very
depths of the underworld to cure those once thought lost for all time. This
order of heroes was known as
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the order of the players and it continues in its quest to
this day. Each player is said to be a volunteer from among the great beings who
becomes like unto one of us to save us from the darkness. We honor their
courage and sacrifice with
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our prayers and the humble assistance we can offer them when
they are here with us. Thankfully the greater beings are a generous people and
ask little from us in return. They are also a pragmatic people, not wishing for
us to become lazy or
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complacent and as such they do not grant our every request.
Take comfort in the knowledge that you shall not ever want for what you need
and be satisfied with what you have been blessed with. To desire the riches and
power of the greater beings
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is to dishonor what good things they have given you. Do not
be like the fools who built their homes deep underground, seeking the riches
hidden there for they have all come to unfavorable ends. Instead place the
entry to your home where it
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can be seen by the great guardian of the day so that he
might know of your devotion to the greater beings and so that you might be
remembered and protected by them. Likewise do not stray too far from the homes
you've been blessed with, lest you
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become cursed to roam the land until the night takes you. Be
fruitful and fill your village, town, and city with the sounds of children
playing until all the homes you've been blessed with have been filled. Only the
priest, clothed in a
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purple robe may use the dark stones, for they are a holy
material of the greater beings and will lead only to the destruction of those
not sanctified to make use of their power. Avoid the creatures of the night,
the creepers who sneak
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up behind the unaware, the skeletons who will shoot you from
afar, the zombies who seek to make you like them, the slimes who are never truly
alone, and especially the enderman who will seek to destroy any who is brazen
enough to gaze upon
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them. All these however pale in comparison to the dragon. So
powerful is he that our realm would have been utterly destroyed should he have
been left to roam free. Not wishing to see their creation ruined the greater
beings imprisoned
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the dragon in a pocket dimension they called "the
end," but they knew this was only a temporary solution. The greater beings
foresaw a great hero from among the order of the players arising and venturing
into the dragon's cage to end the
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threat of the beast once and for all. To facilitate the
fulfillment of this prophecy the greater beings left three portals to the
prison dimension scattered throughout the world. These were left inactive to
prevent all but the prophesied one
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from finding their way into the dragon's lair. The portals
were locked in their inactive state and the 12 keys destroyed and the pieces
scattered to the far ends of creation. Some fell into the hands of the endermen
and granted them unnatural
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teleportation abilities. The other pieces where cast into
the Nether, an infinite garden dimension where every manner of tree and plant
could be found. The key pieces set this idyllic dimension ablaze and gave rise
to creatures of pure flame
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who desire nothing more than to spread the eternal flame
forever across the Nether's now charred and barren surface. The prophesied one
must not only defeat the powerful enderman and capture their pearls, but also
journey into the very depths
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of the Nether itself and capture the concentrated essence of
flame from the creatures of pure fire. They must then combine these elements
and set them aloft that they might lead the prophesied one to the nearest of
the portals, for the keys are
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always seeking to return to their locks. The greater beings
did secure the beast so very well for it is no simple foe. No fortification can
stand in the way of its strength and the beast will not be taken by surprise.
The beast knew full well
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that the greater beings would not simply leave it be and so
it did it's best to prepare for the final battle. The beast made pillars of the
holy stone to hold aloft mystical crystals with the power to heal their
possessor and he learned to
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see even that which doesn't appear to be there. Never the
less, the prophesied one will enter into the beast’s prison and they will bring
the beast to its end with their sword and their bow and even their axe if
necessary. When the greater
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beings see that the beast has been destroyed they will open
a new portal to return the prophesied one home, leaving in their care the
dragon's egg that’s contents is a mystery even to the greater beings. The
destruction of the beast will
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not be the end of the danger however, for while it alone
stands as the greatest threat to the safety of the people a dark shadow lurks
in the depths of the Nether waiting to be unleashed. The sands of the once
idyllic realm hold the souls of
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its former inhabitants, those who burned in the fires of the
creatures of pure flame. Their anger was trapped in the sands sprouting warts
of a blood red hue. The souls of those lost blame the greater beings for what
became of their home and
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sit idly for now, just waiting for their moment of vengeance
to come. Only the unified wills of three deadly withering foes can give purpose
to the anger and bring about the revenge that the lost souls so deeply crave.
Sadly the threat will never
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truly disappear, for the anger contained within the sands is
as plentiful as the sands themselves and anyone who comes into possession of
the wills could summon the power that lay there in. Yet this truth brings with
it some hope. For being
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the summoner of one’s own enemy gives one the unique
opportunity to choose and prepare the field of battle which can often times
assure victory over ones foes. The prize for such a victory is but a small
crystal that lay at the heart of the
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creature. This crystal is formed when the beast is and
contains the purified souls of those lost to the blaze at last freed from their
hate, having released it into the beast’s destructive purpose. Now while it is
but a small thing, proper
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reverence for the souls within can turn their power into a
force for immense good giving strength, speed, and even rejuvenation to those
who come to pay their respects. Finally when a villager’s work is complete and
their life does come
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to an end, by whatever means, their spirit departs from
their bodies leaving creation behind and travels to an eternal village made of
the holy stone and much gold. There will the villager find all their relatives
gone before them and an
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abundance of all that which they hold dear. They shall want
for nothing and shall have no fear of the night for this village exists free of
the night and all the evils it bears along with it. At last the villager shall
rest in peace
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knowing that their life has been well lived and that the
long struggle with the night, while not over, is no longer their burden to
bear. Blessed are those however who live to see the final days of creation, for
their struggle will end suddenly
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and without any pain. Very suddenly a darkness will fall
over the world, but unlike night. This darkness will swallow up the world whole
leaving little more than a ghost of creation behind to mark its passing. Yet
even in this end there is
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hope. For the eternal village will escape the end of
creation and even the consuming dark of creations end holds the hope of new
creation where once the world had been. And thus the cycle will begin again;
creation, correction, consumption, and
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back to creation repeating endlessly, over and over again
for so long as the greater beings will it to be so.
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If you liked this story and would like a copy that you can
copy/paste into your own Minecraft world or would like to read more original
Minecraft themed stories like this one you can find them at:
http://www.n3rdc0rn3r.blogspot.com
