demagogue on 19/9/2014 at 06:46

---

Also many of the mods are full games in their own right.

First, there's the adventure maps, sort of like our FMs, which will have a story-based adventures you go on.
Some of them are quite large, containing entire cities. The number is probably in the 1000s by now.

There are more ambitious ones that turn the game into a full on RPG, and add new procedural worlds to conquer, with their different characters, monsters, and quests.

Then there's the Buildcraft line of mods, where you can build up to very sophisticated equipment like oil wells and refineries, fusion power plants and nuclear ICBMs, aircraft and spacecraft so you can visit other planets, or ones for building up magical objects and abilities.

Then there's the multiplayer ones, which is all the above plus other people. (Granted it's more fun when you're on a closed server with friends or people you can trust.)

And this is still just scratching the surface of what's out there.

demagogue on 22/9/2014 at 07:09

---

Minecraft recreations sort of fizzle once you realize most everything is just a box.

After I finished the TV show Lost I was excited to romp around in the Minecraft version. But when everything is just a box it's not quite as exciting. Like a simple car by itself has to be a house sized tube with massive box wheels and it takes you half a minute to even recognize what it is.

That's another reason why I think the voxel farm generation is going to make a big splash. Suddenly things will look like they're supposed to.

The only sort of exception was exploring the Shadow of Israphel world (Yogscast), which was more like, ok exactly like, exploring the actual set of a TV show itself, since it is the thing itself.

nicked on 22/9/2014 at 09:33

---

It's a tricky one because those limitations are part of the appeal - like "Look at this amazing sculpture we made out of nothing but boxes!" While voxel generation is more visually impressive, it quickly raises the barrier to entry for impressive creative projects.

TannisRoot on 22/9/2014 at 14:03

---

Minecraft at it's most fun is spelunking in dark, dangerous underground caverns, slowly conquering them with torchlight and raiding them for supplies. Add multiplayer and turning a savage, untamed wild into a civilization with friends is a blast. I can totally understand it's popularity.

The best part of Minecraft is its customizability. The mods that add magical runes, machines, power plants, refineries, and new dimensions are great. On the other hand, There are some arguably poor design choices like the hunger clock and xp that encourage boring, repetitive play.

I found Terraria is a more enjoyable single player experience. It has better progression, enemies, and items. It improved on the Minecraft formula in most respects. However it is a fundamentally different game. Terraria is concerned with progression: building a kit to descend to the next dangerous level. Minecraft is more about building a subway system to your friend's base.

demagogue on 23/9/2014 at 03:22

---

3D pixels are called voxels. And there is a great voxel engine now. It's called Voxel Farm, and your point is exactly why I've been touting it in this whole thread, and why I think it may moot Minecraft when it hits as its own game.

Now players can sculpt a realistic Basillica and Pieta in-game, like an entire ZBrush world, well a more realistic Pieta than they can at present. The voxel resolution is still like half a meter or so, but I think it will get smaller over time to the point you could sculpt a lifelike statue not too long from now. Edit: And with geometrical transforms & interpolation you can still sculpt interesting things like a statue to a fine and smooth level if you're clever about it. Well you can watch the Everquest Online videos and see what people can do with it.