Minecrack

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:32 am

Anyone here into Minecraft? There's about 12 of us from Red-Eye forums playing regularly on a private server one of us is running.

It's hard to describe why, but this game is extremely addictive.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 1:38 am

Well, I tried it out at my work computer, but it crashes whenever I try to craft something. Can't figure out what's doing it.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 11:31 am

Be aware it's a beta, although overall it's pretty stable. Most of the glitches are in multiplayer.

It's a Java based game so you need to have the lastest Java (ver 6 build 23). ALSO if you're running an x64 OS then you need the x64 version of Java. The only practical way to install it is to run Internet Explorer 64-bit and then go to Java.com, and it will automatically detect your x64 browser and offer to install it.

It also needs to phone home for authentication (once when you log into the game and once again when you connect to a multiplayer server), although if it doesn't see the Internet it will offer to play in offline mode.

Despite the fact that the game doesn't look like it, it's a beast on your CPU. You need a decent rig. I tried playing it on my Core Solo 1.4 GHz laptop and it choked. It also doesn't seem to like Intel GMA video chipsets.

We're all using an add-on called Minecraft Enhanced which replaces the 8-bit textures with 128bit or 256bit textures (you need a high end rig for 256) and Ambient Occlusion which adds nice realistic shadows. We're also using a custom texture pack made by our friend Drexul, which adds some really nice looking textures.

A couple of screen shots of my house's living room with the original ugly textures and the enhanced textures:

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:09 pm

Yeah, I chalked it up to being beta. I was actually only trying it in offline mode, so it wasn't a multiplayer issue. I'll update Java & see if that helps. I'm trying to run it on a Athlon 3200+ with a 8600GTS, so it should be runable.

Koo Koo Mouse · Post by **Koo Koo Mouse** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:58 pm

LOL! Minecrack.
Running a pretty modern dell here BUT with built in graphics it gets choppy
if I don't keep the viewing distances and detail down. (A new card is around the corner)
Addictive? Yes! Thanks for the info on the textures FP. Might try that once get that new card.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 5:04 pm

NORMALICY: Keep in mind that even in single player, Minecraft phones home to authenticate and check for updates. I've often seen it stall at that point if the auth servers are being hammered.

We have about 12 people registered to play on Poopie's server - mostly from Red-Eye LAN - there's usually 6 on at any one time and we talk on Teamspeak.

If you're interested in multiplayer let me know. Poopie is running plugins that allow chests to be locked, and he's running iConomy which maintains a monetary system in the game so you can buy and sell goods.

If we get enough people together, however, we can run our own PCA server. I've setup a game server on my file server (no plugins - just the plain game). A couple of us have been using it for testing out designs for mine cart boosters, but I can reset the world to virgin anytime.

Here's an aerial shot of "Downtown" on Poopie's server. The house with the greenhouse on the roof and the flying saucer hovering over it in the foreground is my pad:

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:03 pm

I'll try to play with it again tomorrow if I get a chance. There must be something weird going on though, because it only happened when I tried to access the craft screen.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 11:17 pm

Deleting the whole \%appdata%\.minecraft\ folder will often also fix major problems sometimes. The only thing you will lose is any settings in the game like volume & keyboard binds.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:00 pm

Actually, looks like Java did it. Getting the hang of the game. Died pretty quick the first two attempts (couldn't find any coal).

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:58 pm

You don't need coal - you rarely get lucky enough to find it right away. You can make a furnace and burn wood using logs as fuel to make charcoal which works exactly like coal (makes torches and can be used as a fuel for the furnace).

This game is absolutely unplayable without watching some tutorial videos (browse YouTube) and having the Minecraft Wiki handy: http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Crafting

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 12:20 am

I didn't know you could make charcoal... Crap, I gave up on 3 maps because I couldn't find coal & kept getting killed at night due to the lack of light (and it was quite boring waiting the night out in complete darkness). I did watch some videos, but I didn't check out those. I admit that I'm mostly fumbling through. Didn't want to learn all the tricks before I had a chance to experience the game in the raw.

Koo Koo Mouse · Post by **Koo Koo Mouse** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 1:24 pm

I play in peaceful mode. no attacks

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:47 pm

I plan on doing a bit of that too.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:50 pm

Here's what I whipped up in the browser mode last night (had to take pic with camera because I couldn't figure out a way to do a screen capture).

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:13 am

My friend Dante just built a spanish galleon on our server: