10 Awesome Things to Try in Minecraft

Minecraft is a game that needs no introduction, but user ndefontenay asks What is the goal of Minecraft?

Minecraft is a sandbox game, and although the latest release brought achievements to the game, it still has essentially no structure, you’re free to do whatever you want. Because of this, players are free set there own goals of what they want to achieve with the game, and some of the things people have done are breathtaking! Here’s my top 10 favourite Minecraft ‘creations’, which can serve as inspiration to anyone starting out with the game:

10 – Walking. And walking. And walking…

While not technically infinite, the terrain generated by Minecraft will keep you going for many years of walking. Also: It’s stunningly beautiful, as the creator of the blog Towards Dawn has found out, by walking, well, towards the dawn.

9 – Building an Epic Railway

Minecarts are the fastest way to get around the Minecraft world (short of taking a shortcut through the Nether), many people have built fantastic automated train stations but my favourite is still the Minecraft Interstate:

8 – Blowing Stuff Up

I must admit a simple childish pleasure in playing with TNT, creating vast holes in the beautiful scenery of Minecraft somehow remains satisfying time and time again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzUxmK9-qHw

7 – Creating Adventure Maps

Some people take it upon themselves to turn the goal-less game of Minecraft into an epic adventure, and the Minecraft Forums have a board dedicated to showing off your creations.

6 – Playing Adventure Maps

If you want some solid goals in your Minecraft experience, download yourself an adventure map to play. Better yet, record yourself playing and you too could acheive internet fame like the brilliant Yogscast!

5 – Building a Computer

Minecraft has a system called redstone that can be used to build simple logic circuits. From which you can build complex logic circuits. From which, if you wanted, you could build an entire CPU:

4 – Building Real-World Structures

Many people have built amazing recreations of real-world buildings and structures in Minecraft, some of them on a truly epic scale, like this rendition of the Colosseum of Venatum:

3 – Building Ingenious Machines

Minecraft’s flexibility allows you to create an amazing array of mob traps, my favourite has to be this trap, which can be used to harvest records, one of the rarest items in the game, in a safe, controlled way:

2 – Proposing to your Girlfriend

This one’s probably not for most people, but it’s amazing nonetheless:

1 – Making up your own rules

What enticed me to buy Minecraft was this amazing account of one man’s Minecraft adventure, where he decided that upon dying, he would delete his world and start again. It’s a fantastic read, and Notch has hinted at building this option into the game in future.

In conclusion, the goal of Minecraft is whatever you want it to be, you’re only limited by your imagination (and how much free time you can afford to throw at such an addictive game!).