Minecraft

Strategy Guide
Author(s): James Bowden
First Published: 18-05-2013 / 00:00 GMT
Last Updated: 01-11-2019 / 16:06 GMT
Version: 1.0 (????) 01-11-2019 / 23:37 GMT

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© 2019 Gamer Guides Ltd
 Table of Contents
• Introduction ..................................................................................................................................5
◦ Pre-amble.........................................................................................................................5
▪ Foreword .............................................................................................................5
▪ What is Minecraft?..............................................................................................7
▪ Version Differences ............................................................................................8
• Hints and Tips ........................................................................................................................... 10
◦ Beginner ........................................................................................................................ 10
▪ The Basics of Minecraft .................................................................................. 10
▪ Surviving Your First Night................................................................................ 12
◦ Survival.......................................................................................................................... 15
▪ Key Survival Items ........................................................................................... 15
▪ Combat............................................................................................................. 17
▪ Careful Exploration .......................................................................................... 19
◦ What Next? ................................................................................................................... 21
▪ Achievement Trail ............................................................................................ 21
• Materials and Item Index.......................................................................................................... 24
◦ Natural .......................................................................................................................... 24
▪ Blocks............................................................................................................... 24
▪ Items................................................................................................................. 25
▪ Food.................................................................................................................. 26
◦ Crafted .......................................................................................................................... 27
▪ Crafted Materials ............................................................................................. 27
▪ Crafted Items ................................................................................................... 28
▪ Gadgets ............................................................................................................ 30
▪ Food.................................................................................................................. 31
▪ Weapons .......................................................................................................... 32
▪ Armor................................................................................................................ 33
▪ Tools................................................................................................................. 34
▪ Transport Items ............................................................................................... 35
◦ Smelted ......................................................................................................................... 36
▪ Smelted Items and Material............................................................................ 36
▪ Smelted Food................................................................................................... 37
• Construction Ideas.................................................................................................................... 38
◦ Building Ideas ............................................................................................................... 38
▪ Buildings........................................................................................................... 38
◦ Redstone Application ................................................................................................... 42
▪ How to Create Redstone Circuits ................................................................... 42
▪ Typical Uses for Redstone Circuits ................................................................ 45
• Modifications ............................................................................................................................ 48
◦ Modifications................................................................................................................ 48
▪ How to Install ................................................................................................... 48
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 ▪ Visual Mods ..................................................................................................... 49

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Pre-amble

Foreword

Restart the title screen for many amusing changes to the pulsing yellow text.

Welcome to the Gamer Guides Minecraft Strategy Guide!

This one is an odd one, I’m not going to lie. Minecraft is a game that is left largely in the
players hands, devoid of typical progression concepts it’s a game you can spend twenty
hours in just building a house to your own, unique specifications.

That’s not to say there isn’t an element of progression, it’s more 'don’t expect Minecraft
to end'.

As such this guide has been tailored to work as a guide for your creativity, to instruct you
through your opening stages and learning the elements of the game so that you can get
to the meat of doing what you want. Once you reach that stage this guide lists a huge
amount of items so investigate and consider the many possibilities available to you, this
guide will then tell you where and how to get these items.

It’s a curious one but if we work together we’ll have you set up in your dream castle with
working dungeon in no time.

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 -James Bowden

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Pre-amble

What is Minecraft?
Minecraft is, at its core, a survival sandbox. A huge environment randomly generated for
you with the simple gameplay goal of 'survive and explore'.

That’s not to say your time in Minecraft is completely aimless as the game works to
a few rules, such as the way Monsters like to dwell in the dark, which means they will
venture out into the overworld at night, making it dangerous. Your world will also always
feature a few strongholds in which secrets lurk. Yet even with a big boss to be found the
game really thrives on your ability to construct personal goals – literally.

Building is a huge part of Minecraft due to the way blocks can be placed freely in the
world. There is a huge variety of these blocks, and an equally large amount of gadgets
that you can tinker with. If you’re the sort that enjoys a bit of personal experimentation
and expression then Minecraft is most definately for you.

What it most certainly is not is a linear trudge towards a big bad central enemy. As such
this guide is not traditional. While it’s easy to tell you how to survive your first night it’s
not so simple to instruct you on how to spend the rest of your days as, to truly enjoy
Minecraft, you should really be doing whatever takes your fancy.

That’s what makes Minecraft unique, engrossing and frequently confusing. But this
guide will make finding enjoyment all that easier, so let’s get digging…

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 Pre-amble

Version Differences
This guide is designed for the PC version of Minecraft. As such its aim is to feature items,
situations, creatures and techniques that are applicable to the most recent version of the
game available.

That’s not to say that the guide isn’t applicable to the Xbox or Pocket versions of
Minecraft – far from it. Strategies such as Surviving the First Day is a universal
technique, while information on building, key items, survival tips and the like are to be
accepted across the board – the fundamentals of the game are the same.

With that said there are some notable differences between the three versions, the bulk
of which we aim to acknowledge here.

Crafting

The crating table as seen in the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft.

In the PC version of Minecraft the act of crafting is completely manual – you set items
into grids and they must be set in a particular way to create certain items. Both the
mobile and Xbox versions of Minecraft use a more automatic system, you need only hold
the required items and the game will allow you to select the item from a list. As such PC

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players will need to follow the creation tables in this guide, but Xbox and mobile players
need only collect the required materials.

World Size
Worlds in Minecraft are procedurally generated, which means they are randomly built at
the moment a player starts a new game. In the PC version of Minecraft these worlds
will continue building as the player runs in a direction making them essentially endless.
In the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft the game world is a limited size of 862x128x862,
while the pocket version limits worlds to 256x256.

The Nether
The Nether is a dimension accessed through a Nether Portal and in the PC version it is
as big as the player explores (its size is a relative to the 'normal' world, with 1 Square in
the Nether being the equivalent of 8 squares in the overworld). In the Xbox it is limited in
size, as to be expected, but it still exists. In the Pocket version the Nether is replaced with
the Nether Reactor – a simple room that lets you obtain unique items.

The End
As of the current version of Minecraft both the Xbox 360 and PC versions contain 'The
End', a realm occupied by The Ender Dragon (a vicious boss-like creature), but only the
PC version awards achievements for tackling him. Only the pocket version is without this
measurable 'conclusion' to the game.

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 Beginner

The Basics of Minecraft

Gather Materials
The first thing you need to do, and the thing you’ll spend most your time doing, is
gathering materials for the purpose of creating items and the building of buildings.
Mining is, unsurprisingly, what everything revolves around in Minecraft so get digging
and, just as importantly, get collecting.

Leave a Trail
Your Minecraft environment is randomly generated just for you. The hills, the water, the
deserts, the jungle, there’s no set Minecraft map and, if you’re playing on PC, it will stretch
as far as you can run. Considering this you need to play smart and create trails for
yourself around your world alongside visible landmarks. Torches are good, placed on the
ground they make an easy to follow breadcrumb trail so that you can get home after a
little scouting jaunt. Likewise a trail will let you get back to where you were the next day.
There’s nothing worse than being caught, lost, as the sun drops and a Creeper leers over
the horizon.

Make Spares of Everything

Weapons and tools, in particular, are prone to breaking in Minecraft so make sure you’re
not just making what you need at the very moment you make it. Create an extra pickaxe,
a spare sword, a couple of axes. Carrying the spares will mean you’re never caught
without, and leaving some extras back at 'home' will make death seem less daunting.
Speaking of which…

Avoid Death
A typical hint, admittedly, but Minecraft is actually quite a mean game when it comes to
punishing your missteps. Die in Minecraft and you’ll drop your entire personal inventory
at the point of death and the game will then spawn you at a random spot in your map
(unless you’ve reset your spawn point via a bed). Take too long to return to your death
spot and your inventory will disappear for good. As such, avoid dying and yes, make
spares – in the case of death a well stocked chest can help you get back to form quickly
and painlessly.
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Do What You Want
Minecraft is ultimately a game that thrives on your own personal designs and initiatives.
While there is a 'game' in building every armor set, more powerful weapons, creating
powerful enchantments and tackling the Dragon that awaits in The End, you can have
just as much fun creating Redstone Trap Chests, door bells, hillside penthouses and
complex railway systems if you want. Don’t feel like you have to play Minecraft in any
particular way, you don’t. Find your own fun.

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 Beginner

Surviving Your First Night

By the end of your first day in Minecraft you need to be in safety. Enemies will swarm the
overworld during the night and if they find you, they will kill you.

Let’s establish one thing first – should you find yourself unprepared as night creeps in
and then you can simply dig down into the ground two blocks and then place a block
above you. This isn’t a perfect solution but it is safe.

Right, with the contingency plan out the way let’s talk about the best way to survive your
first night.

The moment you land in Minecraft you need to procure some materials. Wood, to be
exact. Head over to the nearest tree and use your hands to tear it down collecting the
wood chunks that it leaves.

Getting Wood
Attack a tree until a block of wood pops out.
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Now head into the crafting menu on xbox or your inventory on PC. If playing on Xbox, or
the Pocket Edition, you need simply locate 'Wood Planks' and hit create but those playing
on PC will need to use the 2x2 crafting box to the right of your character portrait. Simply
drag a wood chunk into one of the squares, this allows you to convert Wood into Wood
Planks.

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Taking Inventory
Open your inventory
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Next, convert Wood Planks into a Crafting Table by filling your crafting box with them.

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Benchmarking
Craft a workbench with four blocks of planks.
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Place the table in the world and 'use' it. The larger 3x3 grid will allow you to make a huge
number of items but for now, assuming you have enough Wood Planks, let’s make an
axe and a Pickaxe via Sticks.

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Time to Mine!
Use planks and sticks to make a pickaxe.
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Creating tools will let you mine things faster. Your axe is good for Trees while your
pickaxe will help you work at Cobblestone. Next order of business, finding some coal and
cobblestone.

We need to find a cave. Try not wander too far and just look for gray blocks, these are
Cobblestone which work as an upgrade to your existing wooden tools (simply make
the tools again but using Cobblestone where you previously used Wood Planks). You’re
looking for Coal which is produced by Gray blocks with black marks on them but if
you can’t find some after a few minutes then use your reserves of cobblestone to
create a Furnace (this will let you 'smelt' wood to create charcoal, a worthwhile Coal
replacement).

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Hot Topic
Construct a furnace out of eight stone blocks.
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With either Coal or Charcoal in hand, make some Torches.

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We now have the necessary materials to make our first shelter. Place blocks in a
square on the ground then place another level above this and finally add a roof on top.
Place torches on and in your house to ensure that enemies will not spawn nearby and
congratulations, you have a worthy shelter. Make sure you knock a hole in the roof, or
add a door so that you can keep an eye on the time of day.

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Should you have some time left over you should probably go hunting for food by hitting
a Pig or two, or harvesting mushrooms, apples and the like. Should you see any cows
nearby there’s an achievement for grabbing some leather. If you haven’t been able to do
this in your first day then it should definitely be the first order of business in the morning,
it’s important to keep your hunger meter in tip top condition.

With the sun retreating and the moon advancing, head into you shelter and wait. You’re
not ready to fight yet and if you do die you will spawn somewhere else in the world
without your inventory, forcing you to start all over again. Just be patient.

Minecraft First Day Video Guide

 Minecraft - Surviving Your

First Day

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Survival

Key Survival Items

You may be thinking 'well what now?' You’ve managed to persist through one day of
Minecraft and you’re not sure what to do next. Well a good way to proceed is in the
construction of a few key items that will ensure your survivability in the coming days.

Weapons
Perhaps an obvious one, but creating a sword and bow for yourself should be priority
one. You’ll be investigating unknown depths and you will need to defend yourself against
numerous horrors, so get equipped.

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Armor
Steve isn’t the most durable of avatars in just his blue t-shirt and jeans so you should
think about getting some more durable gear before you partake in any serious
spelunking. Leather is the first material you’ll be able to find above ground by killing cows
but Iron doesn’t take too much of a dig either. Create something suitable between these
two sources and then start digging properly, working your way up the materials as you
find them to ensure you’re covered before any big excursions you have planned.

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Food
For all the weapons and armor you can equip they will be for nought if you don’t have
some sustenance in your belly keeping you on your feet. The food bar sits to the bottom
right and will tick down over time. Should it run out, you’ll start taking genuine health
damage over time and, if you’re playing on hard difficulty, this can be fatal. Pack some
snacks.

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Torches
A light source is perhaps the most valuable thing to have in Minecraft so make sure you
always have an ample supply of torches in your pockets and don’t skimp on placing them
- simply destroying one more tree can yield a whole fresh stack of light emitting batons
so use them regularly. If, by chance, you are short then you can 'destroy' placed torches
to reclaim them and re-use them.

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Bed
When you die in Minecraft you lose everything you’re carrying and spawn in a random
spot in the map. This is bad. To circumvent this you’ll want to build a bed as soon as
possible because sleeping in a bed sets it as your spawn point. Remember to have a
chest nearby and fill it with items not essential to your current excursion, and use spare
materials to create extra weapons and armour - should the worst happen having spares
will help you get back on your feet quickly.

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Map
The map isn’t perfect, and you can do a lot for your navigation by creating breadcrumb
trails of, say, torches or building your house tall, but a map will give you a good idea of
where you are and where you have been.

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Survival

Combat
Fighting in Minecraft is a largely simple affair and you have two main weapons with
which to fight, a sword and a bow.

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What you have here is a close and ranged option. Most enemies will suffer willingly to
your sword should you get close but as you progress through the game the chances are
you’ll start to lean more heavily on the bow until you get a very strong set of armor to
soak up the hits.

To use the sword effectively you want to get close to an enemy, swing, and then step
back. You’re trying to fight at tip’s length rather than right up in your enemy’s face. While
you can block it’s better to keep them at a distance if possible, it’s more reliable. A good
bit of advise is to use any bottleneck you should find - or create for that matter - as the
enemies of Minecraft are easily funneled into death zones and sides, you want to avoid
getting surrounded.

Some enemies, however, you’ll always want to try and dispatch with the Bow. Take the
Creeper for example.

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 The menacing face of a Creeper. Listen out for their tell tale hiss.

The Creeper is an enemy that will self destruct if it gets too close to you due to its
fiendish proximity detonation. It is possible to get close, trigger him, and escape the blast
radius or, indeed, nick it with the tip of your blade to slowly kill it, but both techniques are
far from recommended and prone to accident. These enemies are precisely the reason
you’ll want a stock of arrows at all times as a few sharp sticks to the noggin will see
a Creeper drop without detonating. Later enemies also present issues for the sword
wielder, with Ghasts often hovering over pools of lava, requiring ranged tactics to fell.
When dealing with enemies at range be wary of the Bow’s sharp drop, you’ll want to aim
just above an enemy at long range to hit them.

Just make sure you’re stocked up, suited up, and fight carefully. Oh and Remember:
running away when you have pockets of loot isn’t cowardice, and it’s always preferable
to losing it through over confidence or a stealthy Creeper to the back.

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Survival

Careful Exploration

Journey Prepared
This means armor, weapons and food – don’t go wandering into the wilderness without
the correct equipment or, just as importantly, the best equipment. You wouldn’t traipse
into the Nether with Leather armor now, would you? Always make sure you’ve got tip top
gear and an ample armful of sustenance. Better to be safe, as the old adage says.

Set up Basecamp
A good thing to do when you find a cave you intend to mine is to install a 'basecamp'
of sorts; a room equipped with a chest, crafting table, furnace etc. It will save time in
the long run if you have a local spot to travel to rather than heading 'home' everytime
you fill your inventory (which, considering the amount of cobblestone you may hammer
through, can be quite often). When you get further into the game a network of Ender
Chests will save even more time.

Never Dig Straight Down

You want to dig in a logical manner that will not make it difficult for you to return to high
ground or to escape from danger. To this end it’s advisable that you find a cave, follow
it to its conclusion, and then dig 'stairs' heading in diagonally down roughly one or two
'steps' at a time, about three or four squares tall and two or three squares wide. This will
give you a safe set of stairs that you can branch from at any point you wish. It’s also a
good idea to craft larger 'landing' areas as you go to necessitate easy expansion tunnels.

Bring a Light
Light is a wonderful thing so make sure you bring lots. Not only does it ensure you can
see what you’re doing, but it also keeps monsters far at bay. Any pocket of darkness
could work against you as a handy spawning point for nasty monster so don’t let this
happen! Light up everything.

Go Slow
When underground there are all manner of unexpected scenarios that might play out.

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 From getting ambushed by a zombie to breaking a wall and seeing a Creeper staring
right back at you to encountering a rogue lava flow. As such mining in Minecraft is
an endeavour that asks you to be ever vigilent and not to slack off. Be wary of your
surroundings at all times and move as slowly as you need to, never assume you’re safe.

Don’t Die
If you think there’s a risk in doing something then the best advise is often 'don’t do it'.
Death in Minecraft is a crushing blow and you want to avoid it as often as possible.
If it looks like something is going to take a concerted effort then return to basecamp,
unload your accrued wares, consider what you’re doing, and attempt to overcome the
issue while loaded only with the bare essentials.

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What Next?

Achievement Trail
If you followed our guide to surviving the first day then you’ll already have taken quite the
chunk out of the list. So what next? Well presumably you’ve come here because you’re
not sure what to do with yourself, so take our advice: dig.

Well build a sword, and then dig. There’s a very clear logic to the achievements in
Minecraft if you need the assured feeling that you’re doing something 'right' through the
medium of pings and Gamerscore.

Before we go anywhere seek out a Cow if you didn’t meet one on your first day. You’ll
want some leather armor to protect yourself underground and this comes from cows.
Find some, kill them, and craft some protective gear.

Cow Tipper
Harvest some leather.
G

Now get to the digging. If you haven’t yet, make a stone pickaxe (ping) and now head
underground to find yourself some iron so you can smelt it.

Acquire Hardware
Smelt an iron ingot.
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While down in the depths feel free to tackle an enemy, there’s a reward for that. The
best advice we can give you is to be patient. Try and lure foes into tight spaces such as
bottlenecks and fight them on your terms. Don’t see an enemy and go all gladiator on it,
he might have friends hiding around the corner.

Monster Hunter
Attack and destroy a monster.
G

Similarly, pack a bow and arrows. You might meet a skeleton down there and PC players
can seek out an achievement for nailing one of them over distance.

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 [PC Only] Sniper Duel
Kill a skeleton or wither skeleton with an arrow from more than 50 meters.

So you found some Iron, you say? Then a good way to occupy your time while digging
down might be to make a minecart track. Make it long enough and there’s a
congratulatory graphic.

On A Rail
Travel by minecart at least 1 km from where you started.
G

The ultimate aim of this slow dive down is the acquisition of Obsidian. This material is
located by having water meet lava, a situation you can force through the use of a bucket.
Use the bucket to carry water with you and as soon as you find some lave dump to water
nearby so that it flows into it, thus creating Obsidian. Find enough Obsidian and you’ll be
able to construct a 'frame' that sits five blocks high and four blocks wide, then you’ll want
to use a flint and steel to set the thing on fire, this will create a Nether portal…

[PC] We Need to Go Deeper/ [Xbox] Into The Nether

Build a portal to the Nether.
G

The following achievements aren’t available for Xbox players but the challenge and
bountiful resources are - tackle the Ender Dragon!

Once you’ve reached the Nether you’re really getting somewhere. You’ve now got access
to all the materials and tools you should need to make some formidable gear so the
aim is simply to craft the best gear and weapons possible, making considering a spot of
enchanting to help further, and then you’ll want to track down a fortress in the overworld.
Do so and you’ll hopefully find an Ender Portal inside. Activate the portal if necessary and
then enter this to take on Minecraft’s biggest challenge…

[PC Only] The End?

Locate the End.

[PC Only] The End.

Defeat the Ender Dragon.

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Of all the achievements this line is the most logical. You could throw some extras into
that progression (such as catching and cooking a fish or growing some food – you’ll
need it for the arduous underground journeys anyway so it’s worth it) but what you
see above is the minimum essential line that we recommend. Most other achievements
are standalone but they are worth investigating if only to give you a good grasp of the
Minecraft basics, so have a look through the list should you ever find yourself at a loss
as to how to occupy yourself.

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 Natural

Blocks
Natural Blocks are the pieces that make up the Minecraft world. These are all blocks that
you will find around you, under you, above you and in parrallel dimensions to yourself
that require no sort of additional construction to create - they’re just there.

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Natural

Items
The following items are all found through natural means. Chests, from creatures and
enemies, growing in far away lands. It doesn’t matter how they’re found, what matter is
that they cannot be created through crafting methods - they must be collected from the
world.

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 Natural

Food
Food is an essential item to have in Minecraft. Should your hunger meter deplete you
will start losing health, making food a key tool when it comes to staying alive. While the
following items can be improved through crafting and smelting methods they are still
good for an emergency snack.

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Crafted

Crafted Materials
Crafted Material refers to any item that is 'made' in some way, be it through basic crafting
or a crafting table, but then serves the primary purpose of being used in further recipes.
It may be possible to use the item in a minor capacity on its own, but its key use will be
in the creation of further, better items.

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 Crafted

Crafted Items
A Crafted Item is anything that requires you to make it through a combination of raw
materials but, unlike tools and gadgets, is likely being useful or decorative while being
largely unspectacualar in its abilities. The likes of torches provide light, but just sit there,
illumiating, while the crafting table and furnace offer necessary services in a modest
manner. Useful items, definately, but hardly the most amusing or versatile.

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 Crafted

Gadgets
Everything you see here can be referred to as a 'gadget'. These items have some sort of
function within the world of Minecraft, a function activated by 'clicking' the item. Most
require a Redstone connection to work, but some don’t, and if you’ve got a creative streak
the gadgets will let you make all manner of improvements to your home. From doors, to
trapdoors, to TNT launching cannons and even piano blocks, gadgets are excellent toys
to play and fiddle with on a quiet afternoon.

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Crafted

Food
When playing Minecraft in survival mode the food meter can be as bad as an enemy.
Should the meter deplete you’ll start to lose health instead - a bad situation to find
yourself in. To avoid landing in such compromising positions survey the list below and
make sure to create some tasty snacks often.

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 Crafted

Weapons
When heading underground you will need to be able to fight off the creatures. The
creatures that inhabit Minecraft’s world aren’t friendly and have no desire to talk, only
fight, so make sure you can answer them with a sharp blade…

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Crafted

Armor
It’s important to defend yourself in Minecraft. A good set of armor can be the difference
between an unexpected death and a simple few points of damage. One word of advise
- get a full set before you start upgrading, even if it means wearing a mish mash, as
equipping armor where you have none at all is more valuable than making a better hat
while your chest is still exposed.

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 Crafted

Tools
The basic tools - axe, pickaxe etc. - differ from weapons simply because they specialise
in the aquisition of materials from non aggressive sources, whereas weapons specialise
at dealing damage. Tools can still be used to attack enemies in the same way that
weapons can still mine things, to an extent, but tools each have a primary use as listed
below.

Other tools simply have practical uses. Either way, the following are all necessary items
for the Minecraft player and have very useful reasons to exist.

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Crafted

Transport Items
The items below are all created items that are designed explicity as, or to help with,
vehicles to get the player from one area of the map to another much faster than
through the use of their legs. This list does not include objects used to travel between
dimensions, only those that allow speedy traversal in one plane of existance.

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 Smelted

Smelted Items and Material

The following items are all attained through the use of a furnace. Use fuel in the bottom
square to 'smelt' the required item and create the desired object.

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Smelted

Smelted Food
Food found naturally will often heal only a fraction of what some cooked food will
restore. The following use the Furnace to improve the healing properties of naturally
sourced food.

3012
3013
3014
3015
3016

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 Building Ideas

Buildings
The joy of Minecraft is that you can build whatever you want. From the dinkiest little
cottage to a rendition of the Death Star, the only thing holding you back from
architectural greatness is the effort it takes to start and the dastardly forces of time.

So what is found below? A few simple build ideas you might appreciate, really, but
particularly build ideas that should teach you a valuable skill or two, give you a leg up
in the world, or encourage the acquisition of lots of materials. Food for thought, then, to
get you considering the possibilities of Minecraft before you begin working on your own
personal Eiffel Tower.

Watchtower

The Watchtower is a safe haven at night as well, as long as you border up the
sides a bit - Skeletons will still fire up.

Why?

After you build a shelter a Watchtower makes a nice new project. It’s quick but, more
importantly, lets you survey the area surrounding your home and provides a nice, high
reference point for you when you’re exploring the world.

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Materials

A good material to use in the construction of a watchtower is the humble wooden block
or, better yet, the cobblestone (just to make it flame resistant. You’ll want to stock up on
sticks for the creation of ladders too.

Skills

Because of the verticality of the Watchtower this will get you used to working with edges
and ledges. Learn that holding the sneak button (defaulted to Shift on PC) lets you walk
to the edge of a block without fear of falling off. Doing this can give you the ability to
construct things on the face of the blocks below you (it’s even possible to place a ladder
below or above you as you use it). Use this building experience to grow your confidence
in working with tight confines and ledges.

Castle

A castle must have a moat, that is priority one.

Why?

Honestly, why not? Castles are impressive, spacious, and come complete with
defensible moats (that double up as creeper consuming traps). Digging a moat around a
house just looks silly, anyway.

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 Materials

Cobblestone, stone, bricks, all manner of non-flammable rock should be used in the
construction of your castle. Aside from these items you might want to think about some
furnishings, bookcases and the like, and a bed, but in terms of the basic castle design it’s
rock all the way.

Skills

Building something as winding as a castle will improve your crafting knowledge, due to
the necessity to build stairs alongside square and flat blocks, but it will also improve
you general digging ability. Constructing the moat is a time consuming addition but a
worthwhile one, and it’s recommended that you dig out of it (filling the passage behind
you as you go) rather than building out vertically – trapped enemies could use your stairs
to get out themselves.

Hobbit Hole

The Hobbit Hole is a fun talking point as well. Just be wary of Dwarven visitors,
they eat a lot.

Why?

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As impressive as a castle is it’s still vulnerable to 360 degrees of attack. It doesn’t matter
how deep your moat is, this is absolutely true. A hobbit hole, on the other hand, is genius
in its inconspicuous nature. Dug into a hillside, or into the ground, these bungalows are
inconspicuous and largely safe. If nothing else a 'Hobbit Hole' makes a good mining
entrance…

Materials

That’s really the beauty of the hole, it’s mostly to do with furnishing something you’ve
hollowed out – you’ll wind up with pockets full of dirt but it won’t have cost you anything
to create.

Skills

The real benefit of creating a hole home is that is gets you used to working with the
digging mechanics in a logical manner. You’ll have to react to potential breakthroughs to
other underground caves, unexpected monsters, it’s a learning experience in Minecraft’s
most vital skill.

Video: Pixel Art

Creating Pixel Art is a great idea. Not only does it give you something amazing to look at
in your world it also doubles up as a landmark. It will also get you confident in regards to
building in tight environments. See the video for more.

 Minecraft - Building a Pixel

Sprite Statue

41
 Redstone Application

How to Create Redstone Circuits

When it comes time to get truly creative in Minecraft you’ll need to look into the Redstone
Circuit. Want to tie a button to a door? Redstone. Want to create a trapdoor? Redstone.
Elevator? Tricky but yes, Redstone.

So how does one go about making a circuit? Were you awake during science classes at
school? Because that knowledge might come in handy now.

The basic components of a Redstone Circuit are as follows:

• A Power Source
• A Line of Redstone
• A Gadget

So put simply, you'll place a power source (Block of Redstone, Button,

Switch, Pressure Plate, Trap Chest, Redstone Torch etc.) and you'll place a
gadget (Door, Gate, Note block, Piston, Trap Door etxc.) and you will then link
these two items via a Redstone line, or wire.

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 A basic Redstone Circuit (lever, wire, trapdoor) that could be effectively
camouflaged with a wall placed block over the wire that is connected to the trap.

Where the Wire can sit to accept and pass on a current is a trick that is best learned
through experimentation. Rules of thumb; An input will pass a signal to the block below
and to its immediately adjacent blocks. A gadget will accept a signal from a wire pointing
at it or pointing at the block the gadget is sitting upon. A wire will transfer a minor current
to adjacent squares even if it is sitting horizontally to the gadget. The only way to 'send'
current vertically is via Redstone Torch. Experiment, you’ll get it.

There are untold depths to creating circuits. Redstone Repeaters and Comparators
provide two distinct ways to boost signals and create delays in the transition, for
instance, and through clever use of items like this you can even make working clocks
within the world of Minecraft!

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 Redstone Circuitry - Video Explanation

 Minecraft - Redstone Circuit

Basics and Trap Doors

 Minecraft - Red Stone

Circuit Repeaters and
Doorbells

 Minecraft - Comparator
Explanation and Interior
Locking

44
Redstone Application

Typical Uses for Redstone Circuits

The thing about Redstone circuits is that you can make something as complicated as
you want to make it, and that’s not what we’re listing below. Here we will note a few of the
most popular, and easily replicated, uses of Redstone circuitry. What we’re not listing is
the sort of crazy, high-end, self farming fields and monster farms that you’ll find around
the great world web – those things would require a walkthrough all of their own just to
describe.

Doorbell
Why?

Iron Doors can be rigged to only open from the inside via a mechanism of a home so
what better way for a player to signal a desire to enter than via the medium of sound?

How?

The simplest doorbell requires you to link a button to a note block. Easy.

More complicated setups ask for the use of a split in the wire along with a repeater set
to a time delay along one of the strands – this means that after pressing the button the
wire will immediately tell one block to sound but the other 'line' of wire will wait a second
or two before passing the message to its own block. By doing this you can achieve the
typical 'ding dong' sound effect, and even that is but the tip of the iceberg.

The best place to build a doorbell is underneath the door, running the Redstone 'inside'
the wall, down underground.

Secret Switches
Why?

A good way to keep unwanted guests out is to hide away your door mechanisms from
their prying eyes. Plus it’s just cool, y’know?

How?

You can do this in a number of ways, from inner buttons that must be shot with an

45
 arrow to underground levers or concealed pressure plates. However it’s activated you’ll
want to lay the Redstone wire underneath the ground, linking the door and the discrete
mechanism from underneath.

Pitfall Trap
Why?

Perhaps you want to pray on your friends, perhaps you want to catch offguard monster
as they amble towards your home, either way the Pitfall trap is functional and
entertaining.

How?

There are a few variations on this but they all revolve around linking a mechanism to
a trapdoor. From buttons to pressure plates just before the pitfall to tripwires, this is a
typical, amusing and versatile trap. You’ll want to run the Redwire through the walls of
your building, ensuring that it’s hidden from view. This might mean a long loop and it
might be essential to use a repeater to boost the signal if it is too long, but it’s the most
discrete method and with a trap like this, discretion is the key to success.

Booby Trapped Chest

Why?

The Trapped Chest object exists expressly for Redstone abuse because, honestly, who
likes unscrupulous scallywags trying to steal their swag? No-one, that’s who, so make
their presence felt through use of the Trapped Chest.

How?

You’ll want to run a wire from behind the chest, looping around 'behind' the room so as
not to make anyone aware of your schemes. Popular setups involve the typical trapdoor,
but more mischevious players might hide a lava flow above the chest, held back by
trapdoor, only to have it dumped on the would be looter on activation. You might want to
consider some sort of ventilation system if you’re thinking this far ahead, but the timed
nature of the Chest’s Redstone pulse does mean that the Trapdoor will close, stopping
the flow after a while.

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Explosive Cannon
Why?

Because launching TNT is fun, that’s why. Is there a more amusing way to decimate the
landscape? No. No there isn’t.

How?

Simple really. Just make a repeater cannon and hook it up to a power source. This isn’t a
trap so placing it over the land is fine and personally we like a level for activation. It feels
particularly satisfying. Boom!

Video - Interesting Applications of Redstone Wire

 Minecraft - Hidden Doors

and Redstone Circuit
Troubleshooting

 Minecraft - Disappearing
Floor Trap and Trapped
Chest Help

47
 Modifications

How to Install

 Note: You should always refer to a mod creator’s official installation

description before installing a mod. Likewise it’s recommended that you
create a backup of your Minecraft directory before attempting any
modifications to avoid loss of data and ensure you have a stable version to
fall back on.

To access the directory needed to install Minecraft modifications you will need to locate
your root Minecraft directory.

Windows

Begin the RUN application (Windows Key + R) and type '%appdata%'. Here you will find
the .Minecraft folder, open it.

Linux

The Minecraft folder is found in the following directory - /home/Your User

Name/.minecraft

Mac OS/X

The Minecraft folder is found in the following directory: ~/Library/Application Support/

minecraft

Once you have located the directory enter the .bin folder. Inside the .bin folder, use
a directory browser (winZIP, Win RAR etc) to open the Minecraft.jar file, this is where
modifications must be installed but the exact installation varies depending on the file so
please refer to the author’s description from this point.

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Modifications

Visual Mods
Minecraft is a good looking game but it is far from a spectacular looking one. If you’re
playing on Xbox or pocket then you’ll have to accept this as fact but if you’re playing on
PC then the following modifications all get the GamerGuides 'pretty' seal of approval!

Optifine
This mod doesn’t look like it does anything but that doesn’t make it any less of a
necessity. In fact this mod is arguably the most important extension you can grab
because its focus is entirely honed in on the performance of Minecraft, ensuring that it
will work better and be more compatible with other modifications you may want to add.

Download it from here.

Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders for Minecraft

You'll need a strong PC to run this mod to its maximum potential but it's a great
way to realise the visual's true potential.

If you want to make Minecraft look good, plain and simple, then this is the mod you
49
 need. Sonic Ether’s pack doesn’t change any of the basic textures, it simply makes
everything in the game look gorgeous, plain and simple, through infinitely improved
lighting, shadows, and a far improved draw distance.

Download from here.

Minecraft Ultimate Graphics Modification

worthwhile graphical upgrade.

If you find the unbelievable shader mod to be a little overpowering or demanding then
the ultimate graphics modification is the next best thing. This mod adds some extremely
nice shadowing effects to your game that really brings the world of Minecraft to life.

Download from here.

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Aurora Rubealis

It's nice to add a little visual spice to your game...

The Aurora Borealis is a real world phenomenon that involves highly charged electrons
from the solar wind interacting with elements in the earth’s atmosphere. It’s very pretty,
and mystifying. This visual mod adds a similar visual effect to your game of Minecraft
that will appear in the northern part of the map. A lovely effect, and a nice ocular present
should you find yourself accidentally outside at night. Stop going outside at night.

Download from here.

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