Minecraft Building Guide :: Introduction

     Building things and making them look epic in Minecraft is tough.  (Especially with the default texture pack)  You have to have the right sense for aesthetics and know how colors mix and match.  You have to know how to add depth and detail, and you have to know how it ultimately affects the build as a whole.  Building in Minecraft is like painting on a 3D canvas, and this post is devoted to teaching you the basics of how to turn a very simple build into something people will admire.  This will teach you the fundamental concepts for building epic things in Minecraft.

Minecraft | FyreUK's 100k Subscriber Special

    On May 2nd, FyreUK released their latest timelapse.  This time was their 100,000 subscriber special.  In the massive timelapse, they build a Tudor-style city "around a canal that runs through the middle."  Like I always say, the city was intricate and ornate.  It had so much stuff going on in it that not one part looked dull to me.  Be sure to watch the video above and subscribe to the FyreUK YouTube Channel.  (They also released a download for the map in the description of the video.  Link to video will be below.)

References:

>> FyreUK YouTube Channel

>> FyreUK's 100,000 Subscriber Special

Minecraft | A New Kind of Adventure!

    After totally failing at our previous adventure map, I feel like we should start to work on it again.  We are still working on Sidka though, and we are going to finish that before starting anything else.  There was a city that I talked about in a short-story book in the old adventure map called Kaskolia.  In the current setting the city is deserted and is called the Ancient Ruins of Kaskolia, but for most of the piece, it talks about what it looked like before the catastrophe.  Based on the descriptions made in the short-story book, Kaskolia would be a cool city to create in Minecraft.  Here is a piece from the book about the fictional city before its fall: (Skyrim inspired!)

    "Kaskolia III lived in a marvelous city in the rolling hills of England's Amish country. The city was named Kaskolia, after the king's grandfather. Kaskolia was a place that everyone   wanted to be in the summer time. The trees were big and bright and the grass was bright green. Cities before Kaskolia were never the same.  The wall of the city was a massive circle made out of stone, bricks, and cobble.  At the top of the most majestic hill in the city was the palace.  Its archways were as big as giants, towering over the people that walked through their ornate design.  

    Inside Volumfroth Palace, the walls and pillars were decorated with complex and intricate carvings.  Most of Volumfroth was made out of stone and cobble mined from the deepest reaches of what is now known as "The Labyrinth".  The main hall was dimly lit while still showing a bit of daylight seeping in from the bright, summer sun.  Wooden dragon carvings were mounted on the side beams of the exterior as decorative ornaments.  The side rooms and halls were more complex than they seemed.  So complex, one could accidentally wander and get lost as if they were in a maze.  In the center of the town lies an ancient fountain, and its design, made out of moss and stone with bright lights at the bottom, is most intricate.  

    The waters of the fountain are a clear, crystal blue and at night reflect the starry sky.  Homes in the city were made out of logs and stone.  (Sometimes consisting of stone bricks and sandstone)  They too have depictions of dragons on the outer beams.  Most of the town's inhabitants built houses that were broad in width and short in length.  These homes were also dimly lit on the inside with candles scattered throughout them.  With a firepit in the center living room, a complex and intricate roof, and ancient paintings and carvings, each home is a part of the city's main architectural masterpieces."

    What you just read is what we came up with as part of the lore of the old adventure map.  If we decide to start the adventure map again, it will be a lot better thought out as before.  After we finish the town of Sidka, I really want to start recreating this fictional city called Kaskolia that I envisioned.  The architecture in it will be extraordinary and it will be more amazing and massive than any of our creations on the server.

*Next week, Minecraft Architecture will be resumed on my blog and we will continue with Sidka.*

References:
>> Previous Minecraft Architecture Post

Minecraft Architecture Update

    We should be getting back to the Minecraft Architecture soon.  We haven't done anything with the city since the last update on the bridge.  The past week we have been playing on a new survival world on the server, so things are not going to speed up for awhile.  What I'm trying to say is that my normal, weekly Minecraft Architecture posts won't be resuming anytime soon.  But when they do, I'm positive we will get back to the town of Sidka and finish what we started.

References:
>> Previous Minecraft Architecture Post

Minecraft | FyreUK's Fallen Kingdom

    FyreUK has been at it again and created another piece of spectacular architecture!  Their most recent work is called the Fallen Kingdom.  It was a set made for a Minecraft parody music video by CaptainSparklez.  This "fallen kingdom" is set inside a massive valley with tall mountains surrounding it.  The Medieval style build had a castle in the middle where the king lives and commercial and residential districts around it. 

    After they were done, they even destroyed parts of the city to make it looked "ruined" for the music video called "Fallen Kingdom".  FyreUK said, "We were asked to build a kingdom within a small area surrounded by sheer mountain walls, the result is a town built around a castle that towers over the world. We tried to condense the usual FyreUK aesthetic and epic scale build into a smaller area...You even get a glimpse at the destroyed version of the build that we 'wrecked' for the music video too."
 

Here is the timelapse video of the Fallen Kingdom build:

Here is the music video by Captain Sparklez that shows even a closer look at the structures inside the city wall:

References:

>> FyreUK YouTube Channel

>> Captain Sparklez



Minecraft | FyreUK Adventure Map

    Recently, the FyreUK members started making a new adventure map on their server for Hat Films to play on.  Over the past few weeks, they have worked on the spawn and the first massive city.  The first city they made is called Red Rock City.  Basically, the whole area is made up of red rock.  (obviously)  The scenery and shape of the landscape are based off of Uluru (Ayers Rock), Australia and Petra, Jordan.

Here is the timelapse of Red Rock City:

Here is the second video that includes the timelapse of the spawn and road out into a cave:

 

    As always, there work is an amazing piece of architecture.  Everything is intricate and massive.  Go check them out at their YouTube channel here.

References:

>> FyreUK

>> Hat Films

Minecraft Talk...with Skyrim Pics!

     I have been thinking about what we should do for our big project coming up during spring break next week!  We will hopefully get the landscaping and layout done by this weekend.  I'm still not sure what style of architecture will be part of the build.  After looking at FyreUK's Valentine's Day timelapse, I was very inspired to create a Venetian/Roman city, but I kind of want to come up with something on my own that is different.  I may do something with snow and mountains.  And since I have been playing Skyrim, it's obviously going to be an inspiration source for architecture.

    I'm thinking we should make the city have three parts: a river walk area by the river, a central commercial district before you come up to the mountains, and a residential area in the mountains.  This is going to take a ton of landscaping work, but since we have the whole week next week to work on it, I think we can get it done before spring break is over.  I, obviously, will not work on it constantly though.  I do not, by any means, want to use up all my time playing Minecraft during the break.  Besides, we can most likely get it done by working on it a couple of hours each day just in time for school to be back in session.  I'll be looking forward to starting our next project.

 Pictures From:
>> pcworld.com
>> gamertechtv.com
>> threepartstheory.wordpress.com

References:
>> FyreUK's Valentine's Day Timelapse Video
>> Official Skyrim Website

Minecraft | Colosseum of Venatum

    The video above shows a colosseum designed and built with no cheats on Minecraft.  It's called the Colosseum of Venatum.  It was built on the Godcraft server and the people that built it had to legitimately find and mine the resources, which took two and a half months!  It's an almost exact replica of the Colosseum in Rome. 

    I think it's funny that I thought our colosseum was amazing, but compared to this, it is simply puny.  We need to start making actual Minecraft structures that are out of the ordinary and massive.  (Go big or go home!)  Our next big project should start soon, and I'll be sure to keep you guys updated to what's going on.

References:
>> Check out the Freaking Awesome Sounas' Channel on YouTube
>> Click here to see more amazing architectural creations from the Godcraft server

Minecraft NEWS

    Lately, I haven't been on the server, so there is no new tour for our colosseum.  (Besides, I showed most of what I wanted you guys to see.)  And we still haven't started our next big city project.  Some people want to build an ark though.  That's a good idea, and it sounds like it would be really fun to make.  (I'll be thinking about it.)

    (This picture doesn't relate to our server.  I just wanted to show you guys a picture of some really cool Minecraft architecture and I found this.  It's obviously the Golden Gate Bridge.)  Anyways, I will be posting some Minecraft content this weekend maybe.  If we are going to make an ark, I want to make an exact replica.  It goes into detail in the Bible about what it looked like and its dimensions.  By the way, our ark will not be small!  If we decide to build it, it would be the biggest creation on the server yet!

    On a side note, FyreUK has done another timelapse.  I should have shown this earlier to you guys because it was on Valentine's Day.  Here is the video!  Make sure you subscribe to FyreUK if you haven't already.

References:
>> http://schattenw0lf.deviantart.com/art/golden-gate-bridge-minecraft-201505940
>> http://www.youtube.com/user/FyreUK 

Minecraft Introduction

I know this is a bit late for a Minecraft introduction, but I felt like I never did an actual intro like I did for Skyrim.  Since I've been showing so much architecture from it I feel like I should go ahead and do a post about who created it and what it's all about.  So you know what's coming: here is my introduction to an unusual 16-bit game called Minecraft.

    Minecraft is a game that was started by one single person: Markus Persson (A.K.A. Notch)  It is probably the most unique game ever made because everything is blocks.  Although it's graphics aren't that great, it offers an unlimited amount of adventure and creativity, and you will surprisingly find yourself putting hours into it.

    (Before I go on, I want to say that I'm going to post mostly architecture pictures because this is what my blog is about obviously.)  It was created way back in 2009 and had only 3 major blocks: stone, dirt, and wood.  Aside from its simplicity, Minecraft gained countless reviews and sold hundreds of copies a day when it was in alpha stage. People created amazing structures, including recreations like the Titanic and the Taj Mahal.  There were also creations of cathedrals and castles similar to the one in the picture above.

   If you follow my blog, I bet you have seen FyreUK.  They create massive builds in Minecraft and make a timelapse out of them.  This is a picture of one of their builds.  (All links will be below at the bottom of the post.)  Soon after making the game, Notch started a company in Sweden called Mojang AB.  He now has many programmers working at the company.

 

    Today, Minecraft is now a full game, but they are still adding onto it.  With over fifty blocks to use, you can build some amazing structures.  With texture packs, you can change the games graphics and make it the way you want it.  The world is over 12 million blocks wide and long.  (Remember that each block is one meter long.)  And each world is different no matter how many you make.  I have been playing for almost a year now and it's a great game to get involved in if you like adventure and creativity.  The cool thing about Minecraft is that you have one limit: your imagination.  You can build anything, and that's why I like it so much.

Be sure to follow my posts on my current Minecraft project here.  (Posts will be called Minecraft Architecture)

If you want to buy Minecraft get it at www.minecraft.net.

Pictures from:

>> http://ludolik.deviantart.com/art/Minecraft-Cathedral-of-Azra-201774131 

>> http://bnbgaming.com/2011/11/13/sunday-morning-cheer-the-building-of-waterfall-city/ 

>> http://ludolik.deviantart.com/art/Minecraft-Roman-Colosseum-204039963 

References:

>> http://www.youtube.com/user/FyreUK/ 

>> Skyrim Introduction 

Minecraft Tutorial | Building a Viking Style House

 I highly recommend checking out my new series called Minecraft Building Guide!

Edit: 9/5/2013 - This post is VERY old and I am considering making a new tutorial on this topic of Viking style houses.  It is a senstitive topic, because it is very easy to say, "this is Viking style" when it really isn't.  I'll be doing more research of the "Viking style" in the future and hopefully make a revised version of this tutorial.  When I do, I will link this post to the new one!

*A NOTE ON THE TEXTURE PACK*
      "It's actually a custom texture pack I put together using the Ornate 5, DokuCraft Saga, Jamziboy's Edit, and Ovo's Rustic texture packs. Mine is NOT up to date.  There is a texture pack out there that is almost identical to this one though.  It's called Ovo's Rustic CONTINUATION by Pinky4341. Here's where you can find the download and more info: Planet Minecraft - Ovo's Rustic Continuation."

As you saw from the post on the city of Alimar last month, the houses in the pictures were complex, especially the roofs.  I thought you guys would like to see a step-by-step tutorial on how to build a simple Viking-style house.  Here is my first Minecraft tutorial on how to build a Viking-style house.

    First, we start out by marking where the frame is going to be.  Each log block has a 3 block space in between.

   Then, we build up the frame to where it is 4 blocks high.  By the way, it is very important to build a frame because it marks out for you the sections of the house.  It also helps with symmetry.

    Before we build the frame of the roof, we are going to build the walls of the first floor.

    Build them up until they are one block lower then your log frame.  (In other words, build the wooden plank wall 3 blocks high on each side.)

   Then you will connect the frame and make it look complete.  (That's as best as I can describe it.)

   The frame of the roof goes in one block every two blocks until it reaches the center point at the top. 

    After building the frame, you just fill in the middle with wood blocks. 

    The gables are the complex part.  I decided I would just make them and take a couple of pictures instead of going in-depth on how to make gables.  (I might make a future tutorial on that.)

    Then you just fill up the empty part in the front with wooden planks.

   The part that really makes it look Viking is how the roof goes farther out every couple of blocks.  To make that curve at the front/top of the roof, I simply put a stair on top of a stair facing the opposite direction of the other stair.  (I know that sound confusing.)

   This is the front of the home's first floor. 

   Also, the front of the house's second floor can be designed anyway you want.  But this is the way I designed it.  Using wool blocks on the side of the glass panes. 

   Once done with the gables on the sides just cut out the logs of the roof and replace the front of the gable with glass.  (like in the picture above)

    In the end, if you followed all the instructions and understood what I said, then your Viking house should look similar to mine.  I haven't done the interior because I only showed the exterior in the Alimar update, but I might do a tutorial on how to fill your Minecraft house with rooms and stuff that makes the interior look like a real house.  I know this tutorial wasn't the best it could of been.  It could of been more in-depth and more informative, but I tried my best.  I may do a follow-up tutorial on this, but instead of pictures, it would be a video.  A video would be the best for this kind of tutorial because you guys can actually see me place the blocks, and it would be much easier to follow.  I hope you did like the tutorial though, and I hope you learned some things about houses that you didn't know before.

*Alimar Update 2 coming Next Week*

References:
>> Minecraft Building Guide Series

>> Previous Alimar Update

NEW Minecraft Content!

    There will be new Minecraft content coming next week all about the city of Alimar.  Meanwhile, I will be posting a step-by-step tutorial on how to build a simple house similar to the ones we saw in Alimar a couple of weeks ago.  I know many people would be especially interested in how we built the roofs.  They look very complex, but in reality, they are very simple.  All you do is make...well, I'll explain in the tutorial.  (Ha! Cliffhanger)

  
To see the previous update on the Minecraft city of Alimar click on the link below:
City of Alimar - Update 1 

FyreUK's Ancient Egyptian City

    FyreUK did it again.  They created another spectacular build that amazed me after watching it.  (like always)

    In their latest build, the team created an ancient Egyptian city.  The first video shows their timelapse of the build, and the second video includes Matt and Phil walking around the build and showing it off in detail.  (Make sure to watch both if you're really interested.)  It includes, "everything from statues of Egyptian Gods to the Pyramids. All built around an Egyptian Walled city with a palace looming over everything," says FyreUK.  It as an amazing work of art as always, and they prove why this year will be better than the last.

    With their first timelapse of 2012, they start off with building a massive wall.  The wall isn't really a wall though.  It has huge columns that have about 10 block spaces in between.  I would say that the columns go up about 50 blocks or so.  Trust me, that is big for Minecraft standards, considering that each block is about one meter in length.  Since the city is Egyptian, they made pyramids, sphinx, docks, markets, temples, and even massive jackals.  Subscribe to FyreUK's YouTube channel if you haven't already.  They are an amazing group of Minecraft architects.

References:

>> http://www.youtube.com/user/FyreUK

Minecraft | FyreUK's Minecraft Creations

    There will be no update on the city of Alimar until tomorrow because I am just not ready to show it.  We need to add some more stuff before I can give you guys an update.  Anyways, I wanted to show all of you a video from the FyreUK team.  As you know, they have recently made their biggest timelapse of 2011, and it turned out amazing!  A couple of days ago they put out their 20th episode of Minecraft Creations, and trust me, it will amaze you also!

    Early in the video, Matt and Phil are in a night club.  (No, not in real life!)  And there is a bunch of cool glowstone that goes around the club.  It has many bright colors and really feels like you are in a dance club with a ton of neon lights and disco balls.  Later around the 6 minute mark, they enter a city that is indescribable!  And of course, if you have seen FyreUK, you know they love bridges!  Check out the bridge at minute mark 6:18.  It has a crazy design that will make all of your jaws drop!  They later go to an underground part of the city that has a lighting design that I have never seen before!  If you want to see more from the FyreUK team, go to FyreUK's YouTube Channel, and subscribe to them.

*UPDATE on Alimar coming tomorrow!*

Minecraft | A Skyrim Inspiration

    I wanted to let you guys know that I have started a new project on the server.  So far, only my brother and I are working on it.  It's called the city of Alimar.  There really isn't anything special about it either, except it was inspired from Skyrim.  As you know, I have been playing Skyrim since December 23, and I love it!  You guys also need to be looking forward to tomorrow.  I will be showing you guys what we have done so far with the city.  And trust me, it's looking good.  Once we get a couple of my friends to help, the project will speed along quite nicely.  Also, I'm still not sure on our adventure map.  I think we have all called it quits, but that may change sometime in the future.  (We haven't truly decided.)  I am probably going to post two posts tomorrow!  (Most likely both being Minecraft)  Anyways, tomorrow will include some cool stuff all of you need to take a look at.

FyreUK's Aquila

    As you probably know, the FyreUK team has been putting out Minecraft timelapse videos on their channel for a quite some time now.  And on December 20, 2011, they made their biggest timelapse of 2011.  Over 16 hours of work in a one week period with over 30 people, FyreUK made the great city of Aquila.  (If you didn't know, aquila means "eagle" in latin.)  It was built as part of The Syndicate Project's Minecraft series.   Aquila includes a harbor, industrial district, huge residential area, castle, and underground enclave that was put together in one final build.  It is absolutely amazing, and it's crazy how much detail was put into it.  If you have a YouTube account and like their videos, I recommend you subscribe to them! 

    FyreUK even put a download link to their build in the video's description.  For a full list of links, go to the references below.

References:
>> FyreUK's YouTube Channel
>> The Syndicate Project's YouTube Channel
>> FyreUK.com


     

Minecraft Update? No...

   Finally, we got something done.  The entire weekend, we worked on the third city and got a total of four small structures complete!  So...technically, I have nothing to show you.  But I do have a little something to talk about.  As you know, semester finals are coming up for us students, and I won't be able to play Minecraft until Christmas break.  But, I wanted to post a video from FyreUK.  I love their creations that they build on their server, and every time lapse they do I can't help but be amazed.  I saw this video a couple weeks ago, and I thought I should show it to you guys.  It's called the Great Nordic Hall, and using their advanced, mystical powers, they created a type of build that I have never seen before in Minecraft.

    The thing I really noticed about the Nordic Hall itself was that they built the frame first, which is an important part to understanding how to build architecture on this scale in Minecraft.  It also didn't really occur to me how massive the whole area was.  After watching it a few times, I saw that the amount of terrain editing used was tremendous.  The build, again, was absolutely stunning.  This is what I want our adventure map to feel like: big, bold, and bright.  (Something that will stun and amaze the people who play it)  So until next time, enjoy the ARCHITECTURE!  And don't forget the great FyreUK members and their channel.  (Link is below)

References:

>> http://www.youtube.com/user/FyreUK#p/u

>> Previous Minecraft Update Post

    

Minecraft Update #2

    I wanted to give you guys an update on what has been going on...well not much.  We have finished the second city and are halfway done with the pathway that leads to the town of Sidka.  (the third city)  Some cities will have more to show than others, and I don't guarantee that each city will include something architecturally unique.  But most cities will have at least one thing worth showing on this blog, and I think it will turn out really well for the server. 

    Don't forget that the storyline/map will be expansive and very big.  Even if you play the map perfectly with no set-backs, it will probably take you at least 3 hours to complete.  (Hopefully!  That's the experience we are aiming for.)  Anyways, architecture is a big factor in making this map because while I like making World of Warcraft style adventure maps, I love creating and designing architecture.  And with the help of my friends, we will be able to speed this along quite nicely when we get out of school for Christmas break!  (Two weeks of awesomeness)  Yes, I will see you guys again very soon when we complete the town of Sidka!  Be looking forward to an update sometime during Christmas break.  (I'll try my best) 

Minecraft Update

    As you know, we have been spending as much time as we can on the adventure map.  So, I wanted to give guys a quick update.  We haven't made much more progress because we have just been busy with school and all.  Although we will be working on it alot Christmas break, I don't plan to have it done after our two weeks that we have off from school.  It might take another month or two, but in the end, it will be worth all this hard work.  And the end result of the entire map will be spectacular.  There won't be anything worth showing until we get something massive done on Christmas break.
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Real architecture is coming tonight! (More specifically Today's ArchiPic #78)

Minecraft | Inspiration

    Architecture in Minecraft can truly be amazing.  Some of the structures I have seen from videos on YouTube are mind-blowing to say the least.  Looking for inspiration for the new adventure map, I found a fly through video of this guy's server.  He was been working on it for months now, and his world is based upon his book called Draegonborn.  Since it has a medieval setting, his world is very mystical.  It has a perfect RPG game feel.  His world is a perfect example of what our adventure map should feel like.  The video is an eight minute fly through from the city Nikifim to the tree city of Altmis.  Don't forget to checkout the YouTube channel of vssdgames.  He has three other videos of his world that you can see.  Also remember that he is not done yet and he will be making more video updates of his progress.

References:

>> vssdgames's channel

>> Previous Adventure Map Update