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    Minecraft

    Game » consists of 33 releases. Released May 17, 2009

    A 3D procedurally-generated game of world exploration, resource harvesting, and freeform construction, featuring a unique block-based art style and online multiplayer. It received numerous ports and updates for nearly a decade after its initial release.

    Thinking about buying it - Specifics about multiplayer?

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    NoXious

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    #1  Edited By NoXious

    So I have seen quite a bit of footage recently of Minecraft, and I definitely like it. I am contemplating the purchase which isn't that big of a deal, but I don't want to buy something that still leaves me with a few big questions.
    I hope you Miners on Giantbomb can answer these questions for me! Because this place seems to love Minecraft (which is awesome)!

    • Combat - How does it work exactly? All I'm seeing in a lot of the footage is people building places. That part is cool, but is there no way to fight back instead of just hiding away in your shelter? I saw swords... So there must be something!
    • Player vs Player - I get the idea that if you play on a server, it's all on the same server and as such you can help each other. So how about Player vs Player? Are there server rules about friendly fire/ganking or is that just a gentleman's agreement?
    • Nomads - Is it possible to have a move-able shelter that lets you roam the land? Is there a thing like a tent, or is it feasible to carry enough basic materials to create a shelter that FUNCTIONS on a whims notice?
    • Pausing (Crafting) - Is there a way to pause the game and does it pause during crafting? I take it since it's multiplayer that is a resound No - so how hard is it to craft stuff at the start if you haven't played it yet and you're racing against the clock?
    • Fire - The Forge (don't know precisely what it does...) gets fueled by stuff like coal or wood for a limited amount of time. Does fire last permanently or not? Would suck to have a big fortress and going around refueling all them damn torches!
    • Death - So I gather there is a spawn point, and everyone spawns there (is there even clipping?). If you die, what's the penalty and do you respawn at the spawn point? Why would you not build your shelter near the start if that's true?

    Thanks in advance for the answers, I'll be sure to keep an eye on this forum - just waiting for Paypal to do it's job so I can buy the game next week!

    EDIT: Hmm, title is a bit off since most questions don't really target multiplayer features. Still though - all of the questions are directed to the Multiplayer version of the game! I like my open world games to be social.

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    thebeast

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    #2  Edited By thebeast
    @NoXious: Before you decide whether you want to buy it or not you have to realise this game is in very early Alpha - it's missing features, it's buggy and multiplayer, while a bit of fun, is nowhere near finished and not the core 'game' at the moment. It's being fixed and added to all the time though, which is one of the things that makes this game so compelling. Anyway, to your questions: 
    • Combat - You can attack creatures in the same way you 'attack' blocks of the world. You only do significant damage if you're hitting them with a sword (swords vary in strength depending on what you've crafted it with - a wooden sword is much weaker than an iron sword, for example) or a bow. You can also do some creative things like build traps, lead them to their death, etc.
    • PvP - If I remember correctly, it's not possible to damage other players, but it is possible to damage other players' structures - so there's a good chance a griefer might set fire to your wooden hut. In the future, I believe there's plans to implement some sort of protection against this sort of thing.
    • Nomads - You can't move any structure that you've already built, but you can easily carry enough materials to build a new shelter pretty quickly, and if needed, you can break down an old shelter, recover all the materials and build it somewhere else.
    • Pausing - The single player game can be paused, but it doesn't pause during crafting. Crafting is instant, so there's no rush when you're starting out.
    • Fire - Torches last forever (at the moment - I believe there's plans to implement both permanent and temporary lighting). Furnaces let you smelt raw materials; turning iron ore in to iron bars, for example. These require fuelling with any type of fuel (different fuels have different durations) - you'll be refuelling these only when you need something smelted.
    • Death - If you die, you 'drop' everything and return to your spawn point - you have about 7 minutes to get back to your stuff if you want to reclaim it. It's usually a good idea to build your shelter near the start, but you're more likely to die when spelunking or exploring, so you're usually going to have a long haul back to where you were anyway. Essentially, the difficulty is what you make it - if you want an easy experience, build your shelter near the start and don't stray too far. If you want to make it difficult for yourself, set the difficulty on hard and go exploring. There's also a 'peaceful' mode which removes all mobs and causes your health to regenerate whenever you take damage - nice if you want to use one of your worlds just for building in.
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    TwoLines

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    #3  Edited By TwoLines

    I thinnk Notch said he'll implement some sort of PvP in the future.
    Bare in mind that Multiplayer is buggy as hell, the game's still in Alpha.
    The Multiplayer is VERY social (from what I've experienced), a lot of talking, helping to build things, trading materials.
    Fun stuff.

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