So I’ve been playing Minecraft, focusing mainly on the creative aspect, although I play the new Beta client and run my own server locally so I get the features added post-classic. I’ve turned off monster spawning and set the difficulty to Peaceful, so I can focus on bringing creations to life instead of running from scary monsters in the night.

The first time I played with monsters, I found the sound of a zombie’s “murrrrrrrr” in a dark, endless cavern to be frightening enough that I never wanted to hear it again. /shivers.

I find the first-person building experience to be very satisfying to the OCD urge within me that wants to make everything right. As all blocks are destroyable (with the exception of Bedrock), any reality can be created given enough time. I’m fond of using the different kinds of blocks to vary the aesthetics – even if the blocks type is not practical.

My favorite activity is to visualize my buildings at night, as I find the lighting of torches, lava, and glowstone to create a very pleasing effect. I also make frequent use of glass to provide a sense of openness and to allow light to mix between areas.

Here’s some screenshots of a large house on top of a hill that I’ve been working on.

The spacious master bedroom

The kitchen has a large worktable, oven/stove, sink, and storage

Sunset seen from one of the western bedrooms

Front view of the house, looking down the walkway at the main entrance

Lava provides heat and light to a central table in the living room, Kotatsu style.

The back side of the house is still in progress!