Minecraft Succession game

Pages

Think Boatmurdered meets Robinson Crusoe.

Rules [size=4](mostly copied from Boatmurdered)[/size]:
This will be a succession game of survival-mode Minecraft. That means no summoning or using save editors to give yourself extra resources. We're obviously on the honor system here, but if you create a diamond pyramid or massive 8-bit character statue on your turn folks might figure it out.

Once it's your turn, you get a week from the time that the link is posted to take your turn. If you start but can't finish, your successor has the option to pick up where you left off and play out the rest of your turn and theirs. If you don't start, then the old savegame just goes to the next player. If you trash the fort to total -- and I mean TOTAL -- unplayability (e.g. magma flood oh god), we'll revert to an old save, but hopefully we won't have to do this.

Feel free to break your turn up into a bunch of posts, but let's try and keep it moving along. When you're done, take your game, save it, zip it, and get it to the next player. Upload it to rapidshare.com or something similar, and post the link to your savegame so the next person can get it and begin.

Don't be a jerk, even if you think you're being a funny jerk. Specifically, defacing / exploding other players' hard work falls under jerkery. Pretty much anything else goes except for things that make later turns totally unplayable.

Feel free to sign up in-thread. I'll go first, and to get things rolling will shoot for having a save game to hand off by the middle of next week.

Where is my save file?
For Vista Users, %userprofile%\appdata\roaming\.minecraft\saves\

For XP Users, Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\.minecraft\saves

Note that you may have to enable display of hidden folders to see the .minecraft directory.

On OSX, /Users/username/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves

Rename the succession game folder to World5 (or whichever number is currently unoccupied on your machine), and it should show up as an option from your load screen.

Player Rotation
Dimmerswitch
Nightmare
Pirate Bob
LobsterMobster
Norfair
Blind_Evil
tanstaafl
chaosmos
momgamer
Phishposer
mrwynd
Minarchist
Quintin_Stone
Rob_Anybody
Waltz
lonehuon
Minarchist
blackanchor
TheWanderer <== current turn
Psych <== up next

Save game archive is at http://minecraft.skulljackpot.com/.

Sounds really cool. I'm in for making a lame cave with tasteful rock accoutrements

I'm in for excavating massive caves and getting peppered with skeleton arrows.

I'm interested, but what qualifies as a "turn?" Minecraft doesn't really force you to respond to stuff like Dwarf Fortress, nor does it have lengthy and distinct chunks of time like seasons. It seems to me like once you have a safe fort up and running you can pretty much just sit there staring out a window for as long as you please.

LobsterMobster wrote:

I'm interested, but what qualifies as a "turn?" Minecraft doesn't really force you to respond to stuff like Dwarf Fortress, nor does it have lengthy and distinct chunks of time like seasons. It seems to me like once you have a safe fort up and running you can pretty much just sit there staring out a window for as long as you please.

You keep the file for a set amount of time and build to your heart's content, I'd assume. Just like the rest of the game, you kinda have to make your fun.

I'm in!

One thing I've noticed with other succession games is they used a day or two rather then a whole week since the game moves a bit faster then dwarf fortress.

LobsterMobster wrote:

I'm interested, but what qualifies as a "turn?" Minecraft doesn't really force you to respond to stuff like Dwarf Fortress, nor does it have lengthy and distinct chunks of time like seasons. It seems to me like once you have a safe fort up and running you can pretty much just sit there staring out a window for as long as you please.

Dimmerswitch wrote:

Once it's your turn, you get a week from the time that the link is posted to take your turn.

I believe this is the pertinent sentence from the OP regarding what a turn is...

You could just spend your week with the save game file sitting in a treehouse looking at the pretty sunsets, I guess...

Norfair wrote:

I'm in!

One thing I've noticed with other succession games is they used a day or two rather then a whole week since the game moves a bit faster then dwarf fortress.

I was gonna say one or two days seems way more reasonable than a week. One person who breaks the no summoning rule (or just poopsocks it) could have the place looking like a Six Flags by the end of a week.

Anyway, I wanna give it a go. I really don't like the aesthetic of what people build when given free realm to summon so this is the only way I see multiplayer being interesting until actual SMP is coded.

Norfair wrote:

I'm in!

One thing I've noticed with other succession games is they used a day or two rather then a whole week since the game moves a bit faster then dwarf fortress.

Are we talking in-game time, or real time?

One real-time day might be hard to fit into everyone's schedule, and for those of us that may only get an hour of game play a night, that's not very long to build anything. A full week though is quite a long time - maybe give people 4 days to put in a good couple hours of time and accomplish something, then turn it over. If they can do that all in one sitting, all the better as it speeds up the rotation.

I'm in.

Why not define a "turn" as 4 hours (or whatever we decide on) in game or 1 week (or whatever) real time. You get up to one week to spend 4 hours in-game doing whatever you want. When you've put in your 4 hours or a week has passed you turn the save file in and the next player gets their turn.

In the Qt3 succession games, they did 2 RL days. And even that petered out and got into trouble. I think 1 week RL is way too long.

I have Minecraft but I haven't been able to keep up with the thread monster [size=9](or the game)[/size]. A quick summary or link to an explanation would be appreciated.

I'd rather not have a set limit on in-game time, though if folks really want to I can choose one. The goal is to have enough time to do something interesting and/or have a fun story to tell.

I also recognize that we are gamers with jobs, and don't want to exclude people unnecessarily.

I propose we go with this as a guideline: one week of real-time maximum, though folks are encouraged to turn things around sooner so the next person can play. If you have a lot of free time in the real world, please limit yourself to a couple of hours of gameplay, so that there's still something interesting for the rest of us to do.

In other news, I've generated a world that looks promising.

I'm really busy right now, so don't expect any super duper epic construction from me, but I'm in.

I'm interested, with two caveats.

1) My turn has to be after PAX. I just am not going to have the time between now and then.
2) I'm assuming you're running this through the multiplayer interface rather than emailing a save game around. I am having terrible trouble with the multi-player. I've only managed to log on to Mantis' server once. I need to figure out whatever it is that's giving me fits with it before I can play.

momgamer wrote:

2) I'm assuming you're running this through the multiplayer interface rather than emailing a save game around. I am having terrible trouble with the multi-player. I've only managed to log on to Mantis' server once. I need to figure out whatever it is that's giving me fits with it before I can play.

Nope, it'll have to be mailing the SP save game around, which unfortunately is tucked away in the user profile tree. The game just isn't in the MP yet. Which I guess is good news for you. You might also try the server now. Stability seems better with the new world.

I intend on trying it again. The guys have made the new world sound very cool. I just have to get off the clock this evening. I'm having to work hard to keep myself just this side of the total fiduciary misconduct line as it is.

Mailing the saves around will be cool, too. Now I just have to survive PAX.

I'm in for a turn.

I'm absolutely in for a turn.

Dimmerswitch wrote:

LobsterMobster
Norfair

So I'll be on lava clean up duty?

My mother always said no good would come of apprenticing to a wizard. Recent events are beginning to make her look more prophet than pig-marm.

I'd expected that being an apprentice wizard would be an exciting process, learning the incantations to send reality scurrying in fear from the shadow of my will. At the very least I'd expected it to be a step up from being a pig farmer. Instead, it's like being a pig farmer where the pigs have fangs and breathe fire. I'm not sure that the dimensions some of those things were summoned from even have names.

I know I shouldn't have borrowed a book from Grizzleby's library, but I was starting to worry that I'd run out of fingers before learning the simplest cantrip. Long story short - big noise, bright flash, and the would-be conjuror wakes up face down in a pile of sand.

First priority was to find somewhere to hole up while I got my bearings. I gathered up some of the sand into my backpack, as well as a nearby cactus. After some rudimentary and unproductive scouting efforts, I climbed the nearest promising-looking hill, carved a small defensive moat out of the ground, and settled in for the night.

My string of outstandingly bad luck continued unabated when my campsite was surrounded by undead. I thought my moat would be enough to keep me safe, but at least some of these monsters were capable of firing arrows, so I hastily improvised a shack out of the sand I had in my backpack. It wasn't comfortable, but was enough to keep the arrows at bay until daybreak.

When the sun came up, I saw a four-legged green creature in the cluster of sun-fired undead, leaping as though to get away. I don't speak any extra-planar trade or diplomatic languages, but went over to allay his fear and try to explain that, while the undead are fearsome in the unlit places of the world, they cannot abide daylight. In hindsight, this was a mistake. The creep detonated once I was within five paces, and I'm not sure the stains will ever was entirely out.

That day, I relocated to an adjacent mountain (hopeful that there would be less of a rampaging-undead presence at night). With no time to lose, I set up a quick base and started digging, in the hope of finding coal to help keep the monsters away at night.

No coal.

Another dark night.

Morning brought no monsters - however, while looking from my mountain to scout the nearby area, I managed to fall off a cliff. Right into a pile of coal ore. I thought my luck was turning around until I realized that, in my pain, I'd forgotten which mountain was mine.

I found it eventually, was able to create a table to craft items, and spent the remainder of the day digging, during which time I found multiple seams of coal.

I spent that third night creating a small beacon atop my campsite, as an aid to navigation, as well as a ward against nocturnal attacks by undead.

Since my "lucky" tumble onto a pile of coal ore pointed out my deficiencies as a mountaineer, I decided to try to turn my mining project into a safer way to access the mountain. My exit attempt came out behind a waterfall, but rather than finding a graceful screen of water between my realm and the world beyond, I was plunged into a torrent of water which extinguished my torch and threatened me with a dark and disoriented drowning.

Eventually I sputtered to the surface, and managed to arrange enough rocks that the water was no longer flooding my tunnel. I even had enough time to add the beginnings of a small cactus garden.

My next priority will be tending to my wounds. I have the recipe for a pork poultice which does wonders for healing various ills, but have thus far avoided the pigs, out of a fear that they will turn out to be the fanged-and-fire-breathing variety, rather than simply shambling bacon slabs. My injuries are to the point where I'll have to risk finding out, though.

As daylight begins, I feel optimistic that I can survive on this demi-plane long enough to find a way out. That's probably a bad sign.

Out of character wrote:

A decent start. We have a large amount of coal, which has been tough for me to find on some maps. I'm a little worried that I haven't seen any iron or other minerals yet, but I'm sure they'll turn up. In hindsight, I wish I'd taken some screenshots as I went. I'll try to be better about that the next time my turn rolls around.

Current save file's here, and I'm happy to host copies of our save (I'll probably throw a copy of people's save files up there regardless, just to have them all in one place).

Dimmerswitch wrote:

Okay, here's our lineup right now:
Dimmerswitch <== current turn
Nightmare <== up next
Pirate Bob
LobsterMobster
Norfair
Blind_Evil
chaosmos
momgamer
Phishposer
mrwynd

I'm actually done with my turn, and will upload the file as soon as I finish writing up my post. My goal was to get the ball rolling, and be at a reasonably interesting place for the handoff. Hopefully, I've done that.

Folks are welcome to download the save even if it's not your turn, to scout around or do practice builds. Just remember to delete it and use the real save when your turn comes around. :)

I thought I had put my name up, but I'm interested in joining in.

Okay, here's our lineup right now:
Dimmerswitch <== current turn
Nightmare <== up next
Pirate Bob
LobsterMobster
Norfair
Blind_Evil
tanstaafl
chaosmos
momgamer
Phishposer
mrwynd

I'm actually done with my turn, and will upload the file as soon as I finish writing up my post. My goal was to get the ball rolling, and be at a reasonably interesting place for the handoff. Hopefully, I've done that.

Folks are welcome to download the save even if it's not your turn, to scout around or do practice builds. Just remember to delete it and use the real save when your turn comes around.

tanstaafl wrote:

I thought I had put my name up, but I'm interested in joining in.

Indeed you had - good catch! I've edited the list and slotted you in right behind Blind_Evil

OK, I pulled the game down last night but could not figure out where Minecraft stores its save games. It's not under my user directory nor in the Minecraft directory. Anyone know offhand? Running Windows Vista here.

You need to make sure you're display hidden folders. It'll be in %userprofile%\appdata\roaming\.minecraft\saves\

My first Tannhauser!

My Windows box is on XP, but for me they were all in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\.minecraft\saves

Rename the folder to World5 (or whichever number is currently unoccupied on your machine), and it should show up as an option from your load screen.

[Edit: good info, LiquidMantis. I'll add it to the opening post.]

So we're sticking with the one-week turn, right? I'm cool with that, it's just important information.

Thanks for the info, pretty sure I looked there but, then again, maybe I did not. I will check it when I get home tonight.

Lobbie - I think the week thing is a max you could hold on to the save game before it moves on to the next person, I don't think you are obliged to spend a whole week with it (unless you want to) I will probably only spend 3 or 4 days with it before passing it to the the next person, depending on how inspired I get.

So how's this moving along?

Pages