Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of djanatyn@gmail.com designates 209.85.212.171 as permitted sender) client-ip=209.85.212.171;
MIME-Version: 1.0
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:28:01 -0400
Message-ID: <CAC2u9Ynj8Fpeu_AdykLovRj2Nuddvz6qqGdSffjm1RraVBO00w@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: [lojban] a minecraft proposal
From: Jonathan Strickland <djanatyn@gmail.com>
To: lojban@googlegroups.com
Reply-To: lojban@googlegroups.com
Precedence: list
Mailing-list: list lojban@googlegroups.com; contact lojban+owners@googlegroups.com
Sender: lojban@googlegroups.com
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=f46d0444ec19ea9c6204c7d17d90
X-Spam_score: -0.7
X-Spam_score_int: -6
X-Spam_bar: /

--f46d0444ec19ea9c6204c7d17d90
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

I've been playing minecraft regularly for about 2 years. I played on the
lojban.org minecraft server when it was up. I've been playing with other
lojbanists since that server went down, and I know there's a lot of
lojbanists that play minecraft (or have purchased minecraft and don't play
anymore) that might be interested in starting to play together again.

Minecraft is by far the most social game I've played, and I feel the lojban
community could get a lot out of it if we started taking advantage of it
again. I propose a once-a-month minecraft server that goes up for a week
(probably starting friday night) where players can work together while
speaking only lojban and try to beat the game.

Minecraft has come quite a long way since the old server was up, and I
think hosting a server once a month, with a new map each month, would
encourage people to work together, speak and learn lojban, and grow closer
as a community while having fun. There's lots of things to do, regardless
of how you like to play. Collecting resources, farming, writing books,
fighting monsters, and building is the closest to lojbanistan we can get
right now :)

One of the problems with the old server was that people would join, build
things, and then not come back as often until they stopped coming back at
all. When a server gets to be large and there isn't that much to do besides
sustain what there already is, it's not as interesting. I think starting a
new map each month would give people the opportunity to feel involved from
the beginning, and keep people from being intimidated by having to learn
everything that's already been done and built. I enjoy minecraft the most
when starting out in a new world and working with others, starting equally
naked and helpless, and I know a lot of other people do as well.

I also think a community wiki, with a glossary of terms and a description
of how each world went and how different people contributed might be fun.
Placing maps of the worlds we've made and downloads would be trivial. We
could also post transcripts of the chatlogs, or only parts of them that
parse as valid lojban.

The biggest and most important change minecraft has had is the inclusion of
an overarching goal.  Yeah, you can actually beat minecraft now. Getting
there is a long and open-ended process, but instead of just building things
that look cool, we'd be actually trying to do something! :D

If you aren't familiar with how to beat minecraft, here's how it works:

1). Collect obsidian by mixing water and lava.
Collecting obsidian usually requires a diamond pickaxe, and diamonds are
one of the rarest items in the game.

2). Build a frame with the obsidian, and light the frame on fire, opening a
portal to the Nether.
The Nether is a hostile, hell-like dimension. It's much more dangerous than
the Overworld, so bringing food, weapons, and armor is important.

3). Locate a Stronghold in the Nether.
Strongholds are massive, complicated dungeons that have items needed for
progression inside. There are strongholds in the Nether, and strongholds in
the Overworld. Finding a stronghold in the Nether is usually much easier.

4). Find a blaze spawner, and collect blaze rods by killing blazes.
Blazes are one of the toughest enemies in the game, and can rapidly shoot
projectiles that will light you on fire. Collecting blaze rods is usually a
team effort. They can be placed in a crafting grid to get blaze powder, or
used to craft a brewing station for potions.

5). Combine blaze powder with enderpearls to create eyes of ender.
Endermen are tall, dark mobs that are passive unless you look at them in
the face. They pick up blocks and move them around the world, and can
teleport. If you make them hostile, they'll come straight at you and
teleport away after attempting to hit you for a while, coming back in a
different direction. Killing them drops enderpearls, which is combined with
blaze powder to create eyes of ender. Killing endermen is necessary to
proceed in the game. Endermen are the strongest mob in the overworld. They
also take damage when it's raining or when they're touching water.

6). Throw eyes of ender into the sky and follow where they land until you
reach a stronghold in the overworld.
Strongholds in the overworld are generated underground. They generate
different rooms than Nether strongholds, and they have chests filled with
valuable things. They're also the only way into the End.

7). Find a portal frame inside the stronghold and place eyes of ender into
each of the slots.
In (most) strongholds, there is a frame of 12 blocks above a pool of lava.
The blocks are only generated in strongholds, and create a portal when an
eye of ender is inserted into each slot. This portal leads to the End.

8). Kill the Enderdragon, and win.
The End is the only finite map in the game. You spawn on a large floating
mass of land. Only endermen can spawn in the end, and they spawn in large
quantities. There's also a big dragon flying in the sky, attacking you.
Once you enter the End, there's no way out unless you beat it. The
enderdragon has a lot of health, and takes either a concentrated attack
effort or a very prepared player with a good amount of time. There are
large obsidian towers with gems that heal the enderdragon, and killing the
enderdragon results in a rain of experience and a portal to return to the
Overworld. It also spawns the Enderdragon Egg, a trophy to take home to
show you beat the game.

That's how you beat minecraft. It takes a lot of skill to do alone, but
it's much easier (and much more fun!) when working together as a team.
There's also a lot of things to translate and document; if we wanted to, we
could try to create a lojban translation of the minecraft wiki (
http://minecraftwiki.net), but that's a...large and comprehensive wiki.

Anyway, I really look forward to social events, and I'd love to have
something to look forward to with lojban. I don't know of any monthly
lojban happenings that are going on right now, but I think this might be a
great thing, and I'd be willing and happy to take in the lead in making
this happen if enough people are interested. I was probably most actively
learning and speaking lojban during the time the server was up; I'd like to
be more active again, and this is a great incentive for me, at the very
least. I think that would be the case for others as well. I have a few
questions:

1). Are you interested in something like this?
2). Do you think the once-a-month new world format is a good idea?
3). What times work best for you?
4). Do you have any suggestions for ways to make this better?

Having a voicechat server while we play is also a possibility, but that
would exclude people who don't have microphones or have to play in quiet
areas. If enough people can do that and want to do that, though, feel free.
There's no reason to feel intimidated by the game; there are several
experienced players (including myself) who would be happy to help if we get
this thing going. There's always something to do, even if you're not the
best builder or especially good at videogames.

Thoughts?

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "lojban" group.
To post to this group, send email to lojban@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to lojban+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/lojban?hl=en.


--f46d0444ec19ea9c6204c7d17d90
Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I&#39;ve been playing minecraft regularly for about 2 years. I played on th=
e <a href=3D"http://lojban.org">lojban.org</a> minecraft server when it was=
 up. I&#39;ve been playing with other lojbanists since that server went dow=
n, and I know there&#39;s a lot of lojbanists that play minecraft (or have =
purchased minecraft and don&#39;t play anymore) that might be interested in=
 starting to play together again.<br>
<br>Minecraft is by far the most social game I&#39;ve played, and I feel th=
e lojban community could get a lot out of it if we started taking advantage=
 of it again. I propose a once-a-month minecraft server that goes up for a =
week (probably starting friday night) where players can work together while=
 speaking only lojban and try to beat the game.<br>
<br>Minecraft has come quite a long way since the old server was up, and I =
think hosting a server once a month, with a new map each month, would encou=
rage people to work together, speak and learn lojban, and grow closer as a =
community while having fun. There&#39;s lots of things to do, regardless of=
 how you like to play. Collecting resources, farming, writing books, fighti=
ng monsters, and building is the closest to lojbanistan we can get right no=
w :)<br>
<br>One of the problems with the old server was that people would join, bui=
ld things, and then not come back as often until they stopped coming back a=
t all. When a server gets to be large and there isn&#39;t that much to do b=
esides sustain what there already is, it&#39;s not as interesting. I think =
starting a new map each month would give people the opportunity to feel inv=
olved from the beginning, and keep people from being intimidated by having =
to learn everything that&#39;s already been done and built. I enjoy minecra=
ft the most when starting out in a new world and working with others, start=
ing equally naked and helpless, and I know a lot of other people do as well=
.<br>
<br>I also think a community wiki, with a glossary of terms and a descripti=
on of how each world went and how different people contributed might be fun=
. Placing maps of the worlds we&#39;ve made and downloads would be trivial.=
 We could also post transcripts of the chatlogs, or only parts of them that=
 parse as valid lojban.<br>
<br>The biggest and most important change minecraft has had is the inclusio=
n of an overarching goal.=A0 Yeah, you can actually beat minecraft now. Get=
ting there is a long and open-ended process, but instead of just building t=
hings that look cool, we&#39;d be actually trying to do something! :D<br>
<br>If you aren&#39;t familiar with how to beat minecraft, here&#39;s how i=
t works:<br><br>1). Collect obsidian by mixing water and lava.<br>Collectin=
g obsidian usually requires a diamond pickaxe, and diamonds are one of the =
rarest items in the game.<br>
<br>2). Build a frame with the obsidian, and light the frame on fire, openi=
ng a portal to the Nether.<br>The Nether is a hostile, hell-like dimension.=
 It&#39;s much more dangerous than the Overworld, so bringing food, weapons=
, and armor is important.<br>
<br>3). Locate a Stronghold in the Nether.<br>Strongholds are massive, comp=
licated dungeons that have items needed for progression inside. There are s=
trongholds in the Nether, and strongholds in the Overworld. Finding a stron=
ghold in the Nether is usually much easier.<br>
<br>4). Find a blaze spawner, and collect blaze rods by killing blazes.<br>=
Blazes are one of the toughest enemies in the game, and can rapidly shoot p=
rojectiles that will light you on fire. Collecting blaze rods is usually a =
team effort. They can be placed in a crafting grid to get blaze powder, or =
used to craft a brewing station for potions.<br>
<br>5). Combine blaze powder with enderpearls to create eyes of ender.<br>E=
ndermen are tall, dark mobs that are passive unless you look at them in the=
 face. They pick up blocks and move them around the world, and can teleport=
. If you make them hostile, they&#39;ll come straight at you and teleport a=
way after attempting to hit you for a while, coming back in a different dir=
ection. Killing them drops enderpearls, which is combined with blaze powder=
 to create eyes of ender. Killing endermen is necessary to proceed in the g=
ame. Endermen are the strongest mob in the overworld. They also take damage=
 when it&#39;s raining or when they&#39;re touching water.<br>
<br>6). Throw eyes of ender into the sky and follow where they land until y=
ou reach a stronghold in the overworld.<br>Strongholds in the overworld are=
 generated underground. They generate different rooms than Nether stronghol=
ds, and they have chests filled with valuable things. They&#39;re also the =
only way into the End.<br>
<br>7). Find a portal frame inside the stronghold and place eyes of ender i=
nto each of the slots.<br>In (most) strongholds, there is a frame of 12 blo=
cks above a pool of lava. The blocks are only generated in strongholds, and=
 create a portal when an eye of ender is inserted into each slot. This port=
al leads to the End.<br>
<br>8). Kill the Enderdragon, and win.<br>The End is the only finite map in=
 the game. You spawn on a large floating mass of land. Only endermen can sp=
awn in the end, and they spawn in large quantities. There&#39;s also a big =
dragon flying in the sky, attacking you. Once you enter the End, there&#39;=
s no way out unless you beat it. The enderdragon has a lot of health, and t=
akes either a concentrated attack effort or a very prepared player with a g=
ood amount of time. There are large obsidian towers with gems that heal the=
 enderdragon, and killing the enderdragon results in a rain of experience a=
nd a portal to return to the Overworld. It also spawns the Enderdragon Egg,=
 a trophy to take home to show you beat the game.<br>
<br>That&#39;s how you beat minecraft. It takes a lot of skill to do alone,=
 but it&#39;s much easier (and much more fun!) when working together as a t=
eam. There&#39;s also a lot of things to translate and document; if we want=
ed to, we could try to create a lojban translation of the minecraft wiki (<=
a href=3D"http://minecraftwiki.net">http://minecraftwiki.net</a>), but that=
&#39;s a...large and comprehensive wiki.<br>
<br>Anyway, I really look forward to social events, and I&#39;d love to hav=
e something to look forward to with lojban. I don&#39;t know of any monthly=
 lojban happenings that are going on right now, but I think this might be a=
 great thing, and I&#39;d be willing and happy to take in the lead in makin=
g this happen if enough people are interested. I was probably most actively=
 learning and speaking lojban during the time the server was up; I&#39;d li=
ke to be more active again, and this is a great incentive for me, at the ve=
ry least. I think that would be the case for others as well. I have a few q=
uestions:<br>
<br>1). Are you interested in something like this?<br>2). Do you think the =
once-a-month new world format is a good idea?<br>3). What times work best f=
or you?<br>4). Do you have any suggestions for ways to make this better?<br=
>
<br>Having a voicechat server while we play is also a possibility, but that=
 would exclude people who don&#39;t have microphones or have to play in qui=
et areas. If enough people can do that and want to do that, though, feel fr=
ee. There&#39;s no reason to feel intimidated by the game; there are severa=
l experienced players (including myself) who would be happy to help if we g=
et this thing going. There&#39;s always something to do, even if you&#39;re=
 not the best builder or especially good at videogames.<br>
<br>Thoughts?<br>

<p></p>

-- <br />
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "=
lojban" group.<br />
To post to this group, send email to lojban@googlegroups.com.<br />
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to lojban+unsubscribe@googlegrou=
ps.com.<br />

For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/lojban=
?hl=3Den.<br />


--f46d0444ec19ea9c6204c7d17d90--