Minecraft: Playstation Edition

Normally I would have reviewed a game under my game review thread, but seeing as how this isn't so much a review as it is a continued (potential) discussion on my part, well...

Intro

Last week I purchased Minecraft: Playstation Edition.  I was perusing Walmart, mostly window shopping, when I saw that it was $20.  I figured I'd buy it mainly because I know the youngest plays it a lot at the local Teen Center, and it would give me the chance to try it out; I've played a Minecraft knock-off before (don't remember what it was called), and it left me scratching my head.

I'm not going to rave about great the game is or anything like that.  I know it's been out for years, that everybody's doing it, blah blah blah, and that it's supposedly the next best thing to come to gaming since Wolfenstein.  Whatever.

I also know that whatever I post, it's already been discussed by various members of this forum... but with that said, why do you guys have all these posts and threads with no continued discussion?  (Right now, someone's looking back at my posts to see how many old one post threads I have.)  Anyway, I do remember a previous discussion on creating different discussions of the same game due to being released on multi-platforms, and even though we could stick with one unified Minecraft discussion and just write a header or something to differentiate what platform, I believe that the Playstation version warrants its own simply because it is a different game then that of the PC.  I haven't checked the Store, but I don't believe there are any mods (yet), and the game version itself is different than the PC version.  If I remember correctly, I think Playstation is version 1.06...  that's what the wiki had said.  Doesn't sound right, but what can you do?  (There is no version listed within the game case.)

I spent the first couple days playing Creation Mode, just so I could get a feel for the game and its controls.  Past couple nights I've been playing Survival Mode; named this world "Stroud".  The youngest couldn't figure out what it meant or why I named it that until I asked him who Survivorman is.  The light bulb went off in his head.

In case you don't know, Survivorman is Les Stroud.  See what I did there?  Ooooo.

Basics

Sadly, the Playstation version is not compatible with the PC or XBox.  Then again, those versions aren't compatible with each other either, so it all works out, although why the PC and XBox aren't in sync is beyond me.  The Playstation allows for up to eight players in multi-play via Network, or four on split screen; having played normally one person screen, with four that might prove to be a pain in the arse.

The crafting system is a lot different than what the PC version has:  you don't need proper item placement within the crafting menu.  On the PS, it is automatically taken care of for you.  As long as you have the right number of parts (of the right items), it'll craft.  Does that take anything away from the game experience?  I don't know.  It works for me, though.

The controls are easy enough.  L1 and R1 cycle through your at-hand inventory.  L2 builds or uses, R2 destroys.  Triangle opens your inventory (backpack), X activates the selection.  Don't know what the square or circle button do at the moment.  L3 (left stick), when pressed, changes the player perspective.  R3, when pressed, makes you go from standing to sneaking.



Stories
*or, how I spent the last four days of my life*

So the youngest was mocking me when I was playing Creation Mode.  First he was giving me crap for not playing the real game, and then he was giving me crap for making such big and elaborate castles / bases.  I enjoy the building aspect of this game, it reminds me of a Lego simulator, and as such, I was allowing my imagination and creative nature free reign.  This also gave me the chance to try some proof of concepts, things I was thinking of that I wanted to see if they would work or not, so that when I played the real game I would know what to do and what to expect.

OH!  I don't know what it is like on the PC, but on the PS, you can make your world / stuff in Creation, save, and then load it in Survival.  Cheating?  I think so, but it is enjoyable in it's own right.

One of the things I was testing was the hollowing out of a hill or mountain to serve as my home.  I knew that monsters come out at night, and that it is highly recommended that a shelter be built as quickly as possible.  The boy was going on and on about the log cabin he made, whereas I just mined into a mountain.  Boom.  Rock walls, only two blocks to protect (until a make a door).

So, when I first started Survival, the first decent sized hill / mountain I saw I dug into like a rabid badger.  The boy's scoffing at how long it was taking me to work my way in, but then changed his tune once he realized what I was doing.  As soon as I was two squares in, I dropped a square at the entrance.  This gave me a one square "window" to see by as I continued to hollow out my home, while also preventing things from coming in.

OH!  Did I mention that my home is facing a small lake of sorts?  Baddies have to only travel three squares of water to get at my front door.  Next time I'm on, I'll be channeling this water to make a current.  And a moat.

And, with all the blocks I've been mining from making my home, I've been making the existing walls thicker.  I'll go outside, double the wall thickness and height.  I'm doing this because I had an unexpected run-in with a Creeper... gauged the blast radius, and that's what I'm shooting for.

...

Went exploring, wanted to see what was near my home.  I'm thinking I should have done this earlier, because I came upon a carved sandstone house with two villagers.  This is where I discovered I'm a bigger asshole then what I originally thought.

First, I stole all their belongings from the home interiors.  Book shelves, furnace, items from the chests, chests, steps, fencing, and even iron bars.  The boy, once again, wondered why I just didn't move there.  I told him it was about principle, that I wasn't going to move into someone else's house and just abandon mine, not after all the work I put into it.

Nice ethics, huh?

With my next visit, I realized I could use the door.  And oh, the carved sandstone would look nice for any interior walls I would make.  I pretty much removed about half of the structure.  Is it any wonder the two villagers were no more the next day?  They should have swung past my place!  Plenty of space, iron bars in the windows, a stove...

...

Hell, I need to sleep.  And eat.  Kill a bunch of animals, harvest a bunch of trees.

...

More exploring.  Thinking that at some point I'm going to fill my backpack with shelter building materials so I can traverse and set up camp.  Boy's wondering what I'm digging into the ground, making these big / wide clear cuts, and then making a compass or arrow.  I try to tell him that these are pointing back to my home, so I don't get lost.  Boy tells me to use my map.

I have a map?  Well shit.

...

Decided that I better start mining.  After all, mining is right there in the title of the game.  Isn't called "Kill your neighbors and steal their supplies".  Dug into the floor of my home, began to hollow out one block beneath.  Nothing.  Make another level.  Ohh, finally, I have coal!  Ooo, and look, it's a vein!  Yay!  Make a few torches, place some here and there, and wait, what's this?  That block isn't gray.  What the... oh, iron ore!  Another vein!

My home now has five sub-level basements, between two and four blocks tall, with various branches.  My lowest basement has odd noises coming from it, so like any sane person I began to mine where the noises were coming from.  Discovered a cave.  Made the hole a bit bigger, and saw that the cave was actually a few blocks above an old mine.  Saw a couple creepers and a zombie, so I destroyed any blocks that they might have been able to climb up on and fenced off the window.  Not so much for them because I knew they couldn't climb that high, but for any spiders and as a warning for me to not mine any further in that direction.

Found some more iron (and flint) at the level though, and wound up making another hole into the mine.  Okay, no problem...  except there was an Enderman right there.  Crap!  Blocked off as much as I could, fenced it.  Went back up to my main level to clean out my backpack, went back down, and the Enderman was in the sub-basement.  Don't know how, everything was blocked off, everything was still intact.  Killed him easily enough though.



Overall

Okay, the game is more than it's basic and simple premise.  I'm surprised at how involving it actually is, all without the aid of story or of something structured / something to do other than survive and build.

I can't see myself doing this on the computer, at least not regularly or for any length of time (not unless I had a really big screen.)  I think the biggest drawback of me doing anything computer-wise was having to upgrade all the damn time, and for games like this, my internet connection.  Since Minecraft doesn't need much in the way of computing power, and my internet is much better I could switch, but I won't.  Don't want to cross platform the same game.

Glad I picked this up.  Did I mention how quickly time goes by now?  I can be on for hours, HOURS, without realizing it.  Oh well

To everything you said, I give a   and a   

Everybody who I know has played this game, and is on the forum has done the log cabin, and the fortified lair under the mountain. We have all stolen from villages at some point. We have all multi-leveled under our houses, and it sounds like you're at the beginning stages of starting a strip mine! In case you haven't found that in the wiki, you dig a 1x2 tunnel in a straight line for how ever far you want. Go back to the beginning, go THREE blocks over and run a parallel shaft, and repeat. By going every three blocks, you will find every piece of loot available! I'm explaining it poorly, but try it and you'll get it.

Also, your Enderman. They teleport. As long as a space is three blocks high, they can teleport inside it. You can't keep them in, you can't keep them out. Either gotta whack them or ignore them. They also like to steal blocks from the landscape, so when you're blocking off a tunnel or entrance, it's not impossible for them to remove the blocking item (I think just blocks, don't think the can take doors or fences or the like.

All in all, glad you're enjoying!

There are two strip mines I'm working on.  

1.  Make my 1x2 doorway, drop a block on the first opening so I have a slight window, then I just carve out a big cavern.  Place one light near the window, and once it gets too dark to differentiate the rock types, I go back to the window, and the next block forward, I make a step down and clear that entire level.  Repeat until I had to place a second torch.  Once the second torch was placed, I went as far back / away from the light as I could, made a secondary cavern, and repeat as with step one.  I made the cavern as large as I possibly could, and when I stopped collecting things (ie, when I got bored), I reopened that initial doorway and channeled some water into the mine.  This way, baddies can't come in and set up shop.

2.  The second mine I made is essentially the way you described, except this is a tunnel / mine.  I've been in the process (as of last night) of making things a bit more safer or civilized in my neck of the woods.  Made the moat around my main home (three cubes wide, funneled two lakes to do this), and in the process began to construct some roads.  Discovered that the ocean is within safe walking distance from my home, so thought about how I could go about utilizing that.  Instead of making a weaving back-and-forth type irrigation system, I decided the best course would be to create a one cube wide path for the water to flow into.  Any obstructions I would come across I would just mine straight through; so I wouldn't be washed away, the tunnels are T shaped, 3x2 at the top for me to walk, and one cube going down the middle for the water to flow.  The mountain I'm currently tunneling is rather large, so I've been making "service rooms" every so often so I have a place to sleep.

...

Currently, my home is rather protected (I think).  The moat has helped a lot.  Just checking around my immediate surroundings now to see what's what, what easily available resources there are; I'm set up in a partial snow / forested hilly area, surrounded by desert, with the ocean at my back.  Once I make some initial outposts (they'll each be equipped with a chest an bed, I think), I'll begin making a farm.

...

Haven't really checked the wiki that much.  Sure, I went on it to look up crafting recipes, but once I noted that the crafting menu shows and tells you what you need for everything, I figured there was no real need for me to go back.  I'm trying to play things from the character's perspective, without player knowledge or anything like that.  Sure, I'll pick stuff up from talking to you guys, but I can reason that away by saying it came up in discussion with my character as he met you in the village.

{EDIT}

I really wish there was a way to take screen shots.  I know you can do so on the PC, but not on the PS.  

Just a thought, instead of trenching aqueducts, you could transport buckets of water to do much the same thing, and there would be a lot less digging. Also, the water flowing for 8 blocks gets to be a pain if your water source is too far away. In case you haven't noticed fully, water doesn't behave completely correctly. You can use buckets to place water "sources" on the sides of blocks, at any height above flat ground, and by watching the "grain" of the flowing water texture, you can actually adjust your water sources to divert baddies or loot to a particular place! Before going nuts, I would recommend popping back into creative and playing with buckets for a while to really grasp what I am once again explaining poorly.

I know what you're saying.  But in order to make the bucket, I probably have to do something first; all the iron I've collect has gone to a full suit of armor and some tools.  Haven't found any additional iron veins yet.

The current tunnel system I'm working on was a two front effort.  The first was clearly as a mine, but when I came out the other end and saw how close to the ocean I was, I determined that it really wouldn't hurt anything to see if I could do this (bringing water to me).  I know when I channeled the two small ponds by my base that I had to do some creative digging in order for the water to fill the moat, or even go into the moat, so I fully expect the same to happen here... I'm just hoping that the ocean may have enough sources for a good solid stream.

If it doesn't work, no harm done.

Here's a rough map of the area I am in, to help with the visual understanding.  The left side of the picture is west; the small village I destroyed lies in that direction.  From the SW-W-NW-N is desert.  There are some mountains in the distance.  NE-E I have forests.  Also to the NE is a sizeable lake (could be something else, but haven't fully explored yet).  Some hills in this area.  SE-S is more desert, with ocean in the distance.

The brown section is my "farm". The entrance into my base is the lower right section of that triangle, where the water flow makes an L, with my door right at that corner.

The hill I've called home isn't that big.  I'll guess that it's about 7 blocks high (from my entrance).  The hill that is to the NE of my location is where the tunnel system is, and is roughly 15 blocks high (from its entrance).  The entrance way is, I'm guessing, about four blocks lower than mine.

You can see from the rough map that the two lakes I diverted aren't that far away from my home, and were easy enough to channel.  The moat is an open box shape, due to the fact that I didn't need to place a moat within the hill side.  The small black and blue line next to me is the first mine, the one I flooded.  This one I can still enter, as it's just a series of steps and caverns; the water fills the entrance way floor, and flows down the middle.

The black and blue line to the side is the tunnel system I'm working on now.  I've got the tunnel made, and now (tonight or tomorrow) I'll be clearing a path starting at the ocean and into the tunnel.  Starting at the ocean so I can see just how much of a flow I have, to see if it'll work or not.  I think it should, but then again this is a fairly long tunnel... I'll just take it as far as I can go. Hopefully I can get some time in, as I am curious about this!

Well then good luck!

Go figure, didn't work. Or rather, it did work, but... the downgraded slope I was having to make wasn't cost effective. Stopped at about 1/4 of the way through.

On the plus side of things, I found out my area of land is situated on a peninsula, goes towards the east. There are two mountains at the end, one that has what appeared to be a crater on the side of it, the other looking like an isosceles triangle. The crater turned out to actually be the start of a mine; extreme amounts of coal and iron within, and no monsters.

So, like any good prospector, I laid claim. I found a nice little island near this mountain and have set up shop. Or set up castle would be more accurate. There are a couple smaller islands nearby, but by nearby I mean at least five squares out. Plenty of animals, readily available materials (wood, plants, animals, ore), all without having to work for anything.

I've set up my main castle wall from experience and from others have told me: four blocks high, with an overhanging ledge. Main level interior is only two blocks high; you have to jump up to get into the door. I've built my structure to match the shape of the island I am on, so right now, there is no place for any creature to spawn on my property (unless it is on the roof. can that happen?), and ample lighting inside so nothing spawns within.

Definitely a greater improvement than the last place I had. Over there, I was over thinking, almost struggling. Here? It's like a paradise in comparison! I remember reading something a while back on the rise of man, how you know mankind entered a golden age because only when people are stress or worry free, free of wondering when the next meal is coming, free of fearing the next attack, that that is when people can create. I feel as if I have entered my golden age.

Quote :

journal entry, day 131
I've done all I could to survive, to make a living within this world, but the Fates conspired against me.  I feel as if I can be doing better, but I am unable to go beyond this meager existence.  Good bye world, you shall not have to worry about me any more.

Quote :

journal entry, day ?
I thought I was done with the world, with trying to survive.  In a final burst of an energy I did not know I had, the world which was to have been my prison, my grave, was destroyed in one final act of god.  At least, I found freedom, but it was to be short lived.

I awoke in a strange new land, though where I cannot say.  A complete village lay before me, and though the inhabitants spoke a language unfamiliar to my ears, they accepted me as one of them.

Quote :

journal entry, day N5
The villagers granted me permission to set up a home on the outskirts of their community.  In exchange, and because of their acceptance, I have crafted doors and torches for them, giving them some extra protection from the creatures that emerge from the nearby woods.

I've explored the nearby countryside, and made several discoveries.  To the south and east of me rests a vast ocean, with a bay that comes in and leads to the northwest; I've made several trips to this water source, having crafted (and now filled) a moat surrounding the stone tower in which I call home.  Perhaps more interesting is that it appears that this area was once inhabited by a long forgotten people, for I have seen with my own eyes four vast open caverns in the south that bore into the hillside, caves which appear to have been mined.  The villagers appear ignorant of these areas, although it would seem as if they harbor some sort of fear about them, for no one ventures towards them.

I shall build roads to these areas for future exploration, if not for the villagers, then for my own use.

Quote :

journal entry, day N12
I've journeyed deep within the caves and learned that they are all connected.  I have taken to lighting these paths and to lay out what I hope will result in an easily identifiable set of directions, to lead me back home and the surface.  Perhaps in the future I shall return and make these tunnels wider and more attune to my needs.  Something akin to an underground roadway perhaps, instead of this haphazard collection of winding trails and miraculous jumps.

There is this one tunnel, however, that causes within me a deep sense of... hesitation.

Quote :

journal entry, day unknown
With an ample supply of torches and pick-axes, I started my adventure into the deeper recesses of these caverns, in particular the tunnel with which speaks of an area dark and unknown.  I don't know how far I traveled, or how long I have been underground.  On several occasions I came across vast pools of lava, allowing me to spare the use of torch.  At other times, and almost on a level of trepidation,  I stumbled upon several areas which housed wooden structures, pathways and bridges and support columns; here then are physical signs that this area was once home to beings unknown.  Do they still live here?  What became of them?

My food supply is becoming scarce.  Mushrooms, some brown, some red, have been spotted by me, but I fear that I would surrender my life should I taste them.  I made to backtrack my movements, but it would seem that I merely made myself lost.  What I believed to be light from my torches was only that of more lava pools, or from torches left by peoples long gone.

I fear that I will not be able to return.

Quote :

journal entry, day unknown
Salvation!  I found myself before a wall of moss covered stone.  Surely, I reasoned, if there be moss, the surface cannot be far behind.  I made way beyond this wall, only to discover a den of zombies, all of which appeared to emerge from some sort of cage centered within the room.  I fought several of them, slaying them as quickly as the emerged.  Between bouts, I planted torches in the hopes that the fear of light was greater than the taste of my flesh.  It worked, and I was able to destroy their entry point.

Unseen by me until the end were two chests, chests which contained breads, apples, and other items both mundane and arcane.  My stomach full once more, I headed out.

Quote :

journal entry, day unknown
The tunnel that I believed to be my next grave opened into a vast rift that reached to the very sky itself!  This rift was long in length, short or width, but high indeed.  Oh how I laughed as the sun shone upon my face, overjoyed as the rain beat upon my skin, as I made my way up!

Upon reaching the peak, I realized with sad truth that I knew not where I was.  Even sadder was the fact that I noted the sun began to fall.

I played out my path in my mind as I turned, surveying all before me.  I took note of some cattle dropping behind a crest, to which I chased after so that I could replenish my stores.  Upon crossing that mound, I saw a village, my village.  My journey, it would seem, took me underneath my home and to the north.  Praise be my good fortune, for being within an area known to me!

Quote :

journal entry, day AR3
After crafting many useful items from my darkened journey, I returned to the Rift, and created a secondary home within, so that I could better explore without worry.  Though I have been unable to locate the wooden structures which drew my curiosity earlier, I believe I may have found something far more valuable.

Within this Rift, in tunnels previously unknown to me, I discovered not only vast amounts of coal, shale and iron, but gold and lapis.  Not only that, but I have found some stones containing a red material.  I will have to investigate further.

Quote :

journal entry, day AR7
I came upon another wall composed of mossy stone; fearing another zombie hoarde, I prepared my torches and sword, only to learn that it was not zombies that would greet me , but rather skeletons.  I made short work of them, and as the last time, was rewarded with chest of materials needed, un-needed, and enchantments.  I returned to my secondary base for some much needed rest and food.

Quote :

journal entry, day unknown
In a zeal to explore, suffering from a greed to acquire more wealth, it would seem I got lost once again.  Luckily for me, I had the good fortune and sense to stop my blind stumbles about, but to begin the fabrication of an upward angled stairway.  I knew I could not find my way within the tunnels any better than my other attempts, so I decided to make my own.  After some time I broke through the surface; the peak which I climbed from my initial emergence from the Rift lay above and behind me, to my right, marked with several stone columns alight with torches placed all around.  I crafted a stony structure about this new tunnel, again alight with torches.

Instead of making my way back into the Rift, I took it upon myself to trek back home.  I have ore aplenty, with enough iron and coal to meet all my current needs for quite some time.  In the immediate, I shall focus on adding a fence along the village, to add a sense of protection to these fine people, and to assist with the gathering of foodstuff.

My need to explore has abated, and now I must focus on the needs of the body.

That, sir, was an entirely enjoyable read! Thanks for that!   

Quote :

journal entry, village home
Having constructed a massive amount of fencing, I was able to place a fence surrounding not just the village, but sections of the road as well, even going so far as to place a series of gates throughout.  This could not have happened at a better time, for the village, which once housed ten or so persons, now only harbors a handful.  I am afraid that the doors and torches were not enough to protect my adoptive family.  The addition of a perimeter should hopefully add that extra bit of security.

Quote :

journal entry, reforestation
I've cleared and leveled the island to the southeast, and have constructed bridges leading to it, in an effort to introduce oak and birch trees into the environment.  I am hoping that I can once again bring a tree population back into the area.  Normally I would replant from where they were first removed, but I am hoping to create an expansive mine entrance which will connect all three of the caves together.

Quote :

journal entry, reforestation continued
Trees have taken root on their new island home.  However, it would seem that as one problem is solved, another arises to take it's place: the cattle and sheep population of the island have dwindled, due to wolves moving into the new forest.  Luckily, only half of the island is dedicated to the tree farm; I shall attempt to reproduce the herd animal's living conditions on the other half.  But that will have to wait for another day.

Quote :

journal entry, village home continued
I fear the worse has befallen my home, and not due to the likes of those creatures lurking behind the darkness.  Only one villager remains, and I do believe that it is he who is to blame for the mysterious vanishings of the villagers.  He just stands there, watching me and my every move, making sounds of contemplation, as if he is plotting against me.  Should I be worried?  Am I not well armed and armored?  Then again, were not the villagers safe in their numbers?

How can one man be so callous?

I should slay him where he stands, to avenge his neighbors, but what if I am wrong?  No, I can't be.  The monsters are kept at bay, the village well lit and secure, there is no way that the creatures of the night could have entered!  The fence-line is intact, the gates closed.  Every piece of evidence points to one conclusion: this lone survivor murdered everyone who believed him friend.  I shall not be his next victim; when next I see him, he shall be made to suffer.

Rest? Pfft! I need more fanfic!

Now that you have the super laptop, have you considered picking up PC Minecraft? We could probably finnangle a toned down mod pack that would give everyone something to do, yet run smoothly for you. It's a whole new game when you have several people in a persistent world for several weeks. Hell, to get you in there I'd even go back to serving Hexxit!

I've thought about it, but... I'm rather enjoying just doing my own thing at the moment. Taking a break from survival and have been experimenting with redstone and building structures on creative. It's gotten to the point where I am this close to whipping out the graph paper to get the designs just right.

After many months of neglect, I've returned to Minecraft. Downloaded and installed the latest support packs as well as a couple texture packs. As with any game that I've ignored for quite some time, I deleted the old filed files and have started anew.

Journal Entry 20150508.1 - I've awoken in a strange world.

My ship, there had been an emergency, an evacuation of all personnel. I remember boarding a life pod and being ejected, the dissipating gravity well of our ship's engines hurtling the pods, changing their pre-programmed trajectories... I don't know where I am.

I see a small chain of mountains to the south of me, trees dotting the landscape. I shall head there in the hopes of finding something.

Journal Entry 20150508.2 - These mountains appear to be along the shore of a vast ocean. One of the mountains in particular bears an odd formation: a nearly perfect circle bored through it. Knowing where I came from, I would almost believe that my pod might have created that; in fact, there would appear to be an indent or two in the ground, running in a line from this mountain to where I originally awoke.

While approaching this formation for further investigation, I was attacked by a strange creature. It appeared to be a skeleton of sorts, armed with a simple yet highly effective bow.

I fled from the tunnel in a northerly direction, finding myself in a small plain. To the south lay the mountains, to the east some gentle hills, forested, and harboring some life. My health diminished by the chance encounter, I did what I could to find sustenance. I... I beat a pig to death, and with no means of creating a fire, I ate its flesh raw. Minutes into this new world, and look at me, look at what I have become.

.2, continued - Unbelievably, the sun begins to set, and the sounds of unknown creatures fill the night. I do my best and construct a shelter in the center of the small plain, to offer some sort of protection from what lurks in the darkness. It is going to be a long night.

Journal Entry 20150508.3 - The rules of physics must be different here. The shelter I built was created in an instant, having buried into the ground like a type of badger, and though I can easily move through the soil, it seems that whatever owns the night cannot. As dawn broke, I emerged from my hole, and set forth to build some basic tools and a stronger shelter, something to which I could feel human again.

My hands destroyed trees almost as easily as soil, and within a minute or so I had enough raw material to construct some simple tools, and with that, I was able to make a fortification out of my burrow, and harvested a nice supply of meat, leather, and wool from the animals to the east.

In this world, I feel stronger, and I'm able to carry a massive amount of material without becoming tired or over-encumbered. Gravity remains the same, as does my mass. Perhaps there is something in the air, a higher oxygen content. With my strength magnified and the physical properties of this world beyond imagination, one can overlook that this world has a highly unusual rotation cycle; a day last for minutes here.

.3 continued - In all my training, in all I have prepared for, nothing has prepared me for this. The sciences here behind survival make no sense. There is no reasoning behind how or why things work the way they do; everything I have learned or know to be true is wrong in this place.

Journal Entry 20150509.1 - The fortifications are almost complete. Though I have begun to craft some sturdier building material, it would seem that merely placing the likes of sand, gravel, and dirt is enough to deter even the strongest of these creatures.

I've also begun to create a series of subterranean levels. Though my initial shelter is adequate for all my needs, there isn't much room for growth; I don't know how long I shall be stranded on this world, and as my knowledge of this world grows, so too shall my needs.

Journal Entry 20150509.2 - With the creation of the sub-levels, I've also taken the liberty in creating several key surface entry ways, lest I be stranded upon the surface after nightfall. Each is constructed of stonework, surrounded by walls to keep out all but the giant spiders that frequent these lands, and highlighted by torches about.

.2, continued - I've made a discovery today. While checking on the integrity of my equipment, I saw that the standard GPS mapping system is fully active, though it puzzles me as to how this can be. There are no lines of communication, no active satellite signals being received, and yet the device is able to accurately map out my current location, and the surface area which surrounds me, even if I am some distance underground.

While this is something to ponder, a more troublesome line of thought infiltrates my mind because of this. I don't remember what the emergency was that initiated the evacuation, nor am I consciously aware of anything between the evacuation and my waking on this planet's surface. And even more unsettling is the fact that I did not emerge from a life pod. It is possible that I was roaming the surface, stunned and in shock, for some time before coming to my senses, but if that be the case, then why hadn't the creatures that roam at night done me in?

Am I a part of some experiment? A test to see how one can cope in isolation, stranded upon a strange and alien world? If that is the case, then why offer me a glimpse with a working GPS, when all indications show that none should be?

Journal Entry 20150526.1 - It has been a couple weeks since my last entry, and even though I know not if these broadcasts are reaching home, I feel as if I should continue with them... if not for the chance of rescue, then perhaps as a safeguard for my own sanity.

I've dug to what can only be described as bedrock, with no hindrance or obstruction; a perfect multi-layered substructure now exists beneath my original base of operations (which so far has gone unmolested by the natives). In one sub-level I crafted a tunnel to the north, discovering a massive cavern; further exploration revealed signs of previous habitation, a network of cobblestone walls and iron bars. I investigated to an extent, placing several barriers to prevent any unwanted visitors from entering my home. In a second level I mined to the east, and upon hearing wildlife, I made a series of steps leading up; here I made an outpost in what could only be described as a swamp. A third level has an tunnel leading to the south, where I formed an entrance out into the ocean. I've thought about the creation of a tunnel leading west, but in that direction lies the mountain with the hole bore through, and from experience, that is a direction I do not wish to enter yet.

Upon hitting the bedrock, I felt a sense of safety. Unless I broke into a subterranean hollow, no creature could come upon me; with adequate lighting, no creature can hide from my gaze. I am free to harvest the necessary materials needed to repair or replace the technology that has failed since my awakening. With time, I learned that many of the materials I require are not available; however, I discovered a red stone which seems to hold many advanced properties, which I might be able to utilize once I ascertain its secrets.

I am quickly acquiring more stone than what I know to do with. I don't know if it's because I've been in isolation for so long, but I'm beginning to thin that maybe I could craft a massive structure, from the bedrock up to the surface. With the physics the way they are on this world, it wouldn't be that outrageous.

20150526.2 - I've discovered a massive pool of lava to the west of my bottom most sub-level. I've created a path to encircle this flow, in an effort to break the monotony of mining, and the sheer size of this pool is staggering. Surely by now I should have succumbed to sulfur poisoning or something, but no... I am able to walk next to the lava with no ill effects, including heat.

At several points around this path, I could hear the sounds of monstrous vocalizations; there must be a cavern nearby. I am amazed by how sound travels here! The other day, I swore I could hear thunder, but surely that could not be, not so far below the surface.

I've recently made the switch from the PS3 to the PS4 version of Minecraft. The biggest draw for me was that the worlds are 36 times bigger than the previous version; I've also noticed that the graphics are vastly improved upon. Couple the two together, and you can actually see or get a sense of distance / depth. Stand atop a mountain and gaze onto the horizon, and you can see... what's the correct term... depth fog? *shrugs*

With my leaping into the realm of the PS4, I thought it would be of interest to begin a new journal, to see how long I can make this last. Please note that I've been playing for a few days now, so this particular entry may be all over the place.

PS4 Minecraft Journal

I awoke under water, and I was sinking.

I swam to the surface as quickly as I could, finding myself on the western shore of a great stone mountain. In front of me, towards the west, a series of hills and more mountains. The south, a vast body of water with what appears to be islands dotting the horizon. To the north a forest, with what I can only assume to be birch and oak. Animals were freely roaming about, with no sign or indication of ownership; neither fence nor bridle nor brand.

I crawled my way up the shore, trying to get my bearings, when I noticed a chest lying in the grass, surrounded by flaming torches. I approached slowly, fearing a trap, but the fear of not knowing where I was... or for that matter who I am... pushing me. I opened the chest, finding it contained several articles of woods: wooden planks, saplings, and seeds. It additionally contained what I can only assume is a potato. I took all it contained, even scavenging the torches.

I headed towards the hill immediately before me to gain a better view of the land. The climb was for the most part easy. Upon approaching the top, I saw that the forested valley led to two lakes of comparable size.

Wherever I was, it was rich in natural resources. Plenty of animals to hunt, plenty of trees to craft shelter and tools, and the minerals themselves were abundant: sand, granite, stone, diorite and andesite. On my way up this hill, I swear I saw what could only be indications of coal.

With the sun at it's highest, I began to construct a small shelter. I leveled the top of the hill as quickly as I could, using the dirt and sod to construct the basic of structures, an eight by eleven earthen wall standing three high. Once completed, I managed to fumble together a crafting table, and in turn a crude pickaxe, to which I used to collect the coal I saw earlier.

I worked through the night, removing a layer or two of what was my floor, to replace the dirt walls with material more substantial: granite. The base layer itself quickly became filled with a cobblestone, and the roof simple oak slats.

...

Over the course of the next few days, I made more improvements to what was certainly becoming my home. I found sheep near the forest, which I harvested for meat and wool. I created stone furnaces, and with that I began to make glass out of the sand I brought from the lakes. I journeyed to the great mountain I first saw as a emerged from the ocean (I cannot in good conscious call it a lake) and found a substantial amount of coal on the surface.

What started off as a shelter to get me out of the elements has become a home. With five small storage chests, two furnaces, a crafting table... and in my vanity, a double sized bed, I have quickly run out of space. It was time, I felt, to see what lay beneath my feet; and so, I began to dig and carve my way down.

...

Day, unknown.

I returned to the surface to replenish my stores of wood when I noticed something peculiar: where I had surfaced a different lifetime ago, lay another chest, also lit by torches. Coincidence? Or something more?

...

I had an encounter with my first inhabitant, if that is what one calls it. A small bipedal creature, who I took to be human, approached me. I had thought that this was a child of sorts, at least until the creature began to attack me with tooth and claw. I attempted to run away, but this creature was fast, quickly outpacing me. I had no choice but to kill it. Oddly enough, the flesh of this beast was rotting, as if it had been dead for some time.

That evening, I discovered another type of animal: a giant spider. They seem docile enough, but are easily provoked.

...

This week has been a week of many first: I discovered another manner of beast, one which stood upright like man, but with four small legs; this creature explodes with some inner force when near death. I am glad that I was able to hit it away from me before it exploded; I dread what would have happened should I have been within it's blast radius.

The other first? I saw a human, much like me, on what I consider to be my hill. I went to great this person, when he began to shoot me with some sort of projectile that coated me in a poison. I struck the individual dead, though not before I sustained heavy wounds.

...

Date, unknown

I continued to borrow deep into my hill, my home. Layer after layer, deeper into the rock I go. Sometimes I think my mind is slipping... I hear things, strange things. Music, a chime. Sometimes the groans of demons. But I continue to carve into the rock. Forgetting to sleep. Forgetting to eat.

Why can't I remember who I am?

...

The chest is back, lit up for me to see. This isn't coincidence any more. Someone is baiting me, taunting me. Always the chest has more seeds and more saplings and more lumber. I destroy the chest, take it with me, deep into the ground... but it always comes back, it always finds a way to come back.

Who's putting this there? I stand and I watch, waiting for a glimpse of someone, but the chest never appears when I'm waiting... no. But it always comes when I am away. Am I being watched?

Who's doing this to me?!

...

I cannot dig down any more. I try and I try, but my pickaxe... stone, iron, emerald... cannot pierce this layer. So now I dig out. Why am I digging? There's got to be a limit to this madness, and edge of reality that they haven't thought of, that they didn't think to secure. I will find a way out.

...

The chest is back.

...

There's this great mountain in the distance that has continued to draw my eye. Tall, majestic, shrouded in fog. There appears to be something spherical atop it, though I cannot make out what it is. Tomorrow, perhaps the day after, I shall set forth to this globe. Perhaps it is a marker of sorts; nothing else in the area comes close to appearing artificial as that.

...

I've journeyed across the valleys and over hills and mountains, but I was unable to reach the Sphere, not before the sun began to set. I climbed another mountain, and to my pleasure I found a cave at its peak; I only had to secure the opening. It seems that the longer I stay in these lands, the more my presence attracts all manners of creatures that would seek me harm.

This cave isn't deep, and I have lit every area with torch. The monsters seem to materialize from the shadows, but I have learned quick in the ways to combat them.

The Sphere is perhaps half a day's journey from here, maybe more. I cannot read the land as well as I had thought. But I take comfort in knowing I can see my home from here. My home, aglow in torch light, a beacon of hope, of mental serenity.

...

I was unable to travel today, as the floodgates of heaven itself came crashing open. There are monsters about, so I took this time to clear the lands about this, my second home. I have removed all trees from this mountain top, fortified these walls. Nothing shall be able to get in.

I need rest. I need food. I did not bring nearly enough. I will hunt tomorrow, prepare foodstuff before I set out to the Sphere.

...

You know... trying to assign dates and times to a game where a day lasts 10 minutes is a pain in the arse. From here on out, I'm just going to use playing sessions as the day count.

Journal Entry, Day 13

I made it to the Sphere, only to find that it was a lone tree. Disappointing, but it gave me something to do, an escape from whatever demons were haunting me. I wish there was someone here, someone to talk to, for I fear I might go mad.

Not wanting to return to my original home base, I have established this secondary shelter as another base of operations. The layout of the cave was shaped as a 7, with the - running north to south and the | east to west. Over a fair bit of time, I now have a deck overlooking a great valley outside the northern portion of the - . Perhaps sitting back and watching nature unfold will help in calming my isolation. To the east, I have built a crude elevator of sorts... the piling of dirt... to take me to the top of this hill, where I have the beginnings of a farm. A 7x7 grid of glass acts as the roof where the - and the | meet, helping to light a vast shaft I have dug into the ground.

...

Something truly bizarre has happened.

While digging my shaft, at an unknown layer deep within the earth, I came across a block of oak. Clearing the level a bit more, it would appear as if I have found a mine of sorts; broken rail lay just below me, fencing, coated in thick webbing. I cleared the floor of my shaft... or in this case, the ceiling of this mine, and placed a layer of glass. After having developed a means to safely traverse between the mine and my shaft, I dropped down.

From what I have been able to explore, this mine appears to be quite extensive. After some time, I did return to my shaft so that I may begin construction of more torches to better light the tunnels, and to create some signs to place at junctions in case I should lose my way. On hindsight, perhaps I should think about creating some armor and weapons; I have already stumbled across two of the exploding creatures which I have dubbed "creepers" due to their silence in creeping up to me, an animated skeleton, and though I haven't seen any, I have heard the sounds of the giant spiders in addition to the low guttural moans of some unknown beast. While my exploration of the tunnels revealed several pockets of coal and iron, I believe it would be for the best to hold off on mining these resources until properly equipped. I have a small store of iron here at this outpost, but not nearly enough for what I wish to construct; same with coal. Looks like I will be heading to the main base.

Journal Entry, Day 14

I made the trek to my original base and back within one day, having found a much easier route to travel. As such, I was able to quickly obtain much needed supplies for my clearing of the mine. After crafting much desired armor, numerous torches and signs, as well as a sword and some pick axes, I set forth.

While I encountered a few monstrous beasts, there were two with which I have just discovered, one of which being the body behind the moaning I've heard previously. This foul creature resembled an adult version of the rotted child I met all those days ago... but more on that later. The second was a tall creature, humanoid with arms out of proportion to the rest of the body, longer than what they should have been. They are quite docile, but as with most predatory animals, they are incredibly provoked when looked upon in the eye. I managed to survive this encounter by quickly mining a hole within the tunnel that only I could fit in, then proceeding to lash out with my sword.

In mapping out the mining tunnel system, I also discovered a breeding pit for the giant spiders, which I made quick work of. Additionally, I found a den of what could only be best described as "zombies", much to my dismay. I survived the encounter, but barely; luckily, there happened to be a chest of rations nearby, which is the foundation of a hypothesis I am working on.

1. With the surface animals showing signs of domestication, or at least showing no fear towards me or my approaches, there can be no doubt that these animals... pigs, cattle, sheep, horses, and even the packs of dogs... are domesticated, or in at least are descended from animals who have been for generations.

2. Agricultural crops, such as apples, wheat, cocoa, and pumpkin, are abundant throughout the land, usually found in the same areas as the animals. This leads me to believe that this land was at one time inhabited.

3. The scale of the mountains, with their size and angular edges, show no indication of weathering. This leads me to believe that, geologically speaking, these mountain ranges are recent. A great many of the mountains don't even have a layer of dirt upon them, a pure stone face laying exposed. The trees appear stunted. It is as if everything was the result of some cataclysmic event. Between the exposed mountainsides, the tree growth (or lack thereof), and the animal behavior, I would be willing to bet that such an event was no more than one hundred years ago.

4. Tying in with this are the humans, or rather the ones that appear human, are of a roguish state, barbaric. This can only be expected from a society which had a rapid decline, where the basic instincts of survival over-ride a more civilized manner. Likewise, the rotted humans, or zombies, have every visual appearance of having suffered exposure to the elements and harsh or hazardous conditions. Their mental state has regressed to that of an animal, cannibalistic in nature. Then there are the poor wretched souls that appear as animated skeletons, trapped between the normal humans and the zombies... they have some semblance of skill, as their crafting of bows and arrows would indicate, but they are so starved that they are withered, mere gaunts.

5. With all of this, I believe that in recent times, this world had experienced a devastating event. While war does seem to be the automatic response, I haven't seen anything that would indicate an advanced level of technology. While it might be possible for the sciences and knowledge to be lost, a few decades could not account for everything to disappear. No, this event would have had to have been natural. A comet perhaps, or a small asteroid. An impact scenario matches almost perfectly with all I have witnessed, from the mountains and tree growth, to the animal behavior and the fall of humanity. There is just one more piece to this puzzle...

6. The giant humanoids, with their alien appearance and strange glow, are unlike anything seen so far. Dare I say they appear alien in nature? Is it too much to imagine that these are in fact extraterrestrials, alien to this world? And their behavior... they are clearly harvesting resources, as I have seen a few of them grabbing and taking with them large portions of the land. In an effort to harvest an area, it isn't far fetched to see a quick eradication of the indigenous population. And, because you are after the resources, you would need to employ a means that would remove the population without drastically harming the environment.

All told, it is my belief that this world has experienced an impact of a celestial object, brought forth by an alien force. The discovery of a mining area is obvious disarray only cements this idea, as an impact would surely have had as large an impact on the subterranean as the surface.

I must investigate this further. I may not know who I am or how I got here, but it is clear that I now have a mission.