As i said i was going to do, i posted my first post on the Minecraft forum. I might not of pointed out before, but i have NEVER posted in a forum before. I usually browse through several when looking for solutions or help on problems and look for posts which i have in mind. Im not sure, but i suppose ive just been reluctant to make my presence known on forums for fear of condescending comments or mockery.

So my first post ever was this:

“Hey guys! 
Ive recently bought the beta version of Minecraft and have been trying out the creative mode before jumping in the deep end and trying multiplayer.
I was wondering is it possible to have a small map on the game HUD so i can keep track of where i am in relation to my little castle?
Also, some of my items dont do anything when i try to use them. For example the mine cart or the jukebox. Is there a specific ‘Use item’ button?
Any help would be great guys as im loving this game right now!  ”

Basic beginners help, but genuine problems i was having while starting off. I’ll be honest, i didnt think anyone would reply or at least not for a few days. I checked into my forum account the next morning (Oh im know as ShuckMan101 on both the forum and Minecraft.net) to find several replies, all kind and helpfull. As such, i will definitely post up things in it more often!:)

Also, as a result of suggestions in some of these comments i have successfully downloaded and installed my first game mod (A mod is essentially a modified piece of software for a game, which are created by members of the gaming community or by games developers. These can fix software issues or add new features to a game). Its a small mini-map window for the game screen which helps show where i am on the game map as a whole. I dont know if i can share names or links with this stuff just yet so i might post a link in the future, but it shows how being part of an online community can help make you feel part of something and comes with many benefits!:) Heres a screen grab of the new minimap (in the top right corner):

New minimap

Oh yea, i forgot to mention last week that i have found the Twitter feed for Notch, Minecraft’s creator, while i was browsing the forum. Seems to be a good way to hear about new updates for the game as well as news on Mojang’s next release Scroll’s. Heres a link to his Twitter feed:

http://twitter.com/#!/notch

Minecraft is basically an open sandbox game where the user can mine and harvest resources around them and build any structure they can imagine. Each map is populated by different plants and animals as well as dangerous creatures to defend against. The game was originally created by a Sweedish man named Markus “Notch” Persson who has since gone on the found the indie game developer Mojang, which continues to develop Minecraft.

For a more detailed description of the game and its history, heres a link to a wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft

Well technically i started playing Minecraft a few times now but to be totally honest they didn’t go well. As i said, i bought the new beta version of Minecraft which includes an offline single player as well as an online multiplayer (as of yet not tested). The offline single player had two different modes of playing: Creative mode and Survival mode. So me being sure of my gaming capabilities, i went for the survival mode first. Disaster. I had 10 mins to find a nice cozy cave to hole up in for the night before all the nasty nocturnal creatures of the game came out to say hi in their own blocky-violent way. Each time i attempted to start the game i either couldnt find a cave and fell foul of said creatures, or found a cave which was already occupied. So yea, word of advice: dont jump in the deep end if your not sure you can swim.

Today however, i decided to try out the Creative mode. There are still bad guys around: as i struggled with my early building i was constantly pestered by local indigenous tribes and pesky spiders, while as i dug my labyrinth of mines i encountered many zombies and cave-dwelling tribes. Fun, fun. This mode however provides you with unlimited resources such as wood and stone, so unlike in in the survival mode where i panically gathered a few scraps of wood for ages, here you pretty quickly build up a safe residence in no time. Heres a snapshot of my snazzy new castle complete with grand hall, battlements, watch tower and miles of tunnels (adding mine tracks and cart later for some underground joyriding!).

my castle battlements

View from my watch tower

Awesome watchtower

View from tower in early morning

Mine shaft

Grand hall - ground floor

Grand stairs

Grand hall - lower floor

My castle - battlements at night

So yea, an amazing game, very addictive too. Next up im going to make my first post in the Minecraft forum, say hi and ask for tips from the more experienced players. Wish me luck!

Minecraftforum.net

Official Minecraft forum

Yay! Ive joined the Minecraft forum, well there are loads of forums dedicated to Minecraft but ive so far joined the main, official forum. Heres a link:

http://www.minecraftforum.net/

Im still researching the whole Minecraft thing and browsing the forum before i actually post anything in it (Im not scared, im just making sure i dont look like a complete noob). I also am still trying to get to grips with the game itself so my first post will most like be: ‘Hi! my names Eamonn and im a noob, please help me as i have no idea what im doing!’. So yep, still easing myself into my new virtual mining occupation…

Oh yea, found a great list of some other possible Minecraft-related websites and forums here:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/9-online-communities-enhance-minecraft-game-experience/

Additional research maybe…