Editor's note: Niall chronicles a few minutes of indie game Minecraft, and simultaneously argues that Minecraft pushes the edge of emergent gameplay as much or more than anything out there. I have to play this game now.... -Demian
While waiting for Dan Tabar and Cortex Command to reappear on my indie-game radar, I've had time to check out some other self-made developers. Ever since I came across Minecraft, I've been lurking far below, deep in the forests and caverns of my very own procedurally-generated paradise of adventure. It's an independently-made gem of a browser game, developed by a Swedish gent who goes by the name of Notch (Markus Persson by day), whose dedication I have yet to see matched by any other indie developer -- nay, any game developer.
Inspired by the good ideas behind the less-ambitious Infiniminer (from Zachtronics Industries), Persson set out to make a browser version. That didn't take him long, so he apparently just kept on going. At the time of writing he is working constantly on new features and ideas, taking just the right amount of input from the community. Minecraft has grown into something far more impressive than Infiniminer ever was, and is definitely worth the ten Euros it'll set you back if you pre-order.
The best way to explain Minecraft is through the form of a travelogue. Therefore, I present: The Crafty Mine Adventures of Nige!
Now, let's hit the “generate level” button.
Oh yeah, everything in Minecraft looks like this. I was surprised how quickly I got used to it, but not nearly as surprised when I found myself wanting to use words like “beautiful” to describe the landscapes created with it. Like a 1:1000 GTVA Colossus made entirely from Lego blocks, the whole is far more impressive than the sum of its parts.
Anyway, that tower off in the distance looks like a good spot to build my death fortress. Onwards, to adventure!
But first, I'm going to need some tools. Watch, as I punch this tree down to harvest the delicious heartwood core! This is the first task of any canny Minecraft player. Collect wood, craft tools from it. Use wooden tools to gather rock and other materials, use rock to make better tools that can gather iron and so on. It's kind of like a testosterone-fuelled Harvest Moon in this regard, only you don't shear sheep to make clothes, you PUNCH THEIR GODDAMN WOOL OFF.
Scrabbling up the nearest hill, I get a decent view of pastures beyond. No mountain ranges in sight. A shame, since they're my favorite kind of terrain. No matter, we'll just keep on walking and the terrain generator will add more land to the map as we go.
Wielding my newly crafted rock pickaxe and some torches, I reach the foot of the tower, passing through a large, interestingly formed cavern at its base. It looks like some hulking colossus kicked the bottom out from under it, leaving it looking like a gigantic three-legged beast. This is small time, though, compared to some of the incredible formations you'll encounter. I once saw what looked like an 80ft.-high AT-ST Imperial walker made from stone, with a hat of soil and trees.
With no easy route up the tower, I decide to move on. I can see the ocean's edge just ahead and want to find a nice spot before nightfall.
Notch hasn't implemented boats yet, so it looks like a long swim out to that archipelago.
Some interesting sandy formations appear as I swim onwards. Looks like a vulnerable spot, though, so let's keep going.
Oh my. Just as night falls, I find this rather fascinating waterfall, leading underground. I don't want to fall in, so let me just take a peek before hunkering down for the nigh-FUCK
