Mine Kampf

There has been a lot of positive buzz about Minecraft lately, and we have some tentative plans here at SPT to check it out in depth once the multiplayer is in beta.  Before that happens though, I figure I'll give a brief review of the current alpha build.

First an introduction from the creator:

"Minecraft is a game about placing blocks while running from skeletons. Or something like that.."

That, in a nutshell, explains what Markus Persson has been busy making for the last year.  In Minecraft you can create whatever your imagination and dedication let you create.  You start, alone, on an island with nothing but your mitts.  And through exploration, combat, and tenacity you can become an architect, a farmer, a warlord, a spelunker, or whatever else you desire.

Your challenge during all of this comes from the zombies, skeletons, spiders, and creepers that roam the world at nighttime.  You'll need shelter to survive the nights, and building that first, primitive shelter will usually be enough to give you the bug to create.

I started my first night by building a sand wall at the tip of a peninsula.  That night, while hunched behind my bunker, the snow falling on me and the three sticks I'd managed to amass that first day, I saw a cave and made plans to move there the next day.  As the sun rose and burned my enemies away, I made my way to my new home and fashioned a wooden door to keep me safe the coming night.  As I hung that door I realized... I could be the master of this island.

... Pictures of how I became the master of my island...

However, it can be a little hard to justify spending this time creating things only for your own satisfaction.  Consequently, I'm probably done playing until I can set up a private multiplayer server for the "finished" version of the game.  I'm definitely looking forward to getting together with some friends and exploring everything from distant shores to unexplored caves right beneath our feet.

Minecraft looks to be potentially days worth of fun once it's completed.  I can't wait to see how it turns out.