Opinion: It’s the end of the world as we know it
1.8 is fast approaching and I seem to find myself having a mixture of emotions. I’m excited for everything, I’m afraid of the Endermen (Or Farlanders, your pick) but, above all else, I feel a bit sad and a bit worried. You may be wondering why, why would I feel this way? The adventure update can’t go wrong. There is no possible way! I completely agree, but the reason is this: It’s the end of Minecraft as we all know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it (And I feel fine.), just pause for a moment. For as long as Survival single player has existed, Creepers have been the most fearsome things in Minecraft. They have made us all afraid, running from our painstakingly built base to open area for an epic encounter. We have seen them supercharged, destroying whole cities! But, in a matter of weeks (Days? Maybe.), they will step down from their top pedestal, hand in their golden medal and be pushed to the back of our minds as mere “Inconvenience” as opposed to the most stressful thing in our Minecraft lives. They pass the torch on to the Endermen, who take it with ease. A creature so horrifying that a simple glance can kill you.
Not enough? Well, take this into account. Minecraft is a game of survival at this very moment. About being alone and, against all odds, surviving night after night. Creating such amazing structures the others look upon them, in awe, and say ‘Wow’. But, in 1.8, all too soon it will be the story of a lone traveller, wandering from place to place, never settling down, never having a place to call his own. Always in search of the next adventure. Always looking for his next great find. Please take note, this is not a bad thing, but it simply isn’t Minecraft. It’s no longer about survival, it’s about adventure. Do I think it will ruin the game? Absolutely not. It will make the game better, as it always does, but it won’t be Minecraft as we know it.
OK, it changes. Change is a good thing, yes, but how can my main point be that it changes Minecraft without change being bad? Well, it’s like this: We love Minecraft. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t and I am no exception; but why do we enjoy it? It’s not too challenging (At least not to me, I do not wish to sound as if I am an elitist jack- Moving on.), it is, by all means, peaceful. The landscapes are generated and are beautiful. Then comes the one world where you simply look at it and think ‘Oh my god…’, but will this be the case in the next update? There is talk of the Equation for world generation changing. Perhaps all worlds will be as gorgeous as Glacier, but that dims the magic. If every woman looked like Billie Piper, it simply wouldn’t be as impressive.
So, you’re thinking about this now, aren’t you? You don’t want Glacier to become the norm, you don’t want to lose the nostalgia of Creepers, or the loss of the lone survivor feel. Obviously, we could simply downgrade with one of the programs online, but that doesn’t solve the problem. have you ever used a really great Mod, then updated and noticed it just wasn’t the same without it? I have. It isn’t fun having to choose between that nostalgia and amazement. Whatever you are comfortable with is the obvious choice, but that’s sometimes hard.
How can this be fixed, then? Simple: Survival mode. Minecraft could remain the Adventure mode, but tucked in with the new Creative mode could be Survival. It would have the new stuff, like Mushrooms and Silverfish, or maybe Thirst and Hunger but NPC villages completely cut from the algorithm. Underground ravines, yes. Endermen, no. A way to keep the nostalgia but still add the great new things to it. It would still be about the lone survivor, fighting the odds, but it would still have the stranger things of the Adventure update.
It would be hard, yes, but it would be harder to lose what I already love forever. Most people (me included) do not want to simply scrap ideas like Endermen, but you may also want to keep the current Minecraft. I think this is a good compromise and that is my Opinion. If you do not agree, fine, but do not say it is wrong. Opinions cannot be wrong.
I strongly agree I had never thought about it until now but yes I want survival to be survival!
Notch should be notified!
I agree that i would rather notch added a new mode instead of adding to what we have. Minecraft has always been about seclusion and wondering how you got here in the first place. NPC villages seemed like a bad idea to me at first, but the idea of ruin’s and dungeon’s seemed almost perfect, you would find book’s explaining the land before you arrived, and so on. NPC villages should be restricted to a secondary adventure mode with side quests(collect # redstone, build defenses for incoming waves of enemies etc.) and a more… game-like progression.
So i thank you good sir for saying almost exactly what was bugging me in my mind, but i don’t think Endermen will replace creepers in fear factor for me.
Endermen will almost certainly disappear in daylight, and the damage they cause will probably be mostly limited to a few blocks missing here and there, while when you eave your house in the morning there is still the fear that a creeper could be behind any tree, anywhere, and should it explode it shall leave a permanent mark on your world(unless you’re like me and you fill in creeper crater’s to preserve the natural feeling of the land.).