+ Block and Sky +

"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti..."

2009-10-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted, so I feel that it would post 5 skins for your enjoyment on this spooky and sugar-ridden day: The "Liver, Fava Beans, and Nice Chianti" skin pack.

If you have never heard the reference about eating a census taker's liver with fava beans and a nice chianti, please do the world a favor and slap yourself. Right. Now.

Then go watch Silence of the Lambs. I swear to the gods, I still meet a ton of people who have never seen this movie, and I HATE MOVIES.

Here are the skins:

Freddy Kreuger, sans hat, because MC does not yet support hats =(

Ghostface from the "Scream" series. Not too complicated, so in all honesty I really BS'ed this.

Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. He is in his strait jacket and don't-eat-me mask.

Jason Voorhees! Someone once made a pixel rendering of Jason. I played a little trick and beside the title "Jason", I added "of the Argonauts".

Jigsaw's puppet "Billy" from the Saw series. I looked at a few pics of Jigsaw himself... with the number of pixels allowed for character creation, he would end up looking more like a normal dude than a scarred cancer patient.

Here is the .zip containing all 5 .png's:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/ldk5guomyyz/Liver-FavaBeans-NiceChianti.zip

Have a happy Halloween, Minecrafters! Remember to share your candy with me!

... Please? =(

World Of Minecraft Spleef Tournament!

2009-10-02T16:07:00.003-07:00

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO SPLEEF?!

Saw your enemies in half and eat their still-beating hearts in the next epic WoM SPLEEF TOURNAMENT THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2009 AT 12:00 PM EST! Your most reviled foes will be there and they will MOCK YOUR GOOD NAME if you don't show up!

Show them what you're made of! Are you a limp-wristed noob, or a REAL MAN/WOMAN who shaves with a CHAINSAW?! BE THERE!!!

(for more information, click here!)

World of Minecraft Community Map Contest.

2009-10-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

Are your map-making skills THIS sexy?

You have until October 7, 2009 to submit your entry, or you will be disemboweled horribly - even if you aren't participating =3

For more details, click here now!

Elemental Magic Pack.

2009-09-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Playing Dungeons & Dragons 4.0 put me into the mood of making an avatar skin pack inspired from said-RPG.

Introducing:

The Elemental Skin Pack!

This pack contains elementals, both male and female, based on the following elements:

Air
Earth
Fire
Water
Ice
Holy
Dark

Enjoy!

MALE

Dark Magic: death-colored skin, red eyes, plague-green hair

Earth Magic: Woodland-grass colored skin, ivory eyes, and laurel wreath in green hair

Fire Magic: White-hot eyes, ember-colored hair, and flame-colored skin

Holy Magic: Sun-golden hair, forgiving blue eyes, and angelic blue skin

Ice Magic: Frozen blue hair, ice-white eyes, cold crystal skin

Water Magic: Aqua hair, seafoam eyes, oceanic skin

Wind Magic: Storm-gray hair, cloud-white eyes, breezy gray skin

FEMALE

Dark Magic: Seductress purple hair, scarlet eyes, gravestone skin

Earth Magic: Gaia green skin, budding green hair, marble eyes, and tropical flower accent in hair

Fire Magic: Infernal skin, burning hair, fire core eyes

Holy Magic: Pious gold hair, benevolent blue skin, heavenly blue eyes

Ice Magic: Frostbite skin, blizzard-white eyes, winter chill skin

Water Magic: Mermaid blue hair, Lagoon skin, Sea Pearl eyes

Wind Magic: Tornado gray hair, hurricane silver skin, zephyr pale eyes

Here is the complete skin pack in .zip format, courtesy of Johnnyabc!
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?kjjkzjmwmtt

Oredds Brings New Meaning to "Sexy". The Portal Tour. Miclee's Snow Map Texture.

2009-09-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

IMO, oredds has created the best dragon that will ever exist on Minecraft forever and ever. You can visit this epic creation by logging onto the current WoM map, typing /museum valley, and paying a visit to the builder area. You CAN'T miss it, it's that huge.

If you do miss it, I will knife you in the face. =)

The sky darkens and flames erupt! Hapless victims run screaming and on fire... the dragon has come to destroy all!

Just to give you an idea of the scale of the dragon... that breath of fire is longer than my fucking portal tour.

The scale of this dragon is utterly massive, dwarfing the mage tower on the left side of the image, and also the hilltop fort at the middle bottom of the image. What is truly amazing is that the dragon is perfectly proportionate; the wings are large enough to carry the wyrm, but not so big that it looks like a bat. The body is of the correct size, and the head is slender and threatening.

Here is a close up of the dragon's head. You can see its glittering, golden eyes and its angrily flared nostrils. Fire erupts from its mouth, engulfing other details such as teeth and tongue. But really, at this point, I'm more worried about the fire!

This view is behind the dragon's head. The jaw here is well defined, and the well-crafted neck begins just under the jaw and behind the head. The way this is done shows that oredds has a good understanding of anatomy.

The back spikes are a detail that I have often seen missing in other dragons. The curved spikes slope down the powerfully arcing neck, over the strong back, and down to the tail. Here you can see the carefully modeled curves of the dragon's back.

The side profile of the dragon is powerful indeed. The general shape of the neck and torso indicate a lazy S, perfect for an aggressive pose.

Here is the underbelly of the dragon, its raking claws and massive hind legs. You can also see the dragon casting a massive shadow over the ground!

The long, whip-like tail of the dragon snakes across the ground, and ends with a spaded tip. The spikes have been carefully designed to grow smaller and smaller as they descend upon the tail.

By looking at the shadow, you can see how easily the tail of the dragon winds along. The shadow shows how the tail whips around, but hides its complex arcs and turns.

My favorite part: the enormous wings! You can see the "skeleton" of the wings peeking through the red membrane, just suggesting its form. Not extremely obvious, and that's the way it should be... suggestive, subtle.

The wings have been painstakingly crafted in neat, long rows of blocks.

This is an examination of the opposing wing. What I like is how oredds made the wings shapely; in the upper left area of the image, you can see the muscle pouring into the wing; they're not just fleshy membranes tacked onto the dragon's back, but a complex fusion of skeleton, membrane, and muscle, suggesting the genuine anatomy of how a dragon should appear.

This image gives you a better idea of the dragon's massive size... the beast is by far the largest damned thing on the map. Upon seeing the finished product, several WoM moderators and I spent 10 minutes shitting bricks.

I feel these images do not do this utterly magnificent creation justice. If you can record a full study of this dragon, please do and post it somewhere so I can link to it =)

In lesser news: My Portal tour!

It was going to be a Portal maze, but Portal is rather linear, so it is a tour. =)

This tour is best explored without hacks because of the way I designed it.

The blue portals are water doorways, and the orange portals are lava doorways. This is the first room you start in. The concept I used in this tour is the same as the game; you walk into the blue portal and emerge from the orange portal...

... like so. =)

Unlike the game Portal by Valve, the puzzles in the tour are very simple. Below is a portal you can enter to appear...

... on the other side =).

There are more rooms, but I will leave them for you to discover. Just visit the current WoM server, type /museum valley, and it's next to oredd's dragon's fire. You can't miss it. Leave me some feedback! =)

Last but not least, Miclee designed a fitting texture complementing the new snow build map. Gone are the gritty, uniform cloth-style blocks. Miclee has redesigned the textures to appear softer, more forgiving, and in general, more fitting to the new map. You can download his texture by visiting this link:

http://www.worldofminecraft.com/node/619

WINRAR. Magic Maze.

2009-09-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

The following build was made by Scoopade, epic winner of the WoM contest!

A villainous lair rests over a moat of lava...

... can the hero safely cross, and save the day?

If you're not careful, it's a long drop into a fiery doom!

Scoopade's dedication to detail in such a short time is uncanny. Here, lava floes drift lazily down the side of the craggy mountainside.

Lava plummets angrily from higher up, giving a more dramatic air to this wonderful build.

Across the rickety bridge is the entrance to the lair of the evil villain that terrorizes the land! ... actually, I have no idea if this was a villainous lair, I just made shit up lol =) Scoopade's creation was my favorite. Throughout the contest, I always came back to play around in the lava, on the bridge and the mountains, to see where the lava went. Scoopade worked very hard at this, but the rewards were great. Now he is $5 richer and OWNS THE MOON. O_O

This has been a long time in posting, but on WoM's "Canyon" map (go to WoM's main server and type /museum canyon to go to the map), I created a sprawling magic maze. I love mazes, but I get tired of seeing the same old 1-block wide narrow tunnel style of mazes. I wanted something fresh and new and gave this concept a stab: What if the maze were a labyrinth of strange rooms? What if the correct rooms had to be traversed in order to reach the end?

Thus, I made the magic maze... magic because the lava-filled doorways prevented you from seeing the next room, and magic because each room was different and unusual. I will post a few rooms here, but not all of them! If you want, check it out for yourself. You do not have to complete it, because it's also fun just to explore! =)

This is the none-too-sutble entrance to the magic maze.

Which door leads to destiny?

A meadow-room, underground? What is the meaning of this?

The maze works its strange enchantments to turn an entire room upside-down!

A strange, night-time room with floating platforms to jump across!

So many doors down such a bizarre pit!!

A giant toilet?!

There are many more rooms than are shown here, and even a well-hidden secret. Feel free to check it out, and have fun!

Minecraft Fun

2009-09-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Here's some fun stuff for you before I post moar projects...

My skins (female):

And the truth:

And this makes no sense but okay...

THE DOWNFALL OF MINECRAFT

2009-09-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

MINECRAFT.NET SERVERS ARE DOWN! THE SEAS BOIL AND TURN INTO LAVA, EVEN THOUGH WATER TURNING INTO BOILING ROCK IS IMPOSSIBLE... EXCEPT IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF DIVIDING BY ZERO, AND THE CRASH OF MINECRAFT.NET!!!! HELP US, NOTCH!!!

WoM Build Contest.

2009-09-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

Would you like to be a Designer?
Would you like a special medal permanently placed in your status, you attention whore you?
Would you like your creation to be permanently posted in the WoM Awards page?
How about $5? Just imagine what you could do with $5...

$5 can buy a lot. =3

If you're interested in joining the first ever World of Minecraft Contest, click here NAOW!

Sigil Keep. Cloud Ruler Temple. The Search For Oat.

2009-09-08T23:16:00.000-07:00

It's not often I find works wrought of loving patience, dedication, and focus. Such qualities I found in fenixfurion, a quiet player who says he's obsessed with Oblivion.

The moat of lava, the severe black iron tower, the jagged, cruel rock creeping up the sides of the keep - all of this was painstakingly crafted by fenixfurion, now an architect. The detail is incredible. This is the entrance to the dreaded tower. Here, the raw power of Oblivion is drawn up to power the spire and the sigil stone at the apex of the keep. The apex of the keep is up there. The energy rises through a ceiling crafted of stretched flesh high above. In order to close shut the jaws of Oblivion, the hero must endure wave after wave of merciless daedra working in service to Mehruns Dagon, the Daedric Prince of destruction. Stairs wind up, up, up the spire. Through this portal lies the Sigil Chamber, and a host of enemies. Here, the sigil stone holds open immediate Oblivion gates. Take it, and save Cyrodiil from the curse of Daedric hordes.

Yet another masterpiece designed by fenixfurion. I assisted with fills, and Golden assisted with various tasks. Although Minecraft is a rather crude medium, the resemblance is uncanny.

When first arriving with Martin and Jauffre, a Blade emerges from the sturdy doors to greet you.

Grand steps lead you between massive torches to the fortress proper.

These stables will help keep your mounts warm and protected from the harsh cold from Skyrim.

I may be wrong, but I believe that fenixfurion may have some kind of inate talent for curves, as demonstrated by this wall.

From here, guards can see all the land, and watch the countryside of Bruma for trouble.

fenixfurion has somehow brought the grandeur of the game's temple to the server. Considering your medium is a pack of blocks, that can be very difficult to do.

Here the Blades gather to eat, drink, and warm themselves by the fire. Martin spends most of his time here. At the far end, you can see a portal. If you haven't played Oblivion, then read no further; I am going to include spoilers.

Here are the sleeping pallets and chests of the Blades. They are within ready reach of the Emperor's Room, which is directly upstairs.

This is the spare and simple room of Jauffre, the Grandmaster of the Blades.

This is the lavishly decorated room of the Emperor, complete with fireplace, dressers, shelves, and carpet.

Another room in the fortress, this is the library where players can read, eat, and experiment with alchemy.

Below the library is the forge and armory where all manner of weapons and protection are kept.

This is a close-up of the forge. fenixfurion has gone out of his way to include many details in this creation.

This is the portal you saw earlier in the grand hall, a portal to Mankar Camoran's paradise. It may not be obvious, but if you stand in the middle of the portal, you will sink downwards...

... into the Paradise itself. fenixfurion has exercised his unique ingenuity by creating this below the temple. I myself would have never thought to do something like this.

Here is the entrance to see Mankar Camoran. You better make sure all of your armor and weapons are full charged and repaired, you are healed up and disease-free.

This is the throne room of Mankar Camoran. I don't know about you, but almost every time I fought him, he totally fucking mopped the floor with my character.

Last but not least... one of our best players, Oat, has gone missing. We seriously haven't seen him in a week. DON'T LEAVE US OAT! If you see this, PLAY RIGHT NAOW!

Hoops. Architect. Underbridge Dogfight.

2009-09-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

When I designed the vault of the bank robbery, I initially created two large hoops; one for the door, and one for the vault. While crafting the robbery, players seemed to take great joy in flying through the hoops. So, I thought... why not make a game where you fly through hoops?

In Hoops, the objective is to fly through the hoops and tunnels in order at x2 flying speed, as determined by the WoM Custom Client. Some users have a lot of difficulty with this, so you can just go through at normal speed. Sometimes when you fly through a hoop, the next hoop will be a different altitude. I put directions on different hoops if you need to raise or lower your altitude to help the player. Here is an example of hoops leading up to the snake tunnel. This is the entrance to the psychadelic snake tunnel. I DON'T CARE IF SNAKES AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE FANGS ON THEIR LOWER JAW. BURN IN HELL! X( The inside of the snake tunnel. Right outside of the snake tunnel is the beginning of the "Goatse" tunnel. Fly into the, *ahem* Goatse to proceed with the race. Down the Goatse is an undersea tunnel with lava rings. Unfortunately, this is where the Hoops game ends. The server was reset and the Hoops game is now read-only, never to be completed. ARGH, TRIDDIN! X( I went to bed shortly after the completion of the snake tunnel. When I logged back on the next morning to work on the Goatse tunnel, the mods online surprised me yet again: "Syn! /status SYNTAX_ERROR!" This brought on another string of "OMG WTF'S IT'S ONLY A SNAKE TUNNEL"... but now I can comfortably say I'm enjoying the /fill commands. I would not have minded taking my time with building, but I am thankful.

The new server is a large canyon. Many players have already built bridges spanning the two sides together... under the bridges, I had a little bit of fun.

Here, the Red Baron is chasing after an allied pilot. Also not part of my creation is the turret on the bottom left, shooting at the Red Baron.

This is the allied bi-plane.

This is the Red Baron's tri-plane, with very fail iron crosses on the wings. There are a lot of fun and simple things that can be done with Minecraft other than your standard, run-of-the-mill house, skyscraper, etc.

Lawlessness. Builder. Redwall Abbey.

2009-09-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

I was feeling particularly froggy when I chose to make a bank robbery on the new Sandstorm server. To put it simply, I rendered a large black wall for contrast, a vault, desk, and checkered tile floor before I started work on my first giant set of people I had ever made. I've been told that my people's anatomy tends to resemble the physical build of Keanu Reeves. Well, I tried. Something I've just got to work on in the future! I ultimately completed the bank robbery scene, including handgun, pen holder, plant, and money spilling out of the bank vault. Daggerdan likes to put a cigarette in the robber's mouth and make the poor bank teller's breasts purple. Daggerdan: MY ROBBER IS A NON-SMOKER VEGAN WHO WORKS FOR PETA. AND BOOBIES ARE NEVER PURPLE. Thank you =) The next day, I logged on to a sparsely populated server to make minor tweaks on the robbery. A few of the mods were on, and I went about my business as usual after dispensing my hello's. "Syn!" One of the mods called, "Do you notice anything?" "No, what happened?" I asked. It was at this time I noticed my username appeared as blue. "HOLY SHIT WTF!" I recall as the very next words out of my mouth, but I could be wrong! "You got builder, congrats!"

I was damn near knocked off of my chair. I thanked the mods, but explained that I did not feel I deserved builder... I only built a couple of everyday things, but apparently calcakes was taken aback by the "epicness" of the bank robbery I had designed. I do not want to sound ungrateful, but I still feel I had not done enough at the time... but I won't argue their decision. =)

Hooray for me!

For avid fantasy readers, Redwall is a series by Brian Jacques based on the tradition of "Watership Down". Redwall is a fantasy world where all characters are anthropomorphic woodland animals. Peaceful creatures live throughout the land of Mossflower and in Redwall Abbey proper. The Abbey is a symbol of hope and goodwill throughout the lawless lands, where bandits, pirates, and warlike clans frequently vie for nefarious control. This is the abbey proper, planned, built, and led by user Bun (assisted by myself and CaSquall)... according to the books, the walls and the buildings were constructed from red sandstone dug from a quarry north of St. Ninian's church long ago.

This is the abbey, orchard, and pond. The orchard and pond are both major food sources for the abbey denizens, and have more than once been responsible for the Abbey-dwellers' survival during sieges. At the top of the abbey is the Joseph bell, which can be heard throughout the countryside.

This is the guardhouse by the abbey gates. In Mossflower this is the home of Methuseleh, the abbey's record-keeper. In later books, the guardhouse is occupied by John Churchmouse and his family.

These are the cellars of hedgehog Ambrose Spike. Redwall Abbey brews a signature October Ale enjoyed by all creatures. Other beverages are brewed and stored here, such as Strawberry Fizz, Strawberry Cordial, Dandelion Wine, and many other tasty treats.

If you've read the books, you will doubtless have encountered the sumptuous feasts that are frequently hosted. Brian Jacques does such a terrific job with fleshing out the world that everything is detailed, right down to the very meals our heroes eat.

If you are interested... I found some recipes for food and drink from the Redwall stories. These are reader-designed, but they look quite tasty... these recipes are provided courtesy of Redwall.net.

October Ale
* 16 oz. Soda (Cola)
* 8 oz. Grape Juice
* 1 tsp. Sugar
* 1 tbsp. Lime Juice

Mix Grape juice with soda, slowly, so as not to make too much fizz. Then add in the sugar. Heat for fifteen seconds, and then stir till sugar dissolves. Add in lime juice, then stir again. Chill till ready to serve. Will fill about six medium size serving glasses.
This recipe donated by Ambrose Spike.

Strawberry Fizz
* Ice
* 2 liters cranberry gingerale
* whipped cream
* strawberries
* Sugar

Take some ice and fill a blender 3/4 of the way with it, pour in ginger ale almost to the top of the ice, fill a half of the space left with whipped cream and strawberries, Blend until well mixed. To top, use whipped cream and sliced strawberries rolled in white sugar. Sugar can also be added to the drink itself if desired.
A cold variation of the strawberry fizz, to make fizzier add more ginger ale and less or no whipped cream, and vice versa. It can be tailored to your tastes.

Strawberry Fizz #2
-Strawberry juice (available at a lot of fruit markets)
-Club soda
-Cream (any kind)
-Strawberries

Pour the strawberry juice into a cup, or whatever you will be drinking it out of. Mix in club soda (Not too much). Stir together for about 30 seconds. Add a dash of cream and stir for about a minute. Chop up strawberries into slices, then put them in the drink.
Put the whole business in the REFRIGERATOR, not freezer, for an hour or so, so it can become cold, just like in the cellars of the good old abbey.
Enjoy!
This recipe comes from Sabian. Email him at lhusted@wolfenet.com.

Dandelion Wine (Alcoholic) Pick heads only of dandelions. Spread heads out on sheets of paper to get rid of insects. To each gallon flower heads, add 1 gallon water, 2 oranges, 1 lemon, and 1 ounce root ginger (crushed). Tie ginger in muslin bag. Put all in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for twenty minutes. Then strain and add 4 pounds sugar. If not clear, add 1 egg white. To make it work, put in 1/2 ounce yeast on slice of bread. Leave it a week, strain, and bottle it loosely at first, then tighter. (It should stand for 6 months before using.)
Donated by Riveneye. Please E-mail me if you have any compliments or comments at Riveneye@aol.com.

Strawberry Cordial
* Plain Seltzer Water
* Strawberries
* Sugar
* Confectioner's Sugar
* Whipped cream
* Heavy Cream

Pour seltzer into a large pitcher. On stove, heat up strawberries until soft. Pour them out into a strainer over a bowl. Smash them up with a spoon until very mushy and soft. Then add the pulp and the juice to the seltzer. Pour about 1 cup of granulated sugar (more or less, according to taste) into the seltzer container. Mix well, then put in about 1 handful of confectioner's sugar. Stir well again. Pour in about 1/2 cup (more or less, according to taste) of heavy cream, and stir slowly. Chill for about 1/2 hour or longer, then take out and put some whipped cream on top. Enjoy!
This recipe was contributed by Tess Churchmouse.

This is the Great Hall of the abbey, lined with magnificent pillars.

This is the abbey's kitchen, where magnificent banquets are lovingly and painstakingly created. Kitchen island, dual-level oven and counter are included. Here, have a yummy recipe:

Sunflash's Sweet Oatcakes
* 1/2 cup rolled oats
* 1/3 cup water
* 3/4 cups milk
* 1/4 cup raisins or any dried fruit
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* honey

Combine water, milk, and raisins in a saucepan. Boil. Slowly stir in oats, honey (to taste), and cinnamon. Turn down heat and cook for about 10 minutes. When oatmeal is a lot less sticky, pour into bowl. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Take small handfulls of the oatmeal (This is very messy!) and knead into balls. Place on cookie sheet. Poke small holes in each ball and fill with honey. Close with extra oatmeal. Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Servings vary with the size of the oatmeal balls: makes from 8 to 15.
This recipe was donated by Rowanoak. You can contact him at dmmccabe@ix.netcom.com.

Bun created a library in an attached tower... I don't remember this being in the books, but it works.

Last but not least, you can see the gay agenda and Megaman invading the abbey walls.

Congrats to Bun for building a badass Redwall Abbey. If you are new to the Redwall series, you might want to start with "Mossflower" and then "Redwall", as they are in chronological order story-wise (but "Redwall" was published first).

Motel Char.

2009-08-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

This entire post is dedicated to this guy:

LA LA LA

Charrr was one of the reviewers for WoM HQ. In turn, I reviewed his (her?) fabulous motel:
Motel Char is set snugly between the big city and a lovely section of beachfront. Upon exiting the guest area, turn right and take a hike down the road. You can't miss it.

IMO, Motel Char is closer to being a resort hotel than a motel. When I think of a motel, I think of a large, long shack cobbled together with plywood and children's tears, a place where drug dealers, prostitutes, flashers, or super poor people (like me) spend the night wide awake. PLEASE DON'T HURT ME UNCLE, I WILL BE A GOOD LITTLE SLAVE!

(Did I type that out loud???) =P

When I think of a HOTEL, I think of something closer to Charrr's resort property. Let's take a closer look.

This check-in lobby is about as "motel-like" as it gets. The glass windows are where guests are greeted, and the wooden mini-office in the back is for processing.

For travelers on a budget (and vampires, goths, and emo kids), the private interior rooms will grant you protection from that evil sunlight. No windows for strange men to stare into at 3am, no bright annoying orange lights glaring in while you are trying for some shut-eye. There is a wooden nightstand next to a spare bed, and the black block on the left is the TV.

This is a window-view room. This particular room is a corner view, allowing you to see more of the city. Obviously =P

Most rooms are equipped with a simple bathroom, complete with a tub and a toilet.

Charrr uses good design skills by varying up the floor design. Most people will build a plain floor, or a checkered floor. I think I've seen this design once, in an airport. Throughout the "motel", Charrr really brings everything together with a silver, blue, and gray cool palette. There is a lot of unity in the design, but I feel that some plants and a splash of warm color once in a while would add a warmer touch here and there.

This is a deluxe balcony suite. A plush bed with expansive headboard, ceiling-suspended flat screen TV, and copious amounts of room are all included.

Just outside of that same balcony suite, is the large, wrap-around balcony (BIG SURPRISE!!!). Here, the guest has an excellent view of the swimming pool, private beach, and the coastline. Pull the deckchairs out into the sun, sip a margarita, and relax to the sound of the ocean (and any screaming children that may be on the beach).

In case you are wondering this is what a standard balcony room looks like.

This is the swimming pool that dominates the first floor of the motel. Closer to the viewer is the shallow end, and furthest from the viewer is the deep end. It's an indoor pool that opens up to the private beach on the right.

This is the dynamic, arched, glass ceiling over the swimming pool. Silver rafters are suspended over the area to grant lighting for night use. I REALLY love this ceiling; it's contemporary, and the design features a lot of movement. Every time I come here, I have always visited this room just for the ceiling.

This is one of two changing rooms near the swimming pool; one for men, the other for women. Charrr has put a lot of thought into the construction of this property; I have yet to see a changing room in other hotels.

Here is a small, private beach for use by motel guests only. To the left is the balcony from the deluxe balcony suite, to the right is a blue umbrella.

This high-rise can be accessed via the central elevator just past the check-in lobby. This section of the motel features guest rooms and more...

This lobby features a unique variation on the checkerboard pattern. The floor itself was designed with the same-color of blue block. There are tables and vending machines for hungry guests at 2am.

The checkerboard pattern on the ground is rendered by alternating light and shadow from the ceiling above. This is another area of artistic interest in the building, a nice twist on the same-old-same-old.

Further up the elevator are expansive, empty rooms that are available for rent. They may be used for conferences, parties, conventions, whatever you have in mind.

Also in the high-rise is a nightclub for restless city-goers. Here you can see a part of the club's upper balcony, a well-stocked bar with your poison of choice and perhaps hors'deurves, and plush, contemporary seating.

This is the dance floor, with an extra-large TV for barhoppers, and background interest for party-goers. The dance floor is a mixed checkered design splattered with red.

Here is another balcony over the dance floor, and a DJ station to keep everyone partying hard.

Charrr, you have really outdone yourself on this piece of work. YOU SHOULDN'T CALL IT A MOTEL; IT IS MORE OF A RESORT HOTEL DAMMIT!!!

A Smiley for Moujave. Origin of the Hammers. WoM HQ.

2009-08-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Moujave is an op who doesn't tolerate shit from griefers - especially when he's come down with the plague (bronchitis, and / or radiation burns). Late last night, certain members (I forget who they are) decided to go gallivanting around the server, spreading graffiti on different projects. Such intelligent and clever phrases such as "I SUCK COCK" and "HOMO" were littered all over. Normally, when an op applies the spec-hammer / ban-hammer to a griefer, they simply get the job done and move on. Moujave, however, had been quiet all night. When he discovered the griefing, he of course promptly undid all of their actions, spec-hammered both members, and then banned them unceremoniously. Then, he tore them a new hole as they were being banned. If I remember correctly, he said something along the lines of "I don't have the patience for their shit today." I chatted him up a bit and discovered he was suffering from a nasty bout of bronchitis. So, I made him a smiley to cheer him up. Get well soon, moujave!

(The sad face was not originally there.)

I should explain the "hammers". Generally when a player acts like a douche, such as griefing, spamming the chat with racist shit, graffiti, etc., the player is demoted to spectator. To non-members, this means that you can watch and chat, but you cannot build or destroy. Really keeps a lid on griefing. When someone gets demoted to spectator, I like to holler "SPEC-HAMMER!" Really helps rub the fail in their face. =)

The same applies to banning, except I holler "BAN-HAMMER!"

I have worked for a few days on a large skyscraper, which I later dubbed "WoM HQ". The digging was painstaking, and I received little help for it (Joman666 and madk helped... if I left you out, please tell me). THE OPS DIDN'T LOVE ME ENOUGH TO DESTROY ALL THE DIRT! ;_;

I set my skyscraper in the ground to help make it taller. The building was inspired by Vancouver's Sheraton Wall Centre. I spent a few hours making the jagged fang reaching into the sky, and the curved glass ceiling.

The glass on my skyscraper is a bit uneven... it is slightly larger on one side, and smaller on the other.

This is the skyscraper itself, the World of Minecraft Headquarters. To enter, you must descend down some stairs (not pictured), or you can hurl yourself to your doom.

This is the entrance to the skyscraper. The windows to the right show you the first and second floors. The third floor windows aren't shown very well. Just walk right through the gold doors to enter.

This is the grand foyer. The red desk is the security desk, with white PC's. The blue and green blocks above are wave art.

This office shows a nice view of the tree and flowers outside.

These are the offices for human resources.

These are the first elevators I ever built. When you enter, you will see roman numerals denoting the floor you're on.

This is the sales floor, on Floor 3. This is where all of you underpaid wage-monkeys are chained to uncomfortable, restricting desks and glued to computers for profit. =)

In the previous picture, there is a gold elevator on the left side of the image. It's the executive elevator leading to floors 4, 5, and 6, restricted to executives and VIP's only. Trespassers will be immediately burnt alive. This elevator pictured here is on the 6th floor, which is the CEO Suite.

This is the board room on the 4th floor. The table is neutrally colored, and there is a wall-mounted screen on the left for teleconferencing.

This is one of the executive suites, with a green desk, orange armchair and a bookshelf.

This is a spacious executive suite on the 5th floor, with a large black desk and blue sofa.

This is a gold and oak bureau rests in the CEO suite on the 6th floor. To the right is a large blue armchair, and behind the desk is a chair made of cherry wood and black Italian leather.

ONLY in the executive suite is a minibar. I think the other executives sneak up here sometimes to sneak a sip.

I was given a less than brief critique on the hotel... the hotel's color scheme is too bland. There's too much gray and black being used, and Oni also said it's "too different"... I'm afraid I don't know what that means!

Some of the ops have said that members or guests often blow up at critiquing... I've been an artist for a long time, and to me, the ops' critiquing is rather nice. When you get told several times to "GTFO WITH THAT SHIT PAINTING" or "Wtf do you think you're doing, you really think you're an artist dragging this trash in here?" I think here is where I've had the nicest critiques.

Just don't take critiques too personally. Use them as stepping stones to not being so fail. I'M SORRY, I meant to make your projects even better! =D

A Sphere For Oat. Propaganda Radio. Satanic Pyramid. A Quaint, and Stupid Relic.

2009-08-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

The limitations on Minecraft aren't so terrible. All shapes are cubic, so circles, triangles, etc. would be difficult. Right? Not so right. Sometimes restrictions and repressions act as a pressure, and push the creative force into directions you didn't realize existed. A grapevine that struggles to survive makes a better wine, as Napa Valley has proven time and again.

A builder named Oat was working on an ambitious outer space project, involving an eighth of the earth and some comets. Problem is, spheres are not so easy to render at a smallish size in Minecraft unless you use geometric principles.

Now, I am not very good at math, but when I make circles, spheres, and curves, I go by feeling and not by rules of mathematics. My circles and spheres may turn out crude, but it gets the job done. The problem with circles and squares is, it's too easy to make a circle too square, and it's too easy to make a sphere too "diamondy". I have provided screenshots of a 9 x 9 x 9 model of an eighth of a sphere, in case you'd like to take a shot. The sphere is located next to the Propaganda Radio on one of the WoM servers.
While at work yesterday, I contemplated a punkish piece of Minecraft art. I sometimes think about all of the bullshit spouted by the media from all sides: TV, radio, internet, periodicals, republicans, democrats, fuckwits and geniuses. Everyone can say anything, but that doesn't make their claims true. Everyone is so ready to jump to conclusions without really thinking things through. I am referring to politics of course, but this applies to everything.

You must think I'm paranoid. Perhaps I am. I just don't trust power very easily. The more powerful you are, the less I trust you. A trained tiger is powerful, more powerful than its human trainer. The tiger has the power, and the human just reacts. The tiger will jump through its hoops, but what if it just chooses one day to gnaw off some faces? When I make suggestions along these lines, people often say "No, that'll never happen." How well does that work in the face of betrayal? When you're left hanging in the wind, what good does any of that complacency and denial shit do for you? Shit nothing. Please remove head from ass, thank you kindly =)

Blah blah blah, to the point. I decided to make a radio that spouted the following floating words:
PROPAGANDA
MISINFORMATION
LIES

Later on, somebody mimicked my font and added "STATISTICS" next to "LIES". I believe this to be a statement on the uselessness of statistics as a pusher for propaganda... but if not, feel free to comment about it. Additionally, someone keeps adding "PINK!" in front of the message. The absurdity really doesn't bother me, as this entire situation - life, power, control, cheese, everything - is just absurd.

TRIANGLE FISH BUCKET

Today I helped Joman666 build another pyramid. It's a 25 x 25 gold monument, curiously enough, located behind my Propaganda Radio. Kind of gives you an Illuminati-ish feeling, yes?

The key to building a pyramid is to lay down your foundation with an odd number of blocks. Beginning with an odd number of blocks will give you a single-block capstone. If you start with an even number of blocks, you will have a 2x2 top with no capstone, and the pyramid looks stunted.

The pyramid, with its fiery entrance.

This is the throne room... I assumed the color purple to be sacred to the Egyptians, and made the purple throne at the end of a corridor of torches.

What's this? A secret passage behind the throne?

How far down does this rabbit hole go?

A garden of CULINARY shrooms...

A reversed lava cross with a crystal altar, and vaulted ceiling.

A hidden bedroom where Joman666 lives. The entire pyramid is a front for demonic workings. Here is a bath, and a stove(?). To the right, where you see the lighter colored blocks, is a secret escape route in case trouble comes home to Joman.

A quaint, and rather backwards relic visited the WoM server today in the form of a racist troll looking for attention. His name is Squfar, who claims to be a "proud asian man". The heights of his achievements in life include starting fights on the internet, stirring up petty drama, and banging his sister. If you see him, feel free to greet him with a ban-hammer =)

Sanctuary. Villa Redux. A New Friend.

2009-08-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

The griefing of my villa had left a bitter taste in my mouth. I had not yet taken at least a cursory screenshot of my little creation before some jackasses gleefully took it apart. But that's behind me now. I have come to an understanding: your average griefer will be some lonely loser pleading for attention, or perhaps some weird dude who never bathes and peeks in on his sister while she's showering.

Actually, I just made that up. But you'll never know if it's true or not =)

I hopped on to the World of Minecraft server (soon to be locked and have a new server started, as it was full) to have a look around. Newcomers are immediately deposited into a customs-and-immigration style building within a red-walled courtyard. As I quickly learned, the courtyard is for guests, who are non-members of worldofminecraft.com. Guests may build at their leisure, and the server is almost always heavily policed by ops who don't look twice at applying the ban-hammer and spec-hammer on griefing.

Outside of the courtyard is a massive area where members and builders may build whatever they desire, as long as there is no offensive content, such as swastikas or massive penises. Massive penises? What's the deal with that? I suppose some fellows are short-changed in that department. Compensating for something? And what's up with the swastikas I see all over the place, on multiple servers? I am thinking, there's a lot of people out there who really like manji, or there are a lot of white supremacists.

I strolled around, looking at all of the strange and wonderful things that the members were building. Of course there were more gigantic video game sprites, but there were also strange sculptures that defied reason and logic. That's not necessarily a bad thing, from an artistic perspective! =)

Lastly, there is a large field encased in a blue fence, where only builders may make their creations. In World of Minecraft, a builder has a blue name, and gains that rank by building epic creations that make people shit bricks.

A server virtually untouched by griefers, where creative minds can come together??? I had finally found my sanctuary. I immediately signed up (Member name is SYNTAX_ERROR if you want to look me up), and was approved by an admin that was currently on. My creations were safe at last.

I started work on my villa again, except I made a few modifications due to space limitations. Imo, this new version is better. I did my standard 2 br w/ balconies and office, dining room w/ 7 seater table. However, I raised the ceiling height in the dining room and included floor-to-ceiling windows. The front door is through a smaller kitchenette adjacent to the dining room, and the living room is upon a loft that is above the kitchenette. Out the front door is a path that leads around the villa to a small private beach and a wine cellar under the home.

This is the front of the villa. In case you are wondering, it is tightly wedged between a convenience store and a church. Just to the left of where I took this screenie is a tank firing rounds. It's a good neighborhood, I promise!

Just through the front door, you enter the small kitchen. There is a sink and a traditional two-layered stone oven.

This is the 7-seater dining table. The dining room ceiling is vaulted and high, and there are tall floor-to-ceiling windows that allow you a view of the church and Kenny, from South Park, with his long penis. Penis not shown in the picture.

Behind the dining table is an entryway to a deck that wraps around the villa.

Above the kitchen is the living room loft.

This is the living room loft. Before you is a bayview window overlooking the street below and the land beyond, and the window to the right shows the church.

There's more to the villa, but you'll have to see it yourself =)

After working on the villa, I hopped out and met Joman666. When he mentioned building a temple to Satan right outside of my villa, I just couldn't resist! A quaint Satanic shrine would complement the gigantic Kenny from South Park and the convenience store practically latched to my home. We worked together, building a small, golden pyramid upon the entrance, and then digging downwards to create a series of catacombs containing a bedroom, set-in bath, a garden for CULINARY mushrooms, and the shrine itself. The shrine contained a small marble platform with a large, upside-down lava cross and of course, flowers to compliment. What self-respecting Satanic shrine wouldn't have pretty flowers to dress things up a bit?

Crithammer. Naurun. A Seaside Villa

2009-08-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

I was first treated with suspicion when I entered Old Pirate Bay (now defunct). "Promise not to grief?" I spent 5 minutes swearing up and down that I would tear apart another's creations. I was immediately swallowed into a prison only large enough to stand when I first entered the bay. I didn't plead or get angry, but instead I just talked to my unknown interrogator like a normal human being.

My interrogator turned into a buddy and one-time tour guide named Crithammer. He showed me around Old Pirate Bay, and I had seen the creations of other players for the first time. Pirate schooners, galleons, and clippers flocked to the bay. Gigantic video game sprites stalked the horizon and islands floated high above. To this very day, every server I enter becomes a surreal world containing the wonderful, strange, and bizzare.

Yeah, that sounds a bit dramatic and artsy fartsy. What the fuck ever. It's not everyday you see a huge rainbow gay cube or floating house. That's surreal (or absurd), whether you like it or not. =)

We talked for a long time about the builders, griefers, and Minecraft ettiquette. I thanked him for his time and left.

I spend increasing amounts of time working on Naurun, which is a huge fantasy world on single player. Here, I have the freedom to build as I wish without fear of interlopers or griefers. I can do as I please. Thus far, I am building a castle atop a lake, and a nearby town. There are some other features I plan to add, including dungeons, tombs, and secrets.

My naivete was broken when I spent a great deal of time building a seaside villa on another server. It was complete with two balconies, two bedrooms, an office, a living room, arched high ceiling over a 7 seater dining table, expansive kitchen, and wraparound deck. The garden in front opens up to a path that leads down and around the villa, out onto a private beach below. I was proud of this creation that I had spent so much time on.

This was my first run-in with griefers. Several losers who spend most of their day playing with their balls stopped by to systematically take apart the pretty little home on the cliff.

I suppose this is a lesson of permanence and karma. I don't have to state the obvious about nothing is permanent, yadda yadda yadda... but I take things way too seriously. I bid the griefers farewell, wishing them a long, drawn-out death, and departed.

Tomorrow, I build.