#learning minecraft

[finn-hasnoclue]

i go to the forever world tag sometimes cause i like looking at minecraft builds. tell me why my ugly ass minecraft house is the picture at the top

nooooo! thats completely erasing the reasoning of why i build that ugly thing.

not to keep plugging my side blog but if you like minecraft and want to see someone learn nore about it check out @finnlearnsminecraft. almost onto day 1! so you can see me succeed in learning minecraft or die a whole bunch both will probably happen.

[finnlearnsminecraft]

Spawn Chunks vs. Regular Chunks For Redstone Contraptions

This was the disagreement I was having while deciding where to put my iron farm. Ignoring that putting it in the spawn chunks would entail moving villagers 400 blocks, I wanted to see what the best choice was.

What Are They?

So a standard chunk is a 16 by 16 box of land that goes from the void under the bedrock to build height in all three dimensions. The spawn chunk is 9 chunks (16x16 blocks) in a 3x3 grid pattern where the spawn point is set. The spawn chunk also goes from the void to build height but it is only located in the Overworld. This is only for spawn chunks in 1.20.5 to 1.21.8. Discussed more in "Where are they going?" The spawn chunk is always loaded compared to regular chunks.

Why Are They?

The follow up question I had was why are they different? Which compared to a lot of other questions this one is easy to answer! If 30 million blocks worth of chunks in all four cardinal directions were loaded at once, the game would be unplayable. I'm playing on a laptop, slightly better than some laptops, but that many chunks sounds like a lot of work. Therefore, regular chunks stop getting loaded.

So why are spawn chunks always loaded? Are they super necessary? Actually not anymore! They were originally a bug fix. If a player had an invalid bed and had to be sent to an unloaded spawn chunk it would cause a lag spike. The quick fix that Mojang did was to constantly load the chunks.

Where Are They Going?

Spawn chunks are going away in 1.21.9 / Fall Drop 2025 (most recent update and currently playing on 1.21.8). So their days are numbered. They were already updated on 1.20.5 to make their chunk propagation default to 3x3 instead of 19x19. If you are also confused about that sentence, here's what it means. The spawn chunks were previously (between Beta 1.8 and 1.20.4) made of a 19x19 chunk area. The 16x16 area was actively loaded and the chunks surround it were "lazy chunks". Now, (1.20.5 to 1.21.8) the spawn chunks are a 3x3 chunk area. This is changeable through the spawn chunk radius command. It goes from 1 to 10 with the default being 2 and the 19x19 chunk area being 10.

From here on out, I'll be ignoring that the chunks are going away (therefore no reason to move villagers 400 blocks to a place I don't go often) for the purpose of learning. There is still much to learn about regular chunks! (or if you are me and spent several minutes with a confused look on your face scrolling reddit for answers :( )

What Will the Removal of Spawn Chunks Do?

Well, if you have a farm there, it will stop working. It will no longer be loaded and won't work without something loading it. Everyone should expect to have less lag as it is one less chunk being loaded. Also, there should be an increase to passive mob spawning as the passive mobs in the spawn chunks won't be affecting the mob cap. So very little, unless you have farms...

How Do Regular Chunks Work?

This definitely took a while. Minecraft Wiki throws a whole bunch of words like tickets, levels, and load types that are a little hard to decipher. So let's start as easy as I can.

If you've been in the Minecraft sphere, for any amount of time you have heard about chunk loading. Whether that be loading glitches or utilizing unloaded chunks or making a chunk loader. Loading is an important thing. In order for a chunk to load is has to be triggered. For the beginning of loading to be triggered the chunk receives a ticket.

There are three properties to a ticket: Level, Ticket Type, and an optional property of Time to live.

Level

The level is typically between 22 and 44 in vanilla gameplay but can be different for modded gameplay. The level determines the load type, the lower the number the more features occurring on the chunk.

So for example the chunk you are standing in is between 31 and 22 and a chunk 30 million blocks away is in the 34 to 44 range.

Ticket Type

Ticket type is what is sending the ticket, what's causing the chunk to be loaded. So this can be the player, a portal, the enderdragon, teleporting (such as going through the end portal or the teleport commands), forced ticket (created with the forcedload command), start (creates world spawn and spawn chunks),unknown (for quick information gathering for mob AI and spawning), and the light ticket (used in world gen.)

The most important for farms in vanilla with no commands (as far as I am aware) are the player and portal types.

Portal Ticket Type

This is why chunk loaders are minecarts going in and out of portals! A portal ticket is open for 300 ticks and has a level of 30 (Entity Ticking). This is stronger than the player but doesn't last as long. The portal ticket also only loads 9 chunks. The one the portal is in and the 8 around it.

Player Ticket Type

This ticket is created by the player with a level of 31 (Entity Ticking). The amount of chunks rendered is determined by your render distance. If you've never touched your render distance and you are playing on 64-Bit Java, then your render distance is 12! This means there is a 25x25 chunk area that is at level 31, which is entity ticking. It is mapped out like this:

This shows how the chunks would be. The 25x25 chunk area of entity ticking would be surrounded by a 27x27 chunk area of block ticking chunks and so on. The amount of entity ticking chunks is determined by your render distance and the formula (l=2r+1). L being the chunk area and r being your render distance.

Mob Generation

Mob generation is based off of blocks from player and not chunks. There is a 128 block circle where mobs can spawn around the player. So you would need to keep your mob farms closer to one centralized area if you wanted to AFK them at the same time, where other farms can be more spread out over the chunk area.

I've probably missed some things, purposefully ignored them, or didn't explain them well. If you have questions or corrections let me know so I can clarify. If you have a question it just creates more opportunity for me to learn so I always appreciate them!

No Minecraft day today :( I plan on having day 9 with day 10 as I didn't get much done. I hope this post was insightful! As always, anyone is welcome to ask questions or give tips in my asks, messages, reblogs, or comments. I would love to learn from you!

[rockerbuck73]

For those who say they CAN’T build in Minecraft! Consider subscribing, please! Thanks!

[finnlearnsminecraft]

Minecraft features I want to learn more about and play with.

This post will be for features added in 1.11 to 1.21. All earlier updates are in this post here!

The Exploration Update / 1.11

- Curse of Binding and Vanishing

What are some use cases for this? I usually just set these books in my chests to rot forever.

- Evokers, Vindicator, and Vexes

What’s the difference and what’s an illager?

- Llama

I want one. I want to see all the different carpet patterns.

- Exploration Map

Is it different than the treasure maps? I’ve never traded with a cartographer before.

World of Color / 1.12

- Parrots

I would love to get one of each of the colors

Aquatic Update / 1.13

Otherwise known as the last update I experienced as it came out.

-Dolphin

I don't know anything about Dolphin's Grace and just learnt that I could feed them??

-Buckets of Fish

Never put a fish in a bucket but I know there is an achievement for it.

-Turtles

I want one so bad but I have no idea how to breed them. I will be collecting an army of turtles and make that stupid helmet.

-Trident

I want to have one and use it with all the different enchantments.

-Kelp and Dried Kelp

Why do people use it? Why are there so many farms? For furnaces?

-Conduits, Nautilus Shells, and Heart of the Sea

It's crafted? But also like an underwater beacon?

-Coral

I would love to collect all the colors and kinds of coral. I would want to try to build with them more either the blocks or the fans, both would be cool.

-Shipwrecks

I've been to a couple but there is so many different generations I would love to explore more of them.

-Underwater Ruin

I don't think I've seen one of these before but I'll already be exploring everywhere so might as well add more to the list.

-Smooth Quartz and Sandstone

I didn't know this existed until last week and I don't know what the difference is from the normal quartz and sandstone.

Village and Pillage / 1.14

-Wandering Trader

Why? That's my question. I have never seen a good trade, where do they come from? Another thing I just do not understand.

-Fox

They are so cute and if you breed them the babies are friendly? I love both colors too so I will be stealing them.

-Brown Mushroom

I didn't know this was a thing until recently I saw them in Fwhip's (not positive) world tour. I now want all of them.

-Panda!

I am a panda person. I have loved pandas since I was a child and I will be getting so many. I will find a brown panda. I don't know how it works but I will have one.

-Pillager and Ravagers

This applies to raids as a whole as well but I have only ever done one raid and I died midway through.

-Scaffolding

I have used it but I would like to understand it better because it is quite frustrating some times. I have also seen it in buildings and redstone so I would like to figure out other use cases for it.

-Bell

Why are they there? Why do people want them? Why are they not craftable?

-Blast Furnace and Smoker

Also why? What makes it better than a regular furnace?

-Cartography Table

I don't know how to work maps so I don't use the table. I will be making a giant map of my area so I'll figure it out.

-Campfire

Again, why would you choose this instead of a furnace. It is quite a nice decoration block though.

-Loom

I only remember banner making pre-loom addition so I would like to use the loom as well.

-Lecturm

When I understand and utilize a lectern in a redstone build then I will consider redstone complete.

-Smithing Table

I understand how this works I just have never used it due to the lack of netherite I have gathered.

-Village Exploration

I would love to explore all the different types of villages.

-Pillager Outpost

I don't know what's there but I will soon.

-Sweet Berry Bush

I think they are so cute but they don't do much as food. They do like one hunger.

-Crossbow

I don't use a regular bow a lot so I definitely don't use a crossbow at all. I want to load one with fireworks because that seems awesome.

-Bamboo

I would like to build with them more. Those mosaic blocks are so cute but I've never built with them.

-Suspicious Stew

I would like to learn more about the different types. The only utilization of suspicious stew I have ever seen was Lizzie in Wild Life.

-Cats

There are different colors now and I want them all. I want the achievement for having them all.

Buzzy Bees / 1.15

-Bees

Pretty much the only thing added and I still haven't done much with them. Maybe I'll make a bee farm :) I really like honeycomb blocks and decorating with beehives is nice.

Nether Update / 1.16

There is so much I don't understand in this update so I will just be listing.

-All the mobs

PIglins, Hoglins, Strider, Piglin Brute

-PIglin Trading

-Netherite

-Lodestone

-Banner Patterns

-Soul Fire, Campfire, Torch, and Lantern

-Nether Plants and Woods

-Target Block

-Shroomlight

-Basalt, Blackstone, Quartz Bricks, Soul Soil

-Respawn Anchor

- Lodestone

- Bastions

- Ruined Nether Portal

I’ve been to them before but I don’t know why they are there.

-All Biomes

Soul Sand Valley, Crimson Forest, Warped Forest, Basalt Deltas

-Soul Speed

Cave & Cliffs Part 1 & 2 / 1.17 & 1.18

It would be easier to say everything than to type it all but alas I will be typing it all, thank you split screen :)

-Azalea & Flowing Azalea Trees, Leaves, Plants

-Candles

-Geodes

Calcite, Amethyst, Smooth Basalt. I do have some experience but I want to learn more.

-Dripleaf (Big and Small)

-Glowberries

-Dripstone & Dripstone Block

Maybe I'll also learn the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite.

-Hanging Roots

-Lightning Rod

-Moss

-Powdered Snow

-Rooted Dirt

-Spore Blossom

-Tinted Glass

-Tuff

-Copper and all the blocks

Ore, Ore Blocks, Copper Block, Cut Copper

-Deepslate

I have seen and experienced how terrible it is to mine.

-Raw Ore Blocks

Iron, Gold, Copper

-Axolotl

I love love them :)

-Glow Ink & Glowing Item Frames

-Spyglass

-Axolotl

-Glow Squid

-Goat

I have goats in real life so I would love to have them in Minecraft.

-Lush & Dripstone Caves

Wild Update / 1.19

I remember when they announced frogs. I thought they were really ugly. I no longer feel that way as I love them.

-Froglights

-Frogs & Frogspawn

-Mangrove (all bits)

-Mud & Mud Bricks

-Sculk (all bits)

-Echo Shard

-Goat Horns

-Recovery Compass

-Allay

-Warden

-Ancient City

Trails & tales / 1.20

-Calibrated Sculk Sensor

-Chiseled Bookshelf

-Decorated Pot

-Hanging Signs

-Sniffer & Eggs

-Bamboo

-Cherry Wood

-Pitcher Plant & Torchflower

-Brush

-Pottery Sherds

-Smithing Templates

-Camel

-Sniffer

Armored Paws / 1.20.5

-Armadillo

-Wolf Armor

-New Wolf Types

Tricky Trials / 1.21

I was actively playing Java edition when this came out. However, combat is not my thing so I went to one for about 5 minutes and did not enjoy being there.

-Crafter

-Heavy Core & Mace

-More Copper Bits

-More Tuff

-Breeze Rods & Wind Charges

-Ominous Bottles

-New Potions

Infestation, Oozing, Weaving, Wind Charging

-New Banner Patterns, Sherds, Armor Trims, and Music Discs

-Bogged & Breeze

-Trial Chamber

-Mace Enchantments

Bundles of Bravery / 1.21.2

Finally something I know :) I love bundles

The Garden Awakens / 1.21.4

-Creaking Heart

-Creaking

-Pale Hanging Moss

-Resin and all Bits

Spring to Life / 1.21.5

-Leaf Litter

-Wild Flowers

-Bush

-Firefly Bush

-Short and Tall Dried Grass

-Cactus Flower

-Explorer Map

-Brown & Blue Eggs

-Alternate Chicken, Pig, and Cows by Biome.

Chase the Skies / 1.21.6

-Dried Ghast

-Harness

-Ghastling & Happy Ghast

Now that you all know that I know nothing, come follow me actually learn. As always, anyone is welcome to ask questions or give tips in my asks, messages, reblogs, or comments. I would love to learn from you!

[finnlearnsminecraft]

What I've Learnt about Building

After eight days, I finished my house! Here are the videos I watched and the tips and tricks I learnt.

The first thing I did was break it down in stages. I learnt these from this video by Henri Pacca. The stages recommended in the video is shape, color, texture, details. The way I did it was more shape, color, details, texture. I think these two can be switched which ever way you prefer. The purpose of breaking it down in stages is so that you don't have to change as much. Another video by Henri Pacca that was very helpful was this one.

Shape

This is the shape of your build. If you want a house or a castle or a tower its made out of shapes. The best way to make a build is to mark out your shapes first and get them how you like. I wanted a t-shaped house with a foundation that has a porch. I marked out the two major shapes, being a rectangle and a square. After those, I marked out the porch and the roof shape.

This is my shape marked out in survival (left) and creative (right). Using different bright colors on the right was a lot easier than cobblestone on the left. You can do it with any blocks but I recommend ones that are easy to break and differentiate. Once you are happy with shape, move on to the next step. If you aren't and you don't know why, move on to something else. Go mining, play a different game, take a break. This video by Zeeno could be helpful at this stage but it was more helpful for me in the details step.

Color

This step should definitely start with picking which colors you want. I knew I wanted a purple roof so I started with a palette of those blocks. I did end up changing from my original palette.

I originally wanted to use purple concrete and amethyst (left) but I decided to switch to primarily crimson wood (right). There were more color options for blending and texturing the roof.

Color isn't just the color palette but it is important to have it before doing the rest of the color step. This step is about blocking out your colors. This is about the solid base colors. I did my foundation/porch and my walls.

If you plan on doing pillars that stick out from the wall, I would do those before putting the roof on. I typically do the roof one block out from the wall but with pillars that aren't flush with the wall I did the roof one block out from the pillars (two from the wall).

From here, you can move on to roof solid colors. And the step is done. If you don't like the colors together then this is the easiest step to change it up. The reason for the steps is that it makes it easier to change things up.

Details

Yay! Details! This is when I put in my doors, windows, stairs on the porch, and rounding to the pillars.

This is for more build based details where if I was going to do something like porch decor or windowsills I would wait till after texturing. This isn't really a difficult step and was pretty easy to be happy with or to mess around with later.

Texturing

This was the step I was most nervous for. So I watched quite a few videos. These ones by Bdoubleo100, Grian, and Snarple. The important thing to think about is where something would be shaded. Under the roof, shadowed by taller buildings, ect.

This is a little hard for me to explain so I definitely recommend checking out the videos I mentioned. This is where having a block palette with darker and lighter options from your base color is helpful. With floors I would recommend going with something more textured (like from deepslate bricks to cobbled deepslate is what I did) in places where people would be walking more. So straight to the door or another place you are going a lot. If you want to hang lanterns or other light sources it is going to be brighter in that area. What helped me think about this was EthosLab Hermitcraft S10 Ep12, 12:10-13:20. Some times you learn something without even meaning to.

That's pretty much it! Once you're happy with texturing there's not much left to do. Some extra outdoor decor bits, porches, paths, lighting, really whatever you want. The important thing that I learnt was just to wait and fiddle until you are happy. I'm very happy with my house! Maybe I'll do another post on interiors but I need to learn some more before then.

As always, anyone is welcome to ask questions or give tips in my asks, messages, reblogs, or comments. I would love to learn from you!

[finnlearnsminecraft]

Day 6

I finally finish up in creative today! In the creative world it was all about texturing and finishing touched. Which I feel pretty good about. I watched a couple of videos about texturing but I'll be talking about those in another post when I am finally done with this project.

This is what I created! I really like the roof and I'm very happy with it. I really enjoy the roof gradient and thought this was a fun process.

This was some extra details I did on the front. I'll probably just freehand it on the survival world.

These are pretty much all the blocks I used, with some more stair and slab variants but I think they are pretty solid block palettes.

Finally back in survival! While I didn't build or play much, it was pretty eventful. It was mostly resource gathering and unfortunately, crimson wood lives in my least favorite biome(?) the nether. I died. Hoglins... I didn't bring extra blocks to pillar up so they beat me. I was able to retrieve most of my stuff thankfully. Though I do think my shield burnt up in the lava. Which leads to my almost second death. I was trying to get some nether brick because I used it for texturing and blazes almost knocked me off my bridge because I didn't have my shield. I ran away like a coward who didn't want all their things to burn in lava. After that, I decided to just do some chill building and tree chopping in the overworld. Which I promptly almost ragequit because I don't know how to count. So that it for day 6. Almost one week down and I am still working on my starter base... I feel as I can't move on to other tasks until this is done because I need more storage desperately.

As always, anyone is welcome to ask questions or give tips in my asks, messages, reblogs, or comments. I would love to learn from you!

[finnlearnsminecraft]

Day 14

A couple things today!

A couple creative mode path ideas to start the day. Far left is probably what I'm going to use unless I have another idea.

I also made and finished a sheep wool farm in one day. I also found out how to make a minecart unloader. I definitely didn't just watch a YouTube Short to figure it out.

I also had five baby zombies break into my house... Which lead to this. My death rate is at once every 2 hours (if I know how to do math, not likely).

As always, anyone is welcome to ask questions or give tips in my asks, messages, reblogs, or comments. I would love to learn from you!

[finnlearnsminecraft]

Day 13

It's official. I demolished the village!

I wanted to add the original pan around my area but Tumblr only allows one video per post so maybe I'll figure something out. Or you can watch it again on day 1. I left the roads for some guides for now. Day 14 is going to be planning out some builds and working on my to-do list.

As always, anyone is welcome to ask questions or give tips in my asks, messages, reblogs, or comments. I would love to learn from you!