improving minecraft post

src/content/posts/improving-minecraft.md

@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+---
+title: "Improving minecraft"
+publishDate: "09 May 2025"
+description: "Applying good principles of game design to minecraft."
+tags: [ "games", "game-design", "minecraft" ]
+---
+
+In this post I wanted to talk a little bit about game design theories and how they can be applied to the game I've been
+playing and modding for a while now, Minecraft.
+
+## Addressing sand/gravel duplication
+
+To solve any kind of issue, we need to understand where the root of the problem lies. In this case, the problem is that
+there isn't a reliable way to obtain large amounts of sand and gravel. Even mojang themselves acknowledged this and are
+looking for a way to provide a solution.
+
+My proposal is to add a mechanic to already existing item, the anvil. Anvil falling is currently just used for a meme or
+for traps. Why not give it another use? If you drop an anvil on cobblestone, it could break it down into gravel. If you
+then drop it again on gravel, it could break it down into sand. It would be amazing to see anvil juggling contraptions
+with pistons and slime blocks, along with a classic cobblestone generator. This way using existing mechanics we created
+something new that effectively solves the problem of getting sand and gravel reliably without having to destroy your
+local desert biome.
+
+You can try this solution in action on paper/purpur server using
+<a href="https://modrinth.com/plugin/purpurextras" target="_blank">PurpurExtras'</a> `anvil-crushes-blocks` option.
+
+## Item durability
+
+Items breaking has been a status quo in Minecraft for a long time. At the start tools and armor were meant to be
+disposable and easily replaced. As time went on, this changed significantly. Now a lot of resources can be invested to
+create a perfect set of tools and armor. This development is not bad by itself, we can definitely work around it, but
+first we need to figure out what doesn't fit in the current state of the game. We need to follow the symptoms to get to
+the root of the problem.
+
+The first thing anyone wants on their items currently is definitely mending. It pretty much trivializes entire durability
+mechanic. You just need to build a mob farm and swing by it sometimes to keep your items permanently. This has severe
+side effects on the entire equipment system. There is no need to ever decide what armor to wear, you just show up in your
+infinite maxed netherite armor and don't think about it.
+
+For this, I propose two steps to be taken that might sound insane, but I promise you they work as a whole.
+
+1. Remove the cumulative cost of repairing items using an anvil. Items are a huge time and effort investment now, there
+is no need to take away the ability to repair them more than few times. Apart from that, this system is just fine as it
+is. It takes resources and a level per material piece to repair items, that's high enough cost, and it keeps players
+farming the materials to fix their equipment.
+2. Remove mending enchantment. This might sound absolutely absurd, but let's think about it for a second. If you have
+mending on your gear, the gear progression ends on that. There's nothing more you can do or prepare. Combined with
+removing the anvil cumulative repair cost, this will add additional depth of equipment management. Should I use my maxed
+netherite armor for this fight knowing that I will need to get more netherite to repair it? Or should I use my diamond
+armor that's cheaper to maintain? People that prefer to minmax still have the option to do so, even in-combat repair
+would still be possible, it would even be faster than mending and experience potions.
+
+I personally used this ruleset to play myself and a couple of servers I ran. If you want to try it out, you can use
+<a href="https://purpurmc.org" target="_blank">Purpur's</a> `anvil.cumulative-cost` option and
+<a href="https://modrinth.com/plugin/mending-be-gone" target="_blank">Mending-Be-Gone</a> plugin.
+
+## Counterplay
+
+This one is a bit more subjective than the previous entries, but I genuinely believe it's worth considering. It really
+sucks when you get one-shot and there is nothing you can do about it. So, I propose to have a player health threshold,
+where if player is above it, they will not be able to die from a single hit. Imagine a situation where someone drops on
+you with a mace, you're on full health, but you die instantly. That doesn't sound really fair. With my suggestion, you
+would be left with 1 health left, and you'd have precious time to react by pulling out a totem or a shield. Thresholds
+value could be configurable, but I'd say 10 health (5 hearts) is a good starting point.
+
+## Finishing thoughts
+
+This blog post is a culmination of me theorising and experimenting with minecraft mechanics for nearly 5 years now.
+I hope at least some people will adapt these changes on their servers to make things more interesting. I also hope that
+you will also think how the game could be improved and experiment with different new mechanics as well! Thanks for reading!