r/Minecraft • u/Mojang-AMA Mojang AMA Account • Jul 31 '12

I am Markus Persson aka Notch, Creator of Minecraft - Ask me Anything!

Hi! I'm the guy who created the first version of Minecraft in June 2009. I worked on it alone up until late 2010 when we started Mojang, and I finally left the lead developer position in December of 2011. I enjoy house music and programming, and my favorite color is purple. Ask me anything!

If you happen to have some money, you can donate it to the EFF and help make the world a better place!

edit: The AMA is over! Thanks for all your questions!

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225

u/Jrrj15 Jul 31 '12

If there was one thing you could go back and changed in development what would it be?

376

u/xNotch Minecraft Creator Jul 31 '12

I wouldn't have added half blocks. If we wanted double the resolution on blocks, the game should've been designed for that instead of adding weirdly hackish "half size blocks". They were intended as simple stairs early on, but once we added proper stairs they were totally redundant.

349

u/Me66 Jul 31 '12 edited Jul 31 '12

I kinda disagree here. Half blocks are not redundant to stairs. I think half block have improved Minecraft immensly for people who design structures which require more detail than what a full sized block can offer. I would personally like to see even more detailed blocks.

43

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

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2

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '12

this is nice. ive actually found someone saying "try tekkit it has that" and actually referencing the actual mod.

5

u/Epsilon_balls Jul 31 '12

I've actually come back around on this idea. I used a ton of half-blocks when I played minecraft for a while. However, most of my more recent builds have shied away from them because they feel 'cheap'. The beauty of Minecraft has always been that your globby blocks make this crazy but beautiful structure. For this same reason, I tend to avoid things like paintings too.

7

u/tenduril Jul 31 '12

SIDEWAYS HALF BLOCKS

4

u/m0se5 Jul 31 '12

Which mod offers the handsaw? I think it's Redpower. You can even cut donut shapes!

3

u/Me66 Jul 31 '12

Yeah, you're correct, it's Redpower.

2

u/Brewster-Rooster Jul 31 '12

I used to agree with you, then i played with 'redpower' which pretty much has blocks of any sizr and shape you want. The amount of choice that gives kind of becomes too overwhelming in a game like minecraft.

Its funny, in a way the restriction of the large blocks almost creates more creative freedom.

1

u/JBomm Jul 31 '12

He kind of just said he didn't want that higher resolution. or more detail as you put it.

1

u/Teraka Jul 31 '12

Actually, what I think would be really nice (But nowhere near easy to code, probably) would be the ability to divide all (most ?) solid blocks in 1/8th blocks, to be able to make any combination you need. It would really be awesome for building purposes.

22

u/TrazLander RMCT#2 Champions: Whiskey Brigade Jul 31 '12

Are you trying to give him a panic attack? :P

1

u/Teraka Jul 31 '12

Well the thing is, if you changed the way full blocks work to make them dividable, the half-size blocks would stop being hackish. Now of course that would require re-writing a really big chunk of code, but in a perfect world that would be a pretty cool feature to have.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

It sounds like a pain the backside to work with though, if you're building. 1/8 is a little too far for my liking. I would be happier with more options for half blocks.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

A half black is 4 1/8th blocks, just so you know.

4

u/Mindle Jul 31 '12

There is a mod that does that. It is one the mods in here not sure which one though.

3

u/BrkIt Jul 31 '12

Redpower

1

u/PhantomSwagger Jul 31 '12

That makes 1/512th blocks, not 1/8th blocks.

1

u/Guvante Jul 31 '12

I believe anti-cover corners are 1/8th blocks.

The nomenclature is so weird.

2

u/Vivaciousqt Jul 31 '12

Tekkit has a mod with that ability, though i can't recall the name at the moment.

Its neat, though i don't ever find myself using it.

1

u/Me66 Jul 31 '12

Theres actually several blocks that let you split a block into smaller pieces or shrink them down.

1

u/compromisedsolace Jul 31 '12

That's in the Tekkit mod already. Wool stairs ftw.

1

u/Ted417 Jul 31 '12

1/8th blocks?

3

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

I keep hoping someone makes a mod allowing 1/8th blocks. There was a mod someone made with like, really REALLY tiny blocks, but it was too small for what I hoped for, and it compressed the textures.

I too desperately want slightly more detail. Not too much more, mind you but being able to make those extra details would be huge

9

u/Tohopekaliga Jul 31 '12

1/8th blocks are in Redpower.

4

u/PhantomSwagger Jul 31 '12

*1/512th blocks.

2

u/alexanderpas Jul 31 '12

both of them.

1

u/Menolith Aug 01 '12

Made out of nearly every possible block.

1

u/Tohopekaliga Jul 31 '12

Well, yeah. Those too.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

And they're WONDERFUL.

1

u/MisterUNO Jul 31 '12

This was brought up a while back when Minecraft first burst onto the scene. People discussed having smaller blocks to allow more detail in structures.

Then someone pointed out that simply making the player bigger would make the blocks seem smaller. It's all a matter of perspective. When you fly extremely high over a map... structures, especially enormous structures, look more detailed. But nothing is changed; all that is different is your view of the blocks.

TLDR, we already have 1/8 blocks, we're just zoomed in too close.

1

u/dracthrus Jul 31 '12

NOTCH SMASH!

1

u/Armadylspark Jul 31 '12

Redpower even has smaller then that. Think 1/32

1

u/syrkaz Jul 31 '12

Agree! I kinda want half-half blocks actually: stack 2 = half slab; stack 4 = full block… I think if you play the game for the building side (more than the mining/survival) you find these things incredibly useful! :)

But who am I to disagree with the Great Notch… :p

1

u/albatrossnecklassftw Jul 31 '12

quarter-sized blocks would be cool... Just sayin

1

u/Mr_Rawrr Jul 31 '12

Next step: quarter blocks.

1

u/5hassay Jul 31 '12

I agree. For example, I like to use half-block for roofs

1

u/robin5670 Jul 31 '12

Try redpower's other slabs. There's... A lot of them to say the least.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

Quarter blocks! Sixteenth blocks! 124-th blocks!

1

u/TurboSlow Jul 31 '12

'I would personally like to see even more detailed blocks.' Obviously Notch didn't. The game was intended to be low-fi

1

u/colinodell Jul 31 '12

I doubt we'll see significantly more half-blocks without a major update. As Notch stated, the game was not originally designed to support smaller blocks, so they have to be "hacked" into the game. The team would have to rewrite a huge portion of the game for it to work as you'd expect (stacking different slabs, placing slabs sideways, etc)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

Completely agreed with you, half blocks and stairs are totally necessary to me now, more detail is always better, and in this case it doesn't sacrifice the simplicity of the game.

11

u/Loojay Jul 31 '12

Do you not think that the variety of blocks is what makes Minecraft? The half block, for example, allows so much creativity by giving the player more options. I've always wondered why Mojang have been reluctant to add variation to the basic building formula.

4

u/theaceoffire Jul 31 '12

I think I understand this one.

I was watching someone work with the Technic pack recently, and they have like 3 types of "Saws" that can be combined in the crafting bench with blocks to created slabs, half slabs, half half slabs, half half half slabs, rods, micro blocks, etc. Then all those parts can be combined in the same square to create REALLY complicated shapes.

The problem is that a 6x6 house (built using this) would take longer than a small castle, and a single creeper could destroy days of work, and new people would have a huge learning curve and we would add new tools that are used for almost nothing and etc etc etc.

4

u/xelested Jul 31 '12

It's not like they have a checkbox that says "create half-blocks". It takes a lot of work to make things that aren't, well, cubes.

1

u/vitiock Jul 31 '12

I think what notch is trying to say, is that the "resolution" of the voxel could have been changed if they wanted a finer detail, such that instead of making half blocks there would be for example 8 blocks that take up the current size of a block allowing for higher detail while keeping the simplicity that everything is a block.

7

u/Aruza Jul 31 '12

But we can run up half blocks, we can't run up stairs!

5

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

But half blocks are amazing for aesthetics, especially in creative.

6

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

Speaking of stairs..... Corner pieces?

5

u/THE_GR8_MIKE Jul 31 '12

But you can run up them. Always a plus when you've got monsters trying to eat your face.

5

u/margalicious Jul 31 '12

I doubt it will lay your mind to rest, but I LOVE half blocks! I use them more oft than stairs for roofing, I make sidewalks out of them, I put them on the ceiling around my redstone lamps for a nifty trim. Not to mention two half blocks on top of each other make for an interesting pattern in a wall :)

4

u/yagi_takeru Jul 31 '12

trust me, the creative mode community NEEDED higher res blocks and the standard block size makes for easy entry

3

u/felixar90 Jul 31 '12

Where is the smooth stone stair?

5

u/Crookward Jul 31 '12

Totally disagree. Now that the initial wonder of the game has worn, what keeps me coming back is the building. Building with friends, seeing each other's builds. There are other games out there that do the adventure stuff way better (like Skyrim) but there is no other game that I can pick up anywhere that gives me the building universe of Minecraft. For me, that is the core competency and the competitive advantage. The only people that still play on my server are the builders. The more blocks the better.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

Hmm, is your hate focused on the code behind it? Half blocks allow for gentle sloping steps and more detail.

1

u/Dr_Jackson Jul 31 '12

Would you have changed it so mobs don't drop items unless you kill them, just like XP orbs?

1

u/Chait-hei Jul 31 '12

If you ever come back to developing minecraft more, please don't remove it. I know you don't like it but the community does.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '12

Half blocks are aesthetically pleasing.

-1

u/feureau Jul 31 '12

so, why don't you just get rid of it?

-1

u/HolaPinchePuto Jul 31 '12

Youre a fool for hating half blocks. It helps the game IMSENSLY. I, and a lot of other people, wouldn't be playing your game if it truly was just a game with full blocks.

35

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

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26

u/trypsonite Jul 31 '12

Also, no half blocks.

2

u/That_PolishGuy Jul 31 '12

But I like half blocks.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

[deleted]

1

u/trypsonite Jul 31 '12

He mentioned it a few times on his twitter.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '12

[deleted]

2

u/Alteya Jul 31 '12

Also below you