Minecraft Essentials & Tools

cherryghost · 18-02-2011 2:01pm #1

Hello folks. If you're here you've no doubt heard of or played the phenomenon that is Minecraft. Jumping into Minecraft online can sometimes be a confusing experience, as some servers have built up to such a point that the areas look like mazes. Here's some essential tools that Minecraft players should have when playing on any server

Increase Game Performance

For PCs that run slow, or have integrated graphics, Optimine renders the maps faster, with little impact on visual effects, giving smoother gameplay experience. Details here

Minecraft Automap

This tool allows real time top down rendering of the world you're currently in. You can zoom in, change visible layers, remove blocks rendered etc, so you can get a good feel of the enviornment around you. Download here, you may also need to install .net framework and xna framework, both also on the website.

Ingame HUD, Better Light & Grass

Instead of having Automap as an external program, this mod allows a minimap on your screen ingame, as well as graphic enchancements. Details here

Redstone Simulator

Anyone working hard on logic gates or lever systems would definitely want this program. A lot easier to work out your designs rather than testing and building ingame. Details here

Minecraft Encyclopedia (Kubik)

This program has the complete list of Minecraft items, requirements to make new items, and global Minecraft chat, as well as a server browser list for registered servers. Essential for all players. Download and details here

Skinedit

For users that are tired of their Minecraft characters, Skinedit allows custom editing of your characters skin. Details here, but most people will probably download their own, such as minecraftskins.

For people experiencing game crashes/fps issues

Its well known that Minecraft is still buggy. Remember this game is just out of Alpha. There are numerous reasons why it crashes and there is numerous fixes.

OpenGL Error
Update your drivers! For Intel GMA users, download the latest here(select Graphics from the menu, most drivers thereafter have support for nearly all Intel cards). For AMD users, download here, and Nvidia users download here.

Constant Game crashes
There's numerous fixes for this. Try each one to figure out your issue.

- Uninstall Minecraft and redownload. To do this unhide your folders, go to C:/Users/username/appdata/roaming.minecraft (Vista/7), or C:/Documents and Settings/user/appdata/.minecraft (XP), and delete the bin folder and texture pack folder. Run Minecraft again to redownload everything

- Some Java releases are known to be choppy and crash the game frequently. The most stable release is SDK 6u23 for Minecraft. Select the correct operating system and download.

- Sound can sometimes be an issue too. Update your drivers or test the game with your sound disabled.

I hope the thread has helped you in some way and see you on a server soon!