For Galaga! Pt. II

I like Parts. It makes it seem like a chronicle and I get to hope that people are on the edge of their seats waiting for the next installment. I like that word too, but that's enough of that. Just an FYI, I have O Fortuna going on in the background.

Night 1:
 The moon rises, a herald of my impending doom. I can practically see the sun sinking. In a few moments the hour will be upon me, and the creatures will be released.
Hark! A monster outside my window, wandering around, in search of my flesh no doubt. A hiss. An explosion. Has a creeper managed to infiltrate my home while my back was turned? Sword drawn, I whip around, ready to face death as only a viking warrior could. But nay, I shall not die this night so far! I have struck the first blow of war, and it was a mighty one! Another hiss. Another explosion. Another cord struck for the Human Endeavor! I send out three shots, warning all those who intend me harm to know that even if they brave the field that there is a bear in this cave, and he is armed to the teeth. Can they smell fear? They will have a hard time tracking it, for there is none to be found in this establishment! I turn back to the rear window. There are a few creepers, but they mill about as  restlessly as I feel. They turn, and for a second there is the sense of mutual lust for blood. Just as quickly as it came, the moment was gone and they continued to mill. I head back to the front of the fortress (or eventually my grave?) and see that quite a number of creepers, skeleton archers and zombies have crawled up from the depths. A shot fired. Another. The moon is blacked for a minute as my hail of arrows rains down upon the creatures. "Back to Nethers from which you were born!" I cry to the soon-to-be corpses on the front lawn. Many of the arrows miss, but I fear not, for the millings have set off the copious amount of mines strewn about. I must focus. The hunter must continue to be the hunter, for that is how this world works. I focus. Shots are fired. ...Most of them find their mark. I have shot down many of the foul creatures, including those thinking that they can swim to safety. The sun will be up soon and there will be no hiding from nature's rays. Yes, watch them burn. I shoot down the skeleton seeking refuge in the sea, who has now become refuse to be washed away like scum in the shower.

There is no recipe for a shower. My character has been around for days.

For Galaga! Pt. I

Notice: This is quite picture heavy.

  I don't know where the name Galaga came from, it's not a god or queen in any book I've read. I googled it once, but all I ended up with the arcade game; certainly not something to give your life for.

Not Pictured Above: The Horde, The Emperor, My Dignity

Well, to be honest, I do know where the name itself comes from. If anyone's seen Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, the goose that laid the golden eggs was named Galaga. Galaga the goose. Anyway, at some point in time, the name got into my head as something to yell when going into battle. That being said, let's get to the real point of this story: Minecraft.

  Lately minecraft has gotten a bit dull because if the multiplayer server I'm part of isn't online, I play single player. While this can be exciting, I find it a bit tedious, especially since the nightly portion is usually spent hiding in whatever shelter I've scrounged up.

They All Bleed the Same

A few weeks ago I went about finding an inventory editor for single player after watching a video of this guy laying down 3k blocks of TNT. This is hella impressive since I usually get to about 100 (if I'm lucky) before accidentally blowing myself and the project up. That lasted about a week before exploding things got old and I had nothing to do. Recently I picked it back up by loading up with all sorts of cool things and building whatever I wanted. I wasn't really interested in the whole ginormous-creative structure thing you'll see plastered across most websites. I wanted to stay simple while still being fancy, so this is what I went with:

Obsidian with a glass roof.

That's a simple moat that goes all the way around. There's a window on all 3 sides.

The reason I went with obsidian is simple. I hate creepers. I hate them so much. Thus, I went with something that withstands being covered with TNT, which I assumed it can't go wrong (don't worry, it doesn't!).  Unfortunately monsters can now swim (or maybe they always could?), so they don't sink like I'd prefer, but oh well. There's also a simple 3 square long pit of lava, but it's not anywhere that in-the-way.

  So now I've got an indestructible house and the ability to generate anything I need. I've decided to have a fight to the death. I'm hoping it'll be more exciting than it probably will be, but I've decided to make it crazy. First of all, I tore the door and surrounded posts out of the wall, so now it's 3 squares wide, quite a lot of space for a monster to freely come in through. Second of all, I rigged up the whole outside with TNT. Don't be mistaken, I'm not going out there. No, it was difficult enough for me not to blow myself up while setting it all down! It's mostly to blow up monsters before they get here and then fight them in my own house. Yes, that doesn't sound like I'm in a whole lotta danger, but I'm cranking it all the way up to 11 because Normal mode doesn't sound hard enough.

The entry is now open fully. Also, hella pretty. Hella.

A pig set off one of my explosive traps on an adjacent island...

I set off a mine myself, so I filled some of the hole with bombs.

Putting the "mine" back in minecraft.

Mine-Related Pun Here

The apples are only for if I'm at 1 or 2 hearts, anything else is toughed out.

So wish me luck, I'll be posting during each ingame day if I'm still alive!

Home is where you hang your hat, lay your head, and bed your wenches

So I figure with all this wonderful updation going on lately, some of you are interested in what my "castle" and "sanctuary" looks like, so I thought maybe I could illustrate my story with pictures. Which isn't really illustration, I realize that now, but I've typed it so it's too late!!! (There is definitely no editing on this website, I type with this much accuracy all of the time...)

First off, the feared and epic fortress (that's right, it's a fortress now because it has a door)

You would not believe the amount of torches on this thing.

I don't have a bed for wenching, but on that note  I haven't seen any wenches.

 
So that's where I live right now, but maybe eventually I'll move out into bigger and better things! Probably not though, I like caves and underground living quarters. The castle is a front. Also, this is secret, what's cooler than that?

Why did the minecrafter stop lumberjacking? He couldn't hack it.

Night 3:
  I have retreated underground for a few days, though I do not know how long. I just know I have not written anything since my third day here. In the intermediate time I have managed to craft a sword out of some iron deposits I found and refined here while expanding my underground shelter. It is a fine blade and I hope to put it to good use either in my defense or hunting.

Day 6?
  I decided to pop out and have a look about my castle, just to make sure there was no forced entry or attack on my castle. To my surprise it was daylight, which was quite fortunate as I was quite hungry. I emerged with my sword in hopes of finding a stray cow or pig. I was very pleased to find a whole heard of cows milling about a few yards from my castle! I killed a few, as well as a small family of pigs nearby for the leather and meat, hopefully enough to sustain me for a few days. My plan is to make some simple armor out of the leather should those creepers or anything else attack me while I am out and about.

Night 6:
  My armor has turned out quite satisfactory. It is not the most protective thing in the world, perhaps a barrel around my middle would be better suited, but I make do with what I have. I jest of course, I would hate to have killed those animals for nothing.
  I must be more careful when mining deeper into my lair (I am testing different names as I stay in longer and longer). Earlier this evening I was cutting above me, hear me out, to give myself a bit more head room so that I could quit crawling around on my hands and knees. How am I to survive if I develop a bad back?! Much to my dismay the ceiling caved in a bit causing a mess of sand to come pouring in. Luckily I was able to block the area up, though I have a few interrupting pillars about the area now. Torch posts I suppose! Much to my chagrin I also cut too far east and practically flooded my cave, hitting the lake behind my castle! I lost a few torches, but I have dried them and they should be reusable. I managed to stop the hole up with another piece of rock. All this mining has caused quite an increase in strength, something I hope to put to good use defending myself should I venture out at night again.

Day 7:
  My my, have I already been here a week, if not more? It feels like months, but I suppose that is wishful dreaming. I cannot return home just yet...

Day 7 cont'd:
  I did not mean to make my last entry so short, but I remembered that the trees I planted had looked almost full grown and that I could use the lumber. It is astounding just how fast these trees grow here. After I emerged from my hole in the ground the other day, I saw that the trees I planted were full grown without two days even though the trunk rings indicated two years! Now obviously I did not expect trees to be grown by now, but after I cut down the previous trees, I thought I should repay the land by replanting seeds for the next person, even if that is hundreds of years from now. Anyway, I have tried this numerous times, and it was not some sort of wild fluke, the trees have grown back! This land is more amazing than I thought!

Night 7:
  Not much has happened as of late. I built my castle up a bit and installed a crude wooden door. That should stop any unwanted visitors from coming in, even if they find me. I still retreat to my underground cave at night, just as a double precaution. I doubt they will be able to dig down and find me if they have not in almost eight days. If they are hunting creatures, they would have easily found my scent by now.

Day 8:
  These creepers are going to be the death of me!!! I was fixing up around my castle planting trees and setting up torches when all of a sudden I received what felt like a giant body slam and blacked out. When I awoke there was a large gaping hole in the earth similar to the encounter with a creeper and my backpack blow to bits with my possessions strewn about me. I collected myself and my tools and supplies. I managed to patch up the castle wall that was destroyed in the blast and replace the torches, but it will require further work later when I am up to it. For now I must return downstairs (or rather downladder and pray I do not pass out and fall the rest of the way) and eat a little bit to help regain my strength.

Night 8:
  I have have eaten and feel a bit better. I decided to go out and sit on the wall of my castle and noticed a zombie lurking about at the top of the hill as if deciding whether or not an attack was a good idea. I waited around to see if it would ignite, but it ducked behind the hill as the sun approached so I do not know the outcome of that. The animals are always so active at night, I always think I'm about to be attacked until I realize it's just a cow and then feel foolish.

How do you get a female minecrafter pregnant? Use your mineshaft.

Day 1:
The sand castle is complete. I have been hiding out here for a few hours since it's completion in order to get a lay of the land. I have not seen any natives on this island, but the local wildlife (pigs, sheep, cows, and chickens) would indicate a farm somewhere nearby. Perhaps if I can gather the resources I shall venture out and see what I can't discover of the landscape and hopefully allies.

Night 1:
By the gods, this was a mistake. This was all a grave mistake. Whatever the natives once were they are no longer, but rather a mutation of their former selves. The inhabitants of this island appear to have morphed into horrible monsters resembling zombies, skeletons, and creeping plant life. I have see large spiders but I do not imagine they anything more well fed. I do not know the source nor the cause of this mutation, but I pray it does not reach me or the animals or all is lost. I have quickly retreated to my castle, though a fortress it is not. I was warned to bring or make as many torches as I could because nights here "might be hazardous without light". Truer words have never been spoken. I have made about 64 torches a laid them about my camp. I do not believe the creatures can swim, but I put a torch on the back wall of my castle to ward off these unholy abominations. I know that might be redundant, but there are not enough adjectives to describe these unholy creatures of Hell.

Day 2:
I decided to venture out, quite cautiously mind you, to see what the new day brings me. High up on what I have now named Venture Hill was a curious sight. It was one of the monsters, a zombie I think, on fire! He did not run around or attempt to put it out as a person might, but rather hid under a tree. I have not tested this hypothesis, nor do I have the means to safely do so, but I have a very good feeling that the sun is what causes these creatures harm. I might be safe enough to do any necessary work during the day time if I allow for time to scurry back to my home. Without a way to safely move to a new area, I fear that is what this place has become, though hopefully not my grave while we're at it. When I attempted to approach the inflamed creature, against my common sense, I found it to be gone. Of course I had to climb about 40 feet up the hill, but I was hoping that it would survive long enough to investigate further. When I did reach the top, all I found was the burnt remains of a chicken and some dust that quickly blew away with the wind.

Night 2:
I worry that while the monsters have not crawled out of anywhere where my torches are planted, they might seek me out by following said torches to my camp. As a precaution I have relocated myself underground, about 20 feet down, and placed a rock in the way of the ladder. My hope is that the creatures are not smart or strong enough to remove it and find my sanctuary.

Day 3:
I made a terrible error in judgment. I had hoped that I was strong enough to take these creatures on if it came down to that, and while I was right, I was also so so wrong. I encountered one of the plant creatures, and believe me you, they are definitely not to be trifled with. I pulled my trusty hoe off my belt and began circling the strange humanoid attempting to gain the upper hand.
***On a side note, the hoe has yet to break or diminish as all of my other tools have, and it is of simple wood. I have had no time to explore the possibilities nor do I want to jinx this good luck that has finally fallen upon me in this accursed place.***
The creeper (reminiscent of the Pottselvania Creeper from Rocky and Bullwinkle and thus named so) worryingly makes no sound when moving. I must remember this for the future lest it attacks me while my attention is elsewhere. Anyway I digress. We both sort of lunged at each other, and while I managed to vanquish it, I fear if I am not more careful next time, the next one might be more successful in its endeavors. It exploded. Yes, that is correct. It detonated like one might expect TNT to detonate, except worse. It was like a barrel full of gunpowder near a pack of chain smokers. It must have blown out a 13-foot radius, including the ground. There was dirt everywhere, which after gaining my composure I quickly collected and stored in compact blocks. I was able to get back down to my castle and stumble down the ladder to my sanctuary, but I fear if I am not extremely careful next time, I might end up as dead as that creeper. Even in my early age of 27, I do not think my heart could take another shock of physical and mental stress. I have consumed the only bit of meat, cooked on a furnace I've crafted out of stone, I was able to salvage from a cow the other day. I have had an exceeding amount of trouble retaining meat from these creatures, they are quite hardy and I cannot bring myself to gouge their sides out as they flee from the bite of my axe. The chickens are quite easy to catch and kill, but I have had trouble carefully getting anything useful from their small bodies as I do not have an adequate blade. I will have to look into additional crafting.

Feeling This

Some of you might recognize the title from that Blink-182 song. It's pretty good, but it has nothing to do with this post, I just thought I'd use that title.
Edit: That's a total lie, I knew what I was doing when I started, which is why I knew to mention the Blink-182. I'm sorry.
Edit: Not really.

  Anyway, I've been hearing a bit about this "Minecraft" game and tonight I was reading comics and Penny Arcade mentioned Minecraft. I remembered that I recently fixed my Java applet (though I have to use safari... Oh well) so I hopped on the trial version that's on the website and I have to say... It's pretty great. That's not to say I really know what I'm doing, but I'm having fun. Well to be completely honest, when I started I wanted to see how far down a hole it would let me drop, whiiiich... turned out to be VERY VERY far. So I cut a staircase in and climbed out. But anyway, on to the more interesting things:
I discovered a lake. And from that lake, I FORGED A CASTLE! Sort of. It's a lot like my lego houses used to be, bricks going in a rectangular pattern with a door cut out. I was pretty impressed to see that you could build across a gap without building under it, I.E. a door frame.

Yes, it's all underwater. I'm pretty impressed that I'm not dead, but I think that every day about real life, so why should the virtual world be any different, especially something as pixelated as this?

So I built it really high, 'cause that's how I like to build things that have no limit. It was kind of a bad idea, I had to spent like, 2 minutes building a mini-staircase to get back up, but I deleted it.
   There's something I should mention. Apparently zombies come out at night. I don't know about this, because the game is currently in the daytime, but just in case, I cut out a moat and stuck some TNT in it. I don't know how it works, but if it works like a landmine, I should be safe. Also again, a moat. I don't know if the zombies can swim, but for the sake of my safety that I probably won't occupy very much, let's hope not!
Have a picture:

I'm a classy guy. Anyone who knows me will verify that. Though probably not. Don't ask people. Please? Anyway, being such a classy guy I gave myself a glass ceiling, which being so high and standing level being underwater caused it not to matter, and I think it's quite fashionable.

Classy is in session.

So I've just been wandering, it's kind of interesting ( I know as soon as some of my friends read this they will go, Do it.) and I'm considering buying it, it's like 10 bucks, so why the hell not, comparatively to other things I've acquired recently (bought Wrath of the Lich King, but that's a completely different story...).
So that's my tale. I'm trying out multiplayer as we speak (well on and off from writing this, because who knows how late in the future you're reading this... Hello to all future people, including any offspring or alien invaders [which would be sad because who cares about a blog if you've invaded the entire earth?]), but keep in mined (you knew something like this was coming... shirely) that it's 3 am right now and I have to be up at 11 am. So that's all from me, and I urge you to check out the game, even if it's just for free, because who doesn't love free?