(Be forewarned - I may cross-post in my gaming blog, familygamingxp.blogspot.com)

October 30, 2011

Finally got Paypal working so I could pay and play.

As I was reading the welcome sign, a creeper came and killed me.

Thankfully Brofinn and later Praxismaxis were around to help me out.

I was a total n00b. My husband had to come over to show me what were probably the controls for walking. Then Liam showed me how to change the controls.

Just in case I forget ...

• the arrows are now my directions for walking
• when in doubt, I've used the first letter of a word for the action (e.g. A for attack, U for use)

The safe house is gorgeous! Great view, multiple levels, well-stocked.

I have to find a new pickaxe - I accidentally threw mine down and lost it. I was swinging my bow instead of shooting with it, but no one was harmed.

My son watched me play for a bit. He wanted to take over but I told him I had to learn. He had a lot of comments comparing it to Terraria. (Terraria takes a 3rd person perspective instead of 1st person, so I had a lot of trouble navigating.)

Here's a screen shot of my first time on Minecraft. I don't know if it will show up, since I had to stick it in a docx file. We'll see.

1st Minecraft Screenshot.docx

November 1, 2011

Not quite as successful as last time. I was on by myself. I decided to watch a video about how to do stuff - like open the chest. Then I decided to be brave and open the door and go exploring, so I could practice shooting with my bow. I accidentally threw away all 64 of my arrows. Then I thought I'd hit a tree and collect wood so I could craft something like I saw in the video. Before I could shut the door, a creeper came up to me and ate me! I respawned near some tree and I headed towards what turned out to be a building that wasn't our house. I died a second time when I accidentally tried to swim in lava.  I got lost again and I left my character hiding in some maze of passages. In good news, I put on my new skin. I think I need to watch more stuff and go on when others are around - I think I'll also ask my students how to do some stuff.

November 3, 2011

I definitely am a go-on-together sort of player! I coordinated with MissColby to play together and I'm glad I did. She found me wandering near the blown-out section of one of the safe houses. We went wandering together. MissColby gave me an axe and a raw chicken, which I can't eat yet. I picked up some rotten carcasses. I also figured out how to pick up the torch, even though it will only stay lit if I attach it to a wall. It's also not a good enough weapon or tool on its own. I killed my first pig! It took a long time but I was able to do it with the axe. I accidentally hit my friend once with the axe while hunting. She forgave me. I even helped MissColby make a hidey hole for night security while Denise and I were wandering - I piled dirt up! MissColby got attacked by a spider and I tried to help but I couldn't get to her. Denise gave me my best tip yet - don't use the laptop to play! I don't have a mouse for my laptop and it helps to have one. I loaded stuff on my desktop and it works just fine. My students were telling me about how to use the lava to get diamonds but I'm not at that stage yet.

November 7, 2011

This was a really fun session because, for the first time, all three of us were online at the same time!

I watched some videos about how to cook my raw chicken and worried a bit because I didn't know how to make a furnace. Lucky me, Praxis already made one and had it in the house. He unlocked it and I cooked my pork and chicken! I was so pleased! I also learned how to shoot my bow and arrow. I have different control settings so right-click alone doesn't work. I needed to use the U (for use) key. I was told that holding shift meant I wouldn't fall over the edge, and that sleeping in the beds Praxis provided made the night go faster. I have awful aim but it was fun to practice shooting. I patrolled for spiders and creepers. I screamed out loud when a creeper jumped high up where we were on the balcony - my whole family complained about the noise. When MissC came on, we decided to visit her house. I don't have a house yet - I feel like a bit of a slacker. I joked last time that I was on a Minecraft IEP. I am so lucky to be playing with such talented gamers. They showed me the pool in the main house and where to get boats. We were all boating at the same time as we traveled to MissC's place. I was totally impressed with MissC's sculpture (and both Praxis and MissC's gardens). Here they are making art, forming culture! I'm still at the prehistoric man stage before even the cave paintings! I killed a sheep (badly) while at MissC's (I think I hit someone with an arrow while trying) and got spooked by a creeper peeking at me through the window. I "slept over" at MissC's place because I had to put my own kids to bed.

My son watched part of my game play and controlled my character for a bit. He ditched me to watch his dad play Borderlands but then started to write a "Minecraft Tips" sheet for me - of course, I just learned most of the stuff he was writing, but it'll be a good reminder. He liked talking to Liam.