Over the many years since its release, Minecraft has seen its community create a huge number of interesting game modes. Ranging from the wacky ones, such as Bed Wars or Transformation Battles, to the more competitive ones, such as Castle Fight and Ultimate Arena. The level of freedom Minecraft offers creators is unparalleled.
Minecraft’s developers are also hugely supportive of mods. Meaning the modding community has had a lot of support over the years allowing them to create some truly fantastic mods. These mods are often utilized by map designers to create new and interesting game modes. Today we want to take a look at one of my all-time favorite game modes in Minecraft. One Block Mode.
Minecraft One Block Mode
One Block Mode is a fantastic alternative game mode for anyone looking to spice up their Minecraft experience. As the name suggests, players spawn into a completely empty world. Below their feet is a single block. The aim of the game is to survive in this barren world. But you might be wondering, how can you do anything in a world with only one block?
The Block
In One Block Mode, the block you start on can be mined infinitely. Each time it is supposed to vanish, it respawns. This allows the player to harvest all the resources they need to survive. At first, the block is dirt. But after a certain amount of dirt blocks have been harvested the block will change into a new resource. This pattern continues throughout the game, meaning the more the player harvests the main block, the more resources they will have at their disposal.
The patterns aren’t a firm rule either. There is a certain level of randomness to the type of blocks that will spawn. Occasionally a chest will spawn instead of a block. Inside, players will find a random reward. The usefulness of the reward is based on how far into the game the player has progressed. So your first chest might just contain some wooden tools and wood blocks. But once you are twenty hours in, you might start finding diamond tools and rare ores inside.
Every few blocks, a mob will also spawn. These can be friendly mobs, such as sheep and pigs, or they can be hostile mobs, such as zombies and spiders. The type of mob that spawns will depend on how far into the game you are. So in the first few hours, you don’t have to worry about any hostile mobs spawning.
Playing One Block Mode
There are two ways you can play One Block Mode. The first method is to download and install the game mode onto your computer. The process is super simple. Firstly you need to download the One Block Mode ZIP file from the correct website. It is important to make sure you have downloaded the version that correlates to the latest Minecraft update version. After that, you just need to place the ZIP file into your Minecraft saves folder. Then, when you launch Minecraft, you should be able to load the world as you would any other saved map.
The second method of playing One Block Mode is to join an online server running it. Sites like Servers-minecraft.net are great places to hunt down populated multiplayer servers, and they have a list of Minecraft one-block servers as well as servers for all of the most popular game modes out there.
Multiplayer One Block Mode
The multiplayer format for One Block Mode is a tad different from the single-player experience. But not by much. Each player will spawn on their own block a good distance away from one other. This gives players enough space to construct their own base without anyone encroaching on their territory. But as the game progresses, players will start to build bridges between their islands.
This might be done with the spirit of cooperation in mind. But this won’t always be the case. A lot of servers run One Block Mode as a competitive game mode. The idea being if you are eliminated by another player, then you have lost and are removed from the game. The winner is the last player standing. This adds an element of racing to the game, as players need to progress fast enough to get the resources they need to combat any incoming threats.
Advanced Tips and Tricks
One Block Mode might seem fairly simple, but in reality, it is a complex and demanding game mode that requires a lot of planning. It might seem like you have unlimited resources, but this isn’t entirely true. As you progress through the phases, you will potentially find yourself receiving less of the basic resources such as wood, dirt, stone, and various ores. And this can be a problem if you don’t invest enough of these resources into expansion and construction.
Our first tip is to make sure you build a solid foundation space. You will want enough space to fit a crafting table, multiple furnaces, multiple storage chests, a bed, and any buildings you want to create. And most importantly, you will need a sizable area to store all your livestock.
This leads to our second tip. Don’t kill any animals! At least not at the start. Animals in Minecraft are a potentially infinite resource if you use them right. All you need is two of the same animal, and then you can breed them forever. This is especially useful with pigs, cows, and sheep. But if you stuff too many animals into one pen, then they start to glitch out, and some might randomly escape. So you need to dedicate a sizable area to animal storage.
You also want to dedicate space to a farm. Breeding animals need food. And there are many other uses for the various plants in Minecraft. So once you have access to water, you should start constructing a farm.
While we are talking about water, this next tip is perhaps the most important. At some point, a chest will spawn containing a bucket with water. This is an indicator that you are moving into a new phase. Before you do anything else, you need to use that water to place a dirt block below the main block. This is because soon, sand and silt blocks will start spawning. And these blocks are subject to gravity. So if you don’t place a dirt block below them, they will automatically fall into the void, and you won’t be able to harvest them.
With these tips under your belt, you stand a good chance of surviving the early stages of One Block Mode. But be warned, it has some surprises in store for you. So stay alert and, most importantly, have fun with it!
