Think Big!

I've started work on the castle which the portal room will lead too. it felt appropriate for it to bridge into something much larger, which is not on stilts. In order to do this, I've started mapping out the basic wire frame of what will, without a doubt be the largest creation I have ever built. This thing dwarfs anything else I've ever attempted. Whats great is, I'm using all my experience and preferences to figure out how to make it visually pleasing. Basically I'm going to create a wire frame of what the second floor will look like with gravel as place holders for windows. Then build the first floor and ideally the third floor. I'm probably going to built right to the ocean floor which will require a ton of gravel. In addition to which, I've started using the glowstone blocks which I have been placing on the ocean floor, it has an amazing effect.

Maps and phantom lights from the ocean floor.

I finally got around to making a simple map. I got on a boat and did a "quick' tour of my surrounding area. I am completely surrounded by water. Island 3 is located in the center there and is composed of the 3 tiny little specs of land. I found 2 other spots where land broke the surface. The bottom 2 green dots was a 4x4 island. To the right of island 3 is that light blue area. There actually was some land visible on the surface.

While cruising around I also discovered the strange phenomenon of lights emitting from the ocean floor. This are actually caused by torches which are shining from hidden undersea abandoned mines. They are often only visible at night. I found two. One is located in the bottom left hand corner, and other is near that green spec in the bottom center. This will prob be a future project, sorta like an off shore oil rig.

Construction on island 3, text mod, the intro of the 1/2 block.

I started building up more on island 3. I added a portal room for 2 nether portals on either side, not that i really need an additional portal, but they make great center pieces.

The big changes that have occurred is my tweaks to my text mode pack. I took the original texture pack "cobblecraft" and made a few small changes. The most significant was I copy/pasted the stone texture onto the 1/2 stone blocks. Originally they were a smoother texture which I found stood out to much, now they are identical to the original stone block (which is fantastic texture i might add.) so I now have 1/2 stone blocks at my disposal which will open up a world of possiblities. Eventually I want to try my own texture pack, but thats way off in the future.

Skull Entrance

Entrance to the building Im working on.

Concealed nether portal

The rough construction for a 6 piston door which will reveal a nether portal. I'm going to attempt to get the back 6 to work as well, then conceal the whole thing in a nice design.

Update: got all 6 to work from either a pressure plate or a lever. The wiring takes up a little bit of room on the sides, but the front stuff i can conceal underground, and the side I can cover up with construction.

Update: concealed it with basic dirt. I was originally going to use stone, but decided to go with dirt and give it a more natural look. Across from it is the main structure I've been building. I started implementing other materials, not just stone into the construction to give it some variety.

This is all occurring on "island 3" I spent a good hour trying to find island 2 from my first island, but after days sailing in what I believe was the right direction, I never actually found it. Ideally one day I'll come across it again.

Light tower and hidden dungeon entrance.

Two piston based mechanisms I've built. One is a simple hidden block entrance which leads to the mine directly below my house. The second is a light tower adjacent to my house. A lever in my house raises and lowers a block in the tower which lowers a block which conceals some hidden torches which illuminates the silver capped tower.

Island adventure.

I started scouting for what was going to be my next project; to litterally exscavate a giant hole in the desert and build an enormous castle. I started north, with the assumption that I would find something sutiable. The prospects were good, but I thought, "why not check just a little bit further north?" I ended up traveling two full nights, stopping quickly to set up a temporary shelter. On the third night I found myself at the edge of an ocean. I swam out, and after a short journey I found myself on a very small island. That's when I got the idea ... "I wonder how long I can last out here?" And thus has begun what has turned into a week long adventure on this tiny space of land in the middle of the ocean. I've built a small house, a chicken farm and small wheat patch. I then started digging straight down, via a ladder in the corner of my room. I really wasn't expecting much, but to my amazement I discovered one of the best mines I've visited to date, complete with an abandoned mine and frequent slime appearances!