Random Diversions: Minecraft: Dig It

I've been playing a bit of Minecraft off and on over the last couple days, mostly working in and around home base, finishing off the greenhouse (really!), and doing some other construction. I've decided on a pretty organic building strategy. Using the hill as a base and expanding from there. There have been a few changes.

Beneath the hovel

The first change is, my hovel is no longer just a hole in the wall. I've expanded it a bit, and added a basement by digging out and finishing the natural tunnels into something more recognizable as rooms. There are also windows, and stairs, and everything!

Yeah right. It's not a great piece of art, but my Minecraft stuff tends to be a bit utilitarian so I'm not surprised by this. Anyhow, the hovel has been transformed too. It's now more workshop than living quarters. I usually find one furnace isn't quite enough and two are usually enough, but not always. I figure four should keep things rolling for a while, at least until I have a major building project underway.

The improved hovel

Outside, there are signs of progress too. I've expanded the walkway between the greenhouse and home base into a sort of extended bridge over the various caves and tunnels that riddle the ground beneath this area. I've also built a sort of underground aqueduct beneath the walkway, which eventually will lead to the center of the earth (or something).

The walkway leading homeward

As you can see, there are also some fortifications going up. I'm walling off the entire hill area so I can have a secure base of operations. The need for this was made abundantly clear with the loss of my second dog, Scruffy, to a sneaky creeper. Luckily his pack-mate Fido showed up shortly after Scruffy's demise.

RIP Scruffy

One of the biggest problems I'm facing now is the huge number of caves below my home base. Aside from the random caves that you find everywhere in Minecraft, there's a giant underground ravine that runs right under the hill. Good because it's quick access to lots of minerals, bad because it's AAAAAHHHHH! Falling! *Splat!* I haven't taken a deadly fall yet, but I anticipate it'll happen sooner or later. For now I'm working on clearing out the upper caves and lighting them up so I can avoid ambushes. That work, coupled with the continued expansion of fortifications and additions to the base are keeping me busy. Below are a few last pictures to illustrate the ongoing work.