Showing posts with label valley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label valley. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

TU12 Seed & Map: zaq44

Total VRIM Score
28.4 / 40.0 ( 71.0% )
Individual Scores (MAX: 10.0)
VIS 6.8 REAL 5.5 INT 10.0 MAG 6.1

Photos
Map

Rating

  • ++ Beginner ++
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • Expert
  • Suicidal Expert
  • Nightmare

Technical Details

Seed Number: 115 669 556
Version: XBL 1.5 (TU12) (PC equiv 1.2.3)

Notes

This is a really good seed for beginners. There's a cool formation against the western border of the map that has two waterfalls and a small overhang that is both scenic and looks like the start of a cool castle.

Villages

  • [341.75.277] village, x5, guard tower, water well

Underground

  • [-195.55.214] dungeon, skeletons, x4 gunpowder, x1 chest
  • [223.38.92] ender portal, x1 eye

Above Ground

  • [-188.64.293] medium cave
  • [-225.73.-252] small erosion
  • [-239.81.-138] lone pumpkin
  • [-363.62.38] medium cave
  • [-400.77.247] two medium waterfalls, medium overhang
  • [-343.65.301] secret lava pit
  • [-285.67.339] lava pit
  • [-113.68.320] secret spot
  • [-152.65.309] hidi hole
  • [-174.64.225] small cave
  • [-106.73.237] small nook
  • [-55.77.301] small archway
  • [-82.69.341] dead drop for hidden cave
  • [28.90.375] small land bridge
  • [96.91.351] medium overhang
  • [-169.66.243] cool valley (think Sphinx in Egypt)
  • [283.122.-79] jungle mountain

Monday, September 16, 2013

TU12 Seed & Map: backhanded

Total VRIM Score
25.2 / 40.0 ( 63.0% )
Individual Scores (MAX: 10.0)
VIS 6.2 REAL 2.9 INT 8.0 MAG 8.1

Photos
Map

Rating

  • ++ Beginner ++
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • Expert
  • Suicidal Expert
  • Nightmare

Monday, September 9, 2013

Monday, May 6, 2013

TU9 Seed & Map: walkthisway

Total Score
17.0 / 30.0 ( 56.7% )
RIM Scores (MAX: 10.0)
REAL 2.1 INT 6.1 MAG 8.8


Rating

  • ++ Beginner ++
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • Expert
  • Suicidal Expert

Technical Details

Seed Number: 184 392 7464
Version: XBL 1.4 (TU9) (no PC equiv)

Etymology

Aerosmith loved this song so much they sung it twice: first by themselves and then later with the group Run-D.M.C. Since the second version happened in 1986 (the original was 1975), the remix is the namesake.

Notes

Lots of mountains and a gnarled island in this one. I also found a landmark henceforth known as the "Sewing Machine" that can be seen for meters. The nether on this one also has some cool formations.

Villages

  • [309.74.-204] village, x12 buildings, guard tower, water well

Underground

  • [-52.36.126] chest, ender pearl
  • [-63.38.126] chest, x18 red stone
  • [-72.29.111] library
  • [-26.28.169] ender portal
  • [-387.14.-306] x5 gold

Above Ground

  • [228.71.247] medium ravine, medium lava fall
  • [-14.57.-388] expert-level medium cave, illuminated water fall
  • [-368.70.-267] hole in map, follow waterfall down for deep expert cave system
  • [-358.67.-71] dead drop, tall lava fall
  • [-290.64.135] mountain valley, river empties into ravine

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Seed: bicentenial

Special Achievements

  • Rolling! Higher than 8 out of 10 in hills and mountains.

Rating

  • Beginner
  • ++ Intermediate ++
  • Advanced
  • Expert
  • Suicidal Expert

Spawn and Version

Spawn: 102.65.37
Version: XBL 1.1.1 (equiv Beta 1.7.3)

Seed Score
MH 8.8
DW 3.7
C 2.2
W 6.7
SP 4.4
VR 3.1
AF 5.2
    34.1

Etymology

The word "bicentennial" means "two centuries". However, this seed name is deliberately misspelled. In case you were wondering, I dropped an "n" out of the name because the resultant seed from the traditional spelling wasn't anything special and I wanted a good one for my 200th seed. And I got it!

My Review

Number two hundred people! And they said it'd never last. This seed has some really tall peaks. I found no less than five spots where you can view the world from Y=115. But even though heights can be fun, the true draw of this level is the epic tree-packed valleys that are formed by these close-knit mountains. Ironically, the cramped geography makes for some interesting encounters with creepers and other day-walkers who can live under the protection of the trees. Keep your head on a swivel and don't get caught up in the beauty. Other things to keep in mind: there's a sizable chunk of frozen real estate that you should avoid because it's boring and this map is clearly a coastline, but I didn't swim out to see if there are any islands in the ocean. I'll leave that for you to discover.

Items of Interest

  • [164.65.53] medium overhang with medium cascading waterfall
  • [329.65.-47] iron and coal cave
  • [108.78.-336] deep crater lake
  • [46.72.-288] hidden lava pit
  • [-104.71.370] small cute spire
  • [-166.115.52] tallest point, monster valley and palisade

Images

At top, this is a fantastic sheer valley that stretches past the sphere of visibility. At right, this great horned overhang shelters a medium sized waterfall. This was right near my spawn.

Seed: jimihendrix

Rating

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate
  • ++ Advanced ++
  • Expert
  • Suicidal Expert

Spawn and Version

Spawn: 144.87.55
Version: XBL 1.1.1 (equiv Beta 1.7.3)

Seed Score
MH 6.1
DW 3.8
C 1.5
W 5.2
SP 3.7
VR 2.9
AF 3.8
    27.0

Etymology

Jimi Hendrix was a recording artist from the 1960s & 70s. He's known as the Godfather of the Electric Guitar. He played at Woodstock, released three albums, and captured the attention of the world until his untimely death at the age of 27.

My Review

It's a shame that the Godfather's seed was the worst of the day, though it was not a bad seed at all. It is full of pitfalls, sinkholes, and craters. Ironically, the caves I found were few and very shallow. The central part of the map is mountains and plains. When you head out toward the edges of the map, you'll find more icy conditions. Given how easily you can fall in a hole and die, I wouldn't recommend this for beginners. However, for those of you into exploring, this seed has the best chance of having that perfect round crater like the one in "opensource". Let me know if you find it.

Items of Interest

  • [129.88.58] medium sinkhole
  • [-9.78.6] valley
  • [-28.93.-4] medium crater
  • [-76.73.18] hidi-hole complex
  • [-108.71.-144] small floater and sugar

Images

This was a really deep square sinkhole that I found. I liked the fact that there was a tree in it.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Seed: Octagona

Special Achievements

  • Spelunked! Higher than 8 out of 10 in caves.

Rating

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate
  • ++ Advanced ++
  • Expert
  • Suicidal Expert

Spawn and Version

Spawn: -4.73.0
Version: XBL 1.1.1 (equiv Beta 1.7.3)

Seed Score
MH 3.7
DW 2.9
C 8.7
W 3.7
SP 2.5
VR 3.5
AF 5.5
    30.5

Etymology

So, I found this seed name on 552 gaming. Basically, the name of this seed is the word "Octagonal" spelled wrong. No word on who spelled it wrong first, but I'm pretty sure 552 needs an editor. "Octagonal!" is one of the random phrases on the Minecraft menu screen and means "eight-sided".

If you play this one, bear in mind the "O" in "Octogona" is capitalized.

My Review

So, I picked up this seed because I was planning on refuting it. The list it is traveling around on is posted on 552 gaming and then got wrapped into a bigger list that someone else ripped off on se7ensins. It talks about cacti and sand and a pretty grassy land bridge by your spawn and I was like, "this thing has got to suck". Well, it's just your average, ordinary Minecraft level -- unless, of course, you happen to find the super terrific mega cave complex. Then, it's something quite spectacular. The only reasons to play this level are to 1) visit the nether, and 2) attempt to conquer the labyrinthine train-wreck cave system I found. Without either of those, the rating on this level would be in the teens.

And I say, "I found", by the way, because not a single review of this seed mentioned an awesome cave. Not one. So suck it. The top-side could be a great seed for beginners, but this cave is suicidal. So I averaged the two and decided this level is for advanced players.

Can't Miss

There are no less than eight entrances to the massive cave complex located in the north by northwest quadrant of the center of the map. My entrance of choice because it was almost a straight drop down to the good stuff was at -167.19.-226. I set up base camp at the top and then built stairs down the dead drop until I reached platform #1 (there are three platforms before the lava).

The caverns are full of waterfalls that help facilitate your descent, but there are also cross-paths and circular passages that cause confusion. I used 64 torches before even making it to platform #3 and as I write this, I have used a total of 200 torches and there are still black side paths and alternate caverns that I haven't even touched yet. I focused only on getting down to lava, finding diamonds, and then digging up obsidian so I could see what the nether looked like.

For the love of James Lipton, people, label your cave!!! Attempting to remember where you are and how to get back out will leave you a raging headache.

The Nether

The nether on this level is quite spectacular, however navigating around is a huge pain. Firstly, I spawned on a shelf in the middle of the sky full of soul sand. So I'm already wondering around at 1 mph jumping up and down to pick up speed (like that works). Secondly, this thing is completely floating in mid air, so getting down to have a look around was an epic feat of engineering.

The nether itself is full of shelves and is wide open and full of interesting things to see. There are plenty of glow stone formations, towering lava falls that pour from ceiling to floor, and I also found a quadruple lava fall on the far side of the nether from where I spawned. But getting to it is going to require you to build bridges... big time bridges.

Video: This Old Seed, Ep5

This seed appears in episode five of my rockin' Xbox Minecraft seed tourism series, "This Old Seed". In this video, I hunt down diamonds and lapis lazuli in the depths of this crazy cave.

From the Cave Complex

  • [-100.21.-208] x7 gold
  • [-129.14.-216] x2 lapis lazuli, x6 red stone, x12 coal
  • [-155.13.-214] x4 diamonds
  • [-179.12.-208] x4 diamonds, x12 gold, lots of red stone
  • [-181.19.-217] x5 diamonds
  • [-198.15.-223] x4 diamonds
  • [-197.12.-210] x4 diamonds
  • [-214.15.-253] x3 lapis lazuli, x2 lava lakes
  • [-199.12.-256] x2 diamonds
  • [-241.14.-234] x3 diamonds, x5 gold
  • [-166.24.-235] x2 lapis lazuli

Items of Interest

  • [-167.19.-226] my entrance to the epic cave complex
  • [-90.69.-48] a flat desert valley with a small waterfall
  • [-271.73.-69] a low-hanging large land bridge
  • [-261.75.148] a huge collapsible sand formation
  • [-279.69.238] large land bridge and small floater on the south end of the palisade

Images

So, since the cave is all that matters on this level, the cave is what you'll get. This is a view from the first platform looking down at the second platform after I lit the whole thing up. When you first get here, it's just blackness full of drops to serious injury. At right, I did find this nice super-flat valley up top while I was looking around. If you were in the mood to plunk down a town here, this would be the place to do it.

The shot in the nether is a view of the terraces hanging over the lava sea.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Seed: reefsurf

Rating

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • ++ Expert ++
  • Suicidal Expert

Spawn Coordinates

-187.77.31

Seed Score
MH 5.9
DW 3.7
C 4.5
W 2.3
SP 4.0
VR 5.3
AF 2.9
    28.6

My Review

I was on this level for quite some time and all I saw was desert. This seed is truly a tribute to Australians because only a pure-bred Aussie would cross a barren, flaming desert like this to go surfing on a reef. Navigating is pretty easy as long as you're not trying to climb onto any of the rocks. Then, it becomes a chore. You're going to find a lot of spires around as well. It's definitely not scenic and not for the mild.

Items of Interest

  • [-204.65.14] floating spire
  • [-138.67.-76] large clay
  • [-157.69.-246] hidi-hole with spider sounds
  • [12.70.-180] lake
  • [54.65.-152] clay
  • [141.66.-43] large lava pit
  • [225.69.-96] the valley of spires

Images

That's about how the whole seed looks: sand on top of desert with mountains that would take you ten minutes to climb.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Seed: 872alpha

Rating

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate
  • ++ Advanced ++
  • Expert
  • Suicidal Expert

Spawn Coordinates

20.78.15

Seed Score
MH 5.9
DW 1.3
C 3.3
W 4.8
SP 5.4
VR 4.1
AF 4.2
    29.0

My Review

So, let me start out by saying that I found this mountain that looks like an iguana... to me... so I'm going to refer to it at times as Iguana Rock, but you shouldn't feel obligated to do the same. That said, this was a nice level, with steaks and patches of desert scattered throughout the world that act like roads if you need to keep track of where you're going. You are going to experience a lot of day-walkers (hence the "advanced" rating) and this level also features a lot of cliff-side caves that are hard to get to. This seed is definitely worth a look.

Items of Interest

  • [47.78.30] Iguana Rock
  • [-92.89.-9] hidi-hole
  • [-127.70.-121] spider cave
  • [-105.81.-165] skeleton-infested cave, coal
  • [-156.79.-207] valley
  • [-171.79.-209] hidi-hole
  • [-262.67.-216] hidi-hole
  • [-317.71.-143] hidi-hole with coal

Images

Iguana Rock. You know you see it!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Seed: blackreach

Special Achievements

  • Golden! This map has scored higher than 50 out of 70 in the overall score.
  • Premium! This map has scored higher than 40 out of 70 in the overall score.
  • Rolling! Higher than 8 out of 10 in hills and mountains.
  • Spelunked! Higher than 8 out of 10 in caves.
  • Anseled! Higher than 8 out of 10 in awesome features.

Rating

  • Beginner
  • ++ Intermediate ++
  • Advanced
  • Expert
  • Suicidal Expert

Spawn Coordinates

0.68.0

Seed Score
MH 8.8
DW 5.8
C 8.3
W 5.9
SP 6.5
VR 5.8
AF 9.2
    50.3

My Review

This seed is one of the most popular seeds that's been making the rounds on the Internet and it's easy to see why. There are land bridges and overhangs a plenty. I found lots of clay, a whole lotta bacon (pigs), and I even stumbled across a cave that has moss stone right inside the front door. I was amazed. Beyond that, you'll be surprised by the number of wolves in this level. You could easily explore this level for hours -- especially given how jagged the terrain is -- and I would encourage you to do just that.

Items of Interest

  • [-24.64.-179] deep cave
  • [-6.78.-263] a whole fleet of caves; possible network
  • [-52.73.-344] a great little hidi-hole well to the north of the spawn point
  • [-160.65.-358] the cave where I found the moss stone

Image Coordinates

An incredible land bridge to the immediate east of the spawn area at 0.65.0. The image at right is an amazing set of features. The one on the right looks like a Star Wars AT-AT. No coords on this one.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Seed: jsmash7

Special Achievements

  • Rolling! Higher than 8 out of 10 in hills.

Rating

  • ++ Beginner ++
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • Expert
  • Suicidal Expert

Spawn Coordinates

270.65.-127

Seed Score
MH 8.4
DW 8.1
C 1.4
W 6.3
SP 4.7
VR 1.6
AF 6.3
    36.8

My Review

I love hiking through hills in Minecraft, so this was a really nice level. Lots of ups and downs, as it were. This seed looks like something out of survivor. Picking out two photos for this particular level was tough because I found four really quirky formations within five minutes walk of each other. Pretty good! The spawn is on the far east of the map and is surrounded with wood. I'd say this was a challenge for a beginner who can stay on the spawn island and a fun curiosity for a seasoned player who doesn't mind swimming due west to check out the rest of the board.

Items of Interest

  • [61.73.-161] a cave that as I was passing it, the creepers literally came out to greet me in the middle of the day. It was like overflowing with death
  • [-76.88.6] is a really nice valley that might have some good resources to mine
  • [-140.88.11] a nice waterfall

Image Coordinates

Image at top is a really nice spire that could house a house if you felt like climbing that beast. The image at right is a dinosaur!