The Spawn Chunks 277: Chunk Mail Stocking Stuffers

Dec 25, 2023 | podcast

Jonny, and Joel share hands on feedback on with the armadillo in the latest Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot, then unwrap listener email on breeze horns, wolf armour, Minecraft pets, and blending your builds into icy surroundings. Happy holidays!

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Joel

  • The Citadel
    • This week has been mostly time spent behind the scenes trying to update mods, and data packs that are ready for 1.20.4.
    • Thanks to the folks who have written in offering help! 2024 may see some deeper in-house development of data packs, or even a mod.

Jonny

  • Snapshot Survival Gameplay
    • Dropped into the the latest Java Edition snapshot to check out armadillos.
      • Armadillos are fun! Their walk cycles, and scared behavior make them very cute.
      • The rate at which brushing an armadillo for armadillo scutes breaks down the durability on the brush is surprising.
      • Wolf armour looks cool, though it still needs some sort of customization options.
      • Using wolves in combat did have its uses:
        • Chasing off skeletons is pretty handy because it helps keep them out of firing range of the player.
        • Wolves won’t attack creepers, so the only reason a creeper will explode near a wolf is because the player mishandled the situation.
        • To really round out their effectiveness, wolves could use a speed buff.
      • The main problem with wolves is that unlike hostile mobs, wolves do not respawn if they die.

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Join us on

Chunk Mail

FROM: EmptyEmpires
SUBJECT: A Rail Of A Tale

Hello Jonny, and Joel,

Happy holidays!

As much as I don’t think we need more copper blocks I can’t stop wondering; What if we could craft copper rails? Similar to powered rails they would give your minecart a little boost, however similar to the new copper bulb, depending on the oxidation stage it would propel the minecart at different speeds. The greener the copper the slower the velocity of the minecart. This would allow players to have more diversity when it comes to adding kinetic energy to their builds. Not to mention I imagine it would have some redstone uses as well. 

As always I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Emptyempires was launched off the rails and into a never ending sea of copper.

FROM: SpecterVamp
SUBJECT: Empowered Goat Horns

Hello Jonny, and Joel

I was listening to Episode 273, and when you read the email about the cold resist potion I had an idea for a use for a breeze drop.

What if the breeze drop (a wind charge is a good idea) can be combined with a goat horn (be it in the smithing table or not) to imbue it with an effect similar to the wind horn in Minecraft Dungeons? Maybe you need to craft, or smith the horn, and the breeze drop together with some copper to give it this effect, further tying it to the trial chambers. This could also add the copper horn texture back into the main game.

Maybe it’s just because I’ve been playing Minecraft Dungeons a lot with my family recently, but I think it would just be a fun item with a lot of use for exploration, and pvp uses, and the idea of being able to yeet a goat off a cliff with its own horn is kinda funny to me.

SpecterVamp got yeeted by his friends using an empowered goat horn.

FROM: Jumbosale
DISCORD MEMBER: Content Engineer
SUBJECT: Letting My Pets Wander

Hi Jonny, and Joel!

Now that wolf armour is almost in the game, it got me wondering if I will start to bring my many wolves out from my base, and then on to thinking about just having pets in Minecraft in general.

The issue I have with my pets is just how static they feel in my base, as I’m just forcing them to just sit down. I hope the AI for tamed mobs can be improved so they can behave more predictably, and more like pets. Some things I would like: 

  • Getting pets in and out of Nether Portals easily.
  • Getting pets to roam around in my base without them wandering off
  • Fixing how mobs like wolves, and cats teleport in an unreliable way.

I feel tamed mobs have a lot of potential in making our Minecraft builds that feel much more alive. Do you think changing the AI for tamed mobs will make you change your mind about not having pets in Minecraft?

Thank you so much for building this awesome community!

Jumbosale frantically searched his log files for his missing pet, and really hoped its name would not appear in any death messages!

FROM: Saphiraugen
DISCORD MEMBER: Landscape Artist
SUBJECT: Minecraft Player Improvement

Hi Joel and Pixlriffs,

While recapping my last year in Minecraft, I realized that I really improved in different fields in the last twelve months. I got better at flying with elytra – Thanks for the flying tutorial, Pix! –  I am way less afraid of the Deep Dark, and I explored new build styles, and built bigger structures.

What do you think are the things you got better at in Minecraft in the last year?

Where would you like to improve in the new year?

I want to get better at terraforming and landscaping. 

Happy holidays, and keep up your great work! 

Saphiraugen will find the perfect sign off some days after sending this email.