The Spawn Chunks 294: Pre-releases, Productivity, And Pace

Joel, and Jonny cover some of the final changes to Minecraft 1.20.5 before its anticipated release later this week, speculate how wooden beams might function in Minecraft, and discuss downshifting Minecraft play from the high-octane grind of YouTube, to something more sustainable, and fun.

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FROM: Banaahn
SUBJECT: Fun With Sub-Blocks

Hi Pix, and Joel,

I’ve never missed an episode ever since I started listening during the pandemic. You’ve accompanied me on countless bicycle rides.

Often when I’m decorating I’m looking for fun sub-block details, and I find myself wishing we had wooden beams at player scale. I’m picturing them a block long, half a block wide and about a quarter of a block thick. Maybe narrower, and thinner?

They could be used for so many details! Support beams. Floating stairs, where you can see between the steps. You could hang lanterns and signs from them. They could function as shelving or window frames. Custom tree branches. You name it!

You know how slabs place differently depending on where you aim when you place them? These beams could have five or nine possible placements. Imagine a 3×3 grid similar to the empty bookshelf. It would be cool if you could place multiple in the same block space. Without these features they may not be different enough from slabs.

One way to implement them would be to just update sticks to be placable in the world. Like fences and walls, they could change shape depending on their placement. For example, they could be seamless when extending another beam. When touching a full block they could have a small angled frame – like the foot of an end rod – except it looks more like a truss. You could then use a dye on the placed sticks to change their colour, and some of the colours could be picked to match with existing wood colours. This eliminates extra load on the inventory, but I must admit it is also very cheap in terms of resources.

What do you guys think of this idea?

Banaahn died of hunger after having to repeatedly jump while climbing floating stairs made out of slabs.

PS: Ever since you mentioned the idea of apples as placeable items, comparable to pickles, I have not been able to get them out of my mind. I would ~love~ to see this kind of thing added to Minecraft.

FROM: Evo334
SUBJECT: Balancing Productivity And Enjoyment

Hi Pix, and Joel,

I’m a regular listener who usually consumes podcasts, and audiobooks at double speed to boost productivity. However, last week, I had the pleasure of experiencing your podcast at its intended pace, and it was an eye-opening experience.

Your discussions often touch on the evolving dynamics of Minecraft SMPs, like Hermitcraft, and Minecraft SOS, the trend of embracing a slower pace this season in particular. This shift in gameplay got me pondering the balance between productivity, and relaxation in Minecraft.

In big builds or ambitious projects, there’s often a pressure to maximize efficiency, and progress rapidly. Yet, this season’s emphasis on taking things slower seems to advocate for a more relaxed, perhaps even grind-less, approach. I find this duality fascinating, and would love to hear your thoughts on it.

How do you think players can strike a balance between being productive—making significant progress in their builds or gameplay—and taking the time to enjoy the process, perhaps embracing the grind or opting for less efficiency?

Evo334 died drowning in a sea of tasks, while fishing for moments of serenity.

Balancing Pace, Productivity, And Enjoyment