#mchardcore

LAST TIME...

It was night time. They were lost. They didn't know where Jesus was, and they had no other option but to wait the night out in the abandoned homes... With monsters banging down the doors...

The sun rose on the tiny village, and monsters began their daily routine of spontaneously bursting into flames. Our hero and Costumbre had survived the night. They carefully crept out of the house they had barricaded themselves in and looked around. Jesus was still nowhere to be found. They decided the best thing they could do was wait, and hope that Jesus could find them again.

They were in luck, for Jesus did find them. It took him a few hours, but he eventually found his way back. The three celebrated, and went straight back to work. They decided that going around the area and looking for tunnel systems would be the best thing to do.

They didn't have much luck finding them. There were a few here and there, but none that had anything of value in them. They decided to make their way back home, and hunt chickens along the way.

Night fell. The three dug a shelter and waited the night out.

They awoke and destroyed the shelter. SUDDENLY MONSTERS ATTACKED. Our heroes fought them off, and barely survived. They kept moving in the direction of the house. Their adventures led them across lakes and over pitfalls, over mountains and through forests. Soon enough, they returned to the house.

The sun was setting all too soon. The three men went to sleep.

The next morning was a morning of decision making. The men had prepared as much as they could have, and they believed it was time to take a chance. Costumbre and our hero gathered the large number of items that the heroes had collected and crafted, while Homeless Jesus mined for cobblestone in hopes of constructing a fortress. Our heroes were going through the portal.

Our heroes met outside the fortress. They did a head-count, making sure that all of the items they had prepared were distributed fairly. They set up a strategy for building a fortress, and decided that they were ready. They went into the portal.

The Nether was hell. It was hot and dark. There were terrifying creatures all around them.

The men couldn't even set up a fortress before they were attacked by giant floating ghosts... They fought with all of their might, but it was useless. The portal was destroyed, and the men were trapped...

(Next time:

The end?

LAST TIME...

They worked all day before returning home, in hopes of truly starting a new adventure the next day.

The sun rose on the shack on the hill, where our heroes were sleeping. Today was the day their adventure truly began.

The three men began to search the world for an easily accessible open area, one that would be close to both the mine they had discovered and the house. Once they found one, Jesus told what he had found in the cave. He had found obsidian, but at the time, he could not access it. What he saw was a waterfall flowing into a large pit of lave. The obsidian formed where the two touched.

After some experimentation, the three men successfully simulated the fusion, and they created obsidian. Using diamond they had found earlier in the cave, they broke it apart and collected it. However, they felt like they should have more. They returned to the cave to collect more lava and water.

Night began to fall. The men returned to the shack and slept the night.

Costumbre woke with a start and woke the other two. He explained to them that he had seen a vision in his sleep. A simple vision, yes, but a significant one. He saw a five-by-four rectangle of obsidian stones, and he held a flint and steel in his hand. He insisted that Jesus and our hero help he recreate his dream in reality, in hopes that it would spawn something brilliant.

The men set to work building the rectangle. In no time at all, it was constructed in the place of the old garden. Our hero took the flint and steel, and lit the fortress on fire. It erupted in a purple shroud. The men stared at it in awe, and Costumbre stepped forward. Jesus stopped him, explaining that, should this... portal, he supposed, take the men to a dangerous area, they should be better equipped than the meager armor and weapons they possessed now. He decided that the men would need long-ranged weaponry.

Our hero agreed, and so did Costumbre (reluctantly). Costumbre suggested that Homeless Jesus and our hero go out in search of materials. Feathers would help stabilize arrows, so hunting chickens and skeletons would be beneficial.

The two men set off immediately, and worked into the night. As the sun began to rise, our hero tripped, and fell down a massive hole. The black counter appeared once more.

He awoke at the shack. As he walked out, he saw Costumbre across the way working on the new home, and Jesus, calling to him from over the hill.

When our hero met him, Jesus explained that he had painstakingly climbed down the hole and collected all of the materials lost in the fall. The two men exchanged thanks, and set to work. They spent all day and all night hunting chickens and skeletons.

The next morning, Jesus decided to go explore farther from the shack. Costumbre asked that our hero stay close, as he was working on the home and was therefore distracted and unarmed. Our hero agreed to stay.

They waited for Jesus to return. He never did.

It got to the point that they were both actively concerned. Costumbre armed himself, and the two men set out in the direction that Jesus had left in.

They traveled for hours. Eventually, they came upon a huge ravine. Our hero saw Jesus' armor sitting at the bottom. He rushed down, trying to collect the armor and materials before they disappeared, but he was too late. Jesus was gone, and our hero didn't know when he would be back.

He climbed out of the ravine, and carefully crossed it, with Costumbre right on his heels. There was an abandoned village on the other side of the ravine, and they ran to it, in hopes of finding useful materials in the empty homes. The homes were small, but they held a few useful items, such as iron and weaponry. They split up, collected the items, and had a horrible realization.

It was night time. They were lost. They didn't know where Jesus was, and they had no other option but to wait the night out in the abandoned homes... With monsters banging down the doors...

(Next time:

Will our heroes survive until morning? Will they ever find their way home? Why do skeletons drop feathers???

LAST TIME...

The men returned to the house, and began to plot the next move…

They began to make decisions. Costumbre decided that a new house was to be constructed; one that was not only more sturdy than the current one, but also one that could support a garden within it. Homeless Jesus and our hero agreed that this was the best decision. Costumbre suggested that the two men go out in search of a mystical stone called “Obsidian,” as it would surely be beneficial to the future of the three heroes.

Indeed, the men agreed, the obsidian should be collected. They left Costumbre to work on the new home while they went out on an adventure.

Jesus and our hero went straight into the mines, looking for anything that they could find. They knew that if they found any lava or water, they could collect it and use it later. They mined for many hours before Jesus hit something hard and shiny: Diamonds. The men rejoiced, collected the rare material, and set to work through the night.

By morning, the two were in the very heart of a deep valley of stone. The area was unfamiliar and dark, so they decided to find a waypoint. They found four pillars standing tall, and decided that was the area that they would based their future operations from. Our hero climbed the towers, and found lava. He collected it, and the men began digging up, in hopes of returning home to drop off their valuables.

When they reached the surface, they had a horrible realization. It was the dead of night, and they had no idea where they were. They quickly dug into a wall, and hoped that no monsters would find them. Jesus and our hero waited the night out, until dawn was upon them. They rushed to find their way home, and indeed did with much luck.

As morning fell, Jesus went to check on Costumbre's progress. Our hero returned to the small shack, and deposited the lava. Everything went black.

No counter appeared.

A small time later he awoke, standing back inside the cave with Jesus. He asked Jesus what happened, and Jesus looked at him odd. Nothing strange had happened... So what was that?

Our hero set it aside, and picked up where he had left off, collecting lava. Only, this time, he found obsidian as well.

The two men returned to the surface and began to use the lava to craft more obsidian. While our hero worked on this, Jesus went back into the mine in hopes of finding more materials. They worked all day before returning home, in hopes of truly starting a new adventure the next day.

(Next time:

What is this new adventure our heroes seek? Will they ever make it to the Nether? Can they please kill more chickens?

Yes. Yes they can.

The man awoke in a strange world. He couldn't remember anything. In his hand he held a map with four words written upon it... “The Enderdragon is key.”

The man, puzzled by the predicament he had found himself in, decided to build a shelter for the night. He began to hit trees with THE FORCE OF A THOUSAND SUNS and, surprisingly, the trees fell apart at his touch. He collected the wood, and began to scour for an area in which to build his new home.

Many a hill stood before him. He selected one carefully. This particular hill consisted of a very steep slope and a precarious, natural bridge. The man decided that this hill would be perfect for protecting him from any strange creatures that may reside in this unknown land. He began to build a magnificent fortress.

Suddenly, the world became dark... The man abandoned his work and ran for a small crevice in the mountainside. He barricaded himself in, not knowing what to expect. He heard cries and growls from outside. The man stood very still, as to not make a sound or risk disrupting the structure of his half-assed barricade.

The cries stopped. The man took a risk, and destroyed his barricade. The monsters were gone, and his fortress still stood at the top of the hill. He jumped for joy, and went straight to work. The man collected more materials and kept working on his new home. Before he had finished, though, the man felt a pain in his stomach. He needed food, and fast.

The man ran towards a stray cow that was running along the side of the hill. He brutally murdered it. It's blood soaked through the grass as the man ate the flesh from the bones. It was a rush that he soon became addicted to.

The fortress was still not done, but it had walls. The man waited the night in the open fortress, praying that no creatures would climb the walls surrounding him. If they did, he would have almost nothing to defend himself with. Only a small chest with a small wooden sword would serve as his protection.

The sun rose. Out the man went, hoping to finish the roof as soon as possible. He designed it so that no monsters could penetrate the wooden walls, unless something... Well, let's say he couldn't fathom a guess. He constructed a bed to sleep in. It made him feel safe, as if the bed could protect him through the night. He could only hope.

The next morning, the man felt an aura surrounding him. He had no idea where this strange power was coming from. He ventured to the place where he had awoken four days prior and... there was another man. The two shook hands and greeted each other. The other man, who looked like a homeless Jesus, remembered nothing either, and he too held the a map. A map, which, in fact, displayed the same four words. The two men decided they should work together. Both men set out to work throughout the night.

The following morning, the men had acquired a fair set of materials. They had pieces of armor made from cow skin, and more wood then they could ever hope for. They returned to the fortress, created some pickaxes, and went digging for cobblestone.

They found an area that seemed appropriate, and they began to dig. Our hero heard a scream. He turned to see the homeless man burning to death in lava. Our hero grabbed what he could, and ran, knowing that he could not save him...

(Next time:

Will our hero ever see the homeless Jesus again? Will they remember who they are and what their purpose is? Will we ever know our hero's true identity?

Probably not.

I have a personal connection to Minecraft. It means a lot to me and my friends. We played the game together long before the creative mode became available on the Xbox, and we still play it now. Our creative world, Nada (original, right?) holds so many memories in it. My mother compared it to the fort you and your friends built in the backyard. I think that’s a perfect analogy.

We’ve been working on Nada for almost a year, partly in creative and partly on survival. The world was made with one simple purpose in mind: for people to make whatever they want. It’s an opportunity to present their ideas and make them into reality. Nada is for anyone to work on. If you’re a friend of a friend, you’re welcome into the world. What’s more, Minecraft has probably made us… well, not only better gamers, but closer friends as well. That’s what makes Minecraft so amazing.

I realize that creative mode isn’t for everyone. At first, it wasn’t for us either. We went on tons of adventures, conquered challenges, bonded over destroying monsters and searching for valuables… This game has made a difference for all of us. Then, the addition of creative mode allowed us to make anything we wanted! And, let me tell you, King is a beast at Minecraft. I don’t know… I get connections to games that influence who me and my friends are. That’s one of the reasons that I loved Kingdom Hearts so much.

Anyway. That’s why. I’ve only played Minecraft on the Xbox, but I’m trying to branch out. I’d like to be able to play with everyone I know, not just my immediate friends. I can’t play with 257 or my brother Sky, for example. I tried the version for iOS, but I didn’t really get into it. I have a thing about owning the same game for multiple systems, but you know.

So… that’s my spiel. Today marks the beginning of an epic adventure that you all will get to follow: Minecraft Hardcore. It’s modified from the original version, since we’ve been playing on the Xbox, but it’s quite fun. Keep a look out for episodic entries every few days.

If you want to check out the original MC Hardcore, go here: