Some Background
My daughter Megan had tried for many years to get me to play Minecraft with her but I always resisted. I had watched her and my son Ian play Minecraft before on the PC and on the Xbox 360, and to me it always looked too primitive. I grew up playing video games in the 80's on an Atari 2600 and I know how to use my imagination to make primitive shapes on a screen into a virtual world, but in this case I just didn't want to do it. Minecraft just looked too silly to me.
In April Megan convinced Molly, my youngest daughter, to spend some of her saving on getting a Minecraft account, this way she would have someone to play with. They needed my help, because I have the ability to do online purchasing. I helped them to buy Molly an account and also to get the software setup on my home PC where Molly would play. In return I got to play a little using Molly's new account and they gave me some lessons on how to play. You have to punch the trees to get the wood, you know. After a couple hours I was hooked. I bought my own account the next day.
I now know what people mean when they talk about Minecraft being addictive. The primitive 3D graphics are deceptive, because the game is quite deep. I believe it is also a dangerous form of time travel. I would start playing in the evening at about 10 pm, blink my eyes twice, then look at my watch and it would be 2 am the next morning.
I played a few times with my kids over the LAN, but that was just way too awkward of a setup. It wasn't convenient for other players to play in our shared world when I wasn't available to play. We needed a real server.
I had some Microsoft Azure credits that were going to waste, so I set up an small Ubuntu Linux instance on Azure and setup a Minecraft server on it. I could have chosen Windows Server to do the job but I used to be a professional Linux sysadmin so I am more comfortable setting up server processes that require Java in Linux than in Windows. Soon I had a Minecraft server set up and I also scheduled regular back-ups of the save files. Then I ported the world game files we had been using on the LAN into the server and opened it up to my kids. They took to it and started building out the world. I do enjoy seeing the creative side of my kids.
I had some Microsoft Azure credits that were going to waste, so I set up an small Ubuntu Linux instance on Azure and setup a Minecraft server on it. I could have chosen Windows Server to do the job but I used to be a professional Linux sysadmin so I am more comfortable setting up server processes that require Java in Linux than in Windows. Soon I had a Minecraft server set up and I also scheduled regular back-ups of the save files. Then I ported the world game files we had been using on the LAN into the server and opened it up to my kids. They took to it and started building out the world. I do enjoy seeing the creative side of my kids.
Ian has been playing Minecraft for years, so he has a lot of game knowledge. He also just graduated from high school so he has some time on his hands. He quickly set up some impressive structures on his claimed lands. I looked to both him and Megan for guidance in learning the game.
In June I overheard Ian and Megan talking about Minecraft, and Ian said that he had found a stronghold and knew where the End Portal was. I didn't know what this was so they explained that this is end game kind of stuff where you go and fight the Ender Dragon and win the game so to speak (for the pedantic, I know that you don't actually win Minecraft). That sounded fun to me. I suggested we do this together.
The Preparations
A month went by and nothing happened. We were getting to the end of the summer and school would be starting soon, so I figured it was time to do it if we were ever going to do it. Ian said we weren't ready, and that we needed to acquire good enchanted armor and weapons, as well as a good supply of arrows. We also needed healing items like potions and golden apples.
So for a week straight I played only Minecraft to gather the necessary items. Molly was at camp for the week, so I had to gather items for her too. I made her a nice set of enchanted diamond armor and made about 400 arrows for all of us.
I also researched voice chat software so we could communicate effectively during this quest. When we play I am in the basement, Ian is in his room, and Megan and Molly are usually in the living room. This is something I felt we were going to need. I finally settled on GameVox. I chose it mainly because it had the option for providing a free server for groups of six or less, which worked well for us as we numbered only four in our little group.
On Sunday night I had everybody install the GameVox software and test communications. During this testing Megan started screeching into her microphone like a pterodactyl then switched to making siren sounds. This annoyed Ian, as she knew it would, and he promptly threatened her and then threatened to quit the group. I calmed them down with my super special Dad tactic of yelling louder than all of them to "SHUT THE $#%&* UP!".
So for a week straight I played only Minecraft to gather the necessary items. Molly was at camp for the week, so I had to gather items for her too. I made her a nice set of enchanted diamond armor and made about 400 arrows for all of us.
I also researched voice chat software so we could communicate effectively during this quest. When we play I am in the basement, Ian is in his room, and Megan and Molly are usually in the living room. This is something I felt we were going to need. I finally settled on GameVox. I chose it mainly because it had the option for providing a free server for groups of six or less, which worked well for us as we numbered only four in our little group.
On Sunday night I had everybody install the GameVox software and test communications. During this testing Megan started screeching into her microphone like a pterodactyl then switched to making siren sounds. This annoyed Ian, as she knew it would, and he promptly threatened her and then threatened to quit the group. I calmed them down with my super special Dad tactic of yelling louder than all of them to "SHUT THE $#%&* UP!".
The Quest
In game we gathered in an area between Megan and Ian's castles. Ian still had a few preparations to complete before we departed.
Suddenly I heard Molly scream "MEGAN!!!!" and then start crying.
Me: "What happened?"
Molly: "Megan killed me!"
So I ran up stairs and threatened Megan that if she team-killed anyone else she's be banned from the server. The damages of being killed like that are not permanent. It is really just annoying, but Molly still had to run from her spawn point to where she was killed to gather up all of her stuff that dropped on the ground after being killed.
A bored Megan is an annoying Megan and I was worried about what she'd do next but I didn't have to wait long because she started in on Ian in the voice chat.
Megan: "Ian what's taking so long?...Ian, what do you need?"...
Ian: "shut-up, Megan"
Megan (15 seconds later): "How much longer, Ian?"
Ian: "MEGAN, shut-up!"
Megan (30 seconds later): "Ian, what do you need? Maybe we can..."
Ian: "SHUT-UP, MEGAN!!!"
Ian: "ok, I'm ready"
The sun was going down (in Minecraft), so we laid out our beds and slept under the stars. In the morning we left the assembly area towards the line of departure which is the portal in the stronghold. Only Ian knew where it was, so we had to follow him. It was a long march and the whole way there Megan and Molly take turns annoying Ian by running directly on his ass. Half way there I got lost and separated from the group because I had to eat and instead of alerting anyone I tried to catch up myself which got me further separated. Slightly embarrassed, I had to admit I was lost and we wasted a few more minutes trying to find dad?
When we finally reached the stronghold the sun was going down again. Ian had previously build a cabin outside of the stronghold, and strangely enough a huge pen for a large heard of crazy colored sheep (I had not seen red and purple sheep before). It's things like this that keep Minecraft interesting to me.
We put our beds in the cabin and went to sleep.
In the morning we eagerly entered the stronghold with Ian chiding Megan to wait because she didn't know where to go and she'll get lost, and Megan ignoring him and venturing further without his lead. Again, I had trouble keeping up with group but eventually we all made it to the End Portal. Ian placed all of his Eyes of Ender into slots. I had the honor of placing the last two Eyes of Ender into their appropriate slots and the portal came to life. Ian counted "1-2-3-Jump" and we all entered the portal.
I didn't know what to expect on the other side, so when I made it through I paused to look around at my surroundings. The End is a strange colored world. I looked in all directions but it was hard to get my bearings. Things didn't look right. I couldn't see anything. At this point it occurred to me that we never actually talked through the assault portion of this mission. I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there. Then I heard Molly scream "I DIED!" and few seconds later she walked into my office with tears streaming down her face "I fell into the abyss!". I looked back at the screen and I finally figure out that I am standing on some sort of black platform out in the middle of nowhere, with no sort of land or ground nearby. Apparently Molly fell off the platform as soon as she ported in. Because of that she also lost all her weapons and armor. Her adventure was over before the fight even started.
Then I started to pay attention to what Ian and Megan were talking about in voice chat. They understood very well that without any sort of ground around us we were extremely vulnerable to attacks from the Ender Dragon and they were in the process of constructing a bridge to the nearest land mass. So I followed them out onto their little bridge.
Ian: "I kind of feel bad for Molly."
As soon as he said that, the dragon swooped right in front of me and knocked both Megan and Ian off of the little bridge into the Abyss. They were gone, and I was alone.
Then Megan freaked out over voice chat.
Megan: "WHO KNOCKED ME OFF?!?!?!"
"WHO KILLED ME?!?!?!"
"WHO KNOCKED ME OFF?!?!?!"
Ian: "Megan, it was the Ender Dragon"
Megan: "oh"
I didn't want to follow them and I didn't know where the dragon was, so I quickly completed the bridge to the land mass and then mined myself into a hole so that I was completely surrounded by the ground. Apparently, this does not protect you from the dragon as I kept taking damage from its attacks which I could not see. Ian suggested I mine up, and get on top of the ground. He had other armor and weapons in his shack and he was going to grab some stuff and come back into The End to help me.
Once I was up on the ground I found my self surrounded by dozens of Endermen. I knew that if you left them alone that they wouldn't attack you, so ignored them. I was looking around, scanning the area looking for the dragon. I was scared of the dragon and I was completely focused on finding him. In the process of trying to find the dragon I was inadvertently also looking at the Endermen around me.
An Enderman is like a drunk redneck in a bar. If you look at him for too long he's going to want to fight you. Without intention I was looking at Endermen. Suddenly I was surround by three or four pissed off Endermen, all of them having a go at me! So while I'm fight off these jerks, that is when the dragon reappears and attacks me. I felt more than slightly overwhelmed. This was not going to be easy I thought.
After dispatching the Endermen I got off an arrow shot which hit the dragon for a fair amount of damage. Happy with myself for being such a capable warrior, I was thinking that killing the dragon was going to be easier then I had thought. That is when I noticed the dragons health bar extend all the way back to the end. The dragon had full health again! WTF!?!?
Molly was watching over my shoulder, "Dad, the Ender Crystals heal the dragon."
She point out some towers around the area, and on top of each there appeared to be a search light that shined on the dragon. Apparently theses were Ender Crystals, and the light had a healing effect on the dragon. Apparently I needed to destroy the crystals. I'm not sure how that was supposed to be obvious to me, but luckily I had a 10 year old kid with me to guide me.
Me: "Can I shoot them with arrows?"
Molly: "I don't know."
So I pulled back on the bow and aimed at the nearest crystal and let the arrow the fly. I hit it on the first try and it exploded! YES!!! Now I had a plan on how to complete the mission:
When we finally reached the stronghold the sun was going down again. Ian had previously build a cabin outside of the stronghold, and strangely enough a huge pen for a large heard of crazy colored sheep (I had not seen red and purple sheep before). It's things like this that keep Minecraft interesting to me.
We put our beds in the cabin and went to sleep.
In the morning we eagerly entered the stronghold with Ian chiding Megan to wait because she didn't know where to go and she'll get lost, and Megan ignoring him and venturing further without his lead. Again, I had trouble keeping up with group but eventually we all made it to the End Portal. Ian placed all of his Eyes of Ender into slots. I had the honor of placing the last two Eyes of Ender into their appropriate slots and the portal came to life. Ian counted "1-2-3-Jump" and we all entered the portal.
I didn't know what to expect on the other side, so when I made it through I paused to look around at my surroundings. The End is a strange colored world. I looked in all directions but it was hard to get my bearings. Things didn't look right. I couldn't see anything. At this point it occurred to me that we never actually talked through the assault portion of this mission. I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there. Then I heard Molly scream "I DIED!" and few seconds later she walked into my office with tears streaming down her face "I fell into the abyss!". I looked back at the screen and I finally figure out that I am standing on some sort of black platform out in the middle of nowhere, with no sort of land or ground nearby. Apparently Molly fell off the platform as soon as she ported in. Because of that she also lost all her weapons and armor. Her adventure was over before the fight even started.
Then I started to pay attention to what Ian and Megan were talking about in voice chat. They understood very well that without any sort of ground around us we were extremely vulnerable to attacks from the Ender Dragon and they were in the process of constructing a bridge to the nearest land mass. So I followed them out onto their little bridge.
Ian: "I kind of feel bad for Molly."
As soon as he said that, the dragon swooped right in front of me and knocked both Megan and Ian off of the little bridge into the Abyss. They were gone, and I was alone.
Then Megan freaked out over voice chat.
Megan: "WHO KNOCKED ME OFF?!?!?!"
"WHO KILLED ME?!?!?!"
"WHO KNOCKED ME OFF?!?!?!"
Ian: "Megan, it was the Ender Dragon"
Megan: "oh"
I didn't want to follow them and I didn't know where the dragon was, so I quickly completed the bridge to the land mass and then mined myself into a hole so that I was completely surrounded by the ground. Apparently, this does not protect you from the dragon as I kept taking damage from its attacks which I could not see. Ian suggested I mine up, and get on top of the ground. He had other armor and weapons in his shack and he was going to grab some stuff and come back into The End to help me.
Once I was up on the ground I found my self surrounded by dozens of Endermen. I knew that if you left them alone that they wouldn't attack you, so ignored them. I was looking around, scanning the area looking for the dragon. I was scared of the dragon and I was completely focused on finding him. In the process of trying to find the dragon I was inadvertently also looking at the Endermen around me.
An Enderman is like a drunk redneck in a bar. If you look at him for too long he's going to want to fight you. Without intention I was looking at Endermen. Suddenly I was surround by three or four pissed off Endermen, all of them having a go at me! So while I'm fight off these jerks, that is when the dragon reappears and attacks me. I felt more than slightly overwhelmed. This was not going to be easy I thought.
After dispatching the Endermen I got off an arrow shot which hit the dragon for a fair amount of damage. Happy with myself for being such a capable warrior, I was thinking that killing the dragon was going to be easier then I had thought. That is when I noticed the dragons health bar extend all the way back to the end. The dragon had full health again! WTF!?!?
Molly was watching over my shoulder, "Dad, the Ender Crystals heal the dragon."
She point out some towers around the area, and on top of each there appeared to be a search light that shined on the dragon. Apparently theses were Ender Crystals, and the light had a healing effect on the dragon. Apparently I needed to destroy the crystals. I'm not sure how that was supposed to be obvious to me, but luckily I had a 10 year old kid with me to guide me.
Me: "Can I shoot them with arrows?"
Molly: "I don't know."
So I pulled back on the bow and aimed at the nearest crystal and let the arrow the fly. I hit it on the first try and it exploded! YES!!! Now I had a plan on how to complete the mission:
- Keep looking up...don't look at the Endermen.
- Get close to each tower and destroy the crystals while avoiding the dragon
- Then kill the dragon.
In the meantime Ian had returned and I could see him scampering towards a different tower to take care of the crystal on top of it. So I headed in a different direction towards a different tower. I mined myself into the ground a little ways. I didn't know if it would help protect be from the dragon or not but it couldn't hurt either. I trenched my way towards each tower systematically destroying them until I could no longer see any towers with crystals on them. Along the way I also noticed the flying pattern of the dragon, as I dodged its attacks. As I got used to the pattern the game kind of slowed down and I wasn't in such a rush any more. When I was able to finally turn my attention to the dragon and it seemed too easy. I'd wait for it to swoop down and attack me straight on and I'd shoot it in the face with an arrow and jump out of the way, then repeat. I don't think I got hit but maybe once or twice, until eventually the dumb dragon died.
The dragon dropped a ton of experience orbs, which Megan promptly ran through and collected for herself giving her 50 levels of experience. I got a few. Then someone jumped into the portal which jumped everyone out of The End at the same time. Then we were treated to one of the strangest stories or poems that scrolled by on the game window. I didn't understand it's meaning. Ian thought the poem was telling him to stop playing Minecraft...which did seem plausible after rereading some of it. I read the whole thing as well watched the credits roll. The whole show took about 5 minutes to complete, and then I we spawned back into the over-world into our beds. The quest was over.
Ian: "That sucked."
The conclusion
I really enjoyed my fun time with my kids. I didn't share Ian's assessment that it sucked, but then again I hadn't died either. For me it was worth all the preparation and build up, and the problems with execution are always the parts that make it memorable.
Minecraft has been fun for me, and luckily I have a bunch of kids around to teach me how to play. I don't think it is the most intuitive of games, and I'm always impressed with how much more they know about the game than I do.
Gamevox worked well for our communication needs, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an in-game voice chat solution. I liked it better than Skype for gaming purposes, and I liked the UI better than TeamSpeak.
The Azure Linux server has worked well, but I wouldn't recommend it as a solution to anyone looking to make their own server unless you have credits through an MSDN subscription that you aren't using. If you have to pay for it, Azure servers can be expensive. There are less expensive options out there for Minecraft servers.
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