Hello all and welcome back! It's been just over a month since my last update to this series but I promise this one will keep you thoroughly entertained as we will touch on some well tuned new details and focus on Minecraft's flagship mob; the Creeper! Hold on to your seats(or computer/cell phones) this one gonna be good!
It seems to be that time again. The year has flown by and so many things have happened in such a short ammount of time that I dont even know how to explain it. Many are probably scrambling to get their homes set for the holiday by cleaning and fighting the lines in grocery stores just so they can cook up whatever amazing concoction they have in store for their families. But, wheather you're traveling far or staying put, I just wanted to extend my thanks to all of you and wishing you a safe and Happy Holiday!
The 'live' feed
In my last post, I mentioned some new things that could be added to the main game that would keep things very interesting and I went into detail on what they are exactly and how they could work. These "things" were 'Quests' and 'Adventures'. But this time around I am unveiling another new feature that would fit right in with those two:
'LIVE events'.
Yes you read that right. And now you're probably thinking "How could that even work in a minecraft game?" Well if I could answer that question, it would be that they would work just as they do in other games. This feature would have to require internet connection to play with others obviously, but heres what I'm thinking specifically: you're playing the game just as you would normally but then a red exclamation icon pops up on the HUD, so you open up your map and search for the icon which will pin point the exact location of the event. Once you have located the event you will see a timer counting down how much time before the event launches. You can click on the event to track it(all in the map still) and now a waypoint can be seen in the sky above the event location making it easy for you to navigate there.
This initial indication on your HUD should pop up atleast 5 min before the event starts in order to give players the chance to travel to the event area before it starts. Once started, the actual Live event sequence could vary each time. For instance, one time the event could require you to take on a horde of mobs but you must slay a certain ammount of specified targets in the time limit in order to win, whilst the next event you take part in you may have to defend a village from a dragon or pillagers. If a player dies in the event they will spawn wherever their set spawn point is. This means that players better bring their A-game as dieing mid event may require you to travel a long distance in which the event may have ended by the time you reach it again and a reward will not be available to you since you were not present at the time it completed. But, if you do make it to completion a chest will drop where all players who participated from start to finish can recieve their reward(s).
The reward chest displays different items for each player and only that player can claim the reward in their chest. That means no racing to the chest to get all the good items first. Everyone has an even chance! Rewards could consist of event specific items like potions, armor, weapons, etc. and has a chance at dropping legendary items.
Better yet, these events could be tackled alone or with a group of players as the difficulty adjusts to how many players are on the world. Internet connection is only required in order for the game to set these events in real time.
Going green?
Since //ZERO is a project that takes place in the Minecraft universe the Creeper was bound to make an appearance one way or another and in case you somehow missed the title, this blog post is all about our green little freak of nature. But why does this guy deserve an entire blog to himself? Because our good ol' friend has been up to no good and well, for a lack of words, hes growing up and going places no one thought he'd ever go. So without a further-a-do heres the creeper-ish madness...
Things that go boom!
...or poof.
CREEPER
When re-designing the Creeper, I wanted to stay true to the classic design that we all recognize while combining it with my own style. Seen on the Left is the current updated model that I am going with for the creeper while on the Right is the older model I rendered. I wanted to update the older model with a set of almost spider-like legs that come from under the creeper rather than stay with the old stick leg style that I started off with. I reworked the older model and boom! The //ZERO style creeper was born... but wait theres more?
BIO: Creepers have long roamed the surface of the Overworld and have successfully earned themselves the title as the most destructive monster, with good reason. Within their bodies lies a rupture sac that is filled with a combustible fluid. Up until recently most green Creepers were believed to be aggressive but recent studies haven proven this wrong as they are now believed to follow people out of pure curiosity and rupturing due to excitement. Though, this does not prove that it is the case for every Creeper, it does explain a lot. When a creeper becomes over excited its body produces a chemical that chain reacts with the fluid within the rupture sac and results in spontaneous combustion.
SHADOW CREEPER
What birthed this guy was the thought of what would happen if a spider and creeper had a child? It sounded ridiculous but looked good on paper (well, screen to be exact) so I continued working on the model. I wanted it to retain the body structure of a Creeper but have the appearance of a cave spider. Naturally it would have to be smaller in size as cave spiders are smaller than normal spiders. It took a while to get the right flow and balance between the two, but eventually this is what I came up with. (New model on the left, old one on the right.)
BIO: Gaining their name from their dark appearance, shadow Creepers can only be found in dark caves where old mine systems have been left behind and reclaimed by cave spiders. They are a strange and very rare occurrence where a Creeper and cave spider have had offspring together, making them a scientific marvel as this should technically not be possible. A Shadow Creeper is smaller than the normal Creeper and also cannot explode, but instead they are able to spit poison at their prey in order to immobilize them for a quick and easy snack.
CONSUMED CREEPER
BIO: Corrupted Creepers are a result of catching illness due to being infected by a creature of the End. The creeper slowly starts to mutate as the virus takes over its body, eventually killing it. Once dead, the virus completely takes hold of the Creepers body, reviving it as a mindless, psychotic creature that has an only goal to infect life further more. Consumed Creepers do not explode in a destructive detonation, but will now explode into a large plume of sticky toxic particles and gas, infecting every living thing within the "Poof" radius. If infected and not treated immediately, the victim may meet the same grim fate...
STALKER
Minecraft already has a Creeper so it was only fitting to come up with the Stalker. This guy was an interesting one to try to come up with. He Evolved atleast 5 times before I finally came up with a design that I felt fit in with the Creeper family (unfortunately I only have these two images to show as I directly edited over the old models). At first my inspiration for the Stalker was the Demogorgan from Stranger Things, but after designing him with the flower like jaw(s) I decided that was not the look I wanted to go for as it didn't really look like it was related to the creeper other than its color. I liked the body I had come up with but I erased the head and tried again... time after time. Eventually I came up with a face that looked like an older, grumpier Creeper and that was it. I had finally hit what I felt was a home run with his design. He is larger but more stocky than the creeper and stomps when he walks, but his ability is even better...
BIO: The Stalker otherwise known as the juggernaut, is a very close cousin of the Creeper, that has been around for just as long. They can be found wandering the Overworld day or night but their numbers are more slim than that of creepers due to the fact that they mate for life and can only have one or two offspring in their lifetime. Stalkers stand much taller than creepers but are just short of being the same height as Endermen. Typically they are docile but will prove to be very aggressive if they feel threatened. Every now and then, Stalkers have been known to follow their prey for several days before attacking them without reason. When a Stalker attacks, it does not sacrifice itself in an explosion, but actually releases a concussive blast around itself, pushing and destroying the objects around it. This attack has proven very destructive and deadly meaning that Stalkers must not be underestimated.
Well, that about rounds things up for the Creeper update. Designing these guys was fun and I hope you like their designs and Bio's! But, until we meet again, let me know what you guys think of this months blog in the comments and most importantly, THANKS for stopping by!
Happy Thanksgiving!!! 🍗🍽🥧
<3 Viper
