Race Track Map - Mall WIP and 1.6 Talk

Progress continues on the mall. It looks like it'll have 4 shops and the diner, with two(ish) stories. It took a while just to get the layout configured, as that nefarious redstone demands a certain amount of space. Likewise, I have to take command blocks into consideration so I don't accidentally give a purchased item to a random passerby (who might be technically closer to the block than the buyer).

I know there's other tricks I can use with command blocks to pinpoint its search radius, but that requires entering map coordinates. The problem with using those extensively is the editing headache caused by anyone that decides to import this map into their game world because the coordinates won't match. I'd rather make the map as user-friendly as possible, even if it's a bit of a building challenge on my end.

Enough with the details, you're probably here to see pictures!

Here's a peek at the jockey outfitter shop. It sells leather armor (because it's the only armor that can be dyed) and the dyes most needed for the race. Jockeys already begin with a full set of armor and some dyes virtually for free, but in the event they need more it's available.


This shop, affectionately named "Trolls R Us", sells a variety of fun items. You can buy eggs and snowballs to throw at people, masks, a book & quill (to keep notes, write jokes, record accomplishments, etc.), and a potion of invisibility for hijinks.

I almost had to take snowballs off the list because any player (even in adventure mode) can turn 4 snowballs into a snow block, which they can then place. That's not the intended use of the snowballs for this map! I figured out a fix - I have a redstone clock running that removes snow blocks from player inventories. Once I realized how effective that is, I did the same with melon blocks so I could add melon slices to the food menu. That will work fine for a standalone map, but changes will need to be made for those importing to their world. Looks like I'll have to add some documentation so people know how to change settings.

Finally here's a look at the unfinished mall. Yes, it's very sparse on color at the moment. I tend to build out of quartz blocks now to get the general shape I want, then change it up as needed.

I'm really eager to try out the new blocks in 1.6. Optifine is currently in a "preview" release, as it's not fully complete but still mostly functional. Maybe I'm a chicken, but I'd rather wait until I know it's more stable. Also, MultiMC won't work for 1.6 right now either, as the new Minecraft launcher pretty much breaks how MultiMC loads. Supposedly, Magic Launcher is already 1.6 compatible which is better than nothing.