Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Tip:
Grind 'Dem Bones
Bone meal, crafted from regular old skeleton bones (assuming they're not using
them to shoot arrows at you!), gives almost every crop a boost. The growth spurt
won't take a crop instantly from seedling to fully grown plant, but it does push the
crop forward one or more stages. Although bone meal can help melon and pump-
kin plants grow to maturity, it won't speed up their crop formation. However, one
dose of bone meal on a grass block will also encourage tall grass to grow in a
10×10 space. This is a great way to collect all the seeds you need to start a wheat
field! A little bit of fertilizer can go a long way.
You can use any tool to harvest the wheat, because harvesting does not impact durability.
Just left-click each crop block and pick up the results.
Figure 6.5
shows the second crop ready to harvest, producing 27 bushels and 43 seeds.
It won't take long until you are producing more than enough wheat and seeds. Keep them
handy. You can use wheat to lure and breed cows and sheep, and seeds do the same for
chickens. See
Chapter 7
,
“
Taming Mobs
,” for more information.
Tip:
Tread Lightly to Save Your Crops
Walking across a crop bed can destroy those crops. If you do need to get to the
otherside,treadlightlybyholdingdowntheleftShiftkeyasyoumovesothatyou
sneak over your crops. It will work a lot better than hurtling across in the usual
stampede.
Figure 6.6
shows an alternate farm layout with two raised beds to make harvesting easier.
You can just run up and down the aisle with the left mouse button held down, quickly col-
lecting the wheat. When planting, do the same with the right mouse button held down. The
central water troughs collect any harvested bushels and seeds that fall into them and sweep
themtotheendoftherowsmakingforeasiercollection,althoughyou'llneedtorunaround
to pick up any strays that didn't get knocked in. Arranging this system correctly is quite
important. Follow these steps:
1.
Make two raised beds 17 dirt blocks long, leaving a single row in between. I gen-
erally make the beds two blocks wide.
2.
Place two blocks on top of each other directly in the middle—that's nine blocks
from the end—and attach a torch to each side of the top block that faces water.
Leave the other sides free so that you can plant crops on the two adjacent farmland
