Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Caution:
Knobble Their Knees
Theditchgathersallkindsofmobs.Somesuchaszombiesandskeletons
burn up during the day, but others such as creepers stay. Leave an easy
egress of steps out of the ditch to the exterior if you want your ditch
to self-clear and aren't using a mob pit and water clearing method de-
scribed later in the “
Mob Pitfalls
” section. Or cut in a tunnel under the
wall at eye level for you and knee level for the mobs so that you can
hackattheirfeettocollect theirdropswhilebeingsafefromattack.This
works best if the tunnel is two steps back from the edge of the ditch so
that creepers don't detonate. Your sword can still reach them just fine.
Alternatively, put your house in an unassailable position atop a small stone tower. Enter
through a door in the base, build a stairway or ladder going up at least three blocks (or
many more if there's a good view!), and create as large a platform as you like. The over-
hang from the platform keeps spiders at bay. Use other perimeter fences to provide protec-
tion for farmland if you don't want to build them all in the air.
Caution:
Don't Forget the Torches
It's easy to forget, while focusing on the defensive perimeter around the
house,thatanunlitroofalsoprovidesamobspawningplatformatnight.
If you're wondering how that spider surprised you in the bedroom, it
could be because it simply dropped from the sky and climbed in through
that opening you left leading out onto a sunny morning verandah. (Been
there,donethat!)Alwaysplaceafewtorchesonyourrooftokeepthings
clear. Torches can also help you spot home when you're out and about
exploring the Overworld.
Mob Pitfalls
Mobsmaybeanuisance,butthey'realsoaboonbecausetheycarryallsortsofusefulitems
from enchanted weapons to food. Why not reap the benefits of their fall?
Here's how to do it:
1.
Dig a ditch two blocks deep and nine blocks long around your perimeter.
2.
Create a vertical pit in the ninth block. The most effective height is a drop of 22
blocks because this leaves spiders, skeletons, and creepers with just 1 point of
health—enough to dispatch them with a single punch and gather the resultant ex-
