I'm Back

After some long and tiring fuss over stuff, I am back and will be using this account for evar and evar!

https://twitter.com/#!/TRussianPigeon


Lots Of Love
TRP

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from all of the Russian Pigeons!

<3

All the best for 2012

Introduction - NightSide

Hey there! I'm NightSide, how you doin'?

I'm the new writer for TheRussianPigeon! :) I'm excited to see what it has in store for me. I'll be doing an entry maybe every one or two days. I can't wait to see all of your feedback!

I have my own blog, my true life story inspired me to do it. I'm not going to make you, but if you want you can check it out at http://www.NightSideLife.blogspot.com

My twitter is @TheNightSide if you want to follow. :)

And my e-mail is: NightSideOfficial@gmail.com

Nice to meet you!

Night~

Pige's Note: I will continue to a) write posts and b) hire new writers, if you want to become a writer, contact me at therussianpigeon@yahoo.co.uk

Interview with XaPhobia - He Made The ZombiePigman Skin!!

Today I got to interview the creator of the ZombiePigman Skin! XaPhobia! Awesome Guy! Awesome Mob! Awesome Skin!
His Twitter!
Skins!

Start Interview -

Sam Wilson: Firstly, Explain who you are to those who don't know.

Chris B: Mm, XaPhobia, I'm a guy of a few talents, I guess. I write code in Java and C++. I also code websites as a side hobby. I'm getting progressively better at it, but people know me as the minecraft skinmaker who created that notorious Zombie Pigmen in the Nether.

Sam Wilson: That is awesome!
Sam Wilson: Have you played much of the 1.0.0 update of Minecraft?

Chris B: More than I'd like to admit, really. All I've been doing these last few weeks was playing in a few 1.0.0 servers. With a side play of Grand Theft Auto IV.

Sam Wilson: Haha. Did you attend Minecon?

Chris B: Of course. It was fun flying out to Las Vegas from Florida.

Sam Wilson: What was the best bit?

Chris B: Getting to help out as one of the MineCon Agents, I believe.

Sam Wilson: That's cool ^.^
Sam Wilson: What's your favourite mob in the game?

Chris B: I think that one's a given. The very one I created, of course! The Nethers most populated mob, the Zombie Pigmen

Sam Wilson: Haha. Singleplayer or Multiplayer?

Chris B: A split of both, really. I do enjoy playing Multiplayer with friends, but I'm trying to make my own single player adventure series on YouTube.

Sam Wilson: Fair enough.
Sam Wilson: Would you class yourself as a builder or a survivor?

Chris B: Honestly? Survivor. I'm not fond of playing in Creative mode.

Sam Wilson: haha.
Sam Wilson: If you could REMOVE one thing from the game... what would it be?

Chris B: There's not much I'd remove, really. The only things I've distaste for is the enchanting items with xp and how they weakened the diamond sword.

Sam Wilson: If you could ADD one thing to the game... what would it be?

Chris B: Ohohoho, that'd be a tough one. Actually, no it's not. I want barbed wire fences! But Evil_Notch doesn't like them. >:C

Sam Wilson: Haha
Sam Wilson: What other games do you play?

Chris B: I have too many to list. D: But specific ones? GTA IV is one of my favourites along with Resident Evil. But if we're going based off computer games, then Terraria is coming in a close third, right behind the Roller Coaster Tycoon series. Except Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. I don't like the new style. I miss the old blocky style!

Sam Wilson: Haha
Sam Wilson: When you made the ZombiePigman, did you expect it to be used by Notch?

Chris B: Actually, no. I was originally making it as a halloween thing for Miclee when we were with World of Minecraft. He was an Owner and I was an Executive back then (Highest ranks. Owner > Executive), and we were doing a staff Halloween skin theme. But Miclee tweeted Notch with it and Notch actually saw it.

Sam Wilson: Woah, that's awesome!
Sam Wilson: Finally, How much more would you like to be added to Minecraft?

Chris B: More use in the oceans are a must. If the world generator gets tweaked to support larger maps and deeper oceans, then adding hostile water mobs will be a definite. I also would rather have the Nether exist directly below the bedrock level of the current world. Adding those "world holes" back so you can just dig your way into the Nether. Lets not forget giving the Villagers some functionality. Like killing a librarian gives you some books or a bookshelf, killing the priest gives gold nuggets or ingots, killing the normal people give wood tools or be capable of trading with all of them. They need sounds, too!

Sam Wilson: Awesome


--End Interview--

Well, that was fun :D Great Guy! Great Answers.


Peace,
Pige

P.S. Welcome Our New Writer TheNightSide

Interview with Astragali - He does show-notes for The Shaft

Today I got to interview Astragali. He does the show-notes for The Shaft as well as other awesome things! Awesome Guy!
His YouTube!
His Website!


TheRussianPigeon: Firstly, Explain who you are to those who do not know

Astragali: OK :) I'm Mark Cooper, mostly known as Astragali, and I write a Minecraft blog, The Minecraft Scribe. I also help to compile the show notes for The Shaft Podcast, and recently, I became the English-language editor for the Minecraft web comic, Wondercraft.

TheRussianPigeon: Awesome.
TheRussianPigeon: Have you been playing much of the 1.0.0 update of the game?

Astragali: Pretty much as soon as it became available :)

TheRussianPigeon: Haha. Awesome :)
TheRussianPigeon: What's your favourite mob?

Astragali: We're supposed to *like* them? LOL... Erm, I think the skeleton :)

TheRussianPigeon: Haha
TheRussianPigeon: Did you attend Minecon?


Astragali: No *sigh*... I couldn't afford to go. But I *did* watch the stream of the launch :)

TheRussianPigeon: I didn't attend either.
TheRussianPigeon: So, how did you get the position of compiling the show notes for The Shaft?

Astragali: Right out of the blue, actually. Brent Copeland asked me if I could join him and Eric Fullerton in a Skype call, without explaining why... It wasn't until I got there that they basically said, "We love your blog - would you edit our show notes for us?" That was a no-brainer on my part XD

TheRussianPigeon: Haha.

Astragali: I do the Minecraft Daily, Excavation Station, and Sightings sections :)

TheRussianPigeon: Awesome! If you could remove one thing from the game. What would it be?

Astragali: The bloody hunger bar! It pretty much forces people to build a farm as the first thing they have after making a shelter.

TheRussianPigeon: Haha. Have you ever tried creating a mod for the game?

Astragali: I'd love to, but I can't program in Java. I can barely program in BASIC! >.<

TheRussianPigeon: Haha. Do you play with mods in the game?

Astragali: Yes, I have Zombe's Mod Pack (out of which I use Fly and Compass), Single-Player Commands, OptiFine. I've been trying out Animal Tweaks, too, and really like it!

TheRussianPigeon: Awesome! What other games do you play?

Astragali: I've been trying out a few from the Humble Indie bundle (recently I tried out Uplink and Darwinia), and I've also become hooked on Solar 2 and SpaceChem. The latter has been making my brain hurt rather impressively.

TheRussianPigeon: Haha. What game are you looking forward to in 2012?

Astragali: I'm itching to play Scrolls... I won an alpha code for it from The Shaft back in April - and I just wanna play it!

TheRussianPigeon: Haha. Finally, What would you like to see implemented into Minecraft?

Astragali: Rideable mounts... Ideally, a dragon, but I'll settle for being able to ride a pig around a maze without making myself dizzy :D

TheRussianPigeon: Awesome! Thanks!

--End Interview--

He's an awesome guy and you should all go subscribe to his YouTube.

Sincerely

Sam (TheRussianPigeon)

Interview With Cyberpew - Minecraft, Minecraft, Minecraft!

Sorry I haven't been able to release any interviews, been busy as the latest writer for CraftHub.net

I got to Interview Cyberpew Today, which was awesome. He's a great guy too!

Cyberpew on YouTube
TheGamersAbode




TheRussianPigeon: Firstly, Introduce yourself to those who do not know who you are.

Cyberpew: I'm Cyberpew, owner of an upcoming Minecraft community called PewCraft as well as owner of an upcoming gaming community called "The Gamers Abode". I also do commentaries on YouTube.

TheRussianPigeon: Awesome! Are you enjoying the 1.0.0 version of the game?

Cyberpew: I am on some aspects. But, I personally think too much stuff was added that was unnessary, for example... "The End". The game is a sandbox game... so it should not have an end. I do miss the game back in the beginning of beta... it seemed to be a lot more fun.

TheRussianPigeon: If you could remove ONE thing from the game then, what would it be?

Cyberpew: The End.

TheRussianPigeon: What is it that you don't like about it?

Cyberpew: It has no use at all to me, I've found no use to it. But, that's my personal opinion.

TheRussianPigeon: Would you say that you are  a survivor or a builder?

Cyberpew: Survivor.

TheRussianPigeon: Same. So, what are you planning for 'The Gamers Abode'? Describe what it will be.

Cyberpew: I can't release much information about it at this time because I don't want to get people asking me "when will it be out?!" as that stresses me out. But, basically it will rovide a platform to centralize gamers coming from all over the world and help them interact easier with each other. We will also provide a YouTube sponsorship service in which we submit user videos to our channels if they are a director for our channel. We will also host various communication services, such as IRC, Teamspeak, etc. But, more about it will be announced at a later date.

TheRussianPigeon: Awesome! What made you want to do something like this?

Cyberpew: I just wanted to help the gaming community out a bit as I think something like this would help gamers come together as a community better.

TheRussianPigeon: Oh. Did you attend Minecon this year?

Cyberpew: No I did not, couldn't afford it. :(

TheRussianPigeon: If there is one next year, will you try to go?

Cyberpew: Possibly if I have the money, but I doubt I will.

TheRussianPigeon: Which games do you play? Other than Minecraft

Cyberpew: Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Audiosurf, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Counter Strike: Source, Team Fortress 2, Dead Island, Terraria,The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Left 4 Dead 2, RAGE, Trine 2

Cyberpew: Those are the main ones.

TheRussianPigeon: Awesome! Finally, What game/games are you looking forward to next year?

Cyberpew: Minecraft 2? Haha. I don't know, I've never paid attention to upcoming games that will be out in 2012.

TheRussianPigeon: Awesome Thanks!

--End Interview--

Overall That Was Great!

Awesome Guy!

Awesome Stuff!

Stay Tuned for More

Sincerely

TheRussianPigeon (Head Writer)

Minecraft Helpful Hints, Tips and Tricks!

Hello! My name is kerrytaz. I work for Contrillion Industries, or MinecraftUpdate.

Anyway, this is my first post for TheRussianPigeon and I am honored to be blogging for him.

This post, if you didn't read the title, will be about Minecraft helpful hints and tricks.

Peaceful Mode

If you can't outwit zombies, or the spiders always catch you, set the difficulty to peaceful. Your health will quickly regenerate, your food bar won't hurt you and all hostile mobs will disappear. This becomes very helpful when building large structures. However, most people consider this to be cheating the game.

Remember the Pattern

Struggling to remember crafting patterns? Trying to make a bucket but instead you make a minecart? Take a closer look at a pattern, like the fishing pole pattern. Take notice of how the sticks and string line up to look like a fishing pole. Many patterns follow this trait, such as doors which use two columns of wooden planks to make the rectangular shape of a door, and swords which use two wooden planks, cobblestone, iron ingots, or diamond for the blade and a stick as the handle. Just try to think how you would build it in real life.

Shelter?!?

Is it nearing nighttime and you haven't finished your shelter yet? In an emergency situation and need some shelter? Dig three blocks down and place a block above you, and now you're safe! This method is not recommended though, as you're completely exposed to mobs as you leave. Pillar jumping is another solution. Simply make a pillar directly under you until you are out of reach from the skeleton's arrows. Or you could just go to peaceful.

First Day

Punch down trees until you're satisfied with the amount of wood you have. Turn one of the wood blocks into planks and turn those into a crafting table by making a two by two square in your inventory. After that make a pickaxe and a shovel in the crafting table. Decide whether you want your base to be a house (Option A), or cut into a mountain (Option B), make your base accordingly, and try to keep it as close to your spawn as possible.
Option A: Use any block to make a home. This should be large enough for your first night, and all of the above should be able to be finished in about 5 minutes. When you get enough stone to make a furnace, you can use two planks to smelt three wood into charcoal, the cheap version of coal. It functions exactly the same as coal, and you can craft 1 charcoal into 4 torches which can illuminate your house. Remember that wood is flammable so DO NOT use 'fireplaces' in a wooden house!
Option B: Just cut into a mountain and make a hole going in, or what-ever suits you best, then dig in the middle to make a 1x2x2 doorway and make a door, put the door in and start carving out your house. Be sure to check the mountainsides to see if there is any coal jutting out. Mine some stone to obtain cobblestone, make a furnace, get your piece of coal, put it in the furnace (1 coal can smelt up to 8 items) and smelt some wood into charcoal. Charcoal can be used like coal, make 12 torches and leave the last piece of charcoal in there for future 'charcoal smelting'. This is the most efficient way to build a house because you gain materials when you expand the house instead of losing them.

Second Day

Your second day should be spent making it possible for yourself to continue to be able to work at night, or to be able to skip the night completely by building a bed. Charcoal is yet again effective and easy, especially if you spawned on a large flat land area, lacking in easy to find coal deposits, or haven't spent much time underground yet. If you do have enough Coal to make 20-30 Torches, you can effectively protect yourself against mobs spawning in your secure areas and spawning right outside (Torches on outside walls are extremely important, as mobs will spawn farther away, keeping them from noticing you if you stay close, which is amplified by using a "Torch Fence," i.e. a Fence lined with, or comprised of, Torches, surrounding the perimeter of your plot of land). Getting your bearings, learning where different herds of animals are, and gathering resources from them is also important, Sheep drop Wool, required for Beds, Cows drop Raw Beef and Leather, used to make Armor, Chickens drop Raw Chicken and Feathers, used to make Arrows, and Pigs only drop Raw Pork, which can be cooked, like all the other meats, to become more effective. Make sure to leave at least two of what you find alive, as you'll want to lure them to your home eventually with Wheat for Breeding, Mobs don't spawn like they used to.

Mining

Option A: Make sure you have a lot of pickaxes and at least 64 torches in your inventory. Slowly mine a big stairway to bedrock, lighting your way with the torches as you go. If you plan to have 1x2x2 paths leading off the side of the stairway, bring as many torches as you can hold. When you get to bedrock go up 12 stairs (to get to the diamond layer) then mine a 1x2x infinite corridor.
Option B: Make a 1x2x2 doorway in the back of your home. After that easy step, make a huge room and have several different ways to mine. Low and high, left and right - you're sure to hollow out a mountain soon, getting hefty supplies of coal and iron.
Option C: Find a cave, make a trail of torches down it if you find any iron or coal mine it, when you reach a dead end go back collecting the torches back then go down another branch do this until you have done all the branches then go out and make a signal that you have dived the cave so you don't do it again.
Option D: You will need about 2 stacks of ladders, 1 bucket of water, a few iron(or one diamond pickaxe(s)) and a sign to make a mineshaft by mining down one block next to you until it's out of reach then directly below you because you know you're safe. Do this till bedrock, place down 12 blocks by holding jump and place block at the same time then make a ladder to the top (this part can be annoying). Go back down (using the ladder for safety) and place down the sign at eye level. After that, you put the water down (it will float) and now you can fall down safely without the ladder. Make a 1x2x2 infinite corridor collecting resources on your way, you now have a mineshaft.

Coal Without Mining

You have made your shelter, already mined some Cobblestone and can't find any Coal to light your environment? Just make a furnace, take some Wooden Planks as fuel and burn some Wood you didn't already craft to Wooden Planks. This will get you some Charcoal which has exactly the same functions of normal Coal that is mined with a pickaxe.

Places to Build

There are some recommendations where a beginner should build and where not: Use any material you want, excepting Sand or Gravel as they are influenced by gravity (which means that they fall down if no other block is under them) or dirt, because creepers can easily blow it up. Also remember not to build your shelter on Sand or Gravel, because if it comes to your mind to dig down or make a cellar, you'll have a problem because the Sand keeps falling down on you and it will take a long time to remove it from the base.
For beginners, you might want to hollow out the side of a hill or mountain. This can be done quickly and turn into a good shelter, but keep in mind it will be harder to find your home if you wander off, or you could place torches if you have any around the entrance. A second design is to collect a lot of wood and build a wooden house. These stand out easily, look good, and function well. The bad thing is they are flammable.

Enemy+Enemy=Friend?

Getting beaten up good by lots of hostile mobs? Remember: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Skeletons become hostile to each other if their arrows hit each other, and you can use the blast radius of the Creeper's explosion to injure other mobs. Other mobs, not yourself, of course. If you happen to encounter any wild wolves on your travels, you can use some bones to tame them. Tame wolves can let off some pressure in a battle by fighting other mobs for you. If a skeleton kills a creeper you get a music disc.

Darkness

Out of Coal/Charcoal? Your hands bleeding from punching too much wood? Remember that hostile mobs require a light level of less than 7 to spawn. Use this knowledge to save some torches in your shelter. On another note, if you are still using hands to chop wood at this point, then you should seriously consider making an axe.

Second-Tier Ores

See some Redstone, Diamond, or some fancy ore? Don't use low-level Pickaxes to mine them! Remember, Wood pickaxes only mine Coal and Stone, while Cobblestone mines Iron and Lapis Lazuli. Iron mines all blocks, except for Obsidian in which Diamond has the honor of mining. Be careful - lava lakes often occur at the same level as precious ores.

Item Durability

Mining deep underground and suddenly, inexplicably, your Pickaxe turns into your hand? Is it a bug? Or is it the feared Herobrine? It's neither! It's Item Durability...or Uses! Take care to look at the 'health' of your item (the little coloured bar underneath the item) before departing on any long trips, be it exploring or mining, as the last thing you want to do is to take the long trip back home just for a Axe, or a Pickaxe. Time is precious, so try bringing along a crafting table, or stock up on tools if you have to.

To the bottom of the ravine!

Often, you will come across the top of a ravine, with all the precious ores beneath. Carry a stack of sand (some gravel will become flint, so you may not have enough to get back up), and drop it on a location repeatedly until you have a pillar to the bottom. Standing on the pillar and digging down until it's gone will get you to the bottom without fall damage! Another way is to dig a spiral staircase downwards till you want to stop. Then dig towards the wall of the ravine then if it is still too deep, keep on digging!

Again, thank you to TheRussianPigeon for letting me blog here!
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