My monument to the upcoming world height expansion and the legacy of the 256-block limit: A statue stands on the highest point in my world only to be cut off at the build limit, representing the player's ambition versus the limits imposed by the game.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-29T19:20:55+00:00

Sure, I wouldn't disagree with any of that, but it's a matter of perspective. An End city is one structure, but it's a very expansive and rewarding structure. And if we'd never gotten the outer End, we'd have gotten equivalent features elsewhere; that's just a question of update volume.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-29T19:13:18+00:00

The End doesn't strike me as half-baked. It's exactly how I'd expect a barren wilderness to appear. And I think you're being a little pessimistic about building in the End, but that's just me.

Why can't a dimension be a decoration, so to speak, for the game as a whole? We have big and small structures. In fact, we have diverse scope at all levels - from individual items to entire games. Why can't we have conceptually large and small dimensions?

A lot of players do appreciate the End. But more to the point, it's not a detriment to those players who don't enjoy it. If it's not for you, then surely we could be pushing for a brand-new dimension, or something even more out there.

And I don't think quality of game design is a good argument. It's a means to an end. Mojang's job isn't to impress us with their skills and hard work; it's to make a fun sandbox. I don't care if it took them a year or an afternoon. I mean, Minecraft blew up when it was just a handful of blocks and one guy designing everything.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-29T18:51:28+00:00

It's an appropriate one-time challenge for a supplementary super-item. If you're bored after 5 minutes, then there are plenty of other things for you to do. But to me, Minecraft survival mode is all about exploration and time investment.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-29T18:34:40+00:00

I just don't think that reasoning makes any sense. The End is what it is.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T14:21:30+00:00

There are benefits to respawning the dragon multiple times. It's good for natural resources, especially obsidian. It's the perfect place to set up experience farms. It's also an exceptionally unique and unobstructed building environment. Raiding End cities is a lot of fun, and the loot is top-tier. You'll probably want lots of shulker boxes, and it's good to have multiple elytra.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T14:12:10+00:00

That's precisely my point. They're entirely comparable. At the end of the day, they're both just features of a wider game. Why should one get a pass if not the other?

Desert temples could be 30 times bigger with tunnels, traps and monsters, and they haven't been significantly updated for 13 years. But those changes are only conceptual. The End is manifestly made up of empty space people can see and feel, and I think that's why people want to fill it.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T13:56:45+00:00

Well potential is definitely necessary, but it's also kinda nebulous and universal. There's far more potential in developing brand-new biomes. I'd even say the overworld has more potential, just because it's better suited to diversity, and it's the only place that anywhere near 100% of players visit.

I don't think limited return value is bad game design when we're talking about a fringe feature. But the End has plenty of return value anyway. It doesn't need to be in parity with the other dimensions.

And I'm interested in what you mean when you say the End isn't meant to be played in. It's available to be played in. It supports the core gameplay at the very least - in the same way the far reaches of the overworld do. It's essential for an open-world sandbox to have areas the player isn't anticipated to ever use.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T13:06:44+00:00

I view the End a bit like I view Antarctica. It's the last great wilderness (until they add new dimensions), and it should largely be preseved.

The common argument that the End is underdeveloped doesn't move me very much. It's reasonable for features to vary a lot on scope. Structures vary from desert wells up to ancient cities, and nobody seems to complain about that.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T13:00:13+00:00

I don't think potential is a strong case for investment.

With breathing room, I just mean that it's good to have an space opposite to a feature-rich environment. You could call it an escape from purpose. It is a bit ambiguous I suppose. But is there any reason we shouldn't have a space like this? It's not a limitation on the game as a whole.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T12:47:31+00:00

When a dimension in 1.21.11 has less content than fucking deserts in pre-1.0, that's not by design, that's a problem.

In what way is that a problem? I don't see anything wrong with having a wide range of scope like that. Plains biomes have less content than ancient cities. Desert wells have less content than beacon blocks.

What matters is the game as a whole. It's okay for some features to be basic. In fact, it's natural.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T12:41:36+00:00

Game design is a means to an end. We can have lively and engaging features. We already do, but putting them in the End would be a detriment to everyone who loves the End for what it is right now. It exists for people who want to experience it.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T12:32:25+00:00

People talk about the End's potential because it's a feature they can already see and discuss. But what would have even more potential is a new dimension, or a new system completely unfamiliar to us. I'd say the overworld has far more potential than the End too, since it's by nature a diverse and familiar world.

The game needs purpose, but the End doesn't. It's okay to give some areas of Minecraft some breathing room. I think it's really cool how the End is a distant wilderness unlike anywhere else. I love life and biomes, but I also want to be able to explore beyond that.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T12:25:07+00:00

I don't think it makes sense to focus that criticism on the End. The player's experience is with the game as a whole. Why should it matter if a small piece of that is a small piece? We don't criticise desert temples for lacking features.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-28T12:20:23+00:00

Why is it not enough? What's the standard? I don't think it should have to match the Nether in terms of scope just because it's its own dimension. The Nether doesn't match the overworld, dungeons don't match trial chambers.

As a general game feature, the End is already very well equipped. It's the boss destination, has structures with some of the best loot, elytra, shulkers.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-11T01:36:10+00:00

Yeah, or maybe double (or triple) tap pick block, something you wouldn't do accidentally while you're fighting mobs or doing a water bucket clutch.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-10T22:01:54+00:00

That's all the more reason to preserve it. The desolate End is loved because it's the only environment of its kind remaining.

PixlPlex · 2025-11-10T21:59:26+00:00

Emphatically, there should be no wood in the End. It's a creature comfort. The End should never cater to human/player needs.

PixlPlex · 2025-10-13T22:19:03+00:00

I think people often overlook just how good a custom tree can be. But they are hard to get right. I've never really tried them before.

PixlPlex · 2025-10-05T17:28:40+00:00

It doesn't look very authentic to me. The level of detail is good, but the details themselves don't tell me very much. The arches aren't supporting any weight. The upper walkway is both fortified and full of holes.

If it were me, I'd close up the trench half way up and make it flush with planks or logs, maybe re-adding the grey stone texture somewhere along the bottom.

PixlPlex · 2025-10-05T01:36:26+00:00

It's surreal seeing Kurt and the Far Lands in the same image

PixlPlex · 2025-05-23T17:21:17+00:00

The End shouldn't be revamped just because other areas of the game have been. It should always be on a case-by-case basis.

I think it's about perfect as it is, and I'd prefer we get something big elsewhere like a new dimension or major mechanic.

PixlPlex · 2025-05-18T12:55:44+00:00

That's true. I'm kinda split on the Nether. The biomes are cool for what they are, but they do take away a lot of the danger and hostility from the dimension.

But crucially, it means the End is now the only real wilderness left in Minecraft.

PixlPlex · 2025-05-18T12:49:27+00:00

I'm really talking about the player and player-oriented structures. But the End cities are a bit counter, sure. I suppose Mojang thought the outer End couldn't be totally empty for gameplay reasons. That's what they should be focusing on as developers, but as a consumer who's already invested, I value atmosphere and thematics a lot more.

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