The Minecraft Topic

[efaardvark]

Sorry for a technical post in a game topic but I just have to vent a bit .. and also share my solution.

The problem is Ubuntu's use of "snaps" for minecraft.  Not only does the snap system hide the minecraft directory it seems like every time there's a software update for minecraft, the snap system Ubuntu uses moves the minecraft directory to a new location.  It keeps the old directory but changes the path name to the new directory pseudo-randomly.  The snap installer/updater also makes no attempt to copy over your old configs or things like your snapshots or shader/texture pack stuff.  This means that every time I do an update - which I do want to do for things like security patches and bug fixes - I lose all my mods and have to go reinstall or move them over to the new location manually. 

Let me be clear that this is entirely a problem with snaps and Ubuntu, not with linux or minecraft.  On a non-ubuntu system that doesn't use snaps the minecraft installer creates a directory named ".minecraft" and puts everything there.  This is where everyone else in the unix/linux world expects to find your minecraft install.  That's where you'll find stuff like the screenshots folder for the screen captures minecraft creates when you press f2 in the game and where mods like optifine expect to find your minecraft install to be modded.  I don't know why Ubuntu decided to complicate its users' lives by using snaps this way.  The only way this doesn't cause problems is if the user only ever plays vanilla minecraft with no mods and never creates screenshots.  Why Canonical, why??

Anyway, I don't use many mods so the quick and dirty way that I've been dealing with this is to just make a symlink (alias) to the snap-created .minecraft directory at the home-folder level where everyone outside of ubuntu/snap expects to find it.  I also copy over the stuff in the old screenshots folder to the new directory.  Then reinstall optifine and anything else I need as normal.  (See below.)  This works for me.  People with a lot of minecraft mods however would probably be better off not using Ubuntu in the first place.   

FWIW I keep running into stuff like this with Canonical/Ubuntu so I'm thinking that my next major system upgrade/fresh linux install will likely be some Arch-based system.  Maybe Manjaro?

Edited June 3, 2022 by efaardvark

[Deeath]

On 5/24/2022 at 11:26 PM, efaardvark said:

 

Mr. efaardvark, do you use shaders by any chance? I also noticed the texture difference..! With this mix, it makes your builds and world look gorgeous (not saying Minecraft isn't already gorgeous) but you surely have enhanced the quality of a simple world with your effort!

If you do use shaders and textures, may I ask what kind? I've been dabbling in research for some to make my worlds more aesthetically pleasing, and this really hits the mark!  Good stuff, Sir! *applauds* 

[efaardvark]

1 hour ago, deaaath said:

Mr. efaardvark, do you use shaders by any chance? I also noticed the texture difference..! With this mix, it makes your builds and world look gorgeous (not saying Minecraft isn't already gorgeous) but you surely have enhanced the quality of a simple world with your effort!

If you do use shaders and textures, may I ask what kind? I've been dabbling in research for some to make my worlds more aesthetically pleasing, and this really hits the mark!  Good stuff, Sir! *applauds* 

Yes.  I don't mod my game too much but I do have a shader installed.  Nothing too fancy however since I'm still using an ancient - in computer years - RX480 gfx card.  Technically it is even able to do some "ray tracing" stuff (geometry shading - see the underwater pic below) but the fans rev way up and minecraft turns into an unplayable slideshow.  Note the single-digit fps in the upper left.  It does make for an awesome screenshot but most of the time I don't bother with anything too fancy.

 

My default setup is: OptiFine, Sildur's shaders (lite version), and old version of "Steven's Traditional" 64x64 textures.  I actually don't mind the esthetic of the default minecraft textures but for me they are a bit too blocky at HD resolutions and I do have 8GB RAM on my gfx card so .. why not?  The Steven's Traditional texture pack changes are fairly subtle however, at least compared to some packs.  With this config I get over 30FPS even during zombie-hoard hack-a-thons and sometimes up into the 70s.  My standard-HD monitor only refreshes at 30hz so that's fine for my purposes.  Some representative screenshots with this setup are in the spoiler.  I have the F3 display on in the last pic if you're interested in the rest of my system's specs.
 

Spoiler

 

 

[Deeath]

34 minutes ago, efaardvark said:

Yes.  I don't mod my game too much but I do have a shader installed.  Nothing too fancy however since I'm still using an ancient - in computer years - RX480 gfx card.  Technically it is even able to do some "ray tracing" stuff (geometry shading - see the underwater pic below) but the fans rev way up and minecraft turns into an unplayable slideshow.  Note the single-digit fps in the upper left.  It does make for an awesome screenshot but most of the time I don't bother with anything too fancy.

 

My default setup is: OptiFine, Sildur's shaders (lite version), and old version of "Steven's Traditional" 64x64 textures.  I actually don't mind the esthetic of the default minecraft textures but for me they are a bit too blocky at HD resolutions and I do have 8GB RAM on my gfx card so .. why not?  The Steven's Traditional texture pack changes are fairly subtle however, at least compared to some packs.  With this config I get over 30FPS even during zombie-hoard hack-a-thons and sometimes up into the 70s.  My standard-HD monitor only refreshes at 30hz so that's fine for my purposes.  Some representative screenshots with this setup are in the spoiler.  I have the F3 display on in the last pic if you're interested in the rest of my system's specs.
 

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Absolutely love this, the dedication is immaculate! 
I want to actually see more of your worlds, this is actually inspiring! 

[efaardvark]

19 hours ago, deaaath said:

I want to actually see more of your worlds

I've posted a few screenshots but I don't really have much more in this game.  This area is my main farm/base.  It is close to both an illager outpost and a city/town that I've been experimenting with since the villager update in 1.16ish.  I have a couple other minor outposts in certain biomes.  I have one in a nether "warped" biome for instance that I use as an XP farm because every time I go there there's a bunch of endermen.  I've also been strip-mining in the nether for ancient debris on occasion.  There's a beachfront area that I used mostly for turtle farming but that has been pretty much unused since I built the turtle enclosure at my main farm.  I keep trying to explore/expand into some mountain terrain since the Y ceiling was raised but I don't have much time for exploring & grinding.  I do hope to get some time to go spelunking for ancient ruins when the next update drops however.

[efaardvark]

 

[efaardvark]

So I finally got some time to play mc again but that's kind of a good news / bad news thing at the moment.  I usually play on my brother's Realms server and Realms always gets updated to the latest version as soon as it comes out.  Unfortunately the update means I also lose my shaders until optifine gets updated for 1.19.  I can't barely even see the fish in my aquarium!  I miss the fps boost that optifine provides too.

I don't really have the time to do fun stuff like go hunting for alleys or ancient cities either.  I do know where there's a couple of spawners in close proximity to each other however.  One is a zombie spawner and one generates skelly-bones and they're within about 20 blocks of each other.  I think I have just enough time to create an xp/loot farm out of the pair of them.

 

[efaardvark]

Since I went and installed Iris/Sodium I thought I'd revisit some shaders.  I do seem to get a significant speed boost from some of the shaders that I had trouble with before.  For instance, I'm able to run Sonic Ether's most recent SEUS PTGI shader that (sort of) does ray tracing even on non-RTX cards like my Radeon RX480.  It doesn't run it fast but at ~20fps it is barely playable.. at least more so than the single digits I was getting in previous versions with optifine.  That's low enough that I'd be worried about lags during critical moments in mob brawls but it sure does make things look nice while just walking around.

I'll have to check SEUS with the new optifine when it comes out for 1.19 as well.  If I can get to 30 fps somehow then I may switch from Sildurs.  For now though I think I'll stick with Sildurs.  It looks pretty good and I can get to 40fps even on my old card so that's gonna be my default combo until either I can get some better hardware or some better software comes along.

Speaking of Sildur's, I don't think I've posted any Nether pics using that and my preferred texture pack so thought I'd post some Nether pics using that combo.

Spoiler

This is my base/bunker, inside of which is the portal that links to my main base/farm in the overworld.

This is the view from the base's front porch..

That blocked-in guy to the right is "snuggles", my captive piglin trading partner.    He gets upset if you mine gold anywhere near him but he'll trade useful stuff for gold bars.  Including crying obsidian, which can be use to make nether respawn anchors, which are useful since beds are rather dangerous in the nether.

 

 

[efaardvark]

Experimented a bit with the new mangrove trees.  The propagules can be planted like normal saplings on the tops of dirt or mud, but also up to several blocks underwater.  When grown the trees will provide wood and leaves as usual, but also more propagules on the underside of the leaves.  Bonemeal can also be applied to the underside of the leaves to create more propagules.  The bottom of the tree will have 4 branches of roots connected to the trunk proper.  Full-grown trees come with vines hanging from the leaves (like jungle and swamp trees) and moss carpets on some of the horizontal root surfaces.  Where the roots enter the dirt there will be a block of rooted earth.  The wood blocks of the trunk and branches above look similar to jungle wood but inside are a vivid red color.  The wood of course can be made into doors and the doors look kind of upscale... a bit like dark oak doors only reddish and not as ominous-looking.

Kind of a surprising amount of stuff going on there for a single new tree type.  From growing a single propagule - obtainable from the wandering trader - one can directly get mangrove leaves, vines, more propagules, mangrove wood, moss carpets, mangrove roots, and rooted earth blocks.  Rooted earth blocks can also get you hanging roots by bonemealing a block that has space below it.  Previously you could only get moss carpet and hanging roots from lush caves, so that's kind of handy if you're like me and have an older world with some of the newer biomes a fair distance away.
 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2022 by efaardvark

[efaardvark]

Propagules are also apparently considered flowers by bees... 

[efaardvark]

The next-gen HoloLiveEN crew decides to go after the ender dragon.  Chaos ensues.    Poor Fauna.

 

 

 

(but seriously, props to guy who did the editing job on this one.)

[efaardvark]

Trying a different shader .. ProjectLUMA.  I don't think it'll replace my favorite Sildur's, but I do like what it does for underwater scenery and caves.
 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited August 20, 2022 by efaardvark
that typoo you never see until you post

[efaardvark]

Very sus..

 

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by efaardvark

[efaardvark]

Awesome but... some people have way too much time on their hands.   

[efaardvark]

I never noticed the sparkles on lightning rods during a thunderstorm..

[efaardvark]

Some interesting stuff in 1.20.  Chiseled bookshelves for instance, and all the bamboo wood types.  And camels!  With 2 riders!  But I'm still not seeing bundles.   

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by efaardvark

[efaardvark]

I decided to try the "Patrix" texture-pack now that I have Iris.  Patrix says it is a "made for shaders" pack.  There's resolutions up to 256x but you can dl the 32x pack for free to try out.  My old gfx card can't handle much more than that anyway so the 32x is the one I'm using here.

As far as Patrix itself goes it is a good looking set of textures.  It really does a good job with enhancing foliage appearance especially.  The flip side of that is that it makes wandering around in places like jungles (more) dangerous since it tends to hide hazardous terrain better.  Even with the built-in textures and running thru plains biomes I sometimes fall in hidden pits or crevasses.  Add lush growth on top of that and you have to be extra careful, especially with the new terrain generation algos.  It does look nice however.

The other more technical problem with this pack is that with optifine I got a slideshow.  Now that I've got Iris/Sodium however I thought I'd try again to see what kind of performance I get there since Iris generally performs a bit better than OF in my experience.  With Iris I do get up to 50fps (usually mid-30s) and Patrix looks just as good on Iris for the most part.  There are still issues however.  Patrix says it is made-for-shaders but it was really designed for Optifine specifically.  It seems to have problems with (for instance) connected textures under Iris.  I guess Iris still has a bit of catchup to do.

Note that I haven't yet tried adding other optimization mods to Sodium like Lithium or Phosphor or Indium.  Not sure if I want to start down that rabbit hole.
 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

[Deeath]

5 hours ago, efaardvark said:

I decided to try the "Patrix" texture-pack now that I have Iris.  Patrix says it is a "made for shaders" pack.  There's resolutions up to 256x but you can dl the 32x pack for free to try out.  My old gfx card can't handle much more than that anyway so the 32x is the one I'm using here.

As far as Patrix itself goes it is a good looking set of textures.  It really does a good job with enhancing foliage appearance especially.  The flip side of that is that it makes wandering around in places like jungles (more) dangerous since it tends to hide hazardous terrain better.  Even with the built-in textures and running thru plains biomes I sometimes fall in hidden pits or crevasses.  Add lush growth on top of that and you have to be extra careful, especially with the new terrain generation algos.  It does look nice however.

The other more technical problem with this pack is that with optifine I got a slideshow.  Now that I've got Iris/Sodium however I thought I'd try again to see what kind of performance I get there since Iris generally performs a bit better than OF in my experience.  With Iris I do get up to 50fps (usually mid-30s) and Patrix looks just as good on Iris for the most part.  There are still issues however.  Patrix says it is made-for-shaders but it was really designed for Optifine specifically.  It seems to have problems with (for instance) connected textures under Iris.  I guess Iris still has a bit of catchup to do.

Note that I haven't yet tried adding other optimization mods to Sodium like Lithium or Phosphor or Indium.  Not sure if I want to start down that rabbit hole.
 

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Love the water textures, the realism is divine! 
What's killing me is the grass texture -  

[efaardvark]

26 minutes ago, PogFrog said:

What's killing me is the grass texture

At least it is obvious what the problem is.   
 

I was going to add a screenshot from optifine to show what it should look like but I didn’t have time.  Maybe later.

[efaardvark]

Just for comparison I tried the same area and Patrix texture pack in optifine.  With the "connect textures" setting on. 

The grass does look better, but the single-digit frame rate is back as well.  I also get a bit of fan noise from my GPU, which is impressive since my computer case is padded inside with about 3/8 inch of acoustic rubber.  This is one of the reasons why I'm experimenting with Iris/Sodium in the first place.  (The other being that it generally takes Optifine a couple weeks to a couple months after a minecraft update to release their own update.)

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[Deeath]

Am going to try duplicating THIS build right here

(NOT MINE)
Core Xbox < The Link to the build instructions

This build is simple, yet interesting. I am good at building ground homes, mostly 8x8 (not too big ik) but I haven't played in a long time and need to get back in the groove of building..
So I'm going to take this awesome treehouse Inspo for a test ride in Creative and see how this goes...

If you guys have any more good build inspo links to get me started, please share them and tag me! 

[efaardvark]

This is what that "Patrix" texture pack is supposed to look like.  Some of these builds are pretty awesome as well!

(Needless to say is on a much better graphics card than mine.    The 3090 is a $1,100US/350Watt card with a G3Dmark score of ~26600.  My old RX480 gets about 8700.)

 

Edited October 21, 2022 by efaardvark

[efaardvark]

I got my new gfx card installed and yes, it actually works!  It was an "open box" + low(ish) price thing so there was some question there.   

However, since it passed the "smoke test" I thought I'd take a minute to revisit some of the shaders & textures that I've got installed in my minecraft client.  I dug out a screenshot taken while trying the SEUS PTGI "raytracing" shader that I had marginal results with before on my old card and duplicated the scene on the new one.  The old card (RX 480 "POLARIS10") gave me a questionable 21FPS.  That's low enough that things like multi-mob combat would be difficult and really isn't good for much more than wandering around taking screenshots.  The new card (RX 6600XT "DIMGREY_CAVEFISH") gives a more playable 48FPS.  SEUS PTGI is a "ray tracing" shader and this card is not exactly a high-end beast so that's something of an unrealistic test but I'm pleased with the results nevertheless.

Using my usual Sildur's shaders I get just over 100FPS with vsync off.  With Sildurs and vsync on the game play is noticeably smoother than on the old card even in zombie hack-a-thons.  I also get Iris's GPU usage indicator hovering around 90%, whereas with the old card it was always maxed out.  The 100fps that I get with Sildur's is very close to what I get with just Iris too.  i.e. no shaders.  Of course in the no-shader case the GPU usage is down around 20%, but it is another indication that my GPU is keeping up with the game even with shaders active.  Might even be an indication that it is time to start thinking about a CPU upgrade?    (Already thinking along those lines for other reasons besides minecraft but I'm trying to hold off until AM5 socket and DDR5 memory goes mainstream so I can upgrade my whole system.)

Anyway, I don't have time today to do a more in-depth investigation but the ballpark estimate is that the new card is maybe a bit more than twice as fast as the old one in terms of minecraft frame rates.  It is also noticeably faster in some other respects such as initializing the game.  I'll have to experiment a bit more  to see if I can get to the point that minecraft is playable using the more resource-demanding packs like SEUS and high-resolution textures.  I'm actually fairly happy with these initial results.  I may have to back off on some of the settings to make it playable even in the more demanding game situations but if I can manage to do that it would be pretty cool.

 

Spoiler

 

[efaardvark]

Decided to follow one of those woodland mansion maps and ...

I think I found myself a new base.

[efaardvark]

Saw this while wandering around in the Nether.  Something trying to tell me something?

Also, new card + shaders makes the nether look really cool.  (IMHO, YMMV, etc.)  Remember when we only had the nether wastes before the nether upgrade?  The new stuff sure makes the nether a lot more interesting.

Edited November 22, 2022 by efaardvark