Cool, I just learned a Java coding trick, by looking at Notchs code in the video.

So its possible to write:

if(ob!=null && ob.number == 5) {...

I never did that, assuming that it might crash when ob is null.
(putting the on!=null in an extra comparisson)

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Hehe, they drink Zoega coffee, my favorite Swedish Brand

No, this only crashes in Lite-C, as Lite-C is dumb enough to always evaluate the full statement

http://www.opserver.de/ubb7/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=328446&page=1

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The above statment only works when !=null is called first.
But this is also assuming that the Java compiler will keep the order
this way (otherwhise it does throw a nullpointer exception)


On the other hand, its not a very clean, conservative style.
On a large project like Minecraft, he should be
more careful with such stuff, else it could result in hard to track bugs.
Notch participated several times in the Java4K Contest, sharing
code.
Its really cool so see minimized code, but its not
an approach to take for large-code projects.

Imho such if clauses are very common and I don't think of it as minimized code.
But - different discussion.

The good thing is, that I still have a few years left for a similar dream to come true...

I actually really liked that clip somehow .

Damocles, I learned that method when learning java, it's more of a convention and I think it makes code much more readable than having an if statement when only checking if the entity's valid and a skill is set.
So I must disagree, I think the method should be used in every coding language that allows it to be used. Sadly LiteC is not one of them, as mentioned above...

I absolutely hate having to use this:
if(entity != NULL)
{
if(entity.skill1 == 1)
{
//yuck.
}
}

That kind of code is everywhere in GRUNTS. It seems that every time I turn around... An entity has disappeared.

What's obnoxious is when I have to perform a "dangerous instruction" such as c_trace in an event function. I have to put a wait(1) statement before the instruction or the engine will spit out an error message... But then there's a chance that my pointers will be invalid. So I have to perform another check. And then another, because I want to see if c_trace hit an entity.

Haha! I had that in 4LW plenty of times. Source of endless bugs and frustration...

Here some Points why I think Minecraft had such an impact:



#1 Accessibility: Its a browserbased 3D game
-virtually anyone (with Java installed) can start the game instantly without
installation.
This is a huge point, by reducing the "costs" for
users to give it a short try.
Its exactly the opposite to making an Indygame as a 800MB installation file...
Also its 3D, giving it a huge athmospheric advantage over many 2D Flash games.
I doubt that it would have worked nearly as well
as a 2D tilebased or isogame.



#2 User-Content Creation: It offers every user (without required any special skills ) to create interesting things.

This is something not totally new, but often underestimated.
Games like "the Sims" live from the core concept to have
people create their own world, ideas and impressions.
The more freedom the mechanics give you -while keeping it easy
to design- the more fun this concept is.
Also its is a sandbox game, that does not force any goal
or timelimit on the player. Anyone can play it the way they like it, as there is no "right" way to play it, or ultimate goal
to reach.


#3 realtime AND asyncronous Multiplayer

While the success of the concept of realtime Multiplayer is clear (WoW, Countersrtike...)
Mincecraft also has the element of asyncronous Multiplayer implemented in a smart way.
Even if you log on a server, without other players populating the World
at this time, it still enables you to have some meaningful interaction with other players.
(Looking at new creations, building stuff to show later)

This is really important for small games starting with a
small playerbase.
Games like Onlineshooters or RTS simply offer no fun without
having several people logged on at the same time.
Causing the game to never reach the crittical mass of a playerbase. (those games die quickly, as noone is then logging
on anymore, since noone is logged on)


#4 Posing in WEB 2.0

Minecreaft is simply fun to watch (Youtube etc), seeing others playing the game, and showing their creations of funny moments.
There are not many games that are usable for this...

Fixel-level / objective game are
not much fun to showcase to others, as the gameplay repeats
for each player in more or less the same way.

The huge amount of fanmade play-videos and screenshots dragged most people into testing the game for
themself.
Its the perfect (viral) marketing tool.


#5 Indycharm

What Notch did was very smart. Up until now, his website
looks like an Indyproject website.
If he would have pimped up this site to look like a professional smoothed corporate marketingplatform,
people would have thought: oh, this must be some big company
behind this, using a well established massmarket-gameplay.
I will find them later in the web, lets look
at some other site.

Instead it brings this nice "homebrewed" Indycharm.
Instantly associating it with some probably cool inventive
gameplay and Artstyle.
"Lets try it, before I forget about this site later"

Also this: "Game sill in Alpha, but you can prepurchase it"
was a rather smart choice.
Making you think, the game will get better and better,
but cool, I can try it out already. Im "underground" and "In".
(like the other 1 Million people)


#6 Artstyle

Minecraft uses a very simplified pixelartstyle.
Along with other similar simplified art-concets (Tronlike Neonglow style,
grey-white abstact style, comic shader style, "handdrawn" style like Creonphysics
etc...)
it leaves the player with enough room to imagine things.
The more simple the style is, the more the imagination plays a role.

Also, by limiting yourself with the complexity of the style
its much easier to have coherent graphics, while
reducing the effort to create many assets in the same quality.