Special buildings in the next Minecraft could fulfill 3 types of purposes. They would refine materials, train intelligences, and/or enable sub-games for players. Some special buildings would fulfill more than one of these purposes.
In order to build a special building, you need to use a cornerstone creator to build the correct cornerstone. The cornerstone becomes part of the buildings' foundation in order for the building to fulfill its purposes.
- Refine or produce special blocks/items via automated processes defined/designed by the player
- take multiple types of items/blocks as input
- produce a single type of item/block as output
- Train settlers/robots/beasts to accomplish tasks through player-customized algorithms
- takes settlers as input
- produces trained settlers as output
- Enable the player to enter interfaces for sub-games
- various design modes
- regular block design mode
- ship design mode
- wheeled vehicle design mode
- shrunk electronics design mode
- mechanical physics design mode
- map-related sub-games
- strategy play
- mapping trade routes
- algorithm customizing
- set custom algorithms to train settlers with
- set custom algorithms to program devices, robots, or vehicles
- actual games (like bar games in Fable)
- card games
- minecraft block games
- various minecraft themed sub-games (like a tetris)
- society level sub-games
- laws
- trade negotiations
- acts of war or peace
In this way, these buildings could be sold as game extensions.
Cornerstones
Cornerstones define the important attributes of a given special building. They are part of the building construction, located at one corner of the building's foundation. They are required for that building to fulfill it's designated purposes, and to allow contributing blocks to enhance its abilities.How do you get cornerstones?
- Buy the pertinent extension from Microsoft/Mojang
- Follow the in-game rules for finding or manufacturing that particular cornerstone
- find relics that contribute to its construction
- perform magical rituals to produce them
- develop technologies that allow its production
- refine materials necessary to produce it
What attributes do cornerstones define?
- The functions of that building
- will a building have inputs and outputs for block refinement? How many?
- will a building have an input and output for settlers to be trained?
- how many training algorithms can be assigned to that given building?
- what types of training algorithms can be assigned to that given building?
- Size of the area where blocks will effect the building the cornerstone pertains to
- height (y from the cornerstone) within which, blocks will pertain to that building
- width (x from the cornerstone) within which, blocks will pertain to that building
- depth (z from the cornerstone) within which, blocks will pertain to that building
- which player owns the building
- Can be checked upon visual inspection of the cornerstone
- Can be changed if alternative players replace the cornerstone with their own
- through war and plunder: ie stealing relics and resources to produce the same cornerstone
- through trade of relics and/or resources
- through self sufficiently producing the same cornerstone
- possible locations of building placement
- biome
- proximity to sea or land or resources
How do you use cornerstones?
After you procure a cornerstone, you can place it before or after a building is fully constructed. All subsequent building augmentations and enhancements can be added later, as long as they are placed within the x,y,z parameters the stone defines.
Until you place a corner stone, the building will not work to fulfill its purpose, such as training settlers or enabling player sub-games.
Until you place a corner stone, the building will not work to fulfill its purpose, such as training settlers or enabling player sub-games.
Can cornerstones be changed?
No. Cornerstones' attributes are constants. Duplicate cornerstones can certainly be produced, and will be needed in order to - for example - simultaneously train different settlers with multiple and distinct military algorithms, or multiple and distinct mining algorithms. (although algorithms can be improved in the same building over time.)
In the case that a relic is necessary to produce a cornerstone, it will not be a part of a recipe for the cornerstone. Rather, the relics are indestructible. Perhaps relics would be inserted into a slot of a device or placed on a stand in a building where the cornerstone is being produced.
Additionally, although cornerstones cannot be changed, they can be swapped out with newer, better ones. Newer cornerstones might allow greater x,y,z space for a building's effective blocks. They might allow for multiple algorithms for training purposes, or a greater number of inputs for refining materials.
In the case that a relic is necessary to produce a cornerstone, it will not be a part of a recipe for the cornerstone. Rather, the relics are indestructible. Perhaps relics would be inserted into a slot of a device or placed on a stand in a building where the cornerstone is being produced.
Additionally, although cornerstones cannot be changed, they can be swapped out with newer, better ones. Newer cornerstones might allow greater x,y,z space for a building's effective blocks. They might allow for multiple algorithms for training purposes, or a greater number of inputs for refining materials.
