Mystcraft

Mystcraft

In the Myst series), there are special books that describe wild and varied new worlds, called Ages. These Ages can be written with a special language, and the books they are written in can be used to visit those Ages. Some ages can be beautiful and safe, while others can be inherently unstable and dangerous.

Mystcraft brings the ability to write Ages to Minecraft, allowing players to create and explore wild new worlds for adventure, settlement, or material gain. When playing with such powerful forces, powerful dangers will also be present. Players must always ensure they have a way home, and must endure harsh conditions in unstable ages or learn how to write safer ages to inhabit.

Mechanics

Listed below are some of the mechanics in Mystcraft, but more the Mystcraft Wiki will contain more comprehensive documentation.

Linking

Right clicking on a Descriptive or Linking book will bring up a book GUI.

You can get to this screen by right clicking a stand or lectern or right clicking with a book in-hand.

There is a black rectangle on the right page. This is the "Linking Panel". You can click on this panel to link to the destination Age.

If a book is used from the hand, the user will then drop the book on the ground (as an entity which can be picked up). Note that this is a one way trip. Without a Linking Book _made before you leave_, it will be impossible to return.

On Entities, Stands, or Lecterns there is a slot from which you can pick up the book. If a Stand or Lectern is empty there will be a slot where you can place an item appropriate for the container.

Descriptive Books

Descriptive Books (Age Books) are crafted using a book and a feather (no shape). They can be used to link to a new Age. Note again that this is a one way trip.

Descriptive Books are assigned a unique identifier when crafted that correlates to the dimension id they link to.

To avoid dropping the book on the ground use a Linkbook stand or Lectern to hold the book.

Linking Books

Linking Books are crafted simply with a book. A Linking Book remembers the current location, direction, and Age (dimension) of the creator allowing travel to that place. This book can be used the same way as an Descriptive Book and will follow the same mechanics (drops to the ground as player travels). Also a one way trip by itself.

It is possible to make linking books to The Nether and The End, as well as other non-Mystcraft dimensions.

Book Entities

The books that fall to the ground can be picked up by sneak + use (default: shift + right clicking) them. Plain "use" (right click) will bring up a linking panel, letting you pick it up or use it. If a book is left on the ground it will slowly decay (the book flashes as it takes damage). It is also possible to burn or otherwise damage books in this state.

Linkbook Stands

Linkbook Stands allow you to place a book on them and use the book from the stand without having to pick the book back up. Right-clicking an empty stand with a book in your hand places the book. Right-clicking a stand that already has a book brings up the linking panel. Breaking the stand causes it to drop the book.

Lecterns

Lecterns are alternates to stands designed to sit on top of a single block of wood planks, or similar base.

There is floating text above books in the world and text in the item tooltip which display the name of the Age to which the book links. Note that this is a config option, and in v0.9.05 and later it defaults to off. For it to be on, both the server and client must have it turned on. With a server setting of "off", books can be hidden (useful for adventure maps, or competitive survival worlds).

Writing Desks

Writing Desks allow you to view the symbols in a Descriptive Book and rename books. If a Descriptive Book is renamed then the Age is renamed and all subsequent Linking Books made in that age will default to the new name (any previously made ones keep their identifiers). Desks allow for actual writing mechanics (selecting symbols for Ages; See below). In the future they will also allow changing the symbols that describe an age.

Notebook

The only book entity added so far that doesn't do something magical. Used to track the symbols you have learned. They have a special slot on the writing desk and will automatically store the symbols from any descriptive book placed in the desk at the same time. It is impossible to actually 'write' an age without one, though the only way to add symbols is to learn them by randomly generating ages (using underspecified books).

Ages

Ages are other worlds (similar to "dimensions"). The mechanics of the Age are determined by the Symbols written into its Descriptive Book (symbols may be automatically added on linking if there are not enough or logic is missing). Some possible world types are Standard Terrain, Cave, and Flat Worlds. The randomly generated Ages have from one to three biomes, and may include unusual or special features.

Note that it is impossible to legitimately go from an Age to either the End or the Nether via their usual portals. Some mods (such as Twilight Forest) may choose to deny their portals from Ages as well. This is a property of the portal mechanics in use, not Mystcraft.

Star Fissures

Star Fissures are natural links to the Overworld. If an Age has a Star Fissure it will generate near the Age spawn point.