book

Adventures in Minecraft

by David Whale, Martin O'Hanlon

November 2014

Beginner to intermediate

320 pages

6h 54m

English

Wiley

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Introduction
What Is Minecraft?The Virtual WorldHow Did Minecraft Come About?What Is Minecraft Programming?Who Should Read This Book?What You Will LearnWhat We Assume You Already KnowWhat You Will Need for the ProjectsA Note for Parents and TeachersHow This Book Is OrganisedThe Companion WebsiteOther Sources of HelpConventionsReaching Out
Adventure 1: Hello Minecraft World
Setting up Your Raspberry Pi to Program MinecraftInstalling Minecraft on Your Raspberry PiStarting Minecraft on Your Raspberry PiSetting up Your PC or Apple Mac to Program MinecraftInstalling the Starter Kit and Python on Your Windows PCInstalling the Starter Kit and Python on Your Apple MacStarting Minecraft on Your Windows PC or Apple MacStopping BukkitCreating a ProgramRunning a ProgramStopping a Program
Adventure 2: Tracking Your Players as They Move
Sensing Your Player’s PositionGetting StartedShowing Your Player’s PositionTidying Up Your Position DisplayUsing postToChat to Change Where Your Position DisplaysIntroducing a Game LoopBuilding the Welcome Home GameUsing if Statements to Make a Magic DoormatChecking if Your Player Is at a Particular LocationBuilding a Magic DoormatWriting the Welcome Home GameUsing Geo-Fencing to Charge RentWorking out the Corner Coordinates of the FieldWriting the Geo-Fence ProgramMoving Your PlayerFurther Adventures in Tracking Your Player
Adventure 3: Building Anything Automatically
Creating BlocksBuilding More than One BlockUsing for LoopsBuilding Multiple Blocks with a for LoopBuilding a Huge Tower with a for LoopClearing Some SpaceUsing setBlocks to Build Even FasterReading Input from the KeyboardBuilding a HouseBuilding More than One HouseUsing Python FunctionsBuilding a Street of Houses with a for LoopAdding Random CarpetsGenerating Random NumbersLaying the CarpetsFurther Adventures in Building Anything
Adventure 4: Interacting with Blocks
Finding Out What You Are Standing OnFinding out if Your Feet Are on the GroundBuilding Magic BridgesUsing Python Lists as Magic MemoryExperimenting with ListsBuilding Vanishing Bridges with a Python ListSensing that a Block Has Been HitWriting a Treasure Hunt GameWriting the Functions and the Main Game LoopPlacing Treasure in the SkyCollecting Treasure when It Is HitAdding a Homing BeaconAdding Your Bridge BuilderFurther Adventures in Interacting with Blocks
Adventure 5: Interacting with Electronic Circuits
What You Will Need for this AdventurePrototyping Electronics with a BreadboardBuilding a Circuit that Lights an LEDConnecting Electronics to Your ComputerSetting Up the PC or Mac to Control Electronic CircuitsConfiguring the DriversFinding the Serial Port NumberControlling an LEDLighting Up an LED from your ComputerFlashing the LEDRunning a GPIO ProgramWriting the Magic Doormat LED ProgramUsing a 7-Segment DisplayWhat is a 7-Segment Display?Wiring Up the 7-Segment DisplayWriting Python to Drive the 7-Segment DisplayUsing a Python Module to Control the DisplayMaking a DetonatorWiring Up a ButtonWriting the Detonator ProgramFurther Adventures in Electronic Circuits
Adventure 6: Using Data Files
Reading Data from a FileInteresting Things You Can Do With Data FilesMaking a Hint-GiverBuilding Mazes from a Data FileUnderstanding CSV FilesBuilding a MazeBuilding a 3D Block PrinterHand-Crafting a Small Test Object to 3D PrintWriting the 3D PrinterBuilding a 3D Block ScannerBuilding a Duplicating MachineWriting the Framework of the Duplicating Machine ProgramDisplaying the MenuBuilding the Duplicator RoomDemolishing the Duplicator RoomScanning from the Duplicator RoomCleaning the Duplicator RoomPrinting from the Duplicator RoomListing FilesFurther Adventures in Data Files
Adventure 7: Building 2D and 3D Structures
The minecraftstuff ModuleCreating Lines, Circles and SpheresDrawing LinesDrawing CirclesDrawing SpheresCreating a Minecraft ClockDrawing PolygonsPyramidsFurther Adventures with 2d and 3d Shapes
Adventure 8: Giving Blocks a Mind of Their Own
Your Block FriendUsing Random Numbers to Make Your Block Friend More InterestingBigger ShapesAlien InvasionFurther Adventures in Simulation
Adventure 9: The Big Adventure: Crafty Crossing
A Game within a GamePart 1—Building the ArenaPart 2—Creating the ObstaclesThe WallRunning More Than One ObstacleBuilding the RiverCreating the HolesPart 3—Game PlayStarting the GameCollecting DiamondsOut of TimeTracking the PlayerSetting the Level as Complete and Calculating PointsAdding the Game Over MessagePart 4—Adding a Button and DisplayWhat You Will NeedSet Up the HardwareDiamond CountdownTime-Left IndicatorFurther Adventures in Your Continuing Journey with Minecraft

Appendix A: Where to Go from Here
WebsitesMinecraftPythonBukkitOther Ways to Make Things Happen AutomaticallyProjects and TutorialsVideosBooks

Overview

Here's your ticket to a world of adventures with Minecraft and programming.

Learn how to extend Minecraft and create a new gaming experience, by exploring the magical world of Minecraft programming. Adventures in Minecraft, like other books in the highly successful Adventures series, is written especially for 11- to 15-year-olds. With this book you will learn new programming skills while having fun with Minecraft!

Minecraft programming experts David Whale and Martin O'Hanlon walk you step-by-step through everything you need to know to:

Get started writing Minecraft programs in Python on your PC, Mac, or Raspberry Pi

Build houses and other structures in the blink of an eye, and make a 3D duplicating machine

Write interactive games like a field that charges you rent, and a treasure hunt using magic vanishing bridges

Build custom game control panels using simple electronic circuits

Easily build huge 2D and 3D structures such as spheres and pyramids

Build intelligent objects like a massive Minecraft clock, and program an alien invasion

Plan and write a complete interactive arena game

Using the programming skills you learn from this book, writing Minecraft programs offers endless possibilities to create anything you can imagine.

To make your journey that much easier, the Adventures in Minecraft companion website supplies you with a video for each adventure in the book, downloadable code files, helpful programming reference tables, a bonus adventure, and badges to collect for your Minecraft accomplishments.

By day, David Whale and Martin O'Hanlon are software engineers who design computer products. By night, they play Minecraft and develop exciting new programs that interact with the Minecraft world. They both work regularly with young people in schools, computing clubs and at community events, giving talks about Minecraft programming and running programming workshops.

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
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