Human beings are exceptionally adept at navigating three-dimensional space. This is how the real world works. But try and add an extra dimension to something that's as easy as the game Minecraft and suddenly things turn into the confusing.
Confusing, then, is how I would describe 4D Miner. It's a free demo on Steam (opens in new tab), developer Mashpoe's extradimensional approach to Minecraft is an enormous amount of information to comprehend, even after following an instructional video that describes the concept of dimensionality by using an adorable frog.
The playable tutorial introduces you to the concept of rotating through dimensions by showing you an 2D platformer with the visual representation of how that "slice" of the world is a representation of an entire 3D space. Use the mouse wheel to scroll and the slice will rotate and change your 2D view.
Enter the game itself, and the same concept applies. You explore a 3D world, as per normal Minecraft. But scroll the wheel and your "slice" of the larger 4D space rotates, shearing the world against itself. If you find it difficult to follow, it's because I'm still struggling to mentally visually how the dimensions are connected to each other. One appears to fold the world within itself, a cubic world finding diagonals as another, hidden plane rotates against or within or on top of it, and it's all very confusing , isn't it?
To continue exploring the world, you will need to rotate your view through the fourth dimension. Items might fall from rocks blocks or trees that are not in your current view caves may open up into forest valleys or you could be attacked by horrendous Hyperspiders outside of your current frame of reference.
Fortunately, there are tools that can assist you in navigating your way around the concept of 4D space. You can make 4D glasses using a mystery ore to view things from a different perspective. A compass however can provide a solid visualisation and help you determine where you are.
As of now, 4D Miner is a fairly basic emulation that mimics Minecraft's mechanics. However, the additional dimension adds infinite complexity even to something that is as simple as "how can I build a house within four-dimensional space?" The game's creator even plays with the idea of a four-dimensional multiplayer, which sounds like a wonderfully chaotic method of getting confused with a friend.
"On the surface, this game does appear a little like Minecraft, and the inspiration is evident," Mashpoe said in an explanation video on YouTube. "But things like building, collecting resources, and even navigating the game's world are completely different, and this impacts the gameplay mechanics in general.
"I plan to expand this aspect of the game in the near future, so that most of my new game mechanics are focused on how players interact with the fourth dimension."
Mashpoe tried to kickstart 4D Miner last week but was unsuccessful. He's now gone to Patreon (opens new tab) to continue development. It's not easy to determine if 4D Miner can stand on its own as a game or remain a tech demo that's too confusing for its own good.
But I want Mashpoe to continue his research in 4D space. Prioritygame.Com Just let me have an easy nap first as all this dimension-bending has given me a little headache.
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