Minecraft: Simple, two-way cart switching station (1.5)

Per a request elsewhere, I've drawn up what I use as my two-way cart switching station in Minecraft. I use this switching station at almost every stop on our SMP server's minecart system. This allows the rider to either stay at the current destination or continue on.

The following screenshots are of the basic design and principles for creating this. The RSNOR latch and track layouts can be easily adjusted to save space or add functionality. I also do not include an arrival track onto the switching point, but a track can be run to a couple blocks above and drop a cart (and rider) onto the powered track piece (or any other number of ways to put a cart into place).

And the screenshots with explanations (click for larger versions):

EDIT:

Also I don't want to claim to have invented this completely. I was inspired and this is sort of just a reworking of the following video:

What just happened...

Monday Night Combat you so crazy.

Prettty much nailed it, Guild Wars 2 Top 10

I pretty much agree with all the points in this video about Guild Wars 2. Hopefully the game can live up to at least five of them now.

HOARD: A Game about Dragons and their Gold

I've given the Hoard demo a spin and found it to be a very entertaining game. The basic premise is that the player controls a dragon who most pillage the landscape and bring the resulting spoils back to their hoard. This means destroying towns, capturing princesses, torching knights, and all manner of destruction. On top of this, the player competes with other dragons. It is a fun time waster with enough to keep the player entertained for quite a few hours.

Along with the straight up destruction, dragons can make the various towns fear them and therefore pay tribute. Princesses can be snatched up and if held captive long enough, a ransom can be gained. Also the dragon's hoard is never safe with thieves lurking about.

The depth of the game is questioned in a lot of reviews. At first glance it seems shallow, but I think that is a benefit to the game. Its really more about just having fun than about thinking ten moves ahead. I think too many games forget this and before they know it, the game is a complicated mess that no one except the hardest of hardcore can get into. It wouldn't work for Hoard.

Next up: multi-player and Easter eggs (which I'm going to dive into later today as it was just enabled for the Demo).

For a limited time, you will find some eggs if you are lucky! Collecting enough eggs earns you the "Egg Hoarder" achievement. This is work a solid 2,000 Hoard Points, which will help level up your Hoard Profile in no time.

Get out there quick, though--the eggs won't be around forever.

Also, for those wanting to try HOARD, we've enabled limited multiplayer play in the demo. Try out "Lucky Town" (competitive) and "A Bridge Too Near" (co-op) for a taste of multi-dragon action against/with humans!

This update also includes many bug fixes and improvements. We are continuing to work on issues and won't be happy until everyone is having a seamless experience.

Happy holidays--enjoy!

...The Hoard Team

Sexy Star Wars:The Old Republic (SW:ToR) Character Sheet

Found this sexy image while surfing around the net tonight. It shows off the character sheet from a Trooper in Star Wars: The Old Republic. And no, this is not a beta leak. It's a picture taken at PAX East.

And I'm not quite sure what to make of all of it. I'm curious about a few things.

What is valor? What is social? I'm guessing both tie into story elements and how "adequate" your character is within a conversation.

There is a good/bad meter on the left-hand side. However, I certainly hope by "level 32" that the bar will have moved significantly one way or another and that the true neutral play style will be truly difficult (lol, true, truly!).

Lastly, I'm curious about the four "star" blocks on the lower right. Mystery!

Oh and the UI actually looks pretty, unlike the combat we've seen from the game.