It's been a while since I featured Celeron55's Minetest project on GameBlaster64 and that's because it was quite an early version and I wanted to give it some time to grow in features and stability. I'm very happy to report that in that span of just over one year, Minetest-c55 has become a pretty solid game.

Still, there are a number of improvements that should be made to make the experience much more enjoyable for gamers.

Three (small) Things That Minetest-c55 Needs

1. Holding right-click should continue to place blocks

In Minecraft, when a player holds the right-click button on their mouse, it places the block in the next available spot on the ground until inventory of that block runs out. In Minetest, holding the right-click button places one block and stops.

This is my number one issue with Minetest because it has a direct and substantially negative effect on building things in the game. Minecraft's initial popularity was due in a large part to the social impact of sharing screenshots and videos of your coolest build. Because it takes so much longer to build in Minetest and because it is so much more frustrating, this very important aspect is left in the dark.

2. Sound

I don't expect a game that's under heavy development to have a polished soundtrack, but without even the most basic level of sound, the game is boring. There need to be footsteps, splashes, and rustling sounds while you're exploring, mining, and collecting. And, when you're placing, a simple sound needs to play as a reward for placing blocks.

3. Inventory UI pop-ups on hover

The current texture/interface graphics pack is workable, but some of the items are simply hard to parse. Is it an apple or a tomato? I suppose it's an apple since it came from a tree. Still, I shouldn't have to use the science of deduction to figure out what I'm holding.

Speaking of holding things, why am I holding a rat?

Some simple, clear UI pop-ups would go a long way to help players understand the opportunities they have mixing ingredients together in the crafting area, which I can only assume is the top 9 blocks since I've played Minecraft. If a player plays Minetest first, they have absolutely no way of knowing that the top 9 blocks are for crafting.

The Future?

Minetest is progressing well programming-wise, but from a usability standpoint and from the perspective of a player, it has a long way to go. Perhaps Celeron-55 should consider partnering with an aspiring pixel artist to help bring some design to Minetest's solid foundation.

Do you, dear readers, have any ideas that would make Minetest a better game? I wanna read 'em!