Thursday, February 3, 2011

Minecart Basics: T-shaped Intersection

For the next chapter in crafting, we have the T-shaped intersection, which is known in crafting circles as a t-junction. A t-junction occurs when a rail reaches another rail that curves. T-junctions resemble forks in a road, with one major exception: Unlike with forks, the rider has no control over where their minecart travels when it it reaches a junction.

T-junctions look like this:

It does indeed look like a T.


A T-junction is a turning track with a straight track leading to it.
T-junctions allow carts to turn in different directions depending on what direction the cart is coming from. For instance, a cart traveling on the straight track on the right of the screen will continue traveling on a straight path to the left.

The cart coming from the right...

...ignores the curve and travels to the left.
However, if that same cart is coming from the left, then it will turn at the junction instead of traveling straight.



But the cart coming from the left turns...

T-junctions can make effective one-way streets for minecarts, as well as many other things like delayed boosters, two-way resetters, and more. It can even make "minecart labyrinths", mazes made entirely out of minecart rails that are made to be ridden through like a roller coaster. Later, I'll show you some useful constructs you can make from t-junctions.

18 comments:

  1. Useful stuff. Hopefully can use something from here to make my next station.

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  2. sweet nice write up, i recently got back into this game.

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  3. Can I make my own rollercoaster on minecraft? How fast do you go with that little cart

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  4. How good of a computer do you need to play this game?

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  5. I had no idea that you could make T junctions, hahaha.

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  6. You sure can make your own roller coaster, and your computer doesn't have to be very good to play minecraft. In fact, my computer is pretty bad, but minecraft's settings allow you to customize your graphics, which will allow any computer to play it.

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  7. Great tutorial, love it! Look forward to seeing more of this.

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  8. I'm thinking about getting into minecraft.

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  9. awesome guide for an awesome game i like your blog very much.

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  10. Reading these just reminds me how bad I am at using carts

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  11. "Minecraft Labyrinth" sounds like an '80s metal band.

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  12. How much does it cost to play this game?

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  13. Nice write-up. Thanks for the info. :D

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  14. As always, good stuff. Helping out n00bs like me.

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  15. This looks really fun actually

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  16. great tutorial! I like your blog, I'll be following.

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  17. cant u set like a switch so when u hit it the minecart will go a different way. and if so how would u set that up

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