<p>is anybody here gonna try to set up a vgchartz server? i love to build with you guys.</p>

All right. Two questions: Is it free? and what are it's required specs?

This game is why I didn't really get any sleep last night.  I climbed a giant tree, punching my way up through the leaves to build a staircase,and I chopped it all down from the top.  I got 53 logs out of it, turned that into 212 pieces of wood, and used all that wood (and some glass I smelted out of the sand) to create an EVIL OFFICE.  It's all wood and glass, and sexy as hell, lit by several torches.  Then I put my workbench, furnace, and chest in back, built a stairway down forever until I found a coal deposit.  Then I dug down until I found a river of lava.  Then I dug a path for it to spread the lava around, until it got to a a dead end.  Then I found a giant underground cave, so I followed it to a giant super-fast super-loud river.  So I hopped in.  It pushed me around a corner, and there were monsters everywhere.  This is basically the basement of my evil office.

I'll be back after I learn how to make a bow and some arrows.  And then it's on.

Can't wait for the Halloween update.

When I have time, maybe tomorrow, I'll post some screenshots of what I've been up to.  I don't know if I can get multiplayer to work on this ancient caveman computer, but I'll be getting a nice new PC soon (maybe around Black Friday?), and then IT'S ON.

There is a free version that you can play in your browser at www.minecraft.net .  Go for it.

If you like it, then buy it for 10 Euros (which is about $13 or $14).  Then you'll get ALL future updates and expansions for free, like the huge Halloween update that lets you build portals to hell and jack-o-lantern helmets and other stuff.  The full release will also include an adventure mode and tons of other stuff.  It's gonna keep growing forever.  And there are tons of 3rd party mods and skins and junk too.  The price will go up a little at Beta, and up a little at full release.  So it's actually a deal to buy it now at Alpha, and get everything else for free.  And you get to help fund the development of the coolest game ever, woohoo!

But seriously, go play the free version.  Ask us for help if you get stuck.  Good luck!

Some new info on the Halloween update

Minecraft creator Notch just put up a shot of the forthcoming Halloween Update on his blog, showing the new Hell environment. It’s an alternate dimension you can switch to for fast travel: a few steps in this world translate to a few miles in the other when you switch back. The shot he put up is pretty dark, so here’s a brighter version that shows the huge, cavernous shape of this new area better. 

There’s some kind of sand-coloured substance – possibly sand – in the upper left corner. Notch says he’s adding at least five new material types in the update, one of which is presumably the reddish igneous rock here, and the yellow stuff may be something more valuable. If it were sand, after all, it ought to be falling from there.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/10/10/a-clearer-look-at-minecrafts-new-hell-dimension/

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/10/08/and-then-theres-the-minecraft-papercraft/

I built my office entirely out of wood and glass in the middle of a small mountain, and built a cobblestone stairway up the slope of the mountain from the beach.  Then I added a 2nd floor deck so I could get some fresh air without leaving my house.  It has no walls, a glass ceiling to let sunlight in, and is elevated just enough to keep me safe from the zombies at night.  The deck is also extended just enough to allow me a clean shot at zombies that come to my front door at night to interrupt me during my work.  Here is my deck and the entrance to my mountain office, just before sunset:

And here's my amazing view of the sunset from my deck:

that's pretty cool man.

I'm currently working on making a glass level for my housefort. And playing with switches etc.

i hesitated on doing this for  a bit but i think i trust vgc enough, ive got a server up that a few people play on right now  @ 76.114.87.108 stake out a place and build... on the servers you cant die right now so it removes some fun, there are a few other issues... mainly with water, but outside of that working fine.

edit, just an update, restarted the server this morning. and no the firey stumps are not griefers its a fialed project/navagational aid on the server before mods were added back.

running hey0 mod there is a kit at /kit toolkit  edit 2 also to keep it day /time day

ill be on the server as hansrotec. pm me with any issues or post them here.

i think i zarx on this morning, sorry i didnt talk i was kinda at work, but saw you hope on and thought id throw some tools down

edit 3 though warping is on i would advise against using it, is unstable right now, seems to cause loss of inventory sometimes, trying to hunt that down or see if an update is out to fix it

My friends and I build this Castle area in SMP together:

And I built this Eye of Sauron on one of my other friend's servers:

Just picked up this game today............ Or should I say yesterday seeing as it's now 2:40am and I've been playing it non-stop for about 16 hours now.

Most addictive game I've ever played.