Timesink part 10: A working gate network

I have been spending far too long thinking about the gates and entire gate system. I finally just sat down and made myself start implementing things. So let's look at some sketches:

Once I drew arms onto the plot, everything clicked as to how I could set up the network. I have something like 40 more gate to place and setup. Let me just pimp the bukkit plugin Gates. I mentioned it before, but it really is worth another (short) plug. If you run a bukkit server and are looking for a gate-based teleportation plugin, you really need to check it out. The biggest downside with it is the inability to design gates of custom shapes like you can with some of the other gate-based teleportation plugins. But the use of a chest to enter a gate address really makes this one shine for me.

One can get around the custom shape limitations a bit with some creative use of the WorldEdit plugin tools. Once the gate has been created and correctly activated, one can change the type of blocks or even remove them using WorldEdit tools and the gate will still work. On the server I'm running, lapis lazuli has special teleportation-related abilities, so the center point of the gate is a lapis lazuli block. I also remove portions of the outer ring so each arm of the spiral has a specific gate shape.

You may note that each gate has distinctive markings on the ground in front of the gate as well as items to the sides leading up to the gate. These have to do with which arm the gate is in, and also encodes information about the address of the gate you are at. Hopefully other things found on the server will make it clear how the addresses work.

With each gate, you can either enter a destination address, or just hit the button, 

which will take you to that gates pre-set autodial location. Under each gate site are a series of music blocks and redstone circuits, so before the gate activates, a series of music notes play. 

The sequence of the notes, again, conveys information. Specifically, it can tell the user how far out on a spiral arm they are, as well as gives hints about relating alchemical-based items (earth, fire, water, etc) to numbers.

To wrap everything up, here are some shots of the various "cities" that can be found around six of the gates. In some images, iron golems can be seen patrolling the areas around gates. Remember: the placement of all of the buildings was done automatically (as described previously). The placement of the gates and the size of the gate areas were done manually and are meant to (again) give information to the player about the gate networks and where other cities are.

Once I finish placing the gates (I try and do at least 6/night), I will start writing the notes as left by the unseen "H". Next time, who "H" is, what he learned, and what became of him.