Some incredibly talented Minecraft players have built a ridiculously accurate recreation of Amsterdam, which was then rendered externally for a more cinematic look. Another incredibly massive city build has been recently completed by a different group of players after seven months of hard work.
Courtesy of Aderlyon Build Team, the recent Steampunk City is an absolute masterpiece of Minecraft architecture. The giant floating metropolis is surrounded by a whole fleet of gigantic airships and smaller islands with Victorian-style buildings on them. The whole structure is being overshadowed by a giant clock face with an intricate design based on numerous interconnected gears. Interestingly, the authors managed to fit the months-long work into 10 minutes of breathtaking timelapse video. The most recent Minecraft project, however, is based on a real-life city rather than a fictional one.
A group of Minecraft builders called Shapescape shared their latest amazing project on Reddit, showcasing a faithful recreation of Amsterdam. Meticulously following the layout and architectural style of the real-life city, the in-game copy makes a believable impression thanks to the photorealistic quality of screenshots. This authenticity has been achieved with such external rendering applications as Octane Render and Cinema 4D. Although executed in stunning detail, the replica of Amsterdam was not created exclusively for entertainment purposes. Judging by Shapescape’s official website, their mission is to educate children with the help of video games, thus encouraging them to learn through playing. The team of builders is working closely with Microsoft and Mojang to create historical and scientific dioramas for Minecraft: Education Edition in order to provide millions of kids with knowledge of the world around them.
Another amazing rendering technique of demonstrating in-game builds was used by a crafty player to showcase massive statues of well-known Minecraft mobs. Featured on panoramic screenshots, the gigantic creations were overshadowing the surrounding environment, making it look almost insignificant. But while enormous copies of a Turtle or a Goat were quite peaceful, creatures like Endermen or Phantoms left an anxious, unsettling impression. The Endermen scene even included one of the creatures holding a whole chunk instead of a regular-sized block.
As much as Minecraft’s Amsterdam is an exciting build, more impressive is the fact that its authors have actually created it for the greater cause. Their historical and scientific projects have already helped educate over 10 million kids, relying on Minecraft as a teaching tool. At the same time, accurate builds like that remind the gaming community of just how versatile and diverse the survival title’s experience can be, especially when approached with one’s talent and dedication.
Minecraft is available on all platforms.
Source: Shapescape/Reddit, Shapescape