Tutorial: How to Build Foundations

, Mon Jan 17 2011, 11:48PM

Hey folks!

So I'm starting to realize that one of the most important yet mind-numbing tasks associated with BAFI is the process of building a foundation upon which we can actually have a floating island. Unfortunately, foundation is also difficult to build. For these reasons, and because I'm tired of explaining how to build foundation every single time a new member joins the project, I'm posting this tutorial in order to educate the uneducated masses; all in a step-by-step formula.

The whole point of the foundation of the island is not only to support the isle, but to look good while doing it. This is precisely why the bottom of the island is not flat. Can you imagine our precious BAFI having nothing on the bottom? Or looking up and seeing featureless expanses? How boring... ugly even.

There are guidelines to follow to make the bottom look like it does. Those being:

1. The bottommost point of any foundation is not to be any less then 10 blocks from the ground.
2. The foundation should be random, with no identifiable patterns or long stretches of straight lines of any kind, diagonal or otherwise.
3. Experiment with it. Have fun.

Stop by BAFI's storage chests and grab some smoothstone and gravel or sand. You'll probably want a pickaxe for this too. Next you'll need to identify a good place to build. Any place is good really, so long as it follows the guidelines. It helps to build it next to the island so you can connect the additional foundation smoothly to the rest of BAFI.

This spot looks good...


Now we use that gravel or sand that you grabbed earlier and get up to a good starting point. I find it's easiest to put a torch under the gravel for easy clean-up (just knock out the first block above the torch and they all fall down).


This looks like a good height...


We're awfully high up now. About 15 blocks in fact. So you must be careful not to fall off the island by crouching when you're near an edge. Now that we're up here, let's start building the foundation. Just start with one or two blocks, after you get some experience with building foundation you can build more complicated structures. For now though, just build the foundation. Start with one or two blocks at the bottom, then expand on the next level up, then more, and more. Sometimes you can go 2-3 blocks horizontal per level, or you could go 2-3 levels up with no horizontal expansion, it's up to you. The simplest though, is to usually go for a 1 up, 1 over scheme. Here's an example of what the first 3 levels could look like...


Just keep building until you meet up with the rest of the island. Again, avoid straight lines. When it's time to connect with the main island, make sure you build the connection before you reach the top of the island so that the island isn't too thin at any point. Imagine building a basement or a road or something and finding the island is only 1-2 blocks thick... Not good.

When you're finished building the island. Fill it in entirely with more smoothstone! Do not build the foundations hollow as this will spawn monsters inside, and they are very, very difficult to clean out.

I hope this tutorial is helpful, if you have any questions or comments about this process, lemme know.