In Trying To Understand Fourdimensional Minecraft I Froze My Brain

Humans are exceptionally adept at navigating through three-dimensional spaces. In fact, that's the way that reality operates. But try and add an extra dimension to something as easy as like Minecraft and things go from simple into the tangled.

4D Miner can be, as a result confusing. It's available as a demo for free on Steam (opens in a new tab), developer Mashpoe's extradimensional take on Minecraft is a lot to grasp even after completing an instructional video that introduces the concept of dimensionality by through the eyes of the cute frog.

This tutorial will introduce you to the concept of turning through dimensions. It will show you the concept of a 2D platformer and help you understand how the "slice" represents the larger 3D space. Move the mouse wheel and the slice will rotate and change your 2D view.

You can play the game and you will be able to see the same idea. You explore a 3D world, as per normal Minecraft. Scroll the wheel and your "slice of the larger 4D space" rotates, cutting the world from itself. If Presta Live sounds confusing, it's because I'm still struggling to mentally visually how the dimensions even relate to each other-at one appearing to fold the world into itself, a cubic world finding diagonals as another, hidden plane turns against the inside or over it, and it's all quite confusing, isn't it?

As you explore the world from an 3D perspective, you'll need to rotate through the fourth dimension to continue exploring. Things could fall from trees or blocks that are not in your current view caves can open into forest valleys, and you may be attacked by horrendous Hyperspiders outside of your current frame of reference.

There are tools available to help you understand 4D space. Crafting 4D glasses from unknown ore can help you percieve things outside of your limited vision, while a compass doesn't just inform you of where you are, it gives you a solid visualisation of how the 4D world is actually constructed.

As of now, 4D Miner is a fairly basic emulation that mimics Minecraft's mechanics. However, the extra dimension adds infinite complexity to something even as simple as "how do I build a house in four-dimensional space". The developer even suggests four-dimensional multiplayer which is an amazing method to lose yourself with a companion.

"On the surface, the game does look a bit like Minecraft, and the inspiration is evident," Mashpoe said in an explanation video on YouTube. "But things like building, collecting resources and even navigating within the game are completely different. This is a big difference in every mechanic of the game.

"I intend to expand this aspect of the game in the near future to ensure that the majority of my new game mechanics focus on how players interact with the fourth dimension."

Mashpoe tried to kickstart 4D Miner last week but was unsuccessful. He's now gone to Patreon (opens new tab) to keep working on the project. It's difficult to predict if 4D Miner can stand on its own as a game, or remain a tech demo that's confusing for its own good.

But I would like Mashpoe to continue his experiments in 4D space. Let me take an easy nap first as all this dimension-bending has given me a little headache.