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5 Tips for New Minecraft Pocket Edition Players

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Never has there been a culture revolution spawned by a game like Minecraft. Since launching in 2009, the original game has spawned toys and inspired a generation to build their own shelters and more. In those early days, the only way you could play Minecraft was on a PC without a keyboard and mouse. Times have now changed, and if there’s one game that’s easily recommendable on every smartphone platform it is Minecraft Pocket Edition.

Here are 5 tips for Minecraft Pocket Edition players. It is available on Windows Phone, iPhone and devices running Google’s  Android operating system, but we’re playing on Microsoft’s own Lumia 1520 smartphone. It has a wide-screen and enough horse power to do the game justice.

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Digging & Building

Minecraft’s true brilliance is how unsuspectingly simple it makes you think it is. You drop into a Minecraft world and you get the bare bones experience. There’s a sky filled with clouds and terrain with peaks and valleys. Don’t let this fool you. Minecraft is really a game of survival. You’ll need to harvest natural resources around you to survive once nightfall hits. Digging, and building are crucial.

To start out you’ll need to master the core skills. To dig into the ground and find the resources you need, tap and hold on the individual squares you’d like to remove from the ground around you. Say you want to build something you can survive in, simply tap to fill it with another material. Look at the bottom of your screen and choose one of the materials that’s available to you.

Of course, you’ll need to move. Minecraft Pocket Edition uses nothing but touch controls. At first glance, you might not think they’re as robust as one might think. They are though. Look for the directional pad on the bottom left side of your screen. Naturally, you’ll want to place your finger on the direction arrows to move to a specific area. Tap the circle in the center to jump. You can look around you by running your finger around the landscape.

Switch to Creative Mode if You Just Want to Make Things

Maybe you’ve explored Minecraft Pocket Edition already and think there’s no actual game there. Trust, that there is. Again, the point is to survive against a growing onslaught of creepers, spiders and other baddies. Say you just want to get creative. You can do that too.

When you’re creating a new game world to play in you can choose which Game Mode you’ll like. Survival is the game mode you’ll need to watch your back in. Creative mode gives you the tools to do whatever you want. You can build without any distractions.

Change the Difficulty If It’s Too Hard

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Maybe you like the challenge of Survival Mode but aren’t too thrilled about getting yourself nearly killed at nightfall. You can dial back the difficulty once you’re inside a game world. For Minecraft Pocket Edition on the Lumia 1520 and other Windows Phones, you simply go into the world you’d like to play, press the button for the menu and move the difficulty slider to something you’re more comfortable with. Versions of Minecraft Pocket Edition for iPhone and Android work the same way.

Adjust the On-Screen Controls & Point of View For Better Positioning

Point of view in a game like Minecraft Pocket Edition is key. Sometimes you’re going to want to feel like you’re a person in an actual game world. Other times you might want to see your character on the screen for a bit of context. Minecraft Pocket Edition allows users to do both. Again, you’ll want to dive into the menu settings. Once you do, flip the toggle for what’s called Third Person View. Instead of seeing only out of the eyes of your in-game character you’ll see the character on the screen.

If you explore the settings more you’ll find toggles for increasing the size of the on-screen controls, and switching to a left hand mode.

Build a Shelter Before It’s Too Late & Be Smart About It

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Let’s talk about building a shelter. If you’re playing in survival mode you’ll definitely need one before night falls and you’re left to your own devices. Don’t just build some hole in the ground though. Build something you can use to your advantage. A lot of beginners are simply encouraged to build a basic shelter out of the terrain around them. You can do that, but going a bit beyond that is important too.

Build out an area surrounded by wood planks allows you to hear intruders as they arrive. including torches in your building makes it incredibly easier to see what’s coming at you in the dark. Don’t hesitate to add ladders and look out points too. Also, when night falls, don’t hesitate whip our your bow and arrow or sword.

Use the Landscape to Your Advantage

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Again, don’t hesitate to use your surroundings against you. Found a cave? Build a base there. Nothing but flat planes? Dig a cave and make your stand there.

Good luck with Minecraft Pocket Edition. Have fun playing and don’t worry about getting hyper involved in the worlds you create. In most cases you can move game worlds between different versions of the game. That’s great for those who don’t have smartphone display as comfortable as the Lumia 1520.

Read: With Minecraft, Windows Phone Lands Huge Gaming Win

Minecraft Pocket Edition costs $6.99 on the iPhone, iPad, Android devices and Windows Phones.

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