Trying To Understand Fourdimensional Minecraft Broke My Brain

Human beings are very good at navigating three-dimensional space. This is how our world operates. But try to add an additional dimension to something as easy as the game Minecraft and suddenly things take a sharp turn into the confusing.

4D Miner can be, as a result, confusing. It's a free demo on Steam (opens in new tab), developer Mashpoe's extradimensional approach to Minecraft is quite a bit to get your head around, even after following an instructional video that introduces the concept of dimensionality by using the cute frog.

This tutorial will introduce you to the concept of rotating through different dimensions. It will demonstrate the concept of a 2D platformer and help you visualize how the "slice" is a representation of the larger 3D space. Move the mouse wheel and the slice will rotate to change your 2D perspective.

You can play the game, and you will get the same experience. You're exploring a 3D world like regular Minecraft. Move the wheel and your "slice of the greater 4D world" rotates, severing the world from itself. If it sounds confusing, it's because I'm still trying to mentally visually how the dimensions even relate to each other. One appears to fold the world inside itself, a cubic world that is able to detect diagonals, as a hidden plane turns against or within, or on top of it, and oh god it's all very confusing isn't it?

To continue exploring the world, you will need to rotate your view through the fourth dimension. Items may fall from trees or rock blocks that are not in your current view, caves may unfold into forest valleys, and you'll be attacked by horrendous Hyperspiders outside of your current frame of reference.

There are tools available to assist you in navigating your way around 4D space. You can create 4D glasses from a mysterious ore, allowing you to see things from a different perspective. A compass, on the other hand will provide you with a solid visualisation and help you determine the location of your current location.

Right now, 4D Miner is a very basic emulation of Minecraft's mechanics. However, the additional dimension adds a lot of complexity to something that is as simple as "how do I construct a house within four-dimensional space?" The game's creator even plays with the idea of four-dimensional multiplayer, which could be an amazing way to be confused by friends.

"On the surface, this game may appear to be a bit similar to Minecraft and the inspiration is unquestionable," Mashpoe said in a YouTube explainer. "But things like building, gathering resources and even navigating the game are totally different. This affects pretty much every game mechanic. Premium ebooks

"I intend to expand this aspect of the game much more in the near future, so that the majority of the new game mechanics and features focus on how the player interacts 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. In the end, it's difficult to determine if 4D Miner will be capable of standing on its own merits as a game, or remain a nebulous tech demo that's too confusing its own great.

However, I would love to see Mashpoe's work in 4D space go on. Let me take a minute to rest the tension, this whole dimension-bending thing has made me feel like I'm in a haze.