Superflat



Superflat is a World Type, first introduced to Minecraft in Snapshot 12w01a, replacing the normal varied terrain of The Overworld with a thin flat layer of dirt.

The terrain consists of one layer of Bedrock, two layers of Dirt, and one layer of Grass; the surface of the world is completely flat and at height y = 4, with the exception of villages. Since the height limit (128 in normal, 256 since 12w07a) is unchanged, there is then slightly less than twice as much vertical height available to build above-ground structures as compared to a normal world. Mobs spawn as normal, including slimes; however, due to the lack of any overhangs blocking the sky, there is no “Void Fog” as would ordinarily be caused by being close to the bottom.

Because of there being chests in villages, and villages frequently spawning near the spawn point, it's possible to use superflat as a challenge map. However, the high amount of slimes makes this extremely difficult.

The Nether and The End generate normally; they are not flat. In order to create a Superflat world in SMP, the level-type flag in server.properties must be "FLAT", instead of "DEFAULT".

Future
Jeb is considering adding a Spawn Chest to this World Type if the player wishes to use it for Survival sometime after Minecraft 1.1.

Resources that can be found in Superflat world
Mob drops, things that can be found in the Nether, dirt, NPC village materials, NPC forge chests, and items that can be made from those can be used in a Superflat world.

Bugs

 * If the player breaks the Bedrock barrier, the player can see that the Void has the same color of the sky while the player is above y=0, but looks normal (black) when the player is below y=0.
 * There is no consistent spawn point unless the player has slept in a bed; the player may respawn far from the previous spawning location without anything in sight. This may be due to the lack of ground at the usual height of about 64.
 * Slimes are extremely common since the level of the land is so low.
 * If you play in a super flat world generated in 1.1 in snapshot 12w06a, the snapshot may change the biome to snow and will cause any un-generated chunks to form as a normal world.

Trivia

 * Although barren, it is still possible to survive on this World Type. For example, the player has access to cows and chickens for food. Although without wood, the player has no access to Crafting Tables, and therefore nothing requiring a 3 x 3 crafting grid, unless they find an NPC village. The Superflat's extreme lack of resources, however, make crafting tables almost useless.
 * With Generate Structures on, the player also has access to the materials that the NPC villages are constructed. Blacksmith chests sometimes have saplings, which would allow the player to grow trees otherwise unavailable. There can also be found lava at a blacksmith's, to make an infinite supply of stone.
 * The Nether is unaffected by the Superflat world type, generating normally if visited from a Superflat Overworld, although the players' portal in the nether would spawn very close to the bottom bedrock. Visiting the Nether is normally extremely hard, as you would need to get a bucket (possibly from a village chest) and take water from a well and pour it on the lava in multiple blacksmiths (Obsidian blocks can also be found in the in the blacksmiths chests). Then, you would need to mine it with a diamond pickaxe made from blacksmith chest diamonds and light it with a Flint and Steel made from Flint from the paths and Iron Ingots from blacksmith chests. It is also possible, though extremely rare, for Lightning to light a portal.
 * While Strongholds can not generate on these worlds, a player may visit The End in SMP by spawning an Ender Dragon, killing the spawned Ender Dragon and travelling through the End Portal created upon its death. Like the Nether, the End is unaffected by the Superflat world type.
 * NPC Villages seem to spawn more frequently on superflat worlds than normal worlds, possibly due to the fact that the villages are the only deviations from the completely flat landscape.