Transportation



Transportation involves the methods by which players move around the world or between dimensions (the Overworld, the Nether and the End).

Methods
These speeds assume that the form of transportation is not under the effect of the Speed or Slowness status effects if they can be.


 * Notes

Potions
Using potion effects (including beacon effects), walking and sprinting speeds become competitive with other methods of transportation.

Each additional level of allows the player to walk at nearly the sprinting speed of the previous level, and sprinting with Speed II is only slightly slower than a minecart at full speed or a boosted pig. With adequate food and potion supplies, sprinting may be more cost-effective than building high-speed transportation systems.

Commands
Using the command, extremely high or low speeds become reachable. At exceedingly high levels (100+), the player moves faster than the chunks can load.

Vertical transportation
There are some examples of purely vertical transportation methods:

Falling speed is more complex: Every tick ($1/4$ second), non-flying players and mobs have their vertical speed decremented (less upward motion, more downward motion) by 0.08 blocks per tick (1.6 m/s), then multiplied by 0.98. This would produce a terminal velocity of 3.92 blocks per tick or 78.4 m/s. However, the sky isn't quite high enough for that: Falling from layer 256 to bedrock takes about 5.5 seconds, with impact at 3.5 blocks per tick (70 m/s). It is possible to fly higher in Creative mode, or by flying with elytra and then removing them, reaching terminal velocity falling from "above the sky".

An exact function to calculate the speed of a (free)falling player is the following:

$$v(t) = \frac{392}{5} \times (\frac{98}{100}^{\left\lfloor 20t \right\rfloor} - 1)$$

Where $$\lfloor x \rfloor$$ is the floor function, the velocity $$v$$ is in blocks/second (or meters/second), the time $$t$$ is in seconds, initial velocity is zero and downward motion is negative. $$20t$$ is floored because Minecraft updates once each tick.

An exact function to calculate the displacement of the player is the following:

$$d(t) = 392 \times (\frac{1}{2} - \frac{1}{5}t - \frac{1}{2} \times \frac{49}{50}^{\left\lfloor 20t \right\rfloor})$$

Where the displacement $$d$$ is in blocks (meters), the time $$t$$ is in seconds, initial velocity and displacement is zero and downward displacement is negative. Or:

$$d(N) = 196 - 196 \times 0.98^{N} - 3.92 \times N$$

where $$N$$ is the number of game ticks elapsed. Formula with initial conditions $$d(N) = y_0 + 50 \times (vt_0 + 3.92) \times (1 - 0.98^N) - 3.92 \times N$$ where $$y_0$$ is the starting height and $$vt_0$$ is the upward speed in [m/tick]. Or $$d(t) = y_0 + (2.5 \times v_0 + 196) \times (1 - 0.98^{20t}) - 78.4t$$ where $$v_0$$ is given in m/s.

An approximate function to calculate the time it takes to fall from some height is the following:

$$t(d) = 1000 - 5.102d + 989.960 \times W_{-1}(-0.36786e^{0.0051538d})$$

Where the height $$d$$ is in blocks (meters), the time $$t$$ is in seconds, downward displacement is negative and $$W$$ is the Lambert W function.

Other modes of transportation

 * Players are also able to use pistons for transport.
 * It is possible to construct complex flying machines using pistons, blocks of redstone, slime blocks, and honey blocks.
 * Dying is an instant mode of transportation to the player's bed or spawn point, but at the cost of all items and XP (if the  gamerule is disabled) and the world (on Hardcore).
 * If the player has already defeated the ender dragon, and is near a stronghold/end portal, they can enter and exit the End to instantly be transported to their bed or spawn point without dying.
 * Explosion knockback can send an adjacent player flying for a short distance, depending on the strength of the explosion. This is not recommended in Survival mode.
 * It is possible to mount minecarts and boats as long as they are within 4-5 blocks (inclusive) from the player. Placing these in a straight line allows for extremely fast transport. This also works with saddled pigs, provided they stay in position (placed on posts).

Trivia
Sprinting with Soul Speed 3 on soul sand while having Speed 2 is almost as fast as the fastest possible horse breed (12.6896 m/sec).