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File:2012-02-01 17.12.42.png

An overhead view of an NPC Village

File:2012-02-01 17.12.21.png

An Image of the NPC Village.

NPC Villages are groups of buildings inhabited by non-player characters (NPCs)--Villager mobs that spawn randomly. How much space the villages take up is randomized just like the terrain is.

Structure

Some of the buildings and structures found within villages are:

The number of buildings within villages vary, and not all types will be in every village. There is always one well, up to one church, up to two forges, up to two libraries, up to two taverns and up to three large homes.[1] Villages on Superflat mode tend to be larger, and can have up to two churches, up to two forges, up to three libraries, up to three taverns, and up to four large homes; there is still exactly one well.[2]

As of 12w07a, Villages will automatically repopulate according to the number of available houses in the Village. The player may supplement the amount of available houses by creating structures that consist of an area with a roof and door.

History

Notch originally worked on NPC Villages by himself, but eventually gave the task to Jeb, so that he could work on other things.[3] Jeb has said that, during early tests of villages, the lava in a smithy often set the village on fire.[4]

NPC villages were added in Beta 1.8. In Beta 1.9 Pre-release, Villager mobs were added to spawn in NPC Villages, although they currently do nothing notable.

A picture of NPC villages was released by Notch before 1.8 was released.[5][6] Even though the picture only showed the exterior of the buildings, videos recorded later during PAX revealed the interior of the structures.

NPC Villages are only spawned in desert or grassland biomes. Eventually they will have their own biome in order to solve many of the problems that were hindering their development.[7]

PAX

NPC Villages were shown to the public during the PAX demo. For demo purposes, Notch made them appear near the spawn so people could see them.[8] On a live stream from his Android phone during PAX, Notch stated that NPCs have not been added to the villages but that they are coming eventually. (According to Jeb, NPCs for the village was delayed until Beta 1.9.[9]) The majority of the NPC structures are made from wood based resources, with frames of cobblestone, and the footpaths are 3 blocks wide and made of gravel. The gravel appears to replace the top layer of dirt upon generation of the village.[10]

Old Interview of Notch

Notch once answered some questions about an idea he had, NPC Villages, where he revealed some thoughts about them:[citation needed]

  • If you treat The villagers well (giving them items), they'll give you items back.
  • If you treat The villagers badly (attacking/killing them), they'll try to do the same to you.
  • There would possibly be a chest, containing special items, but raiding it will anger the owners of the town/chest and they will attack.

Gallery

Video

NPC Villages/video

Trivia

  • NPC villages are optional as part of the setting for generated structures.
  • It is possible for Mushrooms to spawn inside the buildings.
  • If an NPC village is in the desert, there is a small chance there will be a Cactus on the paths, and that they will have gravel on top of them.
  • Unlike in the above case, if gravel goes through a tall grass area, tall grass will be removed and it may drop seeds.
  • The paths may also be collapsed because of a cave.
  • Farms in the villages avoid overhanging by filling in the area below them with dirt. When the farm overhangs a ravine, this can cause a very tall rectangular dirt structure that at first glance almost looks like a chunk error.
  • Occasionally, surface ravines will be generated through NPC villages, causing missing pathways or even entire buildings sunken into the ravine. This also applies to cave entrances and other surface oddities.[11]
  • Originally, NPC Villages were intended to be populated with Pigmen.[12]
  • In early screenshots, villages were partly made of Moss Stone.
  • It is possible to spawn directly inside an NPC Village building. Example: gimmeabreak as the seed in 1.0.0.
  • It is possible for village buildings as well as farms to be cut off seemingly randomly, as result of chunk errors, making building partially spawned.
  • The wells in NPC villages do not work as infinite water sources, as they are more than one block deep. (They do become infinite water sources once drained to their lowest level, or if the bottom is filled in with sand/gravel.)
  • NPC villages may occasionally spawn in shallow water.
  • Sometimes buildings can generate so that their entrances are buried. You have to uncover the entrance, or dig in through the walls.
  • Occasionally, if a lamp post is generated one block away from a building, one of the torches may be spawned on the wall of that building.

Bugs

  • When farms generates with a village, the grass underneath them never dies.

References

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