Difference between revisions of "Sneaking"

Latest revision as of 23:08, 22 October 2024

Language:	English • français

Sneaking is part of the basic controls in Luanti with many useful capabilities. Normally, sneaking slows you down and protects you from accidentally falling off ledges. In some games, sneaking allows you to use powerful “sneak ladders” which can be climbed super fast.

Sneaking is a surprisingly diverse move; this article will explain all the details.

Controls

The default key for sneaking is Shift. You will sneak as long as you hold down the sneak key. You can not sneak while you are at any climbable block (like a ladder), inside a liquid or have activated Fly Mode.

Capabilities

Sneaking has many capabilities, some of which are not available in all games:

Slowdown
Fall-off protection
Sneak Glitch
Sneak Jump

Each game or mod can vary in what sneaking capabilities are actually available. By default (i.e. if the game code did not make any changes), the Slowdown and Fall-off Protection capabilities are enabled, but the others are not. Also, games can change the sneaking capabilities on a per-player basis.

Slowdown

If you sneak, you will automatically walk slower. This is the most basic capability and available in almost all games.

Fall-off Protection

Sneaking can stop you from falling over a ledge

The Fall-off Protection is another very common feature of sneaking. If you try to walk beyond the edge of a cube while holding down the sneak key, you won't fall. You can walk a bit beyond the block's edge while sneaking, up to a certain limit, of course. This is very useful to safely walk at places with steep drops, like cliffs.

For this to work, you normally need enough space to stand on. You can't sneak if you have only one block of empty space (not enough for the player to stand normally). However, this rule does not apply if the Sneak Glitch is available.

In a few games, sneaking does not have the Fall-off Protection. In these games, you will simply fall off the block if you sneak to the ledge.

Sneak Glitch

Without the Sneak Glitch, you would fall down here otherwise

The Sneak Glitch is probably the most unique capability.

Without the Sneak Glitch, sneaking won't stop you from falling off a ledge if there is only 1 block of space. You would just fall down. However, with the Sneak Glitch in place, this rule no longer applies, meaning you won't fall off the ledge even if there's only one block of space. The screenshot demonstrates this.

The Sneak Glitch also enables a very powerful move which allows you to climb so-called sneak elevators very quickly.

Because the Sneak Glitch is so powerful, it is not available in all games.

Sneak elevators

A simple sneak elevator in a wall

Alternative sneak elevator in a corner formation

A sneak elevator (also called “sneak ladder”) is a vertical structure that can be climbed up very fast if you have the Sneak Glitch capability.

In its simplest form, a sneak elevator is just a vertical line of solid blocks which are spaced apart by one empty block (like air) each, so that empty and solid blocks are alternating. Sneak elevators can be built very easily built into high flat walls and cliffs, because you can continue to dig out the holes for the sneak elevator while climbing up. Sneak elevators don't have to be that simple, there are some variants that also work (see screenshots).

To climb up a sneak elevator, stand in front of the sneak elevator, then hold down both the sneak key and the jump key. You will move up the entire structure at an insane speed. This only works if you have the Sneak Glitch capability.

Sneak Jumping

With this capability, you will jump slightly higher when you were sneaking. Just hold down the Sneak key and jump.

The increased jump height of a sneak jump might help you climb some obstacles you couldn't climb with a simple jump.

For game/mod programmers: Internally, this capability is functional if new_move equals false (don't ask why).

Sneaking in Minetest Game

In Minetest Game 5.4.0, sneaking has the Slowdown and Fall-off Protection capabilities. But there's no Sneak Glitch or Sneak Jumping.

History

Sneaking used to be very buggy, but it has improved over time.

Old bug: Avoiding fall damage

Up to version 0.4.15, you don't suffer any fall damage if you fall on a normal block's edge or on a slab or snow or on some other non-cubic shapes while holding down the sneak key. This bug is known as issue 329 and is fixed since version 0.4.16.

The Sneak Glitch was a bug

The Sneak Glitch was considered to be a bug before (hence the name), and it caused many other, and it was also impossible for games to get rid of it. I.e. you could not make a game in which sneak elevators would not work. Because of this, the Sneak Glitch used to be a thing in Minetest Game.

The Sneak Glitch was fixed (=removed) from the game in version 0.4.16 due to many technical problems, but in a later version (around 2017), it returned as a proper feature, just disabled by default. The Sneak Glitch always had a big fan base, because it was a powerful move, so unsurprisingly there was kind of an uproar when it got “fixed”.

Today, Sneak Glitch is still called "Sneak Glitch" but it actually is not a glitch anymore. It used to be a glitch (unintentional broken feature) but now is an officially recognized feature in Luanti. The name “Sneak Glitch” just stuck.

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 {{Languages}}
-Sneaking is part of the basic [[Controls|controls]] in Minetest for preventing falling off edges. This move is a bit unusual (and broken) in some aspects, so it deserves its own article.
+Sneaking is part of the basic [[Controls|controls]] in Luanti with many useful capabilities. Normally, sneaking slows you down and protects you from accidentally falling off ledges. In some games, sneaking allows you to use powerful “sneak ladders” which can be climbed super fast.
-== Basic sneaking ==
+Sneaking is a surprisingly diverse move; this article will explain all the details.
-The default key for sneaking is <kbd>Shift</kbd>. You will sneak as long as you hold down the sneak key. You can not sneak while you are at a [[ladder]], inside a [[liquid]] or have activated fly [[Controls/Movement_modes|mode]].
-Sneaking makes you walk slower and prevents you from walking and falling over a block's edge. If you try to walk beyond the edge of a cube while holding down the sneak key, you won't fall. You can walk a bit beyond the block's edge while sneaking, up to a certain limit, of course. This means for a spectator it will somewhat look like as if you float in mid-air while sneaking.
+== Controls ==
+The default key for sneaking is <kbd>Shift</kbd>. You will sneak as long as you hold down the sneak key. You can not sneak while you are at any climbable block (like a [[ladder]]), inside a [[liquid]] or have activated Fly [[Controls#Movement_modes|Mode]].
-If you jump while holding the sneak key, you jump slightly higher than usual.
+== Capabilities ==
+Sneaking has many capabilities, some of which are not available in all games:
-== Known bugs and weirdnesses ==
+* '''Slowdown'''
-=== Avoiding fall damage ===
+* '''Fall-off protection'''
-You don't suffer any fall damage if you fall on a normal block's edge or on a slab or snow or on some other non-cubic shapes while holding down the sneak key. This bug is known as [https://github.com/minetest/minetest/issues/329 issue 329].
+* '''Sneak Glitch'''
+* '''Sneak Jump'''
-=== Sneak glitch ===
+Each game or mod can vary in what sneaking capabilities are actually available. By default (i.e. if the game code did not make any changes), the Slowdown and Fall-off Protection capabilities are enabled, but the others are not. Also, games can change the sneaking capabilities on a per-player basis.
-[[File:Sneaking at the edge.png|thumbnail|Sneaking at the edge of a ledge by using the sneak glitch]]
-The sneak glitch is a glitch in Minetest which allows the player to sneak at the edges of ledges when there is only 1 block of space (not enough for the player to stand normally), as shown in the first screenshot.
-The sneak glitch is considered to be a “bug that has become a feature” in Minetest. However, it it is possible to disable the sneak gltich manually.
+=== Slowdown ===
+If you sneak, you will automatically walk slower. This is the most basic capability and available in almost all games.
-==== Climbing high blocks ====
+=== Fall-off Protection ===
-Normally, you can only jump high enough to climb 1 block at once. But sometimes you can climb a wall of a height of 2 blocks while jumping and sneaking at the same time. This is not reliable and requires many attempts to actually climb the wall. This behaviour is a direct consequence of the sneak glitch.
+[[File:Fall-off_protection.png|thumbnail|Sneaking can stop you from falling over a ledge]]
+The Fall-off Protection is another very common feature of sneaking. If you try to walk beyond the edge of a cube while holding down the sneak key, you won't fall. You can walk a bit beyond the block's edge while sneaking, up to a certain limit, of course. This is very useful to safely walk at places with steep drops, like cliffs.
-==== Sneak elevator ====
+For this to work, you normally need enough space to stand on. You can't sneak if you have only one block of empty space (not enough for the player to stand normally). However, this rule does not apply if the Sneak Glitch is available.
-[[File:Sneak_bug.png|thumbnail|A typical sneak elevator]]
-A common structure for using/abusing the sneak glitch is the so-called sneak elevator (also known as “sneak ladder”). A sneak elevator is a special alignment of blocks which are built in such a way that makes using the sneak glitch very easy and helps to climb it up in an instane speed. The second screenshot shows an example of a sneak elevator. Similar structures with the same function might exist.
+In a few games, sneaking does ''not'' have the Fall-off Protection. In these games, you will simply fall off the block if you sneak to the ledge.
-To use/abuse the sneak glitch, stand at the corner of the sneak elevator, then hold both the sneak key and the jump key. You will move up the entire structure at an insane speed.
+=== Sneak Glitch ===
+[[File:Sneaking at the edge.png|thumbnail|Without the Sneak Glitch, you would fall down here otherwise]]
-==== Disabling the sneak glitch ====
+The Sneak Glitch is probably the most unique capability.
-To disable the sneak glitch for a given [[world]], simply activate the "[https://forum.minetest.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=10424 Disable sneak glitch]" mod and all weird behaviours caused by the sneak glitch (like using/abusing the sneak elevator) won't work anymore. Additionally, fall damage will behave normally.
+Without the Sneak Glitch, sneaking won't stop you from falling off a ledge if there is only 1 block of space. You would just fall down. However, ''with'' the Sneak Glitch in place, this rule no longer applies, meaning you won't fall off the ledge even if there's only one block of space. The screenshot demonstrates this.
+The Sneak Glitch also enables a '''very''' powerful move which allows you to climb so-called sneak elevators very quickly.
+Because the Sneak Glitch is so powerful, it is not available in all games.
+==== Sneak elevators ====
+[[File:Sneak_bug_2.png|thumbnail|A simple sneak elevator in a wall]]
+[[File:Sneak_bug.png|thumbnail|Alternative sneak elevator in a corner formation]]
+A sneak elevator (also called “sneak ladder”) is a vertical structure that can be climbed up very fast if you have the Sneak Glitch capability.
+In its simplest form, a sneak elevator is just a vertical line of solid blocks which are spaced apart by one empty block (like [[air]]) each, so that empty and solid blocks are alternating. Sneak elevators can be built very easily built into high flat walls and cliffs, because you can continue to dig out the holes for the sneak elevator while climbing up. Sneak elevators don't have to be that simple, there are some variants that also work (see screenshots).
+To climb up a sneak elevator, stand in front of the sneak elevator, then hold down both the sneak key and the jump key. You will move up the entire structure at an insane speed. This only works if you have the Sneak Glitch capability.
+=== Sneak Jumping ===
+With this capability, you will jump slightly higher when you were sneaking. Just hold down the Sneak key and jump.
+The increased jump height of a sneak jump might help you climb some obstacles you couldn't climb with a simple jump.
+For game/mod programmers: Internally, this capability is functional if <code>new_move</code> equals <code>false</code> (don't ask why).
+== Sneaking in Minetest Game ==
+In [[Games/Minetest Game|Minetest Game]] 5.4.0, sneaking has the Slowdown and Fall-off Protection capabilities. But there's no Sneak Glitch or Sneak Jumping.
+== History ==
+Sneaking used to be very buggy, but it has improved over time.
+=== Old bug: Avoiding fall damage ===
+Up to version 0.4.15, you don't suffer any fall damage if you fall on a normal block's edge or on a slab or snow or on some other non-cubic shapes while holding down the sneak key. This bug is known as [https://github.com/minetest/minetest/issues/329 issue 329] and is fixed since version 0.4.16.
+=== The Sneak Glitch was a bug ===
+The Sneak Glitch was considered to be a bug before (hence the name), and it caused many other, and it was also impossible for games to get rid of it. I.e. you could not make a game in which sneak elevators would not work. Because of this, the Sneak Glitch used to be a thing in Minetest Game.
+The Sneak Glitch was fixed (=removed) from the game in version 0.4.16 due to many technical problems, but in a later version (around 2017), it returned as a proper feature, just disabled by default. The Sneak Glitch always had a big fan base, because it was a powerful move, so unsurprisingly there was kind of an uproar when it got “fixed”.
+Today, Sneak Glitch is still called "Sneak Glitch" but it actually is not a glitch anymore. It used to be a glitch (unintentional broken feature) but now is an officially recognized feature in Luanti. The name “Sneak Glitch” just stuck.
 [[Category:Gameplay]]