Getting Started

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Getting Minetest

Windows

Download Minetest. If you have a 64-bit version of Windows, you should use a 64-bit download, but the 32-bit build will also run on 64-bit systems. The inverse of this is not true – 64-bit builds will not run on a 32-bit Windows.
Extract the downloaded archive. We suggest C:\Minetest\, C:\Games\Minetest\ or %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Minetest\. It doesn't matter where, as long as you have read/write access. Do NOT save to C:\Program Files\ or similar, as it will cause problems (no write access).
To run Minetest, open the extracted directory and look for the bin (binary) directory. Inside the bin directory is the Minetest executable, minetest.exe.

Here is the directory structure you should have:

minetest/
├── bin/
├── builtin/
│   ├── async/
│   ├── common/
│   ├── fstk/
│   ├── game/
│   └── mainmenu/
├── client/
│   ├── serverlist/
│   └── shaders/
│       ├── nodes_shader/
│       └── water_surface_shader/
├── doc/
├── fonts/
├── games/
│   ├── minetest_game/
│   └── minimal/
├── locale/ 
│   └── (lots of language folders)
├── mods/ 
└── textures/
    └── base/
        └── pack/

OS X

Download Minetest.
Extract the file. It doesn't matter where, as long as you have read write access.
Open the .app file in the extracted folder.

GNU/Linux Installation

If you can, download the version already compiled for your distribution of GNU/Linux. If you can't find one, you can compile it yourself from here. In this case, you should also install a so-called subgames.

If you are on Debian, Ubuntu or derivative, you can also use:

sudo apt-get install minetest

This may however give you an outdated version, see the pages below for information on versions available:

minetest on packages.debian.org
minetest on packages.ubuntu.com

Playing

Now that you have it installed you can either; play singleplayer, play on a local server or play online by connecting to a server.

Some things you may need to know

Mods in Minetest are plugins written in Lua.
Mods in Minetest are on the server side. You do not need to install any mods when connecting to a server.
All the content in Minetest, such as blocks and tools, come from Lua Mods.
Minetest usually comes with a default subgame. Roughly, a subgame in Minetest is a collection of Lua mods which provide base content which together become a fully playable game, a sandbox or another kind of interactive thing. The initial download of Minetest supplies the engine with a vanilla game called “Minetest Game”.
The name “Minetest” refers to the game engine, the name “Minetest Game” refers to the default subgame.

Play Singleplayer

To play singleplayer, simply create a world and click Play.

You can choose (or install) a subgame. Perhaps the unoffical Tutorial is a good starting point, it teaches the basics but it is not official. See Subgames/Tutorial for a short description and a full guide on how to install and start it.

Play Online

File:Password.PNG

Change password screen

Joining a multiplayer server is done in the 'Client' tab. To select a server, click its name on the server list. The address and port will be automatically filled. Some servers are not listed on the server list. Find the server's topic, and enter the address and port given into the text boxes in the client tab. An address will look like redcrab.suret.net or 64.3.4.1. A port will look like 30000.

After choosing a server and selecting it, you must enter a username and password. When a username first connects to a server an account for that player is created.

Accounts in Minetest are not centralized. This means that accounts are stored on each server, rather than on a central server. You do not have to use the same username as on the forums, and you do not even need to have a forum account. Using a password is strongly recommended to stop others stealing your player and causing damage. You can change your password by clicking 'change password' on pause menu (ESC).

Some servers require you to request for build privileges on their forum topic, as an anti-griefing measure.

Basic Controls

Most of these can be changed in the “Change Keys” menu. For a more complete list of keyboard controls, see Controls.

The default and most important controls are:

W/A/S/D: move
Space: jump
Left mouse button: attack, mine blocks, move an item stack in an inventory
Right mouse button: use (e.g. open chest or furnace), place blocks, move one item or split items in an inventory
Shift+Right mouse button: place blocks
Middle mouse button: move 10 items in an inventory
Mouse wheel: select item in the hotbar
0-9: select item in the hotbar
Q: drop block, item or tool in hand
I: open or close the inventory menu
T: open the chat window
Shift: descend on ladders or sneak (walk slower, prevents falling off ledges)

Gameplay

The basic gameplay is taught in the unofficial Tutorial which is aimed towads complete newbies, see Games/Tutorial for a guide on how to install and start it.

A very brief introduction into Minetest can be seen in this video. It is a bit out-dated, however.

Here is little guide, once you have grasped the basics: How to build your first house.

The following wiki pages explain some basic Minetest concepts more or less in-depth:

If you want to play online, you should read the gameplay notes for multiplayer servers.

As soon as you grasped the basics, you may want to look up which blocks and items are available and get an overview about farming.

Just want to build? Try creative mode!

If you want more, consider trying new mods and games.

Advanced topics:

Groups