Difference between revisions of "Getting Started"

Latest revision as of 17:42, 15 November 2023

Language:	English • français

Welcome to Minetest! This page explains what Minetest is all about, how to get it, and how to start playing your first games alone or online.

“What is this strange ‘Minetest’ thing I keep hearing about?”

Welcome to Minetest (Minetest Game, Coniferous Forest)

Minetest is a platform on which you can play many games which are set in a world entirely made out of blocks, voxels.
You can play offline or online, in singleplayer or multiplayer.
Most games (but not all!) have a sandbox gameplay focused on construction, mining and creativity.
You can browse the list of games available on ContentDB.
You can install mods to modify certain aspects of gameplay. Mods are an inherent part of Minetest, it is even what games consist of.
Mods work out of the box when playing on servers, no additional installations required. Mods are server-side, everything is handled automatically.
The name "Minetest" only refers to the game engine. The name "Minetest Game" only refers to a game of that name.

Getting Minetest

Windows

Download Minetest.
- The 64-bit build is extremely recommended. Always use this unless you are absolutely sure you're on an old machine that doesn't have a 64-bit processor.
Minetest on Windows is distributed in a portable archive. Extract it as a whole where you want, whether it be on your desktop or in your documents folder.
- Keep in mind you need write permissions to the folder. 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.
- If you want a desktop shortcut or the like, just make create a shortcut to this executable.

macOS

Download Minetest for macOS. You can pick the official .app, Homebrew or the Macports version.

Linux

If you are on a distribution with up to date enough repositories (e.g. Arch), you can install Minetest from your package manager.

Otherwise it is recommended to obtain Minetest through other means, such as the Flatpak package. For Ubuntu and similar, there is the Minetest PPA.

If all else fails, you can build from source by cloning the engine repository and following the build instructions.

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.

Play Singleplayer

When first booting up Minetest, it will ask you to install a game. The button that shows up will direct you to the content browser which will list the games that are available. You can also browse the available games in your browser.

To install mods or texture packs, go to the "Content" tab, press "Browse Online Content" and pick the type of package you want to browse. To enable a texture pack select it in the content tab, and to enable mods you have installed, you need to select the world you want to play with mods in, press "Select mods", and enable the wanted mods.

For an interactive introduction to common Minetest gameplay elements, there is the Tutorial game.

Play Online

Joining multiplayer server is done in the "Join game" tab. To select a server, click on its name in the server list. If you know of a server from e.g. a friend that's not listed in the server list, you can manually input the address and port to the right. You do not need to install any mods to play on a server, everything provided by the server is sent to the client during connect!

When you are new to a server, you need to first register. Press the register button and input the username and password you want to use. Next time you log in with this username and password.

Accounts in Minetest are not centralised. This means that accounts are stored on each server, rather than on a central server. You do not have to use the same username, but using different passwords are recommended (however servers cannot see your password, it is one-way hashed during transit). Some servers allow a blank password but 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).

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: Punch, 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 common Minetest gameplay is taught in the Tutorial game which is aimed towards complete newbies, it can be installed from the content browser.

A very brief but outdated introduction into Minetest can be seen in this video.

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

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

Advanced topics:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Downloading ==
+{{Languages}}
+Welcome to [[Minetest]]! This page explains what Minetest is all about, how to get it, and how to start playing your first games alone or online.
-Firstly, [http://minetest.net/download.php download Minetest] for your operating system and extract it somewhere you can access it.
+== “What is this strange ‘Minetest’ thing I keep hearing about?” ==
+[[File:Coniferous_Forest_(Minetest_5.6.0_w-_shadows).png|thumb|300px|Welcome to Minetest (Minetest Game, Coniferous Forest)]]
+* '''[[Minetest]]''' is a platform on which you can play many '''games''' which are set in a '''world entirely made out of blocks''', voxels.
+* You can play '''offline or online''', in singleplayer or multiplayer.
+* Most games (but not all!) have a sandbox gameplay focused on construction, mining and creativity.
+* You can browse the list of games available on [https://content.minetest.net/packages/?type=game ContentDB].
+* You can install '''[[mods]] to modify''' certain '''aspects of gameplay'''. Mods are an '''inherent''' part of Minetest, it is even what games consist of.
+* '''Mods work out of the box when playing on [[server]]s''', no additional installations required. Mods are server-side, everything is handled automatically.
+* The name "Minetest" ''only'' refers to the game engine. The name "Minetest Game" ''only'' refers to a game of that name.
-== Installing ==
+== Getting Minetest ==
+=== Windows ===
+* [http://www.minetest.net/downloads/ Download Minetest].
+** The 64-bit build is extremely recommended. Always use this unless you are absolutely sure you're on an old machine that doesn't have a 64-bit processor.
+* Minetest on Windows is distributed in a portable archive. Extract it as a whole where you want, whether it be on your desktop or in your documents folder.
+** Keep in mind you need write permissions to the folder. '''Do NOT save to <code>C:\Program Files\</code> or similar, as it will cause problems (no write access).'''
+* To run Minetest, open the extracted directory and look for the <code>bin</code> (binary) directory. Inside the <code>bin</code> directory is the Minetest executable, <code>minetest.exe</code>.
+** If you want a desktop shortcut or the like, just make create a shortcut to this executable.
-Installation will differ depending on your operating system. Here are instructions for each OS:
+=== macOS ===
+* [http://minetest.net/download#macos Download Minetest for macOS]. You can pick the official .app, Homebrew or the Macports version.
-=== Windows Installation ===
+=== Linux ===
+If you are on a distribution with up to date enough repositories (e.g. Arch), you can install Minetest from your package manager.
-Open the extracted folder and look for the '''bin''' folder. Open '''bin''' and run '''minetest.exe'''.
+Otherwise it is recommended to obtain Minetest through other means, such as the [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.minetest.Minetest Flatpak package]. For Ubuntu and similar, there is the [https://launchpad.net/~minetestdevs/+archive/ubuntu/stable Minetest PPA].
-* Folder structure as installed by the '''run-in-place''' built for Windows minetest-0.4.9-65d1cb8 compiled by sfan5 (2014-03-30)
+If all else fails, you can build from source by [https://github.com/minetest/minetest cloning the engine repository] and [https://github.com/minetest/minetest/blob/master/doc/compiling/linux.md following the build instructions].
-<pre>
-minetest/
-├── bin/
-├── builtin/
-├── client/
-│   ├── serverlist/
-│   └── shaders/
-│       ├── alpha_shader/
-│       ├── leaves_shader/
-│       ├── liquids_shader/
-│       ├── plants_shader/
-│       └── solids_shader/
-├── doc/
-├── fonts/
-├── games/
-│   ├── minetest_game/
-│   └── minimal/
-├── locale/
-│   └── (lots of language folders)
-├── mods/
-└── textures/
-    └── base/
-        └── pack/
-</pre>
-=== OS X Installation ===
-Open the extracted folder and run the .app.
-=== 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 [https://github.com/minetest/minetest here]. In this case, you should also install a so-called Minetest-[[Game]].
 == 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.
 === Play Singleplayer ===
+When first booting up Minetest, it will ask you to install a game. The button that shows up will direct you to the content browser which will list the games that are available. You can also browse the available games [https://content.minetest.net/packages/?type=game in your browser].
-To [[How to build your first house|play singleplayer]] simply '''create''' a world and click '''Play'''.
+To install mods or texture packs, go to the "Content" tab, press "Browse Online Content" and pick the type of package you want to browse. To enable a texture pack select it in the content tab, and to enable mods you have installed, you need to select the world you want to play with mods in, press "Select mods", and enable the wanted mods.
-You can choose (or install) a [[Game]] or just use the [[Minimal development test]] game.
+For an interactive introduction to common Minetest gameplay elements, there is the [https://content.minetest.net/packages/Wuzzy/tutorial/ Tutorial] game.
 === Play Online ===
+Joining multiplayer server is done in the "Join game" tab. To select a server, click on its name in the server list. If you know of a server from e.g. a friend that's not listed in the server list, you can manually input the address and port to the right. You do not need to install any mods to play on a server, everything provided by the server is sent to the client during connect!
-[[File:Password.PNG|thumb|250px|The select password screen]]To play online you must enter a username, a password for yourself, and the server address (and port). If it is your first time connecting to that server it will create a player for you with your chosen username. Using a password is strongly recommended to stop others [[griefing]] your character.
+When you are new to a server, you need to first register. Press the register button and input the username and password you want to use. Next time you log in with this username and password.
-Creating a password/account is done by:
+'''Accounts in Minetest are not centralised.''' This means that accounts are stored on each server, rather than on a central server. You do not have to use the same username, but using different passwords are recommended (however servers cannot see your password, it is one-way hashed during transit). Some servers allow a blank password but 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).
-#Login to a server (it can be local, but not singleplayer) '''without a password''' (this is for the first time setup only)
-#Once connected to the server, press Esc and click the "Password" button.
-#Enter your desired password here, leaving the "Old Password" box empty.
-#You have now created a Minetest account! To log in with this name in the future you must use your chosen password.
 === Basic Controls ===
-''Most of these can be changed in the “Change Keys” menu. For a more complete and accurate list of controls, see [[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
+* '''W/A/S/D''': move
-*'''Space''': Jump
+* '''Space''': jump
-*'''Left mouse button''': Attack, [[Mining|mine]] [[blocks]], move an [[item stack]] in an [[inventory]]
+* '''Left mouse button''': [[Punching|Punch]], [[Mining|mine]] [[blocks]], move an [[item stack]] in an [[inventory]]
-*'''Right mouse button''': [[Using|Use]] (e.g. open [[chest]]/[[furnace]]), [[Building|place]] blocks, move one or split blocks/items in inventory
+* '''Right mouse button''': [[Using|use]] (e.g. open [[chest]] or [[furnace]]), [[Building|place]] blocks, move one item or split items in an inventory
-*'''Shift'''+'''Right mouse button''': Place blocks
+* '''Shift'''+'''Right mouse button''': place blocks
-*'''Middle mouse button''': Move 10 blocks/items in inventory
+* '''Middle mouse button''': move 10 items in an inventory
-*'''Mouse wheel''': Select block/item in [[hotbar]]
+* '''Mouse wheel''': select item in the [[hotbar]]
-*'''0'''-'''9''': Select block/item in hotbar
+* '''0'''-'''9''': select item in the hotbar
-*'''Q''': Drop block/item
+* '''Q''': drop block, item or tool in hand
-*'''I''': open/close [[inventory menu]]
+* '''I''': open or close the [[inventory menu]]
-*'''T''': open [[chat window]]
+* '''T''': open the [[chat window]]
-*'''Shift''': Descend on ladders or sneak/walk slower
+* '''Shift''': descend on ladders or [[Sneaking|sneak]] (walk slower, prevents falling off ledges)
 === Gameplay ===
-See [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJMj8MiqjwI this video] for the basics about Minetest. It is a bit out-dated, however.
+The common Minetest gameplay is taught in the [https://content.minetest.net/packages/Wuzzy/tutorial/ Tutorial] game which is aimed towards complete newbies, it can be installed from the content browser.
-Here is a little tutorial: [[How to build your first house]].
+A very brief but outdated introduction into Minetest can be seen in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJMj8MiqjwI this video].
-The following wiki pages explain some basic Minetest concepts more or less in-depth:
+The following wiki pages explain some basic common Minetest concepts more or less in-depth:
-*[[Inventory]]
+* [[Inventory]]
-*[[Tool]]
+* [[Tool]]
-*[[Mining]]
+* [[Using]]
-*[[Building]]
+* [[Mining]]
-*[[Using]]
+* [[Building]]
-*[[Crafting]]
+* [[Crafting]]
-*[[Smelting]]
+* [[Smelting]]
-If you want to play online, you should read the [[Server#In_the_server|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]]. If you want to play online, you should read the [[Server#In the server|gameplay notes for multiplayer servers]].
-As soon as you grasped the basics, you may want to look up which [[blocks]] and [[items]] are available an get an overview about [[farming]].
+''Advanced topics:''
-Just want to build? Try [[creative mode]]!
+* [[Groups]]
+* [[Liquid]]
-If you want more, don’t forget to try new [[mods]] and [[game]]s.
+* [[Light]]
-Advanced topics:
-*[[Groups]]
-*(''more to come'')
-== See also ==
-* [[Crafting]]
 [[Category:Tutorials]]