https://piratepad.ca/p/DqEHOKVBK7 Etherpad link, so we can discuss and edit it together until we send it to Mojang (xD)

Dokuwiki export of that draft:

Map Generation and Biomes

Continents and Oceans

• Two basic map types: Oceanic/Continental maps (based on https://mojang.com/2013/08/minecraft-world-generator-update/ )
  • Oceanic: old, as until 1.6
  • Continental: new, like 1.7 proposition

• Regardless of the basic type and the seed, the Ocean/Continent ratio can be set:
  • Sea/land in 10% steps between 20:80 and 80:20
  • Standard: 40:60
  • Biomes get replaced by Ocean, or Ocean by other Biomes

• Scalable Biome size: can be set in steps (0.5x, 1x = current standard, 2x, 3x, 4x = large biomes as included now)

Biome Types

• Smoother transitions between biomes (“Biomes will avoid getting placed next to a biome that is too different to itself”)
  • Biome categories (and transitions) should also consider humidity (similarly to the system until beta 1.7)
  • Example: The transition between Jungle and Desert would require a Savannah in between
  • Other biomes a Jungle could border: Forest (including Birch and Roofed Forests), Swamp
  • Allow sharper transitions by putting Extreme Hills in between

• Tundra biomes should be somewhat smaller

• Island biomes
  • More larger islands and archipelagos
  • Less random distribution of islands all over the sea
  • Less tiny islands that aren't part of any archipelago
  • Technical “Island” biome (on Oceans)
  • Main Biome depending on the climate of the nearest/surrounding areas
  • “Plains” islands should still be the standard
  • Possible variations: Savannah, Jungle, Forest, Tundra, Hill/Rock Island (similar to Extreme Hills with more Gravel), Mushroom

Other

• You can set an average temperature/humidity to change this (make a colder/hotter or wetter/drier map)
  • this will affect the biome distribution
  • drier map: more desert, less jungle/swamps for example
  • converts, for example, some Swamps/Forests/Jungles into Plains or Plains to Desert

• Rivers are less random; have a source and a mouth now
  • they are also continuous, no longer segmented by dry patches of land; perhaps they should be broader too

• Technical biomes:
  • Flat Jungle
  • Jungle Pond instead of River patches
  • Desert Oasis with palm-like trees (in normal Deserts), as a variation of Jungle trees
    • Also, Desert River with similar vegetation
  • Rivers (including the grass colour) always fit the surrounding biomes

• Less ravines and mineshafts
  • Abandoned Mineshafts are found near NPC Villages, rarely somewhere else

Mobs and Related

• Villagers (or one type of them) can work for someone (like harvest/replant fields or cut trees)
  • Must either trust someone or be paid in Emeralds (or something else)

• Make Saddles more common (depends on the intended game balance though) - multiple options
  • Distinguish between Horse and Pig saddles
    • Make Pig Saddles craftable
    • Horse Saddles only found in Dungeons or sold by Villagers
  • No distinction, but somewhat better availability
    • Make Saddles craftable or more commonly available for sale from Villagers
    • Saddles found in Dungeons would be enchanted, with additional effects

• Hostile mobs in the water
  • Sharks in Oceans (rare, like Endermen?)
  • Piranhas in Jungle lakes/rivers

• Seagulls roaming the Oceans in small flocks
  • purely decorative, like bats

• Zombies and Skeletons wear/drop colored instead of enchanted random Leather Armor

• Block that prevents Slimes from spawning in a certain radius or chunk
  • Example: Something made of Lapis/Glowstone/Redstone

Blocks and Items

Food and Potions

• Sandwich Burger (to make Bread more useful again)
  • Example: 4 Bread + Raw or Cooked Porkchop (-B-/BPB/-B-) → 4 Sandwiches
  • Heals 7 points (3.5 hearts)
  • Saturation: 8.4 or slightly better (higher than Baked Potatoes, but lower than Steaks/Cooked Pork)

• Apples and Poisoned Potatoes as Potion ingredients

• Fortune tools used on Oak Leaves increase Apple drop rate

• Jungle trees drop Golden Apples (very rarely)

Building Materials

• Gravel craftable from Cobblestone
  • 2x Cobblestone → 1x Gravel

• Sandstone variations
  • Smooth Sandstone (4x, square) → 4x Sandstone Brick
  • Texture: Variation of Stone Brick
  • Smooth Sandstone (3x, row) → 6x Smooth Sandstone Slab

• Dirty Sandstone (somebody please come up with a better name)
  • 2x Sand + 2x Gravel = 1x Dirty Sandstone
  • Texture: Mix of Stone, Sandstone and Gravel, “dirty” light brown
    • Example: http://abload.de/img/dirty_sandstone_57zswx.png
    • Just to get the general idea, at least the colour should be similar to that
  • Dirty Sandstone (4x, square) → 4x Dirty Sandstone Brick
  • With Slab/Stairs/Pillar variations

• Brown Stone
  • 2x Red Sand (or Netherrack) + 2x Gravel = 2x Brown Stone
  • Texture: Basically a medium/dark brown stone
    • Should not be too similar to Hardened Clay
    • Example: http://abload.de/img/brown_stone_37ts47.png
  • Brown Stone (4x, square) = 4x Brown Stone Brick
  • With Slab/Stairs/Pillar variations

• Stone Slabs (with a normal Smoothstone texture)
  • Rename: Stone Slab → Light Stone Slab (somebody please come up with a better name)
  • Stone (3x, row) → 6x Stone Slab
    • Texture: Stone texture
  • Stone Slab → Light Stone Slab (convertible)
  • Light Stone Slab (2x, column) → Light Stone (Double Slab, like 43.8 now)
  • Add Stone and Light Stone stairs

• Pillar block variations
  • Craft 2 blocks of the same material in a column (like Quartz)
  • Possible with: Stone, Sandstone, Dark/Dirty Sandstone, Brown Stone

• Textures depend on the direction the block is facing when placed
  • Like Wood/Quartz Pillars now
  • Should also apply to the top side of different Bricks and Wooden Planks (nope, too complicated and messy)

• Tinted Glass
  • Crafted from eight Glass blocks and one Dye, like Hardened Clay
  • Tinted Glass blocks can be crafted into Tinted Glass Panes

• Coloured Birch Planks
  • Crafted from eight Birch Plank blocks and one Dye, like Hardened Clay
  • Coloured Birch Planks can be crafted into Coloured Birch Slabs/Stairs

Other

• Ferns appear when using Bone Meal on grass in Jungles/Forest/Swamps

• Lily Pads can be farmed (spread like mushrooms in swamps under certain conditions)

• Two different Book types:
  • (Normal) Book: Like the older recipe; usable to craft cheaper Bookshelves (for decoration purposes)
  • Leather Book: Like the current recipe; usable for Enchantment Tables, Enchantments and Written Books

• Stronghold Bookshelves drop Enchanted Books when destroyed

• Something like an Anvil/Chest/Furnace which allows to edit blocks
  • Example: Stone Brick → Mossy Stone Brick or Oak/Birch Sapling → Dead Bush
  • Costs Exp, Emeralds and/or something else, for example Vines for Cobblestone → Moss Stone

• Mob Spawners: more easily restorable (using damage values or different block types, unlike the current solution)
  • Reason: can be griefed (destroyed) too easily on SMP, with little chances of restoration