A Minetest Tutorial

• Download Minetest 5.4.0 Win64 portable from minetest.net
• Unzip the downloaded file
  • It can be anywhere you have read/write access such as you Downloads folder or the Desktop
• Where you extracted Minetest, got to minetest-5.4.0-win64/bin and double-click on minetest to start the game

The homebrew installation can be finicky and requires the command. Instead use the following:

• Download minetest-5.4.0-dev-10.13.6-osx.zip from https://github.com/neoascetic/minetest/releases
  • The exact number after -dev- doesn't matter, just use the latest.
• Un-archive the downloaded file and copy minetest.app to your applications folder (/Applications)
• Run minetest
  • It is likely that MacOS will prevent you from running minetest as it is not signed by Apple. Follow either of these guides to enable it:
    • https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mh40616/mac
    • https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202491 - see section 'How to open an app that hasn't been notarised or is from an unidentified developer'

Follow the instructions on minetest.net.

First, we're going to create a world. It will have some things turned off to make it easier to navigate for inexperienced players. Normally maps are generated randomly. We'll use a seed so everyone has the same world to make it easier to follow the pictures. We're also disabling damage so you won't get hurt falling off things.

• Open Minetest
• From Start Game enable (check) Creative Mode. Disable (uncheck) Enable Damage and Host Server
• Click New to open the Create window
• Enter the following:
  To paste into Minetest in MacOS you must use <CTRL+V>
  • World name: My World
  • Seed: 3822812060867150126
  • Mapgen: v7
  • Game: Minetest Game
  • Enable (check): Decorations, Rivers, Mountains
  • Disable (uncheck): Caves, Dungeons, Caverns, Floatlands
• Click Create to create the world and return to Start Game
• In Start Game select My World and click Play Game to enter the world
• Once the world is loaded you should see the following

There are a couple of controls that we need to set up to make things easier to play.

• Press the escape key (<ESC>) to pause the game and bring up the in-game menu
  • Here you can set volume, key bindings and exit the game. It also gives you a list of the main keys used in the game.
• Select Change Keys to open the Keybindings menu
• Enable Automatic jumping
  • This will enable you to climb single blocks by walking forward. We'll get to this in the next section.
• Click Save to save this change and return to the game.
• Type / (forward slash) to open the command prompt, then grantme fast and press <ENTER>.
• Type / (forward slash) to open the command prompt, then grantme settime and press <ENTER>. We'll use these in the next section.
• Enable the mini-map by pressing <V>
  • This will show you the area around where you are
  • It is oriented to the direction you are facing

The players view is from first person perspective by default. You change orientation using the mouse - left right up and down respectively.

• Look around. To your left is a hill that changes from grass to sand. To you right a lake and a forested mountain. Behind is savannah.
• You can set the camera to be external by pressing <C>. Pressing this again will set the camera to look at the player's face, then again to return to first person.

Walking is done using the <WASD> keys instead of the arrow keys.

• W - move forward
• A - move left
• S - move backwards
• D - move right

• Walk up to the top of the green hill that was originally to your left
  • Over the other side you'll see more lakes

Running is done by first enabling fast mode by pressing <J>, then holding <E> while walking.

• Run down to the new lakes then back to the hill

Automatic jumping is a little clunky while running. You might find it easier to jump manually. This is done by pressing <SPACE>. You can jump on the spot or while moving, but only the height of a single block. Jumping is also useful when building as we'll see soon.

• Jump with and without moving to see how it works
• Try running back up the hill while jumping. Don't worry if you don't always get the timing right.

If you accidentally fell in the water, you'll find it's not quite the same as walking and can't get out. If you didn't, then go to the big lake where you started and jump in.

• Move forward to the middle of the lake and stop
  • You'll notice you're slowly sinking. You can't drown, but you will sink to the bottom if you don't swim.
  • Use <SPACE> to ascend and <LEFT SHIFT> to descend.
• Swim back to the edge of the lake and jump out
  • Automatic jumping doesn't work in the water, you need to use <SPACE> to get out (or get stuck on a block while swimming underwater).

Some players prefer to use an inverted mouse. This can only be done by exiting Minetest and editing the minetest.conf for either Minetest or the world.

Minetest has a day/night cycle. This can be disabled by editing config (just like mouse inversion), but since this is a short tutorial we'll just use the console. We already added the privlege to set the time so we'll use that.

• Press / (forward slash) to open the command prompt, then time 6:00 and press <ENTER>.
  • The sun has risen by about 0545 and begins to set at about 1815

• Walk back to the top of the hill. We're going to build our first building there.

Since we're using creative mode we don't have to mine for materials or craft them, but we still need something to build with. Building materials can be found in the Inventory.

• Press <I> to open the Inventory
  • The inventory has two sections
    • The top is where you can find and select available items.
    • The bottom is where you equip items and nodes
      • The top row is the active items list. It's slightly darker
      • The bottom three rows are the inventory when not in Creative Mode. We don't need to worry about this one
  • For building, we are interested in Nodes (or blocks). You can select Nodes to only show the items that can be used for building
  • Hover over a picture for a description
  • Use the search box to find something by name and the arrows to change the current page of items

• Click and drag items from the top pane to the active items row
• The added item will also appear in the row of eight boxes at the bottom of the screen
• To remove an item, drag it onto the garbage bin icon
• Equip the following items that you'll use to build you house:
  • Cobblestone
  • Pine Tree
  • Pine Wood Planks
  • Glass Pane
  • Wooden Door
  • Bookshelf
  • Simple Bed
  • Torch
  Don't forget you can use the search box to find these!

These are used to create new things by combining other things and are not used in creative mode.

Tools speed up the process of mining or enable special actions, like creating water and fire or catching butterflies.

Except for the Boat and Mine Cart these are used for crafting.

• Select Cobblestone as the active item
  • You select what the active item is by pressing the numbers <1-8> or using the mouse scroll wheel
    • The active item is highlighted and appears in your hand
• Select a square on the ground and press the <RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON> to place a single Cobblestone block
  • Blocks can only be placed adjacent to existing blocks
    • You can see where they will be placed by the black outline
• Continue to place Cobblestone until you have a 6x6 square with one block missing. This will be our doorway.
• Add a second layer of Cobblestone, leaving holes for windows
• You won't be able to add a third layer from the ground, so climb up into one of the holes left for windows
  • If you have automatic jumping enabled you can just walk at the wall
• Add a third layer finishing the holes for the doors and windows

If you mis-place something and want to get rid of it, want to change the terrain, or chop down trees, you need to mine. You can mine with most items in your hand, or nothing at all. In non-creative mode it is faster to mine with a tool; in creative mode some things will go into your inventory.

• The house looks a bit like a prison. Let's fix that by removing some of the stone and replacing it with wood.
• Remove the Cobblestones on each corner by mining them
  • Select a block and hold <LEFT MOUSE BUTTON> until the target disappears.
    • If you only tap <LMB> you will not complete the mining action
    • If you hold too long you will continue mining whatever is behind the first thing.
  • If you mine too much just place a replacement block

• Place Pine Tree blocks in the corners where you removed the Cobblestone
  • Note how the orientation changes depending on which face you build on. Get all the logs facing with the rings upwards
• Now add a layer of Pine Tree blocks around the top of the wall
  • It's hard to get up now. Build a set of steps, we'll mine these later to get rid of them.
• Select the Pine Wood Planks and build a hollow pitched roof. Don't forget you can climb on the roof as you build
• Climb down and mine the steps you build
• Select the Glass Pane and fill in each of the windows
• Select the Wooden Door and add it in the doorway
  • W Mine it and add it from the other side. Notice how it attaches to the other side of the wall
  • Pick a side
  • Right click the door to open or close it
• Select the Simple Bed and add it
  • Notice that it takes two spaces and can't be added if the wall is in the way
  • It's placement oriented to your facing
• Select the Bookshelf and add it
  • This is also oriented to you facing
• It's a bit gloomy inside so select the Torch and add some inside. You can also add some outside so you can find you house in the dark.

You've now completed the tutorial and are ready to do whatever you like in your world.