Minecraft‘s Trails and Tales update introduces an exciting new feature that’s capturing the attention of the gaming community: armor trims. Agnes, the Game Director of Vanilla Minecraft, and her colleague, Brandon, a Game Designer, recently explored this concept in a video, elaborating on how it encapsulates the unique journey players undertake throughout the game world.
Agnes and Brandon explain that armor trims can be perceived as both souvenirs and self-expressive tools. Reflecting players’ individual journeys throughout the game, these trims serve as a visual record of their stories. Moreover, they provide opportunities for personal expression and customization. According to Brandon, the significance of the armor trims aligns perfectly with the Trails and Tales update’s overall theme.
When asked about their favorite trims, Agnes and Brandon had different choices. Agnes appreciates the variability and flexibility of the trims, making it challenging for her to pick a single favorite. Brandon, on the other hand, has a clear preference for the Silence armor trim, obtainable from the Ancient City with a mere 1.25% chance of spawning in any chest. This trim is considered the game’s rarest and is the only one where the game designers consciously deviated from standard armor trim rules.
The idea of the armor trims, as explained in the video, went through several developmental stages. The creators first brainstormed the idea during the development of the Caves and Cliffs update, where they used prototypes to ensure each armor trim would have a unique and valuable appearance. Initially called Smithing Blueprint, the developers felt that the term “blueprint” gave off a modern, technical aura that didn’t quite resonate with Minecraft’s more historical and fantasy-based aesthetic. Eventually, the term was changed to Smithing Template, which the team found more fitting.
Interestingly, this video also touched on the game’s upcoming archaeology feature. The developers’ goal with this addition is to deepen the mystery of the Minecraft world by adding elements that hint at a forgotten past civilization. This feature, they hope, will inspire players to create their own narratives about these long-lost societies. The team also emphasized the delicate balance they’re trying to achieve in the game’s mechanics, aiming for a slower, more methodical approach to excavation that contrasts with Minecraft’s usual fast-paced gameplay.
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