Minecraft SkyBlock Challenge DAYS 1, 2, 3, 4 ADDED

For the PDF version of this file, visit: SKYBLOCK CHALLENGE

MINECRAFT SKYBLOCK CHALLENGE
I once read a MineCraft journal about a man who decided to start deleting his world the first time he died on that world. I followed him through 15 different worlds and several humorous accidents. While watching CaptainSparklez's videos of the SkyBlock, I decided I wanted to try this challenge out myself. I thought it would be fun to try my hand at writing my own MC journal while I try to beat all 20 challenges of the SkyBlock challenge.
The Challenges
1.Build a Cobble Stone generator.
2.Build a house.
3.Expand the island.
4.Make a melon farm.
5.Make a pumpkin farm.
6.Make a reed farm.
7.Make a wheat farm.
8.Make a giant red mushroom.
9.Build a bed.
10.Make 40 stone brick's.
11.Make at least 20 torches.
12.Make an infinite water source.
13.Build a furnace.
14.Make a small lake.
15.Make a platform 24 blocks away from the island, for mobs to spawn.
16.Make 10 cactus green dye.
17.Make 10 mushroom stew.
18.Make 10 Jack 'o' lanterns.
19.Build 10 bookcases.
20.Make 10 bread.

The Starting Chest
12x String
Lava Bucket
Bone
Sugar Cane
Red Mushroom
Brown Mushroom
2x Ice
Pumpkin Seeds
Watermelon
Cactus
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For the PDF version of this file, visit: SkyBlock Challenge Day 1

DAY 1 BEGIN

Day 1, Deaths=0: The one I didn't record
I fell off the edge trying to put out a fire.

Day 1, Deaths=1: The one I started
Before I started the journal, I got the items out of the chest, cut down the tree, replanted it with a Bone Meal, and made a cobblestone gen. This is how far I got before I made this.



After I mined the first bit of cobble, I remembered that water flows faster than lava. Since I had nothing to use to remove the Obsidian and no other lava to place down, I just threw myself off the edge.

Day 1, Deaths=2: The one I began during the journal
I started as I usually do: getting the items, cutting down the tree, changing the bone to 3x Bone Meal, replanting the Sapling, and making a wooden pick/wooden axe. However, this time, I edited the cobblestone gen. Or, I would have if the tree had dropped a Sapling. It will be impossible to continue without wood, so I must unfortunately restart once again.

Day 1, Deaths=3: No Sapling
Read the title.

Day 1, Deaths=4: Finally!
As I cut down the final piece of the tree, I watch in despair as one, two, thr..., no wait..... FOUR Saplings fall off the edge of the landmass. Then I have the sense to turn around where I see two Saplings sitting on the ground. I collect them and finish my beginning tasks, finally relieved that I can continue. I set up the newest cobblestone gen design with my limited resources, then end up accidentally setting the lava out too early. It gets out of hand and spreads everywhere. I quickly break my ice block that I had placed where the water to be, just for it to get even more out of hand and put cobble everywhere. I end up getting it under control, but then I fell off the edge while trying to clean up the cobble.

Day 1, Deaths=5: Please don't mess up again...
I follow the usual mess, fall off the edge making cobble gen. I'm just gonna stop writing until I actually get further.

Day 1, Deaths=7: Finally!
CHALLENGE 1 = COMPLETE
I finally got a working cobble gen, and I started to progress on challenge 2. (To tell you the truth, I actually had to use TooManyItems to get a water block in because MineCraft glitched and somehow took away my ice block without putting water in its place) I placed a small area of planks to be a small staging point for my house. It's only small because I'm too scared to get too far away from land because if I fall, I have to start over. I mined a bit of cobble and made myself a Furnace. Currently, I am trying to get over my fear of falling and expand my base a bit more.



Soon after this pic was taken, my first night of the challenge began, but my house was nowhere near done.
I managed to get a 5x4 base set up, but it isn't done quite yet. I ran out of planks before starting the walls. I planted my single Sapling and used my 2nd Bone Meal of the challenge to get more wood for planks and, this time, charcoal as well. After getting done with that part, I planted one of the 3 Saplings I obtained from the last tree. I used my final bone meal to complete its growth, chopped down the tree, then hoped that the Saplings grow fast when they grow naturally.
As I sat there thinking, I came up with this: Why build the entire thing out of planks when they are so hard to come by in this challenge and while I have unlimited cobble? So, I used a bunch of cobblestone in place of planks, while still managing to make it look OK. Now I can finally put this:
CHALLENGE 2 = COMPLETE



Now then, time to move on to challenge 3: Expand the island. That one MIGHT already be complete. Not sure if my 5x5 house expansion would count or not. So I'll just put this and start on 4:
CHALLENGE 3 = QUESTIONABLE
I think I'm about to have to go to bed for now. This is the end of my first day playing the Sky Block challenge.
DAY 1 END
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For the PDF version of this file, visit: SkyBlock Challenge Day 2

DAY 2 BEGIN

Day 2, Deaths=7: I begin again!
Ah. It's good to be back home. First thing I did was hop on the computer and get ready to start Day 2 of this journal. Currently, I am on Challenge 4: Make a Melon Farm.
Step 1: Look on the Minecraft Wiki to see how to farm melons.
Step 2: Craft Melon from chest into Melon Seed.
Step 3: Add onto the edge of the island.
Step 4: Make a Stone Hoe.
Step 5: Change new extension into Farmland.
Step 6: Plant Melon Seed and wait for it to grow.


Please ignore the Diamond Pick in my inventory. I had a reason for spawning it in, and it is explained at the end of Day 3.
This is gonna take a while, but at least I can label this:
CHALLENGE 4 = COMPLETE
'Looks at Challenge 5' 'Sobs in chair at lack of room for farms'
Again, time to check Wiki. (Man, am I an idiot or what? LOL) 'Looks at clock' 2:00 AM? Wow.
DAY 2 END
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For the PDF version of this file, visit: SkyBlock Challenge Day 3

DAY 3 BEGIN

Day 3, Deaths=7: Wish I would learn to watch the clock.
It appears that Pumpkins are the exact same as Melons. I guess the two will have to share a field. Well, at least this one wasn't too difficult.
CHALLENGE 5 = COMPLETE
So, Challenge 6........ a Reed farm. Yet another farm. Will they never end? Luckily, I already know how to farm these. At least I don't have to make the Pumpkins and Melons share a space with them. Reeds can be found on Dirt, Grass, or - as of 1.8 - Sand. However, since I used my second Ice block to get the Water in place for the Farmland, I need to make the Pumpkins and Melons share their space because Reeds can only be 1 block away from a water tile.

Please ignore the Diamond Pick in my inventory. I had a reason for spawning it in, and it is explained at the end of Day 3.
CHALLENGE 6 = COMPLETE
Challenge 7 SO MANY FARMS!!!!! Now, where can I put this Wheat...... Oh yeah! My Farmland that is already being shared by Pumpkins, Melons, and Reeds! Of course, I'm gonna have to skip this until I can kill some Skellies, and that objective isn't for a while.
CHALLENGE 7 = TEMPORARILY SKIPPED
It is here that I decided not to do the challenges in order. It is too annoying, mainly because some of them require Bone Meal which I cannot get until a later challenge. Also, I only just now noticed this:
CHALLENGE 13 = COMPLETE (Build a Furnace)
Because I made this decision, I mine out a full stack of 64 cobblestone from my cobble gen. I make a pathway that is 24 blocks long, and at the end of that pathway, I make a 6x6 platform for monsters to spawn on. This will allow me to get more Bone Meals as long as Skellies spawn and I can kill them. After I arrive back from building the platform, I notice that my Reeds have grown out another block. I chop off the top block and plant the second Reed right next to the first one, improving my Reed farm. Also, because I am a little bit OCD, I add a second 24 cobble to the path to make it 24x1x2 instead of 24x1x1. That way it meets the exact center of the platform instead of it looking weird. You'll understand that better when you see the screenshot. Now, time to make sure that monsters can spawn there.

I plan on mining more cobble and increasing the size of that platform. In the second screenshot, you can see where I improved the Reed farm and have also been steadily mining out dirt and replacing it with cobble. Soon, I'll be out of Dirt all together and I'll end up on an island made entirely out of Cobble.
'A While Later'
I just heard a bow fire. It scared the **** out of me because I was at the time crouching at the very edge of the island trying to build something. The arrow didn't hit me, but now I know that the monster spawning island works and that I can finally get more Bone Meals.
CHALLENGE 15 = COMPLETE

It is right about this time that I think, I should probally have a sword and/or a bow. I decide to start off with the sword because I have no arrows for the bow yet. I quickly craft the Stick/Cobble/Cobble shape to get my Stone Sword, and I go and face the Skeletons.
I walk over the pathway. I see the Skeletons. There are about 5 of them crowded on the island. I get closer, and notice another shape among them. I think it is a Zombie, so I'm not too worried. As I get closer a Skeleton runs towards me and falls off the bridge. After that, one of the 'Zombies' start to come towards me. OH ****! CREEPER! On this small island, a Creeper would mean the end. Run, run, run. Into the house. Shut the door. Wish I had a bow and arrow and a staircase to the roof. I wait a few moments, then head back outside. The Creeper is nowhere in sight. It must have fallen off the bridge. Thank you, narrow bridges! Now that I know what is over there, I head back with considerable caution. I know that you can kill a Creeper with a sword as long as you prevent them from getting too close. However, as another Creeper runs towards me, I hear a Skeleton's bow twang once again. Fortunately for me, the Creeper was knocked off the bridge by the arrow, followed by the Skeleton trying to run after me. I decide to just go home and wait for the sun to rise, THEN going to collect the Bones.
Right after I wrote that, I decided, "Why in the world should I just sit here and hide?!?!" So, I stupidly went out onto the bridge again and let them chase after me. I killed two Creepers. The Zombies and Skeletons ran towards me and fell off the edge, as well as the remaining Creepers. All the monsters were gone, so I just left and tried to finish what I was building earlier. I didn't even get a bone for my troubles.

I'm tired of having only 2 things of water, and of hearing running water every time I go near my Farmland. Also, the thing I am building requires water as well. I looked up on Google how to do it, and then created an infinite water source.

CHALLENGE 12 = COMPLETE
As you can see in my inventory, it is very fortunate that I decided not to go back to the monster platform. The 6th item from the left is an Ender Pearl, dropped by Endermen. Completely useless as of now, but there may be a use for them later. However, still no Bone!
It's time to end's tonight's installment. I'm going through one challenge after another, even with these limited resources. I only cheated two times. One to get a Sapling when the tree refused to behave. Another time to get a Diamond Pickaxe to break the Obsidian that formed when I accidentally broke a block and let water hit my lava. That time, I also replaced the lava. I threw the Obsidian into the replaced lava afterwards. I forgot to throw away the Diamond Pick, but I did get rid of it as soon as I noticed it was still in my inventory. I have not hacked in any resources whatsoever. Everything in this map is completely legit, which is a miracle considering me. The current challenge standings are listed below.

1.Build a Cobble Stone generator.
2.Build a house.
3.Expand the island. ????
4.Make a melon farm.
5.Make a pumpkin farm.
6.Make a reed farm.
7.Make a wheat farm.
8.Make a giant red mushroom.
9.Build a bed.
10.Make 40 stone brick's.
11.Make at least 20 torches.
12.Make an infinite water source.
13.Build a furnace.
14.Make a small lake.
15.Make a platform 24 blocks away from the island, for mobs to spawn.
16.Make 10 cactus green dye.
17.Make 10 mushroom stew.
18.Make 10 Jack 'o' lanterns.
19.Build 10 bookcases.
20.Make 10 bread.
DAY 3 END
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For the PDF version of this file, visit: SkyBlock Challenge Day 4

DAY 4 BEGIN

Day 4, Deaths=7: So far, so good
I'm still nowhere near done with this challenge. I'm still going to have to wait for the days to pass so Skeletons will burn and drop bones. The first night of my waiting strategy, this is what I saw.

I hit it with my sword, hear a hiss, and shut the door. There is no BOOM!, so I guess it is still out there waiting for me. This process repeats itself several times until finally, at the 4th or 5th time, the Creeper falls over dead.
After this, I decide that this world is so small that I can decrease the amount of fog enabled and not destroy my computer. I have Intel Integrated Graphics, so I can't have anything that requires too much graphics power. (Intel Integrated Graphics sucks.) After increasing the fog, I can actually see the monster platform instead of it being shrouded in fog. This is the image that awaited me.

It is around the time I see this that I remember that Endermen teleport to the Player if the he looks directly at them. Somehow, I managed to kill two of them without even getting touched. I was backed up into a corner and just kept left-clicking in their direction. Anyway, in the background, you can see several Creepers, a Skeleton or two, and what looks like a Zombie. Since I need the materials that the monsters provide on death, I can't charge towards them as they would fall off the edge trying to get to me. I'm forced to continue waiting until morning before I can go and collect their remains.
Morning has finally risen, and the Skeletons run away from the pain of the sunlight. They end up dying right in front of my door. What luck! My guess is, the Skeleton's command is to run towards the player if they get hurt. This night has been very successful, however. 5 Bones and 2 Arrows. Now just to take care of those Creepers on the monster platform, and this will be perfect.
OH ****! While I was typing that last paragraph, 2 of the 3 remaining Creepers either despawned or fell off, but the 3rd stood right next to me. Luckily, I was on top of the cobble gen and it was too high for the Creeper to reach me. Anyway, now that I finally have some more Bone Meal, I can jump start my farm, grow tall grass for wheat seeds, and plant that giant mushroom. While I am at it, I might as well go ahead and plant a Cactus so I can let it grow for the Green Dye objective.
Note to Notch: Increase change of tall grass dropping seeds. I used two Bone Meals then cut down all the tall grass with my Stone Hoe. I only got 1 Seed and 2 Flowers out of about 15 blocks.
Anyway, I planted the wheat in my Farm. I planted the Red Mushroom on a small, 1x1x1 platform of dirt near my island.

CHALLENGE 7 = COMPLETE
CHALLENGE 8 = COMPLETE

After completing this, I decided that I was sick of being out of Logs and Planks. I went and mined a whole bunch of Cobble, which you can see in the picture, and made a Tree Collection Platform. The TCP consists of a 7x7 area of any block (I used Cobble) with a single Dirt block in the center. The 7x7 cobble catches most falling Saplings. The dirt block in the center is where the Sapling will be placed and Bone Mealed. The original design was 5x5 to be resource friendly, but I decided to increase to 7x7 because some trees' leaves spread really far out. It was a good thing I did, too because the first Sapling I Bone Mealed became a branching tree and had leaves going really far out.


That branching tree I took a screenshot of grew very large. It provided me with over 40 Logs by itself, and some of the Logs fell off the edge before I could collect them! Approximate number of Log blocks in that tree: 46-47. That was a very large tree. I shouldn't need another one for a while now. Number of Saplings: 19. Leaves are still falling though, so there could be a few more. I shouldn't run out of Saplings for a quite a bit.
You know how I said I should need Logs for a while? Well, I did something stupid and I need to plant another Sapling for it. I need some Charcoal, but I changed ALL of my Logs into Planks instead of saving some. I go and craft me a Stone Axe to replace the Wood one I lost while chopping down the large tree. I also go ahead and get a Stone Shovel as well, just so I would have all 5 Stone items. I also take 3 string from the chest to make me a Bow. Finally, I look at the Wiki to get the crafting recipe for Arrows, and then moans at the fact that Flint is needed. No Gravel = No Flint. The only way I can get arrows is from Skeleton. I might as well make these 2 I have count, then.
After cutting down the first tree and a second tree I planted to get more, I use the Furnace to convert the 10 Logs into 10 Charcoal, which I then combine with 10 Sticks to make 40 Torches. Plenty of light and another challenge complete, too.
CHALLENGE 11 = COMPLETE
I mine out 40 Cobblestone and put it in the Furnace along with 48 Planks. When this is finished another challenge will be complete.
'10 minutes later'
CHALLENGE 10 = COMPLETE
I realize that it is night. I look at my Monster Island to see that it is infested. I charge towards the island like an idiot, knowing that half of them would fall off. Luckily, the Enderman got pushed off by a Skeleton's arrow and the Creepers didn't get close enough to blow up. I got plenty of Rotten Meat, which I threw away later. It is around this time that I notice my Hunger Bar. I've gotten a bit of Wheat from my farm, so I go and try to cook some stuff. First, go get recipes from Wiki. Second, craft the Wheat into Bread. Third, eat up! OM nom nom.
I start harvesting my mushrooms. I use up the rest of my Bone Meals on constantly cutting down and replanting a red mushroom. I got about 70-80 before I ran out of Bone Meals. I'm not exactly sure why I got so many. I should have gotten about 25-50 then started getting Brown Mushrooms. Oh well. Too late now. I also harvest my first Pumpkin and Melon from my farm. I make one Melon into another Melon Seed, which I then plant in the farm. I would do the same to the Pumpkin, but crafting a Pumpkin into a seed isn't in 1.8. That was introduced in 1.9.
After collecting my farms, I start construction on another monster spawning platform. This one, however, will be made of Grass and will be very brightly lit. This one will be for Peaceful mobs such as Sheep, Cows, and Pigs. My biggest problem will be getting the grass to spread, as I only have a limited amount of Dirt blocks and I cannot grow grass from nothing. While I waited for the Grass to grow, I collected the Bones from dead Skeletons and made some more Bone Meals to get the Brown Mushrooms collected. I decided to stop after I got 10, because that was all I needed. I replanted a Red Mushroom and used a Bone Meal on it, then went and made 10 Mushroom Stews.
CHALLENGE 17 = COMPLETE
1.Build a Cobble Stone generator.
2.Build a house.
3.Expand the island. ????
4.Make a melon farm.
5.Make a pumpkin farm.
6.Make a reed farm.
7.Make a wheat farm.
8.Make a giant red mushroom.
9.Build a bed.
10.Make 40 stone brick's.
11.Make at least 20 torches.
12.Make an infinite water source.
13.Build a furnace.
14.Make a small lake.
15.Make a platform 24 blocks away from the island, for mobs to spawn.
16.Make 10 cactus green dye.
17.Make 10 mushroom stew.
18.Make 10 Jack 'o' lanterns.
19.Build 10 bookcases.
20.Make 10 bread.
It is getting harder and harder to complete these challenges. Actually, it's easy, but just taking long. It is gonna take forever for the 10 Jack 'o' lanterns because of how slowly Pumpkins grow and the fact I only have 1 Pumpkin stem growing them.
After a long time of waiting, I get sick of the grass growing so slowly. I throw 22 Dirt Blocks over the edge and TMI in 22 Grass blocks to make the platform.
I just did something very dangerous that almost killed me. I needed a lot more Dirt than what I had, so I went and used some water to make a waterfall into the Void. I then made a cobblestone platform directly underneath my island. While walking on the cobble platform, which was too close to the spawn for monsters to spawn on, I mined out the dirt from above me and replaced it with cobble. Several times I was pushed off the edge and very nearly landed in Void, but I managed to get into the waterfall in time to save myself. It worked, though. I got a lot more dirt that I traded for Grass with TMI. I then expanded the friendly mob platform.
I have finally completed the friendly mob platform. I had to extend the bridge to it when I realized it was too close to the spawn, but it still went pretty well.


Now that there is a grassy place far enough away for mobs to spawn, and now that it is well-lit, the Sheep for the bed, the Cows for the milk, the Pigs for the meat, and the Chickens for the eggs will all be able to spawn. All I have to do is wait.
Waiting.
Still waiting.
Put torches along the walkway because monsters spawned on it.
Waiting some more.
Waiting.
Tired of waiting.
Replants tree and uses Bone Meal. Nice. Another branching tree.
Kills monsters on monster platform.
Decides that Challenge 3 is no longer questionable.
CHALLENGE 3 = COMPLETE (Expand the island)
This is where I'm gonna leave this day at. Maybe tomorrow the animals will start spawning. Goodnight to whoever is reading this!
DAY 4 END

THIS. IS. GENIUS!!!!
Haha, but seriously, this is a really cool idea.

Lavaster wrote:THIS. IS. GENIUS!!!!
Haha, but seriously, this is a really cool idea.

I could give you the download link to the map, if you'd like to give it a shot.

Sorry I haven't updated, but I've been busy trying to repair the damages ItsAGayDay caused.