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Minecraft Map of BRITAIN: 22 bn Blocks used to Create an Interactive Map

The Minecraft map of BRITAIN: 22 billion blocks are used to build the virtual world that includes famous landmarks



Ordnance Survey used 22 billion blocks from the game of building



The 3D interactive map covers the mainland of UK and surrounding islands



Each block is 50 square metres. The map covers the equivalent of 220,000 square kilometres



By Victoria Woollaston



Last updated: 10:59 EDT, 5 March 2014



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The well-known building game Minecraft lets users build their own worlds, however the latest 3D gaming map allows them to explore the whole of the UK and build new settlements in their virtual back gardens.



Minecraft Britain was built using Ordnance Survey UK maps as a foundation. It was constructed using 22 million Minecraft building blocks.



It covers 86,000 square miles of British mainland and the islands surrounding it. Each block is 50 square meters.



Ordnance Survey used 22 billion blocks from the popular game Minecraft to create the interactive 3D map of the mainland UK and the islands surrounding it. The OS Minecraft world covers the equivalent of 86,000 square miles. This image illustrates the Minecraft version of Stonehenge in Wiltshire



This is how the Stonehenge landmark in Wiltshire appears in the real world.
https://minecraftservers.fun/


Ordnance Survey also published a list of coordinates to various markers across the UK including Stonehenge, Wiltshire, to help players navigate the interactive universe.



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This map was made using OS OpenData, maps and mapping tools that Ordnance Survey allows developers to make alternative maps.



They can then explore various terrains, such as forests and caves.



Players can also fly in the air to get views from a bird's-eye view of the landscape.



The game was initially made for the PC but there are now Xbox 360 and mobile versions available.



For each 100x100 km grid square, architects from Ordnance Survey used height information for various buildings and landmarks.



The left-hand photo shows Snowdonia as it appears in Minecraft. The right-hand image illustrates how North Wales' mountain ranges look in real life. Developers reduced the size of many landmarks and buildings in the UK to accommodate Minecraft's height limitations.



Minecraft was first introduced in 2009. When you start the game, players are put into a 'virtually infinite game world.' They can then explore and build towns and cities. The game was initially developed for the PC but there are now Xbox 360 and mobile versions available, as shown



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Players will require an approved copy of Minecraft and around 5GB of disk space on their computer.



The world has around 3.6GB of uncompressed information and requires at least 4GB of memory.



To install the map, players must download the Minecraft-GB.zip archive



Unzip the archive to the temporary location. Open the readme.html file in your browser and follow the installation instructions.



They then loaded images of all UK locations from the OS VectorMap District files.



Each 20x20-pixel portion of the map was scrutinized by the designers to determine the right color material, size, and colour of each block.



The height data in the raw format was stored in meters which means that the developers were scaled down to fit within the 256 block height limit of Minecraft.



Ben Nevis, for instance is a mountain that's 2,500m in height. It was later converted into 128 blocks.



Ordnance Survey said in a blog post: 'Although this overstates the actual height, it helps preserve low-lying coastal features like the cliffs of Bournemouth, which add interest to the landscape.'



Developers used diamond blocks for motorways, emerald blocks on A roads, and pumpkin blocks for B roads. The standard leaves, water, and brick blocks were used to create water, forests and built-up areas.



Following this after that, 32 x 32 chunks called regions were made and glued together. Ordnance Survey stated that the entire process took seven hours.



The image shows the River Thames in East London Ordnance Survey said the whole mapping process took about seven hours to complete. Each 20x20 pixels of the map was analyzed to allow the mappers to select the right material, colour and size of the block



These images show Minecraft London from above, with the River Thames running through its central area. A satellite view of the same area is shown to the right.


Website: https://minecraftservers.fun/