Notes

5 Open Source Alternatives To Minecraft

There's no doubt that Minecraft is a game that is loved for millions. And being written in Java enables it to run on various platforms, including Linux. There are a lot of Minecraft tinkerers who would love access to the source code of Minecraft and to work on it. Unfortunately, the source is not available to the general public.



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But there's good news. Many people have tried to recreate Minecraft and other similar games using open-source software. Are you looking for a free Minecraft alternative to Minecraft? Here's a brief overview of some Minecraft clones and derivatives you must definitely check out.



These projects are at different stages of completion and meet many different purposes. Some attempt to recreate the Minecraft experience in full while others attempt to provide a very similar experience. Others are pushing the voxel-based gaming idea to completely new levels. Some are more of a framework which can be used to help you develop your own game creation.



Minetest



The first game we'll be discussing is Minetest. Minetest is perhaps the most complete alternative to Minecraft and is described as a "near-infinite-world block sandbox and a game engine." It supports multiplayer as well as subgames. It also comes with various terrain generators and different default biomes. It also comes with a user-friendly API to create mods using Lua.



Minetest is an open source software under the LGPL and is written primarily in C++ so it's relatively fast when compared to others written in scripting languages. Minetest is compatible with Windows, OS X and Linux as well as Android, Linux, Android, FreeBSD and possibly other operating systems. You can find the source code on GitHub.



Minetest screenshot, Minetest website, CC-BY-SA 3.0.



Terasology



Terasology might be the winner of the top rendering engine prize in the pack. Its shadows are gorgeous and frightening. The game was originally an experiment in procedural terrain creation. It has evolved into a fully-featured game with multiplayer and a variety of add-on modules that allow players to play with different mechanics.



Terasology is written in Java and made available under an Apache 2.0 license. Because it is a Java-based system it can run on just about any platform that has sufficient power, so long as you have an Java 8 virtual machine installed.



Terasology screenshot, Terasology code repository, Apache 2.0.



Voxel.js



The only exception to this list is Voxel.js; unlike the others, it's not a game in the slightest and doesn't claim to be. Voxel.js instead is a JavaScript library that lets you to create your own Minecraft-style games, renderings, and other interactive widgets in JavaScript or HTML. It can be embedded on any web page without the need for any special plugins.



Voxel.js can be used in a variety of related projects. This allows you to make use of as much or as little code as you like when developing your game. The main library, voxel engine is a basic engine that renders boxy scenes, but there are more than 200 add-onsavailable. Take a look at the gallery to get some ideas of what other people have built using the engine. The engine itself is released under a BSD-style license; other add-ons may be licensed differently It's worth checking before you make assumptions.



Screenshot of voxel forest using Voxel.js by Jason Baker



TrueCraft



TrueCraft is designed to be very similar to the original game. It is described as a Minecraft "implementation," as opposed to a clone and is compatible with official Minecraft server releases. The author of TrueCraft is seeking to implement beta version 1.7.3, which he considers "nearly perfect" during the development of Minecraft. TrueCraft is a snapshot of Minecraft that has been deliberately frozen in time. The author is looking to make features comparable to Minecraft.



Because it is so similar to the original game, TrueCraft has taken great care to avoid copyright issues by accepting developers to contribute only if they haven't decompiled or had access to the source code, although those who have had access are encouraged to contribute in different ways. TrueCraft is written in C# and is open-source under an MIT License.



TrueCraft screenshot, TrueCraft code repository, MIT license.



Craft



Craft is a different open source voxel engine in the style of Minecraft. The development seems to have slowed or stopped however there are more than 200 forks, including many (such as the school project not2bad-craft) with significant improvements. If you're interested in creating a Minecraft-like game Craft's simplicity may interest you. STRONGCRAFT The game engine is just several thousand lines of C code and utilizes OpenGL to render. It employs simple algorithms to create terrain and perform other tasks. Everything is stored in an SQLite3 databank. There's also a Python-based multiplayer server which is worth giving the chance.



Craft is available under an MIT license.



Craft screenshot, Craft code repository, MIT license.



Other great options



You should also check out these other notable mentions:



Freeminer Another sandbox-based title, is inspired by Minecraft and based upon Minetest. The authors want to make the game enjoyable while retaining some of the best elements. It comes with installers for Linux and Android. ClassiCube is a Minecraft Classic clone written in C#. It is open-source under the OpenTK License and is available for installation on Linux, Solaris, Windows OS, Solaris, Windows OS, Mac OS and in browsers.



Here you go. This is not a comprehensive list. There are many other options to explore. As more people begin to play these games or create their own, we'll definitely discover more options. Which one is your favorite and which one did we leave off you would have liked to have included?


Here's my website: https://strongcraft.org/