The Ingenious World of Microcontrollers and Minecraft
In the realm of gaming, few titles have achieved the cultural phenomenon status of Minecraft. For those who may have been blissfully unaware over the past decade, this multiplayer, open-world game has captivated millions. Among its many applications, enthusiasts often turn to running Minecraft servers on devices like the Raspberry Pi. However, a recent innovation by [PortalRunner] has taken this concept to a new level by successfully implementing an open world on an ESP32-C3 microcontroller.
The brilliance of this endeavor lies in the fact that the ESP32-C3 isn’t directly running the game itself. Instead, it operates on bareiron, a C-based server implementation crafted by [PortalRunner]. By rewriting the server code in C, he has optimized it for the unique hardware capabilities of the ESP32, allowing for a streamlined experience. This approach not only enhances performance but also enables [PortalRunner] to distill the server down to its essential components.
For instance, rather than relying on the traditional multiple octaves of Perlin noise for terrain generation, which would typically consume significant RAM, [PortalRunner] employs a clever method. He uses the x and z coordinates of the terrain’s corners as seeds for a pseudorandom rand() function and interpolates between them. Additionally, instead of generating caves through a separate algorithm and storing them in memory, the underground in bareiron mirrors the world above, creating a seamless experience. Biomes are simply tiled and exist independently from one another.
While the result is undeniably simpler than a conventional Minecraft world—where items, crafting, and other elements have been streamlined—it is important to acknowledge the limitations of running on an ESP32. With a loading time of approximately 200 milliseconds per chunk, the World’s Smallest Minecraft Server is playable, albeit with a charm reminiscent of a dancing bear: it may not perform flawlessly, but the mere fact that it exists is a feat worth celebrating.
This isn’t the first instance of Minecraft server code being rewritten; there have been attempts in languages like COBOL, although those were executed on actual computers rather than microcontrollers. Interestingly, while playing Minecraft on an SNES remains impossible, the idea of concealing the game within a cartridge offers a creative workaround that sparks the imagination.
Special thanks to [CodeAsm] for the tip. Should you encounter any other remarkable innovations akin to dancing bears in the tech world, feel free to share them with our tips line.
