Rename “mining level” to “toughness level”
[minetest_doc_basics.git] / init.lua
bloba80f9c2166c8073fb18c0709d38d7b3f725097a7
1 --[[
2 - TODO: Allow to disable images to save bandwidth
3 - TODO: Add API for subgame-specific changes so the entries are not too awfully generic
4 - Support for landing page
5 - Support to modify some parts of existing entries
6 - TODO: Add introduction to online play (if possible)
7 - TODO: Ideas for advanced entries:
8 - Sneak Glitch?
9 - Rendering (far view, etc.)
10 -- TODO: Better (official) support for customizable creative page
14 doc.new_category("basics",
16 name="Basics",
17 description = "Everything you need to know about Minetest to get started with playing",
18 sorting = "custom",
19 sorting_data = {"quick_start", "minetest", "controls", "point", "items", "inventory", "hotbar", "tools", "weapons", "nodes", "mine", "build", "craft", "cook", "minimap", "cam", "sneak", "players", "liquids", "light", "groups", "glossary"},
20 build_formspec = doc.entry_builders.text_and_gallery,
23 doc.new_category("advanced",
25 name = "Advanced usage",
26 description = "Advanced information about Minetest which may be nice to know, but is not crucial to gameplay",
27 sorting = "custom",
28 sorting_data = {"console", "commands", "privs", "movement_modes", "coordinates", "settings", "online"},
29 build_formspec = doc.entry_builders.text_and_gallery,
32 doc.new_entry("basics", "quick_start", {
33 name = "Quick start",
34 data = { text =
35 [=[This is a very brief introduction to the basic gameplay:
37 • Move mouse to look
38 • [W], [A], [S] and [D] to move
39 • [Space] to jump or move upwards
40 • [Shift] to sneak or move downwards
41 • Mouse wheel or [0]-[9] to select item
42 • Left-click to mine blocks or attack
43 • Recover from swings to deal full damage
44 • Right-click to build blocks and use things
45 • [I] for the inventory
46 • First items in inventory appear in hotbar below
47 • [F9] for the minimap
48 • Put items into crafting grid (usually 3×3 grid) to craft
49 • Use a crafting guide mod to learn crafting recipes or visit <http://wiki.minetest.net/wiki/Crafting>
50 • Read entries in this help to learn the rest
51 • [Esc] to close this window]=]
52 }})
54 doc.new_entry("basics", "minetest", {
55 name="Minetest",
56 data = {
57 text =
58 [=[Minetest is a free software game engine for games based on voxel gameplay, inspired by InfiniMiner, Minecraft, and the like. Minetest was originally created by Perttu Ahola (alias “celeron55”).
60 The player is thrown into a huge world made out of cubes or blocks. These cubes usually make the landscape they blocks can be removed and placed almost entirely freely. Using the collected items, new tools and other items can be crafted. Games in Minetest (also called “subgames”) can, however, be much more complex than this.
62 A core feature of Minetest is the built-in modding capability. Mods modify existing gameplay. They can be as simple as adding a few decorational blocks or be very complex by e.g. introducing completely new gameplay concepts, generating a completely different kind of world, and many other things.
64 Minetest can be played alone or online together with multiple players. Online play will work out of the box with any mods, with no need for additional software as they are entirely provided by the server.
66 Minetest is usually bundled with a simple default game, named “Minetest Game” (shown in images 1 and 2). You probably already have it. Other games for Minetest can be downloaded from the official Minetest forums <https://forum.minetest.net/viewforum.php?f=48>.
68 Minetest as well as Minetest Game are both unfinished at the moment, so please forgive us when not everything works out perfectly.]=],
69 images = {{image="doc_basics_gameplay_mtg_1.png"}, {image="doc_basics_gameplay_mtg_2.png"}, {image="doc_basics_gameplay_carbone_ng.png"}, {image="doc_basics_gameplay_lott.png"}, {image="doc_basics_gameplay_pixture.png"}, {image="doc_basics_gameplay_outback.png"}, {image="doc_basics_gameplay_moontest.png"},
70 {image="doc_basics_gameplay_hades.png"}, {image="doc_basics_gameplay_xtraores_xtension.png"},}
71 }})
73 doc.new_entry("basics", "sneak", {
74 name="Sneaking",
75 data = { text =
76 [=[Sneaking makes you walk slower and prevents you from falling off the edge of a block.
77 To sneak, hold down the sneak key (default: [Shift]). When you release it, you stop sneaking. Careful: When you release the sneak key at a ledge, you might fall!
79 • Sneak: [Shift]
81 Sneaking only works when you stand on solid ground, are not in a liquid and don't climb.
83 If you jump while holding the sneak key, you also jump slightly higher than usual.
85 Sneaking might be disabled by mods. In this case, you still walk slower by sneaking, but you will no longer be stopped at ledges.]=],
86 images = { { image = "doc_basics_sneak.png" } },
87 }})
89 doc.new_entry("basics", "controls", {
90 name="Controls",
91 data = { text = [=[These are the default controls:
93 Basic movement:
94 • Moving the mouse around: Look around
95 • W: Move forwards
96 • A: Move to the left
97 • D: Move to the right
98 • S: Move backwards
100 While standing on solid ground:
101 • Space: Jump
102 • Shift: Sneak
104 While on a ladder, swimming in a liquid or fly mode is active
105 • Space: Move up
106 • Shift: Move down
108 Extended movement (requires privileges):
109 • J: Toggle fast mode, makes you run or fly fast (requires “fast” privilege)
110 • K: Toggle fly mode, makes you move freely in all directions (requires “fly” privilege)
111 • H: Toggle noclip mode, makes you go through walls in fly mode (requires “noclip” privilege)
112 • E: Walk fast in fast mode
114 World interaction:
115 • Left mouse button: Punch / mine blocks / take items
116 • Right mouse button: Build or use pointed block
117 • Shift+Right mouse button: Build
118 • Roll mouse wheel: Select next/previous item in hotbar
119 • 0-9: Select item in hotbar directly
120 • Q: Drop item stack
121 • Shift+Q: Drop 1 item
122 • I: Show/hide inventory menu
124 Inventory interaction:
125 See the entry “Basics > Inventory”.
127 Interface:
128 • Esc: Open menu window (pauses in single-player mode) or close window
129 • F1: Show/hide HUD
130 • F2: Show/hide chat
131 • F7: Toggle camera mode
132 • F8: Toggle cinematic mode
133 • F9: Toggle minimap, minimap mode and zoom
134 • Shift+F9: Toggle minimap rotation mode
135 • F10: Open/close console/chat log
136 • F12: Take a screenshot
138 Server interaction:
139 • T: Open chat window (chat requires the “shout” privilege)
140 • /: Start issuing a server command
142 Technical:
143 • R: Toggle far view (disables all fog and allows viewing far away, can make game very slow)
144 • +: Increase minimal viewing distance
145 • -: Decrease minimal viewing distance
146 • F3: Enable/disable fog
147 • F5: Enable/disable debug screen which also shows your coordinates
148 • F6: Only useful for developers. Enables/disables profiler
149 • P: Only useful for developers. Writes current stack traces]=]
152 doc.new_entry("basics", "players", {
153 name="Players",
154 data = {
155 text =
156 [=[Players (actually: “player characters”) are the characters which users control.
158 Players are living beings which occupy a space of about 1×2×1 cubes. They start with 20 health points (HP) and 10 breath points (BP).
159 Players are capable of walking, sneaking, jumping, climbing, swimming, diving, mining, building, fighting and using tools and blocks.
161 Players can take damage for a variety of reasons, here are some:
162 • Taking fall damage
163 • Touching a block which causes direct damage
164 • Drowning
165 • Being attacked by another player
166 • Being attacked by a computer enemy
168 At a health of 0, the player dies. The player can just respawn in the world.
169 Other consequences of death depend on the subgame. The player could lose all items, or lose the round in a competitive game.
171 Some blocks reduce breath. While being with the head in a block which causes drowning, the breath points are reduced by 1 for every 2 seconds. When all breath is gone, the player starts to suffer drowning damage. Breath is quickly restored in any other block.
173 Damage can be disabled on any world. Without damage, players are immortal and health and breath are unimportant.
175 In multi-player mode, the name of other players is written above their head.]=],
176 images = {{image="doc_basics_players_sam.png"}, {image="doc_basics_players_lott.png"}, {image="doc_basics_players_flat.png"}},
179 doc.new_entry("basics", "items", {
180 name="Items",
181 data = {
182 text =
183 [=[Items are things you can carry along and store in inventories. They can be used for crafting, smelting, building, mining, and more. Types of items include blocks, tools, weapons and items only used for crafting.
185 An item stack is a collection of items of the same type which fits into a single item slot. Item stacks can be dropped on the ground. Items which drop into the same coordinates will form an item stack.
187 Items have several properties, including the following:
189 • Maximum stack size: Number of items which fit on 1 item stack
190 • Pointing range: How close things must be to be pointed while wielding this item
191 • Group memberships: See “Basics > Groups”
192 • May be used for crafting or cooking
194 A dropped item stack can be collected by punching it.]=],
195 images = {{image="doc_basics_inventory_detail.png"}, {image="doc_basics_items_dropped.png"}},
198 doc.new_entry("basics", "tools", {
199 name="Tools",
200 data = { text =
201 [=[Some items may serve as a tool when wielded. Any item which has some special use which can be directly used by its wielder is considered a tool.
203 A common tool in Minetest are, of course, mining tools. These are important to break all kinds of blocks. Weapons are a kind of tool in Minetest. There are of course many other possible tools. Special actions of tools are usually done by left-click or right-click.
205 When nothing is wielded, players use their hand which may act as tool and weapon. The hand is capable of collecting dropped items by punching.
207 Many tools will wear off when using them and may eventually get destroyed. The damage is displayed in a damage bar below the tool icon. If no damage bar is shown, the tool is in mint condition. Tools may be repairable by crafting, see “Basics > Crafting”.]=],
208 images = {{image="doc_basics_tools.png"}, {image="doc_basics_tools_mining.png"}},
211 doc.new_entry("basics", "weapons", {
212 name="Weapons",
213 data = { text =
214 [=[Some items are usable as a melee weapon when wielded. Weapons share most of the properties of tools.
216 Melee weapons deal damage by punching players and other animate objects. There are two ways to attack:
217 • Single punch: Left-click once to deal a single punch
218 • Quick punching: Hold down the left mouse button to deal quick repeated punches
220 There are two core attributes of melee weapons:
221 • Maximum damage: Damage which is dealt after a hit when the weapon was fully recovered
222 • Full punch interval: Time it takes for fully recovering from a punch
224 A weapon only deals full damage when it has fully recovered from a previous punch. Otherwise, the weapon will deal only reduced damage. This means, quick punching is very fast, but also deals rather low damage. Note the full punch interval does not limit how fast you can attack.
226 There is a rule which sometimes makes attacks impossible: Players, animate objects and weapons belong to damage groups. A weapon only deals damage to those who share at least one damage group with it. So if you're using the wrong weapon, you might not deal any damage at all.]=]
230 doc.new_entry("basics", "point", {
231 name="Pointing",
232 data = {
233 text =
234 [=[“Pointing” means looking at something in range with the crosshair. Pointing is needed for interaction, like mining, punching, using, etc. Pointable things include blocks, dropped items, players, computer enemies and objects.
236 To point something, it must be in the pointing range (also just called “range”) of your wielded item. There's a default range when you are not wielding anything. A pointed thing will be outlined or highlighted (depending on your settings). Pointing is not possible with the 3rd person front camera.
238 A few things can not be pointed. Most blocks are pointable. A few blocks, like air, can never be pointed. Other blocks, like liquids can only be pointed by special items.]=],
239 images = {{ image = "doc_basics_pointing.png" }},
242 doc.new_entry("basics", "cam", {
243 name="Camera",
244 data = {
245 text =
246 [=[Minetest has 3 different views which determine the way you see the world. The modes are:
248 • 1: First-person view (default)
249 • 2: Third-person view from behind
250 • 3: Third-person view from the front
252 You can change the camera mode by pressing [F7].
254 There is also Cinematic Mode which can be toggled with [F8]. With Cinematic Mode enabled, the camera movements become more smooth. Some players don't like it, it is a matter of taste.
256 • Switch camera mode: [F7]
257 • Toggle Cinematic Mode: [F8]]=],
258 images = {{image="doc_basics_camera_ego.png"}, {image="doc_basics_camera_behind.png"}, {image="doc_basics_camera_front.png"}}
261 doc.new_entry("basics", "nodes", {
262 name="Blocks",
263 data = {
264 text =
265 [=[The world of Minetest is made entirely out of blocks (voxels, to be precise). Blocks can be added or removed with the correct tools.
267 Blocks can have a wide range of different properties which determine mining times, behavior, looks, shape, and much more. Their properties include:
269 • Collidable: Collidable blocks can not be passed through; players can walk on them. Non-collidable blocks can be passed through freely
270 • Pointable: Pointable blocks show a wireframe or a halo box when pointed. But you will just point through non-pointable blocks. Liquids are usually non-pointable but they can be pointed at by some special tools
271 • Mining properties: By which tools it can be mined, how fast and how much it wears off tools
272 • Climbable: While you are at a climbable block, you won't fall and you can move up and down with the jump and sneak keys
273 • Drowning damage: See the entry “Basics > Player”
274 • Liquids: See the entry “Basics > Liquids”
275 • Group memberships: Group memberships are used to determine mining properties, crafting, interactions between blocks and more]=],
276 images = {{image="doc_basics_nodes.png"}}
279 -- TODO: Oh jeez, this explanation is WAY too difficult. Maybe we need to find some way to make it easier to understand.
280 doc.new_entry("basics", "mine", {
281 name = "Mining",
282 data = {
283 text =
284 [=[Mining (or digging) is the process of breaking blocks to remove them. To mine a block, point it and hold down the left mouse button until it breaks.
286 Blocks require a mining tool to be mined. Some blocks can not be mined. When in doubt, just try out different mining tools on a block and see what happens.
288 Mineable blocks have mining properties (based on groups) and a toughness level. Mining tools have the same properties. Each mining property of a block also has a rating, while tools can be able to break blocks within a range of mining ratings.
290 In order to mine a block, these conditions need to be met:
291 • The block and tool share at least one mining property for which they have a matching mining rating
292 • The tool's toughness level is equal or less than the block's toughness level
294 Example: A block with the mining property “cracky”, rating 3 and level 0 can only be broken by a tool which is able to break “cracky” blocks at rating 3 and it must have a toughness level of 0 or larger.
296 The time it takes to mine a block depends on the mining ratings and the toguhness levels of both tool and block.
297 • The mining time is the same for each tool/block combination
298 • The base mining time depends on the mining ratings of the block and the mining speed of the tool
299 • The mining speed of the tool differs for each mining property and its rating
300 • The toguhness level further modifies the mining speed for this mining proeprty
301 • The higher the block level, the higher the mining time
302 • The higher the tool level, the lower the mining time
304 The item help shows the mining times of a tool listed by its mining properties and its ratings. The mining times are often expressed as a range. The low number stands for the mining time at block level 0 and the high number for the highest level the tool can mine.
306 Mining usually wears off tools. Each time you mine a block, your tool takes some damage until it is destroyed eventually. The wear per mined block determined by the difference between the tool's toughness level and the block's toughness level. The higher the difference, the lower the wear. This means:
307 • High-level blocks wear off your tools faster
308 • You can use high-level tools to compensate this
309 • The highest wear is caused when the level of both tool and block are equal
311 After mining, a block will leave a “drop” behind. This is a number of items you get after mining. The following drop types are possible:
312 • Always drops itself (most common)
313 • Always drops the same items
314 • Drops items based on probability
315 • Drops nothing]=],
316 images = {{image="doc_basics_tools_mining.png"}},
319 doc.new_entry("basics", "build", {
320 name = "Building",
321 data = {
322 text =
323 [=[Almost all blocks can be built (or placed). Building is very simple and has no delay.
325 To build your wielded block, point at a block in the world and right-click. If this is not possible because the pointed block has a special right-click action, hold down the sneak key before right-clicking.
327 Blocks can almost always be built at pointable blocks. One exception are blocks attached to the floor; these can only be built on the floor.
329 Normally, blocks are built in front of the pointed side of the pointed block. A few blocks are different: When you try to build at them, they are replaced.]=],
330 images = {{image="doc_basics_build.png"}},
335 doc.new_entry("basics", "liquids", {
336 name = "Liquids",
337 data = {
338 text =
339 [=[Liquids are special dynamic blocks. Liquids like to spread and flow to their surrounding blocks. Players can swim and drown in them.
341 Liquids usually come in two forms: In source form (S) and in flowing form (F).
342 Liquid sources have the shape of a full cube. A liquid source will generate flowing liquids around it from time to time, and, if the liquid is renewable, it also generates liquid sources. A liquid source can sustain itself. A long it is left alone, a liquid source will normally keep its place and does not drain out.
343 Flowing liquids take a sloped form. Flowing liquids spread around the world until they drain. A flowing liquid can not sustain itself and always comes from a liquid source, either directly or indirectly. Without a liquid source, a flowing liquid will eventually drain out and disappear.
345 All liquids share the following properties:
346 • All properties of blocks (including drowning damage)
347 • Renewability: Renewable liquids can create new sources
348 • Flowing range: How many flowing liquids are created at maximum per liquid source, it determines how far the liquid will spread. Possible are ranges from 0 to 8. At 0, no flowing liquids will be created. Image 5 shows a liquid of flowing range 2
349 • Viscosity: How slow players move through it and how slow the liquid spreads
351 Renewable liquids create new liquid sources at open spaces (image 2). A new liquid source is created when:
352 • Two renewable liquid blocks of the same type touch each other diagonally
353 • These blocks are also on the same height
354 • One of the two “corners” is open space which allows liquids to flow in
356 When those criteria are met, the open space is filled with a new liquid source of the same type (image 3).
358 Swimming in a liquid is fairly straightforward: The usual direction keys for basic movement, the jump key for rising and the sneak key for sinking.
360 The physics for swimming and diving in a liquid are:
361 • The higher the viscosity, the slower you move
362 • If you rest, you'll slowly sink
363 • There is no fall damage for falling into a liquid as such
364 • If you fall into a liquid, you will be slowed down on impact (but don't stop instantly). Your impact depth is determined by your speed and the liquid viscosity. For a safe high drop into a liquid, make sure there is enough liquid above the ground, otherwise you might hit the ground and take fall damage
366 Liquids are often not pointable. But some special items are able to point all liquids.]=],
367 images = {
368 { image="doc_basics_liquids_types.png",
369 caption="A source liquid and its flowing liquids" },
370 { image="doc_basics_liquids_renewable_1.png",
371 caption="Renewable liquids need to be arranged like this to create a new source block" },
372 { image="doc_basics_liquids_renewable_2.png",
373 caption="A new liquid source is born" },
374 { image="doc_basics_liquids_nonrenewable.png",
375 caption="Non-renewable liquids creates a flowing liquid (F) instead" },
376 { image="doc_basics_liquids_range.png",
377 caption="Liquid with a flowing range of 2" },
382 doc.new_entry("basics", "craft", {
383 name = "Crafting",
384 data = {
385 text =
386 [=[Crafting is the task of combining several items to form a new item.
388 To craft something, you need one or more items, a crafting grid (C) and a crafting recipe. A crafting grid is like a normal inventory which can also be used for crafting. Items need to be put in a certain pattern into the crafting grid. Next to the crafting grid is an output slot (O). Here the result will appear when you placed items correctly. This is just a preview, not the actual item. Crafting grids can come in different sizes which limits the possible recipes you can craft.
390 To complete the craft, take the result item from the output slot, which will consume items from the crafting grid and creates a new item. It is not possible to place items into the output slot.
392 A description on how to craft an item is called a “crafting recipe”. You need this knowledge to craft. There are multiple ways to learn crafting recipes. One way is by using a crafting guide, which contains a list of available crafting recipes. Some subgames provide crafting guides. There are also some mods which you can download online for installing a crafting guide. Another way is by reading the online manual of the subgame (if one is available).
394 Crafting recipes consist of at least one input item and exactly one stack of output items. When performing a single craft, it will consume exactly one item from each stack of the crafting grid, unless the crafting recipe defines replacements.
396 There are multiple types of crafting recipes:
398 • Shaped (image 2): Items need to be placed in a particular shape
399 • Shapeless (images 3 and 4): Items need to be placed somewhere in input (both images show the same recipe)
400 • Cooking: Explained in “Basics > Cooking”
401 • Repairing (image 5): Place two damaged tools into the crafting grid anywhere to get a tool which is repaired by a certain percentage. This recipe may not be available in all subgames
403 In some crafting recipes, some input items do not need to be a concrete item, instead they need to be a member of a group (see “Basics > Groups”). These recipes offer a bit more freedom in the input items. Images 6-8 show the same group-based recipe. Here, 8 items of the “stone” group are required, which is true for all of the shown items.
405 Rarely, crafting recipes have replacements. This means, whenever you perform a craft, some items in the crafting grid will not be consumed, but instead will be replaced by another item.]=],
406 images = {
407 {image="doc_basics_craft_grid.png"}, {image="doc_basics_craft_shaped.png"},
408 {image="doc_basics_craft_shapeless_1.png"}, {image="doc_basics_craft_shapeless_2.png"}, {image="doc_basics_craft_repair.png"},
409 {image="doc_basics_craft_groups_1.png"}, {image="doc_basics_craft_groups_2.png"}, {image="doc_basics_craft_groups_3.png"},
413 doc.new_entry("basics", "cook", {
414 name = "Cooking",
415 data = {
416 text =
417 [=[Cooking (or smelting) is a form of crafting which does not involve a crafting grid. Cooking is done with a special block (like a furnace), an cookable item, a fuel item and time in order to yield a new item.
419 Each fuel item has a burning time. This is the time a single item of the fuel keeps a furnace burning.
421 Each cookable item requires time to be cooked. This time is specific to the item type and the item must be “on fire” for the whole cooking time to actually yield the result.]=]}})
423 doc.new_entry("basics", "hotbar", {
424 name="Hotbar",
425 data = {
426 text =
427 [=[At the bottom of the screen you see some squares. This is called the “hotbar”. The hotbar allows you to quickly access the first items from your player inventory.
428 You can change the selected item with the mouse wheel or the number keys.
430 • Select previous item in hotbar: [Mouse wheel up]
431 • Select next item in hotbar: [Mouse wheel down]
432 • Select item in hotbar directly: [0]-[9]
434 The selected item is also your wielded item.]=],
435 images = {{image="doc_basics_hotbar.png"}, {image="doc_basics_hotbar_relations.png"}},
438 doc.new_entry("basics", "minimap", {
439 name="Minimap",
440 data = {
441 text =
442 [=[Press [F9] to make a minimap appear on the top right. The minimap helps you to find your way around the world. Press it again to select different minimap modes and zoom levels. The minimap also shows the positions of other players.
444 There are 2 minimap modes and 3 zoom levels.
446 Surface mode (image 1) is a top-down view of the world, roughly resembling the colors of the blocks this world is made of. It only shows the topmost blocks, everything below is hidden, like a satellite photo. Surface mode is useful if you got lost.
448 Radar mode (image 2) is more complicated. It displays the “denseness” of the area around you and changes with your height. Roughly, the more green an area is, the less "dense" it is. Black areas have many blocks. Use the radar to find caverns, hidden areas, walls and more. The rectangular shapes in image 2 clearly expose the position of a dungeon.
450 There are also two different rotation modes. In “square mode”, the rotation of the minimap is fixed. If you press [Shift]+[F9] to switch to “circle mode”, the minimap will instead rotate with your looking direction, so “up” is always your looking direction.
452 In some subgames, the minimap may be disabled.
454 • Toggle minimap mode: [F9]
455 • Toggle minimap rotation mode: [Shift]+[F9]]=],
456 images = {{image="doc_basics_minimap_map.png"}, {image="doc_basics_minimap_radar.png"}, {image="doc_basics_minimap_round.png"}},
459 doc.new_entry("basics", "inventory", {
460 name="Inventory",
461 data = {
462 text =
463 [=[Inventories are used to store item stacks. There are other uses, such as crafting. An inventory consists of a rectangular grid of item slots. Each item slot can either be empty or hold one item stack. Item stacks can be moved freely between most slots.
464 You have your own inventory which is called your “player inventory”, you can open it with the inventory key (default: [I]). The first inventory slots are also used as slots in your hotbar.
465 Blocks can also have their own inventory, e.g. chests and furnaces.
467 Inventory controls:
469 Taking: You can take items from an occupied slot if the cursor holds nothing.
470 • Left click: take entire item stack
471 • Right click: take half from the item stack (rounded up)
472 • Middle click: take 10 items from the item stack
474 Putting: You can put items onto a slot if the cursor holds 1 or more items and the slot is either empty or contains an item stack of the same item type.
475 • Left click: put entire item stack
476 • Right click: put 1 item of the item stack
477 • Middle click: put 10 items of the item stack
479 Exchanging: You can exchange items if the cursor holds 1 or more items and the destination slot is occupied by a different item type.
480 • Click: exchange item stacks
482 Throwing away: If you hold an item stack and click with it somewhere outside the menu, the item stack gets thrown away into the environment.
484 Quick transfer: You can quickly transfer an item stack to/from the player inventory to/from another item's inventory slot like a furnace, chest, or any other item with an inventory slot when that item's inventory is accessed. The target inventory is generally the most relevant inventory in this context.
485 • Sneak+Left click: Automatically transfer item stack]=],
486 images = {{image="doc_basics_inventory.png"}}
489 doc.new_entry("advanced", "online", {
490 name="Online help",
491 data = { text=
492 [=[You may want to check out these online resources related to Minetest:
494 Official homepage of Minetest: <http://minetest.net/>
495 The main place to find the most recent version of Minetest.
497 Community wiki: <http://wiki.minetest.net/>
498 A community-based documentation website for Minetest. Anyone with an account can edit it! It also features a documentation of Minetest Game.
500 Web forums: <http://forums.minetest.net/>
501 A web-based discussion platform where you can discuss everything related to Minetest. This is also a place where player-made mods and subgames are published and discussed. The discussions are mainly in English, but there is also space for discussion in other languages.
503 Chat: <irc://irc.freenode.net#minetest>
504 A generic Internet Relay Chat channel for everything related to Minetest where people can meet to discuss in real-time. If you do not understand IRC, see the Community Wiki for help.]=]
507 doc.new_entry("basics", "groups", {
508 name="Groups",
509 data = {
510 text =
511 [=[Items, players and objects (animate and inanimate) can be members of any number of groups. Groups serve multiple purposes:
513 • Crafting recipes: Slots in a crafting recipe may not require a specific item, but instead an item which is a member of a particular group, or multiple groups
514 • Digging times: Diggable blocks belong to groups which are used to determine digging times. Mining tools are capable of digging blocks belonging to certain groups
515 • Block behavior: Blocks may show a special behaviour and interact with other blocks when they belong to a particular group
516 • Damage and armor: Objects and players have armor groups, weapons have damage groups. These groups determine damage. See also: “Basics > Weapons”
517 • Other uses
519 In the item help, many important groups are usually mentioned and explained.]=]}})
521 doc.new_entry("basics", "glossary", {
522 name = "Glossary",
523 data = {
524 text =
525 [=[This is a list of commonly used terms in Minetest:
527 Controls:
528 • Wielding: Holding an item in hand
529 • Pointing: Looking with the crosshair at something in range
530 • Dropping: Throwing an item or item stack to the ground
531 • Punching: Attacking with left-click, is also used on blocks
532 • Sneaking: Walking slowly while (usually) avoiding to fall over edges
533 • Climbing: Moving up or down a climbable block
535 Blocks:
536 • Block: Cubes that the worlds are made of
537 • Mining/digging: Using a mining tool to break a block
538 • Building/placing: Putting a block somewhere
539 • Drop: Items you get after mining a block
540 • Using a block: Right-clicking a block to access its special function
542 Items:
543 • Item: A single thing that players can possess
544 • Item stack: A collection of items of the same kind
545 • Maximum stack size: Maximum amount of items in an item stack
546 • Slot / inventory slot: Can hold one item stack
547 • Inventory: Provides several inventory slots for storage
548 • Player inventory: The main inventory of a player
549 • Tool: An item which you can use to do special things with when wielding
550 • Range: How far away things can be to be pointed by an item
551 • Mining tool: A tool which allows to break blocks
552 • Craftitem: An item which is (primarily or only) used for crafting
554 Gameplay:
555 • “heart”: A single health symbol, indicates 2 HP
556 • “bubble”: A single breath symbol, indicates 1 BP
557 • HP: Hit point (equals half 1 “heart”)
558 • BP: Breath point, indicates breath when diving
559 • Mob: Computer-controlled enemy
560 • Crafting: Combining multiple items to create new ones
561 • Crafting guide: A helper which shows available crafting recipes
562 • Spawning: Appearing in the world
563 • Respawning: Appearing again in the world after death
564 • Group: Puts similar things together, often affects gameplay
565 • noclip: Allows to fly through walls
567 Interface
568 • Hotbar: Inventory slots at the bottom
569 • Statbar: Indicator made out of half-symbols, used for health and breath
570 • Minimap: The map or radar at the top right
571 • Crosshair: Seen in the middle, used to point at things
573 Online multiplayer:
574 • PvP: Player vs Player. If active, players can deal damage to each other
575 • Griefing: Destroying the buildings of other players against their will
576 • Protection: Mechanism to own areas of the world, which only allows the owners to modify blocks inside
578 Technical terms:
579 • Minetest: This game engine
580 • Minetest Game: A subgame for Minetest by the Minetest developers
581 • Subgame: A complete playing experience to be used in Minetest; such as a game or sandbox or similar
582 • Mod: A single subsystem which adds or modifies functionality; is the basic building block of subgames and can be used to further enhance or modify them
583 • Privilege: Allows a player to do something
584 • Node: Other word for “block”
585 ]=]}})
587 doc.new_entry("advanced", "settings", {
588 name="Settings",
589 data = {
590 text =
591 [=[There is a large variety of settings to configure Minetest. Pretty much every aspect can be changed that way.
593 These are a few of the most important gameplay settings:
595 • Damage enabled (enable_damage): Enables the health and breath attributes for all players. If disabled, players are immortal
596 • Creative Mode (creative_mode): Enables sandbox-style gameplay focusing on creativity rather than a challenging gameplay. The meaning depends on the subgame; usual changes are: Reduced dig times, easy access to almost all items, tools never wear off, etc.
597 • PvP (enable_pvp): Short for “Player vs Player”. If enabled, players can deal damage to each other
599 For a full list of all available settings, use the “Advanced settings” dialog in the main menu.]=]
602 doc.new_entry("advanced", "movement_modes", {
603 name = "Movement modes",
604 data = { text =
605 [=[If you have the required privileges, you can use up to three special movement modes. Using these may be considered cheating.
607 Fast mode:
608 • Description: Allows you to move much faster. Hold down the the “Use” key [E] to move faster. In the client configuration, you can further customize fast mode.
609 • Default key: [J]
610 • Required privilege: fast
612 Fly mode:
613 • Description: Gravity doesn't affect you and you can move freely in all directions. Use the jump key to rise and the sneak key to sink.
614 • Default key: [K]
615 • Required privilege: fly
617 Noclip mode:
618 • Description: Allows you to move through walls. Only works when fly mode is enabled, too.
619 • Default key: [H]
620 • Required privilege: noclip]=]
623 doc.new_entry("advanced", "console", {
624 name = "Console",
625 data = { text =
626 [=[With [F10] you can open and close the console. The main use of the console is to show the chat log and enter chat messages or server commands.
627 Using the chat or server command key also opens the console, but it is smaller and will be closed after you sent a message.
629 Use the chat to communicate with other players. This requires you to have the “shout” privilege.
630 Just type in the message and hit [Enter]. Public chat messages can not begin with “/”.
632 You can send private messages: Say “/msg <player> <message>” in chat to send “<message>” which can only be seen by <player>.
634 There are some special controls for the console:
636 • [F10] Open/close console
637 • [Enter]: Send message or command
638 • [Tab]: Try to auto-complete a partially-entered player name
639 • [Ctrl]+[Left]: Move cursor to the beginning of the previous word
640 • [Ctrl]+[Right]: Move cursor to the beginning of the next word
641 • [Ctrl]+[Backspace]: Delete previous word
642 • [Ctrl]+[Delete]: Delete next word
643 • [Ctrl]+[U]: Delete all text before the cursor
644 • [Ctrl]+[K]: Delete all text after the cursor
645 • [Page up]: Scroll up
646 • [Page down]: Scroll down
648 There is also an input history. Minetest saves your previous console inputs which you can quickly access later:
650 • [Up]: Go to previous entry in history
651 • [Down]: Go to next entry in history]=]
654 doc.new_entry("advanced", "commands", {
655 name="Server commands",
656 data = { text =
657 [=[Server commands (also called “chat commands”) are little helpers for advanced users. You don't need to use these commands when playing. But they might come in handy to perform some more technical tasks. Server commands work both in multi-player and single-player mode.
659 Server commands can be entered by players using the chat to perform a special server action. There are a few commands which can be issued by everyone, but some commands only work if you have certain privileges granted on the server. There is a small set of basic commands which are always available, other commands can be added by mods.
661 To issue a command, simply type it like a chat message or press Minetest's command key (default: [/]). All commands have to begin with “/”, for example “/mods”. The Minetest command key does the same as the chat key, except that the slash is already entered.
662 Commands may or may not give a response in the chat log, but errors will generally be shown in the chat. Try it for yourselves: Close this window and type in the “/mods” command. This will give you the list of available mods on this server.
664 “/help all” is a very important command: You get a list of all available commands on the server, a short explanation and the allowed parameters. This command is also important because the available commands often differ per server.
666 Commands are followed by zero or more parameters.
668 In the command reference, you see some placeholders which you need to replace with an actual value. Here's an explanation:
670 • Text in greater-than and lower-than signs (e.g. “<param>”): Placeholder for a parameter
671 • Anything in square brackets (e.g. “[text]”) is optional and can be omitted
672 • Pipe or slash (e.g. “text1 | text2 | text3”): Alternation. One of multiple texts must be used (e.g. “text2”)
673 • Parenthesis: (e.g. “(word1 word2) | word3”): Groups multiple words together, used for alternations
674 • Everything else is to be read as literal text
676 Here are some examples to illustrate the command syntax:
678 • /mods: No parameters. Just enter “/mods”
679 • /me <action>: 1 parameter. You have to enter “/me ” followed by any text, e.g. “/me orders pizza”
680 • /give <name> <ItemString>: Two parameters. Example: “/give Player default:apple”
681 • /help [all|privs|<cmd>]: Valid inputs are “/help”, “/help all”, “/help privs”, or “/help ” followed by a command name, like “/help time”
682 • /spawnentity <EntityName> [<X>,<Y>,<Z>]: Valid inputs include “/spawnentity boats:boat” and “/spawnentity boats:boat 0,0,0”
686 Some final remarks:
688 • For /give and /giveme, you need an itemstring. This is an internally used unique item identifier which you may find in the item help if you have the “give” or “debug” privilege
689 • For /spawnentity you need an entity name, which is another identifier]=]
692 doc.new_entry("advanced", "privs", {
693 name="Privileges",
694 data= { text =
695 [=[Each player has a set of privileges, which differs from server to server. Your privileges determine what you can and can't do. Privileges can be granted and revoked from other players by any player who has the privilege called “privs”.
697 On a multiplayer server with the default configuration, new players start with the privileges called “interact” and “shout”. The “interact” privilege is required for the most basic gameplay actions such as building, mining, using, etc. The “shout” privilege allows to chat.
699 There is a small set of core privileges which you'll find on every server, other privileges might be added by mods.
701 To view your own privileges, issue the server command “/privs”.
703 Here are a few basic privilege-related commands:
705 • /privs: Lists your privileges
706 • /privs <player>: Lists the privileges of <player>
707 • /help privs: Shows a list and description about all privileges
709 Players with the “privs” privilege can modify privileges at will:
711 • /grant <player> <privilege>: Grant <privilege> to <player>
712 • /revoke <player> <privilege>: Revoke <privilege> from <player>
714 In single-player mode, you can use “/grant singleplayer all” to unlock all abilities (which is often considered cheating).]=]
717 doc.new_entry("basics", "light", {
718 name = "Light",
719 data = { text =
720 [=[As the world is entirely block-based, so is the light in the world. Each block has its own brightness. The brightness of a block is expressed in a “light level” which ranges from 0 (total darkness) to 15 (as bright as the sun).
722 There are two types of light: Sunlight and artificial light.
724 Artificial light is emitted by luminous blocks. Artificial light has a light level from 1-14.
725 Sunlight is the brightest light and always goes perfectly straight down from the sky at each time of the day. blocks. At night, the sunlight will become moonlight instead, which still provides a small amount of light. The light level of sunlight is 15.
727 Blocks have 3 levels of transparency:
729 • Transparent: Sunlight goes through limitless, artificial light goes through with losses
730 • Semi-transparent: Sunlight and artificial light go through with losses
731 • Opaque: No light passes through
733 Artificial light will lose one level of brightness for each transparent or semi-transparent block it passes through, until only darkness remains (image 1).
734 Sunlight will preserve its brightness as long it only passes fully transparent blocks. When it passes through a semi-transparent block, it turns to artificial light. Image 2 shows the difference.
736 Note that “transparency” here only means that the block is able to carry brightness from its neighboring blocks. It is possible for a block to be transparent to light but you can't see trough the other side.]=],
737 images = {{image="doc_basics_light_torch.png"}, {image="doc_basics_light_test.png"}}
740 doc.new_entry("advanced", "coordinates", {
741 name = "Coordinates",
742 data = { text =
743 [=[The Minetest world is a large cube. And because of this, a position in the world can be easily expressed with Cartesian coordinates. That is, for each position in the world, there are 3 values X, Y and Z.
745 Like this: (5, 45, -12)
747 This refers to the position where X=5, Y=45 and Z=-12. The 3 letters are called “axes”: Y is for the height. X and Z are for the horizontal position.
749 The values for X, Y and Z work like this:
751 • If you go up, Y increases
752 • If you go down, Y decreases
753 • If you follow the sun, X increases
754 • If you go to the reverse direction, X decreases
755 • Follow the sun, then go right: Z increases
756 • Follow the sun, then go left: Z decreases
757 • The side length of a full cube is 1
759 You can view your current position in the debug screen (open with [F5]). This is considered cheating in some games.]=]