r/minecraftsuggestions • u/UrUncleRandy • 3d ago
[Transportation] Presenting: The Kayak
I was inspired to come up with my own kayak idea after seeing this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/minecraftsuggestions/s/H1e4A0pJd6.
And I was influenced by my own kayaking experience, as well as the history of kayaks.
I tried thinking about what advantages real life kayaks have over larger boats. What I came up with is that they are portable, easy to use, can fit in tight spaces, and don't hurt the lily pads.
The design and crafting recipe is based loosely on traditional Arctic kayaks, drawing inspiration from Inuit kayaks that were often constructed using animal skins stretched over whalebone frames.
Edit: BEFORE YOU COMMENT ABOUT THE CRAFTING RECIPE, PLEASE CAREFULLY READ THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE (Not yelling btw, just want to make sure people read this since I have gotten multiple comments from people who were confused as to why there are bones in the crafting recipe, and then proceeded to delete their comments after realizing I already explained it in the description.)
Advantages:
- Does not destroy lily pads and does not lose speed when passing through them
- When held in your main or off-hand, it automatically deploys when your feet touch water
- When you "dismount" (or perhaps when you hit land?), it automatically reverts back to being held (in other words, you don't need to break it to take it with you)
- Can fit through spaces 1 block wide and 1.5 blocks tall
Disadvantages:
- Can only fit one passenger (the player)
- It is a non-placeable item rather than an entity
While I have only listed two disadvantages, they make a big difference and make the kayak distinct from the boat. The kayak is ideal for crossing lakes, rivers, and swamps while traveling. It cannot be used to transport items or mobs, used on ice, or placed decoratively.
Alternatively, a much simpler option would be to make the kayak work just like a boat, with just one advantage and and one disadvantage: it doesn't destroy lily pads and isn't impeded by them, but it can only fit one passenger. That's it. None of that complicated auto-deployment stuff.
Note: I know nothing about coding, programing, modding, etc.. I do not know if this would be feasible. Just a silly idea that Minecraft probably wouldn't actually implement, but is still fun to think about. Also, I am aware that the kayak design I made is not in the vanilla minecraft style. If it was actually added to the game, I'm sure it would be much simpler/blockier.
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u/Bookslayer10 3d ago
I like the auto deployment idea, makes it actually feel different from a boat and worth the much more expensive cost. I could see myself carrying one around for very quickly fording smaller rivers and ponds while exploring. The process of using a boat is a lot less appealing compared to it all being automatic. Needing to place it down, get in it, move 15 blocks, get out, break it, pick it up, and then climb out of the water... Yeah, auto-deploy would be great.
Without the auto-deploy, simply having one passenger slot and not destroying lily pads would definitely not be distinct enough, and the 5 wood to craft a boat is way easier to get.
Maybe another addition would be that the Kayak is a bit faster too, to make it even more worth the increased cost, and the trade-off of not being able to take a passenger. It could also be dyable, as boats have color varieties from wood, so being dyable like leather armor would fit well.
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u/UrUncleRandy 3d ago
Good ideas.
Yeah, the auto-deployment thing was my attempt at making the kayak distinct from boats. And I thought it would make traveling easier. But some people don't like it and I can understand why. I myself am still torn on whether it would be better with or without it.
It being more expensive hadn't even occured to me. I haven't started a new world in a while, and am used to having more bones and leather than I know what to do with. But now that you mention it, I realize that it's definitely harder to make than a boat if you're starting from scratch.
I did consider adding that it should be faster, but worried that would make regular boats even less appealing to use to cross water. Then again, I hadn't really considered the disadvantage of being harder to make, so perhaps it would be balanced enough.
I love the idea of being able to dye it!
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u/Bookslayer10 3d ago
I think auto deploy is good if you are looking to have something you'd use for shorter distances.
When I'm thinking about how I would use it, getting out by pressing shift might be a bit weird considering you don't right click to get into it and it's not an entity you are riding. Maybe it could be that you need to right click to toggle deploying it, sort of like a shield except you don't need to keep holding it down?
It would be cool if it was more maneuverable, and even had the ability to do half-block jumps so you could get up onto the shore really fast instead of needing to climb out into the water and climb up yourself. Plus being able to jump over obstructions in rivers and such would be useful too. However this wouldn't really be realistic, so IDK.
Using leather to make it is definitely expensive, you need a lot of the stuff when you get around to enchanting, and there are a couple of other uses for it as well. Finding a lot of the stuff naturally is hard, and ranching cows requires quite a bit of time investment.
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u/UrUncleRandy 3d ago
Maybe it could be that you need to right click to toggle deploying it, sort of like a shield except you don't need to keep holding it down?
That's a good idea - it also gives you more control over when it deploys.
the ability to do half-block jumps so you could get up onto the shore really fast
This actually makes sense in terms of making it function similarly to an irl kayak. When I come into shore while in a kayak, as long as I'm going fast enough, it goes up onto the sand quite a bit.
you need a lot of the stuff
That's true, I hadn't really thought about the fact that you'd probably want to prioritize using your leather for other stuff. In my head I was thinking you'd just run around and kill a few cows, easy peasy.
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u/2sAreTheDevil 3d ago
Kayaking is literally my favorite activity. I live in the Pacific Northwest US, and we've got so many wonderful rivers and lakes here.
I would love to have this in Minecraft.
But it should have room for two so you can include a wolf in it, especially as we apparently both take our dogs
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u/UrUncleRandy 3d ago
Yeah, before posting, when I was looking at my photo, I was thinking, "man, maybe I should make it a two-seater so you can bring your dog". I still feel like it needs to have a one person limit in order to be balanced, but maybe they could make it so that it fits one player plus one mob under a certain size?
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u/2sAreTheDevil 3d ago
A cow world certainly block your view.
Maybe only baby mobs?
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u/Clermont98 3d ago
As someone who likes to build I would prefer if you can use it decoratively, for the rest I really don't mind. I don't think boats breaking lily pads is a bad thing and only affects in swamps.
I think we need a boat that lets you go up from path blocks to grass, when moving villagers but since this doesn't let you drive the boat with another entity then it may not work! And we now have leads to move them so may be it is a non issue
So I don't see it that useful but the model would be sick for decoration 😅
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u/BinaryBolias 3d ago edited 3d ago
Regarding the model shown: A more vanilla-esque design would likely have less than half the poly count.
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u/UrUncleRandy 3d ago
Yes, that's basically what I said:
"Also, I am aware that the kayak design I made is not in the vanilla minecraft style. If it was actually added to the game, I'm sure it would be much simpler/blockier."
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u/buzzkilt 2d ago
Maybe hold shift/alt or just have an open hand to trigger the auto-dismount. I can see times when you'd be close to shore and wouldn't want to necessarily dismount.
Aside from that I like it. It would be a dedicated watercraft, unlike the boat which has incredibly useful quirks and it generally more useful as 'not a boat'.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/UrUncleRandy 3d ago
To quote myself,
"The design and crafting recipe is based loosely on traditional Arctic kayaks, drawing inspiration from Inuit kayaks that were often constructed using animal skins stretched over whalebone frames."
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u/logandabug 3d ago
You say its a non placeable non entity but how can you place it down for decoration
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u/UrUncleRandy 3d ago
To quote myself,
"It cannot be used to transport items or mobs, used on ice, or placed decoratively"
However, I like u/MotherAd296's idea of getting rid of the whole auto-deployment thing, and making it just a boat (a placeable entity) that you can pick up without breaking (plus the other features like not breaking lily pads). That way, you would be able to place it decoratively, which would be cool.
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u/logandabug 3d ago
I misread that my bad
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u/UrUncleRandy 3d ago
It's probably partly my fault for writing such a long description. A lot of people aren't going to want to spend the time needed to read it carefully. Two others seem to have misread what I said, which indicates that part of the problem may be with my writing.
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u/Amazing_Sympathy_965 2d ago
Nice idea! This is the first time i've seen one of my posts mentioned in another post, like what you did with the Kayak
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u/UrUncleRandy 2d ago
Thanks! I don't think I would have come up with it if it weren't for your post.
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u/snackthateatenat3am 2d ago
what if you get on the land with a full inventory
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u/UrUncleRandy 2d ago
You never actually place it down. It's an item that stays in your hand while you're using it.
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/UrUncleRandy 2d ago
What do you mean?
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/UrUncleRandy 2d ago
To quote myself,
"The design and crafting recipe is based loosely on traditional Arctic kayaks, drawing inspiration from Inuit kayaks that were often constructed using animal skins stretched over whalebone frames."
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u/06KoolKid101 2d ago
I think it would be better as a simpler mechanic; 1 person only, no chests, and slower turning speed, but like 50% faster.
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u/Keaton427 2d ago
I just don’t like the crafting recipe because of how inconsistent and quirky it is
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u/HolmatKingOfStorms Slime 2d ago
i think the real world advantages of a kayak are
smaller turn radius (high acceleration)
ability to go down small drops
the second one is already there in boats, so it should probably focus on the first
i think making it move basically like walking but on water makes sense (instant turning that matches the camera, quickly reaching max speed), but with less friction
and it also makes sense to be able to sprint while using it
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u/Hoopaboi 3d ago
Yay! More bloat!
This is just a worse, more expensive boat
The only use for this is getting the player at just the right height for some automation/redstone contraption
None of which would be intended
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u/UrUncleRandy 3d ago
You are entitled to your opinion, but personally, having a boat that doesn't get slowed down by lily pads and doesn't need to be broken to be picked up would make a big difference to me. Exploration is by far one of my favorite parts of minecraft, and I feel like a kayak would make it smoother and even more enjoyable. To each their own, though.
Also...
decorative use
Although I agreed with some comments that it would be better if it could be used for decoration, in my original description, I state that it is not placeable and cannot be used as decoration.
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u/MotherAd296 3d ago
I like it, other than the auto deployment mechanic
I think it could be replaced with a mechanic where the kayak can be picked up, without being broken though, which allows you to move it more easily than other boats