Portal Power

Do you need to get somewhere far impossibly fast? Perhaps you’re going on vacation, or need to get out of the country before the feds find you. Whatever your reason (we promise not to judge) don’t waste your time on plane tickets or gassing up the getaway vehicle. Get gone fast by taking Necrosys’s intergalactic Gateway: BW24hrBb.

Wait, BW24hrBb? Sounds like a bit of a mouthful. Actually it doesn’t sound like anything. When I try to pronounce it, I just end up making a bunch of random noises and getting weird looks on the bus. But there’s actually a very elegant reason why Necrosys chose the name for his hypergalactic gateway project.

“Gateway was built as part of a team building battle which took place over 24 hours,” he explains to me. “There were five completed entries from five members of the team I am a part of, Blockworks, and this Gateway entry was my entry.”

Get it? BlockWorks 24hour Build Battle.

So Necrosys built this massive stargate for a friendly competition with his build teammates, and all in 24 hours! Maybe even less than that:

“In the end it probably took me 12 hours overall, as I didn't want to ruin my sleeping schedule. If I had more time, I would have made a giant mothership with a few smaller ships flying into the gateway.”

Makes sense. I don't want to risk using an intergalactic portal built by someone who slept through the 'DON'T FORGET TO BUILD THIS BIT OR IT'LL SEND THEM TO A DIMENSION MADE OF SPIDERS AND STUBBED TOES' seminar.

“Since Blockworks has a fairly large fanbase, the competition was purely for the community to come and support us and perhaps learn a few tips and tricks from us,” explains Necrosys. Not tips on how to evade a planetwide manhunt, unfortunately, but simpler tips – tips more handy for improving your Minecraft skills!

“Since what we do is fairly large, we use different methods to what most creative builders use.” Necrosys wants his Gateway to show new and learning builders how to think outside the block.

“Most builders start with maybe a small wall and then expand from there. I tend to create outlines and geometric shapes of what we want to create, in large form, then start filling in the gaps. That way, I’m not starting small and therefore limiting the potential of what I could create. Others can see how I detail everything and the way I place blocks to visually create something beautiful.”

And looking at these pictures, it's hard to disagree.

“One of the things I really like is the sheer overwhelming atmosphere of the build. When you walk (or fly) into the dodecahedral gateway, all the lights and details pop in many ways and it's a great sight from wherever you are. It's also a creation that looks better in-game than in renders, which is what I aimed to create. The only struggle I had was deforming each piece without accidentally crashing the entire server network.”

Or the planet. Can you imagine how much power it’d take to run a thing that huge? Fortunately, Necrosys didn’t need to steal any uranium to make his project work. Having the support of the community and his build team was power enough.

“Working on a build team is incredible. Surrounded by many other individuals from every corner of the world who share a same passion as you is pretty awesome. I've been lucky enough to meet a few of them in person too! Working in a build team has helped me learn to consider other creators’ opinions and ideas in building and has taught me a few things just by examining what they do.”

Necrosys hasn’t figured out who’s won the competition yet, but if you’re interested in seeing the other entries for this Build Battle, check them out on Blockworks public server The Builder’s Refuge. But first, could you rescue me from this spider/stubbed toe dimension? P-please?

Renders by Splekh, Kryiie, and Antrelial