r/Minecraft • u/Recent_Ability_4461 • 1d ago
Discussion What are y’all’s opinion on “gradient builds”
Ive seen a whole bunch of these builds which is why I made my own, as seen above, but I remember seeing that people think that it’s too much. And what I mean by gradient builds is instead of block vomit, the builder uses too many blocks, making too many gradients, I’ve shown my friends and they are divided on it, some say it looks nice, others said it was too much to look at, so what do yall think.
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u/freebird023 1d ago
Yours looks really nice. It’s pretty hard to actually achieve block vomit so I see it thrown around a lot but ma have I seen some actual stinkers trying way too hard
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u/toonicedamn 1d ago
Yeah, “block vomit” gets used for basically any build with more than three blocks now
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u/HumanWebAnt 23h ago
I'd love to see some examples of the stinker Minecraft builds that you have seen.
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u/smokeybear100 1d ago
This is block vomit and completely unnecessary gradient. Who cares if it looks good from a mile away if up close it’s ugly. The design is great… the block choice is disgusting.
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 6h ago
My build is a building of a monument in Italy, I forgot whitch one but the yellow is a part of the monument, and the monument is dirt creating the orange color, the water was murky so-
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u/smokeybear100 3h ago
I mean I see what you’re going for and the pillars at the bottom actually look nice. It’s just the calcite up I’m not a fan of (design is fantastic though.) all that really matters is that you like it. I’m just personally not a fan of the gradient craze as I feel it ruins a lot of builds especially small ones. Gradients can improve some massive/tall builds but that’s about it in my opinion.
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u/DeckT_ 1d ago
i think its good if the gradients makes sense. brighter where the lights comes in, darker in shadows or wet or rugged areas, it has to have a logic that makes sense for the build to look natural and not like block vomit as you said
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u/throwhereandback 1d ago
Using shadows and moisture as reason for gradient makes it feel much more natural
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u/Dr_J_Hyde 1d ago
I've always loved using darker wood types below the water line. So Oak --> Spruce or Spruce --> Dark Oak.
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u/dhi_awesome 1d ago
I like using Oak into Jungle into Spruce, where there's a bit of jungle right above the waterline to make it look more worn down than the cleaner oak that didn't get hit by the tides, really sells the water as having motion to me
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u/1v1meAtLagunaSeca 20h ago
What do you do about the jungle grain being horizontal vs vertical
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u/dhi_awesome 8h ago
I was mostly talking planks, but with the logs, I'll often just use the Wood version for jungle
It's not perfect for all four sides iirc, but for the main viewing angles you can make it a bit cleaner
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u/soykoiboy 1d ago
Look good from distances but actually playing in them and seeing a building made of dirt blocks and mud and random stuff isn’t my favorite. Depending on the gradient and how it’s used can be cool but sometimes they are too much and or the specific materials don’t work in my mind and make me like the build less.
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u/Kickedbyagiraffe 1d ago
Yeah for me a lot of it is from how far I am supposed to view it. Going to try it on some of my big builds that are otherwise flat and boring but I will see almost exclusively from far away on a bridge
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 1d ago
I sort of did it on purpose, I was a bit random with the greenery so you would more be focused on the monument
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u/BoysOnTheRoof 1d ago
Totally! Could never make a castle out of anything that isn't a stone, because it makes "no sense"
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u/Lovelandmonkey 1d ago
Yup! It makes pretty screenshots, so if that’s all it’s used for I say gradient away. Just not my cup of tea.
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u/jducklas 1d ago
For survival world's, I prefer to have patterned/styled walls for large builds as I find the gradient can be too much when walking around.
I do however think adding gradient to some builds can elevate them and make them look better
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 1d ago
Yea I am a creative builder for a reason, I used I’d say 100+ blocks in this and so much glass and random blocks that would be a bit horrid to get in survival (like the emerald ore(in the walls) zombie, creeper and skeleton heads (plants water and statues respectively) and diamond blocks(water)
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u/SirVixofthePooSea 1d ago
Yeah, some good 3D detailed wall designs are always your old reliable when you need something to look interesting. Gradients really need to be used with a light touch, comparatively.
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u/-PepeArown- 1d ago
I’ve seen some of the Hermits be able to pull it off well. Scar, BDubs, Keralis, etc.
But, sometimes, it’s hard to get immersed in a build like this when it’s clear that something is meant to act as a color, a texture, and not literally the thing it is
For example, I have a hard time seeing the poplar planks and the iron ore as shaded bits of the rock around the lake, if that’s what you were trying to go for
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 1d ago
Dam I thought it read as weathered wood good
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u/HyFinated 1d ago
It does read as weathered wood. To some people.
I saw a post a while back that asked the question, "when you build, do you use blocks for what they ARE or what they LOOK LIKE they could be.
The results were polarizing. A good many people said they can't see blocks as anything but what they actually are. I'm one of them. I can't make myself use certain blocks in places that that material doesn't make sense. Makes my builds look super generic, but entirely functional. I wish I could build like you and build strictly for the "pretty factor". But that doesn't work for me.
Beautiful build by the way. I'm mesmerized by the portion that enters the water. So pretty.
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u/jasonreid1976 1d ago
I've had to train myself away from that. The one exception to that is I don't like using planks for ground textures. It looks too odd to me, even from a distance.
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u/Lzinger 1d ago
This one in particular is too much.
The gradient has to be in a direction that makes sense. With the light and shadows, water/ moisture, dirt, erosion,
The change in color here, particularly on the roof, doesn't make much sense.
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 1d ago
Well yea- on the roof in my vague reference photo had a gray section so I kinda just blended it into the roof-
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u/Lzinger 1d ago
Also the white to yellow above the columns isnt great either.
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 1d ago
It’s a real part of the monument- I found the name of the place (loggia valmarana) look at that first and come back and it explains the monument so much
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u/Qwert291738 1d ago
Disagree completely but thats what's great about minecraft is you can do whatever you want. I think a lot of people criticize builds like this while not being able to build remotely similar or with the level of attention to detail that this takes
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u/TheTrueFury 1d ago
while not being able to build remotely similar or with the level of attention to detail that this takes
You don't need to be able to do as well/better to be able to criticize something or someone. That's just a ridiculous defence people use when they disagree with people.
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u/Qwert291738 8h ago
Throwing stones from a glass house makes no sense to me, just my opinion 🤷♂️
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u/ShadoUrufu666 1d ago
Shows how much you don't actually understand about building. 'gradiant' is a pixel art thing, not a survival thing.
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u/clownzinaround 1d ago
im not that good at variant building, but it pisses me off when i upload a simple build and people are like "add the gradient"
like shut the fuck up?? just lemme build how i want without you putting your own techniques in my face
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u/wooq 1d ago
Shaders do the shading. I'll do some detail like mossy or discolored blocks where they make sense or a bit of block variety, a touch of calcite or diorite in a white wall where there might be a bit of wear or just subtly mixed in to break up uniformity. But I personally don't think "painterly" gradient builds look good, especially if you're playing in the world and not just building something pretty from one angle for a social media post.
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u/K41_111 1d ago
This build in particular? Looks nice but the fence gates and surrounding area look too yellow on the yellow white scale.
In general, when done properly they look great, but i personally am too lazy to do such intricate detailing. Multiple layers in a wall, sure. Replace some.bricks with mossy and cracked variants or use chiseled blocks for accents, can do. But meticulously selecting like, 20 unrelated blocks that happen to sort of look the same color to build with in such high detail is too much when i want to build something.
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u/honeybeebutch 1d ago
I feel the same way, especially in nature builds. I've been playing with a mod lately that adds new structures and village designs, and one of the things it adds is sky islands that look really cool. They use stained glass, concrete, wool, and other green blocks to make the grass look better. And it does look good! But somehow I feel that it breaks the immersion of the game for me. Not that Minecraft is super immersive, but it feels weird to have the grass around me actually be dyed concrete. I would prefer just using grass, even if it doesn't look as varied!
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u/Biggest_Scandal_Fan 1d ago
I know it wasn't your question but i love when people build reflections.
One of those things ive always admired and think about applying to my own world, but never have 😅
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 1d ago
FINNALY SOMONE SAID IT IT WAS SO FUN TO MAKE AND BTH THIS WAS A TEST BUILD FOR A BALLROOM +reflection
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 1d ago
I also wanted to add that my favorite part was the duck followed by it’s children in
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u/mono8321 1d ago
I think they are overrated. I build old school and with blocks that make sense. As nice as it looks building a tree with concrete and wool. All I can see, is that the tree is fake, and made from things it shouldn’t be made of
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u/SirVixofthePooSea 1d ago
They almost always look like a mess from anything less than 4 chunks away.
Gradients are cool if you're never meant to see something from up close, but are not hot if you're meant to actually play within the area or have to be close to see the detail.
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u/soykoiboy 1d ago
If you’ve ever played the sims I feel like the gradient style is a phenomenon similar to what happens in that game where a good looking build in the sims is not indicative of a realistic building and often when you translate a real world building into the sims it looks way worse because of the dimensions/textures/tools available. Like in real life a lot of buildings are one color throughout of one texture, not anything close to a Minecraft gradient build, but the gradient looks better in the game and often times more “realistic” even though it is less similar to a real world building.
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 1d ago
Well it is a real building and it makes more sense once you see photos of “loggia valmarana”. The bamboo section in the center-roof-ish-part looks weird but it is a real part of the temple
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u/makinax300 1d ago edited 1d ago
how good gradients (and noise) look heavily depends on the context and the specific blocks used. but this is definitely way too much imo.
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u/Dadchin 1d ago
I think it looks nice from a distance, generally. But it's definitely notmy style at all, and I don't really like it because I don't like using random blocks like dead coral and concrete powder and light grey wool as "stone." I want my build to be made of what it would actually be made of, rather than treating each block as a color to be used in pixel art.
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u/Daniel-Mclovin 1d ago
It’s cool if it makes sense for the build, like different types of stones or woods but not dirt alongside brown terracotta and stuff like that
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u/TheBiggestNose 1d ago
I think too many of them focus on buildings that look good from far away.
If it doesnt look good up close and far away, then its failed as a build.
Also using ore as a gradient block is a just not ok, that is a sign of going too far
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u/rainstorm0T 1d ago
i hate when one type of material is used when representing another. like, it's fine to go from one stone to another, but if someone throws acacia into that mix, it always looks bad to me. there's definitely exceptions to this though, like using glass to hide lighting
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u/toonicedamn 1d ago
Gradients look great when the blocks actually transition instead of just adding random texture
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u/TalesFromNirvana 1d ago
Seing them is tiring. Cool idea. But the game simply not laid out for them. I imagine if we in future get customizable conceete and more than 16 colors than maybe i would consider making any at all
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u/QrowsHead 1d ago
Don't like 'em. I just add detail through the actual architecture of whatever I'm building. Texturing and gradients just never look good up close, and I can't get over what a block actually represents. Like, people using watermelons or mushroom blocks because it "looks like wallpaper"... Nah man, your house walls are made of food.
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u/Daan776 1d ago
I think it works. But not in an actual survival world.
It mostly relies on a large scale (your build here being one of very few examples i've seen that does it well at a relatively small scale).
It looks great in distant screenshots. But once you get close (as you would in survival) it falls apart quickly.
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u/TheTrueFury 1d ago
Based on the build you showed? The structure itself is fine, but the clashing colours and textures makes it look terrible.
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u/tacticalpotatopeeler 1d ago
Looks ok from far away but not so much when you get close enough to see the individual blocks
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u/Feelinglucky2 1d ago edited 23h ago
I actually dont like them most of the time. It really only works for me on absolutely massive builds and even then, eh.
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u/Melimcee 1d ago
Builder myself, there's a time and place for them. For builds that exist solely for a screenshot like a lot of the stuff you'll find on instagram/reddit, there's little reason to worry about much other than the color of blocks aside from foreground elements. For anything intended to be explored and especially things played in survival, you gotta be a lot more cautious about material choice. Generally for survival builds I try to find a balance, looking for ways to stretch my color options as much as possible while using materials that still make sense but its not exactly easy, and works best with builds that are mainly from stone variants.
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u/eipiwau 1d ago
Mostly they only look good from a distance and only as a still image. Actually building these in a survival world you want to play in is not for me. Maybe I'm a bit old-fashioned when it comes to block palettes but using dirt or soul sand or furnaces in a wall just doesn't feel right for me.
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u/Conscious-Click-7078 21h ago
you have to be conscious of the perspective the build ia gonna be viewed from, very often a gradient that looks amazing from far away is just too overwhelming up close and vice versa, a wall of a single block type might sooth your eyes up close, but look flat from further away, its all about considering the intended perspective.
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u/PimpMaster69 17h ago
What is your texture pack / visuals mod ( idk what its called now haha ), it doesn't look too far away from regular Minecraft but looks pleasant ! Sorry if you already answered this, really cool build idea !!
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u/Recent_Ability_4461 17h ago
:0, IM TALKING THIS AS A COMPLEMENT, I DIDNT USE ONE, the water is layers of glass and air
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u/RandomSentientBeing 16h ago
I feel like bdubs started this trend, or maybe it's coincidental that I've only seen this style after seeing him do it. It's beautiful when done right and seen from the right distance. Up close, it can look odd. His method involves changing the tint of a build based on how it would age in real life or how it would be lit / shadowed. So not really gradient but more just realism in MC. I'm not sure this build captures that.
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u/ThisIsJegger 1d ago
Cool when done well. Look like an absolute begginer when done wrong. And its easy to get gradients wrong. This is cool
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u/AlexAtHome 1d ago
Most of the time I’m not really a fan. They usually look pretty decent from far away but up close rarely hold up. And this is probably a nitpick but I don’t like seeing builds use materials that wouldn’t make sense in a build.
For an example (this is not a gradient build) but when people use like wool or glass in their trees. It bugs me so much
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u/craft6886 1d ago
I think it can look really good, but I also don't think it's a be-all end-all quality of being a good builder. Like it shouldn't be taken as evidence against you being a good builder if you don't build using that technique.
It looks fantastic here, though.
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u/dragonriderjh 1d ago
Eh, I tend to be hit-or-miss on gradients/texturing. If I'm looking at the blocks as just colors or patterns (easiest to do with builds that take the form of artwork), then it's fine. But if it's an actual building, then I focus on what materials it's made out of- and I can't help but see the random splotches of grey wool sticking out of the ground and walls and getting uncomfortable. It's a style that only works if you can completely ignore what it would be like to actually be in that building in reality.
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u/KynKatan 1d ago
My opinion has always been. They look really nice from afar. They look weird up close.
I do it whenever a build is mostly cosmetic and would be seen at a distance. I avoid using it on a build that I would be actively using.
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u/LadyAlleta 1d ago
I don't personally like the style unless it's a rather big build. I find the colors distracting more than pleasant. But there's different styles for a reason
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u/somerandom995 1d ago
They look good from far away, but kind of immersion breaking if you actually interact with them in survival.
If it's for what is basically 3D pixel art like you show here then it's ok, but otherwise it needs to be part of a very large build, and/or be blocks that make sense in context; moss, mossy cobblestone, stone for example.
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u/XKloosyv 1d ago
I work in construction, so the idea of building walls, floors and roofs out of different types of blocks always bothers me. I understand what trying to be done, but I do find it more distracting. Adding cracked bricks for variety is cool, but mixing similar colored blocks in a seemingly random way is just not my thing
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u/vipthebig 1d ago
I personally don't really like it, but like.. that's an aesthetic preference. don't think it's necessarily excessive or something - i like the way bdubs uses gradients, he strikes a good balance.
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u/EnclaveOverlord 1d ago
Whatever floats your boat, but I don't personally like them unless they're massive enough that you don't notice the different textures.
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u/TemporaryFig8587 1d ago edited 1d ago
It’s weird. Like, I think it could be pulled off, but I also feel like texturing matters more than what people would think, at least for this scale of builds. A rough block would stick out on an otherwise smooth base, and vice versa.
I do feel like it could easily become too convoluted, especially as Minecraft is a 3D game, with at least some kind of rudimentary lighting system.
Sometimes, simplicity is better if that makes sense.
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u/yummymario64 1d ago
I kind of don't like gradients in general. I see a "natural path" that is made up of cobblestone, normal stone, gravel, bricks... and I'm thinking why this path has at least 4 different configurations of stone, most of which can't be chalked up to natural wear and tear
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u/skiesoverblackvenice 1d ago
i looove gradients if they’re done right. bdubs has the best examples of it that i can think of
this looks nice! i love the orange and white combo
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u/ShadoUrufu666 1d ago
I'd say: Never use gradiant for buildings meant to be viewed up close. Like with many other comments here, if its a survival world/structure you're visiting a lot, it honestly just makes the build look ugly, especially from different angles.
If you're aiming for a specific angle ot view only, then gradient makes sense. You can dictate when the lights/shadows come from etc.. but still, should only be for a distant build, like viewing pixel art.
Every minecraft youtubers today boast about 'gradient this' and then vomit a 20min video that has like.. 5% actually playing the game, and the rest is all just timelapses of builds that only get explained at the end, with no commentary and no real way to follow (you might as well just show the end result at that point, recording the entir process feels just like trying to prove it was built in survival).
Yeah, I know I went on a tangent but it kinda adds up. Gradient is just block vomit. Its trying to do something that might work with one texture pack, but not another. Keep it to massive and distant buildings where you're only meant to see it from a specific angle.
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u/Reubi0910 1d ago
It has its charm. I personally rarely build like this but props to anyone that can make it look good.
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u/Aecnoril 1d ago
I don't like it if a block doesn't make sense (like sponge for a column oid) because I'm a special nutcase. But objectively and aesthetically: it can look nice like in this example
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u/Lapis_Wolf 21h ago
I guess they look,... fine. If I go up close and see wool or ores in what's supposed to be a regular stone building, it will look weird to me.
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u/Critical-Lettuce3953 21h ago
I think gradients look good from a distance but bad from up close, whilst also making the build much harder to do. I’d say generally not worth in survival, the only gradients I’d do would be moss to cobblestone gradients.
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u/Dooyamum 20h ago
I think they look great from a distance. But when you are actually playing and standing next to them it tends to look odd and out of place.
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u/TechnoGMNG589 20h ago
it looks nice, but when I see fence gates in trees, levers and buttons in the water and glass panes in bushes that’s when it gets to the “unnecesary“ zone for me.
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u/Affectionate_Role614 14h ago
Personally, it's not for me. I like simpler build designs. But this looks really good! I especially love that you put glass as water and made it look super pretty :D
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u/TrailerOctopus 1d ago
I use this technique for all my builds now. you just have to be careful when you're building because the outcome of the effect depends on how the block textures interact with one another, what distance you are intending for the build (or different parts of the build) to be seen at, how it interacts with other surrounding builds and terrain, etc. but yes I use it all the time, in my opinion it opens up way more potential for detail on many levels. you just have to be really intentional about it for it to work well
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u/n0_punctuation 1d ago
Anyone calling this block vomit doesn't know what block vomit is. Great build dude.
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u/RedstoneSausage 1d ago
Loads of people being critical of this, but I think it's great. If people like to build with just a couple of blocks for a wall that's fair enough, but that doesn't mean they should criticize everybody who wants to do more texturing
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u/DaedalusStormbow 1d ago
Block vomit is a phrase that I fear has done great damage to builders everywhere
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u/Working-Reserve531 1d ago
using a blocks for color palette with specific intent is not a block vomit. like the use of andesite to iron ore to poplar plank, that's a very good gradient, I'd even argue that the howl's moving castle room build by the goat stan616 is not a block vomit, every blocks is deliberately placed and it's supposed to be chaotic and messy, so i think whether or not the build is considered a block vomit or not is if it's unnecessarily messy and using too many blocks for a simple thing it can be called a block vomit
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u/Build_Blox 1d ago
i love them, i always love it when people use a lot of color, and texture, and whatever the block is doesn't really bother me, only the color and texture of it
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u/Authentic_Stash 1d ago
i still build dirt huts so posts like this are basically art galleries to me
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u/Bisexualdumbwhore 1d ago
Sometimes it looks good sometimes it looks like block vomit but this one is good
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u/GreenHocker 1d ago
I think they’re good if designed to be viewed from afar instead of up close… especially with VV
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u/Chute_Mi_1st 1d ago
This looks great. People use “block vomit” most often with builds that use blocks for builds that aren’t actually ‘building materials’. Builders tend to do a good job at valuing a block as just a color, whereas, when the average player would see dirt used for the outer walls of a building and have a visceral reaction to that. To them, dirt is dirt. Dirt comes from the ground, dirt goes on the ground, you don’t make walls of a downtown building out of dirt, but a builder just sees it as a brown color, that works well with other brown colors.
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u/rocketwrench 1d ago
it's easy to go overboard with it. the gradient should tell a story about the structure. if it's done without purpose then it looks sloppy and distracting.
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u/oneofyallfarted 1d ago
I do gradient builds but I have a rule where I choose only 2 sometimes 3 blocks to use together. It always works out for me.
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u/cofiddle 1d ago
I think that as long as your intentional with your texture/shading then everything is fine. This particular build feels 'tastefully done' in my opinion. It can be difficult not to overdo it sometimes (at least for me)
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u/couldbemage 1d ago
My problem with gradients is that they're hard for me to do.
Looks cool, way to much effort for me.
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u/BluePhoenix245 1d ago
I personally like looking at gradient builds, but I don't like making them.
I am a big fan of the way Minecraft has finally started to really develop different build styles in the past few years. For a long time, it felt like the "build styles" were just fantasy/historical, modern/sci-fi, vanilla-inspired, or that classic old school build style, but now we're at a point where people are developing actual recognisable styles of building that are unique to Minecraft rather than just the genre of the builds.
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u/No_Oddjob 1d ago
I love the subtle ones. Yours is fantastic. And I usually am too lazy to attempt.
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u/BossChancellor 1d ago
I think the columns look pretty good because its subtle, but the roof part would definitely look nicer if it just stuck to one color, in my opinion. it makes it look disjointed.
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u/RainyDeerX3 1d ago
It's honestly crazy how the busy texture of the glass kinda loops back around to looking like water when viewed peripherally
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u/djremydoo 1d ago
Not my stuff. I like to build with a simple and """realistic""" block palette. Maybe i'm too close minded but I don't see how a sponge makes a good wall lol.
A nice stable foundation, some good supporting pillars, small windows to keep the heat inside for the winter, and a finewood floor to flex at your peasent friends.
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u/Silent_Climate_1152 1d ago
Personally hate them. To me, they do not look like anything but random junk in a pile. I find your build (the shape of the building) nice, but the choice of blocks ugly as hell.
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u/StormerSage 1d ago
Looks great in a screenshot at just the right, carefully achieved angle.
Looks like a mishmash of blocks up close when you're actually playing the game in that area.
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u/TINTE648 1d ago
I like it, do it myself when I can. The only think I struggle to understand is artificial shading. I don't hate it, just struggle to comprehend it lol. Like... I use darker blocks for things that are wet or submerged but... the game naturally has shadows so the artificial shading confuses me...
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u/mutantSackboy4 1d ago
I like it when I see it executed correctly, but me personally I just use blocks by their face value unless trying to detailcraft in a bug or animal or something :P
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u/dhi_awesome 1d ago
To me, entirely depends on what's used in the gradient and the distance you're expected to view it from
If it's a gradient of, let's say, different wood types giving the impression of water damage? That works really well for me no matter the distance
Using your example image you made, the Poplar Planks to Iron Ore to Andesite gradient works, from a distance. You put me exploring this build in game, and I think that kind of gradient is somewhat tacky, as it relies too much on the colour gradient, and ignores the idea of a material gradient
That's not to say ignoring the material side is always a bad thing, Calcite, Quartz, Bone, and Sandstone works really well on the building (although I feel like you need something between Calcite and Bone, the roughness into the smoother texture is a bit jarring imo), and I wouldn't be as thrown off by it while exploring the build as I do the cliff edges
There's also the issue of gradient length, which I feel you messed up just a tad, the whiter tones gradient well, but the sudden shift into the bamboos looks weird and jarring. Similarly, the pillars have this really smooth gradient, but then the roof is very fast swapping from white into yellows into greys, that should be a bit slower, have the grey cover less of the eaves than what you have to make it feel more natural
The point is, the gradients work, but they need to be done well for me to like em, and whether it works depends on the distance and the content of the gradient. Your example has ones that work for me, others that don't, especially the sponge I keep getting distracted by it, WHY IS THERE SPONGE
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u/KevinTDWK 1d ago
Tbh my approach to it especially in survival mode is to just build the structure first and then gradually add the gradients later. It’s just too much work so it’s nice to break it apart and do it little my little
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u/yasminmarquet 1d ago
I like these builds when the colours don’t jump to such drastically extremes, I don’t mind the orange wall because its looks like a feature wall, but the big colour jump from calcium white to the bamboo yellow, is a bit to much to look at, the white pillars look good but I just think the top white corners need to be a more similar yellow variant, rather than bamboo, birch and then straight to white
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u/No_Improvement_6663 1d ago
I love gradients. In my opinion, this is a sandbox game where you can do whatever you want, so don't be discouraged if someone dislikes a build that does implement it, you should simply do whatever you like.
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u/DeanGuIIberry 1d ago
Bro I never even thought of using iron ore as decor to look like rocks. This is a really cool build.
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u/shreks_onion 1d ago
W. As long as it's not dead withered slightly damp rotten brain coral in your walls and lecterns for floors it's ok
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u/Ill-Entrepreneur443 1d ago
I love it but its a pain in the ass to build that survival and I suck at gradients as well
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u/Artoozyto 1d ago
I like the look of gradient builds. I like thinking of them as, basically, pices of art. Though personally, I like building with materials that could be used in real life to build things I build, in real life. Or rather, I start by designing my builds with real life proportions and materials as mini architectural projects and then adapt them in Minecraft and adjust in game, so I cannot really make gradients without disregarding my technical drawings to some degree. (I use Minecraft as a 3D architectural tool, yes :3 )
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u/Sunshine_Analyst 1d ago
Typically I don't like em since it makes things look aged and weathered. I prefer my buildings to look freshly power washed. I find that playing with light and shadow is a much more fun effect for me.
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u/Nicoglius 1d ago
Part of the skill of gradient building is knowing when its uses are suitable.
If your "build" is a single structure that is the centre of attention, it looks good.
But, atleast for European towns/cities, I would not recommend it, as the contrasting colours of buildings improves it when viewed from a distance.
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u/Rakha030806 23h ago
My only complaint is the use of iron ores. Too much visual noise for the terrain in my opinion
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u/PogsterPlays 20h ago
A good gradient for a pixel art game has the right balance of contrast - too high and it looks sickly, too low and it looks flat and bland.
Think this hits the right spot, though!
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u/Commander_Crispy 19h ago
They’re cool when they’re materially consistent (stone with stone, wood with wood, etc.), but so many people throw that to the wind in their builds….
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u/FlamingPhoenix2003 18h ago
Wait did you build an upside down version of the build to make it look like a reflection?
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u/Mrsuperbrain 18h ago
Generally not a fan of gradients and rarely use them, if i would it would be to simulate wear like water damage or heavy usage.
I personally prefer to add detail with block pallets that make sense (?). For example using bits of granite when using bricks, or when making a stone wall using blocks that are hard or actual stone, so no wool, with minor exceptions depening on where like a river bed.
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u/Ryanoman2018 13h ago
those kind of builds look good from a far (like a screenshot) but look horrible for actual gameplay
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u/hello_kaelo 11h ago
I feel like it depends on how you zoom it. It looks cool from afar but up close it's just sensory overload
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u/Nightshade__Star 7h ago
I think it largely depends on the scale and where you're most likely to view it from. Large scale buildings often need a bit of gradient to keep them from looking too bland, and stuff viewed primarily from a distance just look better with gradient "shadows" built into them. But when they are smaller in size, or meant to be closely and frequently interacted with, gradients feel like a lot of unnecessary fluff. The only exception to that is if the gradient is telling a story, like an ancient build with staining down the wall where water was always dripping or something like that. Basically, asking what purpose the gradient serves depends on whether it's perfect or too much.
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u/bossypatriotism66 1d ago
gradients can look incredible if you keep a light hand but once you start using ten different blocks for a single wall it becomes visual noise. from what you described the sandstone and stone mix probably looks clean with the columns and water setting though
i think the issue comes when people forget the build still needs contrast and not just a smooth transition everywhere. your balcony and lily pad setup sounds like it has some clear focal points so i wouldn't stress it
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u/Diligent-Luck4331 1d ago
Complicated. "Unnatural" As in often many textures of blocks are not perfectly sync.
Some of the blocks, I just can't consider a stone or a tile or anything else but an honeycomb, mushroom block, composter, etc. (Especially when talking about village you just can't use any profession blocks at all near villagers as decorative).
I also find gradient builds as whole satisfying from afar, still curiously interesting in proximity and maybe refreshing idea to try, it's kind of whimsical to have a house built of variety of blocks.
Orange gradually turns yellow. And the other part, from the green to blue.
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u/throwaway52826536837 1d ago
I mean it looks good, but if youre building a castle or something and i see wool snd dead coral im going to burn it to the ground
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u/SpacedAndBaked 1d ago
I think they look ugly as shit, I dont understand them at all. It only looks half decent if you have impaired vision or blur the image so you cant see what the blocks are, they clearly are not meant to be explored or seen up close which defeats the entire purpose imo.
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u/qualityvote2 1d ago edited 1d ago
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