i believe notch actually said that the maximum map size generated is only limited to your computer's hard drive space so whoever came up with that it can only get to 8x earth's surface must have only had that much storage room on their computer (not that that's small in any way, shape, or form :P)
It's constrained to a 32 bit integer on each axis, so 2^32x2^32. Each block is 1 meter. This works out to 4,294,967,296 m^2. That's where that figure related to the size of the earth comes from.
im not that good with numbers il admit that, all i know is notch said on his twitter that the world is only limited by your computer's hard drive space
You'd never be able to store a world constrained by 2^64 blocks on any hard drive you'll find in a home computer, that's why. It's the first limit that you'll hit. Your map would hit the couple-'o'-terabyte marker way before you hit the actual limitations.
The world doesn't need to be much larger than it currently is, unless we take in a lot more people on the server.
On another note, thal, could I trouble you in acquiring a large stockpile of TnT. I got a cave i need blown apart, but not just one big boom, a series of smaller, yet big booms, and sulfur is hard to come by.
Edit_2:
A somewhat arbitrary height scale:
Using Mt. Everest as the highest elevation (Mt. Everest = 8,848m) and a scale from sea level to 60 meters, 1 block elevation would represent 147.47m.
Edit_3:
Using that same scale (0.00678119349) the earth's surface area would only be 34,588,969.3km^2.
That makes generating regions of the earth Much more doable.
Edit_4:
Using that conversion factor:
Earth ~=~ 38GB*
North America= 1.841GB
*That number is Not accurate since I just used 1,000 MB per GB.
Edit:
Another random calculation ;D
United states:
Highest elevation: 6,193.536m
Mean Elevation: 762m
Area: 9,826,675km^2
On a scale from 0-60, using the mean as sea level, the scale would be: 90.5256m per 1m block.
Area would be: 163,777.917km^2
File size would be: 1.79GB
Scale: 0.0166666667
Very doable. O.o
Edit_2:
Because I mentioned Rhode Island:
Scale: 3.1167m=1m block
Area=1,007,486.63m
File size = 11.265MB
Comments
I think i'll post some pictures from the desert town I'm building later. Gotta make an alleyway between the jail / bank though.
i sea wut u did thair
Who will win? Now taking bets!
Edit_1:
I saw bunches of livestock to the side of Huropolis so I made what any normal person would.
The Bovine Centipede!
What's your MC name? ;o
Done
What's your MC user name? I'll add it now.
btw, you all use vent or TS?
mIRC: http://www.mirc.com/mirc.html
PM me asking for URL and channel
In anycase, if you hit an edge of the known map on the render, does the render extend to the newly explored area, making it literally infinite?
On another note, thal, could I trouble you in acquiring a large stockpile of TnT. I got a cave i need blown apart, but not just one big boom, a series of smaller, yet big booms, and sulfur is hard to come by.
/me looks for that
Edit_1: -not entirely accurate. I was lazy and just used 1,000kb per MB, etc.
;D
Yes, sometimes we use PapaBear's TS channel. >.>
174.55.62.122:9987