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Making Minecarts more robust (pushing mobs off tracks, faster top speed etc.)

under review

Minecarts could be greatly improved if they were more robust. Currently, they are the most expensive (and time-consuming to build) transportation method, but have a number of issues:

  • A mob that gets onto the tracks will completely clog up the railway until you remove it (or it walks off). Mob AI avoiding rails doesn't work 100% of the time, and having to build fences around your railway adds to the already expensive cost.
  • There isn't a reliable way to link minecarts together. You have to deal with finicky methods of having Furnace Minecarts either push or pull other minecarts, both of which tend to come undone after a turn or elevation change.
  • Minecarts are slower than almost any other form of transportation, besides walking and llama caravans.

So here are some ways I think they can be improved:

  • When a minecart runs into a mob, it pushes (or knocks) the mob off of the track with a minimal speed loss.
  • Furnace minecarts are obsolete due to powered rails, so instead they should simply act like normal furnaces that smelt things with a GUI. Would be useful for long mining trips.
  • You should be able to properly "chain" minecarts using leads to form actual trains. The minecart at the front would control the acceleration of the entire train (in terms of slopes/powered rails).
  • Minecarts should have a solid hitbox that blocks movement, like boats. This may also fix weird bugs of minecarts stacking or passing through each other.
  • Minecart top speed should be faster on straight tracks, to make it competitive with other forms of transportation. Going around sharp (90 degree) curves could cause a large speed penalty.

TL;DR: If nothing else, Minecarts should at least push mobs off of the tracks instead of being blocked by them.

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  • 87
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    Furnace carts are not obsolete.

    With infinite worlds we need to be able to transport our goods efficiently. Powered rail isn't a feasible solution. Minecraft needs a locomotive, again. Since console can't use mods made for Java edition, I suggest the following changes for the furnace carts.

    -Use steam power.

    -Lava can also be used as an energy source along with charcoal and coal--each having their normal burn rates.

    -One bucket of water can generate steam for three min. Steam will decrease faster with faster speed and incline.

    -Indicator in furnace menu would show how much steam and heat is left.

    -Toggle speed (8x speed), braking and direction (forward/backward) in furnace cart menu.

    -Furnace cart menu can hold 9 buckets of water and 9 sources of fuel; each feeding into their item use slot with water on top and fuel underneath.

    -Bullet trains made from gold instead of iron.

    -Use redstone dust for bullet trains (16x speed) with increased cost in redstone fuel; no freight hauling with redstone bullet trains; only players.

    -Improve cart linking. Link and unlink by button selection.

    -Allow painting furnace cart with dyes.

    -One furnace cart can optimally pull 8 fully loaded carts.

    -Speed decreases by one level going uphill.

    -Two linked and powered furnace carts can pull 16 loaded carts optimally.

    -One speed level penalty for every two fully loaded carts added beyond the original optimizations.

  • 35
    Registered User commented
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    Furnace carts are useful. They were just poorly designed. So no one used them.

    My suggestions address control and speed issues. My method keeps a furnace cart going if you keep it fueled. It also lets you control the speed and direction by direction pad.

    Did you know powered rail only goes 16 mph? Infinite worlds with constant updates demand the need for an industrial method to ship your loot in you world. The option is to abandon your world and start again. We need a furnace cart capable if 64 mph and a bullet train of 512 mph to begin to address transportation issues.

    Also, using a furnace cart in your mine saves your gold powered rail for your farms or villages.

  • 20
    Registered User commented
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    Actually, Minecart speed is my biggest problem with the new minecraft version... What I liked on the original XBox One Version was to explore far point of the world, build villages and to connect them with ellaborate railway system with huge train stations. The console speed was for that excellent (only few minutes to join the most distant points). Now, on the BT, It takes more than 30 mn to join 2 villages on my map... When I finally reach my destination, I'm so tired that I close the game.. That game just became unplayable considering the infinite map... Please do something about it.

  • 10
    Registered User commented
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    @Minecraft, TiringApollo800 is a great example demonstrating why people don't use furnace carts; they're too slow. In infinite worlds we need fast furnace carts.

    You can make furnace carts fun and exciting to drive, even race. Players will use them.

    Why make infinite worlds if there is no way to expand out?

    You need to think bigger and long term when it comes to world develpoment!

  • 15
    Registered User commented
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    I want them almost as fast as boats on ice when on maximal speed

  • 16
    Registered User commented
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    Although many of these ideas have been suggested before, I agree with all of them.

    Also, minecarts should severely damage any mobs they collide with at high speeds.  I personally want this in order to create a frogger map.

  • 10
    Registered User commented
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    I like the idea of using leads for making trains, it's something i've wanten for a long time in minecraft.

  • 2
    Registered User commented
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    I want to launch minecarts into the sunset :p

  • 10
    Registered User commented
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    With linked minecarts forming a locomotive (which is something i've wanted for quite some time), furnace minecarts could become viable again, as them pulling the rest could be useful enough in places you rarely visit and whose construction with powered rails would be too expensive.

    Still, I'd love to see a similar idea being added.

  • 10
    Registered User commented
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    Also, when minecarts run over a slope that ended(ramp), they should get launched instead of falling directy down.

  • 5
    Registered User commented
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    What if, speed is increased by gold tracks, but not to a limit. The boost should be a boost, no matter what.

  • 15
    Registered User commented
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    I absolutely agree with this idea.

    Except for only one thing:

    The "obsolescence" of the Furnace Minecart.

    Furnace Minecarts should not be transformed into mobile furnaces IMO, instead, mobile furnaces should be their own cart with their own functionality, while restoring and upgrading the functionality of the original (not the buggy) FM. I second @UnlistedMonk on this.

    There's some info in the wiki that seems to make the players that the Furnace Minecart works as intended, or that its current behavior is the result of decisions more than unfixed bugs.

    The Furnace Minecart could coexist perfectly with Powered Rails given the following:

    • You could make Minecart Trains given that there is at least one Furnace Minecart in the composition.
    • Individual minecarts over Powered Rails move faster than Minecarts pulled (or pushed) by a Furnace Minecart (as a Train). The only interaction Powered Rails and Furnace Minecart/Trains could have is reducing speed reduction when going uphill, but never increasing their max speed beyond the Furnace Minecart limit.
    • Also, Minecarts over Powered Rails should move faster than any other transportation method - they are expensive, takes a lot of time and materials to setup, they have fixed route and requires a good reason to set up a (semi) permanent structure, so this justifies that investment - but limited to individual carts with no chunkloading. Designed for player transportation,short distance high-speed cargo (within loaded chunk limits) and contraptions.
    • Minecart Trains (with Furnace Minecart) can move as fast as (or a bit faster than) a running horse, significantly slower than the former case, but work well over regular rails (no gold required, it would allow cheaper railways), moving high volumes of cargo (or entities) and have chunkloading. Designed for long range, high volume cargo/passengers and mobile chunkloaders.
    • Finally, having more than one option to provide motion power to players who use minecarts should equal to more fun, being you able to choose whatever you need or suits your style, but not making one option obsolete over the other, or even obsolete compared with other transportation systems.

    Also, Minecarts could be upgraded:

    • Give the possibility of upgrade standard passenger Minecarts with brakes, and optionally, a way to switch tracks at will without having to descend or stop the cart. Brakes would work on a lone minecart only - minecarts that form part of a train have their brake config overridden by the head (or active) Furnace Minecart. Minecarts with brakes active should not move, even if they are on an incline (not sure what should happen if they collide with other carts though)
    • Give the possibility of upgrade standard passenger Minecarts with a sort of speed indicator (in a way that fits the game obviously) so the player could know when the minecart is about to derail.
    • (Subject to factibility) Give the possibility to upgrade Minecarts to have torches so they have their own light when travelling at night, and allows them to be seen by other players.
    • Use the weight to calculate acceleration and momentum - minecarts with players or cargo should behave differently than empty carts.
    • Enable collisions. If a minecart hits a mob when running at max speed, the mob is damaged or even killed (the amount of damage is higher when the cart has cargo or passengers). If the minecart comes to a sudden stop hitting a block (in the end of the line, by example) and hits the block at full speed, the cart reverts to its item form and damages the entity riding it, or drops the items they were carrying. An unpowered track just before the block could be considered as a braking track, therefore avoiding the destruction of the cart. Even more: some blocks, when hit by the cart, destroy themselves (like dirt, sand and logs) and the cart just derails, but the harder ones destroy the cart (like stone, metal blocks, obsidian, etc.)
    • Add the Blast Furnace/Smoker cart to allow the player to cook/smelt items while riding on trains.
    • Add the Crafting cart to allow the player to craft items while riding on trains.
    • Add the Bed cart to allow the player to sleep while riding on trains (spawn point remains unchanged)

    Finally, Furnace Minecarts also could be upgraded:

    • Give the Furnace Minecart a GUI that allows placing fuel, set the speed/brakes, lights (if possible), a whistle/bell and a checkbox if they are active or not (active: pushing/pulling, inactive: towed).
    • More than one FM can be active to provide extra power, specially with long, heavy trains. In that case, all the brake/speed settings of one FM are the same for all the other active FMs (allows the player to drive the whole train from a single FM GUI).
    • When the Furnace Minecart is active and forming a train, its configuration overrides all brake settings of the individual carts. If more than a FM is active, the configuration is the same for all active FMs. The player has to make sure to mark the FM next to his/her cart as active in order to control the cart while travelling.
    • Different fuels provide different duration - blaze rods being the most powerful, saplings/canes the least. FMs can be upgraded to accept fuels like Lava and Blaze Rods or capable of handling them from the beginning.

    I hope this idea doesn't get ignored. Rail transportation has not received any updates in years. We can also add a better derail mechanic, diagonal rails and longer curves (allow higher speeds and looks cool).

  • 2
    Registered User commented
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    If II may share an idea on how to make furnace minecarts useful again in a simple way. If/when coupled minecarts become possible, perhaps for every minecart you add to a train, it slows them down a tad even on powered rails, to get the train going faster on powered rails again you could connect a furnace minecraft or two which could then speed up the train back to or above powered rail speed.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Here's the way I see it.  First off, I do agree with the 'too weak' thing- as it is, furnace carts barely have enough oomph to push 6 chest carts up a slope, and stall out on curves.  They definitely need more pushing power.

     

    Second, there definitely needs to be some method to connect carts together.  There's a suggestion thread about Minecart Chains, which is a great idea, but even if it were just Leads given the ability to work on minecarts, that might be enough.  (though the chains would be better if they were less breakable).

     

    Third, is that, if there is no way of connecting carts together, then at least the Furnace Cart should be reworked a little.  Either set it up so that it moves in the direction of the most minecarts, or so that it moves towards the face you add coal- this would allow the player to ride in an empty cart in front of a furnace and add fuel while seated.

     

    Fourth:  Furnace carts should have Hopper integration.  A furnace cart going under a hopper full of coal or charcoal should be re-fueled, I think.  It's a relatively small change, but it would allow for automation of long-range rails, allowing for hands-free long-distance travel with a little bit of setup.

     

     

    Minecarts definitely do have a place, especially for folks like me who use them for mass good transfer (I'll regularly fill up a dozen or so chest carts at the end of a tunnel I'm digging, and send them back to be stored with a furnace cart- but having to babysit them the whole way gets tiresome).  They just need a little tiny bit of TLC.

  • 9
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    {I posted this originally on the minecraftforum.net; my take on improving the minecart/furnace cart system. Some of the things in it are similar to the above comments, but I hadn't read them until now...}

    Minecart engine (Replaces "Minecart with furnace"):

    • When crafting, the furnace has to go at the right or left of the cart and will be placed with the 'front' of the engine at that side when placed on the rails.
    • Using iron/gold/emerald/diamond in the crafting recipe would increase the top speed. 
    • The engine would be the same height as a fence post.
    • I'm also thinking that the model should cover 2 blocks and let you ride in the second one like a cart. Don't know how it would handle corners, but it would look much cooler.
    • Starting the engine would work with a click as per a button/leaver or it could start with a direct redstone current (Not power rail or activator rail). It would stop with the same click, running out of track or hitting a block. (If the block is removed it would go again)
    • Starting the engine will make the rail under it act like an activated powered rail with slight forward momentum.
    • It knows how fast it is travelling and will activate the rail it's over as required to reach 'top speed' (so going up hills will use more or if the cart is going over a powered rail, not use any)
    • Each 'rail' it passes over that it has to activate to keep a constant speed uses one unit of fuel per cart in the train.
    • The Engine has one 'cell' of storage for fuel as per the current furnace; The fuel will be used as per any furnace smelting, but could also burn TNT for give additional speed boosts when used.
    • A setting in the engine could allow for 'hard breaking' (stop as if it it hits a non-active power rail) or 'soft breaking' (just decelerate as a normal cart).
    • Placing any cart on the rail behind an engine will start a chain with subsequent carts being able to be added. (No leads required; just set minecarts onto a rail adjoining one that already has a minecart on it and they automatically couple.) Holding one minecart type and click on another already placed to swap them (if minecart containers are empty). Minecarts placed in front of the engine will not couple and be hit by the engine.
    • An engine cart added to a chain of other carts will 'end' the train and automatically face the opposite direction. Starting the engine on one end will de-activate the other
    • Aesthetically it could produce smoke (per the new 'campfire') when activated. You could also burn fireworks for short speed boost and sparkly smoke.
    • You could stand on the engine as it is moving, but acts like any block; can be knocked off.
    • A name tag could be used on an engine to place a name plaque on the side of it.
    • Using a slime ball and a dye would tint/paint the tender of the engine that colour.
    • There would be an internal 'slot' in the engine for items that could be used to modify the engine (perhaps a place for each? Something like the way a beacon works):
    1. a light source (eg a torch) it would turn on a front light.
    2. a sword would increase the damage when it hits a mob
    3. a pick would mine X when it hit a block at the end (depending on the speed of the cart)
    4. a slime ball would shunt into other carts without breaking them (and would stop) It would also not damage mobs
    5. an observer block would automatically start and stop the engine if a player entered/exited a cart on the train.
    6. a note block would warn if a mob is on the line (and make them get off the line)

    Minecarts:

    Any cart could be colour coded by tinting them with a slime ball and a dye in the crafting table. 

    • A basic cart without a chest in it could store as much as a hopper and the graphic would fill up as entities were placed in it. These would all be ejected at once with an activator rail or by breaking the cart. Detector rails would change output depending on how full the cart is. You can only ride a basic, empty cart. Minecarts hit by an Engine act like they were 'punched' by a player and will break.

    • A hopper cart placed behind an engine (or another hopper cart) will connect when it's placed and dispense into the cart or engine in front of it. Hoppers in carts could also be updated so that they collect rogue items from blocks adjacent to them like they do from the blocks above them.

    • A regular hopper could connect into an adjacent rail so that it could dispense into any stationary engine/chest/hopper cart.

    • The dispensing direction of a dropper cart, would be determined by the dropper's position next to the cart in the crafting table (no front or rear dispensing); Sides and above would activate the dropper with an activator rail while moving and like a normal one if stationary. If the dispenser is facing down, once activated by an activator rail it would lay stored track on the adjacent block in-front of it until it runs out or it is activated again.

    • A slime cart could allow block placement on top (and a half-block on the sides). These would move with the cart in the same way that a slime block does on a piston. Each block counts as an additional 'cart' for fuel consumption. Two slime carts could be bridged and count as part of a 'train' even though there would be no minecarts between them.

    • A Note-block cart could make it's sound when it goes over an activation rail.

    • A fence cart could make a cage that would work like a hopper for mobs (same storage and collection). (Perhaps use iron/nether fences for hostile mobs. Only collect non-agro mobs.) This would be the only way to get mobs into carts; running into them with a cart would now cause damage. Could still interact with mobs in cages (creepers blow up, skellys shoot, villagers trade, animals feed but could not breed).

    • It would be really useful if the TNT cart was made useful specifically for creating tunnels specifically for rails/minecarts; if the explosion was directed in a cone forward from the direction of travel. (Or the TNT explosion was set x in-front of the minecart depending on speed of travel when the tracks ended.)

    • Create a mapping cart by putting a compass in a cart (And/Or the new cartography block?) would add a 'rail network' onto any relevant map for the unbroken length of track the cart is on. (including tracks hidden from a normal 'satalite' view and areas not explored on the map).

    • Crafting a lit cart with a sea-lantern or glowstone (or other light block) would just produce a light source that could be moved by rail.

    With the new aquatic update it would be also be cool if rails were able to be placed and used under water:

    • I would make the carts slow down twice as quick while under water.
    • Add a new mine cart with a glass block to make a "bubble cart" where you can breath underwater if you are in it.
    • Mobs have a chance to drown if taken through water, some food items might "spoil" or automatically be ejected to float free when a cart containing them enters the water.
    • Empty carts could fill with water and have to be emptied/broken (creating a water block) before they could be used again.
    • Bubble streams and vortexes could have a chance to separate carts and 'break' trains.

    It would be cool if a mine-cart could be turned into some sort of cable-car: if mine-tracks could be laid on the underside of blocks and carts would follow under them. Perhaps you would need to craft some sort of hanging bracket that would accept a mine-cart 'bucket' (This would be amazing in the nether)

    If you ran a rail track into a village, then that village would have a chance to spawn a new villager/trade type that included all the useful railroad stuff.

    I also think it would be cool aesthetically if we had some of the old 2-man, flat-bed, see-saw, style cart that moved when you pumped the handle up and down... no idea what function it could provide, but it would look cool (esp. in the bad lands)

  • 2
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    Great idea!

    I agree that FMs have been obsolete for too long - They do need some reworking. In my opinion, a solid way to shunt them to other minecarts is most important. The delicacy of the current shunt, and to a certain extent the low speed, are, it appears, the main factors as to it's current uselessness. I would agree with greater speeds, maybe at the cost of more fuel. As for shunting, slimeballs and leads might be a little too expensive - Not everyone has access to a swamp or slime chunk, so I would suggest using some kind of iron chain to hook them together.

    It would also be cool if the FM had a GUI - Then, perhaps, you could use a hopper to refill it in motion.

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    Interesting.

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    Using new material like chain to tie minecarts together would be great. Using leads is not logical cause they are very large and we want to connect minecarts closely not far apart.

  • 2
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    I would like to have an elevator in this game.

    Because:

    -transporting where more easilier
    -It can be transporting persons too
    -to get faster up and down

    Use:

    Click on the floor of the elevator to choose how high or down the elevator drive.

  • 3
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    I have made many roller coasters before. When I was a noob I tried connecting minecarts with string and failed then I thought you should be able to connect minecarts.

  • 5
    Registered User commented
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    I feel like a chains should be added to connect minecarts and one of them could be crafted by playing 3 iron in a straight line in the crafting table.

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    I agree to anything that would buff minecarts in general. 

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    minecarts the speed of how they were on console would be so useful for transportation

  • 4
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    Minecraft/mojang if you are seeing this you should DEFINITELY add all of this stuff I like trains and I also want to link minecarts that would be so awesome I’m building a theme park and I’m finding a place to put it I’m building a rall road and i have Train stops and lots of beds so I want to have minecarts link it would be awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                          Thank a lot, 

                                                                                                              Your big fan,

                                                                                                                                     Charlie

  • 5
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    Here what minecraft should add

    • linking minecarts (with a item called connector and the connectors should not brake unless you hit the front mincart and then all the mine carts break)
    •  
    • an engine in minecarts (furnace minecarts are then engines)(the more engines there are the faster they go)(in creative mode you shouldn’t have to put anything in the engine)(in survival mode you should have to put coal or charcoal in the engines or engine)
    • i would suggest more engines for mountains I suggest Less engines for flatter terrains
    • The front minecart should be able to control the speed of the train
  • 2
    Registered User commented
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    Minecarts should actually deal some damage and push things to the side. Locomotives = YES! And a bump in speed is needed. Currently I use horses and a ice highway, because they are faster.

  • 1
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    You have no idea how much I want something like this. I am also a fellow railroader and I feel that mine carts are one of the most neglected devices in Minecraft. I recently made a similar post right here: https://feedback.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/community/posts/360048162511-Couplings-for-mine-carts-boats I honestly feel like that Minecraft should have some kind of mine cart update.

  • 2
    Registered User commented
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    cross track/junction track, wye track, better switch track. 

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    redstone minecart = controllable speed 

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    Yeah, I agree on all but one things on this list, the furnace Minecart is the answer to the locomotive problem if leads when being held and used on mine carts  can be hooked up on other mine carts then there has to be a locomotive so the furnace Minecart comes into play it should be able to carry 8 carts fully loaded and 12 carts when not fully loaded and 16 when nothing is loaded. Also fixing the glitches such as the furnace mine cart derailing all carts when.

    - going around on a corner

    -going uphill/downhill

    this would make them way more better and use full also when the furnace Minecart is right clicked it opens a guide to controls and you can add in fuel swell as control the speed so you can brake go revers in 4 notches and go forwards in 4 notches and on notch 0 you can switch from reverse to forwards.

    This would make the furnace Minecart actually useful and be very helpful also

    adding in switcher tracks would be helpful in that you can go right or left depending on what way the switch is on.