Please read the pinned post on creating new biomes and dimensions. Remember that individual items, mobs, and structures should still go in their own categories - this is not a category for entire updates.

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Improvements to Rivers

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  • 35
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    I'd actually like to have new blocks with "current" be generated in rivers to give them a flow direction (toward the ocean or lake). There could be 8 different current directions and possibly different speeds to model more realistic rivers along with some actual downhill flow if over long enough distances relative to the terrain. Rowing a boat or swimming against the current would be slower.

    Also the "water current" blocks could be generated in circle-like patterns (rarely) in oceans to make a whirlpool.

    The "water current" block would like any other water block in that it would just become a normal water bucket when collected in survival.

  • 8
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    Also like the comment of rivers having a current.

  • 12
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    I don't like that most rivers are chunks that are broken up by land.

  • 12
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    I agree with all water flowing requests. Make them flow in a direction — always away from mountains and toward oceans. Make them actually propel a floating (or swimming) entity or player along at various slow rates of speed, just like regular flowing water does. Even if they sometimes flowed in a huge circle it would be better than static water as it is. There could be accidental flow paths that beach the player, or cause the player to float in circles of various sizes or pathways. Love the idea of water as a slow mode of travel.

    Also allow us to build rafts and boats and stuff out of wood, floating, so that they become actual modes of travel!

  • 4
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    I want rivers to nearly always run along the borders of biomes and never, ever, slice a mountain into two!

  • 17
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    Here's how I think rivers should work:

    Lakes spawn at high altitudes (Mountains, Hills Biomes, etc.) in non-dry biomes. Rivers begin to flow from lakes, and will divot into the terrain for a somewhat natural flowing river. (this might be hard to do with how worldgen works) There are variants like Rapids, Waterfall, Deltas, or Shallows and temperature variants, like Warm, Temperate, and Cold Rivers.

    Rapids are rivers that are rocky and misshapen. They're common in Mountains and Hills.

    Waterfalls are rivers that create a steep drop. They're common in Mountains and Hills.

    Deltas usually appear near an Ocean or Swampland. They split up into smaller rivers and then flow into the Ocean/Swamp

    Shallows are, shallow parts of the river. They appear in flatter biomes.

    If possible, worldgen could be manipulated to rely on river biomes, creating valleys, peneplains, canyons, etc. This could also allow even better rivers, as rivers' flows don't have to rely on already generated land.

    Rivers could flow into lakes, which could split off into more rivers.

  • 6
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    I think this is an amazing idea, But one thing I think you should include is river deltas like in real life. I also think you should have included river speciface biomes

  • 2
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    They do need to add this

  • 8
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    Maybe beavers with dams (has its own post) can generate in rivers too

  • 3
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    This would go really well in an update that also adds waterfalls!

  • 13
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    And get rid of this monstrosity...

  • 13
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    Oh yes. In addition to aesthetics and authenticity issues, the current rivers (pun not intended) are making traversal a nightmare, especially with a mount.

    Every single one of them is a fjord rather than a river, splitting everything from plains to mountain biomes all the way down to sea level, and their occurence and shape is so unnatural that you can end up having to cross them more often than is reasonable.

    Having rivers somewhat shaped to the terrain and following a sensible route would make exploring and traversal a lot more enjoyable.

  • 7
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    Beavers

     

  • 3
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    This is a great idea. I was going to make a similar post, but this one takes the cake. Good job! 

  • 4
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    This needs more attention!

  • 5
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       A little fact about rivers is that hey suck you to the bottom, as the water flows, generally, faster in there. Rivers current, even if they're just animations, should add mechanics such as this, and maybe even interactions between water and player crated obstacles.

  • 6
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    Things that should be done to rivers:

    1) Overall enlargement. I find very few rivers, if any, to be little more than a creek. 

    2) Get rid of that annoying tapering. A lot of rivers, especially inland and away from oceans, simply aren't rivers but long lakes. A "dry riverbed" is cool, but at the moment that's not a feature, its just a side effect of poor generation

    3) Biome diversification. There are many types of rivers in real life, there should be some for Minecraft also. Deltas, Rapids, Deep Canyon Rivers, Waterfalls, etc etc.

    4) Structures. Bridges, dams, sunken riverboats like gondolas or barges. a canal that can connect rivers.

     

    Overall rivers are very... mediocre. They tend not to get noticed.

    Related to this, I'd request a new build-your-own-ship game mechanic, much like Archimedes ship mod. I understand its a very niche request but I don't see why not.

    Lastly, an idea I've had for a while ever since the first "Fix the oceans" update (Elder Guardians and Ocean Monuments). But I've noticed that Minecraft has taken a very ecological stance with many of their new mobs and gameplay. What about a pollution mechanic. Throwing "litter" (any discarded items) into the water (or ground) can create areas that are dead zones more or less. Fish swim along and choke and die on the items dropped. Could be for in the water just as much as on land. 

    Anyway thanks for reading this paragraph (or two)

  • 2
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    I hope Mojang considers this when updating to 1.17 Mountains and caves. I played a modpack that generated this in various places...very immersive. Put my base right next to it.

  • 1
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    Perhaps it might have more current the more downhill

  • 2
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    I think the caves and cliffs update would be a great opportunity to implement updates to river generation!

  • 1
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    It would be neat if rivers had more variety in there width because rivers right now a very thin and are more like streams then proper rivers. And if there was a river delta biome where are river meets an ocean that could have new mobs.

  • 1
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    This needs to be added along with trout

  • 2
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    They could also add springs in the mountains to add to this, although I suppose mountain springs also make for good build ideas. But I definitely agree, current rivers aren't really much different than a narrow, shallower ocean. Often, the only way I know I'm in a river is that there's no kelp around. I feel like having it actually flow downhill might be a bit difficult for them to figure out how to randomly generate, but if they at least added some rules for where they originate and end, then that would massively improve their aesthetic and 'realisticness'. I've seen some rivers where they just cut across a small section of land, connecting two bits of ocean together, which is not very realistic at all. Now that they added all these new mountain biomes, particularly the icy and snowy ones, I feel like there's some real opportunity for them to improve river generation

  • 3
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    We must have this!!! To make this generate smoothly, the water should stop flowing downhill once it reaches y=63, and only flow straight. Rivers should have trout, salmon, beavers if they are added, and NOT SQUIDS. They are saltwater animals.

  • 3
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    Frozen rivers should work the same under the ice, and freeze you with the same effect as powder snow.

  • 0
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    Rivers could generate with the "sea level" at the level of the terrain, just generating like any other part of the terrain, and the :"flow" could be a side effect of where the river generates (it could "flow" down mountains because that is how Minecraft water works, it flows downhill wherever there is a 1 block decline)

  • 0
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    This would be amazing! You would have to improve boats though.

  • 1
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    I agree with this post but they should also add river biomes

  • 0
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    Rivers should be biome dependent, (e.g. Having tropical fish in Jungles or being dry river beds in savannas) rather than being their own biome

  • 0
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    This also great if they add new fish with new more realistic fishing mechanic, current fishing mechanics is good and great way to find early game loot and enchantment, but it bit boring