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Minecart Chains

Minecart chains, the item that could save the furnace minecart!

When used on a minecart, a clink sound plays (coupling, thanks Pyrarson) and the chain is attached to the minecart, much like a lead attached to a fence. Using the chain on a different minecart will play the same clink sound and connect the two minecarts, and using a chain on a minecart and using the chain on the same minecart will remove the chain. Clicking on a chain connecting two minecarts will drop the chain and disconnect the minecarts. This would work well with furnace minecarts, imagine the trains!

Using a chain on a minecart and then moving will pull the minecart as well. Combine this with a fence-connecting ability like with leads and you can keep a minecart in place for the time being, making minecart transport easier without all the messy redstone.

Edit: I haven't touched this post in a while, and WOW all of you really like this post, even being the first result for "chains" and it's impressive! I'll try to integrate some ideas with this post over time to make it better. Feedback!

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  • 63
    Registered User commented
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    Not really needed if they don't make a furnace cart or locomotive. Why make a train if you have nothing to pull it with? As I keep pushing for, we need a locomotive, Minecraft!

  • 55
    Registered User commented
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    This sounds extremely useful, I hope they add it!

  • 40
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    I find it funny that nobody has heard of the railway nomenclature for this idea: coupling. When you link a carriage to a train or a minecart to another minecart, it's actually called coupling.

    This is a great idea, but it goes hand in hand with furnace minecarts that actually work. And a general functioning standard of minecarts where they don't massively bug out. Furnace carts sticking to any other kind of minecart may be enough to save the lot of them, but all three should be streamlined and properly operational or railway engineering in Minecraft is still doomed.

    In real life, the furnace minecart is currently worse than ever. It moves faster, but it propels anything in front of it way ahead like it's a moving pinball bumper, leaving you to wait in your minecart while it slows down and the motorized dummy catches up. And then bounces you 40 blocks ahead again. Yeah, I really like railway stuff, but damn did its Minecraft equivalent get screwed over. I think minecarts just need a complete rewrite with the same intended principles as before and new features like the one suggested here. I would LOVE to ride a convoy of 5 coupled minecart cars across my bridges in the hills.

  • 26
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    Yes! A thousand times yes! This would make travelling through cities a less lonely thing, because you could have villagers or your friends in the other connected mine carts, without the fear of getting bounced back!

    Of course an alternative could be that minecarts are coded to be attracted to furnace mine carts (not sure if possible) then as you push the furnace minecraft along the powered rail, the others follow (I think chains are better though)

  • 20
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    Maybe instead of a chain, why not just make minecarts connect to each other when led by a furnace minecart as their behavior? It would juat make the furnace minecart more useful.

  • 9
    Registered User commented
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    I was thinking of the same Idea too! A regular minecart with furnace can pull up to 3 of any minecart types chained to it. Any more minecarts, the train slows down. The more minecarts with furnace on front, the stronger they pull, the expensive it costs coal to pull.

  • 8
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    The furnace minecart already has a functionality similar to this. If you push a furnace minecart and four other minecarts against a wall they will "shunt" together. The only problem with this feature is that it is unstable. It only works well in strait lines, while on turns and slops don't work. It would be nice if they would refine this feature though.

  • 8
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    Amazing idea! and plus they removed furnace mine carts out of bedrock edition so this would be a better replacement!

  • 7
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    @WolveReigner781, we were NOT all born in 2019, some of us were born in 1987 and have a memory of trains that carry their fuel (maybe) like diesel engines.  @UnlistedMonk, using a minecart with furnace to power a train sounds like a great idea! Also in the minecart with furnace interface, there should be arrows you can click to change the direction it goes in while consuming coal.

  • 6
    Registered User commented
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    I would rather like this.  It'd be one of the ways they could fix the usage of the Powered Cart (since the cart currently moves away from the side you fuel it from).

     

    Chains in general could also be a very neat decorative item- if they had Lead-like functionality, you could connect them between posts, maybe even between Iron Bars.

  • 6
    Registered User commented
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    This would be great for railway and metro stations! You can also make sure you actually bring your chest-minecart with you when you travel, by linking it. I really hope they will add this sometime!

  • 6
    Registered User commented
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    This would be useful, especially if combined with this suggestion:
    https://feedback.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/community/posts/360040486972-Chains 

    I think a good crafting recipe would either be 4 iron nuggets in a diamond pattern, or 5 in an X pattern.
    I just think Iron Nuggets need more uses, otherwise they're kinda useless beyond lanterns.

  • 5
    Registered User commented
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    @WolveReingner781, I don't have Java Edition. I don't have mods. 

  • 5
    Registered User commented
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    Furnace Minecarts already do this (they can link other minecarts that are behind them), it's just that it's way too buggy due to how little Mojang cares about them. Maybe improve furnace-minecarts instead?

  • 5
    Registered User commented
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    They could also add the furnace minecart back to be like the head of the train, and it could also just be a cheaper way to power your carts.

  • 5
    Registered User commented
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    I agree with DownfieldYeti5, the chains could be used to make chainmail armors too.

  • 5
    Registered User commented
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    With the introduction of chains in 1.16, a player should be able to right click two minecarts with a chain and attach them.

  • 5
    Registered User commented
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    Some are calling it chains, one used the term coupling. I like the idea of a hitch. Mind you in a hitch or coupling, the chains actually serve as a fallback if the main connector ceases to operate.

     

    Hitch: 4 iron nuggets (in corners of craft grid) + 2 Chains (top & bottom center of grid) + 1 tripwire hook (center, serves as a center pin)

     

    From visual example below, in between minecarts you have two triangles of metal facing one another with chains (shown as red) dangling below them. In the center you have the tripwire hook as the center pin. Maybe sometime down the road it would be cool to connect & disconnect via pin pull, but I'm not asking for that at this time.

     

    When attached to two carts, the shape folds on the center pin, bending 90 degrees. In essence it acts like a cart that holds no passengers with a quick blip of an animation on turns. The physics of connected carts on rails change slightly to reflect the 'caterpillar' effect as seen with a roller coaster's push, pull & momentum of combined weight; it becomes one pushable/pullable unit.

     

    For now I would only have the hitch used on minecarts (and their variety.) However down the road, the hitch and chain can both be items to initiate 'free hanging blocks' mechanics. Where 4 long chains can hold a platform of blocks (and swing up to 45 degrees based on interactions) or 2 hinges could be used to make your own 'block door.' That is a far off idea though, for now...it would serve well to connect minecarts. 

     

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    @Solar Master I know, I only want minecarts to have Leads connected to one to another.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Yes add mine cart trains! I would love to see this!

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    I just want to add an Idea to this.

    Make the chain also as a solid block that could hang on the wall or from the ceiling.

    Also, make it possible to hang lanterns on it. This would be good for builders.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Coupling or carts to make an ore train is a wonderful idea but how will that work with curved track will the cars stay together. I would love to see a little more effort in the ore train area. You could use redstone to electrify the locomotive powered rails whatever. Redstone and or not gates can set up blocks for remote operation. If you worried about making transportation to easy for the player then trains coupled dont have to carry players. Either way this could really be done nicely and correct....not sure ? Ask a railroaded like my self.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Chains in general are a great idea for an addition to the game. Chains could be used to make chainmail armour. You could perhaps use an additional device that connects chains to a wall. Chains could behave like leashes. You could chain up animals. Chains could even be used on players. You could have keys and locks. You could create a train with minecarts and chains. Cains could be used to make redstone, I dont know about this one though.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    The addition of chains sounds like an amazing idea! Not only could it actually give a function to furnace minecarts by allowing huge trains of minecarts with chests to be carried by it, it could also give the ability to craft chain mail armor! I'm not exactly sure if Mojang is adamant about chain armor being an un-craftable item, but if they are flexible with it, it would give the ability to finally create chain armor! As others have also said, the chain may also have the capability to be placed, giving a lot more options to builders in terms of chandeliers, hanging lanterns, creepy settings, etc.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    It would be really nice to be able to use minecarts to make a train with multiple cars where you fuel the furnace cart at the head of the train and it propels carts behind it forwards. You could transport items and/or players very easily without having to acquires lots of gold or getting carts to glitch together.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    This would be a great use for the chains that are being added in the Nether Update! It would allow minecarts to be pulled by furnace minecarts, and you could make small minecart trains of chest minecarts and regular minecarts! Full support!

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Now that chain blocks exist this would be a welcome feature

  • 3
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    Once the chain has been crafted you could place 4wood planks in the middle slot of the crafting table ,1 chain each in the slots to the left and right of the middle and any type of stone blocks in the three slots to the top and bottom to craft a draw bridge

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    Add chain lift to the rails

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    They can also be used in boats. They are a block that can be put as the texture of the chain of the lanterns and can be climbed stairs when they are blocks