The Virtual UR development team took on a complicated project this week – creating and implementing a design for functioning elevators in the virtual Minecraft renditions of Wilson Commons and Rush Rhees Library. Although Minecraft allows everyone to be able to fly around and access the world without using an elevator, our team understands how important accessibility is to students and families.
We believe everyone should have equitable access to resources and opportunities. Building elevators and lifts around the virtual campus is just one way we can stand with, and support, the University community members who rely on these resources in person every day.
Initial considerations for building the elevators included space limitations, aesthetic planning with existing blocks, and (redstone) circuit design for the elevator itself.
An initial, simplistic elevator design is created using slime blocks, honey, and sticky pistons.
After building a starting design, the team adapted to meet the unique needs of each of the buildings. In Wilson Commons, for example, the diagonal design of the building made the circuit quite complicated.
The Virtual UR team designs a more compact circuit to transport visitors up and down an elevator shaft.
Many hours of trial and error later, the team built a working elevator in Wilson Commons and Rush Rhees Library! Simply click the grey button near the elevator and you’ll be transported up or down a level.
The team also added a minecart lift in Wilson Commons to the right of the front entrance near the location of the physical lift on campus.
The next project: implementing a series of circuits to allow for a choice of floor with each elevator and starting to expand to additional residential buildings on campus.
