Minecraft

• www.wiley.com/go/adventuresinminecraft2e —This is the companion website for this book. It includes downloadable quick-reference sheets, badges, complete program listings, and videos for each of the projects in this book.
• http://adventuresinminecraft.github.io —Here you can find all the code resources for Adventures in Minecraft. It includes code repositories for the starter kits, RaspberryJuice plug-in and Python modules, useful links and downloads.
• www.stuffaboutcode.com —This is Martin’s very successful blog. It has a whole section about Minecraft with lots of project ideas and experiments that you can try out yourself. Martin also hosts the Adventures in Minecraft forum where you can get help, advice and the best Minecraft API reference that you will find anywhere on the Internet!
• http://arghbox.wordpress.com —Craig Richardson regularly develops exciting Minecraft programming projects to help support the teaching of the new computing curriculum. Be sure to have a look at his open source Minecraft programming book and his Minecraft controller built from real fruit!
• http://jimchristian.net —Jim Christian's website is packed with a wealth of coding resources. Jim regularly runs Minecraft training courses via Fire Tech Camp and other providers, and he also wrote the highly successful How to Code in Minecraft MagBook that you can buy directly from the shelf in most newsagents. He's done some amazing builds using MCEdit and other Minecraft design tools; you should definitely check out his site.
• https://codekingdoms.com —Code Kingdoms provides an online Minecraft coding platform where you host your own server online and invite others to join in. You code mods in Java that change how the games work, and they offer a wide range of challenge-led educational resources around their online platform.
• www.minecraftforum.net —This is the official Minecraft Forum where you can get help on any topic related to Minecraft, such as new features, setting up servers, and tips for creative and survival mode.
• http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Minecraft_Wiki —The Minecraft Wiki is a community-managed collection of information about Minecraft. And because it is community managed, this means you can contribute to it, too!
• www.spigotmc.org —Here you can find Minecraft server resources, including tools that enable you to build your own server and a huge library of plug-ins.
• www.scarabcoder.com —This is the blog of a young coder named Nicholas Harris, who started programming by using Minecraft on the Raspberry Pi. He posts updates on his adventures in coding and technology. Be sure to look at his series on Bukkit plugins.
• www.minecraftmaps.com —Minecraft allows you to load and save adventure maps, which are complete snapshots of a Minecraft world. This site has a huge repository of community-developed maps that you can load into your Minecraft world so that you can then build on top of them.
• https://minecraft.curseforge.com —This is an open-source exchange hosting site (a bit like sourceforge, but for Minecraft), where projects are hosted so you can download them.
• https://minecraft-seeds.net —Minecraft worlds are generated by a computer algorithm built inside Minecraft. Random numbers are “seeded” from a start number. If you enter a known seed, you re-create that world. This site lists seeds you can type to create specific Minecraft worlds.
• www.mcedit.net and www.worldpainter.net —These are free downloadable tools that you can use to design and paint your own custom world maps using onscreen editing tools.
• http://mcreator.pylo.si —MCreator is a mod maker for Minecraft that uses a simple point-and-click interface with no programming. With it, you can create fantastic Minecraft mods such as new block types, mobs, armour, commands and many other items.
• www.firetechcamp.com —Fire Tech Camp runs coding camps for teenagers during every school holiday all around the UK and in many other countries. They have some great courses teaching video games design, Minecraft construction, Python programming, Arduino and many other tech courses tailored for teens interested in tech.
• www.immersiveminds.com —Stephen from Immersive Minds is well known all over the world for his educational workshops using Minecraft as an immersive platform. He's worked with many organisations and individuals to develop some of the most impressive Minecraft builds of real-world places. Some of his collaborative historic building projects in Minecraft are well worth seeking out!

Python

• www.python.org and https://docs.python.org/3 —These pages are where you go for the official download and documentation for the Python programming language.
• www.codecademy.com/tracks/python —Codecademy provides a free online course on this page. You can follow the lessons yourself to gradually learn the Python programming language.
• http://inventwithpython.com/chapters —This is a free online book with many great Python projects to teach you how to program in Python.
• https://docs.python.org/3/library/idle.html —This is the official guide for using the IDLE integrated development environment. As a guide, it’s quite precisely written, but there are no pictures. We prefer to use these tutorials from Dr Anne Dawson: www.annedawson.net/Python_Editor_IDLE.htm.
• http://thonny.org —IDLE is a very small and simple programming environment. After a while, you'll probably want something a bit more full-featured. Try Thonny; it’s a much nicer environment to use.
• http://blog.whaleygeek.co.uk —This is David’s blog. It has a number of Python and Raspberry Pi projects, hints and tips, and some downloadable flashcards to remind you of the important syntax of Python and Minecraft. Print these out and keep them in your top pocket for when you need a reminder!

Others

• www.microbit.org —The BBC micro:bit formed part of the physical computing adventure in Adventures 8 and 9, but it is a complete programmable computer in its own right. You can code the BBC micro:bit directly in a number of different languages including MicroPython, JavaScript Blocks and C++. You will find a wealth of ideas and resources on the micro:bit website.
• http://www.maplin.co.uk —Maplin Electronics are a good high-street retailer, and it’s great to be able to have an idea on a Sunday afternoon and just walk into a shop and buy the necessary components while you still have the idea fresh in your mind! You can even buy a boxed BBC micro:bit off-the-shelf in any Maplin store, for completing Adventure 8 and 9 with your journey into physical computing!

Other Ways to Make Things Happen Automatically

Programming Minecraft in Python is not the only way to automate tasks—Minecraft already has three built-in control methods called redstone, command blocks, and tags. Each of these can be combined with the other to make parts of your Minecraft world do different things automatically.

• http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Tutorials/Command_Block —Command blocks can be triggered to automate tasks for you. You can wire them up to a redstone signal that triggers the command to run. There are many things you can build; just take a look at the booby traps and teleporters on this tutorial page.
• www.minecraft101.net/redstone/redstone101.html —Redstone is the Minecraft equivalent of electricity. It is deceptively simple, but out of lots of very simple circuits you can build very complex devices.
• www.spigotmc.org/wiki/spigot-plugin-development —Take your Minecraft coding to the next level, learn Java and create your own server plug-ins.

Projects and Tutorials

Sometimes it’s fun to come up with your own project ideas, but sometimes you need that little extra inspiration to get going. The websites listed here have a very nice collection of example projects, many of which are contributed by hobbyists and developers in the community.

• https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Tutorials/Advanced_redstone_circuits —This tutorial shows how redstone can be used to piece together lots and lots of small redstone circuits to make a really large automated structure, and it walks you through how to build a complete computer out of redstone, step by step!
• https://learn.adafruit.com/search?q=minecraft —Adafruit has a really nice collection of tutorials with instructions written by Adafruit staff and other people in the community. The site includes an area for Minecraft projects that link to electronics, and it looks like they are adding more to it.
• www.stuffaboutcode.com/2013/04/raspberry-pi-minecraft-cannon.html —One of Martin’s first Minecraft projects was to create a Minecraft cannon. This isn’t a typical TNT cannon; you can rotate, tilt and fire it.
• http://hackaday.com/2013/01/30/controlling-minecraft-with-a-raspberry-pi —Here’s another way to control real hardware from Minecraft, using redstone. A server plug-in communicates with the Raspberry Pi, making levers and signs inside Minecraft control and monitor real-world electronics.
• www.instructables.com/howto/minecraft —The instructables website has a huge collection of really well-written, step-by-step instructions on how to build projects, and they now have a Minecraft project area, too.
• www.gemmamaylatham.co.uk/portfolio-item/patterncraft/ —Gemma May Latham is a well-known participatory artist/maker who is working tirelessly to get more children into coding. Her highly successful PatternCraft project spun out of a chance meet-up on Twitter as a result of purchasing the first edition of this book.
• http://warksjammy.blogspot.co.uk/?view=snapshot —This is a fantastic blog from a computing teacher in Warwickshire, UK, which includes a wealth of Minecraft, Raspberry Pi, BBC micro:bit and physical computing resources. Look out especially for the series of Minecraft HackPacks, which contain a compendium of very well-presented teaching resources centred around using Minecraft in the classroom.