Game modes

Creative

Creative mode is one of the main game modes in Minecraft. There are two separate versions of Creative mode, one only available in the full game, whilst the other, Classic Creative mode, is available for free on the game's main website. Creative mode strips away the survival aspects of Minecraft and allows players to easily create and destroy structures.

Creative mode allows players to destroy all blocks instantly (including normally-indestructible blocks such as bedrock) and the ability to fly. Players are given an infinite number of blocks to build with and no health or hunger bar thus rendering the player immune to all damage. The only possible ways to die without the use of external tools are to use the /kill command, or to fall into the Void. Taking advantage of this, players can create large constructions more easily. Creative mode is also often used in mini-sports, such as Spleef.

Gameplay

Once a singleplayer Creative mode world is created, if cheats are enabled, it can be changed to a Survival or Adventure world (or vice-versa) with the /gamemode command. In multiplayer, players can be individually changed between game modes with the /gamemode command available to operators. This means that individual players can play Creative mode (at the operator's discretion) on a Survival map, or vice-versa. The game mode can be changed by typing /gamemode creative, /gamemode c or /gamemode 1 for Creative mode, /gamemode survival, /gamemode s or /gamemode 0 for Survival, /gamemode adventure, /gamemode a or /gamemode 2 for Adventure.

In Creative, the normal inventory screen is replaced by the item selection screen, which contains almost all blocks and items in a tabbed interface. There is also a search feature. One tab provides a Survival-like inventory, including armor slots (but is missing the crafting grid). Other tabs include foodstuffs, building blocks, Decorations, etc. Some items behave differently than in Survival mode; for example, empty buckets will never fill with water or lava, and water and lava buckets never empty, no matter how many times they are used.

Dropped items can be picked up by the player, but if the hotbar is already full, the items will go in the Survival inventory.

Flying is enabled, activated by double tapping the jump key (default is Space). Use the jump key to go up and the sneak key (default is ⇧ Shift) to go down and the movement keys (default is WASD) to move. The player can disable flying in mid-air by double-tapping Jump again, causing them to drop to the ground. Touching the ground when flying also disables flying. However, getting into a minecart or bed while flying will not disable flying when the player gets out.

Flying very close to the top of a block without touching it will generate footsteps sounds. As flying is much faster than walking, it will generate a lot of footsteps at once. It is also possible to hear wood footstep sounds when hovering right over some non-solid blocks like torches or signs.

The player can obtain items using the pick block key (middle-click by default). Unlike survival mode, the block selected will appear in the player's hotbar even if the block is not already in the hotbar or in the Survival inventory (if it is, then the block will move out of its former slot and replace the item in the active hotbar slot, with the size of the stack preserved). In SMP, any item not in the Creative inventory, including both the items above and enchanted items, will briefly appear in the Creative inventory upon being placed in the player's regular inventory, allowing players to duplicate enchanted items. Creative mode also allows item duplication via Item Frames. When on creative putting an item in a frame doesn't cause it to disappear from your hand. Instead a copy is put into the frame. You must switch back to survival to retrieve the item however (or break the block that the frame is attached to). As a player can easily get most blocks from the creative menu itself this is only useful for enchanted items.

Mobs will still spawn like in Survival (including from monster spawners), but are neutral and will not try to attack the player.

Normally indestructible blocks like bedrock and end portal frameblocks can also be destroyed. Going too far into the Void will still kill the player, but the player can fly around in the Void provided they do not descend below the y coordinate of -64. This, other than the /kill command, is the only way to die in Creative mode.

Blocks that are destroyed by means other than clicking on them (destroying a block it is attached to, or, if it is sand, gravel, or a Dragon Egg and it falls onto any non-solid block) can still be picked up.

If the player is holding a sword in Creative mode, they cannot break blocks.

If the player flies very high above the clouds, it will seem as if there are two suns, when in fact, both the sun and the moon are visible. This is due to the game's limited render distance; changing it will only increase/decrease the height needed to see this.

Some items and blocks are only available in Creative mode, such as sponges and spawn eggs.

In Xbox 360 Edition, creating a new Creative Mode world or opening an existing world in Creative Mode will permanently disable Achievements and Leaderboard updates for that particular game, but have no other effects on gameplay. In other words, Achievements and Leaderboard only work in games that have always been in Survival mode. The inventory in Xbox 360 Edition is the same as the pc version.

Representation in level.dat

To change the GameType in the level.dat it has to be opened with something like NBTedit:

As of 1.2.1, the code is now different. You'll find the String "GameType" in clear text followed by 0x000000:

Survival: 0 Creative: 1 Adventure: 2 Spectator: 3

Missing blocks and items

There are several in game blocks that do not appear in the item select menu, including but not limited to:

Nether Portal block Huge Mushroom blocks End portal Farmland Monster Spawners Command Blocks Dragon Egg Fireworks Note: Using pick block on these blocks doesn't give them except Command Block (using it on Huge Mushroom blocks give the respective small mushroom, farmland gives dirt, using pick block on a portal block, Mob spawner, or Dragon Egg does nothing). However, they can be obtained with the /give command.

Classic Creative

This version is outdated. However, the game is still available for free, online.

Classic Creative can be reached by going to https://minecraft.net/classic and clicking on the 'singleplayer' or 'multiplayer' links.

For obvious reasons, any blocks added in the full release, Beta, Alpha, Infdev, or Survival Test cannot be accessed. In order to play classic creative multiplayer you must be logged into your Minecraft account.

Many of the blocks have been retextured since. Many abilities on servers were lost as Creative and Survival became separate. (/fly, etc.)

Video

History

This section requires expansion.

Classic May 10, 2009	From the beginning, Minecraft was a sandbox creative building game. Beta 1.8	Separate Creative mode released in the Adventure Update after creative was replaced by Survival. Official release 1.3.1	12w16a	Cheats allow switching between Survival and Creative modes without mods or editors. 12w21b	The tabbed inventory window is added; previously, there was a single list of blocks and items, with no access to the survival inventory (except when using crafting tables or similar blocks). 12w22a	Armor slots, crafting grid, and a delete item feature are added to the survival inventory. Potions are added to the creative inventory. However, the potion of instant health is missing. 1.3.1pre	The crafting grid was removed from the survival inventory tab because of a duplication bug. 1.4.2	12w38a	Added Healing and Harming potions to the creative inventory. 1.5	13w09c	All potions have been categorized in the Brewing menu. 1.6	13w17a	Added extra tooltip info in the search tab for the creative inventory. 13w18a	Hostile mobs no longer follow players when hit in Creative mode (with the exception of Spiders, Cave Spiders, Zombie Pigmen & Endermen). Creepers do not explode when hit in Creative mode. 13w25b	It is no longer possible to break blocks with a sword in Creative mode. 13w26a	Experience levels no longer appear in Creative mode. Previously, experience would be hidden but experience levels would show. Now, this is no longer the case. 1.7.2	13w36a	The displayed item for the 'Decoration Blocks' tab in the Creative menu has been changed to a Peony plant. 1.7pre	Spiders, Cave Spiders, Zombie Pigmen & Endermen are no longer provoked when attacked by the player while in Creative Mode. Upcoming 1.8	14w06a	Players in Creative mode can make barriers visible by holding a barrier in their hand. 14w10a	Players in Creative mode can now damage entities even if they are flagged invulnerable. Pocket Edition Alpha 0.2.0	Players can now choose between creative and survival mode added. Issues

Issues relating to "Creative" are maintained on the issue tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia

The void in Creative mode is impenetrable, except if you were to fall through a mined hole in the bedrock layer.