Classic Minecraft: Here’s How To Build (Controls Explained)

Minecraft and all of its versions have been around for quite some time now, and it’s no secret that the controls for each version vary greatly. Apart from the fact that you use different devices to play it, which causes your controls to function differently, there’s also the possibility of control being different simply because it’s a different version of Minecraft. One such version is Classic Minecraft, so how do you build there?

What is Classic Minecraft

Classic Minecraft is part of the original version of the game, Java Edition, which was Minecraft’s second development stage. It was the official version of Minecraft from May 17th, 2009, to December 22nd, 2009. It was quietly removed as development grew further and came back in 2019 during Minecraft’s tenth-anniversary celebration.

Nowadays, anyone can play the classic version of Minecraft on their browser. It doesn’t take a toll on your computer either since it’s so simple, and the world isn’t what you would call large by today’s standards of Minecraft. The game lacks what makes today’s versions interesting, but people found it enjoyable back then.

Minecraft wouldn’t have become what it is today without the people who saw the game’s potential back when it was so simple and seemingly dull. It was only when Notch started noticing the interest that the game entered its various development stages and was finally released officially in 2011.

Where can you play it?

You can play the game anywhere you can access an internet browser and type in ”Classic Minecraft” in the search bar. Of course, this would mean that you can play it on any device that can access an internet browser, but that’s simply not the case. Minecraft Classic requires WebGL or WebRTC to work and also requires a keyboard to work.

If you try and play it on anything other than a computer, you’ll receive the following message: ‘Sorry! This version of Minecraft requires a keyboard. Please try again on another device.’ Minecraft wasn’t as ‘smart’ back then, for lack of a better term, so unless you have a computer, you won’t be able to play it.

Controls according to the game

Of course, in the game’s settings, you can find the controls menu to see how exactly you should move, but the problem with these settings is that it doesn’t explain how you should build. Here’s a list of all the controls that Classic Minecraft gives you:

Forward: W
Back: S
Jump: <SPACE>
Chat: T
Save Location: <ENTER>

Left: A
Right: D
Build: B
Toggle Fog: F
Load Location: R

As you can see, the game doesn’t tell you a lot when it comes to how you can build and break blocks. It doesn’t even tell you the names of the blocks you can choose to build with. To explain these controls a bit, Chat can be turned on because you can play with friends if you send them the link that you receive upon opening the game. Save location helps you quickly make your way to a previous build site.

If you save the location, the next time you press R, you’ll be teleported to the location you previously saved. If you don’t use the save location feature and only press the load location button, you’ll end up where you first spawned. Fog can be toggled on or off but has four different levels. The build button lets you enter the inventory consisting of 36 building blocks. You can use them just like you would in creative mode.

Actual controls

The key thing to know about how you build in Classic Minecraft is that you destroy and place blocks with the left mouse button. The right mouse button helps you switch between breaking and placing blocks, so how do you know which one is which? When you’ve set the left mouse button to break blocks, the block you’re targeting will start to blink.

To switch to placing blocks, press the right mouse button, and now, your targeted block will stop blinking, and a ‘phantom block’ will be shown instead. The block is see-through and represents where you’re going to place the block if you press the left mouse button.

Building in Classic Minecraft is a little clumsy. Apart from the limited number of blocks to choose from, you’ll move pretty slowly, and when you move your mouse to look around, you’ll notice that it’s fairly slow. Each time you want to jump, you must press space again, and block placement is relatively slow. You won’t be seeing your friends spruce up an epic build fast.

If you give it a little practice, though, you just might beat your friends in a build battle in classic Minecraft.

Mobs and bedrock

Although it seems like the world stretches beyond a couple of hundred blocks, that’s far from the truth. Once you reach the world border, you’ll be faced with bedrock and won’t be allowed to go further. It’s frustrating since you’ll be stuck on an island surrounded by water that appears to stretch way beyond what you’re actually capable of reaching.

There’s no night and day and no mobs, so all that’s left to do is build with the limited resources you have.

Should you decide to buy Minecraft based on Classic Minecraft?

If you’re considering the purchase of Minecraft Java or Bedrock Edition, Classic Minecraft is an excellent way to introduce you to how the game functions, but it doesn’t come close to how great the game really is. If you want to experience actual Minecraft, I recommend you play the demo version that lasts 100 minutes, after which you’ll be prompted to buy the game to keep playing.

Be warned, though, that Minecraft isn’t welcoming to newcomers. There’s no tutorial in-game that’ll teach you how to play it and what you can do in the game, and that’s kind of the point. You can do everything or nothing. There are over 700 types of blocks in Minecraft, so you can get creative with what you build there.

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