Onto the topic of Landmarks

[supermeatnoob]

Any ideas how somebody could make landmarks to find their base? I know even on far distance it would be quiet hard. Should I make big landmarks every 50 blocks for over 2000 blocks? Unfinished trees? Pathways? Anything to ensure that if I die I can find my way back to my base since the hardcore spawning is random.

[Jesar]

Something I do when I head out to a far distance is make a "breadcrumb trail" of artificial blocks (cobble, planks, etc) with torches on them to lead me back. Make sure you can see each landmark from the last and you'll be golden. It also helps to have them oriented in such a way as to point back to the base so you know which way to follow them if you come at them from the side. These can be placeholders for roads later on. For example, one cobble with a torch placed on the side facing your base is sufficient.

Now I just need to get far enough in the tech tree to implement my own suggestion. :P (Don't worry, I've done this in vannilla and in previous btw playthroughs and it works fine.)

[Grom PE]

I use dirt blocks on elevated places every now and then, two-three tall plus one-two pointing to the base, I use dirt half-slabs both to avoid jumping and to mark the place, if trees are rare, I chop off a block of wood for every tree near my path.

If I get lost in snow biomes, I look if grass and flowers have snow on them, that means the chunks have been loaded before and it snowed on them.

[dawnraider]

A lot of times when exploring, if I am going far I build 2-high dirt pillars with a torch on it on the side that points home, spaced so that I can always see the next one from the one I am at to the next, which varies greatly based on terrain and trees and other obstructions. For hardcore spawn, to begin with you will need to start over, working up to a compass to find your way home (again, you should be making markers if you can). If you die/ explore enough, you will be able to find your way home by markers or just recognition of the terrain.

EDIT: Ninja'd

[supermeatnoob]

So I read the tip that beds are basically useless, what use is a compass if you cannot set your spawn with a bed?

[Blazara]

I'm fairly sure that compasses have never pointed to the spawn set by a bed? Anyway, your compass points to your ORIGINAL spawn point, hence why it's clever to settle close to your spawn point when you're able.

[Six]

So I read the tip that beds are basically useless, what use is a compass if you cannot set your spawn with a bed?

What use is a compass if you CAN set your spawn? With a bed, whenever you die you will always know exactly where you are and you have no need for the 'world spawn point' at all.

With hardcore spawn the compass is actually one of the Most Important items in the game. It can point you back to a fixed point in the world which you will always be able to find again no matter where you spawn. If you've built up a base away from spawn, one of the best things you can do as soon as you get redstone is to build a compass and then lay down a trail of landmarks (like mentioned by other people) back to the world spawn point. This is a turning point in your world, as suddenly if you die you NO LONGER LOSE ALL YOUR WORK AND PROGRESS. At your new spawn, all you need to do is to get to a compass and you can find your way back and carry on.

[milkmandan]

packed dirt half slabs, cheap, stands out nicely and useful for a road. by the time you've gathered enough iron/redstone for a compass after a respawn, you should have a few stacks of packed dirt and paving the way back to your spawn is a good way to ensure you'll never get truly lost in that area again.

[jorgebonafe]

I usually use the trees. I place a torch in the general direction to home on the bottom side of the tree (or on the floor diagonally)

[FlowerChild]

I've got a whole system of different kinds of land marks of different shapes and sizes to indicate different things: direction to original spawn (if I know it when I build the land mark), direction to closest base (if I have respawned and don't know where original spawn is yet), markers that indicate temporary shelters I've built (which I always leave stocked with basic supplies), general points of interest (cave entrances and such) and as of late, direction to roads/paths I've built.

All consist of dirt blocks and torches in different configurations. When I've developed my world more (this is my new one, not my "main"), I'll likely start replacing them with better looking materials and such as I come across them.

My system is still evolving as I play. I don't think how you build them is as important as thinking about a system for them and deciding on one that you use consistently so that your landmarks will always provide you with valid information when you see them.

And to the OP: You don't need to be able to see a landmark from absolutely anywhere for them to be of value. I don't blanket the landscape with them, but rather take the time to build them on top of hills and mountains and such, so when I'm moving around the landscape I'll tend to notice them. I think the main thing I try to consider in placing them is to choose a location where the view of them will be obstructed from as few directions as possible.

[nmarshall23]

In the beginning, I find two blocks of Packed Earth stacked on top of each other, work great.

Something to think about is having a landmark that stands out from the blocks around it.

[DreamsofFury]

Heres a trick if you manage to survive long enough for iron or at least a surplus of cobble or dirt, while your exploring caving for iron and coal build small shacks near caves before you go in and make sure they have a few simple things in them, a chest with wood and cobble preferred items along with maybe an extra thing or two of food if you can spare it, and don't forget some sort of marker to indicate the direction of your base. Once your further along with farms, surplus iron, and redstone, travel around and finish exploring those caves near your shacks to finish mining them out and stock your shacks with more food, a few sets of iron tools and set a frame with a compass in it to give a perfect direction to travel in. Another thing you can do is attach a tower you can climb up to get a good view if needed. I cant right this moment as I'm patching some random game the lady wants to play but if I remember I can probably post a pic or two of examples.

Hope it helps. I know me doing this helped the gf when she died her first night and spawned near one of my upgraded shacks and was able to make it back the next day :D

[eternal8phoenix]

Something I started doing once I got past the nether portal stage was to make my waypoint markers with flaming beacons of netherack on a cobble arrow pointing home. Had each one in sight of the last all the way home. First time I did this, it led to the discovery of a mainland mushroom biome 0_0?

So I started labeling those markers with a shroom under the netherack. Built a few hidey-holes under some of the markers too, lit once again with netherack.