Minecraft newbie!

[VanQ]

Yes I am well aware there are other Minecraft threads on the front page at the moment, but I'm starting my own because I'm after help.
Alright so I finally caved in about half an hour ago and decided I would give Minecraft a try. My fellows on the Escapist have never led me wrong and I feel like I want to unleash a bit of creative energy.
I logged into a random server and saw some really impressive stuff like this:

Spoiler

and this

Spoiler

and want to start building my own, and feel the sense of accomplishment when I create something of my own.
The problem is, I have no idea where to start, I'll offer a few questions that are in mind:

How do I start a new world, if I can?
Is there anywhere I can go with guides/etc? The main website isn't much help.
Is it worth buying the game?
Can I run my own server?
Is singleplayer the best place to start? Or is multiplayer where it's at?

Just any helpful tips would be appreciated! This looks like the kind of game I can sink hours into, I just need to think of a suitable project.

 

[Liberaliter]

Are you playing the free creative version or the full, paid survival version? If the latter then just run the .exe and choose new game, if you are on creative then you can go to the Minecraft website and choose creative single player.

For guides, everything you need it here - http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Minecraft_Wiki

Definitely buy the game, the creative mode is fun but the full game adds so much more (crafting items, enemies, day and night cycle, etc etc.)

Yes you can run your own server, I can't really help with that though.

And I would say single player survival is the best place to start.

 

[VanQ]

Thanks for the link, I should have known there'd be a wiki. And yeah, I'm playing the free version at the moment. I'll check out the price and probably download the full version tonight.

 

[Pirakahunter788]

"Here's a quick look into Minecraft.

It's a Sandbox game that allows you to build whatever you want basically. You try to create a shelter for yourself for when at night, monsters come out. You punch trees to get wood. You make this wood into a workbench. You use your leftover wood to make a pickaxe to mine coal, and sticks. Look for some coal, and make it into torches to keep monsters from spawning near and in your house. If you want, you can change the difficulty of the game to peaceful, to make any monsters already spawned, disappear. Now the rest of the game is yours.

If you need help, there's a Help section on the site, that provides videos on how to create a house, survive your first night, and so on.

The cool thing is not just this aspect. You also have Multiplayer. You can connect to other people's Minecraft servers and build or survive with other players like yourself.

You can also get mods for Minecraft, which change how the game looks, or adds new gameplay aspects altogether. Such as new mobs, more items to build, new tools to work with, and etc.

This game will give you hours upon hours upon hours of great playtime, whether it's solo, or with others.
There's a great community to talk with if you need help, or just talk with in general.

Did I also mention you can change how your character looks? If you select profile on the minecraft page, you can choose some skins you can download at the Skindex to change your appearance. You can look like a ninja, Micheal Jackson, a Creeper in disguise, and much.. MUCH more."

Of course, I posted this on a thread where the OP didn't really know what Minecraft was. Should still help.
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How do I start a new world, if I can? (When you first start up Minecraft Beta, not Classic, it gives you the option to start a new world within 5 seconds of starting up Minecraft. So yes, you can.)

Is there anywhere I can go with guides/etc? The main website isn't much help. (You can check on Youtube for help. Did you make sure to check the Help Section on the Minecraft website?)

Is it worth buying the game? (Definitely. Best $13 bucks I ever spent.)

Can I run my own server? (You can, both on Classic and on Beta. Problem is, you have to jump through a few hoops to get it running and such. If you want to though, you can.)

Is singleplayer the best place to start? Or is multiplayer where it's at? (With singleplayer, if it's your first time playing, you'll probably have no idea what to do. Minecraft uses the "Sink or Swim" technique. I'd look on youtube for guides on how to survive, and build stuff to use. Multiplayer is pretty much the same thing. Alot of people expect you to know how to make a workbench, and tools. Again, Youtube is the best place to look.)