Drive tanks and fly helicopters with full interior views, weapon systems, and fuel mechanics
I always thought Minecraft needed proper military vehicles. Not the kind where you sit on top of a block that slides around - I mean actual vehicles where you climb inside, look through the viewport, and feel like you're operating something heavy and dangerous.
So I built this.
A big, heavy tank with a long cannon and thick armor plating. When you get in, the camera drops into the turret and you see the world through a first-person interior view. WASD drives it like a real tank - W and S for forward and back, A and D to rotate the hull. No strafing, because tanks don't strafe.
Left-click fires a shell. The turret follows where you look, the barrel has realistic pitch limits, and shells fly fast with a satisfying explosion on the other end. There's a targeting HUD with a crosshair and a cooldown indicator so you know when you're loaded and ready. It feels like operating a tank, not riding a Minecraft pig with extra steps.
This one was a challenge to get right. Full 3D flight - W and S for forward and back, A and D to turn, Space to go up, Shift to descend. It actually respects collision so you can't just phase through mountains.
You get two weapon modes you can swap with H. Gun mode lets you hold left-click for rapid automatic fire, good for strafing runs. Rocket mode fires single high-explosive rockets with a longer cooldown, for when you really need something gone. Both fire where you're actually looking, no weird offset nonsense.
The cockpit has a semi-transparent canopy so you get that helicopter pilot feel, and the rotors spin above you while you fly. Shift is locked mid-air so you don't accidentally bail out at altitude - press E when you actually want to leave, preferably after landing.
Neither vehicle spawns with fuel because that felt too easy. You have to make fuel and bring it to your vehicles.
Fuel Canister - Shaped recipe: Iron Ingot | Iron Ingot | Iron Ingot Iron Ingot | | Iron Ingot Iron Ingot | Iron Ingot | Iron Ingot Eight iron ingots in a hollow square. This gives you an empty canister that can hold up to 2000 fuel.
Oil Bucket - Shapeless recipe: Bucket + Coal Just toss a bucket and a piece of coal together. Simple as that.
Filling the Canister - Put your fuel canister and an oil bucket in an anvil. Each oil bucket adds 500 fuel to the canister. Do it four times for a full tank.
Once you have a filled canister, hold right-click on a vehicle to pour the fuel in. The tank is more fuel-efficient than the helicopter, which drinks the stuff. It adds a layer of logistics that makes the vehicles feel earned rather than just handed to you.
Both vehicles have custom engine sounds that loop while you're driving or flying. F5 toggles third-person if you want to admire what you're riding. The models are proper 3D with camo textures, not flat sprites pretending to be vehicles.
This is still a work in progress and there's more I want to add, but what's here works and it's been a blast to build. If something breaks or you have ideas, let me know.
Conversation