A seed is a code used in Minecraft's world generation process[1]. Each world has its own seed value which is used to keep generated terrain consistent, as generation is psuedo-random. Prior to Beta 1.3, seeds were randomly generated per-world. Since then, the player can input their own seed, which is not limited to numbers due to the use of the Java String.hashCode() function. For instance, a seed of "abc" is converted to the numeric value 97 * 31**2 + 98 * 31 + 99 = 96354.
Using the same seed to generate two separate worlds will generate the same terrain consistently, even on different systems. As such, seeds can be shared by players to generate the same world between them. However, the player's initial spawn point will be random; it is not tied to the seed value.[2]
Trivia
- If you leave the seed blank, the game will use the current computer clock to select a new seed.
External links
- Wikipedia: Random seed
- Minecraft Forum: Share your world seeds!
- Minecraft Seeds: A selection of the best seeds
- SeedDatabase: Simple seed database
- mc.42nex.us: Seed scope
- Random Seed Reader: A java program(.JAR file) that displays the seeds from your save files
References
- Pi.png
What happens when you use 3.1415 9265 3589 7932 3846 2643 as your seed