The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - A Journey Through Middle-earth

Do you want to go on an adventure?

   Greetings Minecrafters!  With the popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien's saga, we've been able to experience Middle-earth through the magic of cinema.  Seeing such places as Rivendell and the Shire, but why not experience them in a new way?  With the release of "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" nearing, Warner Bros. Pictures brings us a fun way to explore the world of Middle-earth.

   Called, A Journey Through Middle-earth, it allows you to explore Middle-earth in a new, interactive way.  Fly through Rivendell on a leaf, or follow the trolls through the forest.  Rather than have me explain it, why not check it out for yourself?  Click the link below to start your adventure!

 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - A Journey through Middle-earth

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"Wrecking Mob" - A Minecraft Parody of Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball

Watch for the creepers!

   Greetings Minecrafters!  Today's fun is brought to us by CavemanFilms.  A parody of Wrecking Ball, by Miley Cyrus, it's a reminder to all of you to watch for those creepers!  They'll hunt you down and destroy your builds, even in space!

"Wrecking Mob" - A Minecraft Parody of Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble gobble!

   For those who are celebrating, I wish to pass a long a message to enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!  Take this time to be with family, thing about all the benefits you enjoy as well as your health.  If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you a happy holidays as we get close to the end of the year!

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Small Modern House

42.

   Greetings Minecrafters!  Today's featured build is brought to us by TenDzonyy.  He's new to Planet Minecraft, but has skill as a builder.  Today, I wanted to feature his modern house.  This build has a decent accompanying video of a walkthrough (it's a bit low-quality), but has some pretty good pictures showcasing it off (a couple could use some better angles, but interior shots are always tricky). 

   Unfortunately, he doesn't offer a lot of stats on the house, such as the number of rooms.  Overall, it's a pretty good design with a monochromatic style.  Check out his project and download the map for your own walk through.

 

Small Modern House

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Skyrim Mash Up for Xbox 360

Fus ro dah!

   Greetings Minecrafters!  In a collaborative effort between Mojang, 4J Studios and Microsoft, they are working on a DLC pack for Minecraft: Xbox 360!  4J Studios, who is responsible for the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft, has been working hard on this DLC pack.  What's included in this pack? 

• An exclusive Skyrim-themed texture set
• 40 character skins
• Themed menus and user interface
• Exclusive craftable items
• More than 20 iconic selections from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim original game soundtrack

   For those of you who are Elder Scrolls fans as well as Minecraft fans, this DLC pack is hand-made, just for you!  You'll be able to experience many iconic scenes from Skyrim through the filter of Minecraft.  At this time, there isn't a lot of information that you want to know, such as when this will be released, or what the price will be.  For now, you can enjoy the trailer below.  Once more information is available, I'll be sure to post it for you to enjoy.  Until then, happy mining!

Skyrim Mash Up - Minecraft Xbox 360 OFFICIAL Trailer

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A New Adventure: Awakened - Pt 2

  I take a deep breath of the fresh air.  "Hmmm, tastes a bit salty.  Wonder if there is an ocean nearby?"  I take another deep breath as I step away from the tree.  A few slow steps to test my legs.  Then a few more.  I feel confident I won't fall now.  I shade my eyes from the glare of the sun as I walk up a hill.  I see a few pigs and some sheep wandering around, looking for food.  "This is such a beautiful place, but I wonder where I am, and how I got here."  I feel a churning in my stomach then.  "That should wait for later, I need to get food and shelter."

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Epic Sax Guy - Minecraft Version

Play that funky beat!

   Hello Minecrafters!  This Friday I bring you something short and sweet.  For those who don't know about the Epic Sax Guy, take a search on Google to learn what it's all about.  Today, I bring you a short video from Music By Pedro.  He decided to give this a Minecraft twist, and did a good job.  I wonder when someone will make a Minecraft version of the Rick Rolled video...

Epic Sax Guy - A Minecraft Animation

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Architectural Essentials

It all begins with a solid foundation.

   Greetings Minecrafters!  Today's how-to post is about learning the essentials of architecture.  While you can build willy-nilly, throw a bunch of stuff together and it possibly coming out of the mess looking decent.  What it takes to be a great Minecraft builder and making those structures that people stand in awe looking it requires time, patience and a solid understand of fundamentals.

   lentebriesje brings up a video series on learning the essentials when it comes to making good architecture.  With each video being several minutes long, and detail description below, you'll learn the basics of what it takes to build awe-inspiring structures.  If you're looking for tips to take your builds to the next level, look no further than this guide.  Make sure to leave a comment that Kryptix sent you!

 

Architectural Essentials

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Minecon 2012 Custom Map w/ Mindcrackers

Time for an adventure!

   Greetings Minecrafters!  Even though Minecon 2013 has passed, the Broken Buttons have provided us all a way to enjoy it again, sort of.  With some team work and a lot of determination, the Broken Buttons bring to us a custom adventure map!  Help the MindCrackers get to Minecon on time, all while learning a bit about Mojang and interacting with the MindCrackers themselves!

    This is one adventure map you'll be sure to remember, as you join the MindCrackers and explore the world around you.  You'll do whatever it takes to help the MindCrackers get to Minecon on time.  Sure, I could keep going on and on about how awesome this map is, or maybe you should just experience it for yourself?  Click the link below to be taken to the download, or watch the included video to see what kind of mischief you'll be getting into.  Enjoy!

Minecon 2013 Custom Map w/ MineCrackers

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Pit Punchers Game

Get your boxing gloves on!

    Greetings Minecrafters!  Today's community build is brought to us by joester25.  This is a minigame where the goal is to knock your opponent into the water.  While this isn't a flash build, it is well made.  This is a team based game and Joester recommends 2-6 players.  Each player picks a side and waits in their lobby.  When the team is ready, they flip their switch indicating so.  When both teams are ready, the doors open to the "combat zone".

   The fighting takes place over a zig-zag design of a floor.  The players then duke it to to see who the last one standing it.  It's kind like Spleef without the shovels and breaking the floor.  A losing player will fall below into the water and swept back into the lobby.  The winning player(s) can then gloat by climbing a ladder and dancing in the skywalk.

   My final verdict on this build is that is a simple, and well designed game.  It works well as is for a Vanilla server.  For servers that are running Bukkit and the Minigames plugin for example, the redstone can be replaced with a lobby and the water replaced with lava.  It'd be a very similar setup to a Spleef arena, just without the floor degeneration and shovels.  If you're looking for a simple game to load into a personal server, or want something small for your Bukkit server, this would be a good consideration.

 

Pit Punchers

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Minecraft: The Story of Mojang

What's in a name?

    Greetings Minecrafters!  I am one who enjoys learning about how things have come to be, how companies started, and how a person's idea blossoms into something much larger than they would have ever imagined.  Today's post is such a post.  2PlayerProductions·has given us a wonderful video.  The video itself is about how Mojang started as well as how Minecraft was born.  

    It's a long video, 1 hour and 44 minutes long.  For those who have a passion playing Minecraft, it's worth the watch.  The video itself was produced wonderfully.  From the music tracks, to the narration to the footage, it's actually quite a moving video.  I've included the video below so you can enjoy it at your leisure.  Enjoy!

    Before you go though, I'd like to ask, where were you when you first heard about Minecraft?  I can actually still remember when I first learned about it.  I was at my job and a friend started telling me how he just setup a server for the game.  I was like "Minecraft, what's that all about?"  He proceeded to explain it to me, and at first, I brushed it off.  A day or so later, I started looking it up online.  To me, the fact it was kinda like interactive Legos is what drew me in.  Even as an adult, I enjoy Legos, though not as much as I used to.  The fact that Minecraft would let me build whatever I wanted and easily is what drew me in.  

    I started at version 1.2, I remember that well because everyone was getting excited for the upcoming piston update.  Please leave a comment below or click here and let me know when you started and how you first learned about Minecraft. 

 

Minecraft: The Story of Mojang (Official Version!)

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A New Adventure: Awakened - Pt 1

   For those who have been following, I decided to start writing a Minecraft inspired novel.  I had started it up in it's own blog, but have decided to start winding that down.  Instead of having a separate blog to maintain and making it more difficult for all of you to follow, I've decided to post the story here.  Each part of the story will post on Sunday.  I'm not sure how long the story will be, but the more support you provide with comments and suggestions, the longer I'll keep it running.  Who knows, maybe one day it can be a book?  Until then, I hope you enjoy.

A New Adventure, A Minecraft Inspired Novel

Awakened, Pt 1

   My eyes flutter open.  "Uuggghhhh!" I groan as the bright sunlight hits my eyes.  My body feels stiff as I attempt to sit up.  I raise my hand in front of my eyes as I open them, more slowly this time.  A few seconds pass as my eyes adjust to the sunny day.  The weariness begins to fade as the warmth from the sun washes over me.  I manage to push myself onto my feet this time, on unsteady legs.  I begin to lose my balance and fall against a nearby tree.  I stare in awe at the sight before me.  The suns rays beam down on a beautiful prairie, full of animals and flowers.  "Where am I?" I think to myself.

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11 Things Learned From Valve's Steam Machine

Steam is the Future!

   Greetings Tech Heads!  For the very few of you who aren't aware, the popular company and PC game provider, Steam, is working on something new, and it looks very cool.  Steam is quickly becoming the go to place for PC games.  Offering great sales and service, they are hard to beat. 

   Lately, the company has been wanting to do something new, and they are making a big splash with their latest project, the Steam Machine.  What it is, is a custom built computer tower with a special OS, hand-built by Steam, to bring you content like never before.  Made to be like an entertainment center and game console, you'll be able to easily play your favorite games within an interface you know and love.

   One of the best things is that you don't have to be locked down.  Steam has made mentions that the Steam Machine will be open for changes.  The hardware is being designed so you can upgrade and change out parts, you can install your own OS if you choose.  One of the biggest and best things coming from this project is their controller.  Completely getting away from joysticks, they use a haptic touchpad (like what you'd use on a laptop, for example).  To get more info on the Steam Machine, follow the link below!

 

11 things we learned from Valve’s latest Steam Machine PR Push

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Minetoys.com - 3D Printed Figurines

I have my own action figure!

    Greetings Minecrafters!  Today's fun post is a special one.  Today, I am featuring a great company, Minetoys.com.  What they have to offer is the ability to have your Minecraft character skin 3D printed! The material they use to make the Minecraft figures is with sandstone.  This allows for a full-colored figurine, though it is fragile, so you'll have to be careful once you receive it.  You don't have to worry about shipping damage, as they pack the box to almost bursting with bubble warp.  Then you can pop it all as a bonus!

Hello!  I'm exploring some trees!

   The Minetoys service is wonderful.  They'll get back to you in a timely manner for any questions or concerns and always have a friendly tone.  My figurine also arrived a bit earlier than promised.  It was quoted to arrive in 15 days, and it actually arrived in 13.  Minetoys was gracious enough to actually provide me my figurine for free in exchange for a review of their product and service. 

   While this is a sponsored post from Minetoys, it is an honest review.  They offer wonderful support, a great product and at a fair price.  A few drawbacks are that the figurines are fragile and the colors aren't as vibrant (due to the material used).  Hopefully they can provide plastic versions that would be more durable and vibrant, as well as a bit shiny.  All in all, I give Minetoys a 5 out of 5 diamonds for their product and service.  I will definitely consider purchasing from Minetoys again!

   If you are also interesting in purchasing your own figurine (and why wouldn't you, they are cool!), when you place your order, you can use the coupon code 'kryptix' for $5 off!  Simply click on the image below to be taken to their order form!

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What Makes a Plain Road Look Better?

Don your construction hats!

   Greetings Minecrafts!  I've decided to start up a new "series' on my blog.  This will showcase wonderful how-to's and other related information to help you improve your Minecraft building skills.  The first post in this series covers a very basic build feature, the roads.  When you can take something ordinary and make it extraordinary with a couple easy steps, why wouldn't you do it?

   What Patriots_Terran brings is a very quick, but well thought out how-to on taking a generic villager gravel road and take it to the next level.  I will say that there were a couple tips that I picked up for my builds.  Take a look at how-to below to learn more!

 

What Makes a Plain Road Look Better?

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Mojang Welcomes Two New Developer: Searge DP and Ryan Holtz

Some changes are coming!

   Greetings Minecrafters!  Today's Minecraft news focuses on two new staff members for Mojang, SeargeDP and Ryan Holtz.  Both are very talented developers.  Searge is known for the Mod Coder Pack.  Ryan Holtz is known for some very interesting tweaks to Minecraft, such as colored lights and what looks to be some of the filters in the super secret settings.

   I for one and looking forward to what these two minds will bring to Minecraft to continue to make it interesting for us players.  Expect to get more info as it's made available, brought to you by Kryptix!

New Staff Announcement

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Epic Castle on Survival Server

To the ramparts!

   Greetings Minecrafters!  Today's featured build is brought to you by mr_clavet.  I did feature a build of his once before.  Mr Clavet and his friend are very talented builders and I just had to share another of their projects.  Over the course of three months, the duo constructed the below castle purely in survival.  It's not only expansive, but detailed.  Check out the video below to see for yourself!  Mr Clavet, if you checked this out, I hope one day soon you'll check out my Minecraft server community, OmniKraft.

   The setting sun casts it's radiant glow on the stones of the castle as I approach.  I inhale sharply as a crisp fall breeze whips by my exposed face.  I think about the letter that was sent to my the previous week, with a rather cryptic message.  I step through the gate and look across the castle grounds.  I take a deep breath as I clime the steps in front of me.  The grounds are eerily quiet, the torches casting foreboding shadows as mountains in the distance block out the last rays of light from the sun.  
   I climb the steps, catching the faintest whiff of freshly baked bread from the kitchens.  I step into the dining halls to the right of the stairs.  Plates with food, not even touched, spread out along the great table.  Crash!  I jump at the loud sound that came from above.  I hurry to the stairs, but see no one. I climb the rest of the stairs to the great throne, and see a broken goblet, next to a piece of parchment.  Written in what could be blood, it says "There is no escape now!".  Shaking, I drop the letter and run back to the gate, but I am too slow!  Just as I reach the bottom of the steps, the gate slams shut, shortly after there is a maniacal laugh. 

 

Visit the Epic Minecraft Castle Build

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Minecraft On the Go!

Minecraft on your wrist!?

   Greetings Minecrafters!  I was lucky enough to stumble onto something that is very cool for the Minecraft community.  How many of you go to a friend's house and play Minecraft on their computer?  You have to worry about signing in with your character, or use your friend's account.  Then wonder if your friend will sign into your account when you're not around.  Perhaps you'd like to show your friends your latest epic build?

   Well, this is the product you're looking for to make it so much easier to take Minecraft with you.  Rather than playing a stripped down version of Minecraft on your smart phone, you can actually take Minecraft with you, a full version!  All you need is a computer with a USB port and you can jump right into your build!  Gameband has you covered!  With it's proprietary software, you can take your account and worlds with you, on your wrist!

   How does it work?  Well, Gameband offers a video that gives a run down.  In summary, you plug the splash-proof wristband into a computer and it'll load Minecraft for you.  When you're all done and close it, it'll make sure your hard work is saved to the drive.  From what I've seen, it's an amazing product, and hopefully I can try it sometime.  There is a catch though.  The only way to have picked up the band was to buy it from the company at Minecon.  For those who didn't or couldn't attend (such as me), we're out of luck.  At this time, the company is not making the product public. 

   Hopefully in the near future, those who weren't as fortunate to attend Minecon will be able to purchase one.  You can bet that once it's available, you'll be one of the first to know, as long as you follow my blog!  If you haven't yet, click on the link below to subscribe the most interesting and up-to-date info regarding Minecraft!

 

Game Band

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New World

Where them beats at?

    Greetings Minecrafters!  It has been a while, but this Friday, I bring you a new Minecraft parody music video.  I for one have been loving all these music videos and songs that are being made for Minecraft.  It really shows how dynamic of a community we have.  Enough of my rambling though, I know you want to check out the video.

    Here it is, it is called "New World".  It is a parody of Coldplay's "Paradise".  In the cast, it has one of my favorite animators, Slamacow, who I've featured here before.  SkyDoesMinecraft performs the vocals (which is a talent of his), Pedro setup the music, Bootstrap Buckaroo made the assets and setup the rigs and Chase handled recording.  I have to say this group has done some amazing work so far and I hope they keep it up!

    Almost forgot!  I wanted to thank @BuildingForFun with making me aware of the video!

"New World" - A Minecraft Parody of Coldplay's Paradise

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Creeper

Creeper gonna creep...

   Greetings Minecrafters!  Today I bring another of my builds.  I will honestly say it isn't one of my favorite builds, but it is one requested to me several times to upload and feature.  I probably sent about an hour building it (World Edit helps with that) and it was built on OmniKraft's Bukkit server.
 
   The main difference with my Creeper from other Creeper designs is that I added color variation to sorta match how the Creeper actually is designed.  Most Creeper statues are just pure green, which is bland.  I hope you enjoy!

Creeper Statue

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Minecraft ID List

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

   Greetings again Minecrafters!  For those who aren't in the know, in 1.7, Mojang made it known that using ID numbers to give items in Minecraft is going away, they will be replaced with names.  Not sure when this will be switched over, but in the mean time, you can continue to use IDs.  Remembering all those IDs isn't the easiest thing, as according to this, there are 611 block and item IDs. 

   What's the easiest way to get the ID numbers?  Sure, you can do F3+H or find it up on the Minecraft Wiki, but not use something where you can search for what you want?  That is where today's tool comes in.  For quite some time, I have used this site to look up item IDs.  It offers a very hand search, which displays only items that have what you're typing into the search, have in their name.  For example, if you type "stone", it'll show you all the items that have stone in the name.  You can also reverse that.  If you know a number, but don't remember which item it is, type in the number and it'll show you.

   The site itself has been around since 2010, and it has been an invaluable tool for me when setting up kits or command blocks.  Since it's been around so long, I imagine they'll update the site when the IDs are no longer supported, at least, I hope so!

 

Minecraft ID List

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The Tower Gardens

Say what???

   Greetings Minecrafters!  Today's featured post is brought to you by AquaChives.  Even though he is new, he has uploaded an amazing project.  It is a huge build and it's very well designed.  It reminds me of an ancient city that was discovered in a long forgotten land.

   I brush past the last of the trees in the thick jungle.  Sweat beading on my brow as I walk up to the ledge.  The weariness of the day instantly lifted as I spot what I was looking for.  A smile creases my face as I spot what most thought was a legend, a fairy tale.  Well, not me, and I found it!  The long lost Tower Gardens!  I quickly climb down the mountain to reach the gates.

   I take a few steps onto the stone stairs and enter the sacred garden.  A place of mystery where royalty would spend their days, it has been lost to the history books.  Just a treasure hunt story to entertain kids before going to bed.  I take a deep breathe and smell the sweet scent of lavender and roses.  I casually walk to the center of the garden, where a tower stands.   Now to see if the real treasure is here!

   This structure is just a beautiful design all around.  From the colors chosen to the small details like the bridges and arches.  I give kudos to this new builder and can't wait to see more.

 

The Tower Gardens

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Why 1.7.2 Shouldn't Have Been Released

Grab the pitchforks!

   Greetings Minecrafters!  As a warning, this post doesn't bring good news.  As owner of the OmniKraft community, I have felt mostly frustration with the release of 1.7.2.  There are a lot of features that have been added, but there are so many bugs.  I know for a fact that I share an opinion with many others when I say that Mojang release 1.7.2 early.

   The main is, as reported on Mojang's Bug Tracker is Netty timeout error [link].  I'd like to provide a link to a ticket that is open, but that is one of the issues with this bug.  The moderators of the Bug Tracker website keep closing new and open tickets as duplicates and referring to the above "Resolved" ticket.  There have been a couple hundred reports/comments regarding this error of numerous players experiencing this issue.

   Many players can't play on their favorite server as this error causes lag and at the worst of times, kick them from the server every couple of minutes.  Yes, you read that right, you could be kicked from a server within a couple of minutes of joining.  I'm sure other server owners feel my frustration of offering such a dismal experience and there isn't much we can do.  It makes our servers look bad for players who don't know what's going on. 

   Another bug that I've found on Mojang's Bug Tracker is related to Hoppers.  I myself haven't come across this issue, but there are many a bug reports. [link] [link]  There is also a flower duplication issue (relatively minor) [link].  Another bug I have come across is that players are able to destroy item frames and items in them so they can be stolen. [link]

   What it comes down to is that are a few game breaking issues, and many more rather annoying ones.  Why was 1.7 released to the public when it shouldn't have?  If you were to look at the release schedule of 1.7, the Pre-Release was announced on a Monday, a patch follow the next day and then the full Release announced on Friday.  Since it's release, with all the issues players have found, there hasn't been a patch.  What has Mojang been up to since the release?  Getting ready for Minecon. 

   If you look at Grum's (@_grum) and Dinnerbone's (Dinnerbone) Twitter feeds, there is no news about patches, only talking about Minecon.  As a player and a server owner, I am angry that while I'm having to suffer with issues, those who are responsible for updating and fixing a game I love have been away enjoying themselves.  I for one know people need a break, but to take a break when there are issues going on are irresponsible.

   What do you think?  Have you experience any of these issues, or maybe found some bugs that are unreported?  Do you think Mojang should be ashamed or is it something they can't be blamed for?  I want to know your opinions.  Please post them below or here and start a discussion.

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Minecraft Melody - Canon in D

What an enchanting sound!

   Today's Friday Fun post is brought to you by "The Fro Gamer", or as he refers to himself, Mo.  I'm always on the lookout for the new, original and oddball creations that the Minecraft community make, and Mo's video is no exception.

   Taking an iconic piece and giving it the Minecraft treatment, Mo gives us the Canon in D.  I will be the first to admit that I don't know much about how classical music is described, or written or anything (never been strong in music), but I know a good tune when I hear it.  Mo uses naturally occurring Minecraft sounds to bring us his rendition of the classic. 

   It's not only that though.  While most renditions of music is done in Minecraft, you have a large piece of redstone circuitry that controls the tempo and note blocks.  Mo has used the multi-track method of music production, having short clips of sounds that are combine to bring us a wonderfully flowing piece.  Without further ado, here is "Minecraft Melody - Canon in D".

Minecraft Melody - Canon in D | A Cover Using Minecraft Sounds

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