Connected Seas Coalition

Connected Seas Coalition
Project
Type	Overworld Boat Transport
World(s)	Akita Corgi Labrador Shepherd Sheltie Retriever
Leader(s)	XPModder - Captain
Contributors	Montenator - Master Navigator  H_Di_Chemici - Master Navigator  ItsDaCreeper - Master Navigator  NeroTheImmortal - Master Navigator  L1GHTN1NG_STR1KE- Former Captain  Elasmotherium1 - Former Master Navigator

Origination

The Connected Seas Coalition (CSC) was the brainchild of  L1GHTN1NG_STR1KE and  Pigeon_Confirmed, the Knights of Calafort Úr during Survival 4. Inspired by the Survival Railway Network, the knights aimed to reintroduce ocean travel as a viable transport option for players. The basic premise of the network is to provide infrastructure that facilitates water travel using boats. Ports link location by water, with lodestones and compasses used to navigate. Planned canals can be used for areas not easily traversed by natural water features.

CSC Spawn Port on the Akita world

History

Survival 4

The conceptualisation of the CSC was fleshed out during 2020, in the Survival 4 period, although no known construction was completed. Several projects began basic construction such as the Great Turnabout Canal, and several isolated ports were constructed such as the one at M-Bay built by  Montenator and the port at Oak Town Station built by  Skelleton123. With no large central ports constructed at Spawn, however, a network was never established on either Husky or Beagle. Towards the end of Survival 4, a consultation via a community survey was carried out prior in order to ascertain a more certain direction for the upcoming Survival 5 world. This allowed the community to give feedback on various plans for the CSC and how it should operate.

Survival 5

Progress would be very slow for the CSC during the first few months of Survival 5. The first major activity would be the construction of an extension to Akita South Station which featured a port. This extension, built by Montenator, featured an experimental feature for the network, featuring the use of lodestone compasses to point players in the right direction when in open ocean. This negated the need for any additional infrastructure, such as buoys, to be built alongside the ports themselves, at least within the Spawn Sea, allowing for a quicker expansion of the network on Akita. The lodestone system would prove to be less effective when navigating inland bodies of water, where there were more obstructions, therefore clearer signage and canals would need to be used alongside the lodestones in order for players to effectively navigate the lakes and rivers of the continents.

By August 2022, it became clear that for the CSC to be successful it would need a presence at each of the worlds spawn areas, a central location where the network could sprawl out of. Montenator would begin a design for a port at Akita Spawn in the hope of establishing a few boat connections between it and the port at South Station. After coming up with a design, Montenator consulted L1GHTN1NG_STR1KE and the pair worked together to come up with necessary things the port would need to contain, such as a donations and information area for the CSC, beds and other amenities, as well as the main port area. The port was completed in August 2022, by L1GHTN1NG_STR1KE and Montenator, and the first ceremonial voyage was between it and the port of South Station.

Since then several more ports have been built on Akita, such as the one at North Station by  darparniox, and several more in the south such as Lushbank Port and Flowercliffe Port, both builds by Montenator. L1GHTN1NG_STRIKE would concentrate his efforts into establishing a CSC presence on Corgi, starting with the construction of Westfire Port to serve as the gateway to the west of Corgi.

In December 2022, Montenator would officially become the first person to hold the role of Master Navigator, becoming the Master Navigator for Akita. The role designates its holder as the go to person for CSC related activities in that specific world, being responsible for the construction of new ports, and aiding other players wanting to build ports of their own. The eventual goal is to have a player hold the role for each world, with L1GHTN1NG_STR1KE serving as the overall leader of the project.

Survival 6

At the end of Survival 5 L1GHTN1NG_STR1KE announced that he would be stepping down from the position of Captain and that Montenator would be taking on this position with the start of Survival 6. Additionally, as Survival 6 was suspected to become a big season for the CSC, the new season would start with 4 brand new Master Navigators: Elasmotherium1, H_Di_Chemici, ItsDaCreeper and XPModder.

On Survival 6 the CSC had a strong start with Montenator quickly building the Retriever Spawn Port at the start of the season and soon hosting the first opening of the transport networks on the new season by opening the spawn port. After this progress on the CSC slowed down a bit as the Master Navigators were all busy with their own projects and the next ports that were built were located at SRN rail stations. With H_Di_Chemici, Montenator and XPModder being part of both the CSC and SRN teams this would mark the start of many SRN rail stations getting integrated with CSC ports into either a single build or multiple builds close to each other.

During Feburary 2024 changes in the SRN leadership lead to Montenator stepping down from his position as CSC Captain as he now had taken leadership of the SRN. With this a new leader for the CSC was needed and after some consideration XPModder stepped up and became Captain of the CSC. With this NeroTheImmortal was also brought on board as a new Master Navigator. Unfortunately Elasmotherium1 ended up also stepping down from his position of Master Navigator at the end of feburary.

Progress was slow in the month of March with only the occasional port integrated into a SRN station being opened together with the station. On a positive note however, many players seemed inspired by the CSC in travelling by boat, as at many occasions players started bringing boats to RHN and SRN events and proceeded to attempt to travel both networks with a boat with varying success.

At the end of march 2024 XPModder as Captain of the CSC, decided on a standard design for buoys to be used at the coast of and in large bodies of water to help players navigate. The design chosen is built largely out of bamboo planks and features colored concrete blocks to indicate cardinal direction (light blue: north, green: east, yellow: south, red: west), CSC banners as well as signs, which contain the names and direction of nearby ports and points of interest. Alongside the buoy design, XPModder also introduced the concept of signposts to the CSC with a standard design for signposts to be placed on the shore of rivers to help players navigate in river systems. The large benefit from signposts over buoys, which could also be used in rivers, is that the signposts are smaller and easier to build (as they are built on land rather then in the water) and take up effectively no space in the actual river. This allows signposts to be used even at very small rivers that could be largely or entirely blocked by a buoy otherwise.

Design Guidelines

Ports Ports are the building blocks that make up the network as a whole. They are generally built at prominent public locations, such as towns, stations and personal bases but can also be built in scenic areas or as standalone points of interest. Ports serve as an easy way for players to access basic utilities such as beds and ender chests, while also serving as gateways to other parts of the network. Ports are encouraged to be built in any style the player wishes, so long as they tick all the basic functional requirements of a CSC Port. Required Features Ports should have multiple well stocked boat dispensers for travelers to easily embark towards other destinations. If using the lodestone compass system, ports should possess well stocked lodestone compass chests, marked with the intended destination. The Spawn Port on Akita features plenty of facilities for travelers and new players, such as the sleeping area in the lower level. Chests should be provided for players to put away both boats and lodestone compasses, if the port is using that system. Ports should include some basic utilities for players to use when they are there. These include beds, ender chests, crafting tables and other functional items. The port at Lushbank, featuring prominent lodestone compass dispensers and a navigable floorplan. Ports should be easily navigable, with clear signage and a user friendly layout. To identify the port as part of the CSC, it should also possess CSC banners in the traditional blue and lime colour palette. Ports should possess maps of the surrounding area, and if they serve specific towns and bases, they should be easily accessible from the port. If using lodestone compasses, ports should be equipped with a lodestone in a prominent and visible location. This allows for lodestone compasses to be coupled quickly and easily. Ports should be spawn proofed as best as possible and should be claimed with /containertrust set to public. Ports should contain a nether portal that is connected to the NTN. If a nether portal already exists very close by this can be used instead and signs should point players towards the portal. Optional Features The following features aren't a requirement for CSC Ports, but will help take your port the next nautical mile! Where possible, ports could also be connected to other overworld transport networks, such as the SRN and RHN. An elevated portion of the port, such as a tower, can be a useful take off point for elytra users. A log book where players can write their name, the date they visited and a small comment can also be a nice touch to any port, and allows visitors to interact with the area more. Nearby beacons, potentially built into a lighthouse are convenient to supply players with useful effects, such as speed or regeneration, while in the area. Decorating the surrounding body of water with small sailing vessels, could also add an extra touch to the ambience of the port. But ensure that boats can still freely travel on the water!

Canals Canals are an important part of CSC infrastructure. They can be a useful way to connect two bodies of water together, allowing easy passage of boats or can also be used to navigate the interiors of continents more effectively, preventing users getting lost in small winding rivers and lakes. You are also encouraged to get creative with canal designs. You can build them atop viaducts to navigate over large valleys, or create decorated canal tunnels to navigate tricky terrain. You can also create ladders out of canals using bubble columns in order to navigate rough terrain. Several things are worth considering when building canals: Are the canals entrances and exits easily accessible to players? Canals should ideally be a minimum of 3-5 blocks wide and about three blocks deep. This should allow two Minecraft boats to pass each other comfortabley while inside the canal. Canals should also possess clear signage as to where they are leading, so players are able to navigate their surrounds more effectively. Canals should have at least one bridge going over them so roads can eventually be made across them. Canals should have a way to get out from the middle (a ladder or staircase), for the chance that people fall in or if a boater has reached their destination.

Buoys Buoys are a useful accompaniment to lodestone compasses when there are several obstructions in between the player and the destination or within a large body of water. Buoys contain colored blocks indicating the compass direction and signs indicating the direction to go to nearby ports or other points of interest. Buoys act as waypoints on a journey. The colored concrete indicates the compass direction as follows: Light Blue - North Green - East Yellow - South Red - West This coloring scheme is also used by the NTN and the SRN to color code their tunnels and rail lines respectively Standard Buoy design Buoys follow a standardised design, which consists of the following: Bamboo stairs placed upside down in the top most water layer forming a ring 1 sea lantern in the center of this ring Concrete blocks in light blue, green, yellow and red placed on top of the bamboo stairs and pointing in the compass directions as mentioned above 2 bamboo trapdoor, one placed on the underside of the sea lantern and one placed at the top of the concrete blocks in the center Bamboo fence placed in the 4 corners on top of the bamboo stairs, one on top of the trapdoor and 2 on top of the barrel A barrel in between the bamboo fence, 2 blocks above the water One end rod on top of the top most bamboo fence 4 CSC banners placed on all 4 sides of the top most bamboo fence Signs placed on all 4 sides of the barrel and the bamboo fence below the barrel Should 2 signs per direction be not enough, additional signs can be placed on the outward facing sides of the concrete blocks When writing the signs on a buoy, care should be taken about the amount of space used for one entry. Ideally each port or point of interest should not take up more then 1 line on the sign, to allow as many destinations as possible to be marked on one buoy. Buoys should be placed occasionally within large bodies of water in sensible locations where players travelling by boat are most likely to find them, but should never prevent a player from going in a certain direction. Additionally buoys can be placed at the mouth of rivers, though singposts are also an option in those locations. The mouth of each river should ideally have either a buoy or a signpost, but building both a buoy and a signpost at the same location should be avoided as it is unneccesary and can lead to confusion.

Signposts Signposts are effectively an alternative to Buoys for the use at the shore or especially in rivers, where buoys can be rather large and can take up a lot of the available waterway. Signposts use a simple standardised design and are placed on the shore of rivers, especially at river junctions. The signs located on the signposts are used to indicate in which direction nearby ports or other points of interest are. They provide an immense help for navigating large river systems, where even lodestone compasses can fail the traveller. Standard signpost design - both a signpost with 3 signs and a signpost with 6 signs is shown Signposts consist mainly of the following: A barrel which can contain additional boats in case a boat is lost during the journey Spruce fence forming a 2-4 high post with an additional fence one block out over the water attached to the side of the highest other fence Between 3 and 9 signs depending on need and height of the fence post and placed on three sides of the single fence to the side and of any chains used Up to 2 chains and 1 lanterns. the lantern being hung from the single fence at one block above the water surface. chains are used to between the fence and the lantern when needed 3 CSC banners, placed on 3 sides of the highest fence post

Glaciducts When terrain is too extreme for standard canals, glaciducts may be built for boat ways to pass over the top of large valleys or steep terrain. No regulations have been established for glaciduct designs. This section will be updated when there is.

List of Ports

The following is a list of operational CSC ports on the Survival 5 world, as well as who they were built by.

Akita

Picture	Name of port	Coordinates	Builder(s)
picture not provided yet	Spawn Port (Akita)	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator and  L1GHTN1NG_STR1KE
picture not provided yet	South Station Port	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator
picture not provided yet	North Station Port	coordinates needs to be added	darparniox
picture not provided yet	Electric Grove Port	coordinates needs to be added	NeoFiore
picture not provided yet	Flowercliffe Port	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator
	Lushbank Port	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator
picture not provided yet	Fenswick Port	coordinates needs to be added	Aero_M
picture not provided yet	Pavilion Port	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator
picture not provided yet	Lovehølm Port	coordinates needs to be added	ToBeFranky
picture not provided yet	Reservoir Port	coordinates needs to be added	eybwam
picture not provided yet	Port Pillager Puff	coordinates needs to be added	NeoFiore
picture not provided yet	Port of Peninsula Bay	coordinates needs to be added	mrkalaspuff
picture not provided yet	The Platform	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator
picture not provided yet	MOTTO Port	coordinates needs to be added	StenLluk &  Ze_Tais
picture not provided yet	Fox Publishing House	coordinates needs to be added	Artic_2446
picture not provided yet	Tropical Port	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator
picture not provided yet	Ravenhold Port	coordinates needs to be added	AllikatUK

Corgi

Picture	Name of port	Coordinates	Builder(s)
picture not provided yet	Westfire Port	coordinates needs to be added	L1GHTN1NG_STR1KE
picture not provided yet	Site 0 Port	coordinates needs to be added	Orphelia4
picture not provided yet	Templar Port	coordinates needs to be added	H_Di_Chemici
picture not provided yet	Qo'nos Port	coordinates needs to be added	AllikatUK
picture not provided yet	Eventide Port	coordinates needs to be added	SummerFlower1234 and  endorwitch
picture not provided yet	Marsh Mechanics Harbour	coordinates needs to be added	CanadianSteampk and  minedog2003
picture not provided yet	Threebridge Docks	coordinates needs to be added	Xambaka
picture not provided yet	Port of Last Call	coordinates needs to be added	H_Di_Chemici &  Xambaka
picture not provided yet	Polar Port	coordinates needs to be added	H_Di_Chemici
picture not provided yet	Fairytale Port	coordinates needs to be added	Xambaka

Labrador

Picture	Name of port	Coordinates	Builder(s)
picture not provided yet	Spawn Port (Labrador)	coordinates needs to be added	XPModder
picture not provided yet	Dry River Port	coordinates needs to be added	XPModder
picture not provided yet	Coruscant Space Port	coordinates needs to be added	Dudelmaster
picture not provided yet	Coral Sands Heights Port	coordinates needs to be added	DwinMouse
picture not provided yet	Creeperville Port	coordinates needs to be added	ItsDaCreeper
picture not provided yet	CRN HQ Port	coordinates needs to be added	XPModder
picture not provided yet	Budgét Port	coordinates needs to be added	XPModder &  H_Di_Chemici

Shepherd

Picture	Name of port	Coordinates	Builder(s)
picture not provided yet	West Station Port	coordinates needs to be added	Skelleton123
picture not provided yet	RHN HQ Port	coordinates needs to be added	_Shako and  starr274
picture not provided yet	Prism Castle Port	coordinates needs to be added	Elasmotherium1
picture not provided yet	Port Expo-Arkparis	coordinates needs to be added	Arkhangellsk
picture not provided yet	Kirwick Port	coordinates needs to be added	Slomo_1994
picture not provided yet	Bedford Port	coordinates needs to be added	PeakMars and  AdamB4255
picture not provided yet	Port Allay Bay	coordinates needs to be added	AllikatUK
picture not provided yet	TridentStadium Port	coordinates needs to be added	phofers
picture not provided yet	Sleepy Thorns Port	coordinates needs to be added	Elasmotherium1
picture not provided yet	Cape Turtle Port	coordinates needs to be added	AllikatUK
picture not provided yet	Two Lakes Port	coordinates needs to be added	Slomo_1994

Sheltie

Picture	Name of Port	Coordinates	Builder
picture not provided yet	Spawn Port (Sheltie)	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator,  XPModder &  Xambaka
picture not provided yet	West Station Port (Sheltie)	coordinates needs to be added	Skelleton123
picture not provided yet	East Station Port (Sheltie)	coordinates needs to be added	XPModder
picture not provided yet	Waters Edge Port	coordinates needs to be added	XPModder
picture not provided yet	Canal Port	coordinates needs to be added	H_Di_Chemici
picture not provided yet	Cape Di Chemici Port	coordinates needs to be added	H_Di_Chemici
picture not provided yet	Operation Point Port	coordinates needs to be added	Xambaka

Retriever

Picture	Name of Port	Coordinates	Builder
picture not provided yet	Spawn Port (Retriever)	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator,  H_Di_Chemici
picture not provided yet	North Station Port (Retriever)	coordinates needs to be added	darparniox
picture not provided yet	Lighthouse Port	coordinates needs to be added	Minda905
picture not provided yet	Rougemount Port	coordinates needs to be added	Montenator
picture not provided yet	Red King's Rest Port	coordinates needs to be added	_Maddy_monster_ &  tijnybricks
picture not provided yet	Termite Port	coordinates needs to be added	NeroTheImmortal
picture not provided yet	Deepskulk Port	coordinates needs to be added	ItsDaCreeper