I'm a bit confused about the logic behind sand trading... namely, that it is illegal to trade white sand, but you have recently added a work-around to convert it to red sand, trade it, then convert it back again. What is the point in this? Wouldn't it be easier to just allow sand trading? (or ban it, either way, but not have a rule plus a work-around for evading the rule)? Is there any logic, or is this just two just a case of two "wrongs" trying to make a "right", (two decisions that cancel each other out)?
Well white sand is illegal to trade to discourage island farming (aka making new islands for the purpose of gaining it starter items like sand, dirt, and buckets so that's why these 3 r illegal to trade). Plus even tho it can be converted to red sand and back to white sand, red sand isn't on starter islands as u can get it from trading with players and mob arena mainly.
I agree, this change seems kinda dumb to be honest. Why not allow normal ssand trade if you can just make red sand and covert it back with one bone meal, at least change the recipe so it kind of hurts to change it back into normal sand..
The idea of making sand trade illegal, like BertBerry said, is that it prevents island farming. It requires 8 white sand to make 8 red sand. An island spawns with 3 white sand, which makes farming sand by making new islands impossible. You can’t drop this sand and let a partner collect it and your inventory is cleared everytime you create a new island. The necessity for a 8 sand recipe to make red sand makes it impossible to gain sand from island farming. Essentially, it guarantees island farming sand is impossible and that there is a way to trade sand (albeit red).
The only thing that’s changed is that converting sand no longer needs a converter machine. It isn’t like sand is craftable, only convertable using the custom recipe. So given this, converting sand to red sand makes it tradable so people don’t try and island farm for white sand. And I doubt many players are even aware you can use a custom crafting method. So technically the rule is still valid.
I’ve already suggested to make yellow sand legal, there’s only 3 per island and it’s really not that much, and plus, most people won’t island farm if they’re able to get some legally.
The sand that is mined from new islands can be put in chests on other people's islands (an alt or your main etc). Even if you don't have an alt island you could put items in the furnaces at /warp trade on the classic server so I'm sure there is somewhere on the new server to stash the sand until you have 8+
Yeah a bit like what James said. Even though people could still island farm to get white sand and convert it into red, there are a few problems. 1) 3 per island that is a lot of effort. 2) you could get caught island farming and wouldn’t that just be wonderful. And 3) red sand isn’t even that in demand anymore. It’s gone from like 1 per 2 grass, down to 2 per 1 grass. Although having sand trade legal doesn’t effect me at all because people would just sell the sand at the same prices as red sand, I think it would still be cool
