The Vanilla Extract Adopt a Highway Project

by Syntaxvgm on Nov 28, 2025

We are doing something different for the main builds this map. All of them will be free to design and build for anyone collaboratively, but each will have different rules to follow for contributing. We're starting with how the highway building will work, spawn and the nether hub will come later.

There will be no highway vote.

Instead, the highway will be broken up into sections that players are allowed to design.

Anyone can build a section on their own, but must put the effort in to make sure they read and followed this guide.
This guide may change in small ways in the future, so please check before making a new tunnel section.

Any builds that do not meet the rules at the time of building may be removed, changed, or built over. However, if you follow the rules, they will guarantee everyone at least one section that is permanent, and more if desired with the risk of being overwritten to give others an opportunity.

We're reverting to under the bedrock tunnels for our highway. We will break up the tunnels into 108 block sections. These sections may be "adopted" by players where they build their designs on them. The map size hasn't been nailed down yet, but it should be at least the same size as map 3. If it were the same size as last map, it would give around 140 total sections players can design. Once the map size and hub size are known, this guide will be updated. In case you're wondering, the 108 length at max travel speed (40 blocks a second) is 2.7 seconds per section, avoiding rapid flashes.

How it will work

There will be a basic highway built to the overworld border. This design is easy to build and uses early game materials. It will have the sections marked out, and will ensure both that the digging is done for people ahead of time and that we'll have a usable highway.

The base design. Download a schematic here.

The size of a tunnel section.

Once this 'primer' tunnel is made, sections can be adopted. The work on the primer tunnel can be started immediately on map open, and help digging and building it is encouraged, just make sure you are using Litematica to avoid pattern mistakes. A full length aligned template will be provided before the map once we know the size of the hub.

You wont need to wait for the primer to be completed before adoption, just the area you want to adopt.

How to adopt

Tunnel adoption prioritizes two things- the tunnels get filled with designs, and everyone has an opportunity to make at least one tunnel section.

You are allowed to make more than 1 section, but if the tunnels are full, there may be a case where a player without a design is allowed to overwrite or move your additional designs.

The priority level will be as follows-

A players first design
A players extra unique design
A players non-unique design

All sections must have a tunnel design before overwriting anyone's additional tunnels. Once the blanks are full, a message will be appended to the top of this post.

For building your first section, you must follow this priority order

1. Pick an unadopted section

2. If none are available, pick a section that is a player's duplicate design. Overwrite this section. Box up the materials and hide them in the wall behind the marker sign.

3. If all designs are unique, pick a player's non-first design. Try to prioritize picking a player that has many designs over one with few. Move this past the world border before building your section.

In case #3, which probably won't happen for some time if it does at all, you must take a Litematica schematic of the built design, tear down and move their design past the overworld border, maintaining their sign and all blocks.

When you adopt a section, visit it in game, make sure reality matches the chart, and register it on the discord channel that will be made and added here later. In that channel, a chart will be pinned, which will be maintained based on messages in that channel.

You have no special rights to the sections near your personal tunnels. Sections are first come, first serve in terms of location.

For your additional unique designs

Follow the same process removing step 3. You may only adopt blanks or overwrite duplicates for your additional designs. Remember these are at risk of being moved past the world border.

For duplicates (more sections of a design you've already made)

Only build on an unadopted tunnel. You may not place 2 of the same designs back to back. Prioritize them being as far apart as possible first. Remember these are at high risk of being overwritten.

Building

When you adopt a section, you must put your in-game name, the section number of what direction of tunnel, which number of your designs it is, and if it's a duplicate of another one of your sections in the discord channel. Please be prepared to finish it in one play session. If something is left unfinished, it may be reset as unadopted and possibly restored to the primer tunnel.

If you are tearing down a duplicate tunnel, place all of the materials in a chest hidden behind the wall where the marker sign is.

Design

Start with the 'primer' template section. Your design must align with this one- both the road and size.

• The ice needs to be regular ice, and must be 5 wide aligning with the primer design such that players can ride up and down the tunnel without getting stuck.
• There should be no light source that can melt the ice. Ice is melted when any adjacent block (including air) has light level 11 or above.
• The pillars should be the same spacing, but some liberty in the shape of pillars can be taken. A clear middle of the pillar is the important block, as it identifies the width of personal tunnels. This middle block is the 'spacer' between 11 wide (including walls) max width of personal tunnels.
• On the edges of the ice there is soul soil with a slab on top. You must place this, as well as something slab height that lets the effect work. Not carpet to keep them even height.
• There is no sprint-jumping trapdoor section this time.
• Ceiling decorations are ok to do however you want, but keep the base of the ceiling up to the bedrock above, and don't have anything too far down to interfere with using the tunnel.
• It must be completely spawnproof. In the nether, it's best to not accomplish this with light levels, instead using slabs, transparent blocks, buttons, etc. We reserve the right to button the fuck out of your spawnable shit.
• Covers of unused tunnel doorways should exist to prevent wandering mobs. The depth of this section of the wall should line up with the template, details on top are okay.

Sign your art- The adoption sign should be replaced with a sign containing the section number, your in game name, and the direction arrow.