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Minecraft for Nintendo Switch getting Xbox achievements

by Stone Marshall | Apr 28, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized | 4 comments

Nintendo Switch doesn’t have a built-in achievements system, a la Xbox Achievements or PlayStation Trophies, but the Switch version of Minecraft will soon bring Microsoft’s brand of achievements to the platform.

A set of Xbox Live achievements for Minecraft for Nintendo Switch was recently spotted by content creator Patrick Maka, who posted about the finding on Twitter, and by achievement tracking website True Achievements. The achievement list appears similar to the Xbox versions of the game as well as those on non-Microsoft platforms, like Android and iOS. (PlayStation versions of the game do not tie into Xbox Live Achievements.)

A representative for Minecraft confirmed to Polygon that the game’s Switch version will indeed track Xbox Live Achievements later this year.

“We can confirm that Minecraft players on Nintendo Switch will soon be able to earn achievements tied to Xbox Live once the Bedrock update is released,” a Minecraft spokesperson said in an email.

Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition was released in 2017. The game’s Bedrock update started rolling out in September 2017 and allowed players on Xbox, mobile, VR and PC to play across those various platforms.

Minecraft for Nintendo Switch getting Xbox achievements

Earth Day Special Events Abound with Minecraft, Pokemon Go, and More

by Stone Marshall | Apr 27, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Earth Day gives us the chance to look back at our home and reflect on how we have treated dear Mother Earth over the year. It also means we get a bunch of really cool special events to tide us over!

For starters, Minecraft has partnered with United for Life to create the We Are The Rangers special lessons for MinecraftEducation–a special edition devoted to bringing Minecraft to the classroom and promoting education. The new partnership will create a world that takes place in a ranger station, a shipping port, and a DNA lab to teach students about the science of animal conservation.

We also have a special live event from Pokemon Go promoting players to pick up trash in partnership with Playmob and local NGOs. Hopefully, this live event will go over better than previous ones.

Players will receive rewards for working with the local non-profit in cleanup events around their neighborhoods and the joy of a job well done. You can check out what events are near you by checking out the website here.

Rewards include:

1,500 players cleaning up trash:
- Unlock 2x Stardust when catching Ground-, Water-, and Grass-type Pokémon
3,000 players cleaning up trash:
- Unlock 3x Stardust when catching Ground-, Water-, and Grass-type Pokémon

Finally rounding up our group of Earth Day events comes from puzzle-RPG mobile game Legendary Game of Heroes, which launched a Slayer event in which proceeds will be donated to Rainforest Trust. The event is wrapping up today and has succeeded in raising its $75,000 donation goal, but there’s still time to log on and obtain event exclusive rewards, catalysts and heroes.

That’s about it for this roundup of notable recent Earth-y events. There are plenty other games doling out some Earth Day rewards in addition to these, so be sure to check out your favorite games for any special events and rewards!

Earth Day Special Events Abound with Minecraft, Pokemon Go, and More

Minecraft aiming to use ocean update to restore real coral reefs

(RNN) – Minecraft, an immersive computer game in which players use blocks to build the world they inhabit, is now trying to build something in the real world.

The makers of the game are using a new ocean update – which will be the first to give players a chance to focus on building underwater worlds – to promote rebuilding actual corals.

The game’s website announced the initiative, the Coral Crafters regrowth project, on Tuesday.

Developers are planning six Biorock installations, fixtures placed in ocean waters around which new reefs can grow. They are said to facilitate far quicker growth than natural reef processes.

They intend to put them off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico.

Biorock structures can be arranged in elaborate designs, and Minecraft’s site said three of its fixtures will be fashioned to look like two of its iconic block characters, Alex and Steve, as well as a sea turtle.

The other three will be designed by popular YouTubers who play the game.

One, Rabahrex, will work with schoolchildren in his native Mexico on a design. Another, Logdotzip, is allowing fans to vote from three designs for the final one he will submit.

Reefs are collections of small marine animals called polyps, which come to host the algae that gives them their fantastic colors in a symbiotic relationship.

According to a recently-updated post on the website for Columbia University’s Earth Institute, 75 percent of the world’s coral reefs face environmental risk and a quarter are already permanently damaged.

Citing a report by the World Resources Institute, 90 percent of coral reefs could be in danger by 2030, and possibly all of them by mid-century.

Reefs are one of the most important habitats for marine species. Fishing and pollution have long threatened them, and now warming waters are frequently resulting in what’s called coral bleaching. That process robs them of their rich colors, and more seriously can lead to disease, reproductive issues and death.

A report published in the journal Nature this week notes that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest and most famous reef, lost a third of its corals in a bleaching event in 2016. The lead author of the report, Terry Hughes, told The Atlantic that initial research indicates a heat wave last year triggered another bleaching, and the reef has now lost half its corals since 2015.

“We can do something about this – with YOUR help!” the Minecraft post says.

Minecraft aiming to use ocean update to restore real coral reefs

How to avoid Minecraft Virus

by Stone Marshall | Apr 26, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized | 0 comments

An Avast report claims that almost 50,000 computers have been infected by malware in the past 30 days via infected Minecraft skins. The malware is said to package itself as an unsuspecting PNG file, ready for fans of the game to download from the official Minecraft domain. It’s not to be trifled with either, as the malware can cause serious damage to your PC, wiping your hard drive and destroying backups.

Don’t panic, though; here, we explain what the Minecraft malware is, how to avoid it and what to do if you’ve got the Minecraft virus.

What is the Minecraft Virus?

According to Avast data from the past 30 days, there have been nearly 50,000 Minecraft accounts infected with malware that could potentially reformat hard-drives and delete both backup data and system programs.

The Powershell script identified by Avast experts is apparently smuggled onto unsuspecting gamers’ computers via Minecraft skins. The script is created in the same PNG file format used for Minecraft skins, making it hard to identify potentially malicious Minecraft skins on the surface.

Avast has admitted that the malicious code is largely unimpressive, and can be found on sites that provide instructions on creating viruses with Windows Notepad. The simplicity suggests that it’s not backed by professional cybercriminals, though the skins are hosted on the official Minecraft domain.

A Microsoft spokesperson has since said that the company “has addressed this issue and put additional measures in place to protect our community” and that players should “report any suspicious activity to feedback.minecraft.net.”

How can I avoid the Minecraft Virus?

The key thing right now is avoiding the HDD-reformatting malware – the good news is that it shouldn’t be too hard to steer clear. The easiest way to avoid the malware is to simply not download any skins from the official Minecraft domain while Mojang fixes the issue and removes any infected files.

If you simply can’t wait, you could try and avoid any of the skins that Avast claim feature malware. A screenshot of the skins is provided below – just avoid those skins, and any that look like them for now.

If you don’t want to risk it, then why not try one of our favourite Minecraft alternatives?

What should I do if I’ve downloaded malware from Minecraft?

If you’ve found unusual messages in your Minecraft inbox along the lines of “You have maxed your internet usage for a lifetime”, are experiencing performance issues or receiving error messages related to disk formatting, chances are you’ve downloaded a malicious Minecraft skin.

Don’t panic; Avast recommends scanning your machine with free (or paid) antivirus softwarelike Bitdefender Total Security or Avast Free Antivirus. The company claims that most should be able to identify the malicious file and remove it for you, although some users may need to go through a few extra steps. Some users claim that the malware ‘breaks’ Minecraft for them; if this is the case for you, you need only reinstall the game from the Microsoft Store.

Now, if your computer has become completely infected and system files have already been deleted, you may need to completely reset your PC.

How to avoid Minecraft Virus

‘Minecraft’ Developer Issues Fix for Skins Virus

“Minecraft” players who like to download customized skins for their character avatars don’t need to worry about malware anymore, developer Mojang said Wednesday. The company said it resolved the issue by releasing a patch that removes all of the information from skin files except the actual image data itself.

The studio’s assurances came one day after cybersecurity company Avast claimed hackers were distributing malicious software via skins created in the PNG file format and uploaded to “Minecraft’s” official website. The virus could potentially reformat a person’s hard drive or destroy their backup data. It estimated nearly 50,000 “Minecraft” accounts were infected. That is a pretty low number, though, when compared to the game’s 74 million active players worldwide.

“The malicious code is largely unimpressive and can be found on sites that provide step-by-step instructions on how to create viruses with Notepad,” Avast said. “While it is fair to assume that those responsible are not professional cybercriminals, the bigger concern is why the infected skins could be legitimately uploaded to the ‘Minecraft’ website. With the malware hosted on the official ‘Minecraft’ domain, any detection triggered could be misinterpreted by users as a false positive.”

While people who upload skins could potentially slip extra code into the PNG files, Mojang points out that code can’t be run or read by the game itself. “Additionally, even if you found the code within the file and chose to run it, your antivirus software should detect and block the attempt,” it added.

“Minecraft” is one of the biggest games in the world, having sold more than 144 million copies since its launch in 2009. Microsoft bought both it and Mojang for an estimated $2.5 billion in 2014. Its next big update will add a variety of ocean-themed creatures, blocks, and items. It comes out later this year.

‘Minecraft’ Developer Issues Fix for Skins Virus

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