by Stone Marshall | Oct 4, 2016 | Minecraft News |
Video game development is a tough business. A game can come out and be hailed as revolutionary for something that was done in an older game that didn’t hit it big, or in some cases, didn’t come out at all. One such case is that of “Game Zero,” a Nintendo GameCube exclusive that was in development from 2000 to 2002. The project was never officially announced or shown to the press or the public before being quietly swept under the rug after three years of development. Why bring up “Game Zero” in 2016? Well, it turns out that if the project had come to fruition, it might have beaten
the most popular game in the world to the punch by several years. “Game Zero” could have been “Minecraft” well before “Minecraft” existed.
A screenshot of the hero of “Game Zero” piloting a vehicle around some environmental blocks. Unseen64 The story of its development is a rocky one,
as documented by the unfinished games database Unseen64 last year. Basically, one of the developers of the massively popular “Goldeneye: 007” left that studio to form his own game development oufit called Zoonami, out of a desire to make something new and fresh. Zoonami signed a deal to develop an exclusive game for the then-new GameCube console, and “Game Zero” was born. “Game Zero,” according to Unseen64, would have been a “sandbox platformer” where players could “mine rocks and terrains, gaining items and resources to build new structures.” Sound familiar?
Unseen64 The destructible environments would have been made out of voxels, which in layman’s terms is fairly similar to how “Minecraft” builds its worlds. The game’s levels would have been closer in scale to “Super Mario 64” than the endless environments of “Minecraft,” though. Sadly, the GameCube supposedly couldn’t handle what was being asked of it. Market realities also contributed to the game’s death, as the most popular GameCube games were much more traditional. Since “Game Zero” was never shown to anyone outside of Zoonami until late 2015, its lead developer Martin Hollis insists nobody involved with the creation of “Minecraft” could have seen it and been inspired by its ideas. Instead, it was simply a case of multiple people coming up with the same idea at different times. Sometimes, that’s just how video games work. It’s worth noting that “Minecraft”
has been accused of
lifting its ideas from a lesser-known game called “Infiniminer” in the past. It can be difficult to pin down just who originally came up with what ideas at times. If things had worked out just a bit differently, we might all be talking about “Game Zero” today. Maybe it would have been a huge hit, maybe it would have come and gone with little fanfare. As it stands, a handful of screenshots and some developer quotes are all we’ll likely ever have from it.
This unreleased game was ‘Minecraft’ years before ‘Minecraft’ existed
by Stone Marshall | Oct 2, 2016 | Minecraft News |
Virtual reality is still far from being a certified household name, but its continuous leaps mean it’s headed there eventually, and it’s headed there even faster once October rolls around, with Google, Sony, Microsoft and Oculus all revving up VR-related announcements next month.
For most, the concept of virtual reality is still a daunting sideways glance, going largely undiscussed but marveled at upon direct contact, like touchscreens back in the day, which were revolutionary the first couple of years, until they were just obviously and unthinkingly the right input mechanism for phones.
Come October, with these huge companies slapping their brands as prefixes or suffixes to their individual VR ventures, expect VR to filter through more channels of murmurs in and out of circles, expanding VR dialogue by leaps and bounds.
But enough about forecasting. Here are some of the biggest announcements in VR on October:
Google Daydream
Coming out of its beta stage, Google’s own VR effort, dubbed the Daydream VR, had recently opened its doors for developers. Daydream is much more sophisticated than the Google’s makeshift Cardboard peripheral, allowing users to port their favorite Android apps onto Daydream as VR experiences.
Google announced its Daydream platform back in May during its Google I/O conference, but details about it are scant to this day. Google is expected to provide more details about its direction for the Daydream platform on its upcoming Oct. 4 event.
Google is credited for largely letting casual users understand VR technology in a way that’s sufficient enough to make them care about it. It’s Google Cardboard peripheral is raw and not very high-tech, sporting a toolshed, shop-class aesthetic, but it gets its message about VR clear: It’s the next big thing in a lot of ways you don’t need expensive and fancy gear to experience it, and most importantly, it’s not about to go away anytime soon.
PlayStation VR
Sony will release its own PlayStation VR headset a week after the Oculus conference at $399. It will be the first mainstream VR gear able to integrate natively with a gaming console, specifically Sony’s own PS4. The PlayStation VR had a huge presence back in the E3 bubble but has since remained laconic despite excellent preorder figures, outselling at a rate much faster than any product at GameStop.
Consumer adoption for the PlayStation VR headset will possibly be much easier than some VR gear because of the PS4 units already sitting in millions of households. It’s also priced much lower than the HTC Vive or the Oculus Rift, but the main drawback is that it offers a lower-resolution experience compared to other PC-based VR setups.
Sony promised that the PlayStation VR will come with eight demo titles upon its launch on Oct. 13, with a stellar list of titles still in the pipeline, not to mention Sony is also bringing Vive and Rift games available to play.
Minecraft: Gear VR Edition
Starting October, Xbox Wireless Controllers will be compatible with Samsung Gear VR headsets, Tech Times previously reported. The first game to take advantage of the Gear VR and Xbox One controller pairing is Minecraft: Gear VR Edition, and if you have Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition, you can go ahead and download the Oculus store version.
Oculus Touch
Following a store display spotting in London, the Oculus Touch is rumored to be released on winter, with the exact release date still vague. As per the store displays, the Oculus touch will cost £190 ($246) in the UK, with the US price is still obscure for the time being.
Once released,the Touch controllers will offer more sophisticated and complex motion control mechanisms and options for Oculus Rift headset owners who have been waiting since its unveiling. More details about the Touch controllers are expected to make the rounds once the Oculus Connect conference begins on Oct. 5.
Fans and enthusiasts closely following developments in the VR realm should have plenty of material to chew on this October, and who knows, there may even be surprise announcements none of us saw coming, so expect due coverage as we reach the dates. Meanwhile, October isn’t the end for VR announcements and news. On November, the Virtual Reality Developers Conference will be held in San Francisco, with developers expected to showcase new VR apps before the holiday season.
VR Is Big This October: Google Daydream, PlayStation VR, ‘Minecraft: Gear VR Edition’ And Oculus
by Stone Marshall | Oct 2, 2016 | Minecraft News |
It’s not off the table
As I sat down to speak with Rog Carpenter, Executive Producer for Minecraft’s console branch, I wanted to know one thing immediately — now that they’re under Microsoft’s umbrella, how open is the team to working with other publishers? Pretty open, as it turns out.
In addition to a massive amount of support from Nintendo directly for the Mario Mash-Up pack for the Wii U version of Minecraft, the team is in “constant” communication with just about everyone. “We talk to all the major players, and we have a back and forth with them, so there’s no real barriers in place. In fact, we’d love to tackle a property like Uncharted for Sony next, or even Gears for Microsoft…we’ve looked at doing both of those things as Mash-Ups.
So the Minecraft team is seemingly the hope diamond in the rough of the console wars, but what about cross-platform play on consoles? Carpenter was a little less enthusiastic about that, but according to him, they’re always looking at it: “We go with what our fans want, and obviously, that’s been asked many times. So we know there’s limitations there on a technical level and on a publisher level, and other developers we’ve talked to have said the same thing. Our mission is to make Minecraft as open as possible, which is what the Windows 10 and mobile editions are doing, so we’ll continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds. For now, nothing is definite.”
While he wouldn’t comment on the situation directly, the ball really is in Sony’s court. Microsoft, the IP holder in this case, is willing to have cross-platform console play. It took them forever to decide this and many eager Japanese developers have been spurned in the process, but it’s something that can happen now. “Maybe Mojang and 4J will be the ones to finally break down that wall?” I asked. “Maybe, maybe,” is all I got with a laugh.
Minecraft dev would ‘love’ to see an Uncharted collaboration
by Stone Marshall | Oct 1, 2016 | Awesome Book News, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions |
Mojang is preparing to launch Minecraft‘s 1.11 update, which will add llamas, mansions filled with Illagers, and treasure maps, among many other changes.
Mojang is hard at work, as ever, on the upcoming 1.11 update for the original PC version of Minecraft. Debuting what the team has been working at over the weekend during Minecon, Mojang’s “Exploration Update” adds several significant pieces of content including llamas, mansions, and maps. Larger system-based gameplay additions like enchanting and experience are absent, but Mojang is hoping to make up for that with pure content.
Here’s a short list of the major additions coming in Minecraft‘s 1.11 update:
Woodland Mansion – Giant end-game dungeons that spawn in in Dark Oak Forests.
Treasure Map – Leads to hidden structures like monuments and dungeons.
Shulker Shell and Shulker Box – Shells dropped from Shulkers can be turned into boxes which keep their inventory when broken.
Cartographer Villager – Trades maps.
Illagers – Melee “Vindicators” and caster “Evoker” Illagers populate the new Woodland Mansion dungeons.
Vex – Flying enemy type that is spawned by Evoker-type Illagers.
Llama – Animal that can be saddled, tamed, leashed and equipped with a small 6-slot inventory.
Observer Block – Observes block updates and outputs a redstone signal.
This is just a shortlist of changes from Minecraft‘s 1.11 patch featuring content shown during Minecon and does not represent the final list of changes Mojang will likely be releasing soon. As for when the patch itself will be released, Mojang says 1.11’s snapshot will be available as soon as Wednesday of this week, and an official change-log will accompany the snapshot’s release.
Minecraft 1.11 to Add Llamas, Mansions and Maps – Sheep
While the initial reveal of patch 1.11 was met positively, as no Minecraft fan would ever be disappointed by new content, some criticism has since followed. 1.11 has been known as the “Exploration” update for some time and many fans built up certain expectations regarding that title. While maps may encourage players to get out and explore more, some fans fear 1.11 won’t meet its obligation in creating new, exciting content worth looking for. The Woodland Dungeon is interesting for end-game players, but it’s not a new biome filled with interesting new blocks and units.
Patch 1.12, the “Fanon” update, is coming in 2017 and could deliver some of the content that those disappointed in 1.11 would like to see. It will include new types of trees, a new metal in steel, and a village generation in snowy biomes, as well as female villagers. Mojang has promised to deliver smaller, faster Minecraft updates so fans constantly have something new to try out — and to avoid the lengthy update hiatuses that plagued the game for some time.
The original Java version of Minecraft is currently exclusively available on PC, with update 1.11 planned to release on Wednesday later this week. The staggeringly popular “Pocket” version of Minecraft, available on consoles, mobile platforms, and through Windows 10, should eventually receive the 1.11 update, but it may be some time before that happens.
Minecraft 1.11 Update to Add Llamas, Mansions, and Maps
