by Stone Marshall | Apr 1, 2016 | Minecraft News |
Minecraft Story Mode series will get a huge update this week. Owen Hill, the guy behind the wildly popular sandbox video game Minecraft, has made a huge announcement on March 22 that episode 5 of Minecraft Story Mode will be available to download on March 29.
“I’m happy to announce that Episode 5 of Minecraft: Story Mode, ‘Order Up,’ will be available to download on PC/Mac, Windows 10, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and iOS and Android-based devices from March 29th!,” Hill post on Mojang’s website.
Hill also announced that three more “post-season” episodes will follow and that all these three episodes are expected to be out this year.
On the company’s official website, Hill said that the episode 5 of Minecraft Story Mode will feature a new world called Sky City. Gamers will see Jesse and company explore the new world, which Owen Hill described in his blog as an “awe-inspiring and an intriguing” place. In the story, Jesse and his buddies will find themselves in abandoned temple, where they meet the ruler that is said to be up to no good.
“Episode 5 will not be the last you see of Jessie and the gang. We can now confirm that three extra episodes will arrive sometime in 2016,” Hill wrote on his blog, via the Australian News Network.
Episode 5, which also called “Order Up!”, will bridge the gap from Episode 4’s concluded Wither Storm story arc to the new content.
The voice cast will be joined by Sean Astin, which known as Sam Gamgee in the “Lord of the Ring” movie. Other voices featured are those of Catherine Taber and Patton Oswalt as Jesse and Paul Reubens of Pee-Wee Herman.
While the three extra episodes will not be a part of the existing season pass, gamers can still buy the upcoming episodes 6, 7 and 8, provided that they have already downloaded at least one of the older episodes.
Launched in October 2015, Minecraft: Story Mode is an all-new narrative-driven game series developed by Telltale Games in collaboration with Mojang. Three more episodes are planned this year, but no official announcement has been issued by Telltale Games and its partner Mojang
“We’re not going into detail about the content of those yet, but we can confirm that they’ll be great, and maybe come with a slightly different flavor to the previous season,” adds Hill, via the Mojang’s website.
Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 5 unveiled, three more coming this year
by Stone Marshall | Apr 1, 2016 | Minecraft News |
Minecraft, one of the world’s most popular video games, is being used as an educational tool at a Rockhampton school.
Year 8 students at Emmaus College are studying medieval times in history class, and are building worlds within Minecraft that correlate with what they are learning.
They have to do their normal research, they have to learn how to use the normal library … but we hope that with the likes of Minecraft and other things it would enthuse them and drive them on a bit further.
Seamus Toman, history teacher
The concept was introduced to the school by history teacher Seamus Toman, after a visit to his home country of Ireland.
Mr Toman said the idea came through his old school.
“They alerted me to the possibility of Minecraft for spatial learners here at Emmaus,” he said.
“We’ve picked up within this group there are a lot of spatial learners.
“They’re very hands-on. They don’t learn through chalk and talk and traditional learning, they like to discover.”
Mr Toman said his students had wholeheartedly embraced using Minecraft in class.
“Once they got into the Minecraft, it just went completely crazy,” Mr Toman said.
“They kept going and going. I had to hold them back a little bit.
“They’ve really immersed themselves in it, they’re all just really engaged … we’re trying to have a lesson tailored to their educational needs.”
However, he said Minecraft had not replaced traditional learning tools.
“They have to do their normal research, they have to learn how to use the normal library … but we hope that with the likes of Minecraft and other things, it would enthuse them and drive them on a bit further,” he said.
“There’s a few boys there too and boys are sometimes hard to reach, and we also thought if we introduce this element of playing and gaming through education, it would motivate them as well — and it has.”
Students excited about history class
Minecraft as a learning tool seems to have been unanimously well received by students in Mr Toman’s class.
Thirteen-year-old Jackson Smith said he had not enjoyed history class last year, but that had changed.
“It wasn’t that fun, but this year I’ve always been looking forward to going to history,” he said.
Jackson said he also liked that Minecraft allowed him to take on a different role in class.
“I play Minecraft as a hobby. It was a fun thing to teach other students too,” he said.
“It’s good that I know a lot more about something than other people do.”
Classmate Vincent Ramirez said he was also glad Minecraft was being used in class.
“Last year in history we were just writing and researching about the topic and not playing anything,” he said.
“I’m more interested [in history] because there’s a lot of fun things to do when I research.
“And then when I learn about more things I can add more stuff in my Minecraft world.”
Using Minecraft to help teach history a hit with Rockhampton students
by Stone Marshall | Mar 31, 2016 | Minecraft News |
Minecraft Pocket edition 0.15.0 update
Fans and players of the Minecraft Pocket Edition will be excited to know that what they have been clamoring for will be upcoming: another new update for the game which would be numbered 0.15.0. Although there has been no official announcement of a timeframe for the release, some of the items included on the update have already been discussed, mainly communicated through the game’s Twitter account. Additionally, fans have also been asked to indicate on the site the ideas they have for the update. There was no assurance though that what they asked for would be included, but the developer may want to have an ear out for common sentiments that could provide the direction for future updates and improvements.
It is amazing how fast new developments are taking place on the Minecraft Pocket Edition. Only recently, an update was rolled out, numbering 0.14.0. And now, talk is already rampant regarding the next update to be released.
Fans will be eager to know that a newer version of the Texture Packs will be added in the 0.15.0 rollout. What is new about these is that besides having the content of the previous Texture Packs, these will also have the capability to add new music, upgrade models, and adjust the in-game animation. These new features to the game allow the player a certain leeway to customize according to need.
It was also announced that the anti-aliasing option will be added, but the control for turning off the Animated Water will be taken out in this newer version. Players who experienced a lag when turning this feature on will be glad to know the issue has been attended to. More graphics options were also hinted at for the upcoming update.
It looks like new blocks may also be part of the 0.15.0. Version-exclusive animation on Pistons and Sticky Pistons will also be rolled out. Redstone-related blocks were hinted at but may or may not be included in this particular update.
There has been some buzz regarding the addition of version-exclusive non-playable characters (NPCs) with possible dialogue.On the part of fans, there has been some calls for more multi-player options, more biomes, and still some more blocks.
Gamers can see that this is going to be one heavy update. And there is the assurance that it may come really soon.
Minecraft Pocket Edition: 0.15.0 Update Release
by Stone Marshall | Mar 31, 2016 | Awesome Book News |
Even though many film critics, culture writers and prominent comic book industry veterans thought Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’s interpretation of the two most iconic superheroes was completely off — a snarling Superman? a mopey Clark Kent? a Batman who kills? a Bruce Wayne who has one night stands? — they would probably agree that Warner Brothers and Zack Snyder at least got one thing right: the Batcave.
In a brilliant piece of cross-promotion, Warners has teamed up with Google to provide a stunningly detailed 360-degree tour of the underground lair, which can be experienced on Google Streetview on a computer, smartphone, or — best of all — on a VR headset.
The movie cost US$250 million to make, and Snyder obviously didn’t skimp on set design, because the Batcave is impressively detailed.
I snapped on my Samsung Gear VR headset and began at the lake side glass house (it’s titled Bruce Wayne’s residence in the Google app, so not sure if this is exactly Wayne Mano) that served as the backdrop for a brief scene between Wayne and Alfred early in the film. Swiping the touchpad on my VR headset forward, I was able to “walk” down the house’s corridor, through a tunnel/driveway, and into the cave. The first thing that greets me is the Batmobile, and boy, does it look intimidating in VR.
I circled around the vehicle and marveled at the intricate details of its quarter-panel. Turning around, I could see Batman’s lab — no doubt where he crafted that Kryonite grenade.
Explorer deeper into the lair, I came across a room dedicated to Batman’s many guns (he kills in this movie, remember?), and a Robin costume, stored inside a glass case. While the backstory behind that specific costume was not explained in the movie, fans familiar with the Batman comics know it belongs to Jason Todd, the second Robin who’s murdered by the Joker (he has since come back to life in the comics … don’t ask). Chances are we’ll see the scene of Jared Leto’s Joker committing the crime in a flashback scene in this summer’s Suicide Squad.
Take a closer look at the suit to see that its been vandalized by the Joker
Unfortunately, while the Samsung Galaxy S6′s quad HD display — from which the Gear VR pulls its visuals — may be stunning for a mobile phone screen, it’s underpowered when stretched to an all-encompassing virtual reality. There’s a bit of pixelation when examining things up close. Still, it‘s a very immersive experience that any fan of Batman should check out.
Batman V Superman: Batcave Can Be Explored In Virtual Reality
by Stone Marshall | Mar 30, 2016 | Minecraft News |
Oculus attended the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and held a special event, where the company has presented almost a complete version of the Minecraft game running on Samsung’s Gear VR headset. The participants were allowed to explore the game and some of them shared their impression through IT websites.
Samsung has released its Gear VR mobile virtual reality headset at the end of November 2015, being manufactured in collaboration with Oculus. Minecraft doesn’t need any introduction, as this sandbox video game was launched in 2011 by Mojang, but three years later, Microsoft has purchased it for 2.5 billion dollars. The game can be played on smartphones running on Android, iOS and Windows Phone, on computers running on Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux or and on Raspberry Pi, and on consoles such as Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Wii U. Soon, Minecraft will be played in virtual reality, and sometime later this year, it will be available for the Oculus Rift and Gear VR.
Those who were curious to play Minecraft on the Gear VR had this opportunity at the Game Developers Conference and they were impressed with the effects, saying that they were able to walk around and fight off enemies without struggling too much. While playing the game, the participants at the GDC have stood in a swivel chair, being able to spin around and to do a 180-degree turn. Likewise other VR games, Minecraft uses a snap-turning function, but many players get motion sickness when jumping the camera quickly.
Overall, the players loved how the huge mountains look in the virtual world and they felt like they were part of a magic landscape with deep valleys flowing with water. One of players remembered how Iron Golems were walking around and had a face-to-face moment with a creature. After this experience, that player started digging a hole in the ground, but he became claustrophobic when he had his body crammed into a small and dark pit. He didn’t like the low-resolution textures and when he was about to panic, he used the torches and calmed down.
Minecraft Gear VR Edition – How The Players Described It
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