Minecraft Update 1.9: Snapshot 15w49a, 15w49b Deliver Small Tweaks And More Bug Fixes

Minecraft Update 1.9: Snapshot 15w49a, 15w49b Deliver Small Tweaks And More Bug Fixes

A pair of new Minecraft Update 1.9 preview builds debuted this week, two weeks after the community’s last preview of the next Minecraft patch, but there isn’t all that much to get excited about in this week’s previews of Minecraft Update 1.9.

It’s been a few months, since the last time a week passed without a new preview of Minecraft Update 1.9. Thankfully, following last week’s lull in the release cycle, Mojang has returned with a pair of new Minecraft snapshots this week. Neither of this week’s preview builds consists of much more than bug fixes for issues from recent Minecraft snapshot; a fact that shouldn’t exactly come as a shock, given that Mojang is in the final stretch of its work on Minecraft Update 1.9. But fans might be happy to hear there are a handful of other gameplay tweaks in Minecraft snapshot 15w49a, too.

The first Minecraft Update 1.9 preview build of the week improves the game’s handling of thrown items, converting snowballs and thrown potions back into items if/when they become lodged in cobwebs. The first Minecraft snapshot of the week also improves door functionality, giving players a bit more control over the object’s orientation when placed. Minecraft snapshot 15w49a even features a small tweak for horses, which allows them to rotate with the player going forward.

Here are the complete patch notes for Minecraft snapshot 15w49a, via Jens Bergensten:

  • Snowballs and thrown potions now turn into items when stuck in cobwebs – via
  • Horses now rotate with the player
  • Improved doors
    • They are now placed facing left/right depending on which half of the block you click on, unless neighboring doors cause them to place a certain way -via
  • Improved path finding
  • Balancing tweaks
  • A small feature
    • stat.aviateOneCm – via
  • MCPE derpy snow golems
    • Shear normal snow golems to take their pumpkin
  • Changed the /particle command
    • Added a params parameter to specify particle parameters (for iconcrack_, …)
    • Added a player parameter
  • /playsound now supports tab-completion
    • Server-known sounds are now tab-completed
  • Sweep attacks now do one heart of damage
  • Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, Slimes, Magma Cubes, Wither Skeletons, Spiders, Cave Spiders, Silverfishes and Endermites now fight back when hit by other mobs
  • Texture changes
    • Melons and glistering melons are now oriented the same way
    • Health Boost and Absorption now have different icons – Screenshot
  • Increased elytra wall damage
  • Fixed some bugs
    • Fixed items placed into beacons being lost when reloading the world – you can no longer place more than one item in a beacon, hoppers/droppers no longer feed into beacons, you drop the payment item when closing the beacon UI again
    • Fixed signs, sugar canes, vines, two block high plants and cobwebs causing glitchy mob behavior
    • Fixed clearing the nausea effect showing portal tint
    • Fixed projectiles behavior in regard to non-solid blocks: They now ignore non-solid blocks and get “stuck” in cobwebs
    • Fixed command selectors with decimals creating fake scoreboard players instead of simply failing
    • Fixed players floating above saddled donkeys/mules
    • Fixed lightning strikes destroying item frames, paintings, and armor stands
    • Fixed endermen being able to pick up blocks behind walls
    • Fixed overworld lava flowing towards unreachable drops
    • Fixed undead mobs staying in shadows even while wearing stuff on their heads
    • Fixed the rain texture being rendered upside down
    • Fixed crop hitboxes not adjusting for growth height
    • Fixed being unable to put flower pots on pistons
    • Fixed blaze fireballs damaging other blazes
    • Fixed tamed wolves attacking when wild wolves are hurt
    • Fixed being able to place cacti under water
    • Fixed trapped chests being listed under “Decoration Blocks” instead of “Redstone”
    • Fixed ocelots and rabbits running from players in creative mode
    • Fixed clicking on non-existing link target or deleted screenshots giving an error
    • Fixed being unable to pick block on the dragon egg
    • Fixed teleporting with relative x rotation above 90 affecting y rotation
    • Fixed guardian beams turning green at the end of charging
    • Fixed lit furnaces still being obtainable using the /give command
    • Fixed multiple item textures have partially transparent pixels, causing their item models to have holes
    • Fixed the shift+F3 menu remaining on server disconnect
    • Fixed server resource packs not staying persistent – more info
    • Fixed offhand items rendering while drawing bow (1st and 3rd person view)
    • Fixed shulkers deflecting arrows from the side but not the top/arrows being glitchy when shot at the edge
    • Fixed punching cake consuming one slice
    • Bosses are unaffected by potion effects/tipped arrows: The Wither and the Ender Dragon will now ignore all effects
    • Fixed the Infinity enchant working with tipped arrows
    • Fixed levitation not affecting squids
    • Fixed shulkers teleporting into other shulkers
    • Fixed end cities spawning even without Generate Structures
    • Fixed dead shulkers teleporting
    • Fixed cauldrons getting filled with water while snowing in biomes where it only snows above a certain height
    • Fixed shulkers opening into blocks
    • Fixed blocks/items on mobs’ heads turning red when the mob takes damage
    • Fixed pistons pushing AreaEffectClouds
    • Fixed leading zeroes being omitted on dyed leather armor colour
    • Fixed the drop item scoreboard objective increasing with /give
    • Fixed shulker floating slightly above ground
    • Fixed setblocking signs with at least one, but not all 4 lines specified putting “null” on empty lines when reloading the world: It now only accepts proper json for each line and each line has to exist, empty sign otherwise
    • Fixed the librarian zombie villager robe texture sometimes being white instead of transparent, sometimes being transparent
    • Fixed the shulker hitbox height while peeking
    • Fixed levitating slimes moving
    • Fixed slimes always moving south first
    • Fixed arrows blocked by shield getting stuck above the player
    • Fixed shields still displaying metadata
    • Fixed the chest armor slot for AttributeModifiers being called “torso” when all other slots were consistent with their /replaceitem names
    • Fixed AreaEffectCloud not working with some particles, crashing with others
    • Fixed end portals generated with 12 eyes not being activated
    • Fixed elytra going invisible on invisible players
    • Fixed taking damage while gliding pushing you upwards
    • Fixed picking block on frosted ice giving a warning
    • Fixed loot table exceptions not being caught
    • Fixed rain putting out fires too seldomly
    • Fixed being unable to remove container minecarts with invalid loot table
    • Fixed being able to place multiple end crystals in the same place
    • Fixed an issue with level.dat causing the end dragon fight to fail
    • Fixed villagers still not going through doors
    • Fixed skeletons riding horses being unable to reach their pathfinding goal/not attacking properly
    • Fixed the “Block Broken” subtitle being inaccurate
    • Fixed beams from end crystals moving in the wrong direction when spawning Ender Dragon
    • Fixed a mob pathing issue
    • Fixed Activator Rails and Powered Rails powering each other
    • Fixed some subtitles being unrelated to the sound
    • Fixed slimes being slightly offset from their actual position
    • Fixed silent Shulkers still producing sounds
    • Fixed some of the new textures not being compressed properly
    • Fixed texture variants switching on nearby block updates
    • Fixed the level-up sound originating at a position in the world, not at the player position
    • Fixed the baby zombie hitbox being too big, causing floating mob heads and floating Grumm/Dinnerbone baby zombies
    • Fixed frost walker not working from transparent blocks
    • Fixed right clicking a hoe/shovel on grass/dirt playing the wrong sound
    • Fixed each cuboid part of a model rendering smooth lighting as if it were a full block, causing lighting issues on corner stairs and custom models
    • Fixed NBT data for SmallFireballs being incomplete
    • Fixed server-side resource packs not showing up in the resource pack list
    • Fixed being unable to place blocks in marker armor stands
    • Fixed zombie/skeleton/zombie pigman arms going up and down if they can’t reach you
    • Fixed the enderdragon getting in boats
    • Fixed villagers killed by zombies turning into baby zombie villagers/chicken jockeys
    • Fixed creepers sometimes dropping gunpowder when their explosion sets off and end crystal
    • Fixed being able to place end crystals inside blocks, replacing them with fire in the end
    • Fixed the dragon respawn sequence not stopping when /killing the dragon
    • Fixed the beam target of end crystals on obsidian pillars not updating when the ender dragon spawn sequence is stopped
    • Fixed the end crystal beam appearing detached as the crystal bobs up and down
    • Fixed end crystals overlapping when interrupting the dragon rebirth sequence

And here are the patch notes for Minecraft snapshot 15w49b:

  • Fixed some bugs
  • Fixed the bottom of falling sand turning black when remaining space is < 1 block
  • Fixed mobs entering a cauldron never leaving the cauldron
  • Fixed a crash when depleting an item stack
  • Fixed a crash in worlds with double-slab blocks
  • Fixed Falling Sand entities being invisible/rendering at 0,0
  • Fixed the time query daytimecommand not resetting after day night cycle
  • Fixed stat.openInventory whilst riding horse
  • Fixed armor stands being able to have potion effects
  • Fixed the End Portal teleport range being too large

Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Minecraft coverage throughout the rest of 2015 and for as long as Mojang supports Minecraft in the years ahead.

Minecraft Update 1.9: Snapshot 15w49a, 15w49b Deliver Small Tweaks And More Bug Fixes

Here’s a Super Mario cat tree for your Princess Purr

Here’s a Super Mario cat tree for your Princess Purr

When it comes to geeky cat furniture, there’s a wide, wonderful world of Star Wars, Star Trek and gaming-inspired creations out there.

A massive Super Mario Bros. cat tree from MassihaProductions on Etsy now joins the lineup of Landspeeder cat beds and carpeted USS Enterprise cat trees.

We’ve seen Super Mario-related pet furniture before, notably a wall-mounted unit from CatastrophicCreations on Etsy. That model goes for an understated style and subdued colors for a modern-industrial appearance. The MassihaProductions cat tree has no pretenses about fitting in with your tasteful decor. It’s big, loud and proud.

The tree towers above most people at an impressive 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) in height. The tubes are fully functional, allowing your little furry Player 1 to crawl in and out of the brick and question-mark boxes. The front top panel lifts up to reveal a plush cat hangout area inside.

Sisal rope tied around the supports provides a claw-sharpening area for your fuzzball to get out its aggression. You will need to provide your own Koopas, piranha plants and Goombas.

If you think about it, cats and Mario have a lot in common. They both like to play with boxes, chase things, bop objects and show off their agility.

The $1,500 cat tree will only ship to addresses in the US (which will cost you an additional $100), but international retro-gaming fans can use it for inspiration for their own DIY builds.

Here’s a Super Mario cat tree for your Princess Purr

Microsoft and Code.org want to teach kids to code with Minecraft

Microsoft and Code.org want to teach kids to code with Minecraft

Listen up you little Creepers and Zombies out there. Microsoft wants to teach you how to code using Minecraft as a teacher.

On Monday, Microsoft announced a partnership with Code.org that will teach kids (and adults) the basics of computer science in an hour using Minecraft-themed lessons. Microsoft bought Mojang, the Swedish video game company behind the hit game,
for $2.5 billion last year, and wants to use the title to get the more than 100 million players around the world interested in coding.

The new Minecraft module is part of Code.org’s third annual Hour of Code, a worldwide campaign that tries to demystify code by teaching the basics of computer science in just an hour. The Hour of Code takes place during Computer Science Education Week from December 7 – 13.

Minecraft, released in 2009, has no storyline to speak of, but instead lets players create their own worlds and explore others in an infinite digital sandbox.

If users sign up for the free Hour of Code Minecraft module, they’ll learn how to use blocks of code to make Steve or Alex, the two main character skins from the game, adventure through a Minecraft world. Other modules, including some based on Star Wars, “Frozen” and other popular content, are also available on the Code.org site.

Minecraft lead developer Jens Bergensten provides the introductory video for the Minecraft module, and and other members of the Mojang team walk students through the process of building code to get their characters to achieve various goals like shearing sheep and breaking down trees into wood resources.

“A core part of our mission to empower every person on the planet is equipping youth with computational thinking and problem-solving skills to succeed in an increasingly digital world,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said a statement. “With Minecraft and Code.org, we aim to spark creativity in the next generation of innovators in a way that is natural, collaborative and fun.”

Students who choose the Microsoft module will tackle a series of 14 coding challenges, including some free play time so they can take the coding tactics they learn during the module and explore the Minecraft world with code. The Minecraft module is available for crafting now.

Microsoft and Code.org want to teach kids to code with Minecraft

Mario takes on Minecraft Guy in battle of the video games

Mario takes on Minecraft Guy in battle of the video games

It’s the battle of the heavyweights as the legendary Mario from the Super Mario video game series takes on the guy from Minecraft in this video published Sunday by Dorkly.

In the clip, Mario and Minecraft Guy — aka The Player, or Steve or Steve? — try to determine once and for all which video game franchise is better. Things get heated the second Minecraft Guy comes into the room, calling Mario “Chef Boyardee,” which really sets Mario off.

The two argue about which franchise is more popular, whether or not people are actually playing any Mario games on the Wii U gaming console and how long kids have spent playing each respective franchise.

Ultimately, the video makes it seem like Minecraft is the winner here, but I have to disagree. I’d much rather sit down with my kiddo and build a level of iconic Mario side-scrolling goodness in the new Mario Maker game than watch him build things in Minecraft.

For me, at least, Mario’s nostalgia easily wins out over the creativity afforded by the blocky sandbox construction game of Minecraft. But maybe that’s justa-me, Mario fan.

Let us know which video game franchise you think is best in the comments.

Mario takes on Minecraft Guy in battle of the video games

First 104 Backwards Compatible 360 Games On Xbox One Include ‘South Park: The Stick Of Truth’ And ‘Lego Star Wars’

First 104 Backwards Compatible 360 Games On Xbox One Include ‘South Park: The Stick Of Truth’ And ‘Lego Star Wars’

At long last, Microsoft has revealed the initial batch of Xbox 360 games that will be backwards compatible with Xbox One.

There are 104 Xbox 360 games that can now be enjoyed on the Xbox One, and it’s a mix of first party Microsoft titles, arcade games, and a selection of choice titles from various publishers like EA, Ubisoft and Square-Enix.

Some of the most notable games to make the list that weren’t previously confirmed are South Park: The Stick of Truth and two Lego games in the form of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and Lego Pirates of the Carribean: The Video Game. Bethesda’s open world RPG Fallout 3 joins the roster, as does Ubisoft’s popular Rainbow Six: Vegas franchise. Ubisoft also threw in the most popular entry from the Assassin’s Creed series, Assassin’s Creed II. From Square-Enix, you’ll be able to enjoy Just Cause 2 on your Xbox One ahead of the release of Just Cause 3. The original Borderlands is also backwards compatible, which should make the numerous fans of the franchise happy since the game wasn’t included as part of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection earlier this year.

You can read the full list of backwards compatible games over on Major Nelson’s official Xbox blog. It’s certainly a large list, but you may notice a few omissions. While the first Mass Effect was one of the first backwards compatible games announced, Mass Effect 2 and 3 didn’t make the cut. Many of the most requested games, like Halo: Reach, Call of Duty Black Ops and Red Dead Redemption, didn’t make this initial wave but will be coming in the near future. Updates to the list will be coming every month, starting in December. In addition, the two free Xbox 360 titles as part of the Games with Gold program will be backwards compatible with Xbox One moving forward.

All the games on the list will be available (if you already have the 360 games, of course) on Nov. 12 when the New Xbox One Experience dashboard updates goes live for all users. If you already have the update as part of the preview program, you should be able to enjoy these 360 games right now.

First 104 Backwards Compatible 360 Games On Xbox One Include ‘South Park: The Stick Of Truth’ And ‘Lego Star Wars’