by Stone Marshall | Nov 10, 2015 | Minecraft News |
With the numerous snapshots released for “Minecraft” PC, the developer has now given a new beta for players on the Android version, the “Minecraft Pocket Edition.” This time, it will introduce a new feature that fans have been clamoring for.
Announced over the official Mojang website, the new feature coming to the beta 0.13.0 update for “Minecraft Pocket Edition” are Redstone Circuits.
The features for the latest updates are slated to debut on both the “Minecraft Pocket Edition” and the “Minecraft Windows 10 Edition beta.” Mojang has yet to announce when these features will come to the mentioned platforms.
The beta will feature the first batch of Redstone blocks. For now, it will not include the Pistons, Repeaters and other blocks, though this may come at a later update. The Redstone circuits will include Redstone Wire, Torch, Lamp, Levers, Buttons, Pressure plates, Trapped Chests, Detector Rails and Tripwires. In addition, there are new wooden doors included.
Some tweaks have also been introduced to some commands in the game. The new Redstone can be used to control features like doors, TNT, rails and trapdoors. Boats can now go faster with different handling. Slimes and Ghasts can now spawn, while Skeletons can run away from Wolves.
For “Minecraft” players who are interested on being beta testers of the new update, there are three requirements to be eligible. “Minecraft Pocket Edition” is not a free app, so players will need to purchase the app via the Google Play Store for $6.99. Also, Mojang has an opt-in agreement to which players will need to agree with. Finally, the Android device of the owner should be able to run “Minecraft Pocket Edition” with the right version of the Android software.
PC players are still waiting for the latest update of “Minecraft.” However, that does not mean that there are no progress with the game’s current version. At Hull University in the UK, a new educational variant of “Minecraft” has been created for the study of molecular structures and chemistry.
BBC reported that the program is geared towards an interactive approach of the subject, taking advantage of the game’s simple but effective gameplay mechanics.
“‘Minecraft’ is a fabulous tool for exploring structures of buildings, landscapes and even anatomy,” Dr. Mark Lorch, one of the developers of the program, told BBC. “It is a really novel way of engaging them and delivering information to them.”
Currently, the unique program makes use of the different features of “Minecraft.” These include treasure chests, goodies and puzzles, as well as the main building feature of “Minecraft.”
‘Minecraft’ Dev Introduces New Pocket Edition Beta 0.13.0 Update, Game Goes Up A Notch In Schools For Chemistry Class
by Stone Marshall | Nov 10, 2015 | Minecraft News |
We know that redstone, the powerful element from the desktop version of Minecraft, is coming to Minecraft: Pocket Edition [$6.99] very soon, as it has arrived in the beta version of 0.13 on Android. But what exactly can you do with the element on the mobile version of the game? Well, let a couple of Mojang developers show you the power of redstone in this video, which is made in the Windows 10 Beta version of Minecraft, but should function the same in the iOS and Android version of the game.
Redstone promises to bring huge changes to Minecraft Pocket Edition, as many of the more complex creations in the desktop Java version of the game are powered by redstone. And players have been able to make things like machines, and even playable guitars:
Now you put that big mobile playerbase to work on making redstone creations on the go, and who knows what they’ll be doing once update 0.13 is out…
See What Redstone Can Create in the Upcoming “Minecraft: Pocket Edition” 0.13 Update
by Stone Marshall | Nov 9, 2015 | Minecraft News |
For those who have developed a love for Mojang’s mega-blockbuster sandbox game Minecraft, there is some good news for those who are on the Pocket Edition. A 0.13.0 Beta update allows players to use Redstone, but only if you are Android and follow a certain set of procedures. In the meantime, there hasn’t really been any news on the Update 1.9 or Combat Update that fans of the game are really wanting, but here is news about a possible release date.
According to the International Business Times, there is a new feature coming to the beta 0.13.0 update for the Minecraft Pocket Edition with Redstone Circuits. If you are not familiar with that term from Minecraft, it is a structure that can be built to activate or control mechanisms.
This beta features the first batch of Redstone blocks, but it does not include Pistons, Repeaters, and other blocks but this could come at another time. For now, players of the Minecraft Pocket Edition can enjoy Redstone Wire, Torch, Lamp, Levers, buttons, Pressure Plates, Trapped Chests, Detector Rails, and Tripwires. There have also been some interesting modifications as the Redstone can control doors, TNT, rails, and trapdoors. There are other applications that have been put on Touch Arcade like a Playable Guitar, for example.
There are also some modifications that are not related to the Redstone like some new wooden doors, boats that go faster with different handling, Slimes and Ghasts can now spawn, and Skeletons can run away from Wolves.
Those who are interested in trying out the new beta update should purchase the application on the Google Play Store for the $6.99 price. Mojang has an opt-in agreement that players have to agree to, and the Android device should be able to run this beta. Tech Times suggests that before applying to be a beta tester for this update, you should backup your existing worlds. Once you have joined, the Android device should download and install the Minecraft: Pocket Edition beta version 0.13.0, but it might take a few days to arrive.
In addition to the beta update for the Pocket Edition, fans are eagerly looking forward to update 1.9, which is also known as the Combat Update. According to Minecraft’s own Gamepedia, This Combat update is expected to “overhaul the combat system, among other additions and changes”. It was expected that this update would arrive in mid-October, but this doesn’t seem to happen.
iDgitialTimes reports that the features of Minecraft Update 1.9 were discussed during a MineCon Panel. One of the features discussed at this presentation was plans to overhaul the game-ending Ender Dragon encounter. Most players have found that this foe isn’t too difficult for this game’s equivalent of a final boss, and the game doesn’t really give much incentive to even try to slay this dragon. Mojang wants to motivate players by tying in new things with the dragon, and explore the new islands coming in the end.
Version 1.9 also plans to introduce a new dimension that includes a new zone complete with new blocks, new food source, new mobs and other changes that could take a while to implement, hence the increased wait. Other new updates to Version 1.9 include new items like enchanted arrows and spell effects. These arrows include spectral arrows, invisibility arrows, and poison arrows. There is also talk of dual-wielding, as the player can toggle the primary hand of the character.
There is still no word on the release date of the long-awaited Version 1.9, but if Mojang is smart, they will have it out before the holiday season. One shouldn’t be surprised if it becomes available by Thanksgiving for fans to play on the four-day weekend.
Minecraft Pocket Edition Gets 0.13.0 Beta Update; Release Date For Minecraft Update 1.9
by Stone Marshall | Nov 8, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
The first official photos from the long-awaited Harry Potter spin-off have arrived online. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them recently began shooting ahead of its theatrical release next year, with long-term Potter director David Yates once again at the helm of another magical jaunt.
Avid Potter fans will recognize the title, which features in the earlier books and movies as a Hogwarts textbook, yet Fantastic Beasts is an entirely new creation. J.K. Rowling is penning the script that’s set to revolve around Newt Scamander, the author of the textbook who lives in ’20s New York and works for MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), the US equivalent of the Ministry of Magic.
Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne is tackling the lead role in classic style, as evidenced in this first batch of images from EW that showcase the period flair of the movie’s setting along with glimpses of the supporting cast. It boasts a ton of starry names including Katherine Waterston, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Gemma Chan, Ron Perlman and Ezra Miller. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is scheduled to arrive on November 18, 2016.
Eddie Redmayne stars in first images for Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts
by Stone Marshall | Nov 8, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
American author-illustrator Jeff Kinney has come out with the tenth book of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series in which main character Greg Heffley starts a new school year and faces a challenge he never could’ve imagined.
In “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School”, Kinney brings the series back to its roots.
Life was better in the old days. Or was it? That’s the question middle-school weakling Heffley is asking, as his town voluntarily unplugs and goes electronics-free. But modern life has its conveniences, and Greg isn’t cut out for an old-fashioned world.
It follows Heffley as he goes on a weeklong field trip to a farm and deals with a generation gap between the kids and their chaperones. With tension building inside and outside the Heffley home, Greg looks for a way to survive.
According to Kinney, the most surprising thing about “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” has been how children of different cultures around the world have embraced Greg Heffley.
“For the tenth book, I wanted to bring things back to basics,” said Kinney on the dramatic choice of black for the book cover.
“And nothing says ‘Old School’ for a cartoonist more than black, the colour of ink,” he adds.
Published by Puffin Books, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School” hit the bookstores in more than 90 countries today, including in India.
Kinney didn’t grow up wanting to be a children’s author. His dream was to become a newspaper cartoonist, but he wasn’t able to get his comic strips syndicated. In 1998, Kinney came up with the idea for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”. He worked on his book for almost eight years before showing it to a publisher in New York.
While attending the University of Maryland in the early 1990s, he ran a comic strip called “Igdoof” in the campus newspaper, and he knew he wanted to be a cartoonist. However, Kinney was not successful in getting his comic strip syndicated after college, and in 1998 he started writing down ideas for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, which he hoped to turn into a book.
Kinney worked on the book for six years before publishing it online on Funbrain.com in daily installments. To date, the online version of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” has more than 80 million visits, and is typically read by more than 70,000 kids a day.
In 2006, Kinney signed a multi-book deal with publisher Harry N Abrams, Inc. to turn “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” into a print series.
The first book was published in 2007 and became an instant bestseller. Besides the 10 books in the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, there are two additional books: “The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book” and “The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary.”
The “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series has sold 164 million copies in print worldwide and has been translated to 48 languages. It is regarded among the few series that have surpassed the 150 million mark, including the Harry Potter series.
Tenth book of ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ series out
