Dragon Quest Builders 2 revealed, coming to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch

I have very few points of reference when it comes to both Dragon Quest as a staple RPG and Minecraft as a sandbox creation tool, but the two combined really struck a chord with me. Dragon Quest Builders gave you the freedom to build in a world very similar to Minecraft, but the the structure and objectives of a classic RPG. It directed my creative efforts in a way that made me finally appreciate its gameplay, so you bet your blocks a sequel is exactly the kind of news we need for a Monday morning.

Revealed during the Dragon Quest Summer Festival, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is currently in development for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. The original game launched for both PS4 and PS Vita, so it seems the rising popularity of the Switch is enough to usurp the Sony handheld for some upcoming projects. As a formula, Builders 2 seems relatively unchanged. The brief livestream of early development footage showed a familiar looking game, albeit with some slight changes that fans of the first game might pick up on.

Most noticeably, Builders 2 is expanding the range of freedom you have around its world. You’ll be able to swim and mine for blocks underwater now, while also taking to the skies in a very Breath of the Wild styled hand glider to traverse large spaces in no time flat. Slightly less noticeable are changes to some of the numbers – like being able to stack triple the amount of blocks than in the first game. Builders 2 will also feature 4-player co-op, which is a neat touch.

There’s no release date yet and the project looks to be in its early days, but anyone who had the chance to play the original Builders will know just how addictive its formula was. If this sequel captures that with a better range of motion, its going to be another game you’ll need to pick up immediately.

Last Updated: August 7, 2017

Minecraft styled RPG Dragon Quest Builders 2 announced for PS4 and Nintendo Switch

Harvest Moon, what have they done to you?

Minecraft’s game-changing cross-network update is now available to beta test if you are on a Windows 10 PC or Android PC.

Xbox One beta access will follow “in the coming days”, Microsoft stated in a blog update.

Each version will let you play with people on other platforms, such is the nature of Minecraft’s Better Together Update, which will launch properly this autumn. (There’s no beta for Nintendo Switch players, though Switch will also be getting cross-network play).

The update adds features yet to appear on console – stained glass, parrots, coarse dirt and perhaps most importantly, world conversion.

There’s a handy FAQ on how the update will work for each platform – which is just as well, as it is a little complicated.

PC folk can download the Minecraft Better Together Update beta now via the Xbox Insider App. On Android, it will be available to those who have already bought the game via the Google Play Store.

Worlds you have been building and playing on already will be present in the Better Together Update, and if you play with a world from Xbox One and Nintendo Switch then you’ll get extra world generated for you when you reach the edge of your map.

Microsoft has also included several details on parental controls and child safety, after Sony’s Jim Ryan told Eurogamer PlayStation players would not be part of the Better Together cross-platform update to keep them safe within the PlayStation Network.

“The Better Together Update will enable players to discover new content and creations across all devices, as well as the option to find new and like-minded players, as with any multiplayer game,” Microsoft wrote. Helping keep kids safe online is a priority for Minecraft, and we provide parental controls across platforms via Xbox Live which help parents choose the content, communication and sharing settings that are right for their families.

“For many, the most important of these is making sure that your kids are using child accounts which you have control over. To do this on Xbox, you can find out more at http://aka.ms/xblsafety.”

As for the likelihood of PlayStation people getting the update in the future? Microsoft continues to say it is open to the idea.

“We are still in discussions with Sony about PlayStation and have nothing to confirm. We would love to work with Sony to bring players on PlayStation 4 into this ecosystem as well.”

Minecraft’s cross-network update now playable in beta

Minecraft is adding more community content to the Marketplace with a new batch of content packs.

A whole slew of content is hitting the Minecraft Marketplace today thanks to five new community-created packs. Most notable is the Infinity Dungeon EX map, which generates a new dungeon every time you enter. On top of that, however, players can now get their hands on a bunch of new skins with packs themed after summer fun, sports, medieval kings, and more.

Here’s a quick look at all of the new packs hitting the Marketplace today:

• Infinity Dungeon EX – Fight alone or alongside friends through an intense randomly-generated dungeon full of horrible dangers, tricky puzzles and amazing treasure! Discover the secret of the Infinity Core, but make sure to watch your back…
• Summer Festival Skin Pack – Throw on your summer gear and hop down to the beach! Live life like a turtle or a mermaid, and show off those summer colors with this seasonal skin pack!
• Survivors Skin Pack – The world has gone to ruins, but these characters manage to survive against all odds. This skin pack is all about the rough-and-tough adventurers who use their strength and ingenuity to survive yet another day.
• Kings and Paupers Skin Pack – From the heights of the castle down to the streets of the city, this pack will immerse you in the European medieval era. Serve as a virtuous queen, live as a beggar, bake bread, or handle the axe as an executioner in service of the crown!
• Sports Skin Pack – Transform into an athlete with the Sports Skin Pack! Team player? Pick up a ball as a volleyball or soccer player. In the mood for gracefully sliding around? Become a figure skater or hockey player. Choose from 15 different sports and get your game on.

As far as cost is concerned, each pack runs 310 coins each. The exception is the Infinity Dungeon EX map, which is slightly more expensive at 830 coins.

This comes after the initial introduction of the Minecraft Marketplace in May, which is a place for Minecraft community creator partners to sell their work to players. Anyone on the Bedrock Engine, which currently includes Minecraft on Windows 10 and Mobile platforms, can pick up the new Marketplace content now. Minecraft on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch are expected to join the Bedrock ecosystem soon.

Minecraft Marketplace adds 5 new community-created content packs

Legendary game maker opens up about being a designer rather than an artist, his love of carpentry and why he’s not retiring any time soon

Shigeru Miyamoto – the man responsible for creating Mario back in 1981 – has been in the US promoting the December 15 release of Super Mario Run for iPhone and iPad all week, keeping a brutal schedule that has included playing guitar with The Roots on The Tonight Show and speaking to a packed crowd at the New York Soho Apple Store. His new game marks a massive change of approach for the pioneering company he’s worked at for more than 30 years, as it sees its crown jewel property appearing on devices not made by Nintendo.

We caught up with Miyamoto at the end of his big publicity tour and spoke to him about his creative process, his feelings about getting older, whether he’s thinking of retiring any time soon, and how he sees himself as a creator. He also reveals that he’s been able to find the time to work on ideas for Nintendo’s theme park partnership with Universal by not leading the charge on the company’s upcoming Switch console.

You mentioned in your presentation at the Apple Store this week that your core team has been together for 30 years. How do you keep that relationship together and keep it working?
It’s interesting, because people often ask me what I’m most proud of and for the longest time it was a question I always really struggled with. A few years ago I realized that the thing that I’m really the most proud of is that I’ve been working with the same core group of people for the last 30 years – and really it’s because you just don’t see that happen very often.

There’s myself, Takeshi Tezuka, Toshihiko Nakago and there’s actually a fourth member of our group too – Koji Kondo. Usually it’s the four of us that work on things together. There are probably a few reasons for it. I think we’re actually somewhat special because we’re all Nintendo employees, and that’s unique compared to what you’ll sometimes see with other creative groups. The other is that in working together over the past 30 years, we’ve all fallen into these very specific roles in the development process and that’s enabled us to work really well.

What are those roles?
Well, I’m the boss. Because I’m the oldest.

What’s key is that all that we do is work very closely together to make sure the thing we’re doing is really fun. That’s what we’re always striving for. One of the things we’ve done to maintain the relationship is that we spend a lot of time together. Japan is a country where people really work a lot, so every day we always eat lunch together and go to dinner together.

When there’s an idea for a game or something that we think is just going to be fun, generally the four of us share a similar opinion. We all kind of agree on the fundamentals. The other thing I’ve noticed is that although we have this strange convergence of opinions, when other people come into the group and see what we’re getting all excited about, people will often question us and say “oh, does that really seem that fun?”

We just really trust each other, and that came into play with Super Mario Run because it was easy for us to drill down and know what we should and shouldn’t do on mobile. We aligned very quickly.

So what did that look like?
This time from the very beginning we decided that we wanted to make the very simplest Mario game that we possibly could. When we first made Super Mario Bros. 30 years ago, obviously a lot of people played it and part of the reason they liked it was that all you did was move to the right and jump. It was pretty simple. Gradually Mario games have become more complex and it’s harder for people to control now. This time we started off with the idea of “what if we made a Mario game where all you do is jump and everything else is handled automatically?” Then we had to think about how we could take that basic structure and make it fun.

You mentioned earlier that you’re the boss because you’re the oldest. Do you ever worry about getting older and whether what you think is fun is really in tune with other people?
Even if I worried about that, it wouldn’t do us any good. For me it’s much more fun to see if the thing that I made is actually going to sell well. Rather than me trying to create something that I think other people will like, I just keep making things that I like and then I just see if other people like them too.

I kinda of look at it as if I’m running a talent agency, and I have all these different people that when there’s new technology and we’re doing something new with it, I always choose Mario to be the one to represent it

What’s your main contribution on the team? Are you the creative guy? What’s your main focus?
I guess if I was using a construction analogy, then I’m always focused on building the structural framework for the game. So, because of that, it’s become easier for me to decide whether changes that we’re making need to affect the overall game or just simple changes to specific small areas.

You’ve lived with Mario as your creation for 30 years. How would you describe your relationship with him? Are you sick of him yet?
I kinda of look at it as if I’m running a talent agency, and I have all these different people that when there’s new technology and we’re doing something new with it, I always choose Mario to be the one to represent it. Then, if we have something else that’s maybe not quite the right fit then we choose one of the other characters. That’s usually how I approach things with him. Also, we’ve always evolved Mario’s look – so we try and keep him fresh.

What inspires and influences you? In the past you’ve said you don’t really look at games for inspiration, but what about movies or TV shows?
Generally I try to not look at anything competitive, but what I will do is watch a lot of television. Especially dramas. I used to read a lot of manga when I was younger, and I was always very interested in which ones sold well and which ones didn’t. Lately I’ve been looking at all the TV dramas to try and see what it is about them that makes them successful. I’m looking at how they’re structured because I think there’s something to the way those TV dramas are entertaining people that can overlap with games in some way.

Beyond that, it’s all about my everyday life experiences and looking at how the things that interest me can really work in a game.

Like what?
Many years before we made Wii Fit there was this thing in Japan where people would get together in their homes and they would do this silly dance. I remember when I went over to someone’s house in the neighborhood and there was this guy who was a very well-dressed lawyer, and he started doing this dance in his living room. I saw his kids laughing so hard at their dad doing something silly, and he was obviously having a good time too. This was one of the images I had in mind when we started making the games for Wii Fit and the Balance Board.

You’re insanely busy still. How do you make the time for things outside of work?
I do tend to work pretty late during the week, but one thing that I always do is make sure that on the weekend I spend time with my family. My weekend time has generally been very separate for work. I don’t golf or gamble, because those things take up a lot of time. I’ve given up those kinds of things.

What do you like to do?
I used to go camping with my kids or just stay home. People would sometimes give me a hard time for not really doing anything. Now my kids are grown and out of the house, so I spend a lot of time gardening with my wife. The other thing that I like to do is carpentry. I like to build furniture.

Is that why recent games have had more creative elements, like Mario Maker or the Kingdom Builder in Super Mario Run?
I don’t know if it’s about the carpentry specifically, but whenever I start working on anything I always like to sit down a draw a picture of it first. When I actually start working on a project, then I’m thinking about it all the time. Whether it’s the carpentry or a game or whatever.

I’m a designer. I don’t think of myself as creating works, I really think of myself as creating products for people to enjoy. That’s why I’ve always called my games products rather than works of art

Do you still work in a pretty analog way? Do you like to draw things out by hand before doing work on a computer?
It’s less drawing pictures of what I think the game will be, and more a lot of graphs and flowcharts. Because I’m designing the structure of play, it’s really more of a drafting process where I’m crafting the flow of things and how it’ll work in the game. That’s what I always put on paper first. Even with the carpentry it’s all about drafting first. You need to make sure you have all the measurements, and then in your head you have to understand how you’re going to fit all the pieces together.

So are you an artist or a designer?
I’m a designer. I don’t think of myself as creating works, I really think of myself as creating products for people to enjoy. That’s why I’ve always called my games products rather than works of art. It’s not about coming up with an idea and trying to make that idea, the work of a planner is to work within the constraints of what you’re given and make the best possible thing you can.

It’s not that I ever said I wanted to make video games, but once I started making them I said “OK, now that I’m making them, I’m going to make the best video games I can.” Whatever I was building, video games or not, I’ll always approach it as trying to build the best possible thing I can within the framework I’m given.

A few years ago you talked about maybe stepping away or possibly retiring. Do you think you’ll ever be able to walk away from all this?
There was a misunderstanding around my supposed retirement. Really at the time what we were talking about was giving more opportunity and more leadership opportunity to younger people in the company. So rather than me leading everything we were really expanding that role out to others that had come up within the company. Somehow that got misinterpreted as the fact that I was retiring.

We have these younger people in the company who are taking the lead on Switch development and it’s really been them that have put this forward and designed this system. They’re the ones that have really shepherded it through the process. Because of that, what it’s allowed me to do is focus on other projects like Super Mario Run or the Universal theme park. I’m going to keep looking for these kinds of opportunities where I can do something new and fun.

What’s it been like working with Apple? How did the partnership for Super Mario Run come about? They’re supporting it a lot more than they usually do with individual games.
The timing was really fortunate for both of us. On the Nintendo side we’d been talking a lot about going into the mobile space but we hadn’t decided that we were going to make a Mario game for smartphones. As we were talking about what we were going to create we started asking ourselves about what a Mario game would need to be. So we were experimenting with some things and we came up with the base idea, and that’s what we eventually showed to Apple.

Part of the reason we took it to Apple was that in order for us to have the performance we wanted we needed some development support to ensure that the game would run the way we expected. Because Nintendo is always trying to do something unique we also wanted to try and do something different on the business side too. We really didn’t want to do something in the free to play space, but in order to make sure we had the opportunity to do what we wanted [offer a taste of the game for free, and charge $9.99 to unlock the whole thing], we had to talk to the people who are actually running the shop. Naturally the people on the App Store initially told us that the free-to-play approach is a good one, but I’ve always had this image that Apple and Nintendo have very similar philosophies. As we started working together, I found that to be true and they became very welcoming of trying something new.

It’s always seemed like Nintendo and Apple have some similarities in terms of the way they look at product and audiences. What do you see as that common ground?
Probably the that easiest thing to point to is the fact that Apple, like Nintendo, is a company that thinks about how people will use their products. We design things to be usable by a very broad range of people. They put a lot of effort into the interface and making the product simple to use, and that’s very consistent with Nintendo. I think Apple also likes to do things differently and take a different approach. In the early days when computers were very complicated things, computer companies were purposely presenting them in ways that made them seem very complicated. Then you had Apple who came along with their very simple and colorful logo and it all had more of a fun feel to it.

Actually, this reminds me that with the Super NES controller we put the multicolored buttons on the face of the controller, and then the US office decided not to keep that. I told that story to Apple, and how I liked the use of color in their old logo. That was like a bridge that had been built between us.

Their focus is always on simplicity. Their focus is always on really taking the user into account, making it easy to use and then having an environment that’s safe and secure that people can work and play in. They’re the areas where Nintendo and Apple really see eye to eye.

For Nintendo, we have a lot of kids that play our products. It was important for us to be able to offer Super Mario Run in a way that parents would feel assured that they could buy the game and give it to their kids without having to worry about future transactions. From early on, I thought that Apple would be a good partner so we could work on this new approach.

You’ve mentioned in the past that you play the cat-collecting mobile game Neko Atsume. Are there other games that you really love playing?
Not really. I do like Minecraft, but really more from the perspective of the fact that I really feel like that’s something we should have made. We had actually done a lot of experiments that were similar to that back in the N64 days and we had some designs that were very similar. It’s really impressive to me to see how they’ve been able to take that idea and turn it into a product.

Have you played Final Fantasy XV or The Last Guardian?
I haven’t played those yet, but they do look really impressive graphically. I do hope that people who are looking for a fantasy game in that realm will also keep in mind Breath of the Wild.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Shigeru Miyamoto on Mario, ‘Minecraft’ and Working With Apple

The second episode of the second season of Minecraft Story Mode will premiere August 15th, developer Telltale announced today. It will be available digitally for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, iOS and Android.

Titled “Giant Consequences,” episode two will follow main character Jesse to an “icy unknown,” after the events of the first episode introduced them to a foe with the capabilities of ending entire cities. The episode will continue Telltale’s new “Crowd Play” feature, which allows others to help a player make decisions during the game’s narrative.

Alongside the new episode, Telltale announced today that the first season of Minecraft would be coming in its entirety to the Nintendo Switch. The Complete Edition will be available digitally or physically on August 22nd and will have all five regular episodes, as well as three bonus episodes originally only available in the ‘Adventure Pass’ add-on series. A retail version of the first season was released for other consoles last December.

Season two is expected to get a similar full release later this fall.

Minecraft Story Mode is a joint venture between Telltale and Mojang that tells a story within the Minecraft Universe. Since its original launch in 2015, Story Mode has received mixed reviews from critics, who have praised the game’s humor and criticized its technical issues.

‘Minecraft Story Mode’ Season 2 Dated, Season 1 Coming To Switch

An announcement went out today for a new beta for Minecraft. Known as the “Better Together” update, it is an attempt at unifying all of the various versions of Minecraft so that players can play together in-game, create, co-operate or compete together on massive servers, and access whatever swish skins and Marketplace adventure maps they own on any of their compatible devices.

The initial beta versions of the “Better Together” update will affect Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition and Minecraft: Pocket Edition (Android), with the beta inclusion for Minecraft: Xbox One Edition rolling out in the next few days. For those with the Xbox One Edition, you’ll be downloading a brand new version of the game for free.

New features include:

Here are the instructions for how to enter the beta.

The beta is live for the Android and Windows 10 versions, and will shortly roll out for the Xbox One version. There is no announced beta date for the other seven versions, nor is there a firm release date for the official release of “Better Together.”

Minecraft Better Together Update Beta Begins

Playful Corporation’s Creativerse is something like a free-to-play Minecraft. There is a premium version of the game, but we’ll talk mostly about the base game. Because that’s going to be the big draw: it’s a free game that allows you to build out of 64-bit blocks, however the characters and many of the structures have more realistic versions.

So if you want to enjoy Minecraft, but you don’t want to pay for it, well. Here’s your chance. And it’s a pretty damn good one. The game’s controls are pretty intuitive, and most of the objects you need you can find by digging or from the plant and animal life around you. Much like the game it’s based on, you don’t have too much interaction with NPCs or anything in the way of quests, but that’s kind of the beauty of both games.

They are each as simple as they appear, and there’s something kind of refreshingly honest about that.

One of the only major flaws I can find in Creativerse are that it becomes a little bit, well, redundant after a while. And that, perhaps, the base materials are too easy to come by. The crafting mechanism is more complex than Minecraft‘s and takes quite a deal longer, which gives you more appreciation for crafting, but also gets to be a bit of a time sink.

There isn’t a whole lot of variety in many of the blocs that are available in the free version, which can be a source of irritation. And because you have to do things by yourself, it can get to be a bit of a grind. But if you don’t mind grinding for materials, that’s perfect, because you’ll be doing it a lot.

Honestly, if you just want to build things, I have to say I prefer Creativerse over Minecraft. Because first, Creativerse does not make my eyes want to shriek with fury over the graphics, and second, because it’s free.

Like in Minecraft, there are multiple worlds you can explore, but you don’t exactly play with other players. And the lack of the social aspect can be a drawback for a lot of people.

I absolutely recommend you play the free version of the game, before considering if you want to keep playing with limited blocks before deciding if you want to go with the pro version, which nets you different block varieties, more backpack space, a flashlight, and the glider, which makes travel infinitely easier.

While I don’t have too many serious complaints about the game, I also don’t have anything to really rave about. It’s a solid game, and definitely an enjoyable way to spend a weekend, but there’s nothing here that makes this game a “must play” unless you don’t own Minecraft already. As someone who has never been too dedicated to Minecraft, I find that I prefer Creativerse, but I also can’t make this game into something it isn’t.

It’s a F2P Minecraft clone and so has all the limitations of being a Minecraft clone.

Creativerse Review: It May Be Free To Play, But It’s Still A Better Minecraft

Dota 2 is notorious for having a steep learning curve and a community that’s not always welcoming to newcomers. Recently, however, developer Valve released an update that is designed to help beginners have a better and more encouraging experience learning the game.

The update’s biggest change is to the matchmaking system. The previous system didn’t attempt to avoid certain discouraging situations, such as those where beginners would be matched with players who don’t react well to playing with newcomers. In the update, Valve tweaked the system to make sure that it matches newcomers with players that have consistently high behavior scores.

“It is especially important for a new player to have a good social experience while they are first trying to learn the game,” Valve explained in a blog post. “The matchmaking system will now ensure that new players will play with and against appropriately skilled players that also have a track record of good behavior.”

The second change Valve made was to character selection. Now, beginners will be restricted to just 20 heroes until they’ve completed 25 games. Valve has curated the group of heroes to include only those characters who “are very successful in helping new players learn and enjoy the game,” the studio stated.

In other Dota 2 news, The International is coming up next week and features a massive prize pool. If you’re not familiar with Dota 2, or even just starting out playing, Valve holds a Newcomer Stream of the tournament that is hosted by commentators who explain the way the game works.

You’re Now Less Likely To Play With Jerks When Starting Out In Dota 2

Star Citizen‘s much-anticipated Alpha 3.0 update isn’t coming out on time. Developer Cloud Imperium Games announced recently that it discovered some “stability issues” in the latest build, and thus the team needs more time to get it ready “for prime time.”

“This week, we entered the optimisation, polish, and bug fixing phase for the 3.0 feature set. As there have been so many features and content implemented, we’ve encountered some stability issues that we want to address before going to a wider test audience,” the developer said in a post on its website (via Eurogamer).”

“The ongoing work on the new Patcher system (that will save you from having to completely re-download each build) and some new bugs with CopyBuild3 (our internal version of the patcher) have also slowed us down. Because of this we have pushed back the Evocati and subsequent date ranges to reflect the additional time needed to get Star Citizen Alpha 3.0 ready for prime time.”

According to Eurogamer, the Alpha 3.0 update was originally scheduled to come out at the end of August and now it’s due at the start of September, so it’s a small delay.

Will “Soulcrusher” Leverett, Star Citizen’s director of player relations, said in a follow-up post. “Working on 3.0 has certainly introduced variables and challenges that we could never have anticipated, and these just do not always cater to a tidy date on a calendar,” Leverett said.

Leverett added: “There’s certainly no malice behind it, and anyone who makes that claim is providing an uninformed opinion. Ask any project manager or developer who worked on sophisticated software or has been involved on a complex project with lots of dependencies and moving parts. They’ll gladly share how challenging a task of estimates can be.”

The developer added that all of Cloud Imperium Games is “working feverishly” to finish the Alpha 3.0 update, adding that this version of 3.0 will be “something bigger, something pretty groundbreaking, something magnificent.”

Star Citizen’s Alpha 3.0 update adds an “entirely explorable solar system” and adds the first tools and systems that players can use to create outpost and communities. Those are just a few of the new features–you can read this blog post to learn more.

Star Citizen is the most successful crowdfunded project of any kind in history. By the latest count, the game has raised more than $155.6 million in funding.

Star Citizen Alpha 3.0 Delayed

Nintendo has unveiled a new map debuting soon in Splatoon 2. However, this particular level won’t be joining the game’s usual stage rotation; rather, it will only appear during Splatfest events.

The new map, dubbed Shifty Station, will only be available in the stage rotation during Splatfests, the in-game competitions that have players choose one of two opposing teams and compete to earn points for their side. Nintendo says the map’s layout changes between Splatfests, so players will be battling on a different version of the map each time it appears in the game.

Shifty Station will presumably debut with the game’s first Splatfest, which is coming up during the first weekend of August. Nintendo hasn’t announced timing details for the event just yet, but like the Splatfest World Premiere demo that took place the week before Splatoon 2 released, this particular competition will also revolve around food. This time, players must choose which condiment they prefer: mayo or ketchup?

Splatoon 2 launched for Nintendo Switch on July 21. The game was very well-received when it debuted; critic Kallie Plagge awarded it an 8/10 in GameSpot’s review and called the game “a vibrant and exuberant sequel with enough fresh additions and changes to set it apart from the original.”

Switch-Exclusive Shooter Splatoon 2’s Newest Map Revealed

Minecraft Cross-Play Beta Now Available, Coming To Xbox One Soon

One of the major problems with Minecraft is the number of different editions, with varying level of multiplayer cross-play. This stems from different code bases – the console versions are based on the original Java game, while Pocket/Windows 10 Edition use the same C++ code base. But the upcoming Minecraft PE 1.2 update, nicknamed the ‘Better Together Update,’ aims to address this.

The main new feature in this update is cross-play with Xbox One and Nintendo Switch players. It’s not entirely clear if the current console edition is being replaced, but Mojang says existing owners of Xbox One Edition or Switch Edition will “receive the brand new version of Minecraft for free, and your existing worlds and DLC will come along to the new version with you.” The new version will simply be called ‘Minecraft,’ separate from the various Editions and the PC version (which is now called Java Edition).

A beta version of the Better Together Update is available today for Windows 10 Edition and Pocket Edition, but you won’t be able to try out the cross-play yet. The Xbox One beta required for cross-play will arrive in a few days, but there’s no word on a Switch beta (I’m not entirely sure if the Switch’s eShop supports beta programs).

However, there is still plenty of new content you can try out in the beta right now. Most of the changes were previously only available on the Java and/or Console Editions, so it’s definitely nice to see them arrive on mobile. Here is the full list of new features:

• Stained Glass
• Fireworks (with Elytra boost!)
• Parrots
• Banners
• Armor stands
• Jukebox and music discs
• Recipe Book
• Book and Quill
• Ravines
• COARSE DIRT
• New world start options: Starting Map, Bonus Chest, Trust Players
• New game rules: TNT Explodes, Natural Regeneration
• Added ‘/tickingarea’ command to create areas that still update when no players are there
• Player permissions
• Zombie Villager spawn egg
• In-game host options
• New loading screens with funny and helpful tips
• How to Play screen
• Remix 3D and structure blocks
• Split-screen (Console only)
• World conversion
• Player limit increased on higher end devices
• Maps can be held off-hand
• Ice blocks are transparent

If you want to sign up for the beta on Android, you can join it (or leave it) here. It probably goes without saying that you have to own the game on Google Play first. To join the Xbox One beta, check out the instructions at the source link below.

Minecraft PE ‘Better Together Update’ enters beta, will have cross-play with Xbox and Nintendo Switch

A Londonderry theatre is to host the world’s first play performed by both human actors and avatars – digitised versions of the cast – in the computer game, Minecraft.

Playcraft Live will be performed at the city’s Playhouse Theatre on 14 October.

It will simultaneously be streamed to the world online via the theatre’s website, Minecraft and Youtube.

Slipping between both stage and game world, the story will unfold across different locations and times.

Minecraft is the second-best-selling videogame of all time.

It allows players to build things using cubic blocks and take part in exploration, engineering, crafting and combat.

The game is hugely popular with children and young teenagers.

The production will see the dramatisation of a script, written specifically for Playcraft by Alex Scarrow, author of the teen science fiction series of novels, Time Riders.

The story is based between books one and two of his Time Riders series.

Online audiences will experience the production as a live-stream simulcast.

For those lucky enough to be part of the Playhouse audience, they will be able to see the physical actor on stage communicating the play to them.

‘Completely new’

They will also see a stream of the digital version of that actor, within the Minecraft world, projected onto a screen.

These avatars will be developed and built by Minecraft experts operating from an adjacent room.

Kieran Griffiths, creative director at the Playhouse Theatre, said he was excited to be introducing something “completely new to the world of theatre”.

“The production is hugely ambitious and a definite step into the unknown, but a tremendous opportunity to allow two artistic worlds to come together and learn from each other,” Mr Griffiths said.

The project will also involve renowned creative producer Adam Clarke and digital educators MakeMatic.

It has been commissioned by The Space, which is funded by the BBC and Arts Council England

“I suppose the thorny rose in between is the technology,” Mr Griffiths said.

“Over the coming months we have to remove the thorns and make sure that rose is passed gracefully.

“At the end of it, we hope to produce an educational asset whereby we will see online amateur societies creating their own world within Minecraft.”

Throughout the summer, Minecraft fans will be invited to join in on the production, find out more about the play and contribute to the process along the way.

World first for Derry theatre’s Minecraft play

Minecraft’s “Better Together Update” is rolling out now in beta, for players on Windows 10 PCs and Android devices. That means players on either platform with the beta installed will be able to participate in games from either type of device, together in cross-platform play.

This update was originally revealed at E3 back in June, and includes other feature additions like community servers and a community Marketplace with paid add-ons. There are also a range of new in-game item types, multiplayer host and permission options, and more.

The beta is also set to roll out for Xbox One “soon,” Microsoft says, which will add the gaming console to the cross-platform action. Microsoft also said when the update was announced that it’ll eventually add support for the Play Together Update to iOS, Nintendo Switch and VR devices (Sony was apparently offered the chance to participate in the update for PlayStation, but declined).

To get in on the beta, players will need the Xbox Insider app for Windows 10 and Xbox One, and on Android they’ll need to have Google Play and of course everyone will need a copy of the game.

This could be huge for unifying Minecraft’s massive player community, which is already quite the club.

Minecraft’s cross-platform ‘Better Together’ update arrives in beta

Once every decade or so, a game comes along that becomes more than just a game, more than just a franchise, and evolves into a genuine cultural phenomenon. In the 70s it was Space Invaders, in the 80s it was Super Mario Bros and Tetris. The 90s and noughties brought us Pokemon and Halo.

If you had to choose one title that broke out of the relatively niche world of gaming over the past decade, it would have to be Minecraft.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or should that be block?) somewhere, you’ll probably know about it.

Even if you’ve never played it, you’ll have seen the cuboid characters and trademark pixelated art style on everything from toys to t-shirts. Minecraft is designed with creativity at its core, allowing players to build their own objects, structures – even entire worlds out of 3D textured blocks in a procedurally-generated environment.

It actively encourages co-operation and collaboration, allowing thousands of players to work together on group projects, or team up to battle enemies and the elements in Survival mode. Its open-ended, sandbox structure means that there’s no beginning or end to the game, and players are limited only by their own imaginations.

After selling 130 million copies to date, its already the world’s second biggest selling video game  (behind only Tetris), of all time.

it wasn’t much of a surprise when tech behemoth Microsoft decided to acquire the rights to the intellectual property from visionary developer Markus “Notch” Persson in September 2014. What was surprising was the price; a whopping $US2.5 billion ($NZ3.4b) making it not only the biggest gaming buy-out of all time, but one of the technology industry’s largest ever acquisitions.

Building on success

The future of Minecraft was one of the key focuses of Xbox’s E3 showcase in Los Angeles last month.

After spending that kind of cash on a single game, everybody expected Microsoft to have big plans for Minecraft. The most obvious move would have been to make the game an Xbox and Windows exclusive, but interestingly, the company decided to go in the opposite direction, focusing their efforts on releasing a version of it on practically every format known to mankind.

Seriously, if you own a device that’s capable of running a video game, there will almost certainly be an adaptation of Minecraft for it. It’s on everything from Android phones to Apple TV. Microsoft’s strategy seemed to be proliferation rather than progression, choosing not to mess with a winning formula or release a guaranteed smash hit sequel, but instead to spread the Minecraft seed as far and wide as possible.

This business model made a lot more sense when, at last month’s E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles, Xbox chief Phil Spencer unveiled the company’s grand plan for the the future of the world’s most popular video game.

Ooh, shiny

A fully upgraded lighting system is one of the major improvements in the Super Duper Graphics Pack

The first revelation was that the game was to undergo a complete visual overhaul, which, in typical Minecraft fashion, is to be called the “super-duper graphics pack”.

Ostensibly, this was to take advantage of the new Xbox One X’s 4K GPU, but for a game that has always been deliberately lo-fi and retro in terms of its art style, it did seem like a strange decision to render all these pixelated cubes in Ultra HD.

On closer inspection though, it’s clear that the update is more about visual effects than the graphical assets themselves. While the game retains its trademark pixelart style, it’s the world around it that has been given a new lick of paint..

A side-by-side comparison of how Minecraft looks now, and how it will appear once the new graphics pack is installed.

Dynamic shadows created by Minecraft’s new directional lighting system means that what you see is constantly changing as you move through the world, and the appearance of your constructions will vary depending on where your character is standing and the position of the sun or other light sources. The addition of HDR gives deep blacks and bright colours a noticeable “pop” factor.

Edge highlighting creates clearer, more defined boundaries between individual blocks and a completely revamped water system means that rivers, lakes and streams look more lifelike than ever before.

Of course, you’ll need a 4K monitor to get the most out of this graphical overhaul, but there’s more than enough here to ensure that even gamers using standard 1080p TVs will see the benefit.

Unifying worlds

Perhaps the most exciting revelation however, was that Minecraft would be going cross-platform. Up until now, players have been restricted to teaming up with friends on the same system, meaning the millions of Minecraft gamers around the world have been pigeon-holed and walled off into small, if thriving, communities.

The decision to tear down these walls and bring everyone together on one unified server is  a literal game changer. In a world where everything is about teamwork and co-operation, making it possible for an iPhone user to work with a friend on Xbox or join a grand-scale collaborative construction job on PC means that things are going to get bigger and better.

There’s a lot of potential in this strength in numbers strategy. In one fell swoop, Microsoft and Mojang have created one of the world’s biggest gaming communities.

Large-scale collaborative projects have seen the creation of sprawling worlds in Minecraft, including a full reproduction of the land of Westeros from TV’s Game of Thrones.

Minecraft is already being used in schools as an educational tool and the fact that kids will now be able to hop on their phones at home to continue working on a project they started on their school computer network means that “homework” is going to be a much easier sell for teachers.

Unfortunately, the cross-platform plan won’t include every single format. Sony, Microsoft’s main rival in this generation’s console wars, has refused to come to the party, meaning that PlayStation users won’t be joining in just yet. However, if the Minecraft phenomenon continues to grow at its current rate, you have to wonder if they’ll reconsider and get involved if things start to snowball.

Minecraft: The next generation

Coffee Stain are the studio behind Goat Simulator and Tower Defense Sanctum. “With our ambitious plans for Coffee Stain Publishing, we had to find the right people, and that’s not always easy,” Anton Westbergh, CEO of Coffee Stain Studios and Publishing, says.

“I’ve known Kaplan for 10 years (we even shared a bed once at Gamescom!), and I’m excited to have him join us! Kaplan is great, and shares our core game philosophies; we can’t wait to have him apply his magic on our products.”

Kaplan says he’s a big fan of the studio and he’s excited to work with the team responsible for one of the “weirdest titles in the world” – that’ll be Goat Sim. Coffee Stain will be at Gamescom showing off their new game, Deep Rock Galactic. It looks like Minecraft in space, with dwarves.

Check out the announcement on the Coffee Stain blog.

Ten-year Minecraft veteran Daniel Kaplan leaves Mojang for Goat Simulator