by Stone Marshall | Oct 13, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Four years. That’s how long it’s been since Microsoft acquired Minecraft developer Mojang. A lot has happened in those four years — Minecraft on Switch, malware in Minecraft, open-sourcing some of the code… wait, what was that last one?
Yesterday, Microsoft and Mojang released two parts of Minecraft’s Java code in library form, so that “anyone can pick them up and use them in their own game”, according to Lead Engineer Nathan Adams.
Thanks to being MIT-licensed, anyone is free to “contribute and … help improve our game engine” and, by the same token, use the code freely in other projects, commercial or otherwise.
For now, there’s just the two libraries: “Brigadier”, a “command parser and dispatcher”; and “DataFixerUpper”, designed for “incremental building, merging and optimisation of data transformations … [to convert] the game data for Minecraft: Java Edition between different versions of the game”.
While the news doesn’t mean much for players, it will be a boon for interested programmers and developers, keen it see the guts of Minecraft.
Previously, the only way to see this code was via “decompilation” — turning machine code (well, bytecode) back into human-readable Java. Which is OK, but nowhere near as insightful or useful as the original code.
The plan is to open source more components in the future, though no time frame is specified. For now, if you want to check out Brigadier or DataFixerUpper, both can be found on Mojang’s GitHub page.
Programmers: Play with Minecraft’s Inner Workings! [Minecraft, via Reddit]
by Stone Marshall | Oct 12, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
With over 150 million copies sold, and over 90 million monthly active players, “Minecraft” continues to dominate.
Microsoft paid $2.5 billion for “Minecraft” back in 2014, and the game has grown tremendously since then.
Microsoft is looking to expand the universe of “Minecraft” with new games — and even announced one — but isn’t looking to create a sequel, according to Microsoft’s head of “Minecraft,” Helen Chiang.
Nearly 100 million people are playing “Minecraft” every month, and over 150 million copies of the game have been sold. It’s the second highest-selling game of all time, just below “Tetris.”
With all that success, it’s fair to assume that Microsoft might be interested in churning out sequels — the lifeblood of the entertainment industry. After all, Microsoft paid $2.5 billion for “Minecraft.” It’s realistic to expect new games from a property that cost so much to buy.
Not so, says Microsoft.
“I really don’t think that makes sense for ‘Minecraft,’ given the community,” Helen Chiang, head of “Minecraft” at Microsoft, told Business Insider in a phone interview. “It’s something that always fractures the community.”
Chiang was speaking to the community-driven approach “Minecraft” has always taken, ever since its first days as a PC-only work-in-progress. Many of its 91 million-plus monthly players are playing together, exploring mines and crafting in groups.
That’s part of the reason why the first new “Minecraft” game from Microsoft isn’t “Minecraft 2.”
Instead, the game is called “Minecraft: Dungeons,” and it’s a dungeon crawler game — along the lines of “Diablo” — set in the “Minecraft” universe. It was revealed over the weekend during a livestreamed fan event, known as “Minecon Earth.” The game’s being created by a group within Mojang, the Swedish game studio that was created to develop “Minecraft.”
One glimpse of “Dungeons” offers a strong clue of what to expect:
Though the game looks distinctly like the original “Minecraft,” it doesn’t contain the signature elements: Don’t expect to mine and/or craft very much.
“I would say that it’s a distilled version of ‘Minecraft’ in the sense that we wanted to focus on making sure that we made the dungeon crawler part as good as possible,” Mojang creative lead Jens Bergentsen told Business Insider in a phone interview. “Building in the game is something that we’ve talked about a lot, but we were concerned that it would distract from what the game was about. So in ‘Minecraft: Dungeons,’ it’s strictly an adventure game with a story attached to it.”
That’s right: A “Minecraft” game without building. Madness!
It’s these type of “Minecraft” games, like “Dungeons,” that Microsoft is interested in creating.
“The way that we’ve decided to expand — and I think ‘Dungeons’ is the first example of that — is a way that we’re trying to keep our community together,” Chiang said. “That’s why our updates our free. We don’t want to ask [players] to move from ‘Minecraft 1’ to ‘Minecraft 2.’ We want them to just enjoy ‘Minecraft.’ And there’s other ways that we can expand that are more meaningful and authentic to what we want to be, rather than just releasing another iteration in the way that most other franchises do.”
Minecraft (Super Duper Graphics Update)
“Minecraft” got a major visual overhaul with the “Super Duper Graphics” pack — a free update for Xbox One X and PC players. Microsoft
Beyond the community reasons, there’s another, perhaps more obvious reason that a sequel to “Minecraft” doesn’t make a lot of sense: What would that game even be? Does it need to exist?
“I don’t think there’s really a need for ‘Minecraft 2’,” Bergentsen told me. “You would be able to create a ‘Minecraft 2’ game in ‘Minecraft.'”
That fact, along with the continued strong sales of the original game, make a strong argument.
by Stone Marshall | Oct 12, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures |
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has big plans for the future. To keep it all straight, we’ve laid out the next few years’ worth of Marvel Studios films, which will take you through all of the official titles announced for Phase 3 and Phase 4.
Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019
Though originally meant to drop in late 2018, the anticipated Captain Marvel film is now scheduled to be released as the first Marvel Studios film of 2019. The blockbuster will center on Marvel character Carol Danvers in what’s said to be a very earthbound adventure (though her powers are “in the cosmic realm,” having come from the alien race known as the Kree). It’s also been confirmed that the movie will be an origin story for the titular character, will co-star Samuel L. Jackson as a younger Nick Fury (with two eyes!), will be set in the 1990s, and will be the first in the franchise to specifically feature the aliens known as the Skrulls.
Fans got their first tease for Captain Marvel’s arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Infinity War, but it won’t be until her solo film that she actually appears in person. The latest trailer recently dropped. Let’s hope that the full movie also finds a way to answer where she’s been all this time, and why she hasn’t been on Earth for all of the chaos that’s been going down. Find the most recent updates on Captain Marvel HERE.
Avengers 4 – May 3, 2019
By May 3, 2019, Marvel fans around the world will be foaming at the mouth. A big part of what made Avengers: Infinity War so breathtaking was its incredible ending, which saw fans witnessing the deaths of many of their favorite heroes. It was a hard thing to watch, but in 2019 we’ll get to see if Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Guardians of the Galaxy can get their revenge.
How will the two teams manage to fight a genius alien who has earned the powers of a god? It certainly seems like an impossible task, but stopping the Chitauri Invasion and the rise of Ultron could have been described the same way. We can’t wait to see what directors Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely do with this one. Find the most recent updates on the Untitled Avengers: Infinity War Sequel HERE.
Spider-Man: Far From Home – July 5, 2019
It won’t be called Spider-Man 2. It will be called Spider-Man: Far From Home. And it’s expected to reflect something that has to do with Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) Junior year of high school, possibly as he travels to Europe on a summer vacation trip. Marvel President Kevin Feige has confirmed that we will see the ramifications of Avengers 4 through Peter’s eyes. Which, alone, sounds fascinating. And the rumor mill has Jake Gyllenhaal attached to play the villainous role of Mysterio. Beyond that, it’s a mystery, though we expect plenty of details to drop in due time.
On top of that, there are a number of threads that can be picked up by this Spider-Man sequel. Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) knows her nephew’s secret identity. And Peter… well, he died. How will they rebound? We have a release date, and the possible start of Marvel’s Phase 4 (if they call it that). Find the most recent updates on Spider-Man: Far From Home HERE.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
The second feature in the proposed Marvel Phase 4 was supposed to be the only other title that has been announced at this point: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But then all hell broke loose. James Gunn lost the directing gig, thanks to insensitive Tweets that were on his timeline. And the cast – especially the extremely vocal Dave Bautista — supports Gunn, even if it costs them a role in this sequel.
James Gunn has always said that the next sequel in the Guardians franchise will bring an end to the story of THIS version of the Guardians team. That includes Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel). Even though most of them “died” in Infinity War. However, the movie has been delayed, and pre-production has been frozen, as Marvel Studios figures out what to do with this franchise without Gunn at the helm. Does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 get replaced on the production schedule by Doctor Strange 2 or Black Panther 2? Stay tuned.
Black Widow
Fans spent years calling for Marvel Studios’ first female-led superhero movie, and for the longest time it seemed like a Black Widow solo film would be the perfect solution to the request – what with Scarlett Johansson’s character’s being arguably the most popular heroine in the franchise. That didn’t wind up happening, as both Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne and Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers broke the glass ceiling respectively with Ant-Man & The Wasp and Captain Marvel – but that doesn’t mean a Black Widow movie isn’t happening. In fact, it’s currently set up to be one of the titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four.
For a long time it was hard to tell what information was real and what was spurious in regards to this project, but it’s been confirmed that the project is happening. In July 2018 it was revealed that Cate Shorthand has signed on to direct the feature, her previous work including the period drama Lore and the horror movie Berlin Syndrome. At this time there are no official details about the story that the movie will tell, but we should have a much clearer idea of where things are going soon.
The Eternals
When it comes to the cosmic side of Marvel Comics, the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have only scratched the surface. Sure, we’ve seen a few Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but there are millions of beings out in the cosmos that have yet to make their live-action debut. The Eternals is a tremendous step in that direction, as while we’ve already met one member of the titular race – Thanos – there is a whole world created by Jack Kirby that should make for tremendous cinematic exploration.
Chloe Zao was previously in the running to take the helm of the Black Widow movie, and while she didn’t get that job, Marvel Studios decided they wanted her to stick around for The Eternals. The comics tell the story of a race of beings created from proto-humans by god-like aliens known as Celestials, and it’s been said that romance will be at the center of the intergalactic story – specifically the relationship between Ikaris and Sersi.
Doctor Strange 2
As they have since pretty much the beginning, Marvel’s plans moving forward will include mixing things up between sequels and original projects. After all, while the latter allow things to constantly feel fresh and new. the former let us see a lot more of the characters we’ve previously fallen in love with. This most definitely extends to Doctor Strange, as Marvel President Kevin Feige confirmed to CinemaBlend in summer 2018 that a Doctor Strange 2 is currently in development.
Unfortunately, Kevin Feige’s statement also noted that the sequel would arrive “a number of years from the first,” so this is a project we potentially won’t see until the back half of Phase 4. It has not yet been officially announced who will be directing the movie, but the smart money is on Scott Derrickson, who helmed 2016’s Doctor Strange and received both positive praise from critics and saw great box office success.
Black Panther 2
Is anyone in the world even remotely surprised that Black Panther is getting a sequel? Sure, we don’t know exactly when we can expect it, but there was no way that Marvel Studios wasn’t going to take full advantage of what currently stands as its most successful feature release. The first movie did an amazing job establishing the world of Wakanda, eventually seeing it open up to the world, and Black Panther 2 will offer the amazing opportunity to fully explore what the presence of the country means for the entire planet.
Ryan Coogler has not yet officially signed on to take the helm of Black Panther 2, but one can certainly imagine Marvel making him an offer so big that it would be impossible for him to refuse. Given the very real appetite that audiences clearly have for this character and his homeland, it would make all the sense in the world for the MCU to launch the title within the first half of Phase 4.
Phase 4 Release Dates
May 1, 2020
July 31, 2020
November 6, 2020
February 12, 2021
May 7, 2021
November 5, 2021
February 18, 2022
May 6, 2022
July 29, 2022
Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The Avengers (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)
by Stone Marshall | Oct 11, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
There’s quite a bit to get excited about in the world of movies in 2018. Between major blockbusters like The Avengers: Infinity War and Aquaman, dark and brutal dramas like Soldado and Red Sparrow, and more humorous fare like Holmes & Watson, it seems that there’s going to be something for everyone. To help make sense of everything that’s coming, we have taken it upon ourselves to compile a handy guide of 2018’s biggest silver screen releases so you will know exactly what’s set to debut during a given week!
Of course, it’s always worth remembering that Hollywood is in a constant state of flux, which means some of these dates are subject to change. Nevertheless, we will endeavor to keep this guide as up to date as possible as 2018 kicks into high gear. On that note, let’s take a look ahead to the next calendar year and see what Hollywood has in store for moviegoers.
JANUARY
Insidious: The Last Key — Friday, January 5
Condorito: La Pelicula – Friday, January 12
The Commuter – Friday, January 12
Paddington 2 – Friday, January 12
Proud Mary – Friday, January 12
12 Strong – Friday, January 19
Den of Thieves – Friday, January 19
Forever My Girl – Friday, January 19
Maze Runner: The Death Cure – Friday, January 26
FEBRUARY
Winchester: The House that Ghosts Built – Friday, February 2
The 15:17 to Paris – Friday, February 9
Fifty Shades Freed – Friday, February 9
La Boda de Valentina – Friday, February 9
Peter Rabbit – Friday, February 9
Want To Know More About Upcoming Horror Movies? Here’s Everything That We’re Looking Forward To
Black Panther – Friday, February 16
Early Man – Friday, February 16
Samson – Friday, February 16
Annihilation – Friday, February 23
Every Day – Friday, February 23
Game Night – Friday, February 23
MARCH
Death Wish – Friday, March 2
Foxtrot – Friday, March 2
Red Sparrow – Friday, March 2
Gringo – Friday, March 9
The Hurricane Heist – Friday, March 9
Strangers: Prey at Night – Friday, March 9
A Wrinkle in Time – Friday, March 9
Love, Simon – Friday, March 16
Tomb Raider- Friday, March 16
Isle of Dogs – Friday, March 23
Midnight Sun – Friday, March 23
Pacific Rim: Uprising – Friday, March 23
Sherlock Gnomes – Friday, March 23
Unsane – Friday, March 23
Paul, Apostle of Christ – Wednesday, March 28
Acrimony – Friday, March 30
God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness – Friday, March 30
Ready Player One – Friday, March 30
APRIL
Blockers – Friday, April 6
Chappaquiddick – Friday, April 6
A Quiet Place – Friday, April 6
Borg vs. McEnroe – Friday, April 13
The Miracle Season – Friday, April 13
Rampage – Friday, April 13
Truth Or Dare – Friday, April 13
I Feel Pretty – Friday, April 20
Super Troopers 2 – Friday, April 20
The Avengers: Infinity War – Friday, April 27
Traffik – Friday, April 27
MAY
Bad Samaritan – Friday, May 4
Overboard – Friday, May 4
Tully – Friday, May 4
Breaking In – Friday, May 11
Life of the Party – Friday, May 11
Book Club – Friday, May 18
Deadpool 2 – Friday, May 18
First Reformed – Friday, May 18
On Chesil Beach – Friday, May 18
Show Dogs – Friday, May 18
Solo: A Star Wars Story – Friday, May 25
JUNE
Action Point – Friday, June 1
Adrift – Friday, June 1
American Animals – Friday, June 1
Hereditary – Friday, June 8
Ocean’s 8 – Friday, June 8
Won’t You Be My Neighbor – Friday, June 8
The Incredibles 2 – Friday, June 15
Superfly – Friday, June 15
Tag – Friday, June 15
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – Friday, June 22
The Hustle – Friday, June 29
Sicario 2: Soldado – Friday, June 29
Sanju – Friday, June 29
Uncle Drew – Friday, June 29
JULY
The First Purge – Wednesday, July 4
Ant-Man and the Wasp – Friday, July 6
Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot – Friday, July 13
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation – Friday, July 13
Skyscraper – Friday, July 13
The Equalizer 2 – Friday, July 20
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! – Friday, July 20
Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Friday, July 27
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies – Friday, July 27
AUGUST
The Darkest Minds – Friday, August 3
Disney’s Christopher Robin – Friday, August 3
The Spy Who Dumped Me – Friday, August 3
Dog Days – Wednesday, August 8
BlacKkKlansman – Friday, August 10
The Meg – Friday, August 10
Slenderman – Friday, August 10
Crazy Rich Asians – Wednesday, August 15
Alpha – Friday, August 17
Mile 22 – Friday, August 17
A.X.L. – Friday, August 24
The Happytime Murders – Friday, August 24
Searching – Friday, August 24
Operation Finale – Wednesday, August 29
Kin – Friday, August 31
SEPTEMBER
The Nun – Friday, September 7
Peppermint – Friday, September 7
A Simple Favor – Friday, September 14
The Predator – Friday, September 14
White Boy Rick – Friday, September 14
Assassination Nation – Friday, September 21
Fahrenheit 11/9 – Friday, September 21
The House With a Clock In Its Walls – Friday, September 21
Life Itself (2018) – Friday, September 21
Hell Fest – Friday, September 28
Little Women – Friday, September 28
Night School – Friday, September 28
Smallfoot – Friday, September 28
OCTOBER
A Star is Born – Friday, October 5
Venom – Friday, October 5
Bad Times at the El Royale – Friday, October 12
Beautiful Boy – Friday, October 12
First Man – Friday, October 12
Goosebumps 2 – Friday, October 12
Halloween (2018) – Friday, October 19
The Hate U Give – Friday, October 19
Serenity – Friday, October 19
Hunter Killer – Friday, October 26
Indivisible – Friday, October 26
Johnny English Strikes Again – Friday, October 26
Stuck – Friday, October 26
NOVEMBER
Bohemian Rhapsody – Friday, November 2
Bodied – Friday, November 2
Boy Erased – Friday, November 2
Nobody’s Fool – Friday, November 2
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – Friday, November 2
Suspiria – Friday, November 2
The Front Runner – Wednesday, November 7
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch – Friday, November 9
The Girl in the Spider’s Web – Friday, November 9
Overlord – Friday, November 9
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – Friday, November 16
Widows – Friday, November 16
Creed 2 – Wednesday, November 21
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 – Wednesday, November 21
Robin Hood – Wednesday, November 21
Second Act – Wednesday, November 21
DECEMBER
Ben is Back – Friday, December 7
Mary Queen of Scots – Friday, December 7
The Silence – Friday, December 7
Under the Silver Lake – Friday, December 7
Mortal Engines – Friday, December 14
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Friday, December 14
Mary Poppins Returns – Wednesday, December 19
Aquaman – Friday, December 21
Bumblebee – Friday, December 21
Holmes & Watson – Friday, December 21
Welcome to Marwen – Friday, December 21
Vice – Tuesday, December 25
On the Basis of Sex – Wednesday, December 26
by Stone Marshall | Oct 11, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
The appetite for superhero movies is very real among today’s average theater-goer, and one need not look for further proof beyond this weekend’s box office performance by Ruben Fleischer’s Venom. The blockbuster arrived in theaters on a big wave of bad buzz, but it was able to slice right through it for a record-breaking total. Check out the full Top 10 below and join me after for analysis.
1. Venom* $80,030,000 Total: $80,030,000
LW: N
THTRS: 4,250
2. A Star is Born* $41,250,000 Total: $41,250,000
LW: N
THTRS: 3,686
3. Smallfoot $14,900,000 Total: $42,760,945
LW: 2
THTRS: 4,131
4. Night School $12,275,000 Total: $46,750,355
LW: 1
THTRS: 3,019
5. The House With A Clock In Its Walls $7,295,000 Total: $55,050,560
LW: 3
THTRS: 3,463
6. A Simple Favor $3,435,000 Total: $49,014,356
LW: 4
THTRS: 2,408
7. The Nun $2,610,000 Total: $113,367,310
LW: 5
THTRS: 2,264
8. Hell Fest $2,075,000 Total: $8,864,476
LW: 6
THTRS: 2,297
9. Crazy Rich Asians $2,060,000 Total: $169,134,942
LW: 7
THTRS: 1,466
10. The Predator $900,000 Total: $49,985,889
LW: 8
THTRS: 1,643
October has never been a month known for blockbuster releases, but Venom has proven that the right content can definitely sell tickets. Previously it was Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity that held the opening weekend record for the 31 day stretch, making $55.8 million in its first three days back in 2013, but the new release from Sony has clearly shattered that ceiling. And when you add in the $125.2 million that it has already made overseas, the comic book feature has already made more than double its reported $100 million budget.
This, however, is definitely a film where there are some major questions about the length and strength of its upcoming box office run. There is clearly no denying that there were a lot of people out there excited to see Venom, but it’s common to see major second week drops in similar circumstances – which is to say with movies that aren’t carrying a crazy amount of positive critical buzz. A good recent example is Corin Hardy’s The Nun, which had the second best September opening of all time last month, but also dropped a stunning 66 percent in its second week. Those who were super excited to see Venom probably all saw it between Thursday and now, and as a result there’s a good likelihood that its performance from October 12-14 won’t be nearly as impressive.
Even beyond, Venom, though, this was also a fantastic weekend for Hollywood thanks to the release of Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born. While it didn’t exactly have the biggest October opening of all time, it can actually proudly say that it had the 10th biggest October opening of all time. Unlike Venom, the musical drama has been riding high on positivity ever since it made its Toronto International Film Festival debut last month – with both Cooper and star Lady Gaga earning rave reviews – and people bought a lot of tickets to see their work. There’s been a lot of talk about this one being in the race for this year’s Best Picture award at the Academy Awards, so expect to hear a lot more about it in the coming weeks and months – including in this feature.
This week readers should also take note of the impressive continuing performance of Jon Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians, which has been hanging around on the chart since mid-August. Sure, it’s now fallen to ninth place, and this weekend’s new releases should bump it out of the Top 10, but a hat tip is deserved. It spent three of its eight weeks of release so far as box office king, and has grossed nearly $226 million globally on just a $30 million budget (after also having received a great response from both critics and audiences). It’s unquestionably one of 2018’s biggest success stories, which is saying a lot when you consider how big the year has been so far.
Next weekend’s crop of new titles offers up content for all audiences out there, with the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, the kid-centric horror Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, and the star-studded thriller Bad Times At The El Royale all hitting theaters in wide release. They should do a nice job shaking things up, so be sure to come back next week to see the refreshed Top 10.
by Stone Marshall | Oct 10, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
After Microsoft spent $2.5 billion in 2014 to to purchase Mojang and the Minecraft brand, two things ran through everyone’s mind. The first was a question of why Microsoft would spend that much money on a video game brand, and the second was curiosity about what Microsoft would do with the Minecraft brand. After years of re-releasing the game on various platforms and mobile devices, Microsoft introduced a brand new and reportedly different Minecraft experience called Minecraft: Dungeons.
Minecraft Dungeons will be released on PC in 2019. It was announced during the Minecon Earth 2018 event (via IGN), where it was also revealed that the game will be a four-player cooperative dungeon-crawler. In the game, players will handle all new weapons and items while facing new enemies, and bosses within the Minecraft universe.
The main theme of the game will center around a new enemy called the Arch-Illager, which will be the new big baddie in the world that players will face off against. As well, everything will take place within underground dungeons, almost like Terraria.
The game announcement featured a look at the world of Minecraft: Dungeons, with a focus on four characters from different classes descending into a dungeon ruled by some evil minions. Much like the other games in the series, you’ll be able to utilize swords, shields, and magic. This includes a magic wand with lightning properties, a big ‘ole hammer that would make Thor jealous, and even the ability to dual-wield blades.
Some of you might be wondering exactly what’s up with the whole the Dungeons escapades and what exactly makes this any different from the other Minecraft games currently available on the market? Well, according to lead developer, Jens Bergensten, the idea behind this newest game was to focus on a specific element of the Minecraft universe, and to keep the focus mostly on the dungeon area and the questing and monsters that come along with it.
There are also some traditional procedurally generated elements underlying the overall design of Minecraft: Dungeons. This was one of the core elements that helped define the original Minecraft when it came out, having procedurally generated worlds that could be seeded so other players could join in on the building and crafting fun.
I do wonder if Minecraft: Dungeons will be a new way for Microsoft and Mojang to tap into different kinds of adventures for Minecraft, possibly taking the adventures into space, or alternate dimensions, or underwater. I imagine this is going to be Microsoft’s way to test the waters for a more streamlined Minecraft experience, and if things work out we could see more sub-adventures themed around specific biomes with custom weapons, enemies, and quests. After all, Telltale also took a crack at the franchise with Story Mode, and it ended up getting picked up by Netflix.
Tons of possibilities exist when it comes to the Minecraft brand, and we’ll get an idea of how well Minecraft: Dungeons works out when it launches on PC in 2019.
