by Stone Marshall | Nov 24, 2014 | Minecraft News |
A lot has happened in the world of Minecraft since the last big update came around. For starters, Microsoft purchased developer Mojang for $2.5 billion. That sums it up pretty well, actually. But don’t fret, Minecraft Pocket Edition is still alive and kicking on Google Play.
The folks at Mojang have been hard at work, and they’re now pushing out version 0.10. The changelog for this one is going to blow your mind. We’re talking “more watery-looking water” and “foggier-looking fog.” Not only that, you get “even more particles than before.” Tinted lighting now reflects on the environment and the baddies that roam it.
On the gameplay front, players have more fences and gates to build. Some may even notice improved performance. Also, baby animals should no longer sink when they try to swim. All of this is contained within the usual $6.99 download, available underneath the changelog below.
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by Stone Marshall | Nov 24, 2014 | Minecraft News |
(Photo : Mojang) “Minecraft” has been a best-selling game for the past three years. After a $2.5 billion acquisition by Microsoft, the Mojang title is gearing up to be far more than a video game. Its creation manuals have recently placed well in several nonfiction book charts.
Few things prove “Minecraft’s” success more than the strong sale of books related to the game. As seen in The Wall Street Journal’s best-seller list for the week of Nov. 8, (via The Associated Press) two different “Minecraft” manuals have placed well in the nonfiction charts amongst its competition.
Specifically, Scholastic’s “Minecraft Construction Handbook” and “Minecraft Combat Handbook” are seated in the number six and ten spots respectively.
Both “Guinness World Records 2015” and Jennifer Lopez’s “True Love” were seated under these “Minecraft” manuals for that span of time. When a video game is powerful enough to dethrone the star power of Jennifer Lopez, there’s plenty of reason to admire its success.
These stats become even more impressive when it’s revealed that both “Minecraft” books have been on the market for two months. “True Love” on the other hand, hasn’t even been on store shelves for two weeks!
For those not in the know, Mojang’s” Minecraft” was originally released on PC and Xbox 360 about three years ago. Since then, anything to do with the brand has consistently managed to be a best-seller on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.
In fact, “Minecraft” became so popular, that the game’s original creator recently left his own studio to pursue other projects. To make sure his loyal followers were still able to get a fix of their favorite game, he sold Mojang studios to Microsoft for $2.5 billion.
With this recent acquisition in mind,” Minecraft” is primed and ready to become something far more than a video game. Recent evidence has surfaced that a “Minecraft” movie is in development, and a “Minecraft” Lego set is in stores now.
“Minecraft” began its journey as an indie game that allowed players to make their own worlds. Today, these most recent book sales suggest it has evolved into a global and cultural trend.
“Minecraft” is available now on a myriad of platforms including PlayStation, Xbox PC, and mobile.
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by Stone Marshall | Nov 23, 2014 | Minecraft News |
I really am confused when I hear gamers complaining about the “poor” visuals of Minecraft. Dammit people, pretty graphics don’t equal a great game – unless of course we are talking glorious 60fps at 1080p. Anyways, Minecraft certainly has no shortage of mods or texture packs which makes the blocky world look a whole lot better. What if the game were made to be completely realistic though (at least, as realistic as Minecraft can be), with shiny visuals and enhanced gameplay?
Thanks to Kotaku, I’ve now discovered. Flashcode Minecraft Animations.
Hi, I’m Flashcode and I make mostly Minecraft animations using Blender. I almost always do my videos in a style of making them look realistic, or more detailed than normal Minecraft
This YouTube channel offers some insight into what a new Minecraft could potentially look like –if Microsoft ever decide to make it and move things forward in the visual department.
If you have no idea who the heck that is, it’s Herobrine, a mythical figure who supposedly haunts Minecraft. I remember when I first read about him. Before then, I had been playing Minecraft carefree for months. After though, playing solo in the wee hours of the morning became stupidly terrifying, because I half expected to turn around to see those lifeless eyes staring at me in a lonely, unexplored cave. My one friend swears that they spotted him in the nether. He is a myth though, at least, I hope he is.
There are a bunch of other videos to check out which make realistic Minecraft look awesome, and I want it. What do you think? Do you like things the way they are, nice and pixelated, or would you willingly move to a new version like this if it were ever created?
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by Stone Marshall | Nov 23, 2014 | Minecraft News |
Today Minecraft developer Mojang is launching a beta program for the Pocket Edition of its absurdly popular sandbox game. Anyone who purchased Minecraft on an Android device via Google Play is eligible to join. This will give you early access to new, experimental features before anyone else and allow you to provide feedback that could impact future versions of the title.
To enter the beta program, interested players simply need to request to join the Minecraft Pocket Edition Test Group on Google+. Once inside, they will be provided with instructions, but there is one caveat to keep in mind. Beta users will still be updated to the final version of Minecraft, and any worlds they create will work just fine with the final release. However, worlds created in the beta version may be corrupted when attempting to downgrade back to an older stable version.
Update: Here is a lengthy changelog of what to expect in the pre-release version.
Mojang is hoping to release version 0.8.0 out before Christmas, and the team reserves the right to limit the number of testers in the future if demand becomes too strong. Given the popularity of Minecraft, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if they do.
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by Stone Marshall | Nov 22, 2014 | Minecraft News |
This book’s original edition relied on the Bukkit modding server and library which was taken down due to a copyright dispute in September. Andy Hunt has now produced a completely revised edition that replaces Bukkit with the CanaryMod library – but otherwise it has the same content. In his review of the first edtion, Mike James gave it a rating of 4.5, recommending it as ” a really well written book,” Concluding “I can’t imagine a better introductory book on the same topic. If you want to learn how to create Minecraft plugins and learn Java on the way this is the place to start.”
Author: Andy Hunt
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
Date: May 25, 2014
Pages: 284
ISBN: 97819412229432
Print: 1941222943
Kindle: B00PKTGM26
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by Stone Marshall | Nov 22, 2014 | Minecraft News |
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Catherine Brunzos didn’t expect to be the worldwide winner of a video-game tournament.
But the 13-year-old Federal Hill resident, part of a two-member team representing the Providence Community Library, came out on top last weekend in the International Games Day Minecraft Hunger Games against 94 other teams.
“In the middle of it, I was kind of nervous,” she told The Providence Journal Tuesday evening. “And then I thought, ‘I might win it!’ ”
Catherine, an eighth grader at Nathan Bishop Middle School, is the daughter of Martha Brunzos, a licensed mental health counselor, and Christopher Brunzos, a direct-service staff member for Resources for Human Development of Pawtucket. Martha Brunzos said she wished her daughter good luck as she left Saturday for the tournament, and then got an excited message: “I’m in the finals!”
Catherine said she thought that she won because “people cheered me on.” She added: “I would consider myself pretty good at the game of Minecraft.” And, she said, she thought people at the library would agree.
Catherine, a patron of the library’s Rochambeau branch whose username is “Catybrun,” participated in the tournament with teammate Elijah Caldwell, 12, from the Washington Park branch. The competition, which took two days, was linked to International Games Day @ Your Library, held Saturday. Providence Community Library was the only Rhode Island library to take part in the tournament.
The competition was modeled after the “Hunger Games” of movie and book fame, in which a team of a boy and a girl enters from each competing district and the contestants battle until one victor is left.
Minecraft, one of the most popular video games of all time, has over 33 million registered users. Providence Community Library hosts a Minecraft server that anyone with a Minecraft login at any PCL library can access.
Martha Brunzos noted that both she and Catherine’s father work in social services. But Catherine said that’s not her ambition.
“I want to be a computer programmer,” she said.
CORRECTION: The original version of this story gave the wrong age for Catherine Brunzos. It also included another teammate who ended up not playing.
The original version of this story was posted at 4:29 p.m.
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