Minecraft: Education Edition has received a new resource pack designed to let students learn chemistry within the game itself. Resources also include new lessons and activities, a teacher lab book, a downloadable world and community support.
The Chemistry Resource Pack includes a range of features for teachers and students to explore science within the game, including an Element Constructor, which allows users “to create elements based on their atomic structure with sliders to choose the number of protons, neutrons and electrons. By using the Element Constructor, you can create 118 elements from the Periodic Table as well as over 400 stable isotopes,” according to the developer.
Other tools include:
Compound Creator, which lets users build 30 different compounds (like soap and hydrogen peroxide);
Lab Table for making items “by combining elements and compounds in a grid. For example, adding water and sodium hypochlorite makes bleach, which a player can use to turn wool white”; and
Material Reducer, which lets students explore the components of items within Minecraft.
Lessons and activities range from tips for the classroom, such as watching out for hazards in the lab and using Minecraft, to full-blown instructional resources covering topics like properties of matter, chemical reactions, atomic structure and the scientific method. (As of this writing, there were 10 individual lessons and activities available.)
The Teacher Lab Book is a resource to help educators teach with the Chemistry Resource Pack.
The Chemistry Resource Pack also includes a complete, downloadable world for using the chemistry resources. It can be downloaded at aka.ms/chemistryworld.
According to Minecraft: “Science education is driven by hands-on learning, but only half of fourth graders in the U.S. do hands-on science once a week. In low income schools, the numbers are even lower, as students have less access to labs and equipment. Chemistry in Minecraft allows teachers to introduce chemistry concepts without the costs of lab equipment in the engaging Minecraft world that will inspire more girls and boys to explore the subject.”
A pair of new Minecraft snapshots are out this week, offering a more complete (but still unfinished) preview of what to expect when the Update Aquatic rolls out later this year. But there’s still no word on when Minecraft Update 1.13 will be ready for the general public.
Last week brought our first look at some of the most exciting content developed for the next Minecraft patch. Mojang’s beloved sandbox game received an influx of new material, including turtles(!!), wearable turtle shells and a new Trident weapon that can be thrown or used as a typical melee weapon. This week, Mojang followed that release with another pair of snapshots that introduce 10 new ocean biomes, new underwater features and a plethora of fish we’ll now see scurrying around below the water’s surface.
Water visibility also got a second pass during the creation of Minecraft snapshots 18w08a and 18w08b. Players’ ability to see underwater will improve over time, mimicking our own eyes’ ability to adjust to new lighting conditions, and will diminish quickly after resurfacing. Ocean floors will also have greater variation determined by the temperature of the water. Puffer fish have also been reworked in the new snapshots, receiving new spawn points and a slight change in behavior.
Cod will spawn in moderate oceans (cold/normal/lukewarm)
Salmon will spawn in frozen/cold oceans and rivers
Puffer fish will spawn in lukewarm/warm oceans
Expand when near players, give poison on expanding
Shrink down to their normal size after expanding, three sizes in total
Cod and salmon are sideways when on land
Cod and salmon are very social and prefer to swim in groups
Can be caught with water buckets, yields a bucket with water and non-despawning fish inside
Concept art
Not complete yet, more changes coming soon (tropical fish, clownfish!)
Changed natural water visibility
Respiration & Water Breathing no longer directly change your visibility underwater
You can see better the longer you stay underwater
Maximum visibility is achieved after less than a minute
If you go back out of water, you’ll quickly lose your water vision
Warm and lukewarm oceans now have sand floors
Removed deep warm ocean biomes, warm oceans can only be shallow now
Fixed some bugs
Fixed testing for a score of x or a minimum of x doesn’t work in execute if/unless score
Fixed taking an item out of the output slot of a furnace giving the player the recipe for the item in the input slot
Fixed clicking into the first seven inventory slots cancelling the smelting recipe preview
Fixed dried kelp block not being craftable
Added recipes to turn dried kelp into storage blocks and back again
Fixed a crash when logging into multiplayer without logging into single-player first
Fixed the furnace experience rewards depending on the item in the cooking slot, rather than output slot
Minecraft is currently available on every major gaming platform and pretty much anything else with a screen attached to it.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Minecraft news in 2018 and however long Mojang supports Minecraft in the years ahead.
Minecraft Bedrock Edition also known as cross platform Minecraft appears to be undergoing the finishing touches for Nintendo Switch version and Microsoft has decided to show almost two hours of footage.
Microsoft have also announced the Minecraft Bedrock Edition for Switch will be free to all players who own it on the console before release. The Switch edition is nearly done and is in late stages of development where polishing is the main focus.
Justin Woods, the Bedrock producer, noted that the Xbox version may have come out too soon and was not as finished as he hoped so they are taking things slow with the Switch version.
MojangThis Mario may have had one too many blocky mushroom.
This time around they are focusing on making the launch smoother, as well as making the transition from easier from Switch Edition. This appears to be true and not just empty talk, as the Bedrock Edition seemed to run at steady 60 FPS on stream, and Microsoft said it can display 14 chunks of game world compared to only 6 in the current Switch Edition.
Several Bedrock features are shown to be operational during the stream, like the store. Hurry, get the microtransactions working or the world might explode any second! Microsoft have also confirmed you will need a Microsoft account in order to play with people on other platforms, but the same limitation does not apply when you want to play with other Switch users.
MicrosoftGameplay looks smooth and steady.
There is also a part of the stream that shows touchscreen support for Switch’s handheld mode where you can navigate menus, type with the on-screen keyboard or manage your inventory.
Throughout the stream, a lot of emphasis was put on the release being handled ”by the book” in order to provide a smooth launch instead of a rushed product like it was on Xbox. An official release date has not been mentioned but Microsoft have confirmed that the game will be coming to Switch ”soon”.
Bethesda silently updated DOOM today for the Nintendo Switch, adding in a bunch of new improvements and gameplay updates.
One of these unexpected features was the addition of motion controls, giving Switch owners a unique way to kill hordes of demons on the go.
The controls work in a similar way to Nintendo’s Splatoon 2 games. When players move the console, Doom guy aim tracks the movement. The left analog stick still controls movement but physically moving the Switch is the only way to aim with the crosshairs.
Motion controls had been a widely requested feature since the game launched on Nintendo Switch a few months ago, so it’s good to see Bethesda actively listening to the community and making constant changes to the game post-launch.
Alongside the new motion controls, Bethesda has also added a multiplayer party system to the game to make it easier for people to group with their friends on online deathmatches.
The update also added a bunch of improvements to the overall experience, fixing a ton of bugs that once crashed the game and improving the overall performance of DOOM in both docked and handheld modes.
Minecraft is an experience that’s best shared with others.
Players can create a random generated server to craft, explore, and survive the night by themselves, or they can choose to join up with friends online to do whatever their imagination desires.
Depending on what you want to do in Minecraft, there’s something for everyone. You can face off against your friends online in daunting survival challenges, catch small creatures to help protect your homes, or just build a house with a couple of friends.
With that in mind, we scoured the internet to find a small selection of the best and most popular servers used by fans, gamers, and YouTubers alike for you to join and experience for yourself.
Joining Minecraft Servers
Joining a server on Minecraft for PC is easy.
First, find a server that you like and get its IP address. The address will either be a series of numbers or a small web HTML link. Load up Minecraft, click multiplayer, and then click the “Add Server” button.
Paste the copied link into the IP address option and then click “Done.” The server will then appear in the list right above the “Add Server” button for you to join whenever you want.
Server List
Hypixel Network (Mini Games)
Server: mc.hypixel.net
The Hypixel server is packed with a ton of different Minecraft-themed mini games for players to take part in. Paintball, Bed Wars, and Walls are just some of the game types that you can jump into from the start by using the server’s helpful menu system.
Shotbow (MineZ and Hunger Games)
Server:us.shotbow.net
The Shotbow server is the home of two of Minecraft’s most popular game modes—MC Hunger Games and MineZ.
In Hunger Games, players are forced into a battle to the death while scavenging for items, and the last player alive wins. As for Minez, players are dropped into a huge map and are forced to scavenge for food and resources to keep themselves alive for as long as possible.
Journey Gaming (PixelMon)
Server:play.journeygaming.com
Have you ever wanted to craft a house in Minecraft while capturing Pokémon at the same time? Well, now you can with this Pixelmon server.
In order to join the server and play Pixelmon, however, you’ll need to download the mod and a special version of Minecraft, which can be found on the Pixelmon website and Minecraft Forge website. Each website has guides for how to install and play the mod, so be sure to check those out.
Corba Craft (Vanilla)
Server:play.corbacraftmc.com
Corba Craft is one of the best Vanilla servers around. These servers are specifically designed to stop griefers and give you a safe environment to play the classic Minecraft game mode. The server sometimes resets, however, which means your creation might not always be there when you return.
Potterworld (RPG)
Server: PotterWorldMC.com
Here’s your chance to be a wizard and explore the world of Harry Potter to your heart’s content. Potterworld is a unique take on the Harry Potter world, offering its own unique story and housing system.
Players learn to become a wizard before flying off to Hogwarts and answering a set of questions to be put into a house. They can then work together with other players in their house in battles, quests, and more to try to win the House Cup.
Nintendo is going to perform some server maintenance this week that will cause some disruptions for certain gamers. Minecraft is the first scheduled for a disruption, which will start tonight for players in North America. That’ll be followed by disruptions to some online gameplay for some unspecified games, trouble purchasing from the Nintendo eShop later on this week, and more.
Nintendo has warned its Switch console owners about the maintenance via its support website. According to the website, the company will start server maintenance affecting Minecraft starting tonight at 9PM PT / Midnight ET running through 10:30PM PT / 1:30AM ET.
During those times, Nintendo says Minecraft’s network services on Switch will be unavailable. Server maintenance planned for tomorrow night will have a similar effect for Switch owners, taking down some network services for “some software.” That maintenance will start tomorrow at 8:50PM PT / 11:50PM ET and last through Midnight PT / 3AM ET.
Nintendo Switch owners will likewise deal with a disruption to the eShop on February 26 starting at 5PM PT / 8PM ET running through 7PM PT / 10PM ET. That will result in “some network services” being unavailable to Switch owners with the use of credit cards being the aspect affected.
Finally, the Nintendo Game Store on the Web will also be affected by maintenance on February 26 with the credit card processing part being disrupted. That will run from the same time as the eShop maintenance and disruption for Switch owners. Click the link below for Nintendo’s status page to keep an eye on current maintenance.
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