Developer Mojang has updated Minecraft for Windows 10 Mobile, and you can get it for free if you already own it and update your Windows Phone 8 device to Windows 10 Mobile. In this version of the game, players can access important new features like achievements, the update that adds Minecraft’s The End region, and the Realms multiplayer functionality. That support for Realms also means that you can use your Windows 10 Mobile smartphone to log into official Mojang servers to play online with you friends on iPhone, Android, or Windows 10 PCs.
“We stopped shipping Minecraft updates for Windows Phone 8 back in October last year,” Mojang developer Marsh Davies wrote in a blog post. “Of course, players can still carry on building and exploring their worlds as they always have, but, to get access to the newest Minecraft goodies, DLC, and other fun stuff, you’ll have to upgrade to the Windows 10 Mobile version of the game.”
This is a small part of Mojang and Microsoft’s efforts to bring all of Minecraft under one code base. The game still runs on separate foundations when it comes to the original PC version, the console versions, and the mobile versions, but the company has made a lot of effort to bring all of the mobile versions into parity. Moving ahead, the companies have a long-term plan to further join together the various offshoots of Minecraft across platforms.
Swedish National Land survey has put its maps on Minecraft to promote its work
Since December 2015, anyone playing popular sandbox game Minecraft has been able to build their worlds on the actual map of Sweden.
Lantmäteriet, the Swedish National Land survey, launched the country’s maps as Minecraft-friendly downloads to increase interest in geospatial information and open data, particularly among younger citizens.
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Tideström introduced the idea of a Minecraft Sweden in August 2015, and the complete map of Sweden and individual maps of each of its 290 municipalities were released to the public four months later. “For a governmental department, we completed the project very fast,” said Tideström. Lantmäteriet had a small internal team working on the project while the map data was converted to Minecraft by outside consultants using FME mapping tools.
The maps have gathered over 19,000 downloads to date, but Tideström believes their reach is far wider through the visibility of the project and the use of the maps in various other projects, such as a competition for schools to design a future city in the municipality of Kiruna.
“We were surprised that municipalities and organisations have started to use Minecraft as an actual planning tool for city development and have a dialogue with citizens,” said Tideström. “It is an easy way to translate maps into 3D, which makes it far easier for people to see how their city will look.”
The project, which cost an estimated kr400,000 (£36,000), has also received an accolade from the IT community, winning Digital Project of the Year at the Swedish CIO Awards.
Sweden is not the first country to recreate itself in Minecraft. Denmark and Norway have previously had similar projects, but Tideström said Lantmäteriet has gone a step further with the granular data the maps offer, from roads and lakes to forests and grasslands.
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Lantmäteriet used the earlier project in Denmark for benchmarking, namely in opting for downloadable maps instead of a server-based approach. “In Denmark, they had an open server so people could log in and play,” said Tideström. “They had big problems with houses being torn down by players.”
The Swedish maps are available in 8×8 metre resolution (each Minecraft block is equivalent to eight meters). While this means small file sizes for downloading, the maps are more suitable for roaming the landscape than building detailed houses. To address this Lantmäteriet has so far launched four municipalities in a higher (1×1) resolution to enable more creativity.
“In some areas, schoolkids have built the whole centre of a town so it looks like real life, with the right textures and colours,” said Tideström.
Tideström said the Minecraft project hasn’t faced any major technical issues, but it has had an impact on Lantmäteriet’s approach to IT projects. The agency is now encouraging more experiments and fast deployments in addition to traditional large-scale projects.
“We realised if we would have taken this project through our normal process of driving things, we would have released it in 2018 or 2019,” he said. “We are now looking into how we can change this prioritisation and act faster with the deployment of ideas.”
“Minecraft” is an incredible game. It’s basically virtual Legos, and you can play it with dozens of friends. And sometimes, friends who play “Minecraft” together become people who create something magical in “Minecraft” together.
Such is the case with “Pokémon Cobalt and Amethyst,” a “60- to 80-hour” Pokémon game built entirely within “Minecraft.” For real! Just look at this:
YouTube
We’re talking about the good stuff: finding, battling, and capturing Pokémon — and then battling other Pokémon with the ones you’ve enslaved. There’s a full story, various locales to explore, and much more. Better yet, it’s entirely free! All you need is a copy of “Minecraft” on PC or Mac, and about 15 minutes.
Here’s the deal:
The game is called “Pokémon Cobalt and Amethyst” — a nod to the naming convention of the Nintendo-made Pokémon games:
YouTube
It’s a full-on, brand-new “Pokémon” game — albeit one that isn’t officially supported by The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.
Just look at this madness! Since it’s built in “Minecraft,” it’s a 3D version of the normally 2D “Pokémon” games.YouTube
The game took a remarkable 31 months to build; a small team of dedicated volunteers tackled the work. Rather than use existing Pokémon, there are 136 new ones created just for this game.
Which is why you don’t recognize any of the Pokémon names.YouTube
In all likelihood, 3-D printing will forever remain a niche thing. But if you or your kid happen to reside in that niche, making your own stuff has become crazy accessible.
Much of the reason is software: Microsoft’s Paint 3-D app in the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update makes designing 3-D objects super simple, and kids can even print out their own Minecraft creations. But the hardware is following suit, as 3-D printers are now much cheaper and easier to use.
How cheap? For less than $300, you can now buy a capable and beginner-friendly 3-D printer. There are solid models from Monoprice that cost even less, but XYZprinting has 3-D printers for kids and beginners that will look better in your workspace. They’re essentially designed to fill the void left empty by the long-delayed Mattel ThingMaker. But as a well-timed bonus, they also play nice with Windows 10’s latest maker-minded features.
The cheapest and smallest of the lot is the Da Vinci Nano, a $230 box slated to ship by the middle of the year. It’s designed to just plug in and work with a Windows PC like a mouse or keyboard, with the ability to print out objects up to the size of a 4.7-inch cube. In case you’d rather just print stuff without futzing around in Paint 3D, there’s a database of toys and other objects on XYZprinting’s site.
But there’s even an easier version of the printer designed for kids. The Da Vinci MiniMaker sells for $250, and it’s capable of larger 5.9-inch-cubed print jobs. In addition to being able to print out Paint 3D projects and Minecraft models in Windows 10 Creators Update, XYZprinting has a downloadable STEAM education package with tutorials and projects for K-12 students.
Both printers use XYZ’s proprietary PLA filament, which is non-toxic in case your kid decides to eat the green hamburger they just conjured. The printers have a resolution of 100 microns, which is far from what the industry considers high resolution, but a lower quality is to be expected for the price. If you fork over an extra $250 for the separately-sold 3-D Scanner Pro, you can make low-res 3-D clones of every object in your home. Even a (non-working) version of the 3-D printer itself.
US gamers can now get the Xbox One S 500GB with Minecraft Favorites from online retailer Ebay for only $199.99, with free shipping. The Xbox One S Minecraft Favorites Bundle (500GB) includes the Xbox One S 500GB console, an Xbox Wireless Controller, Minecraft: Xbox One Edition Favorites Pack, Minecraft Builder’s Pack, Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, and a 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial.
Get full game downloads of Minecraft for Xbox One and Windows 10, plus thirteen fabulous, community-favorite content Packs, including Halo Mash-up and Festive Mash-up. Craft new Minecraft worlds together with friends on Xbox Live, the most advanced multiplayer network. And now with the new Xbox One S, you can even watch 4K Blu-ray™ movies, stream Netflix and Amazon Video in stunning 4K Ultra HD, and play a growing library of Xbox 360 games. With all the biggest blockbusters this year, there’s never been a better time to jump ahead with Xbox One.
This is a new system you will be receiving, you can grab it from here.
Throwing Pokemon into Minecraft is not a new thing. I mean, heck, there’s nothing shocking about seeing mods that insert those dang creatures into any video game. Why wouldn’t you do it? They’re popular, they’re fun, and they sometimes look like big buff dudes like (not) me. However, Pokemon Cobalt & Amethyst developer Phoenix… well, he doesn’t quite remember why he started working two-and-a-half years ago on a Minecraft map that works as if it’s a new, first-person Pokemon game. All he remembers are the messages and comments of encouragement from fans that kept him going.
Last week, we reported on how Pokemon Cobalt & Amethyst is a map for vanilla Minecraft that doesn’t require you to mod the game. But this story starts all the way back in 2014. Phoenix had succeeded at creating Pokemon-like wild battles “using Minecraft’s ‘tall grass’ image,” and other YouTubers started to take note, complimenting his work. It was at this point that he wondered if he could create a full-fledged Pokemon game.
“I never really chose to make the game until my viewers started bringing on the encouragement,” he told me. “I never thought it was possible.”
I never really chose to make the game until my viewers started bringing on the encouragement
The first year of the project was focused entirely on planning and preparation, making sure the buildings and other architecture were constructed just right and that the storyline was ready to be implemented. Throughout development, Phoenix got help from an impressive number of developers within the Minecraft community, which he estimates is at least over a hundred—he told me that if I got a bird’s-eye view of the map, I’d understand why so many people were needed.
“The redstone work, or ‘coding,’ didn’t begin until most of that was completed since a lot of the ‘coding’ requires proximity detection,” he explained to me. The second year is when a large portion of that “coding” began, which is when a Minecraft user uses command blocks powered by redstone to make certain actions happen in-game. This is how Pokemon Cobalt & Amethyst is able to produce such a unique experience.
“Redstone coding is basically the ‘coding language’ used in Minecraft,” Phoenix said. “It’s done with blocks containing commands/characters all wired together to produce a variety of results. I really have no coding experience, but imagine ‘actual’ coding, in itself, done visually or physically.”
One aspect of the map that used this type of coding was the battle system, which Phoenix says took around six months to get fully ironed out. Despite the large amount of work, he wasn’t afraid to admit was also his favourite part.
“The idea of being able to replicate a functional Pokemon battle using Minecraft’s in-game code is just fascinating,” he said. “The battle mechanism requires an intricate system of logic. Converting each nuance, such as damage/EXP calculation and statuses, into the Minecraft command system is, and was, no easy feat. Also bear in mind that the battle system is indirectly related to every other Pokémon mechanic, including move memory and level-up movesets. Completing the entire system was definitely one of my favourite achievements.
“Something else that was almost just as complicated was the PC storage system,” Phoenix continued. “Because we’re talking about Minecraft here, we were forced to store so much data in such a small, physical space. Nevertheless, finally realizing everything was complete, despite the time it all took, was definitely very satisfying.”
The idea of being able to replicate a functional Pokemon battle using Minecraft’s in-game code is just fascinating
While Pokemon Cobalt & Amethyst features Arceus—a god Pokemon—quite prominently in its story, the Minecraft map contains 136 original creatures. Phoenix told me that designing them is what took the most time in development; some of them weren’t even completed until just days before release.
“The process was almost visceral,” he said. “I took ideas from many different places, but the sources of these ideas were definitely pretty abstract… many of the early designs were inspired by the in-game Minecraft creatures, just to keep things native and organic. Often though it’s almost like seeing the name and then forming an image in your brain… there was no express method so [we could] maintain the flexibility for team members to come up with their own ideas.”
As unique as Cobalt & Amethyst’s creatures are, Phoenix did admit to me that they used official sounds from the Pokemon games—you can hear these in the various trailers and videos. On top of that, Nintendo is known to be protective of its intellectual property, having shut down several notable fan projects in the past year. Phoenix says if Nintendo ever did come knocking with a takedown notice, he would simply comply.
As for what Phoenix is going to do next, he told me he’s done working on Pokemon Cobalt & Amethyst. While he may continue to help here and there, as he designed many of the map’s core functions, development takes its toll—he told me that he “didn’t really take any breaks over the 31 months.” What’s next for the ambitious creator? Well, he’s a big fan of chess and baseball, so he may just take a swing at one of those.
“As a person who knows nothing about coding, it seems Minecraft is the most convenient and accessible platform for me right now.”
If you’re interested in trying Pokemon Cobalt & Amethyst for yourself, you can learn how to set up your Minecraft client and download it here.
