‘Minecraft’ Latest News & Update: Pocket Edition Receives 0.16 Patch; What to Expect in the Update
Mojang’s ‘Director of Fun’ Lydia Winters speaks about ‘Minecraft’ during the Microsoft Xbox E3 press conference at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“Minecraft” Pocket Edition received the 0.15.7 update on Aug. 31. Mojang released this to fix bugs and provide improvements on the game’s graphics’ texture. The game developer wants to give the best to fans so the 0.16.0 update was immediately released as a follow-up, and it is available for free.
The updates were release with a very short time difference so it is apparent that Mojang is working non-stop for “Minecraft” Pocket Edition. The latest patch was announced by Mojang’s Tommaso Checchi via his Twitter account.
Prior to the release of update, he tweeted, “And yes 0.16 is coming, but we don’t announce things before said things are already implemented. Be patient, it will be cool!”
The 0.16.0 update is also called “The Boss Update” and based on the information posted “Minecraft” Pocket Edition Wiki page. The latest changelog shows changes including new options, addition of polar bears, new maps, underwater temples and more.
In the previous games, players used to distinguish whether the area is ground or water through looking at the color blue and green but in 0.16 update. The maps will reveal more texture and colors to identify various environments including the desert, jungle, ice or swamp.
In addition, the menu settings was redesigned and more options were added by Mojang. Checchi revealed that there is a new inventory mode that allows players to to easily search for items and blocks by names. This change will definitely speed up the gameplay.
With all the great changes, it is easy to see that patch 0.16.0 offers more content to “Minecraft” PE compared to other updates which only provided minor improvements on the game’s performance and visuals.
At any rate, although there is no announcement, the update may only be exclusive to “Minecraft” Pocket Edition on Windows 10. Gamers will have to wait for more details about the 0.16 patch notes on the upcoming MineCon 2016 which will start on Sept. 24.
Telltale Games will release “A Journey’s End?”, the eighth and final entry in its Minecraft: Story Mode episodic adventure game, on September 13 for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, and other platforms.
So what are our heroes up against in this concluding chapter of the season? With Harper leading them to the world of the Old Builders, Jesse and crew finally have their chance to return home… but it won’t be easy, and the stakes are high. You’ll need to take on opponents in a series of gladiatorial games to win your freedom, save your friends, and maybe, just maybe, make it back to your own world!
The all-star cast gets two more new additions for Episode 8: ‘A Journey’s End?’, with Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh, Darkwing Duck) as Hadrian, the leader of the Old Builders; and Kari Wahlgren (Rick and Morty, The Fairly OddParents) as Mevia, the Enforcer.
Minecraft: Story Mode was originally announced as a five-episode game from Telltale back in the fall of 2015, but the developer decided to launch a three-episode extension in June. You can purchase those three extra “Adventure Pass” episodes for $14.99 if you already own the first episode, which is priced at $4.99
The final chapter of Minecraft: Story Mode’s first season is only a week away, Telltale Games confirmed on Wednesday, and the developers lined up two more guest stars for the eighth chapter of the episodic Minecraft adventure. And the best part of today’s announcement is that the duo, much like entire first season of Minecraft: Story Mode, should have something that appeals to both older and younger generations.
According to a press release, Telltale Games will publish the eighth episode of Minecraft: Story Mode on Sept. 13, wrapping up both the game’s first season of content and the content covered by the three-episode Adventure Pass that went on sale earlier this year. Details on the episode are relatively scarce, and there’s no trailer at this time, but Telltale did include a brief description of the season finale in today’s announcement. Here’s how the studio describes Episode 8:
In Episode 8: ‘A Journey’s End?’, with Harper leading them to the world of the Old Builders, Jesse and crew finally have their chance to return home… but it won’t be easy, and the stakes are high. You’ll need to take on opponents in a series of gladiatorial games to win your freedom, save your friends, and maybe, just maybe, make it back to your own world!
The final episode also features appearances from Jim Cummings (Darkwing Duck) and Kari Wahlgren (Rick and Morty) as newcomers Hadrian and Mevia. There’s still no word on an all-encompassing purchase for the first season, meaning you still have to purchase both the Season and Adventure passes to get all eight episodes, but at least you won’t have to wait much longer to marathon your way through Minecraft: Story Mode in one sitting.
Minecraft: Story Mode is available for PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PS Vita, PC, iOS, Android and probably a few high-end refrigerators. The series’ eighth episode, “A Journey’s End?”, debuts Sept. 13.
By Alanah PearceThe Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition beta is now available on Oculus Rift, and it brings a handful of surprising changes to Minecraft’s well-loved gameplay.
1. Enemies are huge
“It sounds like whatever chasing you really is physically behind you.
Since Minecraft on Oculus puts you virtually into the game, the size of individual mobs is surprisingly intimidating. I hadn’t even noticed that Zombies were taller than players until I had to look up at one of them who was sticking his big, blocky arms through my front door, making that creepy groaning sound under his breath. The threat of taking damage is the same as it has always been, but the invasion of space that comes with a seemingly giant mob chasing ‘me’ made me run away a lot more often than stay and fight like I usually would. This is made even more intense by the Oculus’ built-in positional audio. It sounds just like whatever chasing you really is physically behind you.
2. Caves are creepy
Caves are just as creepy as mobs, especially if you run out of torches. Craning your neck around trying to see in complete darkness is seriously stressful. I’ve probably never been as happy to see lava in Minecraft as I was when I was in VR — the light is a safe haven from completely consuming darkness.
Having your entire field of vision be encompassed by the caves’ near-black is both unsettling and a little claustrophobic, especially since while you’re pickaxing your way down, you’re usually packed into relatively small spaces by stone, too. Not stocking up on torches (or the wood you need to make them) before you head into a mineshaft is now not only an inconvenience, but a pretty big source of stress.
3. Combat feels more personal
“The bow is a lot of fun to aim in VR.
Something about aiming by moving your head rather than my moving your mouse (or thumbstick) makes combat feel a lot more personal, and with that comes a much greater sense of control. It’s a little odd to see your sword floating along in front of you in VR, but facing one of those giant mobs and swinging feels significantly more triumphant than it does in non-VR Minecraft, because it feels like that sword is really yours. It’s like an extension of your body rather than an extension of your character, and that, teamed with the whole ‘mobs are huge and invade your space’ thing, makes combat much more satisfying. The bow specifically is a lot of fun to aim in VR, too, and definitely feels a lot more accurate than using a controller.
4. I kept getting lost
When playing Minecraft normally I can get orientated in caves and mines pretty easily because I’m not all that immersed. I’m able to comfortably look around and take mental notes. Your sense of ‘place’ is a very different in VR, where you’re constantly overwhelmed by the appearance of new environments, even if you consciously know you’re only there visually.
This meant I got lost a whole lot — it’s like my short-term memory was totally disabled. I’m sure we’ll learn more about this as VR technology becomes more commonplace, and I’m not sure if this was specific to me, but I feel like the constant feed of new imagery to absorb caused my brain to ignore important things like, you know, where the hell I am, and which direction I came from.
5. Heights are intense
“
What do you do when you’re 128 blocks high in the Minecraft world?
As a person who isn’t at all afraid of heights, I might sell this a little short, but one of my first experiments was try to get to the highest point in a nearby jungle. I did, and was mostly just impressed by the view — Minecraft’s relaxing music made that feel serene more than anything. So, I decided to step it up, and used the ‘put blocks on top of each other while jumping’ trick to build myself into the highest point of the game — 128 blocks high. The vertigo kicked in at about 60, and by the time I made it to the maximum, I started feeling noticeably dizzy, in ways non-VR Minecraft definitely never made me feel.
But then, what do you do when you’re 128 blocks high in the Minecraft world? You jump off, of course. Seeing the grass below quickly rush towards my eyes was almost inexplicably disturbing, when it’s something that normally wouldn’t bother me at all.
6. It’s pretty sickening
When thinking about video game universes I’d like to exist in, Minecraft was never all that high on the list, losing points for its unnatural, blocky appearance. That, mixed with being in first-person perspective, is pretty brutal in VR. There are various VR-specific options in the settings menu, including one that makes looking left to right more choppy, to avoid the sickness that comes with the world changing horizontally without your body moving that way. It’s helpful, but, as someone who is already motion-sickness-sensitive, it was always uncomfortable. I had to take frequent breaks.
Thankfully, there is a theater-style mode, too, that places you in a chair in a Minecraft-esque house, and has you ‘play’ on a virtual TV in front of you. It seems a little pointless to simulate a living room while you’re playing Minecraft in VR in your living room, but it is a much more fitting environment, at least, and it completely erased any motion-sickness I had.
Following fast on the heels of Mojang’s first console mini-game—Battle—is another competitive arena game mode, but this time with a little bit more polish and a lot more fun. Rather than trying to badly emulate the highly niche and wonky PvP that is popular on big Minecraft servers, Tumble takes all of the best elements of one of Minecraft’s oldest existing minigames, polishes them, and presents it all in fast-paced package. Where Battle was something of a disappointment, Tumble plays to Minecraft’s strengths and manages to offer something to console players that is unique and fun.
The idea behind Tumble is very simple—players start on a layer of dirt over a pit of lava and have to try to be the last player standing. Using shovels or snowballs, they try to outmaneuver their foes and dump them into the soup while avoiding the same grisly fate. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s basically the same concept as the Spleef minigame, which has been around in various forms for ages now. Tumble comes with the polish and craftsmanship of expert creators, and it doesn’t feel so much like an imitation as an evolution. There are many different arenas that take advantage of all of Minecraft’s varied biomes, giving players the opportunity to unceremoniously dump each other into molten rock from all sorts of terrain.
While there isn’t a whole lot of strategy involved with Tumble—the best tactic seems to be running and hiding while other players eliminate each other — there are ways that good players can distinguish themselves, and that’s where a lot of the fun comes in, especially for veteran Minecrafters. By avoiding soul sand and cobwebs, or by making use of slime blocks and jack o’lanterns, you can gain an advantage over opponents who don’t make good use of terrain. For the most part though, Tumble plays a lot like a Mario Party minigame — hectic, often arbitrary, alternatively frustrating and fun.
Tumble isn’t going to develop into any sort of massive competitive scene or sell new players on Minecraft all by itself, but it’s a free addition to an already robust game. And unlike Battle, it feels like it was designed to played in Minecraft.Tumble works great as a palate cleanser or with a close group of friends. Given the incredible attention to detail here, I hope Mojang gives us more like Tumble in the future.
Tonight we’re kicking off our official premiere of Microsoft, Minecraft, and Libations, our new show where we sit back, talk about Microsoft while playing Minecraft, and, well, having a few drinks!
If you missed our earlier announcement for the full context you can find that here to learn more about the format and plans.
For now, all you need to do is watch the live stream above or head to our Beam channel at Beam.pro/windowscentral where you can jump in on the live chat.
We’ll occasionally field some questions from the audience, so it’s best to sign up for Beam. Plus, doing so will help enter you in our contest to win an exclusive Windows Central Xbox One controller made by Controller Chaos and designed by @GeordieTommy_.
You can find the rest of the contest entry tasks below:
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For those curious, we’re aiming for a 90-minute air time, but honestly, we have no idea how long it will go. So grab a drink and join in on the fun to find out!
