by Stone Marshall | Jul 13, 2015 | Minecraft News |
Why It Matters
If robots are to be useful in everyday settings, they will need better ways to plan their actions.
Minecraft was used to teach a virtual agent what steps to exclude when trying to put a gold block in a furnace.
The computer game Minecraft, which depicts a world made up of retro, pixelated blocks that can be modified and rearranged in endless architectural configurations, has been praised for teaching young players about creativity, problem solving, and survival skills (in certain modes you have to avoid threats including zombies). Well, it turns out even inexperienced robots can learn a thing or two by playing the game.
Stefanie Tellex, a professor at Brown University, is using Minecraft, as well as real-world machines, to explore ways for robots to solve new problems faster and more efficiently. This isn’t something most robots need to do, since they work in a fixed environment, performing work that has been carefully programmed beforehand. But it could be important as robots start to take on more complex, open-ended tasks in less structured settings. A robot designed to help around the home, for instance, would need figure out how to perform different chores.
“You might tell a robot ‘Make me coffee,’ but the next minute you might say ‘Do the laundry,’” says Tellex. “In this context, where you don’t know the goal in advance, there’s this planning problem. Finding the sequence of actions that’s going to work in this particular environment is very challenging. Our approach is about learning that faster.”
The researchers’ algorithm was tested on a real robot programmed to help with cooking.
The challenge for a robot is that it lacks contextual understanding about the world. That means it has to run through all the possible actions that might help it reach a goal. To do the laundry, then, a robot might consider whether using the coffeemaker could help. And for a sophisticated robot working in a complex environment, the number of scenarios that need to be considered may be huge, requiring extensive computational power.
Tellex, together with one of her graduate students, David Abel, and several other colleagues at Brown, developed an algorithm that lets a robot prune away certain possible paths of action by understanding the direction in which a particular task points. Armed with such an algorithm, a robot might understand that doing the laundry does not involve using any kitchen equipment or utensils—knowledge that can be either preprogrammed or learned through experience.
Minecraft was used to test the learning approach. The researchers controlled a virtual character that was tasked with putting a virtual gold block into a virtual furnace, while avoiding a virtual pool of lava. After performing the task in a limited setting, through lengthy trial and error, the algorithm controlling the character learned that certain behaviors, such as placing gold blocks on the ground, could be excluded when trying to achieve the goal.
When asked to perform the same task in a more complex setting, the character could then work through a much smaller set of potential scenarios. And the approach could let robots learn how to perform a task in a virtual setting before taking on real-world scenarios (see “Even Robots Now Have Their Own Virtual World”).
Manuela Veloso, a professor specializing in robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, says virtual learning is an important area for robotics already. “Clearly a robot cannot use trial and error to learn to go down stairs, as it will break at the first trial,” she says. “Simulation, in general, can help train a model, which can then be used by a real robot.”
The Brown researchers also tested the approach with a real machine: a Baxter robot from Rethink Robotics. They assigned the robot to help a person cook, and programmed in an understanding of the actions that could be discounted for certain recipes. This made the machine more efficient when determining its own course of action in helping make brownies.
The approach followed by the Brown researchers is not only more efficient but, in a sense, more human, in that it requires a deeper understanding of a task and its context. “We were inspired by some of the literature on ‘affordances,’ which is how people look at the world when they’re trying to achieve something,” Tellex says.
Minecraft Shows Robots How to Stop Dithering
by Stone Marshall | Jul 12, 2015 | Minecraft News |
When you write about Minecraft, you’d better get it right, or millions of kids all over the world will be ready to pounce on your errors.
The Financial Times learned this the hard way. Last weekend, the paper published a story on the Microsoft-owned hit game, titled “The business behind Minecraft.” And this weekend, Zorawar Bhangoo, a 6-year-old from London, wrote in to correct the paper for a graphic it published to accompany the piece.
Bhangoo’s handwritten note, which the FT transcribed and reprinted in its letters section, reads:
Sir, Your big Minecraft picture on the front page of your Life & Arts section (July 4) is wrong.
In Minecraft, smoke does not come out of chimneys and doors cannot be a light colour. Doors need four boxes at the top of them. Trees have to be round and not any other shape and you put the trees a rectangle shape. The clouds have to be 3D. You put the clouds upright. The roof of a house cannot be blue.
Zorawar Bhangoo (age 6)
London SE21, UK
This kid’s got a bright future. And the FT may need to build itself a burn unit in Minecraft, because getting owned by a 6-year-old has got to hurt.
A 6-year-old totally owned the Financial Times over a ‘Minecraft’ error
by Stone Marshall | Jul 12, 2015 | Minecraft News |
“If I had my way, we’d be on everything”
While the absence of a number of major multi-platform franchises and IPs from Nintendo hardware can be easily explained, the fact that Minecraft has never come to the Wii U or 3DS remains surprising. While technical limitations would hold a 3DS version back to being a lighter / smart device port, the Wii U would be a great home for the sandbox game, especially with the GamePad’s ability to offer physical and touch screen controls to deliver the best of console and tablet-style approaches.
With Mojang’s global phenomenon skipping Nintendo hardware we’ve seen smaller developers attempt to fill the gap. Yet, if Mojang COO Vu Bui is to be believed, there’s still an appetite within the company – despite its acquisition by Microsoft – to expand to more platforms.
Speaking to MCV, Bui was clear that Nintendo fans shouldn’t completely give up hope yet.
If I had my way, we’d be on everything.
We want to continue to be available to all players, and that means being on new platforms because everyone uses something different.
…I’ve never heard a reason why we haven’t ended up on Wii U or 3DS. It just hasn’t happened yet.
Of course, positive noises have been made in the past regarding Minecraft and Nintendo hardware, yet with different versions of the title continuing to sell in significant numbers it would still – even after its prolonged absence – be a welcome arrival.
Time will tell whether Minecraft arrives in some form on Wii U, 3DS or even NX.
Mojang is Still Open to Bringing Minecraft to Nintendo Systems
by Stone Marshall | Jul 11, 2015 | Minecraft News |
Minecraft 1.9 has been in the works for a very long time now without a snapshot, and while this leads many to believe the developers are simply taking a break; the reality is in fact quite the opposite. Minecraft 1.9 will be the biggest update ever for the Java version of Minecraft, and what we know so far is very exciting.
The biggest feature though, is dual wielding. This is something players have asked for since the very beginning of Minecraft, and although it is available through a whole host of mods, none of them have pulled it off very successfully so far. This is how Dinnerbone, one of the key Minecraft developers is going to change things. Instead of having two hot bars or two interactions with the existing hot bar, there will just be a simple off hand slot in the inventory (also known as a shield slot) which you can put items in. Simple as that.
How does this second hand work then? When you put an item in it, the item will appear in your second hand. There is not going to be a second click function, however. These items will only work when there is something in your main hand which doesn’t have a “use” function. For instance if you have a pickaxe out, this will mine but can’t be used in the same way a torch is. So, if you want to have a pickaxe to mine with, and a torch to light up tunnels, this is entirely possible now because your torch will take up the use slot. This opens up an entire range of possibilities, like sword and potion, sword and ender pearl or pickaxe and torch to make a lot of things significantly easier.
For a more in depth explanation, check the video in the original article.:
On the subject on caving underground, there is a new type of dungeon coming to the game in 1.9. This has been hinted at by Jeb_ and is mainly a solution to the repetitiveness of the current design, which again has been the same for many many updates now (before even the beta). This new design is going to contain mobs very different to the current mob spawners, and contain a lot of birch wood and prismarine. The blocks besides these will also be very different, and this does open up the imagination to a variety of exciting new blocks that might be coming.
So, the next update already has new blocks, new mobs and a brand new way to wield weapons. Given the update is called the combat update, this appears to be just the start of development and we likely have much more ahead of us in the way of new structures, new weapons, a new set of off hand items and even the potential for a new dimension. I’m personally very excited for the combat update, and I’m sure we’ll see more features which excite and re-energise the game once more
Minecraft 1.9 Dual Wielding & New Dungeons
by Stone Marshall | Jul 11, 2015 | Minecraft News |
The creator of one of the most popular games – Minecraft, Markus Persson also known as Notch, seems to hate free to play games and he doesn’t want Minecraft to go that way. There are many hosting companies that host servers for Mojang and use them to make money.
He said that “Servers selling (“rewards for donations” is selling) items are turning the game into a F2P game. I absolutely HATE F2P, with a passion”.
There are some Minecraft servers which allow players to pay for “benefits”, exactly opposed on what Minecraft EULA says. Because Minecraft’s popularity has increased over the last years, people started renting servers, but now there are some companies that use this kind of hosting to make some extra money by giving their users “benefits” and Mojang seems to dislike this.
Markus Persson, along with Mojang, will try to stop these kinds of “companies” that sell these types of servers in order to make some extra cash, because it is against Minecraft’s policy. Many think that Mojang is doing this because the created released last month the “Minecraft Realms”. Minecraft Realms allows users to rent servers and thes Minecraft servers are hosted by Mojang.
Are you a fan of the Minecraft game? Do you have a rented server for this game or you are planning on getting one from Mojang’s Minecraft Realms service?
Minecraft Download and Free to Play?
by Stone Marshall | Jul 10, 2015 | Minecraft News |
Are you new to Minecraft? Then you are in the right place, because we’re going to reveal the top 10 tips and tricks for this great game developed by Mojang, which is currently owned by Microsoft.
- Place torches on crafting tables and furnaces
Before you begin make sure that you have a transparent block behind your crafting table or furnace. In case that there are some solid blocks around the crafting table/furnace, remove them, because if you don’t, the torches will gravitate towards them and the torches will be placed on top of the table/furnace.
After that target the transparent block edge which is facing the table/furnace and right click while you have a torch in your hand and you’re done.
- Placing blocks on the side of a torch
To do this, right-click on the side of the torch while having a block in your hand. This will place the block to the side of the torch. You can use this trick to cross lava pools and save resources.
- Breaking minecarts and boats with your bow
By using a bow and arrows, you will be able to break minecarts and boats and still receive the same drops as you would receive for breaking a boat normally.
- Wooden Slabs: immune to fire
Fire can’t harm wooden slabs and they are very resistant to against blasts. Keep this in mind if you play on a server where fire-spread is enabled.
- Stopping Water and Lava
By using ladders and signs, you can stop water and lava. You can place them to stop the water and lava.
- Moving items by using Ice Blocks
You can move items very fast by throwing them into the water, with ice blocks under them. Items that are placed on ice blocks will move faster instead of flowing in water without ice blocks.
- Survival Mode
If you play in Survival Mode, you can use swords to break cacti and melons faster. Also, by using an axe instead of a sword, you will be able to break pumpkins.
- Furnace
You can use any item made from wood such as jukeboxes, trapdoors, saplings chests or bookshelves to light the furnace.
- Blazing Rod and Lava Bucket
By using a blazing rod you can light the furnace for 120 seconds and can cook up to 12 items. However, if you use a Lava Bucket, you will be able to light the furnace for 1000 seconds and can cook up to 100 items.
And the last one, 10: Creative mode
When playing in Creative Mode, while you’re looking at an object, if you click on the scroll wheel of your mouse, you will get that object. This works even for mobs, grass or leaves.
Minecraft Download With Top 10 Hidden Tips and Tricks
