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Huge Minecraft Updates & Features for 2015 Revealed

by Stone Marshall | Jul 10, 2015 | Minecraft News | 1 comment

There are Minecraft updates and feature changes coming in the near future that could have a huge impact on the way millions of users play the game and interact with the worlds that they’ve built. Some of those changes include the ability to dual-wield weapons and two new versions of Minecraft built specifically for different audiences.

Video game developer Mojang announced the two new versions of Minecraft and what users can expect in future Minecraft updates this past weekend during an event called Minecon 2015. Minecon brings thousands of Minecraft lovers, modders and fanatics to one place for announcements and more. Though the new versions of the game are important, new information about future Minecraft updates are what is causing the biggest commotion.

In Minecraft’s survival mode, players have only been able to carry around a single weapon at any given time. Mojang says future Minecraft updates will alter that, according to video game website IGN. Going forward Minecraft players will be able to dual-wield, giving them two weapon options. The character’s primary hand will hold a secondary tool while the other holds a primary weapon. Which hand the primary weapon is in is dictated by whether the character is left-handed or right-handed.

To build on that new dual-wielding, future Minecraft updates will focus heavily on new weapons. A shield is coming to act as a primary defense for Minecraft characters under attack. New arrows complete with different passive effects are coming to. A Glow Arrow will allow players to spot an enemy from further away in the dark. Mojang hasn’t fully detailed the arrow line-up but it’s expected to be extensive, with different arrows having decent, but not over-powered effects on gameplay.

The End, an area already in Minecraft, is getting a huge update too. Instead of being one single island, it’ll grow to encompass “many islands” and feel fundamentally different from other environments in the game. Shulkers, a new enemy, will lurk around The End, ready to take down any ill-equipped Minecraft player. The Shulkers have projectiles that’ll cause players to levitate around The End if they aren’t careful. Getting to The End will require crafting an End Gateway, something that’s not currently in Minecraft.

Mojang hasn’t given a specific timeframe for these coming upgrades and changes, but has revealed a new version of Minecraft that’s set to arrive on July 29th. Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system is getting its own dedicated version of Minecraft complete with new changes and features of its own. Called Minecraft Windows 10 Edition, this version will include Creative and Survival modes. Creating worlds, crafting materials and multiplayer are the focus of this version.

It’ll support all of the gaming features of Windows 10, including Xbox One controller support, GameDVR for video clips and multiplayer directly with the console version over Xbox Live. Anupdate coming later will add multiplayer for those using Minecraft Pocket Edition too. Minecraft Windows 10 Edition will be a beta at first, with more updates and features coming on a continuous basis. It’ll only cost users $10 throughout the time it is in testing.

The other new version of Minecraft is Minecraft Story Mode, a more streamlined experience coming from developer Telltale games. It’ll come in five episodes and focus on Jesse. Minecraft story mode is coming to all platforms that currently have Minecraft sometime this year.

Those who have Minecraft Pocket Edition on their iPhone, iPad and Android tablets can expect future Minecraft updates to include new options to reposition interface elements, and controller support. Dynamic weather, sprinting and crouching are coming too.

No doubt, Mojang will provide more detailed information about the new Minecraft updates as they launch on different platforms. Minecraft is available on the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4 as digital downloads. The game is also available for purchase in the iTunes App Store, Google Play Store and Windows Store for Windows Phone.

Huge Minecraft Updates & Features for 2015 Revealed

Minecraft Updates From MineCon 2015: Three Changes We Know Coming To Console, Desktop And Mobile

by Stone Marshall | Jul 9, 2015 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

Minecraft will have several updates to the original game on desktop, console and smartphone, Mojang revealed. The company also premiered a trailer for the new “Minecraft: Story Mode” game. Telltale Games

Minecraft will undergo some hefty improvements and additions in the next year as the Microsoft-owned gaming company, Mojang, works to please and maintain its community. At a panel on Sunday during Minecon 2015, a Minecraft convention held in London over the weekend, Mojang developers announced several upcoming features for the console, desktop and mobile versions of the game.

The hourlong panel featured Mojang’s Owen Hill, Daniel Wustenhoff, Tommaso Checchi, Jens Bergensten and Nathan Adams, and the audience was about two-thirds adults and a third children, The Guardian reports. First released in 2009, the game involves building worlds out of virtual bricks. A creative and an adventure mode focus on constructing and exploring lands, while a survival mode allows for battling opponents. Below are several of the main updates coming to the game, with accompanying videos from Twitter user and Minecraft player @FoxyNoTail.

Dual Wielding With Shields

Minecraft players will now be able to equip their characters with two items, one in each hand. That could mean weapons or other tools. For example, a player could hold a pickaxe and a set of torches, IGN notes. Another update will add shields and custom-made banners to a player’s collection.

Tougher Mobs and Monsters

The Ender Dragon, a monster players must beat at the end of the game on Minecraft’s desktop version, will become more difficult. Players will also have the ability to respawn the dragon. But don’t expect a baby version. “A baby dragon would be too cute to kill,” Mojang’s Adams said. Mojang will also introduce a new mob called the Shulker that will shoot projectiles.

New Game Areas and Levitation

Mojang revealed a new game area with a purple and yellow color scheme at The End of the game. In this land, players can levitate and avoid the projectiles sent by the Shulker mob. That levitation effect helps players reach the top of cities, outside of the typical ladders found in other areas.

The Pocket Edition, Minecraft’s mobile version on iOS, Android and Windows, will also undergo some revamping with the addition of regions and items found on the console and desktop games.

Earlier this week, Mojang revealed that Minecraft has hit over 70 million sales since its first PC version was released in 2009, Polygon reports. Microsoft took the hint about the company’s growing popularity and acquired the Stockholm-based game studio and thereby the rights of Minecraft in November for $2.5 billion.

Other major updates for the company include a spin-off game called “Minecraft: Story Mode.” Mojang premiered a trailer for the upcoming game at the convention on Saturday. There is no official release date.

Virtual reality with Minecraft is also on the way as Mojang works with its owner, Microsoft, on developing the game for the company’s holographic headset HoloLens. A Minecraft feature film is expected by 2017.

This year was the fifth consecutive year of a convention specifically dedicated to Minecraft and hosted by developer Mojang. The convention was held at London’s ExCeL London Exhibition and Conference Centre Saturday and Sunday.

Minecraft Updates From MineCon 2015: Three Changes We Know Coming To Console, Desktop And Mobile

Minecraft Update 1.9 Features Discussed During MineCon Panel; Will Include New Combat Mechanics

by Stone Marshall | Jul 9, 2015 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

The wait for Minecraft Update 1.9 continues this month, now that we’re eight months removed from the game’s last major update, and we’re finally learning more about what fans can expect to see when Mojang finally begins to roll out the first round of Minecraft 1.9 snapshots.

This year’s MineCon certainly wasn’t running short on news, thanks to a pair of announcements from Microsoft and Telltale Games. But, while news of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition and the first Minecraft: Story Mode trailer are interesting, most people keeping an eye on MineCon are likely interested in the future of the Java version. And a handful of Mojang employees offered the world’s first meaningful look at Minecraft Update 1.9 during the Upcoming Features panel at MineCon 2015.

Leading off the presentation, members of the Minecraft dev team confirmed plans to overhaul the game-ending Ender Dragon encounter. Despite serving as Minecraft‘s equivalent of a final boss, the Ender Dragon isn’t particularly tricky to take down and there’s also not much incentive to do so. In the future, players can expect a much more formidable opponent to be waiting for them in the End, which will receive more than a few landscape changes of its own. Mojang hopes players will have reason to revisit the Dragon, by tying new drops to the creature, and explore the new islands coming to the End.

In addition to overhauling the End, the Minecraft team will introduce a new dimension (reached via the new End Gateway) that will give players an ongoing sense of progress after defeating the Ender Dragon. The new zone will introduce new blocks, a new food source, new mobs and a variety of other changes that will presumably justify the lengthy wait between updates. The dev team offered a brief look at the new zone but says it wants to leave the exploring to those who download Minecraft 1.9 snapshots.

On the equipment front, Minecraft Update 1.9 will include a variety of new items, including new spell effects and enchanted arrows, both of which will help Mojang continue to flesh out the rudimentary combat mechanics currently present in Minecraft. Beginning in Minecraft Update 1.9, players will be able to coat arrows with any potion (or poison) in their inventory, many of which will confer special effects upon striking a creature or player. The list of new projectiles includes spectral arrows, invisibility arrows and poison arrows. Minecraft Update 1.9 will also introduce dual-wielding, along with the ability to toggle the primary hand of your character.

There doesn’t appear to be an official upload of the Upcoming Features panel, on any of the YouTube channels associated with Microsoft, Mojang, etc; however, we did manage to find a streamable version on YouTube. It’s possible the video could be taken down, via a copyright infringement claim, but those interested in watching the entire Upcoming Features panel do that have option (for now).

Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Minecraft coverage throughout the rest of 2015 and for however long Mojang continues to support the original Minecraft client in the years to come.

Minecraft Update 1.9 Features Discussed During MineCon Panel; Will Include New Combat Mechanics

Minecon 2015: World record for largest convention ever for a single video game

by Stone Marshall | Jul 8, 2015 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

73 countries were represented in the 10,000-strong audience of the convention, now in its fourth year, with some travelling from as far away as New Zealand.

A Guinness World Records representative was present at the opening ceremony to give the award to Mojang brand director, Lydia Winters.

The representative said: “The record you have received is for the largest convention for a single video game – that’s Minecon 2015: 10,000 tickets sold.

“All that’s left for me to say is that Minecon, you are officially amazing.”

A United Nations representative was also present for a presentation, detailing how a UN programme ‘Block by Block‘ uses Minecraft to teach children in developing countries about civic design.

Minecon 2015: World record for largest convention ever for a single video game

Announcing: Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta

by Stone Marshall | Jul 8, 2015 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

Hello!

We have exciting news to share! A whole new version of Minecraft is on its way. This time, it’s for Windows 10 – Microsoft’s new swanky operating system that’s due for release on July 29th.

We’re calling it Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta.

Just like the first release of Minecraft all those years ago, this version will develop and evolve over time with the help of your feedback. That’s why it has “Beta” in the title – because it’s not quite finished, and will become even more fun over time. Just like the other versions of Minecraft, all future updates will be free. We spoil you. We really do.

If you’re one of the 20 million(!) players who have the PC edition of Minecraft (referred to by techy people as the Java version) you’ll be able to download Windows 10 Edition Beta from the Windows 10 store for free. Other players can get it for the paltry price of $10 during the beta period (the length of which is still being decided).

Minecraft is available on Windows, Mac, Windows Phone, iOS, Android, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PS Vita, and now, Windows 10. Not every version of Minecraft is exactly the same, but they all feature two distinct game modes – Creative and Survival – that cater to different types of players. All versions of Minecraft support multiplayer.

You’ll recognise some Pocket Edition features in Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, along with potpourri of cool extras. Here are some highlights:

Craft, create, and explore online with up to seven friends playing Windows 10 Edition Beta, through local multiplayer or with your Xbox Live friends online.
Play online and local multiplayer with other Pocket Edition players thanks to a free update, due to arrive soon after launch.
Multiple control schemes! Switch between controller, touch, and keyboard controls with little to no effort!
Record and share gameplay highlights with built-in GameDVR.
Help shape the future of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta with our built player feedback mechanisms!
Chickens, zombies, pigs, boats, armed skeletons, potatoes, zombies, baby squids, enchantment tables, villagers, naked sheep, iron golems, potions, ghasts, pickaxes, carrots, and all the weird and wonderful goodness you’ve come to expect from Minecraft.

We hope you’re as excited as us for Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta. It’s gonna be cool!

Thanks for reading!

Owen

*Oh, and while we’re here, don’t forget to read the easy-to-understand legalese featured below…

The “Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition” beta will be available for download in the Windows 10 Store beginning July 29. Players who already have the PC edition of “Minecraft” will be able to download the Windows 10 beta version free. Others can download “Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition” at a discounted price of $10 throughout the beta period. Players who download “Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition” during the beta phase will still have the game when it comes out of beta, and receive all future updates to the game at no additional cost.

Announcing: Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta

Minecraft reaches 20 million sales on PC and Mac

by Stone Marshall | Jul 5, 2015 | Minecraft News | 0 comments

Commentators thought everyone interested in Minecraft had already bought it when Microsoft aquired Mojang last year, but the sales are still rolling in.

When Microsoft bought the free-form exploration and building game Minecraft along with Mojang, the studio behind it, for a gobsmacking $US2.5 billion last year, many industry commentators questioned their wisdom.

There was no doubt that Minecraft was popular — this is a game that sold four million before it was even officially released, after all — but $US2.5 billion is an enormous amount of money. At the time Microsoft finalised their sizeable purchase, the game had sold 60 million copies across all platforms, worldwide.

How much more could this investment be expected to grow?

We now have our answer: a lot more, and it shows no signs of slowing. This week the Minecraft website reported that the game had reached another sales milestone: 20 million on PC and Mac. Even though it went on sale way back in 2011, around a quarter of those sales occurred in the past year.

Amazingly the number is on top of the more than 20 million copies sold across Xbox platforms and another 20 million on mobile and tablet devices. Mojang and Microsoft continue to update Minecraft and offer it on more platforms: it is already on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and even Sony’s PS Vita handheld system.

A large part of Minecraft’s popularity is that it is child-friendly. It is used in school teaching programs, and many parents play it with their children.

Parents will also have noticed the plethora of Minecraft merchandise on store shelves last Christmas season, a trend that will no doubt be repeated this year. Expect more action figures, plush toys, and even Minecraft Lego when the gift-shopping season begins.

Microsoft certainly took a risk paying such an enormous sum, but less than a year later the signs are already good that their investment was a wise one.

Minecraft reaches 20 million sales on PC and Mac

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