Stone Marshall's Blog, page 153
July 7, 2017
Minecraft to get ‘super duper graphics’ making it look more realistic than ever before
Java Edition players have long had the ability to add a modern look to Minecraft by fiddling around with codes, but now the average gamer will soon have the same experience with the new 4K HDR graphics, improved lighting, shadows, water effects and more.
‘We’re also a little something extra, which we’re humbly naming the Super Duper Graphics Pack,’ Marsh Davies is the creative communications manager at Monjan AB, the creator of Minecraft, shared in a blog post.
‘This optional DLC pack is crammed full of excessive visual razzmatazz: light will filter in shimmering rays through cotton clouds, dappling the ground beneath fluttering foliage, and sparkling on the rippling waters. We have dynamic shadows!’
‘Directional lighting! Edge highlighting! Probably loads of other kinds of lighting I don’t understand!’
Davies did however note that the new graphics and effects are still a work in progress, ‘so don’t be surprised if textures or effects change – and get even super duperer – before release.’
The pack will be released on Xbox One and Windows 10, performing best on high-end PCs and Project Scorpio.
However, the Better Together update will not apply to the PlayStation 4, or PS4 Pro, version of Minecraft right away.
Minecraft did release a a marketplace this month, which showcases curated content for Pocket and Windows 10 players.
The digital storefront will let users purchase items like maps, textures and skins that range from $1 to $10 per – but users will first have to by a new form of currency.
The optional DLC pack is crammed full of excessive visual razzmatazz: light will filter in shimmering rays through cotton clouds, dappling the ground beneath fluttering foliage, and sparkling on the rippling waters (left old graphics, right updated graphics)
The new graphics (right) and effects are still a work in progress, ‘so don’t be surprised if textures or effects change – and get even super duperer – before release (left is older graphics)
Microsoft added Minecraft Coins to the platform that will live in a user’s Microsoft Xbox Live virtual wallet and is accessible for marketplace purchases on any platform.
The new additions are set to make their way into the video game come spring.
Although the upgrade benefits players, it is also an opportunity for businesses to sell their own original content, which will be available to ‘tens of millions’ of players, Bloomberg reported.
Nine businesses have teamed up with Minecraft to sell feature packs – and they will receive also about 70 percent of the total in-app purchase, where Minecraft will only keep 30 percent.
The pack will be released on Xbox One and Windows 10, performing best on high-end PCs and Project Scorpio (left is old graphics, right is updated graphics)
However, the Better Together update will not apply to the PlayStation 4, or PS4 Pro, version of Minecraft right away (pictured is a scene with the updated graphics)
‘We’ve partnered with heroic ‘crafters well-known to the community to build up a launch catalog of amazing adventure maps, texture packs, minigames and more,’ Minecraft wrote in an announcement.
‘Noxcrew, BlockWorks, Qwertyuiop The Pie, Blockception, Sphax, Eneija Silverleaf, Imagiverse, Polymaps and Razzleberry Fox are the folk on board at launch, but we’re opening up submissions to anyone with a registered business.’
Minecraft already offers its players a store to make purchases, but the new marketplace will ‘open up an entirely new business model for independent creative’.
Minecraft did release a a marketplace this month, which showcases curated content for Pocket and Windows 10 players. The digital storefront will let users purchase items like maps, textures and skins that range from $1 to $10 per – but users will first have to by a new form of currency
Altogether, Mincraft has sold a whopping 121 million copies to players all over the globe and boasts 55 million unique monthly users, according to figures from Microsoft – giving third party developers a chance at expanding their reach.
The new features will also help Minecraft stepped into the world of recurring revenue.
Microsof added Minecraft Coins to the platform that will live in a user’s Microsoft Xbox Live virtual wallet and is accessible for marketplace purchases on any platform
‘With Minecraft Coins, Microsoft is following both Amazon and Facebook into having its own virtual currency for in-app and content purchasing,’ Martin Garner, an analyst at CCS Insight, told Bloomberg.
‘This could be very relevant for Minecraft’s substantial base of younger users, who are unable to attach a credit card to their account.’
Altogether, Mincraft has sold a whopping 121 million copies to players all over the globe and boasts 55 million unique monthly users, according to figures from Microsoft – giving third party developers a chance at expanding their reach
‘But, by using the Minecraft brand for the currency, Microsoft appears to see this as a self-contained move, rather than the start of something larger.’
Minecraft noted that it will launch its public beta on Android in mid-April, which will focus on testing the new currency – users will ‘not see any creator content in the beta’.
Minecraft to get ‘super duper graphics’ making it look more realistic than ever before
Minecraft’s console editions get one more big update before cross-network play
Llamas!
Going by the latest post on Minecraft’s official blog, it sounds like the game’s last major update on consoles before the game-changing Better Together Update lands later this summer. That’s the update which will unify Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, mobile, VR and Windows 10 editions of the game into a single entity where everyone can play together. It’s also the update which PlayStation has opted out of.
As expected, however, “platforms which won’t support the Better Together Update will continue getting updates even after it lands,” Minecraft’s Marsh Davies reassured.
New in Minecraft on PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox platforms right now are:
Llamas
Parrots
Woodland Mansion
Treasure Maps
Observer Block
Totem of Undying
Illagers: Vindicator, Vex and Evoker
Bouncy Beds
Dyeable beds
Option to change Biomes size to match other platforms (since they are smaller on console by default)
Seven new Achievements/Trophies
New UI engine (saving significant memory – which should boost performance)
Two paid-for packs join the free additions above – a fresh collection of tracks for the Glide mini-game, and a new skin pack featuring designs which let you play as animal-themed teams in competitive play.
Coloured beds!
PlayStation’s decision to opt its players out of Minecraft (and Rocket League) cross-network play generated a storm of controversy back at E3.
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Wes put the issue directly to PlayStation global sales and marketing boss Jim Ryan to get an answer. The upshot? Sony’s not keen on cross-play, and it doesn’t look like it will change its mind any time soon.
“We’ve got to be mindful of our responsibility to our install base,” Ryan told Eurogamer. “Minecraft – the demographic playing that, you know as well as I do, it’s all ages but it’s also very young. We have a contract with the people who go online with us, that we look after them and they are within the PlayStation curated universe.”
It’s a response which raised eyebrows – especially as the family-friendly Nintendo is on board for the cross-network initiative. For now, however, PlayStation players will just get updates separately – although there’s no word on whether they will get them at the same time.
Minecraft’s console editions get one more big update before cross-network play
July 6, 2017
Minecraft Is Getting An Update That Will Change Everything
Minecraft, meet bombshell: The promise of a master version of studio Mojang’s sandbox builder, identical across all platforms, not just functionally but at the codebase level, is finally happening.
Pop some corks and fill those glasses. But when this new version arrives, it also stands to usher in something much grander and subversive. It will shatter technical but also political cross-play barriers as adamantine as the nebulous bedrock layer at the bottom of every cube-riddled Minecraft world.
Despite efforts for years to bring Minecraft‘s many versions into alignment, the game has remained siloed in essential ways. You still have the Java-based PC edition, the franchise elder and a computers-only club (it also supports Mac and Linux) that is still the guiding template and place where new features tend to prove out first—to this version, all others are essentially beholden. Then you have the developmentally more versatile and future-proofed C++ edition, which presently works across Windows 10, iOS and Android devices. And finally there are the console editions, the most popular by aggregate sales and maintained by third-party 4J Studios. All of these versions lack precise feature parity and have no way of interacting with each other, forcing users onto separate, not-entirely-equal islands of play.
No more. With what Microsoft calls the “Better Together Update,” the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One versions of Minecraft will converge with the Windows 10, Virtual Reality and mobile versions. All will hence run the C++ version, or what creator Mojang and Microsoft have taken to calling the “bedrock engine.”
This is a move without precedent. Think about the implications. Nintendo owners will henceforth be able to play with Windows owners, who can play with Xbox owners, who can play with iPhone, iPad or Android device owners, who can play with VR edition owners. It is the first instance of unadulterated cross-platform, cross-console multiplayer that anyone’s yet seen. Momentous barely describes it.
What about your saved data and purchases and world progression if you’re rocking those things on a Nintendo Switch or Xbox One? They’ll be grandfathered in, says Microsoft, transmogrified, somehow, from the old version to the new one when you update. The idea is to make the move as seamless as possible.
“All the different platform subtitles will go away and the game will simply be called ‘Minecraft,'” says the game’s marketing lead, Emily Orrson, during a Skype presentation. “And then we’ll rebrand the original version of Minecraft as ‘Minecraft Java Edition’ so that it’s distinguished as running on the Java [as opposed to C++] codebase.'” Microsoft says the Java edition has “more developers working on it now than ever before,” and that it’s committed to supporting it. The Xbox 360 and Wii U editions, while not part of the unification process, will continue to be supported as-is.
Another literally earth-shattering change: the console editions will now have unlimited worlds. “Really what we’re talking about today is Minecraft becoming endless,” says the game’s executive producer, Jesse Merriam. “As the console editions join bedrock, there are just a number of things they naturally inherit.” Console worlds today have a maximum size of 5,120 by 5,120 blocks, or about 3 miles by 3 miles. After the bedrock edition upgrade, players will be able to walk right off the end of an existing world, then keep going.
And Realms, the game’s subscription-based hangout for worlds players want to share with others (even when they’re not around) folds in organically with the bedrock edition. “All the worlds you’ve created, all the DLC you’ve bought come to the new version,” says Merriam.
The list of impactful changes goes on. By expanding the bedrock edition to consoles, Microsoft can carry across the new Marketplace feature it just launched, wherein creators can hawk wares like skin packs, retextured overlays and custom-built worlds. The company is also pulling server access inline, so that instead of having to know the IP address and port of your destination, you’ll find several ready and waiting in a new curated tab. Which ones? At launch Microsoft says it’ll support Lifeboat, InPvP, Mineplex and CubeCraft.
And the bedrock edition itself benefits from a console perk: Instead of up to 5 players being able to adventure together, you’ll now enjoy 8-player simultaneous. Playing in a Realms world bumps that number up to 11-player, and “slightly more” than that number can play together on the Server experiences, says Merriam
What about JSON editing, the text file feature Microsoft introduced last year that lets PC players tweak the game through simple plain language commands? Is that coming to consoles, too? Not exactly, says Microsoft. But there’s a way to make it happen: “You can apply those JSON edits or add-ons to your worlds, to your realms, and you can connect to those worlds from any platform,” says Merriam. So yes, console players can play on JSON-edited worlds, they just have to do the editing on a platform that supports it.
Unification is important for another less obvious reason. Minecraft has arguably been a creative platform from the start. But it’s also been a sundered one, divided by codebase strictures and natural platform firewalls. Bridging the console divide feels transgressive in trans-gaming ways. Minecraft isn’t a bona fide operating system, but it has elements of one. It feels increasingly comparable to something more like a creative suite of tools, only one that’s operating at base levels. Think of it less as a game you can now play with friends behind the industry’s iron curtain, and more like a suite of gamified paintbox tools, each cube a kind of foundational pixel delimiting an alt-reality as pliable and capacious as anyone’s imagination.
Yes, there is an elephant in the room, and it’s squashing my word processor: Whither Sony’s PlayStation systems in all this? When asked, Microsoft’s response was to refer us to Sony, though noting that bringing Sony into the fold is something it hopes will happen. “Our goal is always to bring every Minecraft player together,” said Merriam. “Today we can confirm Nintendo Switch and Xbox One support, but our vision is really to get everyone together.” Is the holdup technical? Political? Some mix of the two? Microsoft wouldn’t say, but when asked, replied that bringing PlayStation 4 over was something it “really wanted to do.”
Microsoft unveils Xbox One X: The world’s most powerful console
The E3 expo in Los Angeles is the gaming industry’s biggest event of the year, and Xbox kicked things off in style by unveiling the world’s most powerful console: The Xbox One X.
“It’s a monster”, proclaimed Xbox CEO Phil Spencer, and there’s no denying that the new machine packs some serious muscle, running at 6 Teraflops and boasting a custom 1172 MHZ GPU engine that kicks out so much heat it requires a vapour chamber liquid cooling system.
If that sounds like a whole heap of jargon and gobbledygook, in layman’s terms, this is the equivalent of a high-end, $2000-plus PC crammed into a living-room friendly console.
Formerly known as Project Scorpio, The One X has been designed to deliver true 4K graphics and take advantage of the latest Ultra HD TVs.
While you’ll need a high-end screen to truly appreciate its power, Spencer was keen to emphasise that there will be plenty of benefits for gamers using 1080p TVs. A process they’re calling “supersampling” and isotropic filtering means that games will look better, run smoother and load faster regardless of resolution.
Released on November 7, global time differences mean that Kiwi gamers will be the first on the planet to get their hands on the new hardware. Microsoft confirmed that it will retail at US$499, and although it’s yet to be officially confirmed, an Xbox source suggests we’ll probably be looking at a $749 price tag in New Zealand.
Forza Motorsport 7
Not content to simply show us the latest edition of the world’s best-selling racing franchise, Xbox also gave us the first ever look at a brand new supercar, the Porsche 911 GT – not just on screen, but on stage.Obviously it features heavily in the game – and on the cover – but combining a car reveal with a driving game launch seems like such an easy win it’s surprising it’s not been done before.
The game itself looked stunning. Running at a native 4K and 60 frames per second, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a racing game look so smooth. Dynamic weather and some incredible lighting effects made it almost photo-realistic.
Although there was nothing to suggest that this game will push the boundaries in terms of what we’d expect from a Forza title, it was so visually impressive that you’d forgive the lack of innovation. If you’ve got a 4K monitor, check out the trailer and you’ll believe the hype.
Sea of Thieves
Any new game from Rare is guaranteed to make headlines, but this shared world pirate game with an emphasis on exploration looks a little bit special.
As you’d expect from a high-seas adventure there’s plenty of treasure hunting and discovering sunken shipwrecks, but the sheer size and scale of the game, as well as its open-ended structure, makes it one to look out for.
The 10-minute gameplay trailer was one of the lengthiest and most extensive game previews we saw at the Xbox briefing. Some of the graphics and animation looked somewhat rough around the edges, suggesting it’s very much a work in progress, but if this game delivers half of what it’s promising, we’ll be in for a treat.
Minecraft unified
When Microsoft spent US$2.5 billion acquiring the rights for Minecraft from Mojang visionary Markus “Notch” Persson, everyone expected them to have something big in the pipeline for one of the gaming industry’s most lucrative franchises. Apart from dispersing it across every platform known to man, that didn’t quite happen.
Now it seems that spreading the seed as far and wide as possible was all part of the grand plan. The first big Minecraft reveal was that the whole block-building universe is going to be united. The game will be going completely cross-platform, meaning that Xbox, Switch, PlayStation and PC gamers will all play on one unified global server. For a game that’s all about collaboration and co-operation, this is a literal game changer.
This was followed up by the announcement that Minecraft will be receiving a complete overhaul with the “super duper” 4K graphics pack. Upscaling a game which has always been deliberately low-fi may seem like a strange decision, but the new look generated some serious whoops and roars from the Galen Center crowd.
Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds
One of the biggest breakout hits of the year and a true PC gaming phenomenon was always destined to come to consoles at some point, but securing it as an exclusive is a major coup for Xbox.
The 100-player, winner-takes-all battle royale has already spawned a devoted online community and topped the Steam charts since its release in March.
Playerunknown himself, Brendan Greene appeared on stage to announce the game and if the footage show on screen is anything to go by, this looks even better than the PC version .
The concept, where players parachute onto an island and scavenge for weapons and items in Hunger Games-style deathmatch is the perfect online multiplayer game and opening it up to console players looks certain to cement its place as one of the games of the year.
Xbox back-compatibility
At E3 2015, the almost off-hand announcement that Xbox 360 games would be playable on the Xbox one stole the show. This year, they’ve doubled down on the concept by confirming that original Xbox games will be added to the back-compat library.
A system that launched in 2001 might seem almost antiquated when compared to today’s 4K Ultra HD titles, but good game design is timeless and fans have been clamouring for all-inclusive Xbox compatibility for a long time. The only title shown at the briefing was Crimson Skies, but you can count on the fact that more games will be added to the library in the coming months.
The best of the rest
We could spend another 10,000 words on the rest of the games announced at the Xbox briefing, but here’s a brief rundown of some of the other big games scheduled for release over the next year or so:
Metro Exodus
Crackdown 3
Assassin’s Creed origins.
Dragonball fighterZ
The Desert mmorpg
The Last night.
The Artful Escape (coming when it’s damn ready)
Codevein
Super Lucky’s Tale
Cuphead
Ashen
Life is Strange: Before the storm.
Middle Earth:Shadow of War
Anthem
– Stuff
Microsoft unveils Xbox One X: The world’s most powerful console
July 5, 2017
Minecraft to get its own currency
Microsoft is adding a new marketplace – and a brand new currency – within the video-game Minecraft, opening up the opportunity for businesses to sell their original content and creations to tens of millions of the game’s players for the first time.
Set to go live in the next few months, nine businesses will be selling feature packs within Minecraft – such as new storylines, in-game activities or landscapes to explore – with prices ranging between about $1 and $10 per creation.
Other companies can apply to be allowed into the marketplace over subsequent months. Users wishing to purchase content will need to buy a form of new currency – Minecraft Coins.
“For the first time we are going to enable creators to come in and put content into our store alongside the same content that Minecraft makes,” said John Thornton, the game’s executive producer at Microsoft.
“The real impetus is to let creators connect to players and help them make a living on top of Minecraft.”
A store within the game does already exist but is limited to only items created by the Minecraft development team. The change to allow third-party developers to sell their wares within the same ecosystem opens up an entirely new business model for independent creatives.
The Minecraft Marketplace will not be available on all platforms – a notable exclusion being Microsoft’s own Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation games consoles – but will be available on Windows, iOS, Android, as well as the Apple TV, the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR virtual reality platforms, and even Amazon’s Kindle Fire.
Developers are free to set prices for their creations. “We don’t have a strong price cap,” said Thornton.
“If we have content that shows up that everybody agrees is of significant value that a consumer might want to pay more than that, we’ll have that conversation. Ultimately it’s up to the creator to decide.”
The new coins can be bought via any supported device that features an app store, such as iOS, Android or Windows.
These coins will live in a user’s Microsoft Xbox Live virtual wallet and be accessible for marketplace purchases on any platform. Microsoft would not confirm the exact figure developers would receive from the revenue share after it and app stores took their cut, but Thornton said it would be over half.
“We have a model that allows us to give more than 50 per cent of revenue to the creators,” he said. “They’re all happy with that revenue split and we’re happy with that as well.”
There are restrictions, however, to protect Minecraft’s large numbers of young players.
“Every piece of content in the store is reviewed by Minecraft,” said Thornton, so much like Apple’s app store nothing is likely to hit virtual store shelves without it being vetted first.
By adopting an in-app payment model, Microsoft is moving into a territory well-trodden by so-called freemium mobile apps. Pokemon Go, which is free to download, generated almost a billion dollars of revenue in 2016 through in-app payments, according to data compiled by research group App Annie.
– Bloomberg
Minecraft part of students’ learning at Opaheke School
One of the most popular video games of all time is helping students combine innovation and education.
Opaheke School is one of 400 around the world taking part in the Microsoft Showcase School digital learning initiative.
The project was launched by the technology giant to prepare students for the workplace using up-to-date resources, mobile and online tools.
Students at the school are now using the computer game Minecraft to assist with learning in different subjects as part of the project.
The game, which has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide, requires students to build their own worlds using 3D objects and materials.
The school’s new digital learning hub, which opened last year, was designed through the ideas students came up with through the game.
It’s also being used for literacy and science subjects where students create the worlds they are learning about.
Associate principal and programme leader Nikkie Laing says digital education is helping teachers and students explore new ideas.
Minecraft is helping students “visualise ideas in a more constructive way” and it’s more than just entertainment, she says.
“It’s pretty obvious they are learning and not time wasting… it’s purposeful and productive. It’s another hook for us teachers and the students can work and create together.
“Communication, problem solving and collaboration are the skills the kids need,” she says.
Laing recently travelled to Budapest as part of an educator exchange conference hosted by Microsoft and won an award for best presentation. She spoke about the impact online tools are having in keeping students and teachers connected.
Year eight student Callen Trethowen recently used the game for a school project on Antarctica. It helped him explore the features of the Scott Base research facility while interacting with research scientist Regina Eisert.
Fellow student Hannool Lee says Minecraft is “a fun way of learning”.
“It’s making us want to do school work because we get to use our computers,” he says.
The school has three specialist teachers driving the project and they work closely with Microsoft to share ideas and innovations with other schools.
July 4, 2017
Minecraft: The next generation
Once every decade or so, a game comes along that becomes more than just a game, more than just a franchise, and evolves into a genuine cultural phenomenon. In the 70s it was Space Invaders, in the 80s it was Super Mario Bros and Tetris. The 90s and noughties brought us Pokemon and Halo.
If you had to choose one title that broke out of the relatively niche world of gaming over the past decade, it would have to be Minecraft. Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or should that be block?) somewhere, you’ll probably know about it.
Even if you’ve never played it, you’ll have seen the cuboid characters and trademark pixelated art style on everything from toys to t-shirts. Minecraft is designed with creativity at its core, allowing players to build their own objects, structures – even entire worlds out of 3D textured blocks in a procedurally-generated environment.
It actively encourages co-operation and collaboration, allowing thousands of players to work together on group projects, or team up to battle enemies and the elements in Survival mode. Its open-ended, sandbox structure means that there’s no beginning or end to the game, and players are limited only by their own imaginations.
After selling 130 million copies to date, its already the world’s second biggest selling video game (behind only Tetris), of all time.
it wasn’t much of a surprise when tech behemoth Microsoft decided to acquire the rights to the intellectual property from visionary developer Markus “Notch” Persson in September 2014. What was surprising was the price; a whopping $US2.5 billion ($NZ3.4b) making it not only the biggest gaming buy-out of all time, but one of the technology industry’s largest ever acquisitions.
Building on success
The future of Minecraft was one of the key focuses of Xbox’s E3 showcase in Los Angeles last month.
After spending that kind of cash on a single game, everybody expected Microsoft to have big plans for Minecraft. The most obvious move would have been to make the game an Xbox and Windows exclusive, but interestingly, the company decided to go in the opposite direction, focusing their efforts on releasing a version of it on practically every format known to mankind.
Seriously, if you own a device that’s capable of running a video game, there will almost certainly be an adaptation of Minecraft for it. It’s on everything from Android phones to Apple TV. Microsoft’s strategy seemed to be proliferation rather than progression, choosing not to mess with a winning formula or release a guaranteed smash hit sequel, but instead to spread the Minecraft seed as far and wide as possible.
This business model made a lot more sense when, at last month’s E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles, Xbox chief Phil Spencer unveiled the company’s grand plan for the the future of the world’s most popular video game.
Ooh, shiny
A fully upgraded lighting system is one of the major improvements in the Super Duper Graphics Pack
The first revelation was that the game was to undergo a complete visual overhaul, which, in typical Minecraft fashion, is to be called the “super-duper graphics pack”.
Ostensibly, this was to take advantage of the new Xbox One X’s 4K GPU, but for a game that has always been deliberately lo-fi and retro in terms of its art style, it did seem like a strange decision to render all these pixelated cubes in Ultra HD.
On closer inspection though, it’s clear that the update is more about visual effects than the graphical assets themselves. While the game retains its trademark pixelart style, it’s the world around it that has been given a new lick of paint..
A side-by-side comparison of how Minecraft looks now, and how it will appear once the new graphics pack is installed.
Dynamic shadows created by Minecraft’s new directional lighting system means that what you see is constantly changing as you move through the world, and the appearance of your constructions will vary depending on where your character is standing and the position of the sun or other light sources. The addition of HDR gives deep blacks and bright colours a noticeable “pop” factor.
Edge highlighting creates clearer, more defined boundaries between individual blocks and a completely revamped water system means that rivers, lakes and streams look more lifelike than ever before.
Of course, you’ll need a 4K monitor to get the most out of this graphical overhaul, but there’s more than enough here to ensure that even gamers using standard 1080p TVs will see the benefit.
Unifying worlds
Perhaps the most exciting revelation however, was that Minecraft would be going cross-platform. Up until now, players have been restricted to teaming up with friends on the same system, meaning the millions of Minecraft gamers around the world have been pigeon-holed and walled off into small, if thriving, communities.
The decision to tear down these walls and bring everyone together on one unified server is a literal game changer. In a world where everything is about teamwork and co-operation, making it possible for an iPhone user to work with a friend on Xbox or join a grand-scale collaborative construction job on PC means that things are going to get bigger and better.
There’s a lot of potential in this strength in numbers strategy. In one fell swoop, Microsoft and Mojang have created one of the world’s biggest gaming communities.
Large-scale collaborative projects have seen the creation of sprawling worlds in Minecraft, including a full reproduction of the land of Westeros from TV’s Game of Thrones.
Minecraft is already being used in schools as an educational tool and the fact that kids will now be able to hop on their phones at home to continue working on a project they started on their school computer network means that “homework” is going to be a much easier sell for teachers.
Unfortunately, the cross-platform plan won’t include every single format. Sony, Microsoft’s main rival in this generation’s console wars, has refused to come to the party, meaning that PlayStation users won’t be joining in just yet. However, if the Minecraft phenomenon continues to grow at its current rate, you have to wonder if they’ll reconsider and get involved if things start to snowball.
July 2, 2017
Minecraft PlayStation, Xbox versions updated with new features; Nintendo Switch, Wii U update coming tonight
While the ‘Better Together Update‘ gets ready to combine console and mobile versions of Minecraft into one mega Minecraft with much prettier graphics, the console versions have been updated. The update is currently making its way onto Xbox and PlayStation platforms, with Switch and Wii U to follow on later tonight, and it’s bringing quite a bit.
Unfortunately, the update is for console versions only (as stated previously), but at least is brings Llamas. Check out all the new features below!
New Features:
7 new Achievements/Trophies
New UI engine (saving significant memory – which should boost performance!)
Llamas
Parrots
Woodland Mansion
Treasure Maps
Observer Block
Totem of Undying
Illagers! Vindicator, Vex and Evoker!
‘Bouncy’ Beds
Dyeable beds
Option to change Biomes size to match other platforms (since they are smaller on console by default)
July 1, 2017
YouTube’s Minecraft sensation Dan TDM brings live show to Clearwater
For some perspective, that means it has been watched more than all five Super Bowls over that same time period combined. Way more.
Middleton, better known as Dan TDM, may not be a household name yet, but he’s one of YouTube’s brightest stars and biggest successes. For five years, he’s mixed real-world video footage with gameplay from the video game Minecraft to draw a giant audience of kids and parents.
Now he’s bringing his first-ever live tour to Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall to see if the pug-filled, evil-twin-inhabited digital world he’s created will translate beyond the Internet.
“You’ll see quite a few of the characters from YouTube, like scientist Dr. Trayaurus and my evil twin, Evil Dan,” Middleton said.
And yes, that includes the pugs, which appear in the show, but are also Middleton’s real-life pets.
“We love them because they’re quite lazy so it gives me ample time to make videos,” he said. “I won’t say they don’t bug me, but they’re just really great at chilling out.”
The storyline for the stage show involves Dan TDM being kidnapped by Evil Dan, who gives him a series of gaming challenges. During some of those games, the entire audience participates from their seats. At other points, some audience members are brought on stage.
There’s a giant screen where the gaming happens, which includes a level custom designed for the live show by the online social gaming platform Roblox. It usually goes smoothly, but Middleton concedes that when you’re playing a game live in front of an audience, “unexpected things can happen.”
It’s a busy time for Middleton. Late last year he released his first graphic novel, Trayaurus and the Enchanted Crystal, and he wants to do another one. He continues to release daily content on YouTube while he’s traveling for the tour, lugging hard drives worth of material around with him, and even filming and editing in planes and hotel rooms along the way.
“I just love what I do I guess. I think you have to, in order to have a crazy schedule like this,” he said. “But I just find it really
YouTube’s Minecraft sensation Dan TDM brings live show to Clearwater
Minecraft replica of Forbidden City covers a grid of 100 million blocks
Minecraft—the wildly popular video game that lets you build things out of virtual bricks—has emerged as a favorite of architects and enthusiasts eager to make everything from imaginary Brutalist buildings to miniature cities. But Su Yijun, a 22-year-old aspiring architect in Zhuhai, China, has created a true Minecraft marvel: a detailed replica of Beijing’s Forbidden City covering a site of 100 million blocks.
The virtual project had broken ground with the help of volunteers back in 2013, but when Su joined the group in 2014, they decided to start again from scratch. Su eventually became the project’s chief organizer, researching traditional Chinese architecture in order to perfectly replicate the palace’s nearly 1,000 buildings. He researched structure, decor, materials, and architectural history, even visiting the real-life site to learn details he couldn’t find elsewhere.
But this was tricky too: “Many areas are not open to the public,” Su told Sixth Tone. “And because of the exhibits, the interior decorations in the Palace Museum were not the same as how they originally appeared.”
Su worked with fellow Minecraft players to build the replica, but at one point their construction team was down to just him and another player. The effort, though, was worth it: “Through this, I hope to impart some knowledge about architectural aesthetics,” Su said, “and share my thoughts on architectural design.”
Minecraft replica of Forbidden City covers a grid of 100 million blocks
