Stone Marshall's Blog, page 34
April 17, 2019
Minecraft on PC surpasses 30m sales
The PC version of Minecraft has sold over 30 million units since its 2009 launch.
A tracker on the Minecraft website has been keeping tabs on the number of sales and passed the milestone earlier today.
Across all platforms, Microsoft revealed last Octoberthat the game had sold over 154 million copies and was seeing 91 million monthly active users.
That number does not include 150 million downloads in China also as of October, where the game was published in August of 2017 by NetEase first on PC, and then on iOS and Android. In total, that puts the game at over 250 million users across all platforms worldwide.
For the record: A previous version of this article mistakenly read that Minecraft was published by Tencent in China. It is actually published by NetEase, as corrected above.
The original PC version of Minecraft just hit 30 million sales
Minecraft is now ubiquitous. You can play it on consoles, on portables, on phones, and there was even an official port to Raspberry Pi. But the game started on PC in its Java-based original form. That Java Edition is still being sold, and today it reached a major new sales milestone: over 30 million copies sold.
Total Minecraft player count is well over 150 million, since that’s the number of people who had registered for the game’s free-to-play Chinese release as of last year – nevermind everyone who’s played other versions of the game. Total, full sales of the game are at least 154 million across all platforms, as Windows Central reported back in September.
Mojang keeps a ticker counting traditional PC sales on the official site, and it crossed the 30 million mark a few hours ago as of this post. A number of developers on the game had been closely tracking the counter’s progress toward the milestone on social media, and today’s rollover was a natural cause for celebration across the whole team.
While all the other releases have certainly expanded Minecraft’s reach, the Java Edition is still perhaps the most popular among the community, and certainly the one where you’ll find most of the best Minecraft mods.
If we keep seeing mods like the ray tracing-style effects of the Sonic Ether shader, then I don’t think there’s any limit to where things can go from here.
Related: Dig into the best sandbox games on PC
While PUBG sales might put a run on Minecraft’s claim of being the ‘the world’s best selling PC game,’ the venerable block-builder is certainly in rarified company.
April 16, 2019
Minecraft now available with Xbox Game Pass
Minecraft already has a sizeable fanbase, but now anyone with an Xbox Game Passsubscription can jump into the fray as well. The blocky builder joined Microsoft's subscription service today, bringing another Microsoft Studios title under its banner.
The full game experience is here, meaning you can explore your own unique world and construct just about anything that strikes your fancy. You can also dive into multiplayer sessions, hailing the assistance of friends to take on any unruly creeps and help build your world out.
Minecraft has seen more than 91 million active players join in across nearly any platform you can think of since its launch in 2009. The game is also cross-play enabled, so you can jump in with friends who may be playing on other platforms like Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.
@MinecraftMinecraft is coming to Xbox Game Pass on April 4. Wait a second… it IS April 4! Download it today, and enjoy the cross-play with Nintendo Switch, Windows 10, Gear VR, iOS and Android.
↣ http://redsto.ne/minexgp ↢3,16711:02 PM – Apr 4, 2019555 people are talking about thisTwitter Ads info and privacy
If you're interested in checking out Xbox Game Pass, the service requires a subscription, which runs $10 per month. There are more than 100 games available to play through Game Pass, making it a bit like a Netflix for gamers. A subscription will also net you a discount for games in Xbox Game Pass if you decide you want to buy them outright.
Shazam! review – likable teen superhero flick
The latest (and lightest) film offering from DC Comics’ extended universe has a particular advantage: it’s a kids’ film, starring kids. The central character, Billy Batson (Asher Angel), is 14; so is his smart-alec foster brother and “manager”, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer). Billy is granted a tidy collection of magic powers by a wizard (a bewigged and bearded Djimon Hounsou), including strength, super-speed and fingertips filled with lightning. By shouting “Shazam!” he is transformed into an adult in a superhero suit (Zachary Levi, believably and likably hapless), so, like many 14-year-old boys, he uses his new identity to buy beer (which he promptly spits out), saunter into a strip club, and go viral on YouTube. The evil Dr Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) is after Billy’s powers, hell-bent on revenge after being told, as a child, by both his father and the wizard that he was weak.
There’s a sense of Stranger Things camaraderie among Billy and his foster siblings, who are actually fun to spend time with, and the film’s message of found family is a sweet one. Still, its overblown finale overstays its welcome, teeing up the team as mainstays in the inevitable sequel.
Watch the trailer for Shazam! – video
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April 15, 2019
Minecraft With Fancy Lighting Looks Great
Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders is a shaderpack that adds the kinds of effects we normally associate with ray-tracing— like light that’s able to bounce off other objects—to ol’ blocky-ass Minecraft, and do it while you’re playing in real-time.
It’s not technically ray-tracing (he’s actually using path-tracing), but the effects are still incredible. Here are some examples of it in action:
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And here are some screens showing it off on some more traditional areas:
You can download what you need by pledging $10 over on Sonic Ether’s Patreon page. Just know that the effects here are software-based, so you’ll need a decent PC to get a good framerate.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHANDLER RIGGS’ MINECRAFT FESTIVAL STRAIGHT FROM THE MAN HIMSELF
Considering how strange the past couple of years have been, the premise of a star-studded music festival hosted entirely in the virtual worlds of Minecraft doesn't sound even remotely far fetched. In fact, recent events and crossovers have led many to believe that video games are EDM's next frontier.
This weekend, Chandler Riggs is hosting Pixel Festival, a full-fledged music festival inside Minecraft. For those unfamiliar with Riggs, he is known for his portrayal of Carl Grimes in the massively popular TV show The Walking Dead as well as a current role on ABC's A Million Little Things.
EDM.com was lucky enough to be able to speak to the multi-talented star and learn more about his endeavors in both music and technology, and where the two worlds meet.
First things first, you may be wondering why a career actor is hosting his own music festival inside a video game. As some attentive dance music fans know, Riggs makes future bass under the name Eclipse and has released music on Steve Aoki‘s label. Riggs is also an avid gamer and said both gaming and music are his two favorite hobbies.
After the success of Fire Festival, the last Minecraft festival Riggs was associated with, he decided he needed to get into the game (pun intended) and create the virtual festival of his dreams. With that vision in mind, he created url.events, his very own team dedicated to creating virtual music experiences.
Although he had tons of fun and is friends with the minds behind Fire Festival and Coalchella, his festivals seek “everyday people that go to [real life] music festivals.” When speaking more on who the general audience is he mentioned inclusion, saying, “…People that can't go to these [real life] festivals can come to these events. It's really cool to be behind something as inclusive as this.”
The idea of having a music festival experience for free at home is something many dance music fans can get behind. With transportation, lodging, tickets, food, and other expenses, going to a music festival is not something everyone can swing. Riggs went on to mention a problem that many of us have faced: Many of our favorite artists don't play in our home countries as often as we'd like.
“[Virtual festivals] are a way for people to go see their favorite artist if they live in a country where their artist doesn't come to,” he told us. “It's an awesome way for them to get that experience without having to physically be there.”
Riggs understands that virtual festivals will never replace real life festivals – and he agrees that real life festivals are “life-changing” – but this is an opportunity for some people who can't get out to festivals or who are new to electronic music can get their festival fix.
With all that being said, enter Pixel Festival.
Riggs certainly proved his dance music cred when he released the hand-picked lineup. He made it clear that he is a fan of each and every one of the acts he selected to take the virtual stage.
Superstars like Virtual Riot, Flosstradamus, What So Not, Anna Lunoe, and many more are featured on the url.events inaugural festival alongside the eSports celebrity-turned EDM sensation, Ninja.
When asked about Ninja's involvement Riggs stated: “I want all people that are related to gaming and music in any aspect to be able to be a part of this…He's super excited for it, and we're super excited for it. It's going to be awesome”.
Due to game limitations, Pixel Festival will not have live audio, however, they have created a clever way to give the artists control during their set. Riggs described the process in detail:
“Since Minecraft doesn't let us stream audio into the game, all of the sets are prerecorded. But, to kind of make up for that, we have a bunch of different ways that the artist can interact with the crowd on stage, aside from just typing in the chat. They can press buttons to activate fireworks, give different effects to the people in the crowd, for example, they'll start floating, or there's a cool fun surprise on one stage for what they can do to the crowd. It's just another way for the artist to interact with the crowd to kind of make up for the prerecorded aspect of it.”
Half of any festival experience is the festival grounds. The one advantage a virtual festival has over real life is that there are no limitations to what you can do. Want to alter gravity and send attendees into the sky? Go for it. Want to make a giant castle stage with flying dragons in the sky? Why not. Anything is possible.
Riggs and his team of just four builders ran with that idea and created something truly insane. The festival grounds at Pixel Festival will feature everything from giant candy sculptures, to lava filled rivers, and even giant, dabbing unicorns.
4GALLERY4 IMAGES
The very idea behind Pixel Festival aligns with the notion that EDM is conquering the video game world. Marshmello and Fortnite‘s massive collaboration showed the world that gamers are ready to let dance music into their lives, while events like Pixel Festival hope to take things even further and offer complete experiences with fewer restrictions.
When asked when we should expect new music or shows from Eclipse, Riggs said:
“Hopefully soon. I'm looking at getting on a few shows in Europe. I'm hoping to get some of these because I'm still producing music every day and working on new stuff. I'm working on getting some vocals back for a few songs – and hopefully, I'm going to have a new release from Eclipse pretty soon.
To see their hard work in action and listen to some sets inside the virtual madhouse, fans who own Minecraft can log onto their server April 6th and 7th from 6:00-11:00 PM PST to join in on the fun.
Fortnite, FIFA, Minecraft and Apex Legends come toThorpe Park for a LIMITED TIME
Thorpe Park has opened up a brand new and limited time gaming area.
The first of four limited time events scheduled for 2019, GameFX is running from now until the end of May.
The GameFX area is an indoor space featuring a wide selection of new and classic consoles and games.
PS4 and Xbox One releases like Forza Horizon 4, Spyro Trilogy, Crash Bandicoot Trilogy, Minecraft, FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 are all playable in the arena.
That's on top of retro games and consoles like the Sega Mega Drive, SNES, Dreamcast, Gamecube and PS2.
Gaming fans looking to experience something a bit different can also try out a variety of virtual reality games.
One of the more popular titles to try is the excellent Richie's Plank Experience, which sees users face their fear of heights atop a skyscraper.
Thorpe Park adds a new gaming attraction (Image: THORPE PARK)
Thorpe Park adds a new gaming attraction (Image: THORPE PARK)
“Join us over in the gaming arena for our brand new GameFX powered by HYPD!” reads a Thorpe Park post.
“Practice your eSports skills across multiple consoles and games, immerse yourself in nostalgia as you reignite your childhood in the retro gaming area and defy your senses and push yourself to the limit as you engage with the latest virtual reality tech.”
But it's the eSports tournaments that are arguably the most appealing aspect of GameFX.
Fans of games like Fortnite, FIFA and Apex Legends will be able to compete in tournaments to win some swag.
Celebrity influencers are also scheduled to appear at GameFX over the course of its run.
Thorpe Park adds a new gaming attraction (Image: THORPE PARK)
GameFX will be followed by more limited time attractions, beginning with Jungle Escape in May.
The jungle-themed escape room tasks teams with solving puzzles and completing physical tasks in order to emerge victorious.
This will be followed by a 90m inflatable “BounceZilla” course from the end of May until September, before Fright Night returns for in time for Halloween.
April 14, 2019
Some Genius Recreated the World of ‘Stardew Valley’ in ‘Minecraft’
This past summer when I had the flu and was bored out of my mind, I made the decision to start playing the farming-and-life simulator Stardew Valley, which to this day is probably the best $15 I’ve ever spent. I don’t play a lot of video games—I grew up without any consoles, and my brain-to-controller-button-pressing time is about five solid seconds, making action-based games impossible—but I’ve since racked up about 200 hours playing Stardew. Butt Eater Farm is thriving. I’m rich as fuck. My farmer is currently cuckolding her lazy husband with all of the women in Pelican Town. The cute artist redhead is gifting me statues she’s made for me. I’m aging Ancient Fruit wine, shipping iridium-quality truffles, and straight massacring flying serpents with my Galaxy Sword.
The world of Stardew Valley, while somewhat haunted and extremely two-dimensional, is also quite beautiful and serene. The farm and Pelican Town are an escape from the tedium of everyday life, both for the player character in the game’s storyline and for me out there in the real world. I’ve often wished I could step inside my screen, get my hands dirty in the earth, pet some cows, and not think about a world where the President tells people the sound from wind turbines causes cancer.
Which is why this video, where some enterprising Minecraft player(s) faithfully recreated the world of Stardew almost pixel for pixel, is my moment of zen for the day. The video was uploaded a few months ago, but hasn’t been viewed much yet.
It’s important to note this is not the first time these two gameworlds have collided. There’s a Minecraft mod called Farming Valley that aims to replicate the Stardew Valley experience, and there’s even a hybrid game out there called Staxel that combines elements of Minecraft and Stardew. This Minecraft project isn’t playable, but it’s a fun trip for Stardew fans to see how landmarks like the spa, Elliott’s house, and Pierre’s look rendered in Minecraft blocks.
I haven’t picked up Stardew in a while because I’m still waiting for the fateful day the multiplayer version is released for consoles, but this video is making me seriously want to ditch work for some time on the farm. Enjoy.
Minecraft has now sold over 30 million copies on PC in the ten years since its launch
Across all platforms, Minecraft – and all of its various editions – has sold over 150 million copies, and a tracker on the official site shows PC sales are now over 30 million.
A tracker on the Minecraft website for PC sales of the game hit 30 million this week and it’s still rising (via GamesIndustry.biz).
Back in 2014, console sales of the game surpassed PC and Mac figures, and just a year later, Minecraft Pocket Edition on Android and iOS sold 30 million units.
In October 2018, Microsoft’s head of Minecraft, Helen Chiang, told Business Insiderthat the game had accumulated over 90 million monthly active players, and had sold over 150 million units across all platforms.
Last week, Minecraft update 19w13a removed all references to Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson from the game’s splash screens, most likely due to the content of his Twitter account.
If you’re looking for a Minecraft-like experience to dip your toe into, you can give Boundless a whirl. It’s a cross between No Man’s Sky and Minecraft, and we got Simon Miller to sit down and play it, and he loved it.
April 13, 2019
Minecraft with path tracing enhancements looks amazing
When you think of ray tracing, games like Battlefield V and Shadow of the Tomb Raider come to mind. But what about Minecraft? Not even in the same league, right?
That's where you'd be wrong. The “path tracing” rendering method utilized in the latest build of Sonic Ether's Unbelievable Shaders (SEUS) looks just like ray tracing, and may be the best Minecraft has ever actually looked.
Artist @notglacier went on Twitter to post a few intriguing videos of how much of a staggering difference the effects make, with light beams, reflections, and other realistic additions that make the blocky sandbox game look more like a critically-acclaimed graphical powerhouse.
Excuse the language, and we hope this individual isn't actually defecating on themselves (April Fools'!) but check out these sweet graphics:
they added ray tracing in the new minecraft shader dev build i am absolutely shitting myself56.4K12:21 PM – Mar 30, 201917.4K people are talking about thisTwitter Ads info and privacy
You can run Minecraft on just about anything, but if you want to run this shader pack, you're going to need something more substantial. For example, @Notglacier used a GTX 1070Ti to get these effects, so if you're interested in something similar, it may be time to upgrade.
notglacier@notglacier Replying to @notglacier
Messing around a bit more
you can do indirect lighting and stuff now6,0931:14 PM – Mar 30, 20191,030 people are talking about thisTwitter Ads info and privacy
If you think you'd like to give your copy of Minecraft quite the substantial upgrade, you can download the shader pack via Sonic Ether's Patreon if you offer up some backer money. If you want to see these and other cool packs from the modder in the future, it's well worth throwing some money their way.
Shout out to 60days for bringing this to our attention with his Chatty thread.
