Stone Marshall's Blog, page 49

Atari 2600 emulator in Minecraft helps tie a world record — at 1 frame per second

Last year around this time we were talking about Dragster, and how a 35-year-old world record was debunked and the record-holder got banned from high score competitions for life. Well, someone — using an Atari 2600 emulator in freaking Minecraft, of all things — technically tied the legitimate world record. Technically being the best kind of world record, of course.

What’s even funnier is this emulator renders at 1 frame per second. So that means YouTuber SethBling’s blazing fast time of 5.57 took about 15 minutes to complete.

Obviously, the fact the game is so slowed down is a big help, since it allows SethBling to get off the line perfectly, hit his shifts perfectly and nail what is considered the fastest playable time in the game. And he points out that, well, his run conforms to the rules for Dragsterposted on speedrun.com, which specify that in-game time (not real time) is what counts, and allow for runs on emulation — which SethBling notes are usually rendered slower than on native hardware. (Probably not one effing eff ps though.)

For the record, the time of 5.57 is held by 16 players on speedrun.com, six of them not in emulation. SethBling is not on the leaderboard, so it sounds like he hasn’t submitted this performance for review.

The rest of the video shows how the emulator works with a variety of other Atari 2600 games. They’re playable, alright, with the slight qualifier that they are all slower than the molasses in January. But if you’re interested in seeing the Minecraft 2600 emulator all for yourself, SethBling has made the world available here.

Minecraft update temporarily enabled wallrunning

Minecraft’s “19w04a” Java snapshot update, which rolled out on Thursday, enabled wall running… but not intentionally.

While the Java snapshot update added a handful of things like stone cutting and fixing unlit campfires so they no longer burn you, nowhere does it mention wallrunning, leaving players to surmise that it must have been an unintended side effect of the recent changes. Click here to take a look yourself (thanks, Kotaku).

“Just for context, this isn’t a trick or a prank or anything,” reported Minecrafter NatalieZem, who shared a brief video of wallrunning on Reddit. “In the recent snapshot, you can’t jump while pressing against a block. And apparently not being able to raise your elevation also means you can’t lower it either. Try it for yourself: All you need to do is stay sprinting into the wall and you can move along it. Here’s another video showing how easy this is to replicate.”

The bug’s seemingly been resolved now thanks to the arrival of snapshot 19w04b, much to many players’ disappointment. “This would be a cool feature though,” Redditer JamesBeYeezy opined, while owlindenial had hoped “it’s not reported. Ever.” “Would be pretty cool if implemented properly,” daydreamed Everscream.

The people have spoken, Mojang…

‘Uncharted,’ ‘Minecraft’ Movies Get New Directors

Tired of watching only comic book movies adapt colorful insanity to the big screen for billions of dollars? Well a new crop of video game movies are also finally making some significant progress. Granted, based on the imagery we’ve seen for both the live-action Pokemon: Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog movies coming next year, some of that progress is a bit horrifying. But it’s progress nonetheless. Plus there’s new Mario movie in the works.

The whole point of making a video game movie is that a big video game is just another #brand that everyone knows. Mario, Sonic, and Pokemon all became permanent parts of shared culture throughout the 80s and 90s. And since then other games have reached that level of iconic as well, iconic enough to get their own movies. After much turmoil, both the Uncharted and Minecraft movies finally seem to have settled on solid directors.

A crown jewel of modern PlayStation hardware, the Uncharted franchise turned the globe-trotting antics of pulp heroes like Indiana Jones into a blockbuster interactive action adventure. But the game’s reliance of shorthand and cinematic tropes pulled from more recognizable albeit non-gaming sources also made the idea of a movie sound weird, like a copy of a copy. Maybe that’s why previous directors like Shawn Levy, Neil Burger, King of Kong’s Seth Gordon and for some reason David O. Russell (with Mark Wahlberg as Nathan Drake!) have all dropped out of the project.

However the Uncharted movie is now in the hands of Dan Trachtenberg. His debut film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, was pretty fantastic. And he has experience translating his honest gamer enthusiasm into film, directing the fan film Portal: No Escape in 2011. Sony’s new golden Spider-Boy Tom Holland (not Nathan Fillion) is also still set to star as a young Nathan Drake, hopefully helping the movie feel more distinct from its cinematic ancestors.

If the Uncharted movie’s problem is that you basically already know what an Unchartedmovie looks like, the Minecraft movie has the opposite problem. How you adapt a massively popular and lucrative game that’s basically a sprawling geometry sandbox for kids into a movie? Do you just rip off The Lego Movie? Did anyone really care that much when Telltale tried to turn it into an adventure game?

Funny enough, Shawn Levy was the first director announced for a Minecraft movie, before dropping out to take a stab at Uncharted. Next Rob McElhenney (Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) was attached and honestly his departure still hurts. The creator of Always Sunny of course knows how to make awful people entertaining, which is the perfect mindset for dealing with Minecraft’s awful famous orc creator Markus “Notch” Persson. Plus we could’ve gotten a Danny DeVito cameo as a Creeper. Here’s hoping new Minecraft director Peter Sollett, of Raising Victor Vargas and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, can build something beautiful out of this pile of blocks.

Here’s also hoping the Uncharted and Minecraft movies both wind up better than the Warcraft and Assassin’s Creed movies. Shoot for a modest Tomb Raider level. For more on video game movies check out our rankings of the Pokemon anime films and play the cinematic choose your own adventure games that inspired Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.

Placing Torches On Crafting Tables

This is more for the looks than for any practical reason. But you can actually place a torch on top of a crafting table or furnace. Why you would do this isn’t important. It’s about the fact that you can.

To do this, put a “transparent block” behind the crafting table. This can be something like a block of glass. Now, while facing the crafting table, try to reach out and put a torch on the glass. You should now have a torch on top of the table.

24Placing Blocks Next To A Torch

You may not even consider this due to the impossibility of what we’re doing. But Minecraft is all about breaking the laws of physics. And you can do that by placing a block right next to a torch.

Simply aim next to the torch like you would with any other block. After that, place any block you like. Surprisingly, the block will actually build off the torch. It’s a strange look but you can use it for some creative architecture.ADVERTISING

23Stacking Signs

It’s possible to stack signs on top of each other. You can do this to create the illusion of a really big sign that is actually comprised of smaller pieces. It’s perfect if you have a long message to write or something like that.

The best use for this mechanic is when you’re making an adventure map. You can stack signs to create a literal wall of text full of instructions and details about the adventure. Stacking signs is a small detail that could easily be missed.

22Wooden Slabs Are Flame-Resistant

Usually, you don’t want too many wooden items around the house. Especially if you have any structures that use fire. A single spark can cause a huge accident. There’s no worse feeling than watching your hard work be burned to the ground.

Which is why you should use wooden slabs instead.

These pieces don’t actually burn. You can get the benefit of that wooden texture without any of the risks of burning. It’s the safest way to implement wood into your structure.

21Lava Buckets Are Great Fuel

If you find lava anywhere, be sure to keep it marked. As soon as you get some buckets, go and collect as much lava as possible. Lava is an excellent fuel to use in the furnace. It lasts a long time so you can smelt as much as you want.

Lava is also one of the ingredients in creating obsidian, a rare block. With a bonus use like that, there’s no reason not to carry lava. Get as many buckets of this as possible and become an efficient adventurer.

20The Best Diamond Level

The best Y-coordinate for diamonds is eleven. You can check your coordinates by pressing F3. The Y-coordinate shows how far down you’ve mined. You can find diamond anywhere after Y-16, but eleven is the best.

You also wouldn’t want to go lower that. If you do, the chances of running into lava will be higher. There’s no point in finding diamond ore if you’re just going to lose it all to lava. This molten liquid can be useful, but not when it’s trying to drown you.

19Use Torches To Farm Sand/Gravel Blocks

Torches are probably some of the most versatile items in all of Minecraft. They do the obvious things like lighting up dark areas and keeping monsters away. However, they have some other useful abilities.

As you may know, Sand and Gravel blocks are affected by gravity. So, if you remove the block underneath, they will fall. At that moment before the block falls, you can place a torch. This will cause all of the blocks to be broken allowing you to collect them.F

18Zombie-Proof Your Door

Zombies can break down your door and invade your precious house. Thankfully, there are some ways of preventing the zombies from ruining your day and destroying your property.

One option is to have a door set up one block higher. That way the zombies cannot reach it. Your other choice is to use a fence instead. They can’t break the fences down and it also allows you to fight back without any risk.

17Mushroom Biomes Are Safe

The Mushroom Biome is the only biome where hostile mobs do not spawn at night. This makes it the safest place in Minecraft and the best place to build a home. There are also no mobs in the cave systems, allowing for safer mining.

However, be aware that mob spawners will still work.

So, if you do see any zombies or spiders, then you know there’s a spawner nearby. Overall, the Mushroom Biome is a good place for a base.

16Pumpkin Head

Wearing a pumpkin is more about just making you look awesome. Yet, it has other benefits which can help you fight a powerful foe. If you wear a Pumpkin, then Endermen will not attack you. Even if you attack them.

Endermen only attack those who make eye contact with them. However, the Pumpkin prevents you from making eye contact. So, they stick to their mantra and refuse to fight back. Such honorable foes.

15Get Some Bodyguards

It’s a good idea to get some extra help to protect your house. There are two options. The first is an Iron Golem. You summon it by making the formation shown in the image. They are very powerful and also quite durable.

The other guardian would be a snow golem. Stack two snow blocks and put a pumpkin on top to summon it. However, it needs to be in a suitable biome (like the snow) otherwise it will melt.

14Become A Cat Person

Cats are a cool addition to Minecraft and make for nice pets. However, it’s more than just having a cat as a pet. They also serve an important function.

Creepers are very scared of cats.

If you have enough cats around your house, then Creepers will avoid you at all costs. It’s the best way to ensure that you won’t run into any explosive surprises when doing some farming.

13Take Torches Underwater

Once again, torches have come to the rescue. Whenever you go on a trip underwater, be sure to take a bunch of torches with you. They can help you breathe underwater for a longer period of time.

By placing a torch on a block, it creates an air bubble for a short time. You have to be next to the block for this to work. But it’s enough to ensure that you can get some extra breath in an emergency.

12Another Way To Fight A Blaze

The Blaze is a powerful mob in the Nether. They can be a tough enemy to beat through conventional methods. Their fire blasts can also knock you into the lava, eliminating you instantly.

The Blaze mob is weak to snowballs. So you should take as many of them as possible. Using snowballs from afar is a safer way to defeat the Blaze. It’s not the most efficient, but it will ensure your safety.

11The Infinite Water Source

This is the ideal construction to have near a farm. You won’t have to carry a lot of water buckets or build near a water source to make this work. It’s also extremely simple to build and you don’t need anything special.

You need two buckets of water to start. Make a 2-by-2 square in the ground. It should be one block deep. Then pour one bucket in the top left corner of the square and let the water spill. Finally, pour the other bucket in the bottom right corner and you have your water source.

10Don’t Make Golden Tools

Gold does have its uses, but making tools out of it is not a good idea. They are even less durable than wooden items.

In fact, the tools will only last a few uses before breaking.

You are better off saving those previous golden materials for crafting Golden Apples. They are extremely useful healing items that can save you in a bind. Whatever you decide to do, don’t waste gold on weapons and tools.

9Carry Water Buckets

Water buckets can save your life in many situations, especially in mining. You can use it to counter random bursts of lava. You could also use it to climb down steep inclines and get to lower ground.

You could even use the water to help you get away from some monsters. Use it to create some distance between you and the mobs. Just remember to make sure that you have a few extra buckets of water when going into the mines.

8Remember To Use Bonemeal

Bonemeal is pretty simple to make from skeleton bones. Its main use is to quicken the growth of plants and trees. This is very useful when you’re trying to build a farm or grow some trees for wood.

It’s fairly easy to find because you get them from skeletons. These are common mobs at night time and aren’t hard to fight. Bonemeal is an excellent tool for the farmers at heart.

7Charcoal Can Replace Coal

When you start your new adventure, you may not immediately find some coal. Thankfully, there is an alternative, since coal is a vital resource. That alternative is charcoal. And it’s made from wood.

You can use wood as a fire source in the furnace.

By smelting some more wood, you can make charcoal. This has the same properties as coal and acts as a great replacement early in the game. That way you can focus on building a house before going into the mines.

6Look For Mob Spawners

Enemy spawners can be extremely frustrating. They keep spawning enemies into the vicinity until you get tired or are defeated. Unless of course, you are able to destroy them. But before that, there is another step.

Just place torches all around the spawner. This is a better idea than destroying it. Torches will prevent enemies from spawning. Also, if you need to farm a certain type of enemy, you can just remove the torches to let them spawn.

5Don’t Take Beds To The Nether

Beds are useful in the regular dimension. They create a checkpoint in case you perish during your adventure. It’s a staple of every house and everyone will want to have one. Except if you’re in the Nether.

Sleeping in the Nether causes you to explode. 

Probably not a good idea if you’re looking to get stuff done in the Nether. Just remember this one little detail before you set out to fight Blazes and Zombie Pigmen.

4Walking On The Edge

Crouching is a useful way to expand your movement options. By crouching, you can actually walk a little bit off the edge of a block. This is ideal when you’re building a bridge-like structure.

Be careful you don’t let go of the crouch button. If you do, then your character will fall. So, if you plan to try this trick high in the air, then make sure you hold onto that crouch button.

3Milking A Mooshroom

Mooshrooms are a special type of cow that are exclusive to the Mushroom Biome. They are similar to regular cows and you can even milk them. Except you won’t get what you expected.

Instead of milk, you get mushroom stew.

This is actually very useful as the stew can restore some of your hunger bar. If you find yourself in a Mushroom Biome, then you should definitely gather as many Mooshrooms as possible.

2Personalize Dog Collars

It’s a good idea to tame a group (read: army) of dogs to hunt with. They are great in combat and can help turn the tide in your favor. But you may want to give them all different names and differentiate them further.

You can easily do that by changing the color of their collar. Simply get a dye for the color you want and right click on the dog. That’s it. You now have a customized dog collar in Minecraft.

1Curing Zombie Villagers

Zombie Villagers are a recent addition to Minecraft. Essentially, the villagers get hit with a disease that turns them into zombies. However, you can cure them and activate their trading post.

First, you have to inflict the Weakness status on the Zombie which you can do with a potion. After that, you give it a Golden Apple. After around 2-5 minutes of waiting, the Zombie Villager should now be cured.

Minecraft: 25 Tricks From The Game Players Have No Idea About

After so many years of updates and evolution, Minecraft has come really far from its humble beginnings. It started out as a passion project and has turned into one of the biggest gaming franchises in existence. One of the defining games of this modern generation. Such a grand feat means you’re going to have new people constantly joining in on the fun. With how complex Minecraft has become, newcomers may need a little guidance to figure out some of the intricate details of the game.

Fans have spent hours exploring the many secrets and hidden details within Minecraft. There are hundreds of these tricks stored away within the game. However, in this list, we’ve had to narrow it down to 25. It’s not everything there is to find in Minecraft, but some of the more interesting and important ones. Even veteran players may find a few things they didn’t know since the game has been updated quite a bit since the old days. With new mobs and items added every update, there will be a whole bunch of new secrets to uncover. New players will find some great tips and new strategies when building their dream house or looking for the elusive diamond.

Of course, this list won’t even come close to covering everything in Minecraft. The game is so expansive and is limited only by the creativity of the player. There will still be many more things to discover. You should definitely take the time to explore the world of Minecraft and see how many new things you can find on your own.

One gamer spent a year building this cyberpunk city in Minecraft

Anyone who’s spent a long time working on a project to little fanfare will have sympathy for Teng Fei.

He built an enormous city in Minecraft, spending over a year piecing it together. And when it was done… it was virtually ignored by the community.

But he didn’t quit. Over the next year, he live-streamed himself building another big city, this time a cyberpunk one, like something out of Blade Runner. Known as Aztter online, some days saw him stream for over 16 hours — from 10am to 2am.

The amount of blocks is used in this project is mind-boggling. (Picture: Aztter/Bilibili)

He didn’t get that many views — around 50 to 60 on an average day. But it was enough. That small core of loyal fans kept him going. Whenever he had doubts and felt like quitting, he’d think of his fans. Sometimes when he fell behind, they’d push him on — urging him to finish the project.

Teng, from Harbin, runs a local import-export business on the side — something that he says doesn’t require a lot of time. That’s how he ended up dedicating so much of his life to Minecraft.

Another reason? Lacking a formal background in architecture or construction, Teng was drawn to the ease of doing things in Minecraft.

“There’s almost no barriers to entry to building in Minecraft. But what it requires is just perseverance,” he said.

I… want to be in it… I love a bit of Minecraft… that is a labour of love he’s created there.66:11 AM – Jan 11, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Tengushee’s other Tweets

“The Chinese Minecraft community has grown a lot in recent years. There is a bit of a rivalry among elite players,” he added. 

Teng doesn’t just build to pass the time. He says a lot of people build in Minecraft to make a statement. His cyberpunk city, dubbed Unknown, carries a message too: It’s a homage to the late Stephen Hawking, and his theory of the multiverse.

Teng’s video tour of the city includes several quotes from Hawking, reciting quotes from his book, The Brief History of Time.

Unknown is the 15th city he’s built in Minecraft. So what’s next for Teng? He’s still looking for new ideas, a critical part of the process.

“While it takes about a year to build a large-scale project like Unknown, it also takes quite a few months to prepare and research for it,” he said. 

Minecraft: Dungeons Is The New Game Set In The Minecraft Universe

Minecraft: Dungeons, a new game set in the Minecraft universe, was announced during the Minecon Earth livestream this afternoon.

While details on the game are slim, the developer interviews in a short video that played before the official trailer claimed that Minecraft: Dungeonsis an adventure game where up to four players can team up to overcome challenges in new locations and environments that have never appeared before in Minecraft.

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The trailer was shown after a short on-stage presentation in which Lydia Winters, the Chief Brand Officer for Mojang, and a developer teased that there is more than one new game set in the Minecraft universe in development currently. As Winters said after the trailer was shown, “this is the beginning of our expansion of the Minecraft universe to new game genres.”

Update – 1:45pm: In a short discussion of Minecraft: Dungeons later in the stream event, Dungeons was described by Mojang employees Jens Bergensten and Owen Jones as a top-down dungeon crawler. The words “hack and slash” were also used to describe the game. They also showed another screenshot of a location from the upcoming game:

Minecraft: Dungeons does not currently have a release date, but it will appear on the PC platform in 2019.

Minecraft Finally Adds Composting

Minecraft was released in 2009 and since then has been updated constantly. Updates have added new worlds, new creatures, modding tools and more. But finally, after 10 years of waiting, Minecraft finally has composting.

Sure, the last major update for Minecraft added cool underwater sea life, but can a dolphin turn useless plants into fertilizer? No. Instead you’ll need the new composter block. This new block, which was added in the latest PC snapshot update, allows players to turn old plants and veggies into useful bone meal, which in Minecraft can make plants & trees grow faster and bigger.Outstream Video

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The new composter can be built using a few pieces of wood and fencing. Once built players simply throw in some unwanted seeds, plants or food into the wooden box. Once enough organic materials has been added players are able to harvest some bone meal. How plants and seeds become bone meal is just another strange Minecraft mystery. Best not to think about it.

Fans had already created mods adding their own custom composter blocks into the game, like this mod added last year. But now composting is part of the vanilla Minecraft experience.

While the new composting block is useful for turning excess crops into bone meal, players are also using the new block for decorations purposes. Some Minecraft fans think they look like bee hives and are using the compost blocks as fake bee hives.

Currently, if you want to do some composting yourself, you’ll need to play the Java version of Minecraft and activate snapshots in the Minecraft launcher. Though like most snapshot features, these compost blocks will be added to other versions of the game eventually.

DEVELOPMENT: IRON MAN SCRIBES TO TACKLE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE; MINECRAFT LANDS A DIRECTOR; SAM RAIMI GETTING BEHIND HORROR FLICK

he big-screen re-telling of He-Man is closer to landing writers, Sam Raimi has signed on to produce the female-fronted horror film Behind, and the Minecraft movie is moving forward again in our latest development roundup.

Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, the duo behind the screenplay for Iron Man, which kick-started the MCU, might be tackling Eternia for Sony Pictures’ and Mattel Films’ Masters of the Universe. According to The Wrap, the duo is in talks to re-write David S. Goyer’s script, who is also executive-producing.

The project comes as part of Mattel’s new film division, Mattel Studios, which will dedicate itself to movies that directly tie into its toy lines, which obviously includes He-Man. The upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie is another Mattel Studios production currently in development.

The He-Man toy line was first launched by Mattel in the early 1980s. It was made into a film in 1987, which starred Dolph Lundgren. Coincidentally, it was also titled Masters of the Universe.

There’s no word on a release date just yet. In the meantime, you can check out He-Man’s twin sister She-Ra in her latest animated series on Netflix, which will be devoid of He-Man for the foreseeable future.

(via The Wrap)

Next, the long-awaited Minecraft movie gets closer to becoming a reality. Variety reports that Peter Sollett, who directed the acclaimed Raising Victor Vargas, will helm the video game adaptation for Warner Bros.

The Minecraft moviewasfirst announced in 2014, with various talent attached at different points, including Shawn Levy and Steve Carrell. Most recently, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-creator and star Rob McElhenney was slated to direct, before leaving the project in August last year.

Mojang, who developed the initial open-world video-game-turned-global-phenomenon, will co-produce the film.

Finally, filmmaker Sam Raimi has signed on to produce the horror film Behind for Lionsgate. The Evil Dead creator will produce via his Ghost House Pictures banner with Robert Tapert, per The Hollywood Reporter. Raimi and Ghost House have a bit of a history with Lionsgate, which includes both The Grudge and Fede Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe.

The feature is based on the short film by Angel Gomez, who will be returning to the director’s chair. Zak Olkewicz will write the script.

The original short (above), which scored several accolades during its festival run in 2016, centers on a woman going through a divorce who’s afraid she will lose her baby daughter. When a mysterious woman tells her that she’s being followed, an innocuous comment becomes a terrifying nightmare where she’s forced to do everything she can to save her daughter from unspeakable evil.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Last year’s He-Man DVD release was surprisingly successful. (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of BCI Eclipse)

Minecraft.net wants to feature the panda update creations you build for 2019

Mojang, the studio that develops Minecraft and is owned by Microsoft, wants to celebrate 2019 by seeing what builders create in 2019. This also celebrates the recent release of version 1.9, the second of the Village and Pillage updates, the latest of which adds bamboo, scaffolding, pandas, and new cats.

To make things even sweeter (not that they could be when you have pandas), the company is going to put its favorite creations to be featured on its website at Minecraft.net. The site has been needing a makeover now that the year is new, especially seeing as how the screenshots used are, well, from last year. So now’s your chance as a Minecraft fan to show the world what you really know how to build something great!

To help you and others get familiar with the new items, the developers are also giving players a few tips to get started.

Bamboo, the panda’s favorite food and hiding place, can be a great plant for your garden. That is, if you can handle its incredibly fast growth rate. In addition to its usefulness in foodmaking, it can also look really nice as decoration if you combine them with flowers here and there.The new scaffolding blocks are, in a sense, like elevators, except more natural and better for the environment. That’s because it allows the user to move up and down tall structures without the risk of fall damage. And what’s more, if you don’t need them anymore, just break the block at the bottom and all of the ones at the top will come falling down.

The developers are also encouraging use of blocks from previous version as well, such as the coral blocks and dried kelp from the Update Aquatic version. What do you plan on building? Feel free to share below.