So here’s the new snapshot! This week got interrupted by the Swedish National Day, and Mojang is focusing on finishing up stuff in order to release Minecraft 1.3. Also, they’re moving to their new office! Partly owing to this, the Snapshot of the week isn't as bulky as it has been in past weeks, but it could be seen as the "calm before the storm" - the upcoming release of 1.3!  Let's check the change log:

• Enchantment levels are slightly exponential again.
  
• It now takes 825 Experience to reach level 30.
  
• Added Ender Portal frame to creative inventory.
  
• Tripwire is now activated by all entities, including arrows.
  
• The max distance has been increased to 40 blocks.
  
• Boats can accelerate to faster than previous speeds.
  
• Boats are now easier to control.
  
• Wooden Pressure Plates detect arrows.
  
• String placed down has a smaller black frame unless on TNT, leaves or pistons.
  
• A lot of smaller changes and fixes.
  
• Texture Packs that are in folders and not in a zip file are recognized as a texture pack.
  
• Texture Packs image is displayed for folder based texture packs.
  
• The player can now see the cracking effect on blocks when other players mine blocks in multiplayer.
  
  Bug Fixes:
  
• Pressing F no longer reloads chunks.
  
• Fixed a bug when pistons pushed a wire.
  
• NPC Villagers procreate again.
  
• Mining a ore give now 3 times less experience orbs.
  
• Weathers transitions are back.
  
• Slime and Magma Cube jumping animations have been fixed.
  
• Armor and Tool enchantments now show on multiplayer.
  
• The search function in the creative inventory now only activates within the search tab, meaning that the inventory key now allows you to exit the creative menu once again.

Get the snapshot here:

Client:  Download here

Server:  Download here Back to Top

Tripwires?

Over the last week in Snapshots, we have seen a lot of exciting things coming up - Ender Chests, villager trading, the merging of SSP and SMP modes into a fluid, single system - what else could possibly be added to this pile of goodies to make it even better?  We can think of one thing - tripwires.

Nathan "Dinnerbone" Adams uploaded this video showing off some experiments with tripwire - it appears that it can be set off by crossing the tripwire boundary (as expected), as well as being set off by "using" it much as one would use a switch or button.  What other awesome features are on the horizon?  We'll keep you posted as they develop!

__________

A Minecraft Wedding

Anyone in attendance at Minecon 2011 will undoubtedly remember this touching event - Matt's proposal to Asia on-stage, alongside Mojang!  Their marriage is now official, and the wedding ceremony was something any dedicated Minecraft fan could be proud of - Minecraft-themed Jones Soda, which features many of the in-game items and creatures; a number of high-quality character model statues that were on the showroom at Minecon including Steve, creeper and more.  There were also a number of hand-made pieces for their ceremony made by the happy couple and friends, such as Minecraft trees and other bits of the world.  Other gems included a Minecraft-diamond necklace, and - something no Minecraft party should be without - a Minecraft cake.

From everyone here at the Minecraft Forum, we would like to congratulate Matt and Asia on having easily the most awesome wedding in history, and wish the happy couple well!

Want to see more pictures of their awesome wedding ceremony?  Click the image above (or this link) for the full set! Back to Top

Jeb released this teaser image moments ago - it seems that emerald blocks could be a reality in the next big update!  Alongside the already highly-anticipated villager trading, slight minecart control, and a host of other features and fixes, 1.3 is already shaping up to be a solid winner.

The most recent snapshot covered some of these features already, including the versatile Ender Chest, which lets you set up a sort of post-box to exchange items between over long distances; stackable buckets, more realistic star textures, dispensers having the ability to eject water or lava from buckets placed within them, and much more.

What else is coming?  Well, we can't say just yet, but in the meantime, enjoy this TNT cake, made by Minecraft Chick!

Back to Top

Second Snapshot of the Week Released

Yesterday saw the release of the 12w21a Snapshot, which included a number of neat features - unfortunately, it also included a few bugs that made playing SSP nearly impossible for some.  Now, in a move not common with Snapshots, a quick-fix has been released for those having trouble playing Single-Player.  There's also some other goodies inside - most notably, a surprise with the Creative Mode inventory menu (Thanks Dinnerbone!).  Get the latest Snapshot downloads below!

Client: Download

Server: Download

________

MCX360 Breaks Record, Beats Black Ops

MCX360 has been climbing the charts since launch, breaking records and drawing in more players every day.  Recently, it broke another unprecedented record - pushing COD: Black Ops out of the #2 Top LIVE Games spot!  Since the launch of Modern Warfare 3, COD: Black Ops has held the #2 Top Game spot for XBox Live constantly.  

MW3 and COD:BO have been staples of the XBOX library since launch, and despite some criticisms have maintained their hold as top titles nearly since they launched.  Minecraft is the first game to disrupt these titles' seemingly endless reign on the Top XBox Live Games chart.  Congrats, Minecraft!

________

This Week's News Video - Pyramids, Villager Trading & More

This week, David & Toby take an in-depth look at our recent Snapshots, and more - take a look! Back to Top

Minecraft has hit over 6,000,000 (six million) sales, and just shy of 30 million registered users! The game continues growing, and so does the player-base; MCX360 has definitively sold over a million copies, and the Pocket Edition easily doubles those numbers.

It's almost impossible to really grasp the totality of how far Minecraft has come, and how much Mojang has grown. What will the next major landmark be for the smash-hit sandbox game, and the blockbusting team behind it?

All told, it is believed that Minecraft has sold over 9 million copies on every platform for which it is currently available. In the last 24 hours, 83,284 people have registered at minecraft.net, and 8,994 people bought the game, just on the PC platform, in that time. Minecraft also celebrated its third birthday almost two weeks ago today. Back to Top

Time for a new snapshot! One big difference this time is that you don’t need the server jar to play single-player - more and more, the process is being refined for ease of use.  Change log is below!

• Villagers will trade items (They are notoriously cheap, however)
  
• Added a “currency item”
  
• A few minor terrain changes
  
• A new useful block/item (requires obsidian)
  
• Added a /seed command for showing the map seed
  
• Added sandstone stairs
  
• A lot of smaller changes and fixes

________

Get the snapshot here:

Client:  download

Server:  download

________

Some points of interest discovered already:

• Possible TNT traps in the world
  
• Ender Chest  (Sort of like a chest network - place two different Ender Chests and place items in either, and they will appear in any other Ender Chests you have placed.  It glows a bit.)
  
• Emerald and Emerald Ore (used with Villagers)
  
• Made Buckets stackable.
  
• Added Snow to Creative Inventory.
  
• NPC Villages change style according to their biome.
  
• Stars are more realistic.
  
• They are now slightly smaller and slightly brighter.
  
• Changed Gravel texture.
  
• Improved Options menu.
  
• Added Pyramids.
  
• Added a second Golden Apple made with Blocks of Gold.
  After being consumed, the player receives 30 second Regeneration IV, plus Resistance and Fire Resistance for 5 minutes.
  
• Dispensers will eject Water and Lava source blocks (from buckets); Will also take water and lava source blocks if there is an empty bucket inside

Of course, with any update there's always a few bugs - some of the most relevant ones are listed below (take note of "old world corruption in particular!):

• Emerald Ore has the wrong texture.
  
• Loading a world from a previous version corrupts it.
  
• Generated structures are very buggy.
  
• New Golden Apple does not appear in the creative mode inventory screen.
  
• Villager Trading for items worth more than one emerald doesn't work if you place the emeralds one by one.
  
• When removing the last Ender Chest, no items are ejected, and you must place a new one to retrieve the items. (may not be a bug)
  
• Single player still thinks it requires server/minecraft_server.jar. A blank file with the same name can be used.
  
• When generating a superflat world, you will get chunk errors - there will be some chunks generated in default, and the other are generated in superflat.
  
• Stacked buckets don't pick up fluids. Instead, the fluid just disappears.

Back to Top

Split-Screen Refunds

Not long ago, Microsoft was slammed with complaints about the split-screen functionality of MCX360 - it was only available to players with an HD TV and a proper HDMI connection to the console - and in recent days, they have addressed those complaints. Microsoft has revised its listing for the game, and has been offering a refund to customers who paid for a game that didn't work as advertised (or not advertised, as the case is here).

The split-screen feature of the game was a huge draw to newcomers, especially those that believed they could just have a few friends over for a romp through the sandbox world. The initially ambiguous wording of guest passes and complete lack of forewarning regarding split-screen requirements made many buyers upset that they had been misled. The HD requirement wasn't listed in on the game's Xbox marketplace page, although this has been rectified in recent days to avoid confusion.

The guest passes, while initially confusing, have not changed meaningfully since launch, and continue to work as intended.

MCX360 1.7.3? Soon!

In more positive news, MCX360 will soon be seeing its first major update, to what most PC players knew as Beta 1.7.3! Even better, Microsoft's Roger Carpenter says he will likely discuss the update in his Thursday Minecraft Stream! You can see the stream's channel by clicking right here - be sure to check in tomorrow for all the details!

I will reveal at least one tidbit - pistons are included. Back to Top

Testificates - New and Improved?

Jeb has been working hard on Testificates as of late, no doubt implementing some of the long-awaited features players have eagerly anticipated from them - including trading!  The image above shows an example of the system he is currently working on, indicating that a barter system involving a form of currency is on the horizon.  Finally, Testificates will do more than meander into your towns, panicking at the sight of creepers!  Although that can be humorous in and of itself.

Showing a more humorous side, Jeb demonstrates his own personal method of something many players engage in with the often aimless villagers - experimentation!

Make of that what you will - no doubt they are being sized up for new shoes and fabulous prizes!

"You Are Minecraft" Finishes Off With Approximately 90,000 Player Models!

The massive player-driven You Are Minecraft project recently came to a close, with approximately ninety thousand player models, all constructed by players themselves!  A number of notable personalities took part, including team members from Mojang (Jeb's model in particular is quite a looker).  All said, the project was an incredible success, bringing in players from across the globe and uniting them in a single goal - make your player avatar in Minecraft!  While model building is now closed, the "You Are Minecraft" team are not done - they wish to deliver this incredible project to Mojang in person!  Want to help them do so?  Click this link to see how you can help them bring this amazing project directly to Mojang themselves!

Custom Skins on MCX360?

While the XBLA version of Minecraft is, in many respects, very similar to Beta 1.6.5, a number of features were brought forth a little ahead of schedule, just to make the game that much better.  Of course, more updates are on the way as they bring it up to speed with the PC version, and likely some gems designed specifically for the console.  One thing that has come up a lot since launch is custom skins, and players will be pleased to know that they are not far off!  Currently it is believed that the skins will be DLC for the game, although the specifics are not currently known at this time.  Bear in mind, this can change between now and the release of skin customization, so keep an eye out here as we gather more information! Back to Top

MCX360 - Over a Million Copies Sold, and Counting

That's right, Mojang and 4J Studios' Xbox 360 edition of indie hit Minecraft has already sold more than one million units worldwide on XBLA since its release on Wednesday, May 9th! MCX360 sells for 1600 MS Points, or $20; in short, the title generated more than $20 million in less than a week. Notch tweeted the day afterwards that the game had become profitable (saw more money gained in sales than spent in creating it) within the first full day of sales.

Microsoft Studios, while initially non-specific about the sales numbers after launch day, confirmed that MCX360 broke all previous sales records on Live Arcade, beating out the previous fastest-selling game on the platform, Trials Evolution, which sold over 100,000 copies in a day, by over four times the numbers.

________

Digital Diamond - "Into the Rabbit's Hold"

YouTube film team PrettyAwesomeStudio has cooked up a new series for your enjoyment, and it already shows a ton of promise! What is it about? In short, a rich uncle has given his massive, opulent mansion to his nephew. The problem is, there are two nephews, and he didn't say which one was getting it! This is the first episode in the series, and shows incredible promise with a solid storyline, clever humor and high quality production - take a look! Back to Top

Happy Birthday, Minecraft!

Look familiar?  It might not for many of you, but anyone who has been around since May of 2009 should find this oddly familiar - this was one of the earliest demos of Minecraft in its infancy!  Yes, the game we know and love today wasn't much to look at back then - grass blocks and cobblestone, and not much else.  It's amazing when you stop to consider - with all the potions, hunger, myriad critters, redstone - just how far the game has come from such humble beginnings.  It's been an amazing process to see unfold over the years, to be sure.

It wasn't long ago that Minecraft saw 28 million registered users and nearly 6 million purchased copies , and the number just keeps growing. Along with the runaway success of Minecraft - Pocket Edition (over a million sales) and Minecraft - XBOX 360 Edition (over 400,000 in the first 24 hours!), the epic block-builder continues to take the world by storm. Updates continue to pour forth for the PC version, including the highly anticipated Mod API, NPC trading and so much more.  Pocket Edition becomes more and more Survival-esque, and MCX360 - while currently similar to Beta 1.6.5 - has exciting changes on the horizon.

From all of us here at the Minecraft Forum, we wish Minecraft a very happy 3rd birthday!  Congratulations to everyone at Mojang for producing such an incredible game, and to the entire community - every single one of you - for making this game one of the most incredible games in the world!

________

In the last 24 hours, 127,468 people registered, and 13,375 people bought the game.  On average, this means that a little over thirteen thousand people buy a new copy of Minecraft every single day, and that number keeps growing! Back to Top