the colour changes pre beta 1.8 were very gradual, that's why you hardly noticed them, but there was still quite a difference between the greenest and the dullest grass. The colour changes have not always occurred as suddenly as they do now; this fact is pretty well documented.
Here are some threads on the subject, both from before beta 1.8:
Sorry, I'm not convinced that what all this says is that the color changes gradually within single blocks. What it says is it's related to temperature and rainfall; however, does either of these change gradually over the space of a single block. That is, does rain at the edge of a desert slowly peter out... or does it stop suddenly as you walk from a block that is in a swamp to one that is in a desert? Did it every change gradually? I don't think so, since I had very small block areas within my forest that would become covered with snow. The snow always covered the whole block at once and the block adjacent to it had no snow on it at all. What makes it more noticeable now is that we do have areas where desert and swamp blocks are immediately adjacent to each other. That didn't occur prior to 1.8.2 because we did not have swamp biomes (and the very dark, almost black, grass color associated with them). Also, the color of the desert grass was lightened considerably in 1.8.2. There may have also been some change to the trees - making the leaves change from one biome to the next where they did not change before (at least I don't recall having two-toned trees prior to 1.8.2).
For the love of god just believe me! I am actually very close to firing up Minecraft on my Xbox (still on 1.7.3) and taking pictures to show you. Yes, the rain stops sharply on the edge of the biome, but the GRASS COLOUR blended over many blocks, not just one.
Sorry to be hostile but you are denying plain facts that are very readily available with some easy searching.
Look at the transition - there is a definite colour change, but it hardly occurs over one block does it?
the grass on the left is dull, almost yellow, the stuff on the right is bright green. but you only notice if you don't look at the middle bit.
It is you who are failing to understand what I am saying. I am saying that no individual block has ever had more than one basic color in it. That is, one side of a block is no darker or lighter, brighter or duller than the other side of the same block. The difference between a block and the block adjacent to it was less than it is now, but the transition still occurred in whole block increments. The complete changeover probably did take place over more total blocks than it does now since there were fewer biomes and, therefore, fewer transitions to be made in a world. The issue is also exacerbated now by the greater difference between desert and swamp biomes that can and do appear adjacent to each other.
First of all you said that the grass colour pre beta 1.8 was all one colour, and I corrected you on this. you then started saying that you "seriously doubt" the transitions were any more gradual than today, to which I corrected you again.
Then this:
Which I am not saying either, so I am confused as to how this even entered the conversation.
It's actually nothing to do with there being fewer biomes. The transitions were just much better managed and were done based on temperature, which is why biome placement actually made sense in 1.7.
... and I accepted your correction on that first statement explaining about my vision.
You originally said that the blending of colors had changed and indicated that the graphic showed smooth changes over half blocks. The layout of the graphic you showed from the thread merely shows a linear relationship between temperature and rainfall and grass color... All the transitional shades shown in the graph do not actually appear in the game simply because rainfall and temperature do not gradually increase or diminish as one moves between biomes in the game.
You did indicate that I was saying that the change of several shades in the older version of Minecraft occurred over 1 block. What I said (and correctly you one) is that it has never occurred within 1 block, but has always changed at the boundaries between individual blocks.
As for the relationship between the number of biomes - Since 1.8.2, the number of shades difference between the darkest blocks (swamps) and the lightest blocks (deserts) is greater than the difference was between the lightest and darkest grass block in the game prior to that time. This makes the changes between certain biomes more noticeable now (e.g. when swamps appear adjacent to deserts).
The one thing we do agree on is that the terrain in the older version was more pleasing to the eye colorwise than it is today.
Sorry, I'm not convinced that what all this says is that the color changes gradually within single blocks. What it says is it's related to temperature and rainfall; however, does either of these change gradually over the space of a single block. That is, does rain at the edge of a desert slowly peter out... or does it stop suddenly as you walk from a block that is in a swamp to one that is in a desert? Did it every change gradually? I don't think so, since I had very small block areas within my forest that would become covered with snow. The snow always covered the whole block at once and the block adjacent to it had no snow on it at all. What makes it more noticeable now is that we do have areas where desert and swamp blocks are immediately adjacent to each other. That didn't occur prior to 1.8.2 because we did not have swamp biomes (and the very dark, almost black, grass color associated with them). Also, the color of the desert grass was lightened considerably in 1.8.2. There may have also been some change to the trees - making the leaves change from one biome to the next where they did not change before (at least I don't recall having two-toned trees prior to 1.8.2).
It is you who are failing to understand what I am saying. I am saying that no individual block has ever had more than one basic color in it. That is, one side of a block is no darker or lighter, brighter or duller than the other side of the same block. The difference between a block and the block adjacent to it was less than it is now, but the transition still occurred in whole block increments. The complete changeover probably did take place over more total blocks than it does now since there were fewer biomes and, therefore, fewer transitions to be made in a world. The issue is also exacerbated now by the greater difference between desert and swamp biomes that can and do appear adjacent to each other.
Someone nitpicking the graphics of Minecraft.
(I'm beginning to smell a well-fed troll.)
... and I accepted your correction on that first statement explaining about my vision.
You originally said that the blending of colors had changed and indicated that the graphic showed smooth changes over half blocks. The layout of the graphic you showed from the thread merely shows a linear relationship between temperature and rainfall and grass color... All the transitional shades shown in the graph do not actually appear in the game simply because rainfall and temperature do not gradually increase or diminish as one moves between biomes in the game.
You did indicate that I was saying that the change of several shades in the older version of Minecraft occurred over 1 block. What I said (and correctly you one) is that it has never occurred within 1 block, but has always changed at the boundaries between individual blocks.
As for the relationship between the number of biomes - Since 1.8.2, the number of shades difference between the darkest blocks (swamps) and the lightest blocks (deserts) is greater than the difference was between the lightest and darkest grass block in the game prior to that time. This makes the changes between certain biomes more noticeable now (e.g. when swamps appear adjacent to deserts).
The one thing we do agree on is that the terrain in the older version was more pleasing to the eye colorwise than it is today.
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