Minecraft
Latest
Hardcore mode coming to Minecraft, the world ends when you die
Some madman over at PC Gamer has been trying out something called the "Minecraft Experiment," in which player death results in the immediate deletion of the world he or she has been working so hard to spruce up. The game's creator, Markus Persson recently posted on his blog that the feature series has inspired him to include a similar "Hardcore" mode in the game, where the world will be destroyed and reset every time the player gets killed by a Creeper, skeleton, gravity or any of the other deadly forces present in the game. Look, we have a hard enough time rationalizing the remarkable amounts of time we put into this game already. To play a mode where, with one missed jump, entire weeks of our lives are erased, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-style? That's straight-up masochism, dudes.
Fifth Ave. Apple Store recreated in Minecraft
The Minecraft Mac was cute and all, but if you think that was the pinnacle of Mac-related creations in Minecraft, you're underestimating our readership. Reader Simon sent along this set of Flickr pictures, which shows off an entire recreation of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store, complete with glass cube on top and a store full of products down below. Unfortunately, there's no way to model out iPads or iPhones in Minecraft, so there's just a whole bunch of what looks like Mac minis on sale. But then again, that sounds like a great store, too. Very nicely done, Simon. I'd like to know how long something like this takes -- I've built a few things in Minecraft myself, but nothing this, err, realistic, and definitely nothing of this magnitude. Awesome stuff, though -- what's next?
Flickr Find: Say hello to the Mac-in-craft
You can make a lot of things in the gigantic sandbox game Minecraft, including a gigantic floating Macintosh computer. Flickr user Caius Durling put together this floating replica on his own Minecraft world, assembled pixelbrick by pixelbrick, along with a floating "Hi" to match. It's pretty impressive. The "resolution" on the Minecraft materials isn't quite good enough to show the Mac OS running on the machine, but he got the dimensions right, and he even got the handle built into the back. All it needs now is a one-button mouse, right?
Minecraft's in-game CPU now available to download
If we were to wager a guess, we'd say the only way to really understand how that in-game CPU someone made in Minecraft operates is to actually get deep down in there and take a look through its gullyworks. Fortunately, thanks to the generosity of its creator, you can now do just that.
iPhone Minecraft client posted, pulled
If you keep a close eye on the App Store (or have a quick RSS feed following it), you might have noticed an app called Minecrafted up there on Monday morning. It's a Minecraft client for iOS, a version of the extremely popular indie game that can be run on an iPhone, and connect up to real Minecraft servers. But before you run to download it, not so fast -- the app has been pulled from the App Store already, and if you try to find it on the US store, you'll get an error message. So what's the deal? TUAW contacted the app's creator, Trevor Wilkin, and he told us that his original idea was to create the client, submit it to Apple, and then get official approval from the makers of Minecraft before putting it live. Apple threw it live right away, however, and Wilkin says he "pretty much freaked out and removed from sale as quickly as I possibly could." He doesn't know whether the app is legit or not -- it's all original code, according to the description, but presumably he backwards engineered a few things, because it's apparently compatible with current servers and versions of the game. Wilkin sounds innocent enough to us. He says that he has "no desire to hurt the brand and just wanted to introduce a useful tool. I still hope to work out an official solution that doesn't step on anyone's toes." We hope so, too -- having Minecraft up and running officially on iOS would be a nice bonus for both iPhone owners and fans of the incredibly popular game.
Live action role-playing in the world of Minecraft
Oh hi there. The person hosting the video after the break is Gary Bigham, professional Live Action Role Player. He says that he's "cashing in" by creating a Minecraft LARPing video, but you'll be the one cashing in -- fistfuls and fistfuls of the currency known as laughter. How do you roleplay as a Minecraft character, you may ask? It's harder than it sounds -- you have to try to build a shelter in the woods, use a duct-taped stone pickaxe to find precious gems and, whatever you do, always watch your back for those jerk creepers. Honestly, we're surprised Gary finishes the game as well as he does. Guess that's why he's a pro.
Minecraft users go wild building CPUs in their virtual world (video)
So, apparently this is what a functioning 16-bit arithmetic logic unit looks like... at least when it is designed in Minecraft. And that ain't the half of it! It seems that there are a whole bunch of folks who are taking the game, with its avatars, pitchforks, and immense landscape, and building computers and the like. Indeed, there is also a complete 8-bit CPU out there, which takes binary machine code and sends output to a line of torches. While we'd rather spend our time teaching our avatars to breakdance in Second Life, we do admire the hard work that clearly went into these projects. For a tutorial on the 8-bit CPU, hit up the source link. For more info on either of these projects, check out the folks' YouTube pages -- we've thoughtfully included the videos after the break.
Super Meat Boy XBLA patch near completion, includes 20 new levels
Team Meat is wrapping up the Super Meat Boy patch that addresses the auto-save glitch and, in fact, "all known bugs" in the Xbox Live Arcade game. The free title update will also include 20 new levels and a new music track, Team Meat tweets, and it's expected to be completed this week and "hopefully will be up soon" (pending Microsoft's approval). Also, if for some really stupid reason you haven't picked up the game yet -- those few bugs be damned -- the launch sale is still "going for another week" (from yesterday). In other Meat Boy news: The Steam release for PC is still being targeted for the last week of November (with the Mac version coming "after" that). Over the past few days, Team Meat has peppered the @SuperMeatBoy feed with irresistible morsels plucked from the Steam game: 30-plus achievements, "most rejected by MS for their difficulty"? Check! Level editor? You betcha. Mr. Minecraft and five additional "exclusive" characters that'll make you change your pants? Uh-huh -- and that's not even counting the returning warp zone unlockables. Yeah but, how about a launch sale for this Steam version? No doubt. Okay, that does it! We're buying Super Meat Boy ... again. Yes, "buy em both!" agrees Team Meat. "2 almost identical games for 1/3rd the price of Fallout New Vegas! So worth it .... (no seriously it's worth it)." [Pictured: "Mr. Minecraft" unlock screen character art (PC version); source: Twitpic]
Minecraft surpasses 500K sales, Persson explains how he did it
According to the official Minecraft stats page, more than 500,000 of the nearly 1.6 million registered players have already purchased a license for the game, which is still in the alpha phase of development. That's pretty much unprecedented in the history of game development -- certainly indie game development -- and perhaps only comparable to a big-budget marketing effort; one that might secure those kinda pre-release purchase numbers through pre-orders and offer a limited "beta" trial of the game through a highly-controlled channel. So, yeah, Minecraft's "alpha stage" success is unprecedented. Is it just luck? The one-man mastermind behind it all, Markus Perrson, doesn't think so. "I think originality and easy access is much more important than luck," he told Develop in a recent interview. "If you make a game that's genuinely good, and it's relatively unique, you can get a lot potential customers. If you make sure they don't have to jump through too many loops to play or even pay for the game, you can convert those into actual customers." Currently, almost 60 percent of Minecraft users are playing for free.
Minecraft Halloween update previewed, new evils revealed
Oh, man. We're still a good week and some change away from the highly anticipated Halloween update for Minecraft, but we're already filled with raw, seething hate for the creatures depicted above. They're called "Ghasts," and they're a new type of enemy which only appears in the new hell-like dimension which players can fast-travel through using homemade obsidian portals, where the red rocks which compose the floor, walls and ceiling can burn eternally. Sounds just delightful, doesn't it? PC Gamer recently checked out the new area -- and its hovering, flame-spitting inhabitants -- in an early preview. If you want to be prepared for the Ghasts' particularly unpleasant form of attack, we suggest you start doing your research.
Deniedcraft: Minecraft server slammed by upset fans, creator takes action
If you've noticed that the server that's home to devilishly addicted indie darling Minecraft has been a little slow this week, there's a good reason why. A group of what are apparently disgruntled players of the game have orchestrated a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on the hardware, overwhelming it and -- at least for a time -- bringing it to its knees. In a post on the notorious message board 4chan, a person claiming to represent the group said that the DDoS attack was designed to "send [Minecraft creator Markus Persson] a clear message of how the future of Minecraft will turn out unless he gets to work, namely by influencing the amount of sales taking place, due to the attacks." On his blog, Persson has stated that he's "signed up for a DDoS protection service, and took the chance to upgrade the server hardware to a much more powerful beast." The latter is still a work in progress. "I haven't migrated things over to that server yet, but that's coming soon," he wrote. We're sure someone will recreate the whole sordid event in Minecraft soon enough.
Minecraft character digging into Super Meat Boy PC
Need another reason to re-buy Super Meat Boy? Neither did we -- we have plenty already, thanks -- but apparently the forthcoming PC iteration includes another bonus character: Minecraft's main man. A Destructoid tipster spotted Team Meat's Twitter account putting Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson on the spot, asking, "How's about you let us use Mr. Minecraft as a playable charater in the PC version?" The ever affable and accommodating Persson responded in turn, saying, "Permission hereby granted!" Persson also noted that he needs to "add meat blocks" to Minecraft. While you're at it, may we also suggest heat-seeking missiles, enormous buzz saws, and piles of epidermic needles? Thanks!
Pixel artist releases free pack of gaming-related Minecraft character skins
Sure, you've created a working computer in Minecraft, or recreated a Mega Man game, but maybe you should spend a little time customizing the most important part of that blocky world: yourself. Pixel artist Gary Lucken, also known as Army of Trolls, has created a pack of 15 different Minecraft character skins featuring video game luminaries like Mario Link and Viewtiful Joe, plus Street Fighter's Ken and Ryu. The pack also has a few Star Wars characters in it, along with some Halloween and miscellaneous skins. Of course, given that Minecraft is basically a first-person game, you won't be able to tell what you look like, but we're sure everyone else on your server will appreciate seeing you bounding around as a Cactuar. The pack is a free download from Lucken's website -- just grab the skin you want and upload it right into Minecraft to use.
Apple quietly deprecates OS X's factory-fitted Java
In an announcement on developer.apple.com, Apple states that "As of the release of Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 3, the version of Java that is ported by Apple, and that ships with Mac OS X, is deprecated." It now seems likely that OS X 10.7 will not have a Java install built into the OS, although the current runtime will continue to be supported during the regular support cycles for Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6. This is not all that surprising. In the early days of OS X, Apple was keen on Java, supporting it as a full-fledged alternative to Objective C for application development. Over the years, though, its enthusiasm waned; we saw longer and longer gaps between updates and an official discontinuation of the Java-Cocoa bridge in 2006. Client-side Java on OS X has been effectively moribund for a long time now (with one standout exception in recent times). Update: commenter David Emery quite rightly points out that NeoOffice is significant too. Server-side Java on OS X, however, is a small but non-zero market. Currently, Oracle (which acquired Java developer Sun in 2009) offers Java installations for Windows, Linux, and Solaris; it remains to be seen if it or one of the handful of third-parties offering JVMs (like IBM) will step up and ship an OS X version of their product. There are also open source implementations that flesh out the not-quite-complete OpenJDK distribution to make it fully usable and Java SE 6 compliant, like IcedTea; none of those yet exist as packages for Mac OS X, but that could certainly change. Thanks to Hendrik Schreiber for sending this in.
Minecraft to get portals between servers, eventually
Minecraft maestro Markus Persson recently updated his blog with a progress report on his new studio, Mojang Specifications, and news about the upcoming Halloween update for the game. He notes that Mojang has found a building and now includes six employees: three programmers, a pixel artist, a CEO and a business developer. As for the Halloween update, Persson says it will include six new block types, five of which have "unique abilities." There will also be a new monster, "a new dimension" and portals. Persson explained later in a tweet that these portals will eventually be able to link between different Minecraft servers, though this functionality won't be implemented anytime soon. So, can monsters use portals? If so, we totally would not build a transdimensional monster funnel leading directly inside of another player's meticulously crafted fortress. So, feel free to invite us to a game and leave us alone in the back room for a few minutes ... okay?
Blockman Dash mod mixes Mega Man Legends and Minecraft
In Minecraft, you can pretty much build anything, so some fans set out to ease the tension of waiting for Mega Man Legends 3 Project by creating a Mega Man Legends-based mod called Blockman Dash. Check out a tour of Apple Market past the break!
Minecraft gets its own social network, Minecraftr
Are you guys ready to hear about what might just be the trendiest website in the entirety of the deep, vast internet? Take the immense popularity of Minecraft, throw in a fully-featured, Facebook-esque social network, and then, for good measure, tack on a completely unnecessary consonant to the end of its name. What do you get? Minecraftr, a social hub designed to connect players of the constructive online title, allowing them to create groups, plan events, establish servers and chat through IRC and forums. Though Minecraft certainly has its share of strengths, finding amateur builders like yourself is something of a chore for new players. If it takes off, Minecraftr might be a great way to wiggle your way into a community -- and then take its grand, intricate creations apart one brick at a time. [Thanks, Chris!]
Craft your own Minecraft papercraft crafts
If you just can't get enough Minecraft -- and, let's face it, you can't -- then these adorable papercraft models are for you! As an added bonus, the models are so simple and boxy that there's no way you'll super glue your fingers together trying to make a stupid, impossible-to-build Companion Cube. [Image credit: jumbso]
The feel-good Friday post
Rick Pierce, self-described "mid-level designer moving into senior-level roles," was recently invited to Valve's offices for a second-round interview. He didn't get the job. "You're fantastic, but let's give it a little more time," was Valve's parting encouragement. Rick's story doesn't end there, though: He sent a nifty card (pictured above; full size here) to Valve as both a "thank you" -- Rick says he "loved every minute" of the interview -- and a crafty reminder to the company that he's a talented designer. His generally uplifting account, as told in comments on Reddit, underscores a tough job market and inspires positive creativity in spite of the down economy. As Rick says, "Hang in there, it gets better." In that spirit, we'd like to point you to Rick's Quandry texture pack for Minecraft and encourage you to poke around the site of his indie studio Retribution Games. We'd also like to invite you to share links to any of your own game design-related work in the comments section of this post.
Minecraft Halloween update adds new monsters, fishing, wristwatches
A blog post on the official website for the biggest indie hit in all of recorded human history, Minecraft, has revealed that a whole slew of new features will be added to the title as part of a "Halloween Update." These new features are fairly wide-reaching, including new monsters (which are "actually difficult this time around"), torches which eventually extinguish over time, fishing, the ability to fast travel by moving through an (assumedly dangerous) "hell world," and a craftable wristwatch, which lets players keep track of how much time is left in the day before the baddies rear their ugly heads. There are also a few mechanical changes to the game planned for the October 31 update as well, such as new music and sounds, a few bug fixes and additional multiplayer functionality. We sure hope you can finish your to-scale recreation of the Taj Mahal before Halloween, because, man, it sounds your build site is going to get hazardous.
