Gaming News

 

Haunted holidays and creepy candies

With Halloween just around the corner, we asked community mapmakers if they were working on anything particularly Halloween-ish, and they replied with a resounding, “Yes!” This is the biggest Realms map release so far, with seven total upcoming experiences. Read on to find out more about each map! Herobrine’s Mansion by Hypixel and Xiantis Originally published three years ago, Herobrine’s Mansion was one of the first adventure maps to make extensive use of command blocks. Players face off against the devious Herobrine, but you can only reach him once you defeat his minions. Now, with some updated mechanics and a fresh coat of paint, this faithful recreation of Herobrine’s Mansion is ready for you and your friends! The Dornenstein...

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Minecraft snapshot 16w43a

Snapshot time! Bugs bugs and more bugs, all fixed! And this snapshot includes… Notable changes: Fishing has recieved a major overhaul! Vexes can now follow you between dimensions and move in water Broken tools will remain broken Bugs fixed in 16w43a: [Bug MC-1040] - Tools with unbreaking enchantment break, disappear from slot then reappear [Bug MC-2920] - Wrong Fishing Line Calculation [Bug MC-6579] - Fishing line does not follow rod when Fov is changed [Bug MC-11877] - Fishing bobber floats a block above water [Bug MC-47508] - Ridden entities disappear on relogin [Bug MC-55851] - Leads not rendering when spawned (attached to mob/fencepost) via command block/structure block [Bug MC-79996] - Blocks like crops and...

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Halloweek begins as Spooky Bundle haunts consoles!

Yeah, I know: Halloweek isn’t actually a word. But hopefully this horrifying misuse of language is unsettling enough to get you in the mood for a week of creepy fun! We’re kicking things off with the launch of the Spooky Bundle for Console Edition today: no tricks here, just three seasonal treats all rolled into one - the Halloween Mash-up, the Halloween Battle Map and the Campfire Tales Skin Pack. Check out the chilling trailer above and witness a trio of grisly delights, guaranteed to haunt your dreams FOREVER*! *maybe The Halloween Mash-Up features a custom-built world for you to haunt, replete with a uniquely terrifying texture pack. You can get into the spirit of things by donning one of our Campfire Tales skins: from...

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Add-Ons are here! Watch our cool tutorial vids!

The mighty 0.16 update has landed on Pocket and Windows 10 (read all about it here!) bringing with it our first implementation of Add-Ons! They’re a new way for you to customise your Minecraft world, allowing you to poke around in the guts of the game and tweak the way mobs look and behave. Want to create an army of chicken-riding, explosive witches? Who doesn’t? And now you can. But… But how?! Luckily we have smart dudes Jason Major and Jared Greiner on hand to show you the ropes, or, more accurately, the json files. They sat down to play through the Alien Invasion Add-On we teased at E3 earlier this year, to show you some of the cool things you can do by messing about with mobs: And, for those who want to have a crack at making...

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Add-Ons! Sponges! Pocket / Win 10 gets the Boss Update

Wet sponges - I’ve recently discovered that babies like to suck on them, which is kinda gross to be honest. But let’s not worry about that for now. Minecraft: Pocket Edition and the Windows 10 Edition beta are being updated to 0.16 today, bringing loads of new features, most of which are not in the slightest bit soggy. First: Add-Ons. These are kind of a big deal. Add-Ons allow anyone to change the way a Minecraft world works. You could, for example, change chickens’ behavior so you can ride them or make creepers even more explodey than they already are. You could take all of your memories, program them into a villager, then study its behaviour to help determine what you should do next with your life. Not sure about that actually, but...

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Minecraft snapshot 16w42a

Snapshot time! Bug fixes galore! And this snapshot includes… Notable changes: The witches have been grounded Vexes are now a bit more evil At least one crash fix - yay! Bugs fixed in 16w42a: [Bug MC-46345] - Maps stop updating after going through nether portal / Map update packets ignored by client [Bug MC-88089] - Two players going down a ladder at the same time makes them stuck or go up [Bug MC-95735] - (Splash) harming and healing potion still applys effect even if it’s specified not to. [Bug MC-97692] - Boat riding on an entity riding on an entity [Bug MC-99763] - help command not suggesting tab completion when executed from other entity [Bug MC-100260] - Explosion impulse on non-living entities is not attenuated...

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Realms Map Round-Up: Pandas, Puzzles and Egyptian Elytra

Brave Adventurers! This week, we have FOUR new maps for you. They’ll let you soar across ancient ruins, saddle up sturdy panda steeds, clamber through the jungle canopy and ponder brain-bending puzzles. Mildly interested? We can work with that. Our first addition is a great Capture the Flag game where you use elytra wings to fly into your enemy’s base. Let’s get into it! Valley of the Kings by The Broken Buttons The Archaeologists have dug to deep and too greedily, awaking a force of Ancient Egyptians from their supernatural slumber! Now these eternal enemies do battle, seeking to steal each other’s flags. You know, for reasons. Join one of the two teams, and make your way across this gorgeous Egyptian-themed canyon to nab your...

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Minecraft snapshot 16w41a

It’s time for a new snapshot, and this one includes a lot of bugfixes! And this snapshot includes… Notable changes: A number of Observer block fixes Two+ crash fixes The ascii rabbit was removed from the code, but fortunately added again Damaged items are now more bright Nothing wrong with pistons anymore ever. -Grumm Bugs fixed in 16w41a: [Bug MC-2912] - Creative Mode Hotbar Glitch when using Number Key to exchange items slots [Bug MC-11416] - Dispenser / Dropper / Piston / Command block placing is not consistent [Bug MC-59303] - When placed next to a cactus, the head of bed remains same [Bug MC-70806] - Blocks with a data value > 0 have missing texture in superflat customization [Bug MC-80692] - WitherBoss...

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Hurry! Pre-order Be@rbrick Creeper 400% before Oct 10

MediCom Toy Inc have been making supercool BE@RBRICK figurines since 2001 and it’s a great honour to be able to collaborate with them on this limited edition 28cm-tall creeper model. Other featured designs have been by the likes of H R Giger and Vivienne Westwood, so we’re in some very fancy company! You can pre-order yours now right here - but you only have until Oct 10 to do so! The models will then be shipped out in January. That’s all! Cheerio! Marsh - @marshdavies Continue reading...

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Minecraft snapshot 16w40a

It’s time for a charming bug fix snapshot! And this snapshot includes… Notable changes: Fixed bugs introduced in the previous snapshot Added bugs to fix in next snapshot Bugs fixed in 16w40a: [Bug MC-3352] - Arrows fired into a repeater / comparator / jukebox / command block / hopper / daylight sensor that is updating will play the arrow hitting a block noise [Bug MC-4132] - Piston placement issue past 16777217 [Bug MC-67665] - Mouse click position always lags a few frames behind the crosshair [Bug MC-89030] - Pistons warp entities too much (Pistons pull entities in/through blocks) [Bug MC-98093] - Distorted Pistons [Bug MC-106706] - Renamed brewing stand does not drop after being placed [Bug MC-106765] - Silverfish not...

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New book alert! Build a mighty medieval empire!

Hear ye! Hear ye! Today we’re releasing Exploded Builds: Medieval Fortress - a new book that teaches you how to put together your own medieval kingdom piece by (possibly plague-ridden) piece. If you’re a history nerd like me, it’s an absolute delight, jam-packed with both Minecraft and medieval facts, and full of gorgeous rendered diagrams demonstrating how each bit of your mighty castle plugs together. It has ramparts, dungeons, everything in between and a good deal outside too, from Ye Olde taverns to bustling market squares. It’s not just about antique architectural artistry either: the book includes detailed explanations of redstone engineering, helping you to construct elaborate trap rooms, a switch-activated portcullis...

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Fearsome fixes! Changelog 0.15.10 for Pocket / Win 10

Hello! The 0.15.10 update for Pocket and Windows 10 Edition slunk out during the dark hours of the night, bringing with it the chilling Campfire Tales skin pack and squishing a fair few bugs. We’ve been having a few issues distributing the special MINECON skins and associated capes. They are meant to be free, but some users have been asked for money while trying to obtain them through the Google Play store. If you do get prompted for a fee, use the code MINECON2016, and it should let you have them for the correct price of zero money. Android users who want the skins should do this as soon as possible - the skins won’t be available for much longer! Anyway, on to the log: New Features: Campfire Tales skin pack! Tweaks: Fixed...

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Eek! Campfire Tales skin pack haunts Pocket / Win 10!

Halloween is almost upon us! The land falls into shadow. The moon is but a sallow, spiteful eye, glowering through black clouds. Ancient things - forgotten things - begin to stir in the lonely places of the earth. A sickly fog rasps through the streets. Lock the doors! Shutter the windows! Huddle round the fire. It’s time to swap stories of the strange, the sinister and the supernatural! Scared out of your skin? Luckily for you, the Campfire Tales skin pack comes with 16 more! It crept from the shadows and onto Pocket / Win 10 Edition during the night. Each skin is exceptionally spooky. If you’ve been following our Twitter feed, you may have spotted some of the twisted tales behind them - the jealous Headless Haunter, the vengeful...

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Console update ahoy: Banners, Blocks, Beets & Bears!

It’s here! Rolling out across consoles today and tomorrow: an update that brings polar bears young and old, customisable banners, beetroots and related restorative soups, new blocks, buildings and more. The update will hit Xbox consoles first today, along with Wii U in the US, and then follow along with other consoles tomorrow. You’ll be able to take shelter from the harsh weather of Arctic Biomes in new igloos, and delve beneath the earth for primordial treasures in the shape of giant fossils made of Bone Blocks. Other new blocks include: End Bricks, Grass Path, Frosted Ice, Magma, Nether Wart Block and Red Nether Brick. And that ain’t all: the update also signals the availability of the sumptuous Chinese Mash Up Pack. It’s...

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Minecraft Snapshot 16w39a - The Exploration Update

Seven years and counting, Minecraft is still growing and expanding. We thought it is about time we add something to guide you through the vastness of the endless overworlds. Introducing the Exploration Update! Among your villager friends, you will now find the Cartographer residing in the library. Spend your hard-earned emeralds to obtain maps leading you to adventurous locations such as the Ocean Monument and the new Woodland Mansion. This procedurally generated dungeon is the home of the villager’s outcast cousins, the Illagers. This insidious and spooky crowd will not tolerate any trespassers in their home, so you should expect a fight when you venture there for the mansion’s treasure. The Exploration Update also brings the...

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Soon: 1.11 for PC/Mac brings llamas, mansions & maps!

Grand development wizard Jens has unveiled a slew of awesome new things coming in the next update of PC / Mac edition - dubbed “The Exploration Update”. And with good reason, as you shall find out. The update introduces the Illagers - a new bunch of mobs who inhabit Woodland Mansions. They’re a mean lot who attack intruders with deadly magic and summon mischievous flying imps called Vexes. True to the update’s name, you can now buy maps from village Cartographers which will lead you to Ocean Monuments and Woodland Mansions. There be treasure! You will also be able to manage your bloated inventory with Shulker Boxes - special chests that retain their contents even when knocked down. And let’s not forget the fluffiest of 1.11’s...

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MINECON 2016 is over! Finished! Done! Thanks for being part of it!

What a couple of days! There’ve been celebs, surprise reveals, intense tournaments, amazing costumes, talks by clever-clogs, manic panel shows, comedians and more. Best of all, there’s been you: the coolest, smartest and friendliest gaming community on Earth. We love you, and it was great meeting so many of you! The Mojang team are happily exhausted - how about you lot? Here are just a few of the cool things that happened… We announced a novel! Written by mega-author Max Brooks, no less. He’s a big fan of Minecraft, and we’re a big fan of him. What a match! Read more about it here. We launched a site all about Add-Ons! Add-Ons are the first step on our journey towards bringing even greater levels of customisation to all...

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Chinese myth, new mobs & more on consoles Oct 4

There are loads of good things on their way to Console Edition this fall. The Chinese Mythology Mash-Up pack arrives, bringing with it an exquisitely crafted world inspired by the myths of the far East: there are ancient cities to explore, gargantuan sculptures to gawp at and cherry blossom aplenty. Beware, though - there’s a reason they call this the land of dragons! There are also 41 new skins and 13 themed music tracks for you to use in your own worlds. Plus: it comes with a special map for the Battle Mini Game we released in June! It’s completely, ridiculously gorgeous, too. Just look! Also coming to Console Edition as a free update: Polar bears and their adorable offspring are to be found wandering frozen biomes...

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Cobalt team reveal first official mod & new controls

Holy moly! Those busy bees at Oxeye Studios have been rebuilding their amazing robot-blastin’ game, Cobalt, improving the engine and redesigning the controls to accommodate mouse-aim and WASD. That would be enough by itself, but they’ve also repurposed Cobalt’s core to create a massive, new, competitive team-based bomb-defusal game using new and improved modding tools - that will be available to all to use. Ooh! The new gametype is a sort of side-scrolling Counter-Strike with somersaulting robots and it’s really, really good. They plan to release the whole lot on Steam in one sumptuous package. PC FTW! “It’s awesome!” is the official quote from Oxeye Studios’ exceptionally handsome Pontus Hammarberg, and he’s not wrong. Whet your...

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Add-Ons ahoy! Boss Update coming October 18

Not only does the Boss Update for Pocket and Windows 10 bring some much awaited mobs - the Elder Guardian can now be found in the sprawling, mysterious Ocean Monuments, and the Wither appears in revamped fighting form - there are loads of big technical tweaks besides. It’s boss in every sense! The biggest news is that this update will see the first implementation of Add-Ons. You’ll hear even more about Add-Ons tomorrow if you tune into Searge and Jason Major’s talk at 3.30pm PST, but here’s the low-down: Add-Ons are the first step on our journey towards bringing even greater levels of customisation to all editions of Minecraft - starting with Pocket and Windows 10. They let you remix mobs, switching out the models, textures and...

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Max Brooks is writing a Minecraft novel! Oh yes!

Yes, that’s Max Brooks, the author of amazing future-history zombie yarn World War Z. He’s writing a Minecraft novel, titled “Minecraft: The Island”. I’ve peeked at an early draft and it’s entirely amazing, just as we knew it would be. Think cuboid Robinson Crusoe, but madder: a hero stranded in an unfamiliar land, with unfamiliar rules, learning to survive against tremendous odds. We’re all huge fans of Max’s work in books and comics - The Harlem Hellfighters and The Extinction Parade are personal favourites - and his enthusiasm for Minecraft is truly inspiring. Here are some official quotes from important people! “I’m very excited to be part of this new venture,” said Max Brooks. “Finally I can justify all those hours I’ve spent...

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New intelligence: Education Edition arrives November 1!

Earlier this year, we launched an early access version of Minecraft: Education Edition. It went pretty well! Some 15,000 students and teachers got involved, helping to make our Minecraft-based smartification tools even smarter than they already were. Now, we’re happy to announce that the full version of Minecraft: Education Edition will be available to buy from November 1. If you want to check it out before purchase, the early access version will still be freely available until then. Based on the feedback we got from the early access version, we’re rolling out even more hot stuff in the November release build: Classroom mode: a companion app that allows teachers to view the world as a map, list all the present students, teleport...

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MINECON 2016 skins incoming! Get ‘em while they’re hot!

Go, go, go! Today we’re launching special MINECON 2016 skins for FREE! But hurry - you have only until 3rd October to claim yours. You even get Alex and Steve skins wearing swishy and spooky Enderman capes, too! The skins will roll out across Pocket and Windows 10 platforms today, with Console Editions following tomorrow. This year’s time-limited celebratory skin pack features four biome-themed adventurers: prowl through the treeline as the furtive Forest Fighter; brave blizzards as the intrepid Ice Pioneer; craft the incredible as the meticulous Mesa Artisan; or plumb the depths as the outlandish Ocean Engineer. He’s totally subnautical! Not only do you get all this in honour of MINECON 2016 - you get all of last year’s...

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Print your skin at MINECON thanks to Mattel & 57digital

If you’re going to MINECON you may be interested to know that toy-wizards Mattel are offering a supercool skin-printing service, so you can slap your game-face (and game-body, game-legs and game-arms) onto a nifty figurine! It’s seriously cool. You craft the look of your unique figure by using an actual skin from the game. Mattel creates and prints a custom label based on your in-game skin (or one of the exclusive soon-to-be-revealed MINECON 2016 designs!), and then you stick it onto the figure. Just come to the Mattel booth at MINECON, purchase your Survival Mode Player One Figure ($15.00 + tax), print your label at the booth and you’ll have your very own mini-minecrafter, ready to create, explore and survive the sprawling landscape...

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Minecraft snapshot 16w38a

It’s snapshot time again! This snapshot gives you a lot of bug fixes and also a new gamerule! If you are longing for new features - don’t worry, since MINECON is very close now! And during MINECON we will give you info about several new exciting 1.11 features! And this snapshot includes… Notable changes: The poor squids shouldn’t spawn in lava anymore. At least I would not enjoy spawning in lava We have a new gamerule: maxEntityCramming Mooshrooms now really appreciates to walk on mycelium. Probably it feels soft and cosy on their hooves Bugs fixed in 16w38a: [Bug MC-3841] - Attacking an unsaddled pig while holding a saddle saddles the pig [Bug MC-36927] - Durability of Golden Swords occasionally dropped by Zombie Pigmen is...

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Realms map round-up: chickens and challenges

Here we are again! Though we last spoke mere days ago, as promised, the release cycle of new Realms maps on PC has changed. That means that instead of a recap post, the maps you’ll see below are brand new to Realms, and are available right… now! Read on, brave adventurer! Makers Wars by Minemakers Team The Minemakers team is at it again, this time showing off their take on the skywars PvP minigame genre. Choose your team, your map, and your starting items, then fight across islands in the sky; the last team standing wins! Chicken’s Courage by Mithey If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be a chicken (and let’s face it, who hasn’t?), Chicken’s Courage has you covered. In this adventure, you’ll need to get to the bottom...

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Fantastic! Changelog 0.15.8 for Pocket / Win 10 appears!

The furnaces have been burning late into the night over at the great Binary Tree that is home to the Pocket Edition coding elves, the hungry blue flames dancing ever higher with each shovelful of untempered C++ ore that is thrust within. Soon, using words and signs unthinkable to mortal kind, these arch digi-wizards will conjure update 0.16 from the shadowy beta realm, fixing it into its final form! But even though they labour so, in a feat of true Tolkien-esque heroism and/or caffeination, they have managed to bend spacetime to summon the 0.15.8 update into existence, bringing with it support for the Fantasy texture pack. Look at them go! Well done, elves. The Fantasy texture pack transforms Minecraft into a world of medievalism and...

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MINECON's just around the corner. Are you ready?

The calendar event of the year approaches! Don’t worry if you haven’t got a ticket - you can join in the festivities remotely using the power of internet streaming video. Watch the event live from our MINECON site on the 24th and 25th September. If you’re one of the lucky 12,000 attendees, don’t forget to hone those crafting skills: our chums at Hypixel are putting on a tournament for you to compete in, featuring community-favourite minigames: Sky Wars, Walls, Build Battle and Parkour. Or, if you’re a dab hand with a thread and needle, you might like to take part in the costume competition. Of course there are loads of panels and other activities, too - you can keep track of the times by checking the schedule on our MINECON site, or...

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Realms map round-up: spleef, swordplay, and board games for bored days

Hey there mining and crafting enthusiasts! It’s been a while since we’ve gotten to show off what awesome, new content has appeared on Realms lately. Since we last checked in, fourteen new pieces of content have been added for you to explore! Makers Spleef by MineMakers Team Makers Spleef is simply one of the best spleef maps we’ve played. The clean design makes gameplay easy to understand, and the different game modes keep it interesting as you replay over and over. Blocked In Combat by PingiPuck, pandymit, EpicMelon, DarkPiep Many Minecrafters have found themselves in a battle with other players at some point; it’s the basis for many of the most popular minigames! Blocked In Combat offers a neat twist on this genre, encasing you...

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Minecraft snapshot 16w36a

Time for a new 1.11 snapshot! The main focus for this snapshot is bug fixes, but Minecon is getting closer and closer. Actually, it’s only two weeks left! Yay! And during Minecon, we will show you all the new exciting features for 1.11! And this snapshot includes… Notable changes: Multiple bug reports are now in prime state to be reopened again! Bugs fixed in 16w36a: [Bug MC-29544] - Particles from falling/landing/sprinting on leaves do not use foliage color [Bug MC-41270] - Resourcepack’s glyph_sizes.bin and some unicode_pages are only loaded on startup [Bug MC-83905] - Compass animates incorrectly [Bug MC-95460] - Compass needle spins only in lower half randomly in the End and Nether [Bug MC-96463] - UV mapping in cross.json...

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