Mojang

The Minecraft merch motherlode

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Hello!

You might not have spotted this, but we’ve been updating the store over on minecraft.net, adding loads of hot, hot merch that you can buy from our partner, Jinx.

We’ve got the latest Lego Minecraft kits up there now, so you can recreate the terror of the wither, construct tree-top safe-havens and snow-bound strongholds. Then there are Mattel’s snazzy new range of action figures - skeletons with firing bows and sheep you can sheer. And that’s not to mention the updated editions of our handbooks, coveted collectible mini figures, huggably soft plushies and loads of super duper tees.

My favourite is this reversible pig plush. Turn it inside out and it instantly transforms into a pork chop! Just like a real pig! (Maybe?)

Go have a look!

Cheerio!

Marsh - @marshdavies

Minecraft 1.10.1

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 11:32:00 +0000

This is a smaller update taking care of some of the most annoying reported bugs. We are also planning to release another update for 1.10.x in a few weeks that takes care of some less critical but still annoying issues.

Issues fixed in this version:

[Bug MC-85162] - Slight player/mob offset when on Farmland Block
[Bug MC-99914] - DataWatcher / EntityMetadata ID is based on the class load order
[Bug MC-100333] - Entities from old (<= 1.5.2) worlds are killed when loaded in current versions due to a typo in the health data fixer
[Bug MC-102072] - Structure Block: Unable to navigate in the “structure name” field of structure blocks, using the arrow-keys, pos1, end or the delete key
[Bug MC-102867] - chat key bound to unicode char causes crash in creative inventory
[Bug MC-103177] - Missing subtitles for polar bears, strays, husks, and wither skeletons
[Bug MC-103497] - End Dragon Does not respawn

If you experience crashes during multiplayer sessions, we need to know if you were playing on a vanilla server or a modified server. We still get crash reports in our backend systems that we can’t reproduce and we need more information to analyze that problem. It seems to be a rare but annoying problem for some players.

Realms map round-up: puzzles, presents, and flights of fancy

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 13:00:00 +0000

Hello again, Minecrafters! Today we’ve got another selection of Minecraft minigames and adventures for you to try. Most Realms maps are available online through their creators, but we’ve gone the extra mile and worked with them to load the maps into Realms for PC. If you or a friend has a subscription, these adventures are available to play right now!

Unsure how to load custom content into Realms? Here’s a handy help article for you. Now, let’s dig in!

Captive Minecraft IV: Winter Realm by The Farlanders

The Captive Minecraft series started in 2014, after the inclusion of world borders in Minecraft 1.8. You begin in a 1x1 play area, but each time you earn an achievement, that area expands. Open your inventory to get started!

Terra Swoop Force by The Noxcrew

Terra Swoop Force is another thrilling map by mapmaking veterans, The Noxcrew. The group’s founder studied sound design, and it shows in the incredibly polished resource pack. Featuring custom sounds, music, voices, and a host of new textures, this elytra-based flying game might make you forget that you’re still in Minecraft!

The Present Factory by qwertyuiopthepie, wiskeyweasel, NateT_Bird

Welcome, new Present Factory Employee! Are you excited to start working at our factory? All you need to start is some basic addition skills, as well as a solid grasp of complex, omnidirectional, sorting systems. Got it? Get solving!

ZeGame by Jesper The End

Creator Jesper The End is known for reproducing other games in Minecraft, but this time, he’s recreated his own game! Reminiscent of sliding puzzles from classic video games, ZeGame takes the challenge into the third dimension. As far as we know, this represents the first time that a game has launched simultaneously in Minecraft as well as on traditional game platforms!

Infinity Dungeon by Jigarbov

Like many great games, the objective is simple, but completing your task is difficult: in a labyrinthine dungeon, find the colored glass blocks and return them to your starting point. What makes this adventure different, though, is that it’s randomly generated, and you’ll find yourself re-generating the dungeon many times throughout the quest. Once you finish the game, try your luck at finding the secret ending!

A whole new world

If you’re looking to start a new survival world, this trio of maps will let you do so in style.

Dragon’s Roost by Inryft, Floodplain, Nobleman

Elleroth by Pe3tr, Twett

Stellar Impact by Springstof

Looking forward

In case you missed it, the Realms team has been hard at work preparing for E3, as well as releasing the long-awaited Minecraft Realms for the Pocket and Windows 10 editions. We know that content that’s easy to find and load into your Pocket/Windows 10 Realm is in high demand, and we’re looking at how to do this best in the future. In the meanwhile, have fun playing Realms, wherever you are!

Marc -@Marc_IRL

Battle mini game: out now & free on consoles!

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 07:57:00 +0000

Are you a master swordsman? A dead-shot with a bow? A demolitions expert? A fisherperson with an unusual lust for vengeance? Then sharpen those tools of destruction and strap on your toughest enchanted helm: it’s time to do Battle!

Battle is the first of several mini games we’re releasing for Console Edition and will be rolling out as free update across Xbox, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PS Vita and Wii U today. It’s a last-minecrafter-standing deathmatch in which players tussle over resources and weapons in perilous arenas, fending off would-be assassins and their own hunger pangs.

We’ve designed it specifically for consoles in mind - it’s super-accessible and fast-paced, made to support couch-based competition just as easily as online matchmaking. There’s no need to craft anything here, and you can loot inventories and equip armour with the tap of a button. Fall beneath your opponent’s blade (or enchanted fishing rod) and you respawn as a spectating bat, fluttering in the face of your nemesis.

Battle comes with three spectacular-looking arenas for free, but we’ll release more map packs down the line, each costing $2.99. And watch out for more mini games in the future too - we’re hoping to really amp up the variety of Minecraft on consoles, helping players to set up bizarre and outlandish rulesets without the fuss of manual countdowns, refilling loot chests, or score-keeping.

In the meantime, watch your back, stay sharp and enjoy the sweet taste of victory!

Cheerio!

Marsh - @marshdavies

The Survivors’ Book of Secrets - out now!

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 14:00:00 +0000

With E3 out the way, it’s the perfect time to put the kettle on and kick back with one of those papery, real-world thingamies that we enjoyed in the days before the internet shattered our attention spans. What were they called? Boofs? Boops?

Of course, we here at Mojang are learned folk who love few things more than reading a good boop, er, book. And what better book could you read than this? - our newly launched, high-quality tome: The Survivors’ Book of Secrets.

Unlike, say, Ulysses or the collected works of Maya Angelou, The Survivors’ Book of Secrets can tell you which splash potion to chuck in the heat of combat and how to organise snow golems into the ultimate battlement defence. What have you got, Mrs Dalloway? NOTHING.

Our book contains the amassed wisdom of an underground group of Minecraft experts who have been around since the days of the Alpha - and you’d be a fool to wander into the wide world without its tips tucked under your arm. It also looks rather lovely. See?

Snap it up from Amazon, here, or find it in any bookshop worthy of the name.

And while you’re at it, you might want to have a look at some of the other literary works we’ve produced:

Lots of good fodder for fellow bookworms. Enjoy!

Cheerio!

Marsh - @marshdavies

Minecraft at E3: the round-up

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Phew! What a week. E3’s finally over! Jetlagged developers and giddy gamers the world over can finally slump back into their chairs in happy exhaustion, satisfied in the knowledge that a year of amazing digital diversion lies ahead.

What’s that? You missed the entire thing? Dear oh dear. Well, luckily for you, we’ve collated all the most important news (which is to say Minecraft news) and put it in this post.

Here’s the full video of Microsoft’s conference. There’s lots of cool stuff in there - a new, slim version of the Xbox One; customisable game pads; high seas hijinks in Sea of Thieves and highway hijinks in Forza Horizons 3; Gwent, Recore and much more. But if you want to cut to the ‘crafting, watch the edit below:

Doesn’t Lydia’s hair look good?

If you’re looking for more information on Realms, head to our new site here. We also have a more in-depth walkthrough of the Add-ons demo over on the Xbox Twitch channel with Jared Greiner and Jason Major. Skip to 58 minutes in. And here, at 22 minutes in, we have Jared again, now joined by James Webster, to take you through all the new features of The Friendly Update.

I guess Jared’s hair is pretty good, too. Well done, everybody’s hair.

Finally, our very own Vu Bui was interviewed about Mojang’s partnership with UN-Habitat on Block by Block - an initiative to help folk from developing countries take control over their living environment. You’ll hear even more about this next week, but for now, here’s the video. Skip to 40 mins 55 seconds!

What a man. What a hero. What a beard.

Cheerio,

Marsh - @marshdavies

Realms and cross-device play: now on Pocket / Win 10

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 17:35:00 +0000

Somewhere out there, on a hot stage in LA, Lydia has just announced the release of The Friendly Update, aka 0.15, for Pocket and Windows 10 Edition. And not just that! We can now reveal that The Friendly Update’s hitherto mysteriously unspecified friendliness is a result of two major features: Realms and cross-device multiplayer!

Realms are servers, run by us, just for you and your friends. Now, you can keep your Pocket / Win 10 Edition Minecraft world online and always accessible, even when you log-off. It’s safe, too! Only people you invite can join your world, and what you do there is up to you: create, survive or compete.

Not convinced? Then try out the month-long free trial! Read all about how to get your hands on Realms on our shiny new site.

Now you can play Pocket / Win 10 edition with your friends whatever device they are running it on, be it a shiny Android phablet, the latest flavour of iDevice or a beefy Windows 10 monster-rig. You can even join each other’s worlds while strapped into a Gear VR. All this friendliness is powered by Xbox Live - it’s free to sign up, so don’t be scared.

This isn’t the only thing we’re showing off at E3. We’re also excited to give you a sneak peak at Add-ons. These will allow players to transform the look of their world and even change the behavior of mobs by editing a simple script. The results can be pretty dramatic and elaborate, like the Alien Invasion add-on Lydia showed off on stage moments ago. If you’re too late to jump on the live feed, there’ll almost certainly be a video of the entire Microsoft conference uploaded shortly after it concludes, and walkthroughs of the new features on the Xbox Twitch channel later in the week.

Anyway, we hope you enjoy the latest goodies we’ve squeezed into the 0.15 update - pistons, pig-riding and all. Stay friendly, everyone!

Cheerio!

Marsh - @marshdavies

Minecraft: Education Edition early access is here!

Thu, 09 Jun 2016 12:29:00 +0000

Hello!

You might remember us posting about Minecraft: Education Edition back in January. It’s a version of Minecraft designed to help educators teach all kinds of subjects.

Now the time has finally come. If you’re blessed with a particularly hip and likeable teacher, Minecraft: Education Edition could soon be appearing in a class near you soon! The early access version is available for download!

You might be surprised to know that Education Edition features some interesting bits and pieces that you can’t find in other versions of Minecraft. Aside from the tools necessary to get students working together, it features a snazzy camera and compatible portfolio, non-player characters that can be programmed to teach stuff, and even chalkboards for that classic old-school look. We’ve really thought about this thing, and tailored it to maximise student’s brain-power all across the globe.

Even though this is an exciting announcement, it’s worth remembering that this is the early access version of Education Edition. Just like we’ve done until now, we’re continuing to build based on feedback from educators. That means there are probably significant changes to come, and that the experience will get even better over time.

Get more details, instructions on how to install, and some enthusiastic testimonials from real-life teachers at the Minecraft: Education Edition website.

Thanks!

Owen - @bopogamel

Minecraft 1.10: The Frostburn Update

Wed, 08 Jun 2016 13:02:00 +0000

What comes after 9? Well surprise, surprise: we’ve updated Minecraft to version 1.10! Get it hot off the stove in the Minecraft launcher.

The update contains changes for both the coldest and hottest areas of the Minecraft world. Polar bears roam the frozen plains, and a stronger kind of zombie may approach you in the deserts. There are also other additions you may find pleasant.

For instance, the update includes the second “technical block” after Command Blocks: the Structure Block. This block allows map makers to store templates of structures and place them dynamically with the help of Redstone trickery. Since it’s a technical block, you will not find it in the game menus, and is restricted to players who are admins in creative mode.

Here is a list of all the changes:

Many bug fixes
Added Polar Bear
Added Husk and Stray
An auto-jump option
Improvements to some commands
Structure blocks for custom maps
Underground fossils made from bone blocks
Added Magma Block
Added Nether Wart Block and Red Nether Bricks
Some huge mushrooms can be even larger
A rare chance to find lonely trees in plains
Find abandoned mineshafts filled with gold in mesa biomes
Villages generate better paths between the buildings
More variations of villages, based on the biomes they are built in
Endermen have been spotted in the Nether
Removed Herobrine

Minecraft 1.10 Pre-Release 2

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 14:41:00 +0000

The second pre-release for Minecraft 1.10 fixes some more issues that were reported to us via the bugtracker. Thanks to everyone who found and reported bugs.

Reporting bugs on our bugtracker is the best way to tell us about things that are horribly broken or even crash your game. Please make sure the issue is not already reported before posting a new ticket.

The bug tracker has a “search” function that will help you to figure out if there’s already a ticket about the problem you want to report.

Notable changes:

Fixed more bugs
Added missing sounds

Bugs fixed in 1.10-pre2:

[Bug MC-94576] - (Player) Head in inventory causes buggy rendering of certain inventory slots, potion effect display and attack cooldown
[Bug MC-94896] - Tab completion works incorrect when text is already selected
[Bug MC-95554] - Tab-complete doesn’t work correctly for /playsound
[Bug MC-98224] - JSON signs with scoreboard objectives erase their block data upon chunk load
[Bug MC-102043] - Auto-Jump does not work if there is a snow layer or a similar thing on the block
[Bug MC-102139] - Polar Bears eat wheat and give off hearts but do not breed
[Bug MC-102152] - Auto-Jump Directional Bug
[Bug MC-102177] - The End Stone Bricks crafting recipe is missing
[Bug MC-102360] - Auto jump doesn’t include jump boost
[Bug MC-102364] - Auto Jump starts flying in Creative mode
[Bug MC-102709] - Mobs cannot receive shields in mainhand with /replaceitem
[Bug MC-102835] - Hostile mobs can spawn on magma block
[Bug MC-102891] - /teleport (not tp) has a wrong tab-auto-completion.
[Bug MC-102894] - Item Frame’s and painting’s hitboxes are offset and dark
[Bug MC-103011] - Horses Still Use Their Entity Code Name
[Bug MC-103014] - Mob do not know how to bypass the magma block wall

Please report any and all bugs you find in Minecraft to bugs.mojang.com. If nobody reports a bug, we can’t fix it!

To get snapshots, open your launcher and press the “New Profile” button. Call it “snapshots” and check the box saying “Enable experimental development snapshots” and save. To switch to the normal version, you can select it in the dropdown at the bottom left corner of the launcher. Back up your world first or run the game on in a different folder (See the “new profile” dialog).

Snapshots can corrupt your world, please backup and/or run them in a different folder from your main worlds.

Cross-platform server jar:

Minecraft server jar

Report bugs here:

Minecraft issue tracker!