Minecraft [ENG]11

The multiplayer feature was introduced on June 8, 2009 for Classic, and later as SMP (Survival Multiplayer) on August 4, 2010, and has been a popular part of the game ever since. Minecraft multiplayer servers have developed to include their own rules and customs, guided by their administrators and moderators. The term griefer, meaning a player who causes grief, is a typical term on the internet, but has taken up its own definition on Minecraft servers: a person who destroys or defiles other users' creations on servers.

Griefers are the reason many server administrators make rules, but this has been taken a step further with modifications to the Mojang server and even plugin-based replacement servers such as Bukkit. Because of these plugin-based servers, new user-created features have shown up in Minecraft. This includes features like money, vehicles, protection, RPG elements and more. These features normally do not require modification to a user's client and can be accessed by using chat commands. The chat screen is brought up by pressing T.

One popular game on multiplayer servers is Spleef (a play on the word "grief"), a game where the player's aim is to make another player drop through the floor by destroying blocks beneath the opponent's feet. This is typically played in a designated area.

History

Creation

Notch got the idea for Minecraft after playing Infiniminer with other members of the TIG Source forums in 2009. Other influences include Dwarf Fortress, Dungeon Keeper, and Notch's own previous project, RubyDung.

“I realized that a game that simple yet that dynamic had a lot of potential to turn into a really great game, and kept coming up with things I wanted to change and stuff I wanted to add.„

~ Notch on minecraft.net When he first started working on Minecraft, Notch had planned for it to just be a small project. For instance, when Notch uploaded the first YouTube video of Minecraft on May 13, 2009, he had not yet decided on a name, and simply referred to it as a "cave game". The name "Minecraft: Order of the Stone" (a reference to Order of the Stick, a web comic and "one of the best things on the internet") was announced the next day, and then shortly after, it was shortened to "Minecraft" as it was much simpler and to prevent people from confusing it with Order of the Stick. The game was finally released for an "early private singleplayer alpha" on May 16, 2009. Classic

Minecraft 0.0.11a was publicly released the day after the private release on May 17, 2009, and the game received mention on IndieGames.com the day after that. This phase was later named Minecraft Classic. In July, Minecraft was rewritten to use the Lightweight Java Gaming Library (LWJGL). Until Minecraft Beta reintroduced it, Classic was the only version of Minecraft with the Creative game mode, which allows the player to build and destroy blocks, allowing the creation of all sorts of objects. Players are given an infinite amount of each block to build with. Minecraft Classic may be still be played by anybody by going here.

Survival Test

Survival Test was released as a version of Classic on September 1, 2009. It was the introduction of Survival Mode. In it, the player now had to mine blocks, face Mobs, and had a health bar. If the player were to die, the map was lost, and unless backed up, the user would have to start over with a new map.

Indev

Indev (short for "in development") was released on December 23, 2009 after Notch received requests to let the community try out new features he was implementing in Survival Test. Indev version 0.31 was released to the public on minecraft.net/indev and available only to people who had purchased the game. When a new game was started, the player would spawn in a prefabricated wooden house.

Updates introduced a more complex and realistic lighting scheme than Classic. Indev received more updates after this, adding a few fundamental features to Minecraft as it went. During its lifespan, some updates were devoted mostly to testing new things, like Torches or Fire. Unique to Indev was level types, similar to Biomes and the Dimensions. For example, Floating Islands and the Sky Dimension, and Hell and The Nether. Like Survival Test, if the player were to die, all progress was lost.

Infdev

Infdev (short for "infinite development") was released on February 27, 2010, featuring automatically expanding maps. It contained other upgrades too, including new recipes, 3D clouds, a new terrain generator, a more realistic fluid system, and more complex caves.

Alpha

Alpha was released on June 28, 2010, and would see many major features added to Minecraft. Multiplayer for Survival was created, Redstone Circuits were added to the game, as well as boats, new music, new mobs, and a Difficulty setting. Most of these features were added without announcement in "Seecret Friday Updates".

The Halloween Update on October 31, 2010 was a major update, adding Biomes, The Nether, new mobs, blocks, and items, and other changes.

Beta

Beta was released on December 20, 2010. Features that were added include a new logo and launcher, achievements and statistics, weather, Smooth Lighting, dyes, more plant types (two new types of trees and Tall Grass), wolves and squid, beds, and other blocks and items.

The Adventure Update was a major set of updates, focusing on exploring, combat, and add a ending to the game. Features added include new terrain generator, new mobs, blocks, biomes, and items. More generated structures where added; NPC Villages, Strongholds, Abandoned Mine Shafts. Changes to general gameplay include an improved combat system including critical points and Experience, a reintroduced Creative Mode, Hardcore Mode, and a way to finish the game by traveling to The End and defeating the Enderdragon.

Originally planned to be started in 1.7, the first part of the Adventure Update was released as 1.8 on September 14, 2011. Starting on September 9th, 2011, developmental versions where "leaked" by Mojang. Beta 1.9 was never released, but 6 pre-releases using the 1.9 version number were made available for users to test and report bugs back to Mojang. On October 18th, a feature freeze went into effect and Mojang shifted all Minecraft development focus to fixing bugs and preparing the game for release. On November 13th a release candidate of 1.0 was released, along with aa official update to 1.8.1 that added sounds from the developmental version.

Pocket Edition

Minecraft Pocket Edition was released on August 16, 2011 and is designed for mobile platforms, with gameplay similar to Classic. It was depuded on Sony's Xperia Play Android phone. The game was developed by Mojang employee Aron Nieminen. A version for all supported android phones was released on October 7, 2011 after the exclusivity agreement between Sony and Mojang expired and the touch screen controls were added. On November 16th, a version for iOS was released.

Minecraft 1.0

Minecraft 1.0 was released on November 18th, 2011, during MineCon. The release includes many features from the Adventure Update that were not included in Beta 1.8. Most prominently is a ending to the game, which is achieved by defeating the Enderdragon boss mob in The End.

Originally, Minecraft's official release date was planned for November 11th, 2011. It appeared to have been selected for assorted reasons, namely:

It was very symmetric, as the month, day, and year, were all abbreviated the same way: 11/11/11.

It was also the release date of other games which Notch is fond of, particularly The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

After it became apparent that the planned date was fully booked, however, Notch announced that the release would probably be pushed back a week, to the 18th. The fact that the official release only marks when the game leaves Beta probably helped with this decision, since it means the date selection is ultimately fairly arbitrary.

Future

Xbox Edition

Announced by Mojang on June 7, 2011 at E3, Minecraft Xbox Edition is a remake of the PC version on the Xbox 360 and is currently being developed by 4J Studios. It is designed to be able to use Kinect, although optional and to be released Winter 2011.

Post Minecraft 1.0

Minecraft will be continued to be developed after Minecraft 1.0

Modifications and Third Party Programs

Mod API

Notch has always planned to add a mod API, and announced official plans to support one in the game on April 26, 2011. Although the code for the API exists in the game and the button on main menu to access texture packs is labeled "Mods and Texture Packs", as of yet it has not been implemented. (In 1.0, this button was renamed "Texture Packs") In a post before the release of Minecraft 1.0, Notch said that the mod api would be coming along with a new launcher.

When Jeb became head of Minecraft's development in December 2011, he stated that the mod API would be his top priority, as "there is no way in hell I will be able to add as much content as the whole internet can do". He said that they were talking to existing mod deveolpers such as Bukkit, Minecraft Forge, and Minecraft Coder Pack.

Texture Packs

The game officially supports changing most of its various textures through Texture Packs. These have to contain a certain structure of files and folders, contained in a .zip archive file and placed in the texturepack folder of the .minecraft folder. The texture packs, well as the folder can be accessed at the main menu. The extent to which the textures are changed is dependent on how many files are contained in the texture pack.

Unofficial User Mods

Minecraft can be modified by replacing or adding Java class files to minecraft.jar. This is popular but not supported by Mojang as these can break the game if the mod is outdated, defective, or is conflicting with another mod. These mods have been found to impress Notch, an implementation of Hippoplatimus' Piston Mod was added in Beta 1.7.

Third Party Programs

There as many programs designed for Minecraft. These include 3D map editors and viewers, game modifiers, various informational programs (such as Crafting Recipes), and server wrappers, and other specialty programs. As with mods, these too are not supported by Mojang.

Platforms

Computer

Runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, started through the launcher or browser.

Pocket Edition

Minecraft Pocket Edition is designed for mobile platforms, with gameplay similar to Classic. It features 36 blocks, a local WiFi Multiplayer and is currently available on the Android Market and iTunes App Store

Other Versions

Other versions of Minecraft for the computer include Minecraft 4k and the PC Gamer Minecraft Demo. 4k is a simple version of Minecraft in the style of other "4k" Java games Notch that has entered in contests. PC Gamer Demo is a version of Beta 1.3 with helpful dialogs and a 100 minute play time limit.

Milestones and awards

Minecraft was first made available for sale during June 2009 and has since sold over three million copies. It has also won numerous awards including:

PC Gamer's Game of the Year 2010 Indie of the Year GDC's Best Debut Game, Best Downloadable Game, and the Innovation Award IGF's Grand Prize and Audience Award.

References in Popular Culture

Many refences have been made in culture in response to the popularily of Minecraft, this includes many memes and also references in these video games:

-In Super Meat Boy, Steve? is an unlockable character. He is known as Mr. Minecraft in this game.

-In Battlefield Heroes, you could get a Royal Minecraft T-Shirt or a National Minecraft T-Shirt from July 29–31.

-In Team Fortress 2, there is a hat called Top Notch that resembles Notch's avatar in a cubic form. Notch is the only person to have this hat.

-In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a axe called the "Notched Pickaxe" can be found and used, possibly reference to Notch and the pickaxes in Minecraft.

Haters Gonna Hate.

Creepers Gonna Creep.