Minecraft 1.2 Update Guide

Fans of Minecraft rejoice! The newest version of the world creation game has been released by Mojang, adding several new features, including a new file system, mobs and more, ensuring Minecraft players will be entertained while we wait for the officially-licensed LEGO Toys to come out this summer.

The first change is a pretty hefty one, as Minecraft will now be operating using a different filesystem to store and access data within the game - meaning the entire experience is now capable of bigger results and less lag. A few days ago, Notch & Jeb announced that they'd been working on a successor to the previous engine, and revealed their new file system: Anvil.

The introduction of this new file format, over the previously used McRegion system, allows for the maximum build height to be increased to 256 from 128. It compresses a fair bit of information for optimal performance and should allow players to have a smoother ride traversing the terrain. Additionally, Notch states that the Anvil system will be friendlier for modifications as well, so it is clear that the new format is a step for both efficiency, and the future. Here's some of the other things Anvil has introduced to Minecraft:

  • Empty sections of world won't be loaded into active memory until used.
  • Unique Block IDs increased to 4,096 (from 256).
  • Sending Packet information is now capable for much small chunks, decreasing time it takes to send.
  • Block ordering has been changed from x/z/y to y/z/x in order to improve compression.
  • Biomes are saved per x/z column, which means they can be altered by tools.

It should be noted that in the Nether, bedrock still exists at the original height setting of 128 blocks, though in Creative Mode, you can pass through to see the world still exists to 256 blocks under the new Anvil system. It is unclear if this sizing is intentional, so we wouldn't be surprised to see the Nether gain some space as well in a later patch.

Now that we know the world is functioning on a different level, we can begin to discuss everything that's going on with it in the new 1.2 update!

Minecraft 1.2 Landscape Changes

Landscape Changes

Quite a few changes in the newest update go towards changing the blocky world as we know it. While it's nothing as drastic as adding a circle block (which is probably akin to dividing by zero in Minecraft), we do have a new biome, new generated structures and even some new mysterious blocks in the new update. While the blocks are still a mystery and can't be placed in Survival Mode, the rest is fair game for everyone:

Minecraft Jungle Biome

Jungle Biome

The hilly, verdant green landscapes are a brand new biome to Minecraft, and were long ago announced as home of the ocelot. These biomes are difficult to navigate and feature many trees, some of which reach impressive heights and two-block widths. In many cases, an abundance of vines allows the player to quickly climb above the canopy of the jungle to get a look around and, perhaps, make a speedy escape from mobs in the hilly ground. There's also many streams of water rushing through the landscapes, making traversing the biome even more difficult. Lastly, jungle biomes are the only place an ocelot will spawn, so look out for the little critters in the dense bush.

Minecraft Update Desert Well Guide

Desert Wells

These randomly generated sandstone structures appear in the desert biomes, though their exact purpose - or who built them - is unknown. Leading down to water blocks, the structures may be the start of desert NPC structures for later updates. For the time being however, they're just interesting structures in the otherwise barren desert biomes.

Minecraft Guide Circle Stone Brick Guide

Three New Block Designs

Three new block designs have found their way into the game files, though you can't craft any of them in survival mode and only one is available in creative. Two of them are sandstone alternatives which contain hieroglyphics, indicating that perhaps more is indeed coming to the desert world after introducing of the aforementioned wells. The third is the above pattern in a stone block, a repetitive and shrinking square pattern currently only craftable in creative mode. We'll keep you informed as more news trickles about about the mysterious blocks.

Minecraft 1.2 New Mobs - Iron Golem

It's A Mob, Mob World

The 1.2 update brings us many new creatures within the Minecraft world, and certainly changes how they interact with each other. From the first new tamable creature since the wolf to village protector mobs, we've got you covered.

One of the first things you may notice is that mob AI has seen some massive changes. Zombies are now even more dangerous, capable of breaking down doors on hard difficulty and occasionally organizing massive sieges on NPC Villages. That's right, on some nights, you now have to worry about hordes of zombies attempting to destroy those poor NPCs you see working all day, which is why the new Iron Golem mob was created as a defense mechanism. Villagers will repopulate their losses, and now produce children if there is enough room in the village. Similarly, tamed wolves can now produce cute puppy offspring.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the new mobs of Minecraft:

Minecraft Adventure Guide with the Ocelot

Ocelots & Cats

Ocelots were revealed back in January, and the little critters finally get to join the list of creatures in Minecraft thanks to the newest title update. Spawning exclusively in the jungle biome, ocelots are a passive mob which will run away from the player if movement is detected. Should they be completely blocked from an escape route, they stay perfectly still until ample opportunity arrives for them to make an exit.

Since the ocelot is so shy, it makes taming them a task for the patient. Any sudden bursts of movement will cause them to sprint - yes, they can sprint - to the nearest exit. To tame an ocelot, the player must be standing still whilst holding a raw fish. The ocelot will approach said fish-carrying user cautiously (and run on any sudden movements), at which point the player can 'use' the raw fish to attempt to tame the curious creature. If you attempt to move to the ocelot while using the fish, instead of standing till, you won't be able to successfully tame it.

Note that all wild ocelots have yellow fur with brown spots, but transform into one of three types of cats when tamed: a tabby, a tuxedo, or a siamese cat. From this point on, your new feline friend will follow you around, though unlike wolves it won't attack any hostile mob. Interestingly, creepers seem to try and avoid ocelots despite their lack of attacking prowess, though they'll still attempt to make a path towards the player. Once again, the curve of the creature's tail is a display of its health, and the player should take care to feed their pet if it becomes wounded.

MineCraft Adventure Guide with Iron Golem

Iron Golem

The protectors of NPC Villages, Iron Golems reach an impressive 3 blocks in height and exist for the purpose of NPC defense. With the introduction of mob sieges (zombie hordes attacking at night), the lumbering golems were created to help defend villages against the rising mob threat. Occasionally, Iron Golems will pick up roses and give them to villages, indicating that the bond between villager and golem is tight-knit and strong. Like Snow Golems, you can create them by forming a 'T' shape with four full blocks of iron - yes, we mean full blocks, not just ingots - and placing a pumpkin head on top. If placed in a village, it will immediately begin patrolling the area for the villagers.

When entering combat mode, the golems pick up pace and deal a hefty blow which throws their attacker in the air. Note that when the golem becomes enraged, it may attack neutral mobs like wolves and ocelots, so stay clear of its path if you're not the one attacking it. It will attack the player if it gets hit by the player's attack, or sees the player attacking a villager. If this happens, run away and come back, whereupon the golem will once again be neutral towards you. If it starts raining, golems seek dry shelter and will not move from underneath it until the rain stops, hampering their ability to patrol. Once defeated, a golem will drop between 3 to 5 iron ingots and the occasional rose.

Minecraft 1.2 New Items

Items Ahoy

The new 1.2 update also introduces new items for the player, though interestingly enough, not all of them are currently accessible to those playing in Survival Mode. But hey, two out of three ain't bad, right? Mojang has brought us a another redstone-capable entity, and finally a solution to those who wanted an option to toggle sources of light. We've also got two brand new magical items, one of which is made from completely renewable resources. Read on:

Minecraft Redstone Lamp Guide

Redstone Lamp

Interior decorators rejoice! Players wishing they had a toggle-able light can now harness the capabilities of the redstone lamp, crafted by placing a Glowstone Block in the middle of a crafting table and placing redstone on four of its sides. When connected to an active redstone source, the light will function like a glowstone and produce a solid light for the area around it, as well as melting nearby snow. Though it makes a glass sound, the redstome lamp has the behaviors of a solid block.

Minecraft Fire and Enchanting Guide

Fire Charge & Bottle o' Enchanting

The first new magical item, Fire Charge, is crafted from putting Blaze Powder, Coal and Gunpowder top-to-bottom down one row in the crafting screen. The magical, hot-ash looking ball then has two purposes: You can either using like flint, though it'll survive just one use, leaving it a very inefficient tool or alternatively, you can put it in a dispenser, which will then begin firing Blaze fireballs when triggered, leaving flames wherever the fireball hits. It's a useful trap ammunition and a great defensive mechanism against mobs.

The Bottle o' Enchanting is currently only available in Creative Mode, as there are no known combinations to produce it. It functions like a splash potion, giving off blue swirls of lights upon breaking and releasing 1 to 3 experience orbs. This is currently its only purpose, so until it is available in Survival Mode it currently seems pretty useless, since you don't need experience for enchanting in creative mode.

The Rest of the 1.6 Updates

The Rest of the Stuff

As if the addition of new mobs, new structures, a new file system, mysterious new textures and two new items wasn't enough, Mojang has added a few more features to the game to finish up the update:

  • Changed textures for the Dispenser and Oak Sapling.
  • Slabs and Stair blocks are now able to be placed upside-down by placing them below a block on its bottom.
  • Placing blocks on a piece of grass will now simply replace the piece of grass.
  • Third person view can now show the side of a players head when rotating.
  • Clouds now cast an extremely faint shadow until the land below them, sometimes allowing an undead or enderman mob to resist daylight. Look out!
  • New Lava rumbling sound effect.

Additionally, the following three bugs were addressed for the 1.2 update:

  • Double-doors now work better with Redstone.
  • Cave noises now fully work in multiplayer.
  • Mob Spawners now preview the correct mob in multiplayer instead of the default pig.

The official Minecraft 1.2 Title Update is nothing to sneeze at. Bringing a fair bit to the table and readying our blocky world for future modifications, gamers can now witness hordes of zombies fighting villages as kittens scurry around crazed golems - exactly what we'd wanted. But seriously, the update adds some nice content that should keep gamers entertained for the next update - well done, Mojang.

What do you think about the new update? What do you wish Mojang would impliment or change about Minecraft?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRZQiCCIqiE

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