While the Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition is busy with bug-fixing updates, the PC based edition of Minecraft will be getting one of its largest (and most oft-requested) updates yet: horses, donkeys and mules.

Mojang has been collaborating with a prominent Minecraft modder named DrZhark, who created and maintains the popular Mo' Creatures mod in Minecraft. The horses in the game are direct copies of what he had previously implemented, though Jeb and the rest of the crew are modifying them to be fully integrated with the core of the game itself, which will be included in the nearing 1.6 Official Update.

Horses are mobs that can be tamed when a player jumps on them. They'll be thrown off, but trying over and over again will eventually tame the horses. If a saddle is placed on the horse, they can be ridden with the regular directional controls, though horses are much faster and can jump further than the player. This makes them irreplaceable companions for long journeys, especially when they take hits from enemies that would have otherwise hurt the player. To combat this, horses can be equipped with a new Horse Armor item which can be made of either iron, gold or diamond.

There are 5 variations of horse in the game, which can be cross-bred to create an impressive 35 combinations of the popular stead. Donkeys and mules can also be bred, though they can't wear horse armor - instead, they can be equipped with chests and, as a result, serve as mobile sources of storage. Though they'll be less common than wild horses, a decent quest across the lands should yield any player a mule or two. All of these animals can be fed apples, wheat, sugar, bread or the new hay blocks - which are crafted by making 9 wheat into a solid block.

minecraft-hardened-clay

Although horses were the most oft-requested feature in Minecraft, that isn't where the snapshot update stops! Users can now put clay into furnaces and create 'hardened clay', which functions just like wool. It can be combined with a variety of colors to create a brick-like substance which looks more natural as the walls of a building. It's a purely cosmetic inclusion, but one which should make the majority of creative builders happy. In addition to this the blocks of charcoal, coal and lapis lazuli have been re-textured and will be sporting new looks for the 1.6 Update.

The following bugs have also been addressed:

  • [Bug MC-671] — Minecarts with Furnace consume coal in creative mode
  • [Bug MC-3960] — After the last use of a bow you get a glitch bow that when dropped and picked up again duplicates
  • [Bug MC-15061] — Coal blocks do not burn away
  • [Bug MC-15148] — Blurred menu background textures

Users interested in trying out the Snapshot can download it here. Should you want to revert to the official 1.5.2 release, simply use the regular Minecraft launcher instead.

The Minecraft 1.6 release is expected to arrive in the new few weeks. We'll keep you posted as Mojang prepares for all the new content!

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Source: PCGamesN