Minecraft ’s long-awaited Better Together update is out this week, just three short months after Mojang’s announcement during Microsoft’s E3 presser. And cross-platform support isn’t the only reason fans of the best-selling sandbox game should be happy about the arrival of the next big Minecraft patch.
The ability to play Minecraft with friends on other platforms is, unsurprisingly, getting more attention than any other new feature or change in the Better Together update. But it’s far from the only tweak coming this month. Minecraft Realms, Mojang’s in-house server-hosting service, is also getting a few touchups this week, including a new ability to share invite links to specific Realms. The patch also includes a variety of other changes, including new blocks and other content added to the Java version of the game earlier this year. Minecraft: Console Edition players can now tame parrots, build armor stands, spawn Zombie Villagers a bit more easily, and a whole lot more.
The bad news is that the Better Together update isn’t ready for everyone (yet). Mojang says Xbox, VR, Windows 10 and Pocket Edition players can take advantage of the cross-platform support today. But the current build doesn’t support Nintendo Switch, and there’s no timeline for a future release. Similarly, Realms invites don’t work on Xbox One but Microsoft expects to patch that functionality back in soon. We’re also a bit surprised to see Mojang suggest downloads could take “a day or two” for anyone who owns a physical copy of Minecraft: Xbox One Edition. That said, it’s hard to be upset with Microsoft or Mojang about slight delays when they’re taking such big steps to break down long-standing walls between a variety of gaming platforms.
For more on the Better Together update, here are Mojang’s abridged patch notes:
New Features
Stained Glass
Fireworks (with Elytra boost!)
Parrots
Banners
Armor Stands
Jukebox and music discs
Recipe Book
Book & Quill
Ravines
Coarse Dirt
New world start options: Starting Map; Bonus Chest; Trust Players
New game rules: Show Coordinates; TNT Explodes; Natural Regeneration
Added '/tickingarea' command to create areas that still update when no players are there
Player permissions
Zombie Villager spawn egg
In-game host options
Paper doll viewer
Outline selection toggle
In-game player names toggle
HUD opacity toggle
Expanded Xbox Live multiplayer world settings
New loading screens with funny and helpful tips
How to Play screen
Remix 3D export functionality (Windows 10 only)
New achievements
Server Partners
Realms invite links
Mash-up Packs and Texture Packs will now decorate the main menu and in-game HUD
Tweaks
Rebalanced most of the game sound effects and music, such as rain being much quieter
It is now much easier to see underwater after drinking a Potion of Water Breathing and Potion of Night Vision
Blaze Powder is now needed to fuel brewing stands
Ice blocks are now transparent
Maps can now be held off-hand and show the heads of players' skins
Locator maps now track the owner's position, regardless of dimension
Worlds can now be set to Invite Only, Friends Only, or Friends of Friends
Various improvements and changes to navigating the user interface
Redesigned button mapping and added Pick Block for controllers
Render Clouds and Fancy Leaves can now be toggled in Video Settings
Skins can now be changed from the pause menu
Chat messages can now be muted
Items picked up are now animated on the hotbar
Stained glass and banners will now spawn on End Cities
Increased the default player limit on worlds from 5 to 8 on higher-end devices
Block placement speed now matches the player's movement speed
Temperature decreases with height and it can now snow at high elevations
Observer blocks have updated textures and will now blink red when outputting a redstone pulse
Adjusted the color that flashes when mobs are attacked
Brick Blocks, Nether Brick Blocks, and Clay Blocks have been renamed to better differentiate from other items
Underwater particles
Jungle leaves are now transparent on higher-end devices when Fancy Leaves are enabled
Changed the sound effects for Creeper explosions
Added sound effects for placing Eyes of Ender into portal frames and opening The End portal
Minecraft is currently available on PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, the New 3DS, PC and a smorgasbord of smart devices.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Minecraft news in 2017 and however long Mojang supports Minecraft in the years ahead.
