RANT TIME - Alpha Vs 1.4(.2) + Onwards

Right across the official Minecraft forums I see people saying Minecraft isn't is good any more/ruined/I'm not updating etc, and a good percentage troll back/flame and abuse anyone for their different opinions. Just as their is as much a percentage that say it's going down hill and don't back up their opinions. So here's my view.

I like most changes, since Beta onwards, there are only a few things I don't like but I never feel like I have to use these things or constantly bitch on the forum about them. so here it is, piece by piece Alpha Minecraft Vs 1.4(.2 onwards). I haven't included everything, just the most important stuff.


[b]Lighting[/b] - Overall the lighting engine has vastly improved since Alpha, and although it's having another overhaul the different lights Inside a cave/night time they initially had for is is a hell of a lot better than Alpha. Smooth lighting was a God-send. If you like the old patchy lighting you only have to go into the menu to turn of the smooth lighting, but how any one can prefer it over the new overhaul is beyond me. The only thing you could possibly argue is that it was better in Alpha because you'd have to out a **** load or torches in a cave and it was geneuinelly scary as it was pitch black! I don't feel you get that scare any more although the mob AI is much, much better these days, but I'll get to that later.


[b]Food/XP[/b] The new system is better in that it makes it tougher, before it was too easy. One could argue there's too much food choice, but that's for your own personal opinon. In Alpha you'd still have to eat a good few pork chops to get your health back or cook a food for insta-heal.  Re-gen health is much more efficient, sure if you're in a cave you might have to throw blocks down to block off your attacker to eat and re-gen your health. You should always take plenty of food if your going mining anyway, stew might not stack but it's ingredients do, cookies, pork, beef, chicken, cookies, pumpkin pie and watermelon all do, and so does wheat and bread. No excuses. Even with the new carrots and potatoes, even if you don't go to an NPC village or have an older world where you have to travel an insane distance to find one, once you've got one, you're set up for life if you make the farm correctly. Isn't the fact that you have to regen you're health better because it makes it [b]harder[/b]. I swear mincrafters, as well as being lazy just want everything on a plate. As for xp, you're going to get it if you fight mobs ore mine certain ores whether you like it or not, that doesn't mean you have to enchant stuff/brew potions or do anything with it. You have the right to just ignore it. It doesn't have to "Ruin your gameplay" or minecraft.

[b]Mobs[/b] After a very long time of mobs being to easy (IMO) they have finally been nerfed in 1.4 and quite rightly too. Zombies ar still pretty derpy and Enderman are easy (Still, as well as annoying) but the improvent to their behaviour is evident from the imrpoved AI , coming round corners we never had back in Alpha, not falling into tricks like being led into wells (On my SSP!) and avoiding lava! I'ver personally seen a creeper climb over an iron fence at the top of my home in a mountain. Coming with armor is en even more (slight) challenge especially getting a rare drop or an enchanted bow. No where is it more evident that fire blazes in Nether strongholds in 1.4.2. Now properly spawning in the Nether strongholds, not just sticking to their spawners and surrounding areas. I went a new Nether, (Having reset my tired old one for the third time) and that made it a [i]lot[/i] more of a challenge. Wither skeletons are pretty easy to defeat, but even creepers have been buffed in recent times.

[b]Terrain & Biomes[/b] Now here's a biggie. I fully agree that the terain generation hasn't been the same since Beta/1.73, and that the mountains have become lumpy and uninteresting. [b]I do not think a slider will improve things in general.[/b] However, I created a new 1.4.2 world and have seen some pretty strange mountains - so it's getting there,  it is getting better IMO, but still needs a lot of work. Those huge beta overhangs might be a thing of the past however. I think generally if you want better spread between biomes the large biomes option in creation is the way to go. At this time of writing there are still things to work out though, like, certain biome temples appearing the wrong biome. (@ haven't upgraded since 1.4.2 so they might have fixed that since.)

Some complain that caves are too common now but I don't agree with this. I would say ravines appear a bit too often, as much as I love them. I personally love rivers and the jungle biome, jungle biomes offer a completely different enviroment to the other biomes. With the ground foilage it's even more easy to hget lost in an endless jungle biome, you have huge ammounts of vines you can collect as well as coca beans which where a great decision adding them to jungle trees. Cats (whether you love em or hate em), insane amounts of wood, create tree houses or Ewok style areas. Whatever you may think about witches, I am personally neutral/don't care about them, swamps now have more of a thing about them with slimes spawning on them as well as just being places for some vines and a great place where mushrooms grow.

I don't agree with mooshroom biomes and think they're kinda dumb, but nothing makes me want to go seek them out. I choose [b]not[/b] to look for them! I do think there needs to be work still to get there. I don't think there should be lakes in sand biomes let alone rivers running through the edge of some, which I have personally seen. Then there's really hot areas like jungles (Whether you love or hate them) right next door to snow biomes - this needs works. I also agree that underneath the water needs to be sorted out not splotchy.


[b]End Game/Bosses[/b]
I personally don't think Minecraft should have had an end, but it is your choice to go to the End and fight the Ender-dragon, just like it's you're same choice, to create the Wither boss who seems to be, for my opinion the best boss in the game and the most destructive! I don't think it should have too many "Bosses" though otherwise it doesn't become something other than Minecraft and steer in a different direction. leave that for something like Metroid!

[b]It doesn't fit![/b] How do bats and witches not fit when we have skeletons and zombies. I'm sure it was meant to be a non-Earth planet yet we have pigs cows and sheep yet Enderman and creepers?! So what is the theme for Minecraft, does there have to be one? Maybe the witches huts aren't great, I agree, when I think of witches I think of them in castles not wooden huts in swamps, but that's just me. It's early days yet though.

a) Enchanting - Again this is optional [b][u]you do not have to do it if you do not like it[/u][/b]. I'm neither one way or the other about it but I do like saving xp us mainly for a silk touch pick eventually. The point is even if you collect xp you don't have to use it or do anything about it! You do not have to enchant therefore it will not impede on your game/gameplay/Minecraft as a game for those that whine it's going in too much of an "RP" direction!

b) Brewing -  Optional. [b][u]you do not have to do it if you do not like it[/u][/b]. Any of these elements you don't have to use or even consider if you think it's adding too many "RPG" elements. You don't have to create cauldrons, brewing stands or glass bottles. You can carry on playing Minecraft without using it - the way you have always played Minecraft, nothing has changed!


I started playing in Alpha before the Halloween update btw. Note I mention it here as I haven't used it to justify anything. I have been playing it since then and I don't agree with everything (Mooshroom biomes) but I still keep on playing because for me the core of the game is still there. I still enjoy it. It's still survial, most of the new stuff you don't have to use. (Villages/brewing and potions/xp/The End/Wither boss/Beacon) It's not been ruined IMO. It's just evolving.