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Minecraft Windows 10 version

Seanspeed

Banned
Nah, they would just give the W10 version free to anyone who owns the current Xbox version, just like they are doing with the PC version.
Never said anything about charging people. Just pointing out that crossplay with XB1 would probably require a different version on the console, separate to the existing one.

That prevents wiping anything and places the choice of version in the player's hands. Then MS proceeds to make the W10 version so much better than the Xbox edition that everyone will migrate over on their own.
If they make big strides with it and open up modding capabilities and everything in time, yea maybe, but I get the feeling this will remain a vanilla, crossplay alternative rather than the prime, go-to version. I would think they'd have made more fanfare over this if it was intended to be more than that.
 

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
Nope they will just neglect it till they can get to a point where they can get rid of it and then the PC version will be little more than late ports of the Xbone version with all the limitations that version has.

It is as clear as day what is happening. The current PC version of minecraft has seen an unprecedented fall in development. It hasn't gone unnoticed in the Minecraft community that updates for the current version have dropped off sharply since Microsoft took over. In other words they are already starting to neglect the Java version.

But it's obvious that the long term plan is to leave the original version of the game behind

Pretty much what I expected from Microsoft. The old version of Minecraft is going to be poorly supported if at all (even though it would be simple enough to keep it supported or updated), while the forcefully push people to the new version of Minecraft that is likely kept up to date to push Windows.

Minecraft 1.9 update announced
https://www.pixeldynamo.com/news/ga...-9-brings-dual-wielding-shields-makeover-end/

Looks pretty good always wanted shields in Minecraft. The duel wielding could be awesome as well.

Oops.
 

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel

I wouldn't say oops too hard there. The fact that the W10 version being demoed at Minecon right now (and released on July 29th) has some features that are upcoming in that very 1.9 update for the PC version (and is likely still months away) should tell you very clearly that they are rapidly trying to bring the PE/W10 game up to feature parity, or possibly even past, the PC version.

I'm not saying that is a bad thing, just where they seem to be going.
 

Trup1aya

Member
Welp, I guess none of the fear mongering from the first page panned out... Glad to know the Java version is still getting support while the PE edition is continuing to see improvements to its feature set... Gamers simply have more options.

On the one hand, you have the idea that Microsoft paid billions to give gamers "options".

On the other hand, reality.

It'll only end one way.
 

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
I wouldn't say oops too hard there. The fact that the W10 version being demoed at Minecon right now (and released on July 29th) has some features that are upcoming in that very 1.9 update for the PC version (and is likely still months away) should tell you very clearly that they are rapidly trying to bring the PE/W10 game up to feature parity, or possibly even past, the PC version.

I'm not saying that is a bad thing, just where they seem to be going.

I'm sure they are eventually going to replace the old version, I actually have never played the game but I know people don't like the fact it uses Java so replacing it eventually makes sense.

I just think the timing of the update announcement was funny considering some of the posts in this thread. I don't have a vested interest in the game beyond the fact that my son can't get enough of it.
 

woolley

Member
I'm sure they are eventually going to replace the old version, I actually have never played the game but I know people don't like the fact it uses Java so replacing it eventually makes sense.

I just think the timing of the update announcement was funny considering some of the posts in this thread. I don't have a vested interest in the game beyond the fact that my son can't get enough of it.

The update was announced a long time ago, this is just the first time we've been given details on everything they're planning on adding and how everything is going to work.
 

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
The update was announced a long time ago, this is just the first time we've been given details on everything they're planning on adding and how everything is going to work.

Sure, that doesn't really change anything though. If MS really wanted to stop development on the old version game and force everyone to switch to a new locked down version as some people are fearing the fact that development had started wouldn't have mattered to them, they would have just stopped that and moved those people onto the new version.
 

woolley

Member
Sure, that doesn't really change anything though. If MS really wanted to stop development on the old version game and force everyone to switch to a new locked down version as some people are fearing the fact that development had started wouldn't have mattered to them, they would have just stopped that and moved those people onto the new version.

I'm sure they're also aware that doing so would be horrible for PR and it would be better to gradually change over like people have been suggesting was going to happen since the buyout was announced.
 

Trup1aya

Member
On the one hand, you have the idea that Microsoft paid billions to give gamers "options".

On the other hand, reality.

It'll only end one way.

Ofcourse they want to make money... But if they are making money by supplying options that people want to purchase, what's the problem...

now if the PE becomes feature complete in the future, and consumers choose to migrate, so be it...
 

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
I'm sure they're also aware that doing so would be horrible for PR and it would be better to gradually change over like people have been suggesting was going to happen since the buyout was announced.

What would be even better for PR would be to keep supporting the old game while giving people the option to switch to a new version which hopefully also improves over time and entices people switch of their own volition until it stops making sense to support the old one because everyone is on the new one.

It doesn't have to be conspiracy.
 

Yrael

Member
Yeah, the 1.9 update has been known about for aaaaages, with new information about it being trickled out here and there over Twitter by the devs. The "reveal" at Minecon was the biggest information dump on it so far, as it's coming up fairly soon.
 

Parsnip

Member
I have to admit, the thought of ditching Java for desktop minecraft is kind of exciting.
And I haven't even played MC in like 3 years.
 

Nzyme32

Member

Well going by the original quote - "it will be treated as an entirely separate platform to “take advantage of the advanced technology and gaming platform provided by Windows 10.” - I'm still confident the two versions will not stay aligned forever.
 

zashga

Member
So the new Windows 10 version is based on Minecraft Pocket Edition? That's pretty lame. Between this and the uninspiring 1.9 patch (and 1.8 before that), it sure feels like original PC game is in a holding pattern. My expectation is that it will slowly converge with the console/pocket versions and be dropped as a separate entity. Probably a lot of features (especially world size and modability) will be lost along the way.

That's fine, I guess. A lot of people love the simplified Minecraft games. It just feels like the game isn't for me anymore.
 

The Flash

Banned
Why would the Win10 version lose mod support though? They said multiple on the MineCon stream that modding is important. They had a whole panel for it even. If the plan is to, over time, ween people off of Java and onto Win10 then wouldn't mod support be something that they would have to take into consideration?
 

Yrael

Member
I have to admit that I haven't really been excited about Minecraft news for a long time. When I bought the game (back in early alpha), worlds were locked into two types - either permanently snowy, or permanently green. I was so thrilled when biomes were finally introduced and my world had more variety. That kind of rapid overhaul hasn't really been replicated for a while (well, maybe the hunger mechanic, though I'm not really a fan of it)...the most exciting things tend to come from the modding scene, which is why my response to the Microsoft 10 version is "eh."
 

Seanspeed

Banned
Why would the Win10 version lose mod support though? They said multiple on the MineCon stream that modding is important. They had a whole panel for it even. If the plan is to, over time, ween people off of Java and onto Win10 then wouldn't mod support be something that they would have to take into consideration?
People assuming that the plan is to ween people off the Java version are doing just that - assuming. I don't see that as a safe assumption at all. A vanilla, cross-platform version would be entirely appealing for plenty of people. People who say that Minecraft is all about mods seem to forget that the console and mobile versions are still quite popular, so obviously there is a market for this. Having this become cross-platform is going to be very cool for a large amount of people.

Meanwhile, there is no reason that support of the PC Java version cant continue. Its not like this game requires massive teams of developers or anything.
 

Sibylus

Banned
1.9 looks interesting, as does the W10 edition. Hoping it means g'bye to Java and hello to a much more robust version of the game. With mods, though. Else what's the point.

What would be even better for PR would be to keep supporting the old game while giving people the option to switch to a new version which hopefully also improves over time and entices people switch of their own volition until it stops making sense to support the old one because everyone is on the new one.

It doesn't have to be conspiracy.
Worked for Dota 2, incidentally.
 
Ofcourse they want to make money... But if they are making money by supplying options that people want to purchase, what's the problem...

It isn't about making money. Microsoft already have a shitload of money, that is how they bought Minecraft.

What they want is control.
 

leeh

Member
It isn't about making money. Microsoft already have a shitload of money, that is how they bought Minecraft.

What they want is control.
Yes, lets control the market by removing the most played version of the game on PC.

Do you guys think they're that stupid?
 

Trup1aya

Member
It isn't about making money. Microsoft already have a shitload of money, that is how they bought Minecraft.

What they want is control.

Wtf? It's always about money! They didn't spend $2.5 billion just to 'control'... Lol, I does that idea go down in a board meeting?

Boss: how much will this 2.5B deal net us in the long run?
Analyst: We won't Make any money, sir.
Boss: Then whats the upside?
Analyst: we get to control a popular IP, and destroy everything that paying customers like about it.
Boss: ok, let's do it. We've got to get rid of all this cash one way or another.

Not everything is a big conspiracy. MS, like any other business, tries to make money by producing things that they hope people will want to buy...

This was obviously about securing a well recognized IP, and using it to leverage to bolster their platform(s), and hopefully increase sales.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
I was impressed by pocket edition recently - I updated to play multiplayer with my daughter. It has come on leaps and bounds since it first came out (and was shit). Even online multiplayer now. Will it add realms support for personal servers?

If so, and I can play with friends/family online on a private server, then I pretty much have no major issues with a W10 version - assuming I can 'upgrade' for free and still keep the 'old' java version just in case.

Getting minecraft away from java is a big step forward. Don't really care about the controller support - it plays infinitely better with a mouse.
 
It's probably written in C++/DirectX, it's definitely not written in Java.

Pocket Edition is written in C++, yes. That's what lends it a fair degree of portability across platforms and devices compared to the original version, and a fair reason for why you would want to use it as the basis for a new version.

The main problem with this isn't so much an inability to mod - most would-be modders would probably prefer C++ to Java, anyway - but rather that the existing library of mods written in Java is so enormous. Having waited so long to move away from Java makes everything much more difficult. (Though, not as difficult as it should be, if only because the existing mod support is so bad that many mods have already become permanently deprecated by version updates.)

I'm interested to see where this goes. If the PE is even halfway competently programmed then the performance gains from having proper memory management alone would open up an entire stratum of mods that are virtually inaccessible to the Java version due to how memory-intensive they would be. People have done some amazing things with mods in the game, but they could do so much more.
 

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Yes, lets control the market by removing the most played version of the game on PC.

Do you guys think they're that stupid?

They aren't going to get rid of the java version, that would create too much animosity towards the brand and Microsoft knows this. They are instead creating a new PC version, this PE/Win10 version, and gradually make it better than the old java version, and eventually players will migrate of their own accord thus preventing MS from looking like the bad guy.

But make no mistake, this is indeed about control, it's just instead of doing it the old Microsoft brute force way, they are actually using a thoughtful strategy this time. But their end goal is of course a controlled Microsoft platform version that they can one day monetize. They didn't pay 2.5 billion to be altruistically generous to gamers.
 

EvB

Member
I'm guessing this is the PC version of the 4J console version of the game?

Cross platform play coming to Windows 10 and Xbox?
 

Trup1aya

Member
They aren't going to get rid of the java version, that would create too much animosity towards the brand and Microsoft knows this. They are instead creating a new PC version, this PE/Win10 version, and gradually make it better than the old java version, and eventually players will migrate of their own accord thus preventing MS from looking like the bad guy.

But make no mistake, this is indeed about control, it's just instead of doing it the old Microsoft brute force way, they are actually using a thoughtful strategy this time. But their end goal is of course a controlled Microsoft platform version that they can one day monetize. They didn't pay 2.5 billion to be altruistically generous to gamers.

Minecraft is already monetize already 'monetized'... And anytime an IP is bought, it is inherently "controlled" by the new owner, just as it was previously controlled by the old owner... But "control" itself is never the goal. The goal is profit. Microsoft purchased the company so that they can grow the brand and profit from it...

Yes one way of profiting from it is by selling it through their own platform. But if they are doing this while offering a product that is built on a superior code base, and supporting the legacy product at least until the new on achieves feature parity, then why continue to attach a word with a negative connotations to the proceedings? Especially, when they note that one of the reasons they've made the purchase was because of Minecraft's prominence on a number of platforms...
 

leeh

Member
They aren't going to get rid of the java version, that would create too much animosity towards the brand and Microsoft knows this. They are instead creating a new PC version, this PE/Win10 version, and gradually make it better than the old java version, and eventually players will migrate of their own accord thus preventing MS from looking like the bad guy.

But make no mistake, this is indeed about control, it's just instead of doing it the old Microsoft brute force way, they are actually using a thoughtful strategy this time. But their end goal is of course a controlled Microsoft platform version that they can one day monetize. They didn't pay 2.5 billion to be altruistically generous to gamers.
They bought the franchise, they already have full control over every version of Minecraft. You have no point.
 
Wtf? It's always about money! They didn't spend $2.5 billion just to 'control'... Lol, I does that idea go down in a board meeting?

Boss: how much will this 2.5B deal net us in the long run?
Analyst: We won't Make any money, sir.
Boss: Then whats the upside?
Analyst: we get to control a popular IP, and destroy everything that paying customers like about it.
Boss: ok, let's do it. We've got to get rid of all this cash one way or another.

Not everything is a big conspiracy. MS, like any other business, tries to make money by producing things that they hope people will want to buy...

This was obviously about securing a well recognized IP, and using it to leverage to bolster their platform(s), and hopefully increase sales.

No you are completely missing the point. Do you realise how much money Microsoft makes out of Windows and Office? Go look it up and then compare it to gaming or whatever other venture they have going on. Everything else is a drop in the ocean.

Buying Minecraft is a method for increasing adoption of Windows 10, which actually matters to them. Suggesting that the purchased Minecraft just to spin a profit is ludicrous and is why they will not think twice about dumping other versions if it'll give a 0.05% spike to windows 10 store users.

Yes, lets control the market by removing the most played version of the game on PC.

Do you guys think they're that stupid?

Microsoft wouldn't care. Worst case, they kill Minecraft. Best case, they drive adoption of their new services. That is a long term game and much more valuable to them.
 

Trup1aya

Member
No you are completely missing the point. Do you realise how much money Microsoft makes out of Windows and Office? Go look it up and then compare it to gaming or whatever other venture they have going on. Everything else is a drop in the ocean.

Buying Minecraft is a method for increasing adoption of Windows 10, which actually matters to them. Suggesting that the purchased Minecraft just to spin a profit is ludicrous and is why they will not think twice about dumping other versions if it'll give a 0.05% spike to windows 10 store users.



Microsoft wouldn't care. Worst case, they kill Minecraft. Best case, they drive adoption of their new services. That is a long term game and much more valuable to them.

There's no way any company spends $2.5B on IP, and then 'not care' if that IP generates revenue...

Yes, MS gaming revenue is dwarfed by their other products and services. 'A drop in the bucket' as you put it. And the gaming community is extremely fickle, as MS has learned with GFWL and The XB1 launch.
So how do you think MS could possibly turn Minecraft sales into Win10 installations by making the IP less appealing to existing Minecraft users? And why would they use a $2.5B multiplatform IP, when they could have used IPs they already own for a fraction of that cost, while pissing off a much smaller number of consumers...

Rest assured, with a free upgrade from Win7/8, and a tons of OS and UI improvements, the number of people who upgrade to Win10 for Minecraft Pocket Edition will be a "a molecule in a drop in the bucket"... Certainly not worth $2.5B to 'control' that tiny amount of people. The Minecraft purchase was an investment, they are undoubtedly expecting quantifiable ROI, and that 0.05% spike in users (which is a shockingly high estimate) who download Win10 for free, then download MCPE for free, wouldn't cut it...
 
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