M OR E!
SP pa100 GU E g ID C e ES IA AN L D
gamesradar+
VOLUME 6 APRIL/MAY 2016
M OD S,
PRESENTS
SPRING IS HERE
EASTER SPECIAL
Are you the next notch? Learn to code using Minecraft!
The best mods for the season!
HUNT FOR THE TRUTH!
Amazing secrets you can find inside Minecraft
TOP 10 EXCUSES TO PLAY MOJANG’S NEXT MASTERPIECE
blockbuster!
Everything you need to know in our huge 14 page feature
EXTREME MAPS
Are you top of the blocks?
BE AN explorer Master every biome
PLAY ON Wii U
The best new features
go deeper
Subterranean survival diary
DISPLAY UNTIL 05/24/16
$9.99 US
a to z of minecraft!
You’ll often find shallow waterholes, which are good sources of sugar cane or clay.
8
PRESENTS MINECRAFT
PLAINS T
he great, open grassy expanses on Minecraft are excellent places for finding cows, sheep and pigs to slaughter for meat, as well as horses for transport, flowers for dyes and grass for wheat seeds.
The PC version features a savanna plains variant that appears on plateaus and has numerous trees.
They’re the perfect place to set up farms to gather resources, as livestock is easy to lure back and pen in. The open landscape makes it easier to spot enemies nearby, too, which make plains great places for building your shelters. Useful!
Yellow and red flowers are common here and can be used to create dyes. Use these directly on sheep to make your own multicolored herds.
PRESENTS MINECRAFT 9
to MINECRAFT Going back to school with the ABCs of Minecraft
I
n the immortal words of Motown sensation The Jackson 5: “ABC, it’s easy as punching trees.” Okay, so that’s not really how the song goes, but let us dream/misquote – because we’re bringing you a complete alphabet of Minecraft in all its glory. Minecraft’s all about the fundamentals, you see: the building blocks, if you’ll pardon the pun. Whether you’re going for broke in Hardcore Survival mode or creating a 200-block-high portrait of your cat (hey, we’re not here to judge), building upon a solid foundation is vital.
26
PRESENTS MINECRAFT
Step away from that sandy biome, then, and let’s take it back to the basics. The very basics. In just 26 letters, we’re going to give you the rundown of everything essential you need to know about Minecraft – and, er, probably some weirder stuff you don’t need to. Well, every little bit helps. That’s right: this isn’t your standard school fare. There’s plenty of series staples spelled out here – but there’s also secrets, surprises, and loads of IRL evidence that proves the whole world is speaking Minecraft’s language now. So gather round the glossy pages of this magazine, don your diamond thinking helmet, and let’s learn our ABCs all over again – Minecraft-style. Remember kids, learning is fun!
THE A TO Z OF MINECRAFT
ALPHA Looking at Minecraft now, it’s hard to believe that it was once just an ickle baby, equal parts bugs and promise. Unbelievably, the first-ever version of the game took a mere six days to make. Notch began work on Alpha Minecraft on May 10, 2009, working until May 16 to get it spick and span for its public release the very next day. There was just one mode – Survival – and Notch would frequently post “Seecret Updates” on Twitter announcing or confirming major changes to the game, like minecarts, redstone and sneaking. Simpler times. If you’re getting all mistyeyed thinking about those long-forgotten days, never fear: you can still play ye olde Minecraft through the in-game launcher.
A
APPLE A is always for apple in alphabets, isn’t it? Well, the humble fruit isn’t so basic in the world of Minecraft. Sure, it’s the first food you’ll find, but its mystical powers don’t stop at “can be shoved into your pie-hole to restore four food points”. They’re also a great way to bribe horses into giving free rides, the key to making the super-secret Mojang banner, and like everything, extra-delectable when dipped in obscene amounts of gold. What’s more, Golden Apples are a reference to Greek myths involving apples that granted immortality (we’d prefer Immortality Pizza, if it’s all the same). Munching one down triggers enhanced health regeneration for five precious seconds, with Enchanted Golden Apples dishing out 20 seconds of regen plus absorption. Also, you won’t get scurvy! Always a bonus, right?
PRESENTS MINECRAFT 27
Full of the mods of spring Add a springtime bloom to your Minecraft game with these uplifting mods
inter has finished its chilly vigil! Spring is in the air! The first few brave sunbeams are beginning to pierce the clouds. But how to celebrate this momentous occasion? You could go out and take a brisk walk to see the daffodils. You could springclean your room within an inch of its life until every surface gleams. . Or, you could just stay indoors with Minecraft, and spruce up your game to match the changing seasons. (Spoiler: we only care about the last one.) Over the next
W
52
PRESENTS MINECRAFT
few pages we’ll be taking you through 13 mods that add a touch of springtime to your game – whether it’s to flora, fauna or just overall. These add-ons might take the tiresome toil out of farming, introduce a wealth of new critters to your biomes (we’re so over spring lamb) or even add some new biomes to your, erm, biomes. We’ve added in a little holiday for you under the canvas, too. Whatever mods you go for, and in whichever combination, we hope these give your game a whole new lease of life to match the rising temperatures. After all, nobody wants an excuse to go out in the sunshine, really, do they?
SPRING SPECIAL
botania Some people (wizards, mostly) say that nature is magic. If you showed these people Botania, it would probably blow their minds - the mod’s very concept revolves around the idea of natural magic. While this mod does fill your game world up with flowers of darn near every color imaginable, it’s not just about making things look all prettied up - these new plants also have a range of characteristics and abilities, which are powered by mana. You can generate mana through various means, such as sunlight or leaves, adding a small element of resource management. Oh, and you’re also equipped with a bunch of wonderfully named fancy gadgets, like a mana blaster and a terra shatterer. You’re a botanist, Harry! Read more http://bit.ly/1HNFfky
Biomes O’Plenty What, the existing 16 biomes aren’t enough for you? You greedy thing. Still, we can hardly blame you for having a healthy appetite for adventure. Biomes O’Plenty does precisely what its name suggests: it adds more than 70 new biomes into your game, including the snowy peaks of the Alps, the exotic underwater spectacle of the Coral Reef and the grotesque Nether locale known as Bloody Heap. We
wouldn’t want to spend much time in that last one, we have to say - but we won’t judge you for doing what suits you. Our top tip for springtime shenanigans is the Cherry Blossom Grove, which features beautiful pink and white cherry trees (which yield pink planks of wood), flowery meadows and clear blue skies. It’s all very zen.. Read more http://bit.ly/1KiZAzs
PRESENTS MINECRAFT 53
Could you make the next
blockbuster? Creating games isn’t as hard as you think and Minecraft’s here to help
Y
ou might think you could never create a game as complex as Minecraft but even Notch once sat down in front of a computer, and thought “I have no idea what I’m doing.” All developers started small with simple games and ideas, working through tutorials and trying to learn more. Even Minecraft is only as complicated as it is today because it’s been updated and changed for years - all you could do in Notch’s original demo was pick up and put down one kind of block.
78
PRESENTS MINECRAFT
The thing is, if you’ve spent any amount of time in Minecraft then you’ve already started to think like a developer. Yes, really! You’ve looked at a system, learned its rules and then used those rules to create amazing things. Even the biggest, most impressive build you’ve ever seen started with two blocks being put side by side. A functioning hard drive made from redstone uses the same basic concept as a torch wired to a switch. At Code.org (http://bit. ly/1WWVWR9) you can find series of brilliantly simple tutorials that break down and explain coding, which we’re going to take a look at now in more detail. Next stop: game development stardom and riches galore!
CODING IN MINECRAFT
PRESENTS MINECRAFT 79
Survival Tough it out in weird and wonderful wasteland worlds
Why not try?
PVP: Built for 2+ players, competitive PvP arenas let you and your friends battle for the grand title of King (or Queen) of All Minecraft. ADVENTURE: Are you an RPG fan? This type of map is for you, with its breathtaking environments, awesome quests and enthralling tales. CTM: Avoid pesky mobs and hunt down specific blocks, then use them to Complete The Monument. HORROR: Get confronted by haunted houses and the spookiest ghouls.
92
PRESENTS MINECRAFT
CHALLENGE MAPS
Skyblock
1
http://bit.ly/1P8f7mn
P
robably the most famous L-shaped floating island in the Minecraft world, this absolutely had to make it onto our list of must-play maps. You might feel a bit short-changed when spawning on this rag-tag bunch of blocks: the ad said “cosy”, but what they clearly meant was “impossibly small and extremely dicey”. Even punching the island’s single tree into bits feels like taking your life in your hands. Fortunately, there’s a handy chest of limited goodies to make use of, and if you’re savvy, you can quickly build yourself a hovering haven. Check out the rules and challenges before you start, though, because that’ll help!
2
Water Dome Survival http://bit.ly/1ONObFU
R
emember the underwater city of Rapture in BioShock? Remember how nothing went wrong there? Exactly. There’s no need to be nervous about spawning under the sea, in a glass bubble populated by very little indeed. Work hard, dig a few mines, then snag yourself some Potions of Water Breathing and you’ll easily conquer the eight different domes down on the ocean floor.
World In A Jar
http://bit.ly/1aowOZU
E
verything’s better in jars: marmalade, tiny wooden ships, entire universes… Yep, get ready to make your home in a giant terrarium, because this survival map bottles you like a fine malt whisky. After you’ve done some housekeeping in your jar, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to reach the precious resources in others without, y’know, falling into the abyss. There’s an NPC village to explore, a mushroom biome, and even a maze jar. Things get hysterically funny/ frustrating once you try to shepherd animals from their jars over to your base, though. Embrace the chaos for maximum jar-bound enjoyment.
Desolation http://bit.ly/1lG5u1O
D
on’t you hate it when you’re whizzing around in Minespace, minding your own business, and space raiders appear out of nowhere to crash your party (and your ship)? We’ve all been there. Relive the thrills and spills of surviving on an alien planet in this superhostile map. This is your first port of call for a bona fide challenge: nothing grows without bonemeal; the days are shorter; meteor showers are a regular occurrence; wood and water supplies are sparse; ores are more uncommon than usual. Lovely. We’ll just be over here in our dirt bunker, gently rocking ourselves back and forth and hoping for rescue.
3
4
SkyGrid
http://bit.ly/1R15NS3
W
e decided to save something very special for our final spot. There’s honestly nothing quite like SkyGrid. No need to book an optician’s appointment – it really does look like that, with thousands of single blocks stretching as far as the eye can see in a stunning geometric grid. Map creator (and our new god) SethBling recommends gathering stuff to make a cobblestone generator and a bed ASAP.
5 PRESENTS MINECRAFT 93