Minecraft Forum: Minecraft Forum - News, Forums, Mods, and Texture Packs

The upcoming convention to highlight and celebrate the launch of indie blockbuster Minecraft has no more tickets left for purchase. We're looking forward to seeing everyone who will be attending Minecon! If you didn't have a chance to purchase tickets for attendance, don't worry - we will have full coverage of the convention, which we'll bring straight to you right here on the forums! Check in frequently for more updates.

Since response on the brand-new Weekly Content Contest has been so positive, we are making some revisions to the proposed schedule. One of those changes? Announcing the theme of the week a bit earlier, to give people plenty of time to work on submissions! We want to make sure everyone has a chance to make their entries the best they can be, and have as much fun with the contest as possible. Texture packs, mods and skins can all take awhile to create, and we want to make sure everyone has a fair chance!

This week's theme is: Halloween Texture Pack!

Here's how it works: between now and Wednesday, November 2nd, participants create (or enter an already created) appropriately themed texture pack. When your entry is completed, entries can be submitted in this thread by filling out the following:

• Name(s) of who is working on the entry:
  
• Image(s) of the entry (if there are more than 2 images, please use Spoiler tags):
  
• Download link for the entry:

Any number of people can work on the entry, and we encourage you to create your entry however you like, with whomever you like! When you've completed your entry, fill out the above and post it in this thread! On Wednesday, November 2nd, we will pick out approximately 10 entries, and create a voting thread. That's where everyone gets to participate; we need you guys to vote on the winners! On Friday, November 4th at 6pm GMT, we will tally up the votes, and whoever has the most votes will have a feature article review on the front page that same day!

Additionally, we will announce the medium and theme for the following week's contest on Friday. While we cannot divulge the theme just yet, we can say that the medium will be mods, so keep an eye out for that! We look forward to seeing your entries - good luck!

Note - every Weekly Content Contest will focus on the most recent full release of Minecraft at the time the contest begins. Presently, that is 1.8.1.

1.9.5 PR is now out for testing! You can get the client files right here - additionally, Jeb has asked testers to check and report bugs here, to make sure as many bugs as possible are squashed before release day!

Server hosters can get the new server jar right here.

Addtionally, an updating list of features, fixes and bugs can be found here!

Daniel Kaplan recently revealed a screenshot teaser of the upcoming Minecraft Pocket Edition for iOS! This will give even more players a chance to feed their Minecraft cravings on-the-go. While no set release date has been revealed, the confirmation of an iOS release is nonetheless very exciting news!

Until now, Minecraft Pocket Edition has been exclusively for Android handsets, allowing for the indie blockbuster game to reach even more gamers. Where will we see the game go next? Stick around and find out!

We receive a staggering amount of user-submitted content (and there is much that is never submitted to us directly), and sometimes, we don't know where to start when spotlighting material - there's too much good stuff to pick from! So, we have decided to put this process in your hands, in the form of a Weekly Content Contest!

Every week, we will pick a theme - either of our choosing, or from those submitted to us by you guys! - and a particular medium, such as a mod, texture pack or video. Users will have from Sunday (the day the theme and medium are announced) until Wednesday to submit entries for the contest in the contest thread. Approximately 10-15 entries will be chosen from the submissions, and the community will vote on a winner! There will be prizes, including an in-depth review of the winner's submission, and possibly more - we'll let you know soon!

Details for submitting entries will be covered every week, to ensure that everyone has a chance to get their work seen. We definitely look forward to your participation and entries! Since this is a new feature, we'd like to give you the opportunity to submit some ideas for themes right here in this thread! Next week's medium will be Texture Packs - what do you think would make a good theme? Bacon? Industry? Something else entirely?

MrPixelTech has assembled a startlingly in-depth analysis of the enchanting system (as it exists currently in 1.9.4 PR). Covering nearly every single aspect of the enchanting system - including the most optimal ways to achieve the desired results - this video is detailed enough that a simple summary doesn't do it justice. If you ever wanted to get the most out of enchanting, this video is definitely worth the 26-minute watch - give it a look!

As many of you already know, Minecraft is coming to the XBox LIVE Arcade in the Spring of 2012! What could be better than playing Minecraft on your console? How about playing it on your very own Minecraft-themed XBox 360? Now, you can! At Minecon, Curse will be hosting the Diamond Deposit Scavenger-Hunt drawing sweepstakes! In addition to a Minecraft-themed 360, prizes will include:

• Ultimate Razer Gaming Accessories Pack - x4 (includes Mamba gaming mouse, Vespula gaming mouse mat, Blackwidow Ultimate gaming keyboard, Megalogon gaming audio)
  
• Intel Solid-State Drive - x4
  
• $100 J!NX gift certificate - x5
  
• Sony Ericsson will be providing a Minecraft-branded Xperia play

...and much more!

In addition, we will have a few special events of our own, such as a forum exchange, where people online can communicate with attendees at the show, including a special display set up to show comments at the Curse booth and here on the forums! See your friends and chat with them live, or anyone else who may pay a visit to the booth - attendees will also be able to communicate with forum users from the booth!

In addition, there will be a green screen photo op where attendees can get their photo taken in front of a green screen, and then choose from 3-5 different Minecraft backgrounds! Participant's heads will be morphed into a cube in the picture to make you look like a minecraft character; we will also have props for people to pose with in their pictures as well! The pictures will be instantly uploaded to our Minecraft Forums Facebook page, where people can 'like' the photos. The photo with the most 'likes' will win a prize!

Also, don't forget that we still have a sweepstakes, where you can win a chance to get an all-expenses-paid trip to Minecon! These sweepstakes are only for a limited time, however - entries must be received by October 25th, 2011 - don't miss out! We're very excited to be at Minecon, and we look forward to seeing you there!


Note: the sweepstakes are open to U.S. residents only; we would love to have everyone, everywhere participate - unfortunately, there was no way to get all the legal paperwork handled for every participating nation before Minecon. Don't worry though, we will have something special for you in the future!

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Are you interested in fighting games? Curse wants to know! Head over to Curse to fill out a survey and let us know your opinions on fighting games! We will have the results of the survey for you in a few weeks, so you can find out how you compare with the rest of the gaming community!

Mojang recently revealed that Minecon attendees will be able to play Minecraft on the XBox 360 before public release! Minecraft for the 360 is still in heavy development, but Mojang is definitely happy with the game's progress up to this point. Their main focus has been keeping the game's core experience intact while ensuring that it fits on a new platform.

In addition, Microsoft will be joining Mojang at Minecon to participate in the 360 Minecraft preview. Our poll for the day asks: "Are you planning on purchasing the XBox 360 version of Minecraft?" Vote now!

Minecrafter Etho has assembled a high-intensity dash scenario video, and it certainly delivers on that promise! Featuring an adrenaline-pumping high speed chase to outrun a precisely timed series of TNT shots comprised of a wall of 1000 mini-cannons, 5000 TNT and approximately 15 hours of construction time, this video definitely delivers on high-intensity action - give it a look!


Digital Diamonds is an ongoing look at Minecraft-related videos that have been submitted to the Minecraft forum video section. We'll be selecting memorable videos and those resonating with the community to share with everyone on the front page.

ultek has submitted a clever Star Wars-themed video! Featuring quality animation, nice editing and a surprise visit from someone dear to Minecraft lore, this introductory video sets us up for a potentially amusing future story. Chickens, Endermen, Storm Troopers and more give a masterful performance - give it a look!


Digital Diamonds is an ongoing look at Minecraft-related videos that have been submitted to the Minecraft forum video section. We'll be selecting memorable videos and those resonating with the community to share with everyone on the front page.