by Stone Marshall | Nov 15, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
A unicorn-clad daughter on her dad’s shoulders and a boy with a Pokemon Pikachu hat and green “Creeper” sweatshirt clapped their hands excitedly as they entered the doors to Minefaire, a world of wonder for kids and parents alike who enjoy Minecraft, the sensational Lego-style adventure video game that has more than 33 million users worldwide.
Created as a traveling fair for fans of the popular game in which players use pixelated cubes to build their own worlds, Minefaire draws thousands to each convention. The one at the North Charleston Convention Center was no different, transformed into every Minecrafter’s dream, from live lego stations to a virtual reality playing center to a puzzle-oriented escape room.
Even Charleston-based video game creators, like Travon Santerre who just released dungeon-crawling RPG game “Infinite Adventures,” were on site with stations for kids to take a crack at their games.
Gaming zones, battle stations, learning labs and crafting corners took over the floor, and kids, with their parents in tow, were wide-eyed and wandering from booth to booth.
Zurie Wood, a 6-year-old Minecraft fan whose online name is RainbowCat217, was most excited about meeting some of her favorite YouTube stars, like OMGChad, who were on site signing autographs, talking with gamers and leading workshops and build battles.
She made it up on stage for one build battle, in which she created a virtual volleyball court in five minutes for the “beach” theme, winning the challenge.
Her dad Thomas is also a Minecrafter, and the whole family had traveled down from Conway for the one-of-a-kind weekend. In fact, Thomas (CaptainMot) was going to be speaking at a YouTuber panel later in the afternoon. Both father and daughter are part of the 77th Combine, an online realm of gamers who were meeting up for the first time at the Charleston Minefaire. One of the members had even traveled from Vancouver.
Elsa Mullen, dressed as a shy Minecraft jungle creature called an ocelot, had traveled with her dad and brother from Charlotte for the occasion. The 8 year old had been playing Minecraft for about a year on PlayStation 4. Though her favorite animal in the game is a llama, she had decided to dress as an ocelot, making her costume from leftover felt pieces of her dog costume for Halloween. Her dad, Pete, had helped her make the boxy head to emulate the Minecraft character.
“When I was in college, back in ’92, ’93, I was the first person in my class to use Windows. My best friend’s laptop needed two floppy disks to even turn on, and I had the Sears version of an Atari,” said Pete, who is new to the Minecraft world. “Now, my kids don’t know how good they have it. They have a PS4. It’s a whole different world.”
He had promised to take his kids to Minefaire as part of their Christmas present as a follow-up to a Lego Fest in Raleigh. Face painting, Plinko, purchasing plushes and playing with pixelated swords were all on the agenda, along with participation in the afternoon’s costume contest.
Minefaire lasts through the weekend, open again from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are still available for $39-$69 at http://minefaire.com/charleston-schedule-lineup.
by Stone Marshall | Nov 14, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Talk about a blast from the past — a long lost Commodore 64 classic is making its way to the Nintendo Switch for a great, low price. And with a few remastered features, no less.
Saboteur! originally released for the fan favorite system way back in 1985, bringing the kind of ninja action that you just don’t see in games anymore. But now you will again, as the game is set to debut on the Switch for just $8 with this Thursday’s forthcoming update.
The game has been remastered by its original creator, Clive Townsend, but as you can see from the trailer above, it retains its old-school goodness as you clean house with your badass ninja.
“Now after 33 years, SimFabric, in collaboration with Clive Townsend prepared (a) special remastered version of Saboteur! for Nintendo Switch. In the game you'll experience original mission from (the) 1985 version. Additionally the story will continue with new levels and enemies. Now you'll be able to know more about Saboteur and his dark and secret story,” the developer announced on its page, in loose translation.
As for the special features you can expect from the game, here’s the breakdown:
Original mission from 1985 in two versions ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64
New levels
New enemies
New story
New soundtrack and music
Over 10 hours of gameplay
5 times bigger than original version
9 retro consoles graphic modes
8 language versions
22 special achievements
Secrets and easter eggs to reveal
The official product page for Saboteur! can be found here, jam-packed with old-school action. It’s certainly something for Commodore fans to get excited about, as if the just released stand-alone plug and play system wasn’t enough.
Check out the trailer above and get into a retro frame of mind. NINJA!
Saboteur! releases on November 9, and, again, goes for just $8.00. If you're looking for more ninja excitement for the Nintendo Switch, make sure you check out The Messenger from Devolver Digital as well. It's pretty awesome, as you can find out in our full review.
Now then…how about some Ninja Gaiden love for Switch, Nintendo? We certainly could use more of it aside from NIntendo Switch Online…
by Stone Marshall | Nov 14, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Minecraft’s newest textures are now available for some players with Version 3 released for Java platforms before coming soon to the Bedrock version of the game.
Mojang’s Tom Stone announced the release of textures Version 3 in a post on the Minecraft site that encouraged Java players to try out the new looks for the Minecraft world’s many blocks. The third downloadable pack of new textures comes 10 months after the second one released in January, Stone said, and as of November 3rd, the latest official texture pack from the Minecraft team is now available for Java players.
“Minecraft: Java Edition players can try Version Three today!” Stone said about the release. “This pack will also be coming to all versions of Minecraft that have the Minecraft Marketplace very soon as a free download and we'll update this story as soon as it's available.”
The tweet below from the official Minecraft account showed off some comparison images with the previous texture packs on the left and Version 3 shown to the right. For Java players who want to experience the new textures for themselves, Mojang provided a step-by-step list of instructions for copying the new files over to their game to replace the textures.
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Minecraft
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@Minecraft
We spoke to @JasperBoerstra about the new Minecraft Textures! Java players can download Version 3 of the texture pack from http://Minecraft.net today, and it's coming VERY SOON to bedrock!https://minecraft.net/article/try-new-minecraft-textures …
11:59 PM – Nov 3, 2018
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Players should start getting used to the new textures when possible because what’s found in Version 3 will eventually become the default textures. Stone asked Minecraft texture artist Jasper Boerstra what would happen to the old textures with the artist responding to say they’d be replaced before long, but not before more changes are potentially made.
“These new textures will eventually replace them all and become the default textures of Minecraft,” Boerstra said about the texture changes. “They're not yet final though, and still in development, that's why I'm taking in all the community feedback first. The original textures will be available for free later. This might be directly in the game or somewhere else. We haven't decided yet.”
Boerstra mentioned the main feedback he’d received was that blocks and other things looked blurry due to the use of anti-aliasing and Minecraft’s inherent low-resolution nature, so he cut back on the use of the art technique to give everything a crisper look.
Minecraft’s Version 3 textures are now available for Java players with the full releases for all platforms coming later.
by Stone Marshall | Nov 13, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
The Minecraft Marketplace had its biggest month since we began tracking it in September. Fans downloaded 1,351,438 marketplace creations throughout the month. Downloads were up from 373,361 in August and 669,795 in July. That applies to the unified version of Minecraft that runs across mobile, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows 10.
That huge growth was likely due to a combination of factors. Third-party content creators had some big new releases on the Marketplace, and the MineCon Earth fan event gave away some free downloads. The Minecraft Team will want to carry that momentum forward, and it should have a good chance of doing so with the gift-giving holidays coming up soon.
Microsoft and Mojang have also done a lot of work to engage Minecraft fans. During the MineCon Earth fan gatherings, the companies partnered with Target for local event and to sell new merchandise. This likely also reminded players that they can buy currency cards with cash to make digital Marketplace purchases. It’s impossible to say if that will lead to future months of more than a million downloads. For now, however, the people who make content for the platform are likely just happy to see those kinds of numbers are possible.
Let’s get to the charts.
Top 10 most downloaded
Here’s the list:
Grid Runners by Noxcrew
Abstraction: Minecon Earth by Jibarbov Productions
City Life by PixelHeads
Millionaire Mansions by Noxcrew
Mineville Highschool by InPVP
Zombie Apocalypse by PixelHeads
Mine Zoo by Cyclone Designs
City Mash-Up by Everbloom Studios
Oakridge High by Aurrora and Syclone Studios
Castle & Dragons by Noxcrew
Top 10 highest grossing
City Life by PixelHeads
Millionaire Mansions by Noxcrew
City Mash-Up by Everbloom Studios
Zombie Apocalypse by PixelHeads
Mine Zoo by Cyclone Designs
Zoo by Shapescape
Extreme Sky Block by Mineplex
Castles & Dragons by Noxcrew
Papercraft Adventure by Jigarbov Productions
Mineville Highschool by InPVP
That’s September. We’ll have the results from October soon.
by Stone Marshall | Nov 13, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
Now that Minecraft is on every computing device save for smart fridges, it’s not a big surprise to hear that it will soon be making its way to a streaming service in a fashion: Minecraft: Story Mode is debuting on Netflix on November 7, 2018.
This is usually the paragraph where I tell people about the game, but come on. It’s Minecraft. Minecraft: Story Mode was originally a point-and-click adventure made by Telltale Games. That spin-off has now been spun off yet again into a Netflix series.
While television shows and movies based on video games are pretty hit-or-miss, Netflix’s Minecraft: Story Mode will at least make an effort to stick to its gaming roots. It will be an interactive show that can make use of pretty much any television remote that has directional keys. Netflix has had a few ventures with interactivity in the past with classic properties like Stretch Armstrong. You likely won’t see anything too complex; the trailer on the show’s web page displays a few of them and they boil down to “Choose A or B” kinds of decisions.
Five episodes have been produced in total. The series will utilize the voice talents of Sean Astin, Patton Oswalt, and Catherine Taber.
Telltale Games was making a video game based on Stranger Things which was revealed last year; the developer had subsequently been fined after the game’s existence has been leaked. The streaming company indicated that they’ll be sticking to videos for the moment. Of course, they’ll still be perfectly happy to snap up licensed IP like Minecraft, The Witcher, and others for their own adaptations.
This interactive television show was the one core project that was being worked on by Telltale Games after most of their staff had been laid off, although odds are good that the rest of the final The Walking Dead game will see the light of day.
Minecraft: Story Mode will debut on Netflix on November 7, 2018. Be sure to pop over to the show’s web page and have a look at the trailer!
What do you think of Minecraft: Story Mode coming to Netflix? Are there any other game properties that you think would make for a good adaptation by the streaming service? Let us know in the comments below!
by Stone Marshall | Nov 12, 2018 | Awesome Book News, Free, Intro, Minecraft News, Minecraft questions, news, parent-news, State of Stone, Stone Marshall Book News, Stone Marshall Books, Stone Marshall Club, Stone Marshall Minecraft Adventures, Uncategorized |
When I first walked through the double doors of Great Ormond Street Hospital, it was a little before midnight. The cavernous reception stood before me, with people bustling back and forth. There was a bizarre ambiance: sombre yet fuelled with adrenaline. Parents and guardians shuffled from foot to foot outside, chain-smoking or making calls. My daughter had been rushed in after a car accident and standing within the famous hospital for kids was daunting for me at the age of 24. Even during the day, the hospital can look imposing: a blue-and-white NHS awning sandwiched between monumental architecture, ambulances coming and going, dropping off precious cargo.
My daughter never recovered, but we were there for five days before she died. I watched as kids came and went through inpatient and outpatient wards, being treated for everything from broken bones to life-threatening cancers. Beyond the reception, the wards are decorated with colourful murals to relax the children, and a trip to the roof reveals a wonderful 3D diorama of Pixar's Finding Nemo for kids to explore between treatments. For a child, the idea of going to hospital for any reason is scary, and companies across the world are doing all they can to help children in this situation.
Teams at GOSH are constantly attempting to break down the fear that can overcome children who will be receiving treatment on-site. After recently introducing an inflatable MRI scanner to help kids adjust to the cramped conditions of the real thing, they've gone a step further and built the entire hospital within Minecraft. Now children and parents can tour the hospital virtually, exploring the wards and the different departments they may have to attend. This sounds at first like another story of a vast DIY building project within the Mojang game, but in this case the hospital struck a partnership with Minecraft owner Microsoft to ensure high-quality work and parity with the building.
The walkway to the main entrance of Great Ormond Street Hospital, in Minecraft.
“The project took around two months to complete,” says Lee Stott, senior software engineer for Microsoft UK. “As you'd expect, lots of research went into building Great Ormond Street Hospital in Minecraft.” But it wasn't an easy project to manage. Minecraft blocks are one meter thick, which skews the dimensions of the hospital. “To work around this, each floor is separate and the buttons at the elevators simply teleport the player from the elevator on one floor to another.” Microsoft and a crew from professional Minecraft build team Shapescape were provided with hundreds of images and video clips – and, crucially, they were able to study floor plans which have been constantly updated since before the turn of the 20th century.
“Throughout the project, we worked with Shapescape, a company steeped in heritage amongst Minecraft Content Creators, who have previously recreated places such as Trafalgar Square, Chicago and Florence. We trusted them to build the most realistic experience possible using their team of more than 30 people from 11 different countries,” explains Stott. The project will allow children to explore the hospital on computers and soon also in VR. No section of the hospital is off limits, from Paediatric Intensive Care to the café or the golden chapel. The possibilities this generates are seemingly endless; community staff on-site could set challenges for the kids within the game, or use it as a tool for them to meet others their age in similar situations.
The hospital's main reception.
Academic studies are increasingly showing the benefits that video games and the supporting technology can bring to the healing process. Away from Minecraft, companies are using emerging technology in exciting ways. “Today, hospitals are using games to encourage socialising, create a distraction and even aid in therapy. We've seen cases where gaming or virtual reality have enabled patients to focus on those activities while nurses have swapped out bandages covering a severe burn or taken a blood sample,” explains Stott.
In fact, Hermes Pardini Labs in Brazil has been using VR to distract children while being vaccinated. The nurse will fit a VR headset onto the child and follow along with a story on a second monitor, ensuring that their movements and actions mirror those of the magical fairy the child can see. When the time comes to inject the vaccine, the child is being given a ‘powerful shield stone' which will protect them in life. The study accompanying this form of treatment has seen great success and a decrease in upset children.
The VR vaccination project from Brazil.
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Back in the UK, Microsoft is hoping that it will see a similar effect from its work at GOSH, thanks to the accessibility of Minecraft. “Kids at different levels of experience and ability can play together in the same world, and whole families can join each other on adventures or work on collaborative projects,” says Stott.
The possibilities don't end with recreating Great Ormond Street Hospital, as Naomi Owen, PR for the hospital's charity, explains: “We see this as a big project and one that can be explored with other hospitals across the world and bring new ways to interact.” Another way Microsoft is helping GOSH is with the Cystic Fibrosis team. Cystic Fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time. A defective gene causes mucus to build up within the lungs and other organs, meaning the child has to engage in a ‘clearance exercise' for 40 minutes per day.
An exterior view of GOSH.
Stott talks about how the Microsoft team is helping to alleviate the boredom and mundanity of this daily routine with Minecraft. “In order to help with this aspect of the disease we have been working on a project that we call project Fizzyo, which gamifies the Cystic Fibrosis exercise through custom hardware that turns standard airway clearance devices into a game controller. To further boost participation, we have created a Minecraft mod with custom blocks that allows children to construct their own Fizzyo games inside of Minecraft itself. To do this we've introduced two new types of block to Minecraft. The Fizzyo block glows and emits red stone power as the participant carries out their airway clearance exercise.” There is also an ‘exercise tracker block' which provides an interface to configure and track the exercise's needs into the game.
“This is all about helping patients and their families at the most challenging time of their lives,” says Owen, “and we hope that this technology leads to more ground-breaking uses to be rolled out across the NHS.”
So how does it feel to walk through this version of Great Ormond Street Hospital? I decided I would walk the route that is burned into my brain from my time there. While many years have passed, and the hospital has evolved, I was able to begin from the entrance, next to the statue of Peter Pan, wander through the brightly lit foyer and ‘ride the elevator' up to the Seahorse ward. I walked the corridors to PICU, saw the beds lined up under the windows, passed the room where my daughter spent her final moments. And even in the blocky, pixelated view before me, my memories unravelled. I'm not a child who needs treatment, but I am a bereaved parent who finds comfort in those hallways and sees how special this project can be for those who need it.
