Minecraft

[Joose]

I found a little tower.

I think the biggest improvement in 1.8 for me was the way biomes are handled. It feels much more like a world, less like a terrain generation showroom.

[shot2bits]

I think I agree, the mods once all the tools and code are released are going to be immense.
There are already some massive game-changing ones out there, but the final ones will be incredible.

1.9 promises spendable experience, I wonder if NPCs will be included in that update to populate the villages, mines and strongholds?

IIRC, in a video i saw a couple of weeks ago of Notch explaining the features coming in 1.8 he said the npc's would be coming in the next patch.

[Mr. Johnson]

Apparently the official 1.8 is out now, but minecraft.net is down, so we still have to wait.

[spoodie]

I like their error page.

[spoodie]

I've put up a temporary server for testing out multiplayer: 94.168.89.232 (mc.spoodie.com should also work in an hour or so)
It's hosted on a home machine so may lag if more than 3-4 people are on. Everyone should be an op, with access to all commands. You can even switch yourself to creative mode, but I'm not saying how.

[Stoat]

I can't decide if the new health system is more or less terrifying.

[shot2bits]

I can't decide if the new health system is more or less terrifying.

For me so far its more.

This is mostly because the only mobs ive seen so far are sheep and skeleton, neither of which drop fuds, hoping a piggy shows up sometime soon.

[spoodie]

Cows drop food as well now and you can harvest wheat easier. Also there may or may not be a food drop from an enemy mob, which you may or may not want to eat.

[Dog Pants]

I love the new health system. The need for food really drives you out of your little hidey holes and horses you to potter about above ground among the monsters. So it's scarier really, or else I wouldn't prefer it. I'm also playing self inflicted hardcore mode where I delete a world if I die, just for the added challenge.

[Grimmie]

Join the wheat revolution!

Bread's been my sustainable foodstuff of choice for ages.

You can even grow it underground!

[Dog Pants]

I've been trying, but I've not survived long enough to see a crop. Lava courtesy of a skeleton's arrows got me this time.

[spoodie]

but I've not survived long enough to see a crop.

I think you can get wheat seeds from wild grass and you just have to punch them.

[Dog Pants]

Yeah, I've started them off, I just die before they finish growing.

[fabyak]

Oops, I think the server just keeled over

*wasn't doing nothing honest guv*

[spoodie]

I keeled it. Didn't think anyone would be on. But I've restarted it with 1.8.1.

[fabyak]

No probs! I was just having a little play with 1.8

Feel free to keel away again, I have a mountain of work I should do today and my boss is due in soon

[Stoat]

Yeah, I've started them off, I just die before they finish growing.

Don't forget Bonemeal for making stuff grow instantly.

[Dog Pants]

Oh! Nice tip, I remember something about that now.

[Grimmie]

Unlimited foods

Ingredients
3 wooden planks
1 red mushroom
1 brown mushroom
N skeleton bone (where N is however many you can acquire)

Method
Find some bare grass with plenty of clearance above
Plant a red mushroom and a brown mushroom a fair distance apart
Apply bonemeal from the skeleton bone to each one
Punch the giant mushrooms apart with your bare fists (they will drop MORE mushrooms)
Make a V shape using the wooden planks on a crafting table to make 4x wooden bowls
Place red and brown mushrooms vertical above the bowl on the crafting table

Mushroom stew! It restores all hunger bars as far as I know, and only requires you to dead the odd skeleton.

[Dog Pants]

I've not seen a mushroom (in 1. yet