14 DAY TRIAL // Minecraft update 1.8 is now available for download as a pre-release version, ahead of the full edition's launch on September 2.
Minecraft is a true global phenomenon, capturing the hearts and minds of millions of gamers from around the world and across all sorts of platforms, including PC, PS3, Xbox 360, or mobile devices. Soon enough, the popular indie game is also going to appear on the PS4, Xbox One, and PS Vita platforms, further enlarging the huge fanbase of the title.
However, this doesn't mean that developer Mojang has forgotten about the original PC version. Instead, the studio has completed the pre-release version of patch 1.8, its biggest update yet for Minecraft, which is set to include all sorts of major new features and items.
According to the announcement on the official website, the large patch has been in development for almost a year and, as expected, will fundamentally enhance the indie experience.
"It’s time for us to pre-release the next major Minecraft update, the Bountiful Update! This will bring Minecraft to version 1.8, and should be officially be published in the launcher on Tuesday, September 2. This is the update that to date has taken the longest time to create (over 300 days), and is the result of many, many changes."
Besides bringing plenty of new features, existing ones and mechanics will also be improved upon, to result in a much more stable and fluid experience.
"These changes consist of both new features, and large game structure changes such as replacing the hard-coded “block renderer” with a system that is able to read block shapes from data files, or performance enhancements such as multi-threading the client-side chunk rendering. We hope you will enjoy it!"
All sorts of new items are present in Minecraft's Bountiful update, from granite, andesite, or diorite stone blocks, to slime, prismarine, or sea lantern blocks. Various mobs, such as Guardian or Endermite ones, will also appear, while villagers are able to harvest crops and plant new ones.
Plenty of fresh commands for blocks have been added, while extra aspects of the game can be customized by creators.
The Minecraft Realms component of the game now features an activity chart, to see who's been online, and allows players to update their own maps.
All sorts of other changes are also present in Minecraft update 1.8 so expect to hear even more about it as we get closer to its official release on September 2.
Until then, you can download the pre-release version of Minecraft patch 1.8 right now, via Softpedia.