Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

A place to talk to other users about the mod.
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Gilberreke
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by Gilberreke »

Eh, it's probably all of the above, except for the silly conspiracy theories.

Minecraft 2
A proper expansion of Realms into almost MMO territory
Port to Windows Phone
Aggressive marketing and merchandising
And probably more

Any reason why they wouldn't do all of these things?
Buying a semi-mature codebase for doing a MC2 quick: possible, do-able
Expanding Realms: probable, very do-able
Port to Windows Phone: doozy
Aggressive marketing and merchandising: doozy
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chaoticneutral
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by chaoticneutral »

Gilberreke wrote:Eh, it's probably all of the above [...]
Quite insightful... a multiple approach makes lots of sense.
FlowerChild wrote:It really depends who you talk to though as some people willingly accept the chip implants and adopt a "We are owned by Microsoft. We have always been owned by Microsoft" mindset very quickly.
You know, it kinda makes sense they do that. They can then implement lucrative but unpopular policies little-by-little under the excuse "it was always like that, we're just enforcing it a bit more now". A good recipe for boiled frogs.

[Although those are better deep-fried. With lots of garlic.]

EDIT: although it sucks working in an environment like that and being aware of it...
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Gilberreke
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by Gilberreke »

chaoticneutral wrote:"it was always like that, we're just enforcing it a bit more now"
"We've always been at war with Eastasia"
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TheGatesofLogic
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by TheGatesofLogic »

Gilberreke wrote:
chaoticneutral wrote:"it was always like that, we're just enforcing it a bit more now"
"We've always been at war with Eastasia"
"Does Big Brother exist?"

"Of course he exists."

"Does he exist like you or me?"

"You do not exist.”"
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0player
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by 0player »

This is also bad news because MS is, among other things, notable for trying to sit on everything related of what they own, so you blink, and they start selling licenses for modding. And |Advanced Minecraft Pack" to be able to play with mods. And make mods only compile in their own IDE.
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FlowerChild
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by FlowerChild »

I really don't see them doing anything with mods for MC. I suspect they'll just leave them alone.

I don't see them having any modding capability whatsoever in MC 2, as that interferes with selling DLC. There's no point trying to sell horse-armor when a modder can just whip some up and put it out for free.

If they do, it will likely be limited to a small subset of functionality so the limits are clear as to what's for players to alter, and what's for them to capitalize on. Like "you can make hats, but the capes are all us" as an overly simplified example.
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kilgore trout
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by kilgore trout »

FlowerChild wrote:I really don't see them doing anything with mods for MC. I suspect they'll just leave them alone.

I don't see them having any modding capability whatsoever in MC 2, as that interferes with selling DLC. There's no point trying to sell horse-armor when a modder can just whip some up and put it out for free.

If they do, it will likely be limited to a small subset of functionality so the limits are clear as to what's for players to alter, and what's for them to capitalize on. Like "you can make hats, but the capes are all us" as an overly simplified example.
I sure hope you're right about this. Frankly couldn't care much less about MC2. So long as my ability to play BTW is isn't fucked with, I am happy. I'm amazed at the progression in BTW and I see the fun lasting for many years to come. Cheers!
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EpicAaron
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by EpicAaron »

^^^
Kurt Vonnegut and Orwell? Hardcore Book clubs anyone?

Anyway, Better than Wolves is an un-updated (in terms of vanilla Minecraft versions) and rather niche mod in the community. How high are the chances that they would go after Flowerchild?
I am fine with losing the mess that is Minecraft, but I would be devastated if we lost one of the best mods ever created.
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TheGatesofLogic
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by TheGatesofLogic »

Wasn't that all Orwell? idk…

it's very unlikely that Microsoft would do that, it would be a very bad move in terms of publicity.
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kilgore trout
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by kilgore trout »

TheGatesofLogic wrote:Wasn't that all Orwell? idk…

it's very unlikely that Microsoft would do that, it would be a very bad move in terms of publicity.

The material above is Orwell but my handle and avatar are Vonnegut. :)
Last edited by kilgore trout on Sun Sep 28, 2014 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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magikeh
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by magikeh »

Wow! You guys were pretty spot on with those forecasts of a 'Minecraft 2' ;D

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TheAnarchitect
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by TheAnarchitect »

FlowerChild wrote:
You know, this conversation is giving me the impression more people really need to watch this film:
(Snip)
I think it is extremely useful when considering the motivations of corporations (especially huge publicly traded ones) to keep in mind that they don't really think like or act like (most) people, whatever legal status they may be entitled to :P

I just wanted follow up on this: If you're at all familiar with the concepts of an AI driven technological singularity, and the concept of the paperclip maximizer, it's worth considering the idea that Corporations are effectively a type of superintelligent AI that uses people as a processing substrate, and is a profit maximizer.
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chaoticneutral
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by chaoticneutral »

EpicAaron, kilgore trout wrote:[...]Kurt Vonnergut
Since you are mentioning him with Orwell, then I'll accept it as a reading suggestion...
[Huxley's Brave New World, Zamjatin's We, Moore's V for Vendetta, anyone?]
TheAnarchitect wrote:[-snip-]
This "paperclip maximizer" thing goes side-with-side with Dawkins' concept of memes... a corporation is a memeplex aiming for its own survival and influence in the world. So maybe the acquisition don't need to generate short-term profit, as long as it benefits Microsoft itself [i.e. not necessarily its shareholders] in the long run.

In this case, as FlowerChild said, MC 1 would be left alone - it's ported to the competitors' systems, and changing this would damage MS's reputation and thus their influence. But there would be no backslash if MC 2 was released only for Windows, XBox and W. Phone as a "killer feature" of Microsoft-made systems.

[Not that it matters... I'll be busier with RTH to bother with MC 2 anyway :D ]
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FlowerChild
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by FlowerChild »

TheAnarchitect wrote:I just wanted follow up on this: If you're at all familiar with the concepts of an AI driven technological singularity, and the concept of the paperclip maximizer, it's worth considering the idea that Corporations are effectively a type of superintelligent AI that uses people as a processing substrate, and is a profit maximizer.
Hehe...I tend to think of them as gigantic multicellular organisms that operate on a different plane than we do and where the individual people function as cells (after all: not all of them are decision makers), and which thus operate in a fashion that is rather amoral from our perspective much as the individual cells in our bodies would consider us to be if they were individually sentient.

But tomato...tomato :)
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Sarudak
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by Sarudak »

This is an interesting line of thought. So corporations are like super-intelligent entities that we have attempted to enslave on the one side via the profit motive and on the other side through laws that seek to limit their behavior. But of course they tend to go all skynet on us. Sadly the video is not available in my region :(
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Ethinolicbob
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by Ethinolicbob »

Sarudak wrote:Sadly the video is not available in my region
Change your region?
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TheGatesofLogic
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by TheGatesofLogic »

While I love all of the books mentioned above I will say that I do not strictly believe in the Orwellian interpretation of the masses. While you can certainly make the argument that for a populous to rebel it first needs to step out of a metastable unconsciousness that occurs in all complacent societies, I don't think it's true that rebellion is the only way to wake a populous up, even in a state of unilateral oppression of thought.

This applies to my philosophy on corporate survivalism in that they CAN be beaten, but the options available are relatively narrow. The most effective way IMO is a reprisal of the Old Rich (The Old Rich are generally more left leaning, this should not be interpreted as the elder rich) by way of popular support of heavy reduction on estate-based government revenue. This would appear to benefit the New Rich, but would rapidly deconstruct their population base allowing a transition into a popular semisocialist society. (The New Rich would want an Orwellian faux-socialist society)

What this means, in essence, is that corporations are like evil warlords, but if we provide for their servants in just the right way then they will turn into warrior-heroes who will reclaim the land in the name of popular social agendas :)

As for Microsoft, they have reached the point where they don't even have servants we can push in the right direction, which makes things hard.
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MoRmEnGiL
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by MoRmEnGiL »

Just came across this http://www.gamespot.com/articles/micros ... 0-6423159/
Spoiler
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One of the first things Microsoft could do with the Minecraft franchise to help improve the overall experience is to "unify" the various versions of the game, using Xbox Live.

"I think what we've learned through Xbox Live is something that we can help in unifying a little bit of what happens with Minecraft today," he said. "If I'm on PC I get access to the mod servers; if I'm on console or the mobile editions, I don't. We're looking at how do we bring that whole system together a little more. Because there are other games out there that let me move from screen to screen fairly seamlessly."

Microsoft has pledged to not remove the existing versions of Minecraft for competing platforms such as PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. However, it remains to be seen if Spencer's ambition to unify game experiences through Xbox Live would apply to those versions of the game.

Looking ahead, Spencer said he thinks the Minecraft series has "such headroom as an IP," suggesting it has lots of room to grow. He also said Minecraft is a hugely important game not just for Microsoft but for the industry at large--and he wants to carry this spirit forward.

"And frankly, I love what [Minecraft] means for us as a gaming industry--maybe that's overstating it a little bit," he said. "Kids creating things, playing together, having a good time--it has a role in classrooms. I just think it's good for us. I see us as shepherds of the IP."

Asked directly about the possibility of Minecraft 2, Spencer said discussions about future extensions of the series--which he admitted not everyone may agree with--will come later.

"I don't know if Minecraft 2, if that's the thing that makes the most sense. The community around Minecraft is as strong as any community out there. We need to meet the needs and the desires of what the community has before we get permission to go off and do something else," he said. "It doesn't mean that everything we're going to do is going to map to 100 percent of their acceptance, because I don't know if there is any topic where 100 percent of people agree. But we look at Job 1 is to go out and meet the needs of the Minecraft community first, and then we can think about ways that we can actually help grow it. That's our sole focus."
Hmmm.
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FlowerChild
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by FlowerChild »

I think the final bit where he says "that is our sole focus" is pretty indicative of how habituated he is to spouting any old nonsense that he thinks sounds good.

Obviously, their primary focus is profit (required by law even). To suggest otherwise, even to the point where it is implied that it doesn't factor in at all, is blatantly disingenuous.
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DaveYanakov
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by DaveYanakov »

How hard is it really to say something along the lines of "Our goal is to create a superior product by giving our customers the players the best gameplay experience and support we can"? I could believe that one
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Gilberreke
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by Gilberreke »

To be fair, that article says exactly that in PR speak with an added "of course this might change when we see better profit margins".

What I get from the article is (reading partly between the lines):

- Trying to carry over some of the superior knowledge contained within the Xbox code base
- Without breaking all known mods
- No sequel unless it makes sense
- Nothing I say matters as this is a PR statement

Apart from indicating that the major investment was towards the existing IP, not any miracle plans, I don't think there's much news in there, as those few things are exactly the things we were already sure about. So uh... lots of creeper hat sales? Like we didn't already know that :p
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Epsilon
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by Epsilon »

I just heard they want to produce a Minecraft movie, but they have no idea of what story to tell with it; gave me such a good laugh.
German Video, sorry. here they say, that they have no idea about the story...
This side is in English
Imo if vanilla had gone the way FC did they now could tell a wonderful story. About Steve who someday wakes in a land he doesn't know, and almost everything turns onto him and tries to kill him, while he is figuring out a way to return to home
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Stormweaver
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by Stormweaver »

Epsilon wrote:I just heard they want to produce a Minecraft movie, but they have no idea of what story to tell with it; gave me such a good laugh.
German Video, sorry. here they say, that they have no idea about the story...
This side is in English
Imo if vanilla had gone the way FC did they now could tell a wonderful story. About Steve who someday wakes in a land he doesn't know, and almost everything turns onto him and tries to kill him, while he is figuring out a way to return to home
I see your movie and raise you one telltale game series.

Because, you know, the art style and narrative are the real selling points of minecraft. *headdesk*
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Gears
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by Gears »

Stormweaver wrote: I see your movie and raise you one telltale game series.

Because, you know, the art style and narrative are the real selling points of minecraft. *headdesk*
Art style? It's a nice reprieve from the over the top polycounts that make games unplayable, which is one of the reasons I still play it.

Narrative... Not so much. However, I'll hold my pessimism until more info is released, on the grounds that I enjoyed Don't Starve, which was also a sandbox with plot.
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FlowerChild
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Re: Vanilla Minecraft News Discussion

Post by FlowerChild »

Stormweaver wrote: I see your movie and raise you one telltale game series.
<checks calender>

No...not April yet :)

Wow man, that is probably one of the biggest pieces of "wtf?" gaming news I've heard in a very long time.
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