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Game Description

Minecraft is an indie game, developed by Mojang, made by Notch which focuses on letting the player choose how to play. It allows players to build anything they want out of textured cubes in a 3D world. The game is divided into two main modes: free classic and the paid full-game. It has both single and multiplayer capabilities, with the inclusion of both LAN and Server hosted connections. Minecraft currently runs on four distinct platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Android/Apple mobile devices and Rasberry Pi.

Major Versions

These are the multiple versions of the game, each from a different stage in development.

InDev - an early survival mode, without crafting and had a short world limit.

InfDev - another early survival mode that started infinite world generation.

Classic - is entirely construction. It has an unlimited material supply, no mobs, and no health. It lacks goodness and many of the items that are in the alpha/beta/full-game and does not have a day/night cycle.

Alpha - came between Classic and Beta, the Alpha stage drew the vast majority of Minecraft players to the game, the game requires players to acquire resources themselves. It contains mobs, health, and additional features and items. The gameplay is inspired by Dwarf Fortress, Dungeon Keeper, and Infiniminer. The main update of the Alpha stage was the October "Halloween Update", which added a lot of new items and features to the game.

Beta - similar to Alpha. Stage required the player to collect resources and craft tools and weaponry. The only difference between Alpha and Beta is the addition of more items, these items were included per-patch/update. Click here for a brief video of a mining accident and general gameplay. The main update of Beta was "the 1.8 Adventure Update" in which the gameplay was astronomically modified along with the addition of Strongholds (massive, ancient-looking dungeons).

The full-game - final stage of the game, the full-game version was released on the 11th November, 2011 and, to celebrate, Minecon followed.

Pre-Releases - Mojang also pumps out updates to download so you can test and have an oppinion on the next update.

Minecraft was developed for about a week before its first public release on May 17, 2009 on the TIGSource forums, where it gained a considerable level of popularity. It has been continually updated and patched since then. While it was still in Alpha, it gathered several hundred-thousand sales and received critical notice and acclaim from many reviewers. It passed one million units sold on January 12, 2011, less than a month after reaching Beta.

Yogscast

Main Article: Minecraft Series

In late 2010, the Yogscast started

making Minecraft videos and their subscriber base exploded. Since then, there have been three seasons of the Minecraft Series, the third of which being "Shadow of Israphel", which is ongoing. They offer "play-throughs" of various types of maps, such as Planetoids, Survival Island, Gourd Avenger, Forgotten Temple, The Crevice, Prof. Grizwald, Star Trek, Four Towers and many more.

They also release frequent summary videos when an official Minecraft update is released that showcase the additions and features of the update (this has been done since Beta 1.2). In addition to this, Simon and Lewis do a mini series called 'YogLabs', where they test out various mods. All members of the Yogscast either make Minecraft videos or appear in Minecraft videos.

Major Updates

Seecret Friday updates (Alpha): Various updates that added minor fixes to the game.
Halloween Update (Alpha): Added jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins, fish items, clocks and the Nether
Adventure Update pt. 1 (Beta): Added strongholds, silverfish, hunger, increased combat abilities, sprinting, endermen, melons and villages.
Adventure Update pt. 2 (Full game): Continued by putting villagers in the villages, added The End, was the official release of Minecraft.
Pretty Scary Update (Full game): Added various decorations like pots and frames, ability to dye armor and collars, new potions, wither skeletons and the Wither boss, carrots and potatoes, with the ability to control where a pig goes using carrots.
Redstone Update (Full game): Major tweaks to redstone, how it behaves, new redstone devices, changes to bonemeal, addition of Minecraft Realms, TNT carts and Nether quartz. Skeletons shoot at faster rates.
The Mobs Update (Full game): Jeb has tweeted he has plans to add much more mobs to minecraft in 1.6, such as horses. DrZhark, creator of Mo' Creatures, is working with Mojang to create these mobs.
Minecraft 2.0 (Used as an April Fools joke by Mojang): Adds many things the community has requested for a very long time, such as horse mobs. Also adds things Notch originally thought impossible, such as tinted glass. Some other changes include hostile chickens, exploding animals, TNT slabs, burning out of torches and much more. For the full changelog, click here.