This article explores an alternate timeline for Minecraft, showcasing features that were considered but never implemented by the game's creator, Markus "Notch" Persson. Using a mod called "Duty and Adventure," which adds features Notch wanted to implement in early Minecraft versions, the author demonstrates what the game could have looked like. Some of the features explored include:
- Cherry blossom trees, which were considered but never added to the game.
- Colored wood, which was tested by developers but ultimately not included.
- Spike traps, which were proposed but replaced with sticky piston blocks.
- Steel, which was planned as a craftable material but never implemented.
- An older version of the recipe book, which would have been more complicated and required players to learn crafting recipes through experimentation.
- A different creative inventory system, with a smaller search engine and unsectioned blocks.
- Seasons, which would have changed tree textures and other environmental details but not affected gameplay.
The article invites readers to imagine what Minecraft would be like if these features had been included and to share their thoughts on which creative direction they prefer.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Minecraft's development started with Beta 1.8, part 1 of the Adventure Update.
2. The Adventure Update added most of the basic functions that Minecraft has today.
3. The content in Minecraft today was not planned from the beginning.
4. The game's developer, Markus "Notch" Persson, made small decisions that shaped the game over time.
5. A developer named Dinnerbone replied to a tweet about adding cherry trees to Minecraft.
6. Cherry trees were considered for addition to Minecraft, but were not implemented.
7. The game's developer, Dinnerbone, tested colored wood, but it was not added to the game.
8. The game's developer, Night, considered adding spike traps to the game.
9. The spike traps were meant to be retractable using a Redstone mechanism.
10. Instead of adding spike traps, Night added sticky piston blocks to the game.
11. A mod called "Duty and Adventure" adds features that were considered but not implemented in Minecraft.
12. The mod includes cherry trees, colored wood, and spike traps.
13. The game's developer, Night, considered adding granite to the game in an older style.
14. Granite was eventually added to the game, but in a modern style.
15. Version 1.7 of Minecraft added new biomes, including carvings, plateaus, and savannas.
16. The game's developer, Night, considered adding steel to the game.
17. Steel would have been created by combining carbon and iron on the crafting table.
18. Steel would have been used to make armor more powerful than iron but less powerful than diamond.
19. The game's current recipe book is modern and sectioned by blocks and items.
20. An older version of the recipe book would have been more complicated to use.
21. The game's developer, Dinnerbone, started working on adding seasons to the game.
22. The seasons would have changed every 500 days, which would be equivalent to a year in Minecraft.
23. The seasons would not have affected gameplay, but would have changed tree textures.