The likely and unfortunate sale of Minecraft

       There are currently rumors that Microsoft is in talks to buy Mojang/Minecraft.  These sources (Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg) also state that Notch is the one who initiated the talks.  I would say that these rumors are likely true.  This is not based on the reputations of the reporting companies, (Although they are right an alarming percent of the time), but on recent events.

       Allow me to explain.  Notch and the rest of the team have expressed, in recent months, their displeasure at being harassed and second-guessed bu certain types of server owners.  These are the ones who sell items on their servers that are free in the game.  Not original content, game features.  This meant they were not only completely unethical (Selling someone else's content without licence), but also violating the End User Licence Agreement. (EULA).

       There was a big to-do over this "sudden" enforcement, with many of these server-owners, which represent a truly small minority of server operators, making a big stink over being told they can't sell someone else's work.  It was at this point some despairing tweets came out of the development team.

       Then we have the takedown of Bukkit.  If they were to sell the game, a site that allowed the downloading of nearly identical content would obviously need to be eliminated.   This all adds up to a picture that either a sale of the game or company is about to happen, or some other, very major announcement is coming.  Also likely not good.

       The writing is on the walls.  As of my writing 16,646,675 copies had been sold.  If each major update (1.1, 1.2 etc.) sold for 15 dollars (and a few cent) they would make back the 2 Billion dollar price.  This is assuming no other content is sold in game, (it would be) and no money from merchandise, (which there would be).  This would also give Microsoft (or any purchaser) access to the player base.

       I believe this will happen, and it saddens me that the greed of a small few, will wreck things for the vast majority.

      Fingers crossed anyway.  I have never wanted to be wrong so badly.

The Minecraft EULA and you.

       If you are like the overwhelming majority of Minecraft players, the amount of attention given to the End User Licence Agreement seems high.  After all, it affects so few.  Most of the problem concerns Mojang stating that they are going to enforce policies that already exist.  Policies that are already super lenient.

       Mojang created a game.  They allow others to host copies of it and run a server.  The idea has always been that you can run a server, and split the cost of running it among a group.  If some amount of money was made, that was OK.  Server owners charging for elements of the game was not supposed to be part of the deal, and should not be tolerated.

       The whole problem is that Mojang is trying to be nice about the whole thing.  They want people to have fun playing their game.  They don't want people having to pay to get things that are freely available in the game.  This expectation is more than reasonable.

       Not only that, but with the advent of Minecraft Realms they are in the market of hosting servers themselves.  That is, in plain speak, they are graciously allowing server owners to use a copy of their own product to compete with them.  Is it beginning to sink in just how kind they are being to even allow private server hosting?  Granted Realms does not allow mega-server sizes, but it could be easily scaled to do so.

       It would be in their best interest to update the EULA in the 1.8 release to read that: "Non-Mojang-Hosted servers are for private, non-commercial use only.  As such no fees of any kind may be assessed to access them, in part or in whole."  They haven't done this because they are trying to be good about it.  But really, their lives, and the lives of the majority of players, would be easier if they did.

       This all could change due to the sophomoric, greedy, morally-questionable actions of a small minority of server owners.  The continued twitter-spamming, insults, complaints, and threats (Yes, threats) are causing a great deal of irritation, frustration, and disappointment on the part of the Mojang staff.   They are tired of it.  I don't blame them.

       Unlike most, I have read the EULA.  Mojang's EULA is not written in legalese, and is short enough to be easily understood.  There is simply no excuse for anyone to be mad about this.  They were told of the changes, given time to review them and adjust, they have now been warned and even given a grace period.
     
       There is also no reason for Mojang to put up with it.  If it were my choice I would add a phrase to the 1.8 EULA push: "Any attempt to charge for access to any part of the game, other than a server access fee, will result in an immediate revocation of license for the offending party.  This is entirely at Mojang's discretion, and may be appealed."  I might be tempted to leave off the: "other than a server access fee" part, as well.

Multi Core Support and Minecraft

       It was recently suggested in a tweet by Dinnerbone (Tweet) that Minecraft would be possibly be altered to support multi-core processing.  Like many of you I said: "Finally!"  But this brings me to a topic that can't be denied.  Multi-Core, despite being the norm in computers for some time now, is not supported by many online games.  Look up another game you play.  Odds are it isn't supported.

       The reasons for this are legion, but all boil down to not wanting to exclude people with older, or less powerful systems, and trying to optimize across a near infinity of hardware profiles.  While I can see the logic of these, it is a point of frustration for many.  The fact is that the hardware available on the market has passed by the needs of the vast majority of users.

       If you are old enough, you remember having the list of games that you were "so going to buy" the minute you got a better machine to play them on; because your current battle station didn't pack the gear to run the newest games.  When is the last time that happened?  I'm guessing sometime back when people still used the word "Millennium" a lot.

       Back to the topic at hand.  There will be many hands up right now asking why this particular non-issue is being addressed ahead of some real problems, missing features, or other content.  Those are the same questions that are asked in every online game, when any feature is announced.

       The good news is that the developers take the community's interests to heart.  They do listen, and one gets the impression that they care.  Look up the forums for Mechwarrior online to see what the other side of the coin looks like.  While they have reformed, of late; historically their draconian policing of the forums is the stuff of legend.  Or at least a case study in how to turn people away from your, otherwise excellent, product.

       I sit here typing this on an Asus ROG laptop that I have only ever come close to maxing out playing The Sims 3.  (Meh).  So any time a developer says they are going to optimize for multi-core, I get excited.  I want that feature for every game.  I just don't expect it.

Your broken mob farm: or How I learned to stop worrying and love the changes.

       I never will tell someone that their opinion is invalid.  But I will make the people complaining about their mob farms being broken love the new changes...  Well, like the new changes... Maybe "accept" is a better word.

       Minecraft was always intended to be a game of horror survival.  That means you live, but just barely.  That means with enough hard work you might have an adequate shelter.  With enough work, you might even be safe for long stretches of time, despite the constant threats.  It does not mean that farming dangerous creatures is something you should expect.

       "Hey jerk" I hear some of you saying, "there is a large community who play this game just to build things like mob farms and automation."

       Yes.  Yes there is.  Why I have even been known to indulge in creative-mode building myself.  I will not say you are playing the game wrong, as there is no wrong way to play it.  But your complaint about having to redesign your slime farm is misplaced.

       First, Mojang is merely correcting things that were not right in the first place.  A creature that spawns in swamps should be able to survive in them.  Second, there are other designs which will still work, so you can still farm them.  Third, and most importantly, as a designer you should be relishing the opportunity to redesign something.  It's part of the fun of the game.

       OK, that was a stretch.  Having something randomly broken, that you have put a great deal of time and effort into, is really annoying.  But to be fair, this was done to improve the game, not to break your stuff.  I despise command blocks.  They make designing things too easy.  But I tolerate them in the game because they did improve it in many ways.  Not any ways I use, but still...

       The real reason that anyone complaining about changes in Minecraft should accept them is that, unlike every other company out there, Mojang has yet to charge for expanded content.  They are not breaking your slime , or golem farm, just to charge you extra to make it functional again.  By changing the game, for free, they are creating a new user experience, generating renewed interest, and keeping the game challenging.  Isn't that why you're still playing in the first place?

Creeper queen.

I have been playing Minecraft since the beta.  Mostly continuously.  It is an addictive game.  But I have always been bothered by something.  The behavior of Insinuatis dissiluntis viridis vulgaris, or the common Creeper, has always bothered me.

Skeletons and Zombies are undead, hate all life, and so will attack you simply for having the audacity to be alive.  Endermen are like shadow creatures, and will only attack if you "see" them.  Spiders are just giant spiders.  Hunting when it suits them.  Extra-dimensional creatures attack you for being alien.  But what explains the behavior the Creeper?

Really, what does this silent murderer gain from destroying itself in an attempt to destroy me?  Why, in fact, does it creep?  What is its motivation to self-combust?  What , in nature does something like that?

Bees.  Bees do that.  They sacrifice themselves for the good of the hive.  To sting is to die, but the colony lives on.  Hmmm...

It may have been suggested before, and I'm certain I'm not the first person to observe this, but I think we need a few more types of creeper.  We've seen the drones.  What of the ones tending the colony, or the young, or the queen?

The nurses could be found nesting in the treetops of the new dark oak forest biome.  This nearly continuous canopy would make a perfect hiding place for a Creeper nest.  Maybe there would be one especially large tree that would, if you got too close, erupt in creepers like stone does in silverfish.

Once enough of this tree was removed, either by the loss when a Creeper comes out, or by damage, the queen would emerge.

While I shudder to think what the queen would be like, it would be a completely overworld boss.  No journeying required, no exotic creation methods.  All you need is to seek out the hive, or have the bad luck to stumble on one accidentally.

Perhaps there should be some rare, or exotic treasure found in the nest.  Maybe whatever it is they eat would have some effect that could be exploited.

Or maybe they will forever remain a mystery...