Hi gang! Yes, a fair warning because you're heading into Shell vent territory. It is a Friday evening, I'm not too tired because of work today (I was in the past weeks) and I'm even enjoying a nice and relaxed mining session. Aya and me headed to an old waste outpost we made and we're re-discovering several things, including something which was on the famous todo list: What makes Minecraft so much fun to me, and why it hardly bores me is because you make your own game. Something I demonstrated earlier right here. But when reading several posts on several fora I sometimes can't help wonder if many players aren't taking some things a little bit for granted. Something which I think is a bad trait because it can come to bite you in the behinds quite easily. First... Minecraft. "When I started playing...", I'm sure this is a line well known to more veteran Minecraft players. So here's the first thing: this usually also refers to "When I bought Minecraft". And that's where things become quite interesting. When I bought Minecraft ("When I started playing") we were at Minecraft 1.7.10, and I was very content with the game back then. We had no parrots, no ocean monuments, no llama's, no stone variants, no prismarine, no purpur, no chorus. We didn't have the most valuable villager ever devised for the game: the Nitwit! Yet here we are. I started playing around March 2014. It is now April 2018 which basically means that I've been playing Minecraft for well over 4 years and I'm STILL not bored with the game in the very least. And here comes a very important detail: the game I came to love and respect back then isn't the same game as it is now. I still love and respect it, sure I do, but what I mean... We have a different combat system, we have glazed terracotta, concrete, purpur, prismarine! We can revive the Ender dragon in an attempt to take over the Empire, we have multiple command blocks and we even have the structure block. At no additional costs what so ever! Yet what do some players do? We complain about it because... yeah.. why? I'll tell you why: we tend to take things for granted. There aren't so many people who can (or who even try!) to think outside their own comfort zone and actually try to place themselves into someone else. Not too surprisingly too in these modern times where some groups more or less try to force you into doing so. But that's way beyond the scope of this post and we are not going there. But I still wanted to mention it because this is a thing. But back to Minecraft. Do you realize some of the things happening in a Minecraft world? Let's say you run /waste n right now and you step outside the outpost. It's dark. So first thing: hostile creates will spawn around you. But unlike Rockstar's premium E 60,- / $ 60,- game Minecraft actually takes care to place these creatures at a safe distance where they won't come in shooting. They don't have to: the creeper simply sneaks up to you and then shares its booming love for ya But also: the moon moves, there is a day/night cycle. Grass tends to spread, so if there are dirt blocks then the game checks that. Some animals eat grass, like sheep. So that can set more things into motion. There can be docile animals around you which can walk around. Optionally even trigger other things. And that's just some things. There could be saplings which need to grow, there could be water freezing or melting, the weather can change, a creeper can sneak up to you and when it explodes.. more stuff happens. When I bought the game for around E 25,- we didn't have tridents, ocean monuments, llama's, not even observers.We do now. So... A small sidestep. At the risk of becoming a little "spammy".... I actually buy some of the software I use. I am a true nutjob when it comes to synthesizers and sound / sound design and because of that I bought heavily into "soft synths". Basically: audio software, so the digital version of a synthesizer. My main working environment focuses around Ableton Live Suite (license is approx. E 800.-), Reason (approx. E 300,-) and Max (around E 650,-). We'll skip the details: this is all "audio software". I'm also seriously passionate about modelling languages such as UML, SysML, BPMN and others. In short: ways to visualize programming challenges in the form of diagrams. These methodologies can help you to study a programming challenge (/ problem) and cut it down into smaller parts which can often make it much easier to develop your solution (so: your software) for it. Because of this I bought into Visual Paradigm; a modelling / design software suite which allows you to address this whole thing. So here's the deal... When I bought Ableton Live they were at version 8. This got supported for several years and then 9 came out. Now, here comes the only reason why I mention these commercial companies: they run a fair game. When Ableton 9 got out I didn't have to cough up a full E 800+ euro's again. Instead I was entitled to a massive discount because I was an existing customer. Therefor I could upgrade my license for around E 200,-. Which ended up to be money well spend. Visual Paradigm works on a subscription basis. When you purchase their software you also get a 1 year support subscription where you're entitled to every upgrade they release. Once that stops you won't get any updates and / or upgrades. But renewing that costs only but a fraction of the initial product. Why I am telling you all this? No, trust me: it's not just to advertise, far from it. When was the last time you paid for your Minecraft license? Alt's don't count See, I basically bought Minecraft in 2014. We're now 4 years ahead, I didn't pay nothing else and I still got the awesomeness which I consider 1.13 is going to be. And everything in between. And so did you. Wouldn't you agree that if you look at the whole thing this way then we got more than our moneys worth? I mean... If we look at those other companies like Ableton, Visual Paradigm or even Cycling 74 (authors behind Max) then they all have one thing in common: they run a fair business (personal opinion!) but they still expect to be paid for newer releases. But not Mojang. Yet here we are... many people even complain about Minecraft for whatever reason. I can appreciate and respect that some players don't care for the combat update. I really can. But people also forget that they got the whole thing for free. And to add insult to injury: if I wanted to I can easily move back to Minecraft 1.8 and keep on playing that. Forget all about the modern nonsense and only play what I actually paid for. Yet we got a whole lot more. And some people are still not happy about it. But... seriously.. not trying to sound patronizing or anything but.. aren't we taking a bit too much for granted here? Now, you don't have to feel bad about this because it's merely human nature. We all do it! Even myself. But sometimes I also feel that we tend to OVERdo it. And that's when I feel the need to vent a little. Just this evening did I learn about a girl (who, in my personal opinion, was quite good looking) who shared comments from her (now) ex-boyfriend who made some weird comments about her looks. I'm not going into details here but the bottom line is: he took her for granted. Right up to a point where he felt he could criticize her for her looks (looks which, from my biased perspective, were actually quite attractive). As a result she dumped him. So do yourself a favor... take the time and effort to stop and think about your environment. Is that really all that common and normal as you think? If you truly stop to think about this you may end up surprised. And maybe, just maybe, you could act a little on that. The in-game organization known as GRIP was somewhat founded on this ideology. Thanks for reading.
I understand where you're coming from but your thought process is based somewhat on assumptions. Take it from me I first started playing Minecraft near 8 years ago, and bought my own account a little while later. It's only been the past couple years that I really stopped enjoying Minecraft. For what it's worth, it's still a really great game, but it's just not for me any more. I love the amount of creative potential the game has, both in its intended mechanics and what else you can do with it. I still get lost in modpacks from time to time because they make Minecraft into something that's more interesting for me to play But all these new updates aren't enough to keep me playing. Yes, we get the updates for free and don't have to put a single penny down on anything but our own accounts, but that in itself doesn't make Minecraft more interesting to play. The gameplay itself has become sort of stale to me and it's just not 'fun' like it used to be. Even the new combat update didn't truly make the combat system less flat. You've still got 2-3 base types of weapons that don't do much other than one stock attack Sure, maybe I have taken the game for granted, but I got lots of enjoyment out of it in the years I actually played all the time. It's just simply that whatever spark was there died out, and Minecraft just doesn't have the same appeal to me that it once did. It's just too hard to get back into the game and enjoy it as much as I did when I first found out about it I still do appreciate the amount of depth Minecraft has despite its simplicity, but I've since just lost interest in the game. There are other games I like a lot more that also offer the same amounts of creative potential, but games with better graphics, better soundtracks, and above all games that are just more appealing to look at and play. EMC still keeps me around Minecraft and maybe some day I will 'return' to playing actively, but for now I just can't find enjoyment in the game like I used to
I agree with Jay. I bought the game on December 28th, 2010. I enjoyed it until, approximately, early 2014. I kept playing, at a vastly reduced amount (at the end, I think once every 4-5 months), until 2017. It was actually the updates that killed it for me. IMO there's way too much stuff that's there for the sake of being stuff in it now and the game has grown stale. There hasn't been an update that added anything useful or shook up the mechanics in years - not even the combat update added anything, really. I also dislike it for how it spawned the whole 'Early Access' thing in which developers/publishers charge full price for unfinished games, keep them in Early Access for years with the updates slowly becoming more and more irregular until stopping completely, or them being released as they are with a price increase since they've already got the money (e.g PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds). I'm grateful for the creative expression it granted me throughout my early teenage years and the depth the game had from its earliest updates, but I don't think anything is being taken for granted - at least from my perspective. Thanks for the useful contribution to this discussion.
Oh thank you. I'll make an effort this time. For 26 dollars, Minecraft does get it's use. Free updates with a lot of added stuff. I started playing in 2015 and then my boredom was off the charts in 2017. The game isn't that fun for me anymore. I just get on, get a sign in bonus, and log off. Just to make sure I'm not derelict. It's not because it's the same thing over and over, there isn't a constant stream of updates. And with updates like the aquatic update, it takes time.there are screenshots I can play around with but even I get bored with those. Not to mention the 3-6 months period after an update to get EMC updated as well. The only time I'd usually complain is if there is a feature in an update I don't like much. And even that I don't go full on anger mode. It's just an inconvenience. I love that the game was made where it is never complete and updates add new stuff so it isn't the same thing since the release. I love that the 26 dollars went to great use and that everything is free afterwards. But if someone doesn't like an update or a feature within an update, they have a right to complain. It doesn't really crack my Apple screen, but I see why some might not like it because it grinds their gears. I'm open to civil constructive criticism. This is all my opinion anyway. (Such a scary word to say in today's world.)
Interesting post. Honestly, I think it's strange that Minecraft Java edition is still being worked on so much. I mean, I appreciate it, but I feel like it can't be worth the money.
Grand Pa Bid's take on this That discussion reminds me how I was eager for change and craving for always new, back then, in my twenties, and yet sacralized the things that kept me linked to my teen years, as a necessary proof of what I was and where I came from.
Exactly, especially if you take into consideration that according to M&M (Mojang & Microsoft) the money is with mobile. Then again... if you read that some people have no problem spending $ 300 - $500 on mobile games "just because" then I think that's not too surprising. But that's also one of the reasons for my vent above: I honestly came to respect Mojang as a company, even under Microsoft control. As you said: even if Java is the development stage right now you cannot ignore the fact that we're still getting new content without extra pay. And I suppose nostalgia also gets the upper hand of me. Every time I ender my storage and add items to my chests I can't help but think back at Skyrim (PS3!) which would become slower, and slower, and slower, and slooooowwwwweeeeerrr. .. every time I added more stuff into my chests at the home I was in. Minecraft? Heck, I've been to TomvanWijnen's & Jelle68's storage and I lived (vs. getting disconnected due to timeout and other nasty issues). But yeah... bottom line, the way I see it, is that Minecraft is one of those games where you truly need to have ways to entertain yourself. And that suddenly gave me some ideas. but... offtopic for now Thanks for all the reactions guys!
