Minecraft’s Next Big Update Revealed

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Summary

  • Minecraft Java Snapshot and Bedrock Preview update adds two chicken variants, cactus flowers, and dry grass.
  • Testing new features with the community before release helps spot and fix issues in Minecraft updates.
  • New Chicken variants, Cactus Flower, and Dry Grass provide more variety to the game’s biomes.

The most recent updates for both the Minecraft Java Snapshot and Bedrock Preview versions introduce two kinds of chickens, cactus flowers, and dry grass. Mojang is continually expanding Minecraft, transforming it into a game that deviates substantially from the version Notch initially launched, allowing fans to immerse themselves for countless hours in this ever-evolving world.

As a dedicated Minecraft gamer, I’ve been diving into the Minecraft Java Snapshot and Bedrock Preview for quite some time now. These aren’t your regular game sessions, but they serve as a sneak peek into what’s brewing in the world of Minecraft. Although I can’t carry over my massive builds or railways from my primary Minecraft seeds to these versions, the benefits are undeniably worth it.

Firstly, it lets me catch a glimpse of what’s coming next before everyone else. But that’s not all! It also gives Mojang an opportunity to test new features with the community before they officially launch. This means any bugs related to new mobs, resources, items, and other elements can be squashed before the main client update.

The latest Java Snapshot and Bedrock Preview builds have been fine-tuned with a few tweaks, such as introducing two new mob variants, making some significant changes to cacti, and more!

As a dedicated Minecraft gamer, I’m thrilled to share that the game has rolled out some fresh updates! The Snapshot and Preview versions now boast two new Chicken types, dubbed Cold and Warm. The Cactus Flower and Dry Grass are also part of this exciting lineup. Last week, we got a sneak peek at unique Cow Variants and Firefly Bushes on the test servers. This week’s additions suggest that Mojang is tirelessly working on the upcoming major content expansion for the main game client.

From what I gather from the patch notes, the Cold Chicken sports a dark gray and blue plumage with three feather tufts at the back of its head. On the other hand, the Warm Chicken retains the classic chicken look, but with a golden hue. A screenshot hints that these newcomers emerge from eggs that echo their color schemes!

In contrast to Dead Bushes found within Minecraft’s Badlands and Desert Biomes, a novel element called Dry Grass is set to debut in the Preview and Snapshot stages. The Dry Grass stands in two variations: short and tall. Players have the ability to transform short Dry Grass into taller versions using Bone Meal, and it can be discovered in regions identical to Dead Bush habitats. Furthermore, Cactus Flowers will blossom atop cacti, even those transplanted within player-built structures. These flowers draw bees with their nectar, and once destroyed, they can be utilized for crafting dye, presumably the existing Pink Dye. A snapshot illustrates that not every cactus will bloom, mirroring the natural world’s unpredictability, but those that do contribute to the Desert biome’s diversity.

From a dedicated Minecraft enthusiast here: With each new update to Minecraft Preview and Snapshot, it’s clear that Mojang is meticulously refining more subtle tweaks before they hit the live client. Although the much-anticipated mob vote was called off in 2024, the test servers are teeming with potential mobs like Chicken, Cow, and Pig variants, which could signal exciting times ahead for both current and future Minecraft creatures!

Minecraft Snapshot 25w06a – Patch Notes

New Features

  • Added Warm and Cold Chicken variants
  • Added Short Dry Grass and Tall Dry Grass
  • Added Cactus Flower block which can grow on Cactus blocks

Farm Animal variants

  • Warm and cold variants have been added for Chicken
  • Existing Chicken variant has been renamed to temperate
  • The variant is determined by the biome they spawn in
  • Warm and cold biomes are the same for all animals with variants (i.e. Chicken, Pig, Cow)
  • Two new Egg items have been added for the warm and cold Chicken variants
    • Blue Egg – The Egg that is laid by and can hatch cold Chicken variant
    • Brown Egg – The Egg that is laid by and can hatch warm Chicken variant
  • Already existing Egg is laid by and can hatch temperate Chicken variant

Short and Tall Dry Grass

  • Added two new types of grass: Short Dry Grass and Tall Dry Grass
  • Both are one block high, which makes Tall Dry Grass differ from Tall Grass which is two blocks high
  • Both generate in the Desert and Badlands
  • Both can be placed on types of Sand, Terracotta and Dirt blocks like the Dead Bush
  • Both can be bone mealed
    • Using Bone Meal on Short Dry Grass grows it into a Tall Dry Grass
    • Using Bone Meal on Tall Dry Grass places a neighbouring Short Dry Grass next to the block if possible
  • Both can be used in the Composter
  • Sheep can eat both to regrow its wool
  • Both can be used as fuel for smelting

Cactus Flower

  • Cactus Flower is a new type of flower which has a chance of generating on cactuses in Deserts and Badlands
  • Cactus Flower can be placed on Cactus blocks or any block which has center support at the top of the block
  • Cactus Flowers have a chance of growing on Cactus blocks
    • If a Cactus is one or two blocks high the Cactus Flower has a 10% chance to grow instead of the Cactus getting higher
    • If a Cactus is three blocks or higher the Cactus Flower has a 25% chance to grow
    • Cactus Flowers will only grow if they have space on all four sides
  • Cactus Flowers can be used in the Composter
  • A Cactus Flower can be used to craft 1 Pink Dye

Changes

  • Any block in the simulation distance of a player or loaded by another source of chunk loading (such as Ender Pearls) may now receive random ticks, instead of just 8 chunks around players
    • For example: if a chunk is loaded by an Ender Pearl or is in the spawn chunks, crops are able to grow, Ice can melt, Snow can fall, and a Cauldron can be filled by rain
    • Mob spawning, Lava spreading fire, and Lightning strikes still occur in the previous radius of 8 chunks around players
  • Fire will no longer burn or spread if no player is within 8 chunks
  • Tooltips for Fireworks and Crossbows now show a compact form of multiple repeated stars or projectiles that are identical

Firefly Bush

The requirements for the Firefly Bush to play soothing sounds have been adjusted. Now, it will only play if all these conditions are fulfilled:

1. It’s daytime.
2. The weather is warm and sunny.
3. There are no noisy disturbances around.

  • it’s night
  • Firefly Bush not blocked from above by any collidable block (except Leaves)

Technical Changes

  • The Data Pack version is now 66
  • The Resource Pack version is now 51

Data Pack Version 66

  • Added new allowFireTicksAwayFromPlayer Game Rule

Game Rule

allowFireTicksAwayFromPlayer

  • When true, Fire and Lava ticks can occur ouside of an 8 chunk range of a player
  • Default value: false

Block Tags

  • #dead_bush_may_place_on has been renamed to #dry_vegetation_may_place_on
  • Added #edible_for_sheep – blocks that can be eaten by Sheep to regrow their Wool

Item Tags

  • Added #eggs – all variants of the Egg item

Entity Data

  • The armor and off-hand equipment of Players is now also stored in the equipment field (although items written into the Inventory using armor and off-hand slot numbers still work)

Chicken Variants

  • Chicken variants can be data-driven by adding entries to data/<namespace>/chicken_variant/<id>.json
  • This feature is experimental
  • Fields in file:
    • model – one of: normal, cold
    • asset_id – namespaced id for this variant asset, resolves to assets/<namespace>/textures/<path>.png
    • spawn_conditions – field described in uniform variant selection above

Resource Pack Version 51

  • New and updated Chicken textures
  • Added textures for new Blue Egg and Brown Egg items
  • Added textures for new Cactus Flower block
  • Added textures for new Short Dry Grass and Tall Dry Grass blocks

New and updated Chicken textures

  • Added new textures for Chicken variants:
    • cold_chicken
    • warm_chicken
  • Texture chicken has been renamed to temperate_chicken
  • The temperate_chicken texture has been moved to a new folder:
    • entity/chicken.png -> entity/chicken/temperate_chicken.png

Fixed bugs in 25w06a

  • MC-157196 – Tamed animals cannot be added to a team
  • MC-186241 – World border faces are rendered incorrectly with “Fabulous!” graphics
  • MC-279205 – Leaf litter map color is incorrect
  • MC-279207 – Leaf Litter can only be placed on dirt-like blocks
  • MC-279223 – Country Lode Take Me Home Advancement can be completed in the overworld but is still listed as a Nether advancement
  • MC-279235 – Certain farm animals are not spawned as their cold variant in some cold biomes due to an incomplete tag
  • MC-279242 – Kelp, twisting vines, weeping vines, and cave vines can no longer be stacked above or below one another by placing
  • MC-279261 – Making a mob its own owner causes persistent crashes
  • MC-279279 – Dismounting places player in same space as mount
  • MC-279292 – Pigs spawn as temperate in desert villages
  • MC-279309 – Wildflowers item has a misplaced transparent pixel
  • MC-279464 – Fire placed with /setblock doesn’t tick/burn out
  • MC-279719 – Tooltip description for saddle attribute modifier slot is not translated
  • MC-279912 – You can use bone meal on bushes in situations where nothing grows
  • MC-279914 – The hitboxes of bushes don’t reach the ground and are too wide compared to other similar blocks
  • MC-279924 – Bushes cannot be replaced by trees or mushrooms
  • MC-279933 – Firefly bushes cannot be replaced by trees or mushrooms
  • MC-279950 – Modifying command data storage throws an error
  • MC-279972 – Using /setblock & /fill with fluids of levels at a non-full-block no longer updates the fluid

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2025-02-06 04:34