From a definitively indie game to one of the biggest games under one of the biggest companies, Minecraft went through a lot more than you might think. For today, I’d like to look back in time – mostly before the game’s official release (heck, mostly before beta). Here are 4 standout features of old Minecraft that were either changed or removed.
1. Old Sounds: Explosions, Doors, Cows, and Oohs
Pretty much every sound in the game received changes – whether by adding subtle details or revising them outright. However, perhaps the most recognizable changes are the explosion, door, cow, and player pain sound effects. The old explosion had a loud, beefy “BANG” compared to today’s “pshoom.” Doors made a crisp and weirdly satisfying clicking sound. Cows mooed a bit differently and screamed in agony on hit, and instead of bones cracking, players shouted a distinctive “Ooh!” when hurt. Before “oof” became a thing, there was “ooh.”
The explosion, door, and player pain sounds changed in Java Edition RC1 (a.k.a. the Sound Update) – the patch after Beta 1.8. Cow sounds remained the same until 1.4.2.
2. The Far Lands
Among the most iconic aspects of old Minecraft is the Far Lands. The towering walls and endless tubes leave quite an impression on those who first see it. Believe it or not, they’re not an actual biome or even an intentional feature.
Check out the Far Lands!
To keep things simple, the Far Lands consisted of bugged terrain past ±12,550,824 on the x and z-axes. The terrain itself forms from an integer overflow error at those coordinates – resulting in an extreme seed for the terrain generator.
In Java Edition, the Far Lands have been fixed as of Beta 1.8. They can no longer be generated without modifications. Interestingly, they still generate in Bedrock Edition.
3. Bright Green Foliage: Before the Biomes
If the Far Lands were the stuff of legends, then the near-neon greens of grass and trees were the stuff of origins. Way back in Alpha, the foliage had especially bright green shades compared to today. These shades remained until biomes were implemented in Alpha v1.2.0 – in which foliage changed colors depending on the temperature value. Really, there’s not much else to say. Among the old features of Minecraft, bright green is one of the oldest.
Tasty green.
4. Food Directly Restoring Health: Who Needs Hunger?
Pretty straight-forward. Instead of restoring hunger (which regenerates health when full), eating food restored health points. You didn’t need to finish an animation either – just right-click, and bam. Instant health. The catch, however, is that food didn’t stack. That meant less inventory space for loot and less health long-term, so you had to plan trips accordingly while being extra careful with mobs.
Run, coward! I hunger!
This system changed in Beta 1.8 – a.k.a. the Adventure Update. Minecraft’s core gameplay got reworked in this update, and its changes and additions remain largely unchanged to this day. This includes the hunger meter, new mob drops such as rotten flesh and beef, abandoned mine shafts, and blocking.
Conclusion
Minecraft back then was a very different beast than today. Times were a lot simpler, but in the end, Minecraft continues to be Minecraft. You punch trees, place cubes, explore, mine diamonds, and swing at baddies. Regardless of the Minecraft that you grew up with, it’s an experience like none other. But then again, there’s also Terraria.
What other old features in Minecraft did I miss? Leave a comment to let us know!
