Minecraft: Beta or 1.21?
Another day, another essay idea that stood accumulating dust, but I'm FINALLY getting this one out there >:]
I'll admit, I do feel like Minecraft did change, but not in the sense that it got worse, like people like to claim a lot. To me, it's the fact that it has developed into something much different from its roots, to the point it isn't indie anymore by modern standards.
But what do I mean by that? Well, the level of polish Minecraft has received throughout the years has gradually shaped its experience into something less rough to the touch - smoother textures, cozier worlds, models with more detail - and that isn't entirely bad. It just grew to have a much larger scale than originally intended. I personally have played on modded 1.19, 1.20.1 and 1.21, and it was a very pleasant experience with my friends.
But before I get around to talking about the newer versions in full, I feel the need to address I've grown up with THIS Minecraft:
My first MCPE version was Alpha 0.5.0, that still had the very old control pad and awkward controls, but 0.6.0 was the very sweet spot for me, with the clouds, signs and extra bits added to the game. The funniest thing with this, however, is that I had NO IDEA Minecraft existed for PCs, and when I got the chance to play 1.5.4 on our home computer, my child brain exploded. I was so used to MCPE's simplicity and rendering that seeing the game take a much greater scale was wild.
In layman's terms, I consider myself a decent enough veteran... I've been playing since 2012-2013, and watched the PE version develop all the way until the Aquatic Update revamped the layout to feel like the Bedrock version we know today. I dropped off of it after that point, because the game was draining my battery an awful lot, and the layout was painfully clunky to use on a phone. My poor heart ached that one time, since it wasn't a pocket game anymore x']
The only way I still play MCPE is through very old versions, since those still retain the pocket spirit that guided its development. What can I say? It's still a fun thing to do when I wish to pass the time. But back to the PC game now, shall we?
The modern days
When it comes to the newer versions, I like the new possibilities and features, yes. I'm both a builder and an explorer in the game, and for someone who wasn't excited over 1.20.1 as a server version, I was pleasantly surprised with how cozy it all felt for me. I actually miss that server world I hosted... the vibes were just so good, and my friends and I had a wonderful time!
In terms of experience, I enjoy the newer adventure aspects! I don't mind the Deep Dark or the underwater temples, in fact I actually loved playing through those with my friends! I don't care about the Pillagers and Woodland Mansions as much though, since I rarely see them, and when I ACTUALLY see them, I end up needing to flee out of their way, due to how unequipped I always am in comparison.
With combat, I have mixed feelings... I like the logic of needing to charge your hit to make more damage, together with knockback and other tactics, but it requires skill to be better explored and taken advantage of. Many people don't know how deep the system can actually go, and may end up not getting the most out of it out of the bat (like in my case, a friend had to teach me the ropes, bless him).
I also don't deny the "spammy" old combat was a bit clunky, but it was more accessible to those that weren't as skilled with the mouse. You can manage multiple mobs with it, while still having the risk of getting hit by them. I also can't deny that the frantic clicking was also panic-inducing in its own weird way. You actually feel afraid xD
My greater annoyance as of now is with the modern textures... I personally prefer the programmer art over the new one, purely because the old pixels carried this modest, inviting feel to it. Something that balanced the simplicity of the blocks with the complexity of the environment.
With the current textures, it all feels so... weirdly smooth? It's not like I outright hate them, I just don't like how some grittier textures feel so blended in. The older ones seemed more recognizable at a glance, and while the smoothness made them seem more natural, I feel weird when it comes to them. If I do so wish to add a different aesthetic to my world, I would go for a stylized texture pack, since those can enhance the blockiness and aesthetic better :p
I think, the one case where I didn't mind it as much was with the Raspberry Flavoured modpack, for 1.19. At first, I didn't know the name of the texture pack they had used, but it's apparently called Peeves - a hybrid rework of old and new textures! (I also wholeheartedly recommend Raspberry Flavoured, it's an awesome modpack).
With the animals getting different models, it feels funny to me, in the sense it is like Mojang is getting heavier inspiration from mods, and trying to make those QoL changes as part of the base game. It's an interesting approach, but it concerns me on how... bloated the game may end up, with so many blocks and features. Makes me wonder if a toggle for the extra stuff could be something doable. But hey, at least we've got all the versions to choose and play by ourselves ^^
Before I wrap this up, I feel the need to touch on the optimization aspect, since we all know it's been a bag worth punching since Minecraft has been around. If you run newer versions through Fabric with Sodium and other performance mods, you may still be able to get some extra framerates on an average PC. I currently don't have the best GPU, it's a potato Intel HD Graphics 4000, but I can still run those versions decently with the right setup and Java. By themselves as vanilla, it can be hit or miss - some versions are an absolute pain, others are surprisingly well-optimized... it takes a lot of experimentation.
It's also in this case where the older versions may serve you better as well! :]
The beta and alpha days
Now, before anyone lifts their hand and says: "But you didn't grow up with the betas!" Indeed, I did not! And that's what makes this topic so interesting, since the nostalgia factor isn't the same as mine with Alpha MCPE. It was its own discovery, like me digging up a fragment of the past, and experiencing it on my own.
There's just something about early releases and betas that hits different. The game seemed harder in the survival aspect, the days were shorter, and the choppy lighting engine never ceased to cause a visceral reaction in me. It sounds silly to put on paper, but Minecraft was essentially a survival horror game back when it was still becoming its own thing.
Admittedly, I had a similar feeling regarding the mood on the Alphas for Pocket Edition, since the engine was still very barebones, but the atmosphere was very much effective. It's a very simple and chill game at first, but things get dreadful when night comes - not only is everything pitch black, but it's much more likely that you're still short on supplies on your first night, and mobs move faster as well. Caves always have a Creeper lurking behind or near you, and the places they spawn feel as if the game wants to watch you jump off your seat.
I don't know how they coded it, but I've had more scares in Beta 1.7.3, Indev and Release 1.2.5 than in 1.12.2 or 1.7.10. And I find it simply impressive that the same feeling kid me used to feel was retained throughout those old versions.
In terms of blocks and materials in vanilla, I like how we're forced to not use a lot of resources to figure out what we want to build. There's also a lot less food you can acquire, which adds up to the challenge of getting everything from the get-go. I've played vanilla Beta 1.7.3 with a friend of mine, and it was a very interesting experience: We had built a balcony over the course of a stone wall that we dug inward to make the rest of the base. It was a very humble resting spot, but I find awesome how the whole thing was so simple, and the progression was paying off nicely too. Our only issue was the farming, since mobs kept on stomping on our crops xD But yeah, maybe one day I'll play there again.
With the modded betas and alphas, I've experienced BTA (Better Than Adventure), Indev+ (from the Legacy+ collection) and ReIndev, and can say all three got it right with Minecraft's old essence. They add content, but in a way that feels natural to the game's structure and visuals. Some add custom tracks, mobs, mechanics and items; others add scrapped features from older versions, but there's always the novelty of rediscovering something that was once forgotten.
I remember seeing people talk on how they loved that those forks felt like parallel universes, as if Minecraft had never updated to Beta 1.8, or never released 1.0. It is something interesting to think about, even though I like to think many old versions have both their qualities and things that were a bit meh. No version is perfect, but a pinch of QoL changes from those passionate modders can go a long way ^^
And my note on performance - even the old versions have their own optimization issues, some more than others... and for that matter, using newer Java versions tends to help with stuttering issues and whatnot. For modding, 1.7.10 and 1.12.2 tend to be the ones with best support, but if you wish to venture further, there are some mods for Beta 1.7.3 and Release 1.2.5, but those require some more complex workarounds, or hacks to allow all the files to work directly with the game.
Wrapping it up
My conclusion with this? Well... I do personally enjoy the betas and alphas more when I'm looking for a simpler, more direct experience to just mindlessly create, survive and have fun, but for tinkering with mods and decoration ideas, modern Minecraft is the one to go for me.
But then- why is there such a gap between old and new nowadays? What actually happened for us to get such wildly different experiences?
My current guess is that, for Minecraft to change this much, the demographic changed, and so did the aesthetic and gameplay goals. What started as a survival horror/sandbox experience in a blocky world blew up as its own phenomenon, and the horror aspect stepped aside to slowly give in way to a friendlier, cozier experience for younger players and newcomers. I also like to think that the educational aspect of Minecraft became the selling point towards children and teens, instead of the survival aspect older folks enjoyed back then, as a way to fix the popularity decline.
As of now, I personally think things aren't so bad - we've got the Deep Dark, the Mangrove and the Nether/Aquatic renovations, but part of me gets the feeling that, no matter what ends up being added in the future, it depends on us, the players, to make the most of what we already have. If we can barely get ourselves to create or explore with the already existing materials, items and mobs, then what guarantees the new updates will change that? We need to rethink why we even play Minecraft in the first place, and what keeps on bringing us back :]
So, as a farewell, instead of us thinking on what the game is giving us, let's think about what we want to give to the game, ourselves. What do we want to build or explore today? What adventures or tales do we want to tell? What do WE want to craft? It's some food for thought, I suppose <3
