Minecraft isn’t a game most would think AI could master, but OpenAI has other plans. They managed to train a neural network to play Minecraft utilizing Video PreTraining (VPT) on a large unlabeled video dataset of human Minecraft play, while using only a small amount of labeled contractor data.
YouTuber Fundy recreated Pac-Man in Minecraft, but it doesn’t play exactly like the arcade version. Why? You typically control the eponymous character in an enclosed maze, chomping down on power pellets, but in this version Pac-Man chases the player. For some, this might be a fun twist, but others may view it as more of a horror version of the game.
Digital artist Ushio Tokura has built the NVIDIA RTX Winter World in Minecraft, and it goes live today. He used NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX GPUs, which means that teal-time ray tracing is capable of simulating the physical behavior of real light, enabling reflections, shadows and other effects, to transport gamers to a winter wonderland, complete with the Santa’s grotto experience. Read more for additional screenshots and information.
Believe it or not, one gamer has managed to build a functional 1Hz computer inside Minecraft that is powerful enough to run Snake and Tetris. Called CHUNGUS (Computation Humongous Unconventional Number and Graphics Unit) 2, it’s essentially a virtual processor that would be as tall as a 20-story building if recreated in real-life. Read more for a video of it in-action and additional information.
Minecraft Live 2021 took place this weekend, and aside from the game updates, Secretlab revealed a collaboration with Mojang Studios. Their first product is the TITAN Evo 2022 Minecraft Edition gaming chair, which is inspired by none other than the infamous hostile mob, Creeper. It comes upholstered in Secretlab SoftWeave Plus fabric, an advanced version of the company’s original SoftWeave material that has been upgraded to be even more breathable and durable. Read more for a hands-on video review and additional information.
In celebration of Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th birthday, Minecraft gets an all-new DLC, complete with procedurally generated locations, whether it be a standard forest trail or beach route to the iconic Green Hills Zone and Chemical Plant Zone. Just like its SEGA counterpart, there are rings to collect. Sure, they may be the blockiest rings you have ever laid your eyes on, but they get the job done and there are also plenty of obstacles to dash past as well as bosses to defeat. Read more for a video and additional information.
Mojang Studios recently partnered with Play Mechanix to develop Minecraft Dungeons Arcade. This new cabinet offers a four-player co-op experience with a fresh approach to the standard version, with a limited number of machines being distributed across North America for testing, and more being released later this year. This arcade version contains the familiar multiplayer, dungeon-crawling gameplay, and adds a new take on all of these modes. Read more for a video showing what Minecraft Dungeons is all about and additional information.
Soon, Minecraft gamers around the world will get to experience their self-created worlds more brilliantly than ever when the RTX moves to open beta on Windows 10 this week, complete with realistic shadows, lighting as well as vibrant colors. NVIDIA is also offering players six new Minecraft worlds to download for free from the Minecraft Marketplace, allowing them to experience what is possible when real-time ray tracing is turned on. Read more for three videos and additional information.
PippenFTS knows that you can build just about anything in Minecraft, but what about the Earth to scale? It’s possible, thanks to two mods: Terra 1-to-1 to convert data from sources like Google Maps into Minecraft maps and Cubic Chunks, which reformats the game’s map layouts to remove the height limit for blocks for recreating mountains and valleys at their proper heights. Read more for a video and additional information.
Countries around the world are going into lockdown mode to slow down the spread of COVID-19, and that includes Poland. The Polish government wants to help the restless students make good use of their time during the mandatory 14-day quarantine, so the Ministry of Digitization is launching a Minecraft server. It’s a part of their Grarantanna program, which is a series of online activities meant to both entertain and educate students who can’t go to classes during this time. Read more for a video and additional information.