This beta version does not change the fundamental basics of the game. However there are some fun new additions to the game and some aesthetic improvements. For example, villages now have MPCs, lilly-pads have been added to water which can be collected and the netherworld has randomly generated strongholds. Other minor elements have been reintroduced, such as roses, or subtly changed such as the way snow now collects on top of ice.

If you're not sure how to play Minecraft or are a newcomer to the game, we recommend you check our beginners guide and read the full review of the stable version. Also, note that to install this beta version, you simply need to put the downloaded file in folder where you have hosted your game data within AppData. To play Minecraft, you need to download a license from the developer site.

Minecraft beta is a must for all hardcore fans of the game.

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How to get started in Minecraft

Your world in Minecraft is randomly generated, and you appear in a land surrounded by water, with mountains, valleys, trees and animals. It's not clear what to do except explore to begin with but as the sun sets, monsters appear, who will kill you. Survival is impossible in the open, so you need to build a shelter to hide out in for the first night.

Collecting wood from trees, coal and stone from cliffs, you have to use your inventory to create tools, planks and more. Once you know how, mining and building is pretty quick, and you can create some really cool structures.

Minecraft realms

A new realm has been added to Minecraft, which allows faster travel through the huge worlds. Called The Nether, it resembles Hell, and is full of flowing lava and monsters. You can access The Nether using portals made from Obsidian you have mined. Also, when you create a new Minecraft world, it will now be more varied, with 'biomes' of different landscape, like desert, tundra and snow. NPC (non player characters) now roam villages, which can serve as early shelters for you at night, if you can find them!

Version 1.0 has some nice cosmetic changes, including an HD texture pack, better lighting from torches and even prettier sunsets and sunrises! The game launcher also looks better. There is now a 'Creative Mode', which makes you invincible, gives you unlimited resources, allows you to fly, and fast forward/rewind time! This mode is ideal for players who just want to get on and build cool stuff, without worrying about staying alive.

Minecraft is a wonderfully inventive sandbox game that really deserves the title, as your creation in it is only limited by your imagination and time!

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Set up

Like the game, Minecraft Server doesn't come with instructions and can be challenging for beginners. You can find a tutorial here. In essence setting up takes four steps:

1. Download Minecraft Server.
2. Execute and configure the server.
3. Check your Firewall settings.
4. Open the Minecraft game client and connect to your server.
Once you're up and running, your friends can join you using your computer's external IP address. Minecraft will then play as usual, but won't be such a lonely experience!

If you can put the time into setting up Minecraft Server, it can be a lot of fun. However, compared to most commercial games, it's incredibly complex!

Performance

The more players you have in Minecraft Server, the more resources it will consume - if your Mac is not very powerful, you may notice some lag and fan noise!

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To install MCPatcher HD Fix, simply double click on the Patch file. Then open Minecraft, click Mods and Textures Packs and select the pack you want. Of course, you need Minecraft texture packs already installed or downloaded to switch between them. If you still can't see them, make sure you go to the Minecraft root folder and copy and paste some some texture packs into the "texturepacks" folder. Note that on Macs, MCPatcher HD Fix is a Java application.

If you want to switch between texture packs more easily in Minecraft, MCPatcher HD Fix is an effective solution.

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In Far Cry 3 for Minecraft, Mods include weapons, tools and environments. The map features key characters, including Vaas, Jason and Citra, all completely redesigned in classic Minecraft-style. Although the gameplay obviously can't live up to Far Cry 3 itself, the developer has made things more interesting by adding over 50 hidden Easter eggs throughout the map.

If you're a Minecraft and Far Cry 3 fan, then you should definitely try Far Cry 3 for Minecraft.

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To initially install it, the process is a bit tricky but afterwards it makes life much easier. To install ModLoader, go to the Start Menu and select "Run". Type in “%appdata%” and you'll be presented with the .minecraft/bin folder. You must then open the minecraft.jar with a tool such as The Unarchiver or Keka. Finally, drag and drop all downloaded files into minecraft.jar. The last step is to delete the META-INF folder. If you have any problem, there's a handy How to install ModLoader for Mac tutorial video to help you out.

ModLoader for Minecraft makes installing mods into Minecraft much easier.

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ModLoaderMP works with mods that ModLoader doesn’t such as Flans Plane Mod, SDK Guns Mod and Minecraft forge. ModLoaderMP is mainly for Mods that can be used on Minecraft Multiplayer Servers, hence the name ModLoaderMP (Multi player). The installation process for ModLoaderMP is exactly the same as Modloader for Minecraft but you need to put it in the server files. To install it, simply delete the META INF file to prevent a black screen, drag the mod loader files into the .jar and then install the corresponding mod as per the individual instructions.

ModLoaderMP for Minecraft allows you to run almost any multiplayer Minecraft Mod.

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You can save and load entire inventories, create unlimited stacks and tools, test mods, create huge survival worlds, and much more. Too Many Items works in both singleplayer and multiplayer mode and you may find it even better than playing Minecraft in creative mode.

To install Too Many Items, just put the file in your mods folder. However, you'll also need to copy the classes into your minecraft.jar. There are several YouTube tutorials to help you if you have any problems.

Too Many Items includes unlimited stacks (which can be activated by shift-clicking) but you will need ModLoader for Minecraft for them to refresh constantly.

The full controls for Too Many Items can be found on the MinecraftForum.net forum.

Too Many Items is a powerful and comprehensive Inventory editor for Minecraft.

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Ace of Spades for Mac combines Minecraft-style gameplay with team death-match online multiplayer competition. Join or create a server, choose the green or red team and get fighting!

Work in progress

Still under development, Ace of Spades really does look a lot like Minecraft, with its pixellated blocky style. But the team combat gives it a very different feel. Building and digging in Ace of Spades is more about making walls and trenches for the battle. The newbie guide even warns you not to be too creative, as your 'buildings will be destroyed'!

Gameplay

There are three guns: a rifle, machine gun and shot gun. You area also equipped with grenades and a spade for digging. You can talk to your team mates in secret to coordinate tactics. Despite the simplistic shooting and graphics, the gameplay is really satisfying. Digging and building adds an interesting dynamic to the game, and some of the servers have really well-designed levels to battle over.

Getting started

Ace of Spades does have its problems. Changing your player name is awkward, and battles can seemingly go on without end. However, these issues will no doubt be ironed out as the game develops. Where Ace of Spades isn't very user friendly, there is at least an extensive Wiki where you can find answers, as well as the newbie guide.

Ace of Spades is a fun release in what is becoming 'the Minecraft genre'. It's free to play, so get involved!

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Slenderman for Minecraft follows the same format as Slender and Slenderman i.e. you are stalked by a mythical figure called Slenderman who drains you psychically if you come into contact with him. However, in Slenderman for Minecraft, he appears very rarely - the developer claims the probability is about "3% per chunk, which is around 2-3 slendermen per biome."

Slenderman can teleport and appear and disappear randomly and in Slenderman for Minecraft, he can see you through all transparent surfaces. He can also break torches, glowstones, redstone torches and other light sources as well as open doors and trapdoors. You can however kill Slenderman in Slenderman for Minecraft with either a Diamond or Slender Sword.

The installation process for this Mod is a bit tricky for beginners and full instructions can be found on the developer homepage.

Slenderman for Minecraft will appeal to all Minecraft players that are big fans of Slender.

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To enter the Temple of Notch, you have to throw a gift into the well, and then the entrance will open. Once you're inside, you'll see the face of Notch carved into a giant cliff. The Notch-god will then judge you!

This is a fun Minecraft world, that shows you what you can do with some creativity! It's not the biggest ready made world you'll find, but it is amusing. To play, simply unzip the folder and move it into your Minecraft Saves folder. It will then be available to play next time you open Minecraft.

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To get the most out of Minecraft you need to search high and low for rare commodities. Minecraft X-Ray gives you the power of X-Ray sight so that you can more easily discover gold, diamonds and pumpkins. Minecraft X-Ray display a 3D flyover view of the world with highly visible luminous markers to indicate the route to the precious minerals. Be warned however that this is heavy on CPU and RAM and it's not recommended to have any other applications open.

Minecraft X-Ray is perfect for beginners to the game or for those that want to get more out of Minecraft.

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Minecraft already offers a huge amount of creativity and Minecraft SkinEdit expands that but instead of building more buildings, you can make superficial changes to the look of characters in the game. Every character in Minecraft is based on a 64x32 pixel wide PNG image. Minecraft SkinEdit allows you to create another PNG image with the same dimensions and add it to the game.

You can edit character colors using a color palette using brushes and paint pots. The brush size can be adjusted and you can make your characters as multicolor as your imagination allows. Any mistakes you make can easily be undone. Finally, you can see the result of your work with an animated preview.

Minecraft SkinEdit isn't exactly essential but it's a lot of fun if you're bored of the generic characters in Minecraft.

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Minecraft Jar Switcher clearly displays the different versions of Minecraft that you have installed and even allows you to see comments and changes between them such as pre-release, beta versions and installed mods etc. Minecraft Jar Switcher is much safer than tinkering with the minecraft.jar file which may mean that Minecraft will not boot properly if you damage it.

Minecraft Jar Switcher simply accesses the location of your Minecraft launch file and automatically creates a backup. Each file is then marked with comments relating to the specific version on mod type - simply choose the one you want to launch. Minecraft Jar Switcher automatically copies the file to the correct location and launches it. Even if you don't use Minecraft Jar Switcher to switch between different versions of the game, it's useful as a simple backup tool.

If you're a hardcore Minecraft fan and regularly play different version of it, Minecraft Jar Switcher is an excellent utility.

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The main aim in KSP is to build a space-worthy craft, capable of flying it's crew out into space, without killing them. At your disposal are a collection of parts, which must be assembled to create a functional ship. Each part has a different function and will affect the way a ship flies:

Kerbal Space Program allows players to design, build and pilot a space vehicle from pre-fab modules. These modules or parts include engines, fuel tanks, and wings and to make things more interesting, additional parts such as bombs, payloads and landing gear have been added to the game by players.

Some of the most notable features of KSP are:

At the moment there is only one planet - Kerbin - which you launch from and its moon, known as the Mün. There is also a sun called Kerbol. Kerbin and the Mün travel along an orbit, with Kerbin orbiting the sun and the Mün orbiting Kerbin thus emulating the Earth, Sun and Moon.

Like Minecraft, Kerbal Space Program leaves a lot of room for imagination. Players can create almost anything which has lead to the creation of several mods for the game which allow vehicles and other craft to be added to the game.

Kerbal Space Program has a small but thriving community of players although this looks set to expand as the developers plan to add more planets and moons, extra-vehicular activities and a space station. At the moment, Kerbal Space Program is free to play but it will eventually require payment to play once it has reached a higher level of development.

Kerbal Space Program is a unique and fun game. If you're a fan of Minecraft and have an interest in Space, you will particularly enjoy it.

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Eihort lets you choose any of the Minecraft worlds you have saved on your computer. You can then fly freely around them. An additional menu lets you toggle various views. You can view the Netherworld or Overworld, create new spawn points for your player and view the world from huge distances.

Perhaps the most useful tool in Eihort is it will highlight certain types of block for you, so you can locate them in the game easily. This means finding rare ore like diamond becomes much easier. The in-game like presentation means Eihort is also great for taking screenshots of your in game creations!

The only issue with Eihort is that the huge draw distances can mean it uses a lot of resources, and can be quite slow on computers with little RAM.

Eihort is probably the best Minecraft Map Viewer, and is certainly the easiest to use.

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>Retro platform games are nothing new, but with VVVVVV, developer Terry Cavanagh has created a game that is truly special, and that easily stands alongside any of the early gaming greats.

There is a story to VVVVVV - you're a space captain, who has lost his crew in an accident. Teleported to a strange space craft, you must find your crew and escape. Unlike most platformers, there's no jump button. Instead, by pressing V (or another action button), gravity is reversed. In this way you can avoid spikes and other dangerous things in your way. What makes VVVVVV so great is that this unusual mechanic is explored to an almost cruel extent.

Much like Valve's Portal, gravity is the key to puzzles in VVVVVV. It's a lot of fun learning a new way of thinking your way through a platform game, and the puzzles are combined with the need for some pretty fast reactions. Death is common, but lives are unlimited and there are checkpoints in most rooms. While some of the rooms are almost malicious in their design, it's really rewarding to complete them.

To accompany the fast-paced puzzle platform action, there's an absolutely great soundtrack by Souleye bleepy 'chiptune' music that will keep you tapping no matter how hard it gets! And VVVVVVV does get hard, which may put some players off. However, the game is always fair - when you fail it's your fault! Check out the two-level demo, and see if you're up to the challenge! This updated VVVVVV release features ten new levels created by other developers, including the legendary creator of Minecraft, and also a level creator.

VVVVVV is a tour de force of innovative platforming, with a cool look and great soundtrack. An early contender for game of 2010!

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If you haven't played the game, try the online free version 'Minecraft Classic'. If you want to know where to find rare minerals in the game, you can use this Mineviewer, which will reveal what secrets lie underground.

This is a gorgeous Minecraft wallpaper celebrating the atmosphere of 2010's breakout indie hit.

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