Java Edition 18w44a

18w44a is the fourth snapshot for Java Edition 1.14, released on October 31, 2018^[1] which adds 10 new blocks and stray cats as their own separate mob.

Barrels

• Currently have the inventory of a chest.
• GUI can only be accessed through Spectator mode.
• Can be filled and emptied by hoppers.
• Can be filled by droppers.
• Only available in the Creative inventory.
• Currently do not drop the items they contain when broken.

Bells

• Currently have no functionality.
• Only available in the Creative inventory.
• Have an associated block-entity placeholder.
• Can be anchored to top and bottom block, with different texture for each.
  • Also, has a state for anchoring to walls, but this has a missing model.
  • Pop off as an item when the anchored block is destroyed or moved.

Blast Furnaces and Smokers

• Currently function as a furnace with support for hopper and dropper inputs and outputs.
• Only available in the Creative inventory.
• GUI can only be accessed through Spectator mode.

Cartography Tables, Fletching Tables, Smithing Tables, and Stonecutters

• Currently have no functionality.
• Only available in the Creative inventory.

Grindstones

• Currently have no functionality.
• Only available in the Creative inventory.
• Have a very high blast resistance, similar to obsidian.
• Can be placed on the top, bottom or side of a block.

Lecterns

• Currently have no functionality.
• Only available in the Creative inventory.
• Have an associated block-entity placeholder.
• Have a BookItem field which holds the book to be displayed, cannot be set and is not written to the block entity.

Cats

• Added stray cats which can be tamed.
• Drops 0–2 string.
• Tamed cats sleep or sit on the owner if they go to sleep in a bed.
  • When the owner wakes up from the bed, the owner receives a "gift", based on a loot table.
    • The possible gifts are: string, raw chicken, feather, rabbit hide, rabbit's foot, rotten flesh or phantom membrane.
• Cat collars can now be dyed.
• Added seven new cat skins.
• Hiss at phantoms.

Spawn Eggs

• Cat spawn egg
  • Spawns cats.

Advancements

• Added 1 new advancement:
  • A Complete Catalogue: Tame all cat variants!

Andesite, Diorite, Cactus, Crafting Table, Obsidian, Sand, Sandstone, Stone and Wheat Crops

• Textures changed from .

Signs

• Right clicking on signs with dyes now changes the text color.
• The default sign text color has been reverted back to black.

Cats

• Are now mobs separate from ocelots.

Illager Beast

• No longer flee from rabbits.^[2]

Ocelots

• Can no longer be tamed.
• Trust the player, if fed raw salmon or raw cod. Other fish status unknown.

Phantoms

• Are now afraid of cats.

Players, Withers and Armor Stands

• Now have loot tables.

Advancements

• "The Parrots and the Bats" and "Best Friends Forever"
  • Requirements have been changed from ocelots to cats.
• "Two by Two"
  • Requirements have been changed from ocelots to cats.
  • Now requires pandas.

Commands

• Removed award part of /drop command (loot now does the same thing)

Conditions

• entity_properties
  • Now uses same predicate syntax as advancements (like player_killed_entity).
  • Parameters are now described in predicate field. If this field is an empty object, any entity is accepted (but still has to be present).

Functions

• set_name
  • Added new parameter entity (same values as entity_present condition). If present, the name is resolved with that entity (which allows using selector and score components).
• fill_player_head
  • Copies player profile info to player head item.
  • Parameters:
    • entity – source of profile (same values as entity_present condition, does nothing if it's not player).
• set_lore
  • Adds or replaces lore lines.
  • Parameters:
    • lore – list of lines (in chat component format) to be added.
    • replace – if true, previous lore is erased.
    • entity – if present, name is resolved with selected entity (same values as entity_present condition).

Loot tables

• New loot table functions: set_lore and fill_player_head.
• Removed loot table condition: entity_present.
• New loot table conditions: damage_source_properties, location_check, weather_check and two special modifiers: inverted and alternative.
• Renamed entity parameter in predicates from direct_killer_entity to direct_killer.

NBT format

• Block variant {"nbt": path, "block": "coordinates"} , where coordinates field uses same format as /setblock.
• Entity variant {"nbt": path, "entity": selector} , where selector field uses same format as /kill.
• Additionally, if field interpret is present and set to true, contents of selected tags are interpreted as chat components.
• Works same as selector components:
  • If there are no elements, returns empty string.
  • If there are multiple elements, merges them with ,.

Video settings

• Removed option to disable VBOs in the game settings. VBOs are now always used.

22 issues fixed

From released versions before 1.14

• MC-109344 – There is no wither loot table
• MC-123808 – Resource packs menu scrolling doesn't work
• MC-133130 – Uncaught exception handler doesn't log the stacktrace

From the 1.14 development versions

• MC-137490 – Unable to pick block a bamboo sapling
• MC-137512 – Bamboo sapling connects to fences and walls
• MC-137537 – Walking into a different chunk causes lag
• MC-137589 – Pandas are not spawning in bamboo jungles
• MC-137596 – Part of donkey back and chest is invisible
• MC-137797 – Illager beast destroys leaves even when mobGriefing is set to false
• MC-137839 – Lighting issues
• MC-137866 – Negative durability on shears using dispensers
• MC-137911 – Arrows spawned by commands plays cave ambience
• MC-137931 – Lag spikes while placing/breaking blocks
• MC-137934 – "Argument range" class has typo in JsonObject serialization
• MC-137974 – Dispenser can shear dying sheep
• MC-138002 – Dispenser with shears always succeeds even if there is no sheep in front of it
• MC-138045 – Pandas indefinitely eat cakes
• MC-138082 – When setting CustomModelData on food items, the crumb particle is not updated to the model you specify
• MC-138474 – Pandas won't panic when they catch fire

From the previous development version

• MC-138105 – Severe lag with sticky pistons moving blocks
• MC-138362 – Written books do not maintain CustomModelData NBT upon creation
• MC-138453 – Tall grass drops two tall grass / large ferns drops two large ferns