The Evolution of Minecraft

Evolution Narrator: A man by the name of Notch had an idea. A cave game, a sandbox seeming endless. An adventure that had everyone saying "just one more block."

Evolution Narrator: This man, that game, those blocks have brought all of you here to celebrate what has become Minecraft.

Evolution Narrator: It became as a simple idea-

Commenter: Sorry, sorry. You know you should use the old logo, because it is a bit more- a bit more "evolve-y" I guess?

Evolution Narrator: Right, fine. The game had randomly generated world, filled with grass, dirt, and an awful lot of stone. You could destroy blocks and place blocks. The spark was there, but it needed more.

Commenter: Yeah, like squids.

Evolution Narrator: Stop it. Shortly after, more things appeared like trees, water, clouds-

Commenter: Lava.

Evolution Narrator: Ye- yes. Lava.

Evolution Narrator: The world looked a little more natural. This was the creative mode in single player, but something was missing.

Commenter: TNT.

Evolution Narrator: No, other people. Tests began with a multiplayer version. People could now play together. New items and blocks were also added. The game was beginning to take shape.

Commenter: Wow, really skimming over the details there.

Evolution Narrator: Do you want me to go over all the patch notes?

Commenter: No. The wiki page won't load anyway.

Evolution Narrator: Moving on, the game now had multiplayer and creative single player, but there was another element that Notch wanted. Survival.

Evolution Narrator: Work began on making the game more challenging. Zombies and skeletons were put in, but they could not attack.

Evolution Narrator: Sheep and pigs were added too.

Commenter: Ooh, Notch also fluffed the coding of the pig and it turned into a Creeper.

Evolution Narrator: At this stage, this version of the game was labeled "Classic".

Commenter: Classic! Classic.

Evolution Narrator: Brilliant. Then from classic, came the Indev version.

Evolution Narrator: Indev version? What does that mean.

Evolution Narrator: No idea, not important. Dynamic lighting was put in, a new sound engine, and more importantly, crafting was introduced.

Evolution Narrator: Then came "Infdev".

Commenter: Sorry, what?

Evolution Narrator: Infdev introduced a big feature to the world, infinite terrain. No longer was the player constrained to a square world, but now it stretched endlessly.

Evolution Narrator: Ore was randomly placed in the world to discover, and other tweaks and introductions were made, like 3D clouds, minecarts and tracks, and also dungeons.

Evolution Narrator: Then, the first major version of the game was released.

Commenter: Not like "released" released, but just available?

Evolution Narrator: Yeah, pretty much. Fridays became Secret Fridays where random things were added. The first being redstone, which allowed complex circuitry to be created.

Commenter: What, like that thing?

Evolution Narrator: No that- that's ridiculous.

Evolution Narrator: Snow worlds were added. So were boats, and cows, along with a whole host of new items. Oh, and slimes.

Commenter: Those bloody hopping things. *sighs*

Evolution Narrator: Then, in Alpha, the survival mode was brought to multiplayer for the first time. This allowed for players to battle monsters and survive the night together.

Commenter: Or, just go around gathering creepers, and then have them explode on your mate's house.

Evolution Narrator: The next big patch came on Halloween of 2010, and introduced "The Nether".

Evolution Narrator: This threatening place was full of Zombie Pigmen and the eerie cries of the Ghast. Not to mention a considerable amount of lava.

Evolution Narrator: The game hit Beta.

Commenter: Ta-da!

Evolution Narrator: Lots of new things were added in beta like dispensers, note blocks, cake, redstone repeaters, and beds. The lighting also got a smooth upgrade.

Evolution Narrator: Wolves were now on the prowl, and you could tame one as a pet with a stash of bones.

Evolution Narrator: Weather was introduced including snow, lightning storms, and rain.

Commenter: Oh, look how cute that wolf is shaking off the rain. Aw.

Evolution Narrator: We finally found ourselves in 1.6 with the introduction of maps. A new way to navigate the endless blocks of Minecraftia.

Evolution Narrator: Things got pushy in 1.7 with pistons, leading to some clever contraptions.

Evolution Narrator: 1.8 gave vastly improved combat mechanics, allowing the player to sprint, draw back their bow, and land critical hits on their enemies.

Evolution Narrator: A new terrain generator was added, along with quirky NPC villages, and mighty strongholds.

Evolution Narrator: And now, comes "The End". A true challenge awaits you in this unforgiving realm, but that is something you'll have to discover for yourself.

Evolution Narrator: The next page, is yours.