Minecraft: Pocket Edition gets patched to version 0.12.1 today, adding quite a lot of community-requested features and putting it even closer to its PC version daddy.
Content updates include the Nether, with its friendly and not-so-friendly inhabitants, along with a host of additions as small as Ocelot mobs and as robust as the Enchanting and Experience systems. What’s more interesting is that there’s also a new five-player cross-platform play feature between Pocket Edition and Minecraft’s Windows 10 version—which affects just one part of the player base, sure, but might show the direction Mojang wants to take the game with regards to multiplayer.
Here’s a partial list of what’s new in this version, courtesy of the Minecraft wiki. Even the partial list is massive, so make sure to visit them to look at the full list
General
Cross platform play for up to five players between Pocket Edition and Windows 10
Controller and keyboard support — Can change controls within options.
Options — Option to reverse the location of the Sneak and Jump button. The jump button has been moved to the right side of the screen. Added a sneaking button in place of where the current jump button is (these are the new default controls.) Option to disable the auto-jump feature. Added camera mode slider in options (First-person, Third-person, Front third-person). FOV option slider.
New interact buttons — Feed: Used when breeding mobs; the “feed” button did exist for breeding wolves; now it exists for all mobs
Gameplay
Weather — Rain Snowfall Thunderstorm
More difficulty modes — Peaceful Easy Normal Hard
Blocks
Enchantment table — Version exclusive: Book on table glows.
Anvils — All 3 damage types
Mob head — Inventory icons are not 3D. Wither cannot yet be created.
Items
Rabbit’s foot (creative only as rabbits have not been added yet)
Bottle o’ enchanting (creative only as villager trading has not been added yet)
Creative inventory additions
Redstone dust (brewing only)
Boats: Spruce, birch, jungle, acacia, and dark oak variants
World generation
The Nether — Nether portals can also be up to 23×23 in size.All items previously obtained through the Nether reactor are now available through their normal means.
Mobs
Snow golems — Version exclusive: Shows jack o’ lantern as the head if used for building, in place of the pumpkin.Version exclusive: The pumpkin can be removed using shears, revealing the face of the snow golem.
Zombie villagers — PC 1.9 feature: Villagers retain their profession and clothes, which appear tattered, and have green wart on their noses.
Charged creepers — Spawned when a lightning bolt strikes a creeper during a thunderstorm.
The 0.12.1 patch is currently out on Windows Phone and on iOS, following a one-day delay due to Apple’s certification process, with the Android release coming soon (not soon™, actual soon.)
Questions? Comments? Contact the author of this post at andras-AT-kotaku-DOT-com.
