Does anyone play older versions of Minecraft?
I've had the itch lately to play Minecraft again. I originally played on an account my brother gave me in alpha and used that for years before he asked for it back so he could do the account migration in to his Microsoft account to avoid losing it. Microsoft sadly doesn't do regional pricing for Minecraft so I don't think I'll be picking up a copy again soon and will probably wait till my kids are older and I pick up some copies to play with them.
I realized that the game has changed a lot since I last played, and when last played with my friends (probably 5-6 years ago at this point) I remember being a bit lost with all the new things that had been added from when I last played. While it's cool seeing new stuff being added to the game, I also realized that if I were to get Minecraft I would probably get it specifically to play older versions of the game. I saw there was a whole subreddit of people playing older versions of the game over at r/GoldenAgeMinecraft which also showed me that there are mods that essentially fork development from earlier points in Minecraft's history which I think would be cool to explore when I do get the game.
I was curious if any tilders play older versions of Minecraft?
What draws you to that particular version?
Do you play the current release version of Minecraft at all?
Also, anything older Minecraft you felt like sharing, please do. I've been watching some older Minecraft videos on Youtube in my second monitor while I work today.
Edit: I wanted to add this here since I found this out after posting. It turns out that Minecraft's Java edition has a demo mode, and the check for how long you've played the demo mode was added in release version 1.3. So I can go ahead and create a demo account and play the old versions for Free: https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Demo_Mode#Trivia
I do plan on buying the full game eventually, but this will definitely scratch the itch I've been having for a long time and I will look at installing that on my computer once I've tackled my big work items.
Edit 2: I found that you can use the Betacraft launcher to access these older versions as well. I wish I had found that previously as I spent a solid ~30 minutes fiddling with my Win 10 LTSC computer getting the Windows Store and other services installed and it still wasn't letting me properly launch the old Minecraft versions.
You'd probably be interested in Prism Launcher. It's a free open-source Minecraft launcher that lets you maintain multiple legacy versions, mods, etc. Very handy for this sort of thing!
Thank you for mentioning that, that is being bookmarked!
Since you last played a long time ago, haven't kept up with all the new stuff added to the game, are interested in playing the game with your kids, and are interested in playing the older versions, there's a few things you should know:
Minecraft these days has split into two largely similar, but very, very different versions: Minecraft: Java Edition (descended from the one you played in Alpha), and Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (which presents itself as just "Minecraft", as if it was the main official version, but it's really descended from the "Pocket Edition" for mobile devices). Java Edition is available on Windows/Mac/Linux, while Bedrock Edition is available on Windows/Playstation/Switch/Xbox/mobile. Notice how, for people who don't own a PC, their only option is Bedrock Edition. Well, aside from having a lot more game breaking glitches, Bedrock is the edition where Microsoft has dumped invasive and predatory microtransactions, "brand collabs" (which are basically ads), and all that modern gaming goodness, which would genuinely shock an old school Minecraft fan like yourself, who may remember when the devs made fun of microtransactions for April Fools. The real kicker: Bedrock Edition doesn't allow you to install old versions of the game the way that Java Edition does. Also, while it's possible to install mods for the PC and mobile versions of Bedrock, the vast majority of mod developers sell paid mods on the Bedrock microtransaction store instead :/
The good news is, both editions are bundled together on PC, so if you buy one, you get the other, so you can play the version that you want (Java, in your case). But when you buy the game for your kids, make sure you buy them the PC version! Don't be fooled into buying it for them on Switch or PS5, because it won't have the features you're saying that you're looking for!
I appreciate you being sure to warn me of that. I have heard of Bedrock edition and would only ever play older Java versions. We haven't discussed how gaming and electronics will be handled as my kids are still young and don't have their own devices, but I'm leaning towards when we play Minecraft to not let them play Bedrock and only get it on the PC. I would like to limit my kids' exposure to those kinds of microtransaction riddled games.
I do realize you specifically asked for older versions of Minecraft. But, I'd like to at least make you aware of the Tildes community server. We have a variety of people in their twenties, thirties and above. Some of them also use the server to play with their kids.
The caveat is that it is the newest version of Minecraft. However, a significant group of people in there (including me) hadn't played Minecraft for years either. Generally people are really helpful which helps a lot in picking up newer things. Paging @chocobean for her experience this season ;)
Wanting to play older versions is still very valid, I am just providing a option.
Edit:
Also as already posted in a different comment. With a launcher like Prism it is fairly easy to have multiple versions of Minecraft installed at the same time.
I've looked at the server, and it'd be something that would be fun to play on, maybe one day!
I'm enjoying my time on Tildes, and I'm really hoping that this ends up being a community that stands the test of time. I mentioned in a previous comment that I've used tags to filter out things I'd rather not deal with and with those in place Tildes has been a breath of fresh air!
Hey Pekt :D if you decide to jump on the server let me know
I've been travelling all month but looking forward to getting back into it. I haven't played in 10+ years before this, and even though I'm an old Bean yell at clouds type, the new stuff are cute and fun and I've been impressed by everyone's projects too
So maybe even if the version isn't the best (as remembered) playing with good people might be worthwhile :)
You should visit blocky-Poland again soon!
I'm looking forward to it :D probably camp my way there this time hahahaha
I'll be sure to let you know when I do get an official Minecraft account! After finding out I can play the beta versions for free I'll probably stick with those for the short gaming sessions I have these days.
I'd love to play on the community server as it has been a very long time since I played on a server like that. The last server I played on was just a bit with my friend group who will once every few years spin up a server to play for a few months.
I never went back to minecraft but I did recently try out Mineclonia for the FOSS minecraft clone Luanti. It's still got a few rough edges but it has quite a bit of the content the original minecraft had and is somewhat enjoyable.
I was going to ask how this compares to Minetest, but I see that it actually is a rebranding of Minetest! I've had a lot of fun with the different Minetest mods/experiences, though none of them quite capture the exact Minecraft experience.
If you are not trying to exactly replicate Minecraft though, there is a lot of fun to be had. I especially liked NodeCore in that regard. All crafting in it is done in world, and it can be very difficult to figure out sometimes.
Yeah, as someone who may have otherwise hopped onto older Minecraft once in a while, Luanti carries the torch of a glitchier and more personal experience I found increasingly missing as time went on.
I don't specifically go for older versions of vanilla (unmodified Minecraft), but very often mod packs will be built around certain versions, so I'll play that version
I used to exclusively play on outdated versions for a few years. I was one of the people who hated the 1.9 combat update (and to this day, I still haven't familiarised myself with the new pvp system), and I was playing exclusively on vanilla 1.8.9 or modded 1.7.10 all the way until 1.18 released. 1.18 is the update that "convinced me" to start playing modern versions again, because for me the caves & cliffs update finally skewed the balance in favour of modern versions.
However, do ensure to at least try the new versions, just in case. They're not nostalgia-inducing, sure, and they might completely new to you, but you might enjoy them more than you expect
I think once I pick up Minecraft properly with my kids I'll probably play the newer versions since that will be what they want to play.
Since I found that you can boot up some older versions for free, and I don't have a ton of time for gaming I think playing some older versions in short bursts will help me scratch the itch I've had for a while now.
My forever singleplayer world (9 years and counting) was stuck on 1.12.2 (aka the silver age of minecraft for a long time) and is now stuck on 1.17.1 (i call it the bronze age of minecraft). I don't want to update it past that point as it is, at this point, a memorial to my past and keeping it in those older version makes every revisit a "going back home experience". So, I very much prefer older versions as they have that limitlessness of minimalism whereas newer versions feel bloated and unnecessary in their features.
That being said, I do play on a server running the latest version, but I still use the old Programmer Art texture pack and refrain from using a bunch of the newer features in my own "old man yells at a cloud" fashion. A lot can still be done with old features.
Not vanilla, buuut if you want to try something different, BTA is a cool mod based on beta 1.7.3.
That mod is one that I've been meaning to check out! I have a big list of mods like that for other versions of Minecraft that I saved on my personal computer. I think it's super cool and I'm glad people are carrying on the Better Than Wolves torch by forking the game at different points.
I also say BTA raises the world height which definitely leans me towards playing that version. I'll probably play some vanilla 1.7.3 for awhile and then give that a shot.
I personally don't play the older versions but I do watch a fair amount of it on YouTube. I've been watching this channel called Mahjong Blonsky (linked below) who primarily plays Alpha Minecraft, along with older versions of Minecraft Pocket Edition, as well as newer Minecraft-like games such as Allumeria and Vintage Story. I personally have a lot of nostalgia for older versions of the pocket edition of Minecraft as that's where I started playing Minecraft. However, nowadays, I don't game in general that often anymore so I never really made time to go back to these older versions of Minecraft Java. I do play the current version of the game from time to time as I hop on the Tildes Minecraft server. I don't contribute much to it but I enjoy spending most of my time exploring the world.
Mahjong Blongksy on YouTube
Since you mentioned watching older Minecraft videos, I'd like to suggest checking out Dialko. I'd recommend a watch of some of their most popular videos. I found them through their Creepy and Weird Stuff in Old Minecraft video, but they have some great video reviews of mods and old Minecraft playthroughs as well.
I have checked out his videos. I first watched some a ~year ago and enjoyed them and that got me thinking of it and sometime last week the urge to play again started up so I watched a couple of his videos. I've been meaning to watch his longer videos where he dives in to those early build fork/mods.
I've avoided his Better than Adventure mod video though since I want to try that pack out fresh when I get around to it.
In the last week I watched some of Dialko's newer videos and decided to check out Indev+. It's been a lot of fun. I played Better than Adventure previously and enjoyed it, but Indev+ has a world hopping system that makes the later game feel much more complete (Screenshot of my portal hub :)). There are also lots of little QoL features that make it feel more modern without sacrificing the classic Minecraft vibe. I plan to check out their other mods when they reach feature complete status.