Minecraft 1.6 - Horse Update

Today we had the release for the new update to Minecraft, coined as the Horse Update. Now, only having 30 minutes to play about, I had a look at a few of the things that were done.

Firstly, to get the 1.6 update, you will need to download a new launcher, which looks like a CMD (command) window. This will install the game and is also your launch button. This main screen has to stay up continuously for you too play the game, otherwise it will all disappear. From this point on, you will have two versions of Minecraft - 1.5.2 & 1.6 which you can alternate between when ever you wish.

So, in game there are a few new bits. Obviously we have the introduction of horses, but we do have a few more additions. Too start, we have the changing of clay blocks. These can now be dyed, much like wool, but to help give you a flatter colour without the rough texture of the wool. Secondly, the
introduction of carpet! You can finally create patterns on the floor which have a bit of height gain on basic floor blocks, rather than using the full sized wool blocks.

The practical blocks that have come out are the Coal blocks and the Hay blocks. Coal will make it easier to stack when you are out mining; helping to maximise your inventory, this can also be connected to the Hay blocks. Coal blocks can also be used as a source of fuel for furnaces and steam driven carts. Now, the introduction of hay blocks can be decorative but also is directly fed to horses to heal and mature the animals.

We also have the introduction of name tags and leads. Name tags allow the user to name certain animals/mobs. For instance, I called my dog Bill. It will hover over their head like names do in multiplayer lobbies. Leads are fairly obvious but also allow you to tie your trusty stead to a fence post. Finally, onto the horses. To tame them, you must right click on them (without a saddle) and keep clicking whenever you are knocked off. Soon you will be able to stay on him for a while and jump off using the shift key. Quickly pop a saddle on the bad boy and run free. Wheat and various other food
can help to restore health and finding armour will aid in keeping your stead alive during the night and you can also attach chests to some to help when you move house or have way to much rubbish in your bag!

Armour can be Iron, Diamond and Gold

All of these are very good additions, but a new starter is a little annoying and quite unsightly compared to its traditional predecessor. Hopefully some patches will come out and either remove the need for it or will spruce it up a little!