cacti Archives

AppWizard

January 3, 2026

How I Fell Back In Love With Minecraft After 10 Years Away

The author first played Minecraft in 2010 and was captivated by its charm, comparing it to a digital Lego set. Over time, they drifted away from the game due to burnout and political controversies surrounding its creator, Markus “Notch” Persson. The author visited Mojang in March 2011 when Minecraft had sold over a million copies, a figure that has since grown to over 350 million. Persson's demeanor changed after the game's acquisition by Microsoft for .5 billion in 2014 and the emergence of GamerGate, leading to the author's negative feelings towards the game. The Donut SMP server, created by YouTuber DrDonut, peaked at nearly 46,000 players in a single day and features an in-game economy where players can buy and sell resources. The author's son initially sought a Minecraft Realm for his classmates but later requested to join the Donut SMP server after tensions arose in the Realm. The author, initially hesitant, found common ground with their son on the server, leading to collaborative gameplay that involved resource gathering and crafting. They created a secret base and automated systems, learning about supply and demand in the game's market. This experience rekindled the author's joy in Minecraft and strengthened their bond with their son.

AppWizard

December 23, 2025

Review: LEGO 21589 Minecraft Mini Biomes

LEGO 21589 Mini Biomes is set to release on January 1, 2026, with a retail price of .99 and comprising 797 pieces. The set features five distinct micro-scale dioramas representing different Minecraft biomes, including a mountain landscape, forest, mushroom field, desert temple, and savanna. Each biome includes unique elements and microfigures, such as a Steve, creeper, mooshroom, husk, and pillager. The set is designed primarily from 1×1 tiles and offers a backing plate for a pixelated skybox that can be displayed in day or night mode. Pre-orders are available on LEGO.com.

AppWizard

November 26, 2025

Minecraft 1.21.11 Pre-Release 3

The third pre-release for the Mounts of Mayhem drop has been unveiled, featuring enhancements such as bug fixes and spear weapon adjustments. New features include: - Spear weapon hit animation and sound effects are now synchronized. - In first-person view, the spear head rotates to a vertical position over time. Changes made: - The "See-Through Leaves" video setting is disabled in the "Fast" graphics preset. - Tamed horses avoid running into cacti or sweet berry bushes. Fixed bugs: - MC-302900: Resolved spear reach overriding player interaction range. - MC-303036: Fixed zombie nautilus hitbox size issue. - MC-303709: Addressed crash when dumping large dynamic textures. - MC-304045: Corrected spear hit sounds. - MC-304362: Resolved RGSS break when toggling hardware anisotropic filtering. - MC-304363: Fixed rendering position of copper golem statues on shelves. - MC-304407: Charge attacks now functional for mobs 3 to 4.5 blocks away. - MC-304440: Mouse cursor changes to pointing hand over inventory slots in crafter UI. - MC-304441: Mouse cursor changes shape over creative inventory scroll bar bounds. - MC-304452: Non-see-through leaves in Programmer Art display correctly. Pre-releases are available for Minecraft: Java Edition, and users can install the latest pre-release through the Minecraft Launcher. An unobfuscated version for cross-platform server capabilities is also available for download.

AppWizard

November 1, 2025

Where to find prickly pears in Arc Raiders

Players in Arc Raiders are tasked with gathering six prickly pears, along with some olives and a cat bed, for their companion Scrappy. Prickly pears can be found around cacti, particularly in a dense patch located in the south of the Buried City. They also spawn randomly around cacti in other areas, such as the Dam Battlegrounds, but with less consistency. Players should check around the base of cacti to find the prickly pears.