terrain generation Archives

AppWizard

October 5, 2025

14 years after he began, streamer makes Minecraft history as he completes marathon walk to the edge of the world

Kurt 'Kurtjmac' Mac completed his journey known as 'Far Lands or Bust' on October 4, 2025, after starting on March 28, 2011. He aimed to reach the Far Lands in Minecraft, which occurs 12,550,821 blocks from the spawn point due to a terrain generation glitch. Mac played on the beta 1.7.3 build of the game, as the Far Lands feature was removed in modern versions. Throughout his journey, he raised funds for charities such as Child's Play, Direct Relief, PAWS, and the Equal Justice Initiative. Upon reaching the Far Lands, he placed a sign commemorating the event.

AppWizard

September 20, 2025

World’s Smallest Minecraft Server Runs On a Tiny ESP32 Microchip

An inventive project called bareiron has created a custom Minecraft server on an ESP32 microcontroller, which is the size of a penny. The server operates with 400KB of memory and a 160MHz processor, significantly less than the typical requirements for a Minecraft server. To manage terrain generation, the project uses bilinear interpolation instead of the standard Perlin noise method, allowing for smooth landscape gradients while conserving memory. Biomes are represented as circular islands on a grid, with their types determined by a repeating pattern linked to the world’s seed. Cave systems are generated by mirroring the surface landscape, and ores are placed sparingly at depth. Crafting and inventory management have been simplified, with items directly added to the player's inventory instead of dropping. The server can load a chunk in about 200 milliseconds, though performance may decrease with more than three players. It operates on a trust-based model for player actions, which may lead to potential cheating.

AppWizard

September 13, 2025

ESP32 Hosts Functional Minecraft Server

Minecraft servers can be run on devices like the Raspberry Pi, and a recent innovation involves implementing an open world on an ESP32-C3 microcontroller using a C-based server implementation called bareiron. The server code has been optimized for the ESP32's hardware, enhancing performance and simplifying the game experience. Terrain generation uses x and z coordinates as seeds for a pseudorandom function, and underground features mirror the world above, creating a seamless experience. The loading time is approximately 200 milliseconds per chunk. Previous attempts to rewrite Minecraft server code have been made in languages like COBOL on actual computers.

AppWizard

May 9, 2025

Minecraft Bedrock 1.21.80 Update Unveils Thrilling, Game-Changing New Features

The Minecraft Bedrock Edition 1.21.80 update introduces enhancements, bug fixes, and new features to improve player experience. Key modifications include reduced latency in populated worlds, improved chunk loading, and increased stability for multiplayer sessions. Bug fixes address issues with pistons, disappearing villagers, and crashes on Android devices. The update features new structures, encourages updating texture packs, and includes a "Drop 2 2025" toggle for testing new mobs like the Dried Ghast and Ghastling in the Nether. Players are advised to back up their worlds before updating.

AppWizard

March 27, 2025

The Best Minecraft Updates (And How They Changed Multiplayer Forever)

Minecraft has evolved significantly since its inception, with various updates introducing new features and enhancing gameplay. 1. Beta 1.8 (2011): Introduced hunger, sprinting, strongholds, and villages, marking the transition to survival mode and boosting multiplayer dynamics with the rise of PvP servers and Hunger Games-style minigames. 2. Release 1.3 (2012): Unified single-player and multiplayer modes, allowing single-player worlds to function as lightweight servers and introducing command blocks for scripting events, enhancing multiplayer experiences. 3. Release 1.7 (2013): Added new biomes and improved world generation, enriching multiplayer exploration and encouraging themed survival worlds and roleplay. 4. Release 1.8 (2014): Introduced armor stands, banners, and enhanced creator tools, allowing for custom lobbies and scripted events, fostering a thriving multiplayer scene. 5. Release 1.13 (2018): Revitalized oceans with new features like coral reefs and improved swimming mechanics, leading to water-themed multiplayer worlds and ambitious server designs. 6. Release 1.16 (2020): Transformed the Nether with new biomes and mobs, introducing Netherite and creating new survival challenges and PvE zones for multiplayer. 7. Releases 1.17 & 1.18 (2021): Overhauled terrain generation, expanding world height and creating dynamic multiplayer experiences with group mining expeditions and scenic base-building. 8. Release 1.20 (2023): Focused on storytelling with new features like archaeology and sniffer mobs, promoting collaborative narratives and community-driven experiences in multiplayer.

AppWizard

February 21, 2025

“If we can do it… This will be something groundbreaking”: PUBG creator Brendan Greene is five years into making a 10,000km “realistic Minecraft” – but there’s still a decade to go

Brendan Greene, known for creating PUBG, is working on a new project called Prologue, which tests innovative terrain generation technology for his larger vision, Project Artemis. Prologue aims to refine machine learning algorithms that can produce over 4 billion unique map configurations. Greene acknowledges past leadership challenges but credits CTO Laurent Gorga for fostering a collaborative development approach. He estimates that achieving Project Artemis could take up to a decade and emphasizes the importance of Prologue's commercial success for securing resources. Greene envisions Project Artemis as a vast, player-driven universe, inspired by games like Minecraft and No Man's Sky, with a world measuring 10,000 square kilometers. He aims to create an environment where players can craft diverse experiences and distances himself from commercial interpretations of the Metaverse, focusing instead on genuine user-generated experiences.