Mojang Studios’Minecraftis gearing up to change pretty radically with the release of Update 1.17 next summer, also known as the Caves & Cliffs Update.Announced at Minecraft Live 2020, Caves & Cliffswill improve cave system and mountain generation, among other things. Those improved mountains may include sedimentary rock layers, based on a teaser image posted byMinecraftdeveloper Henrik Kniberg.
Kniberg uploaded a “devblooper” he said was just an example of a “weird” error that occurred when messing with world generation to Twitter last Thursday, featuring a village that accidentally spawned far above the ground level of the map. However, fans were quick to point out background details that seem to have been intentionally left in-frame, notably an exposed cliff face that suggestsMinecraftwill layer stone types to visually recreate geological strata.
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As a refresher, sedimentary rocks are one of the three primary rock types (alongside igneous and metamorphic), particularly those formed from “pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Common sedimentary rocks are cemented-together layers of detritus typically carried by natural features like rivers, creating “distinctive” bedding. WhileMinecraftplayers can recreate R0man citiesand other such grand designs, having natural stratum could go a long way to providing more natural diversity.
The image uploaded by Kniberg also prominently features what appears to be a newly-generated mountain in the background, one that is shapely compared to what the game currently allows and has plateaus that support trees. Theupcoming Caves & Cliffs Updatewill also introduced new types of caverns for players to explore, including distinct biomes such as Dripstone caves with stalactites and stalagmites.
This update will do more than just change how players interact with the worlds ofMinecraft, as new mobs like Axolotl are also planned to be introduced. Items built with new materials like crystal and copper ore are also going to play a prominent role, with one developer revealing thatlightning rods creating a redstone signal when struck.
As exciting as the prospects of Update 1.17 likely are for fans of the popular sandbox building game, its release next summer is not the only reasonMinecrafthas been in the news as of late.MinecraftSteve became the newest addition toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s DLC roster this month, though the team has already had tofix one of Steve’s seemingly NSFW victory screen animations.
Minecraftis available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
