My Thoughts on Modern Minecraft

So, I've shunned new minecraft versions for a while. Been playing on 1.12.2 for years and loved it. It's a really good version, and I still love it.

But then

I decided, "fine, I guess some of the new features are tempting me, I'll start a 1.21.8 world." So I did, and I found a lot of things to like about new versions, even though there are still a lot of changes I don't like or care for.

So

Now I'm going to go over each version since 1.12.2, and give my thoughts on the changes.

1.13, Update Aquatic

Big changes to water and items. I think these end up good, with non-buggy item elevators and stuff.

Swimming, hmmmmm. It's fine I guess, makes underwater exploration much better. Maybe it's even a good thing. Just changing longstanding mechanics does bother me a little. And complex player animations don't fit the best with the rest of minecraft.

Turtles are one of these kinda uninteresting passive mobs they keep adding. Like polar bears, I completely forgot those were in 1.12.2 for a long time. Like, sure you can get scutes and turtle shells, but those aren't actually that useful.

Dolphins do a thing occasionally. Idk, wish they made these mobs more interesting.

In terms of drowned, I guess a more common underwater mob is a good addition. They also drop tridents.

I don't know how to feel about tridents. I guess in terms of having more content they're a good addition. They have cool enchants I think.

I don't know though, they are kind of an random thing. That's one of my hangups with modern minecraft I guess, I don't just want more content, I want anything added to really fit with what's already there.

That'll lead me into the worst addition, phantoms. Let's punish the player for not sleeping I guess? Like why, they're just annoying.

Coral is fine. Makes the biomes look nice. Kelp is a decent addition I think, although maybe dried kelp is too good in a furnace? Sea grass and sea pickles are good.

Hmmm, blue ice. It's cool we can go really fast on it, but it is kind of a random unnecessary thing. Idk, maybe the sheer utility of its speed will make me like it.

They added different wood types for trap doors, pressure plates, and buttons. This is actually huge for building, and an excellent change, maybe the best part of the update. Prismarine stairs and slabs is also big. The wood blocks and stripped logs are also really good.

Shipwrecks, underwater ruins, buried treasures, all good.

Overall

The building options carry the patch in my opinion. Lots

1.14, Village & Pillage

They started putting rhymes in their update names.

Let's start with reworked villagers. They kinda overpowered. Just find a random villager, make him a librarian, and level him up. !!!

Now for the new blocks that go with them. Blast furnace and smoker are garbage, just make a smelting array. Cartography table, fletching table, and smithing table seem... fine I guess? I don't know, they exist and most of them do a thing. Stonecutter function is kinda dumb, just buff the number of stairs normal crafting gives. Don't care one way or the other about the grindstone. Lectern is good, reading books is nice. Loom is good, banners were difficult before.

Now the pillagers !!!

Campfires, I don't really like, we had fire on nether rack, just be careful. Bamboo, seems good. Pandas though are pretty pointless. The only use I've ever seen out of pandas is baby pandas producing slime balls for a peaceful mode slime farm. Otherwise do nothing. Scaffolding, seems fine, useful even. Lantern looks nice, I like it.

The barrel. How do I feel about the barrel? I guess it's a good addition, has some redstone applications, gives some building options.

Overall

1.15, Update Aquatic

Overall

1.16, Update Aquatic

Overall

1.17, Update Aquatic

Overall

1.18, Update Aquatic

Overall

1.19, Update Aquatic

Overall

1.20, Update Aquatic

Overall

1.21, Update Aquatic

Overall