Release Date: October 30, 2010, at 20:53 UTC
Server Version: 0.2.2
Notes: Re-uploaded immediately after release to fix the “do not distribute” message in the main menu. Only Alpha v1.2.0_02 is downloaded from the launcher.
Alpha v1.2.0 is a major update that introduced the Nether, fishing, a new terrain generator, new mobs, blocks, music, and numerous gameplay improvements.
Additions
Blocks:
- Netherrack – Mines faster with swords.
- Soul Sand – Slows player movement.
- Glowstone – Emits light level 15; drops Glowstone Dust.
- Pumpkin & Carved Pumpkin – Emits light.
- Jack o’Lantern – Emits light level 15.
- Nether Portal – Emits light level 11.
Items:
- Clock – Craftable; tells the time.
- Glowstone Dust – Drops from Glowstone; 9 dust can craft a block.
- Raw Fish & Cooked Fish – Obtained from fishing and cooking.
Mobs:
- Ghast – Large floating mob in the Nether; shoots fireballs (uses snowball texture).
- Pigman / Zombie Pigmen – Attack player if one is attacked; hold gold swords; immune to fire and lava.
World Generation:
- New terrain generator with biomes.
- Hell (Nether) – Lava, ghasts, zombie pigmen.
- Desert – Sand, cacti.
- Tundra – Snow, ice, minimal trees.
Gameplay:
- Fishing added.
- New music tracks by C418: hal1.ogg, hal2.ogg, hal3.ogg, hal4.ogg, nuance1.ogg, nuance2.ogg.
- New splash texts: “Slow acting portals!”, “Try the Nether!”, “Don’t look directly at the bugs!”, “Oh, ok, Pigmen!”, “Finally with ladders!”, “Scary!”.
Changes
Blocks:
- Stairs and furnaces now face the player when placed.
- Grass and leaves color now depends on temperature/humidity; darker shades.
- Leaf decay bug fixed in Alpha 1.2.3.
Mobs:
- Deeper areas require higher light levels to prevent mob spawning.
- Skeletons now hold bows.
- Slimes removed from spawning.
World Generation:
- Fake chunks spawn at 32,000,000 blocks; non-interactive and non-solid.
Gameplay & Visuals:
- Sunrise creates red horizon glow; sky color affected by temperature/humidity.
- F1 hides HUD and view-model; in third-person, shows player’s back.
- “Ough” damage sound fixed in Alpha 1.2.0_02.
- Piano tracks adjusted (piano2.ogg, piano3.ogg).
- Title screen logo updated.
Removals
- Winter mode removed.
- Distance effects removed due to lack of snow.
Fixes
- Fixed “do not distribute” message on the title screen.