Not to be confused with Java Edition Indev or Minecraft Infdev.
- Starting version: February 27, 2010
- Latest version: June 30, 2010
- Paid: Yes
Infdev (short for “infinite development”) represents the fourth phase in Minecraft’s development. Unlike Indev, Infdev was playable only in singleplayer Survival mode, but some of its versions were released to the public. It introduced “infinite” procedurally generated terrain, a concept that defines Minecraft maps even today. Terrain in Infdev could theoretically extend 64,000,000 × 64,000,000 blocks, vastly larger than Earth’s surface area. Infdev also marked the first appearance of the Far Lands, a region with unusual terrain and physics.
Key Features
- Infinite terrain generation
- Craftable items: signs, ladders, doors, golden apples, stairs, and saddles
- Minecarts and rails
- Dynamic fluids
- 3D clouds
- Advanced cave systems
- Monster rooms and spawners
- Distance rendering effects and Far Lands
Special features included giant brick pyramids scattered in the world, which were solid structures reaching from near the top of the world to the ground. Early Infdev maps included these predetermined structures as a testing mechanism.
Phases of Infdev
- Phase One (Feb 27 – Mar 25, 2010):
Focused on testing infinite terrain. Players spawned with pre-filled inventories, and test structures appeared in the world. - Phase Two (Mar 27 – Apr 20, 2010):
Primarily bug fixes and terrain generator adjustments. A new save format allowed up to 5 worlds. - Phase Three (Jun 7 – Jun 30, 2010):
Added doors, ladders, signs, stairs, minecarts, rails, and dungeons. This phase also began offline client development, marking a transition toward the Alpha stage.
Transition to Alpha
By June 2010, Infdev had achieved its goal of integrating infinite terrain with Indev’s features. It was then replaced by the Alpha naming scheme. While Infdev was removed from official resources, it remained accessible through third-party archives or by enabling historical versions in the launcher.
Trivia
- The name “Infdev” is a play on “Indev,” with “Inf” standing for “Infinite” or “In Further.”
- Some early versions started the player with 990 wood planks and 999 glass blocks.
- Breaking a block while standing directly on it would not show the breaking animation.
- Certain textures in the terrain file were placeholders or unused, including early gear graphics and a “FIRE TEX! HNST” red square.
- Mobs did not spawn until the April 15, 2010 version due to a bug.
- Only one Infdev version (Java Edition Infdev 20100618) is currently accessible through the official launcher.
Versions
Some notable Infdev builds include:
- Java Edition Infdev 20100227-1414
- Java Edition Infdev 20100325-1640
- Java Edition Infdev 20100607
- Java Edition Infdev 20100630-1340
Many early Infdev versions are now archived or considered lost.