Posted: 10 July 2024

Information on Minecraft Preview and Beta:

• These work-in-progress versions can be unstable and may not be representative of final version quality
• Minecraft Preview is available on Xbox, PlayStation, Windows, and iOS devices. More information can be found at aka.ms/PreviewFAQ
• The beta is available on Android (Google Play). To join or leave the beta, see aka.ms/JoinMCBeta for detailed instructions

There’s a new Minecraft Preview and Beta rolling out, with more tweaks and bug fixes! Here’s a list of what’s new this week:

Features and Bug Fixes

Accessibility

• Fixed an issue where Screen Narration would not describe how to accept a game invitation on Android and iOS 
• Text to speech for UI now reads the how to play screens by hovering over, tapping on or navigating to the respective headers and paragraphs

Blocks

• Trapdoors and Fence Gates no longer push players or mobs when activated by Redstone 
• Added VanillaBlockTag "one_way_collidable" that can be used to emulate the one way collision of Doors, Trapdoors, and Fence Gates that don't push out a mob when inside their collision box 
• The Rooted Dirt block now has unique sounds, to better match the Java Edition (MCPE-121664) 
• Copper Door's "open" sound is now pitched differently 
• A damaged Anvil block may now spawn in Trail Ruins, as it would in Java Edition 
• "anvil" block is now split into unique instances: "anvil", "chipped_anvil", "damaged_anvil", "deprecated_anvil"
• "quartz_block" is now split into unique instances "quartz_block", "chiseled_quartz_block", "quartz_pillar", and "smooth_quartz"
• Smooth Quartz has had its destroy-time adjusted to match Java Edition (MCPE-101893) 
• Pillar Quartz Block has been renamed to Quartz Pillar 
• "red_sandstone" block is now split into unique instances "red_sandstone", "chiseled_red_sandstone", "cut_red_sandstone", and "smooth_red_sandstone" 
  • "smooth_red_sandstone" destroy time changed from 0.8 to 2.0
• "dirt" block is now split into unique instances: "dirt" and "coarse_dirt" 
• "sand" block is now split into unique instances "sand" and "red_sand"

Game Tips

• Added a game tip that informs players on touch devices that they are sneaking in order to avoid having new players stuck in crouch
• Added some minor tip interruption improvements for existing game tips

Gameplay

• Fixed Torch item icon being temporarily misplaced when transferring it between the inventory and the hotbar when quick-moved (MCPE-180913)
• Mounts and vehicles are no longer given a slight velocity during a dismount

Split Screen

• Fixed mob animations not playing when mobs were unloaded in split screen

General

• Fixed an issue so that Marketplace content is properly imported before you create or start a world
• Legacy worlds no longer have chunks at the edge of the world that don't render

Graphical

• Fixed fog JSON validation to allow for max_density_height and zero_density_height values to range from (-64,320)

Maps

• Fixed an issue where structure icons or other map decorations were not visible at map edges on maps with unlimited tracking, such as Trial Explorer Maps (MCPE-182681)

Mobs

• Bogged no longer levitates when riding a Boat, Raft, or Minecart (MCPE-178876)

Ominous Vault

• Rare loot now has 80% chance of dropping from Ominous Vaults (MCPE-180654)

Realms Invite Links

We are making some changes to how Realms invite links work to make it easier than ever to invite your friends and to keep your Realm safe from unwanted joiners:

• You can now create up to 5 invite links per Realm
• Invite links can be enabled or disabled at will, or set to have an expiration date in the future
• Invite links can be deleted entirely
• Newly created invite links codes will be 15 characters long (increased from 11)
• Existing Preview Realms will keep their existing invite links, but all new Preview Realms will start with 0 invite links by default moving forward

Realms Bug Fixes

• Fixed issues with the Realms button sticking around when it shouldn't or not showing up when it should
• Fixed a bug that locked players on an infinite loop after cancelling the process of joining a recently claimed preview Realm
• Fixed a bug where players with a freshly installed Minecraft needed to restart before being able to see Realms Stories

Realms Stories

• Cleaned up the disabled Realms Stories button interface on the pause screen when playing as a second user in split screen

User Interface

• Removed an unnecessary warning from 2 Player realms subscription
• Fix so that pressing "Join Realm" on the new Play screen does not lead into an empty void 
• The new Bedtime screen now cancels sleeping when pressing the escape keyboard button (MCPE-183434) 

Technical Updates

API

• Fixed a crash with getTags method on Item Stack when called on the Air Block Item
• Dimension
  • Released method getTopmostBlock from beta to 1.13.0
  • Released interface VectorXZ from beta to 1.13.0

Blocks

• The "blocks.json" files found in resource packs are now versioned
  • Overriding the block "stone" with a format_version of 1.20.50 or higher will assume the texture data in terrain_texture.json is flattened and not using an array
  • Overriding the block "prismarine" with a format_version of 1.21.10 or higher will assume the texture data in terrain_texture.json is flattened and not using an array
  • Overriding the block "anvil", "quartz_block", "red_sandstone", "sand" and "sandstone" with a format_version of 1.21.20 or higher will assume the texture data in terrain_texture.json is flattened and not using an array
• "infested_stone" and its derivatives now have their block sound defined (MCPE-182290) 

Commands

• The /locate structure command now uses namespaced structure names. Structure names provided without a namespace will assume the “minecraft” namespace (MCPE-151807)

Editor

The Editor and its corresponding API are in early development, and available for keyboard/mouse on Windows PC Bedrock Preview builds. Tag us on social channels with #BedrockEditor. 

Learn how to use the Editor, join the GitHub Discussion forum to engage with the team, and get started building extensions via the starter kit and samples. 

Updates this week:

• Updated set of blocks + entities that appear within the Editor picker
• Added 'Attach Debugger' ActionBarItem shortcut for attaching to the scripting debugger 
• Implemented single entity transaction payload for entity delete/create 
• Implemented Undo/Redo of single entity creation and deletion
• Added isFloat to support floating point values in addNumber Editor Property Pane API 
• Added copy to clipboard button to log panel messages
• Added localized field names into the Deferred Lighting property editor dropdown
• Added Global Illumination settings to the Deferred Lighting property editor
• Fixed bug that caused visual artifacts when enabling Deferred Lighting in Editor
• Removed fallback display text properties from API in favor of single localized property. 
  • Added labelproperty to IDropdownItem API, removed displayAltText and displayStringId properties
  • Added labelproperty to IMenuCreationParams API, removed name and displayStringId properties
  • Added titleproperty to IPropertyItemOptions and IPropertyItem APIs, removed titleAltText and titleStringId properties
  • Added title and tooltip properties to ModalToolCreationParameters API, removed titleAltText, titleStringId, tooltipAltText and tooltipStringId properties

Entity Components

• Added the "behavior.teleport_to_owner" goal, which allows an entity to teleport to its owner 
  • This goal is designed for emergency situations where "behavior.follow_owner" could be too slow or too low priority
  • The "filters" field allows defining the conditions for teleportation using entity filters
  • The "cooldown" field allows defining how often the entity should attempt to teleport
• minecraft:behavior.move_away_from_target has been renamed to minecraft:behavior.move_around_target to better describe what the goal does, since it can be used both for moving away from the target, but also to move towards a random position around the target

Entity Filters

• Added new entity filter "owner_distance", which checks the distance of an entity from its owner 

Gameplay

• Modified ItemUseInventoryTransaction packet by adding Trigger Type. This new value tells us if the packet is sent from a direct player input or the simulation tick from the button being held down

General

• Entities that fail to load due to missing content will now be preserved inside the level. These entities will re-appear when the missing content becomes available (I.E Removing and re-applying an Add-On)

Items

• Using 'minecraft:wearable' with slot set to 'slot.weapon.offhand' in combination with 'minecraft:allow_off_hand' set to false will now cause a content error

Technical Experimental Updates

API

• Camera
  • Added `CameraFixedBoomOptions` to the options for the `setCamera` function in beta.

CameraFixedBoomOptions

• New interface added to beta
• Allows you to customize `minecraft:follow_orbit` cameras only when the third person camera presets toggle is enabled.
• Introduces `viewOffset?: Vector2`. This property allows you to change the offset of the camera relative to the player to create an over the shoulder effect.

Graphical

• Extended TextureSet capabilities to support Items in the Deferred Technical Preview. See updated documentation on the Creator portal for details. 
• Added the new bio-optical lighting model for water in the Deferred Technical Preview. The ability to customize and data-drive water will be made available in future updates
  • Known issue: there is a volumetrics boundary 8 blocks below the water surface that creates a harsh lighting transition when the camera passes through it.
  • Known issue: waterfalls or thin bodies of water can be difficult to see.
• Added Screen Space Reflections to the Deferred Technical Preview. These reflections are included as part of the Reflections quality slider in the Deferred graphics settings menu. On mobile devices, screen space reflections are only available when running at Ultra settings. See updated documentation on the Creator portal for details.
• Fixed a bug on iOS that resulted in undefined graphics behaviour (such as no point lights or washed-out lighting) in the Deferred Technical Preview. 
• Fixed a gamma-correction bug that caused the textures of Candles, Glass, Ice, Honey, Slime, Beacons, Cauldrons and portals to be overly bright in the Deferred Technical Preview