View source for Minecraft:Sky dimension

{{Outdated|edition=java|The Sky Dimension was revised to create The End.}}

[[File:Sky Dimension 1.jpg|thumb|300px|An early screenshot of the Sky Dimension.]]

The '''Sky Dimension''', or simply the "'''Sky'''", was a planned [[Minecraft::Category:Dimensions|dimension]] in ''Minecraft'', intended to be the opposite of [[Minecraft:the Nether]]. Using [[Minecraft:data pack]]s, a player can generate a partial recreation of the original concept.

== History ==
In [[Minecraft:Indev]], there was a [[Minecraft:Indev map settings#Level type|map type]] called "Floating". It generated floating islands full of terrain based on the [[Minecraft:Indev map settings#Level themes|World Theme]].

The Sky Dimension was first announced when Notch tweeted a picture of the dimension. It was probably made to be like a "heaven", because [[Minecraft:the Nether]] was considered to be like a hell. The Sky Dimension was not completely confirmed until Notch released an update via Twitter stating: "And because PC Gamer made such a big deal of the Sky Dimension, I guess I'll have to finish it. Consider it confirmed."<ref>{{tweet|notch|71249283520802817|And because PC Gamer made such a big deal of the sky dimension, I guess I'll have to finish it. Consider it confirmed.|May 19, 2011}}</ref>

In a live webcast on the Swedish gaming site ''feber.se'' [[Minecraft:Notch]] revealed that the Sky Dimension would "probably be a dream world" and that when "you go to [[Minecraft:bed]] there is a certain chance that you get dragged into the dream world instead. Then you will be able to do it on purpose later on."

The Sky Dimension was originally planned for the [[Minecraft:Adventure Update]], but Notch put it on hold until the Nether was more fun.<ref>{{ytl|KavmNrLtdso|t=186s}}</ref>

"It didn't work so well because of how light is calculated," [[Minecraft:Jeb]] explained. "The Sky Dimension originally had this top down light that the Overworld has, so you get like shadows in caves and such. But performance wise, it didn't work - it was extremely slow. So we removed the sun – now everything is evenly lit unless you've got a torch."<ref>{{Mcnet|block-week-end-stone|Block of the Week: End Stone|May 5, 2017|Marsh Davies}}</ref>

And so the original concept of the Sky Dimension was later rebranded as "[[Minecraft:The End]]",<ref>{{tweet|jeb|124201530856452096|@JPwanabe It has been rebranded to be The End realm|October 12, 2011}}</ref> a dark place fittingly referred to as the "end of the game", home to the [[Minecraft:endermen]] and the [[Minecraft:ender dragon]], and a total conversion of the original idea.

Notch tweeted much later that a different "Skylands" dimension probably was still in the making. This version, completely separate from the End, was set to replace the original idea.<ref>{{tweet|notch|134609813299671040|@MBishop10 Probably, yes. :D I love the idea. The Ether mod does it great, try it.|November 10, 2011}}</ref> However, [[Minecraft:Jeb]] later stated that returning the Sky Dimension was not planned and therefore is unlikely to be done.<ref name="JebUnplannedJuly2012">{{tweet|jeb|219758430276173824|@Sims_Doc @Dinnerbone No we don't plan to return the Sky Dimension|July 2, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{tweet|Dinnerbone|220109988100710400|@Tyren9 We have no plans to revisit the skylands|July 3, 2012}}</ref>

For almost seven years until the release of [[Minecraft:Java Edition 1.13]], [[Minecraft:The End (biome)|the End's biome]] nomenclature remained as the last vestige of the scrapped Sky Dimension idea. Until [[Minecraft:Java Edition 1.8|1.8]], the only biome present in the End at the time was called "Sky"; the [[Minecraft:resource location]] for the biome remained <code>minecraft:sky</code> until [[Minecraft:Java Edition 1.13-pre5|1.13-pre5]]. Even the new biomes added for the End in [[Minecraft:18w06a]] initially used <code>minecraft:sky_islands_*</code> resource locations during development, before being changed to refer to the End instead.

[[File:Floating Islands custom dimension.png|thumb|300px|A custom Overworld-like dimension with the <code>minecraft:floating_islands</code> noise settings and the End's height parameters, superficially similar to the original Sky Dimension.]]
From [[Minecraft:Java Edition]] 1.13 to [[Minecraft:Java Edition 1.17.1|1.17.1]], it was possible to partially recreate the Sky Dimension through the [[Minecraft:Buffet]] world type. This was done by choosing the "Floating Islands" world generation option (world type after [[Minecraft:Java Edition 1.16|1.16]]) and picking any Overworld biome (any type of Forest, Plains, Swamp, or Jungle) as the World Terrain option. This created a partial recreation of what the Sky dimension might have looked like. However, the “Floating Islands” world type was removed in [[Minecraft:Java Edition 1.18|1.18]].

Since [[Minecraft:Java Edition 1.16.2]], after the [[Minecraft:Nether Update]], it is possible to create a [[Minecraft:data pack]] that adds a [[Minecraft:custom dimension]] set to use the <code>minecraft:floating_islands</code> [[Minecraft:Custom world generation#Noise settings|noise settings]] or a custom set of noise settings that generates floating terrain. Since [[Minecraft:cloud]]s are hard-coded to a specific range of [[Minecraft:altitude]]s (between 192 and 196 as of present day), custom noise and dimension settings can be set to generate terrain above them (<code>minecraft:floating_islands</code> uses the same altitude settings as the End). This is the current and only in-game way to recreate what the Sky Dimension could have looked like, even more so after the removal of the "Floating Islands" world type in [[Minecraft:Java Edition 1.18|1.18]]. 
{{-}}

== Mod-enabled version ==
[[File:Sky dimension vanilla client modded server.png|thumb|300px|Unmodified clients do not contain a way to access the Sky Dimension, but show its [[Effect (dimension)|dimension effect]] when loading terrain with a dimension of "1" when connected to a [[Minecraft:mod]]ified server]]
Code for a prototype of the Sky Dimension exists in versions from [[Minecraft:Java Edition Beta 1.6|Beta 1.6]] to [[Minecraft:Java Edition Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3|Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3]]. Essentially, the only thing preventing it from being fully functional is the absence of a means of generating it and getting there. By [[Minecraft:mod]]ifying the game, it is possible to access this unfinished version of the Sky Dimension.

The Sky Dimension can be accessed by modifying the following compiled Java class files in [[Minecraft:Client.jar|minecraft.jar]]: {{cd|wr.class}} in [[Minecraft:Java Edition Beta 1.6.6|Beta 1.6.6]], {{cd|xa.class}} in [[Minecraft:Java Edition Beta 1.7.3|Beta 1.7.3]], and {{cd|acz.class}} in [[Minecraft:Java Edition Beta 1.8.1|Beta 1.8.1]].

In this version of the Sky Dimension, the buildup of the world blocks-wise is very much like the [[Minecraft:Overworld]], but it is always midday and it does not [[Minecraft:rain]] or [[Minecraft:Snowfall|snow]] (though cloud cover does appear as if it were raining). Like in the Overworld, there are [[Minecraft:oak trees]], [[Minecraft:flowers]], [[Minecraft:spring]]s, [[Minecraft:lakes]], and [[Minecraft:caves]], and one can also find [[Minecraft:pumpkins]], [[Minecraft:mushrooms]], [[Minecraft:dungeon]]s, [[Minecraft:iron]], [[Minecraft:coal]], and [[Minecraft:gold]]. Although uncommon, it is also possible to find [[Minecraft:sugar cane]], [[Minecraft:redstone]], [[Minecraft:lapis lazuli]], and more rarely [[Minecraft:diamond]]. The only mobs that spawn in the Sky Dimension are [[Minecraft:chicken]]s; no other mobs (including hostile ones and [[Minecraft:squid]]) spawn, except for monsters spawned by [[Minecraft:monster spawner]]s in [[Minecraft:monster room]]s. [[Minecraft:Snow]] generates on surfaces above a certain altitude, similarly to mountain biomes; however, there is no weather in the Sky Dimension, so snow is not renewable. Below the islands of the Sky Dimension is nothing but the [[Minecraft:Void]] and a layer of [[Minecraft:clouds]].

== Bugs ==
[[File:SkylandsError.png|thumb|World corruption on singleplayer.]]
Originally, the Sky Dimension was hidden within the region 0 (Overworld) code. However, starting in [[Minecraft:Java Edition Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3|Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3]], it was given its own region: Region 2, with Region 1 being the Nether. However, Sky Dimension chunks stopped spawning within its region, they would generate in the Overworld on Multiplayer servers. If a world with Sky Dimension chunks is brought from [[Minecraft:multiplayer]] to [[Minecraft:singleplayer]], the area of the chunks are ''always'' [[Minecraft:Biomes#Plains|Plains]] [[Minecraft:Biomes|biome]], even if snow generated naturally on the ground.

== Trivia ==
* The Sky Dimension is an inversion of [[Minecraft:The Nether]], where as the latter is basically a large cave with monsters and a massive open space within, the former are peaceful floating islands spawn surrounded by open space. The Nether may also be thought of as being a hell with The Sky Dimension being a heaven; although the hazards present in each dimension are similar, falling from the sky dimension is just as lethal as falling from a cliff into the lava ocean in the Nether.
* [[Minecraft:Far Lands]] do generate in the Sky Dimension, but the way they generate looks completely different to the [[Minecraft:Overworld]] Far Lands.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20150921203954/http://imgur.com//iaTfXQ5</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20230508014949/https://imgur.com/t4s25qE</ref>
* A sky dimension is also present in ''[[Minecraft:Minicraft]]'', a 2D ''Minecraft''-inspired game also created by Notch.

== Gallery ==
The first released screenshots of the Sky Dimension:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221206050920/https://imgur.com/a/cvsYW Gallery on imgur]</ref>
<gallery widths="240px">
Sky Dimension 1.jpg
Sky Dimension 2.jpg
Sky Dimension 3.jpg
Sky Dimension 4.png
Sky Dimension 5.jpg
Sky Dimension 6.png
</gallery>
The Sky Dimension [[Minecraft:Far Lands (Java Edition)|Far Lands]]:
<gallery widths="240px">
Sky Dimension Far Lands Edge.jpg|The edge of the Sky Dimension Far Lands.
Sky Dimension Far Lands Corner.jpg|The corner of the Sky Dimension Far Lands.
Sky dimension farlands.png|At the top of the Sky Dimension Far Lands.
</gallery>

== See also ==	
* {{EnvLink|The Nether}}
* {{EnvLink|Overworld}}
* {{EnvLink|The Void}}
* {{EnvLink|The End}}
* [[Minecraft:Biome]]s
* {{EnvLink|Far Lands}}
* [[Minecraft:Amplified]]	
* [[Minecraft:Custom]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWDlLjZqPjE Notch's Sky Dimension in Beta 1.6.4]

== Navigation ==
{{Navbox biomes|Other}}
{{Navbox version history}}
{{Navbox environment}}

[[Category:Dimensions|S]]

[[Minecraft:de:Himmelsdimension]]
[[Minecraft:es:Dimensión del cielo]]
[[Minecraft:fr:Dimension céleste]]
[[Minecraft:hu:Java Edition megemlített tartalmak/Égi dimenzió]]
[[Minecraft:ja:スカイディメンション]]
[[Minecraft:nl:Javaeditie genoemde functies/Luchtdimensie]]
[[Minecraft:pl:Podniebny wymiar]]
[[Minecraft:pt:Dimensão do céu]]
[[Minecraft:ru:Небесный мир]]
[[Minecraft:uk:Небесний світ]]
[[Minecraft:zh:天域]]