Minecraft:Halloween Update

Halloween Update logo.

The Halloween Update is the name for Minecraft:Java Edition Alpha v1.2.0, a major update released on October 30, 2010. Minecraft:The Nether was the most prominent feature of the update.

Notable features

Template:Main Template:Additions table

New Minecraft:dimension

Minecraft:The Nether
- A new hell-like dimension that can be accessed through a Minecraft:Nether portal.
- Can be used to traverse large distances on the Minecraft:Overworld, as 1 block in the Nether equals to 8 blocks in the overworld.

New Minecraft:blocks

File:Glowstone JE1.png Minecraft:Glowstone
- Obtained by crafting nine Minecraft:glowstone dust.
- Can be used as a light source.
File:Jack o'Lantern (S) JE1 BE1.png Minecraft:Jack o'Lantern
- Obtained by crafting a pumpkin with a Minecraft:torch.
File:Nether Portal (EW) JE1.png Nether Portal Block
File:Netherrack JE1.png Minecraft:Netherrack
- Found abundantly in the Nether.
File:Carved Pumpkin (S) JE1 BE1.png Minecraft:Pumpkin (now Minecraft:Carved Pumpkin)
- Found in patches across the Overworld.
- Can be worn by the player.
File:Soul Sand JE1 BE1.png Minecraft:Soul Sand
- Found in the Nether.
- Has high friction, slows down the player's speed when walked over.

New Minecraft:items

File:Clock JE1.gif Minecraft:Clock
- Used to tell the time in the Minecraft:Overworld.
- Cannot function in the Nether.
File:Glowstone Dust JE1 BE1.png Minecraft:Glowstone Dust
- Obtained from mining Minecraft:glowstone blocks.
- Can be used to craft glowstone.
File:Raw Cod JE1 BE1.png Minecraft:Raw Fish (now Raw Cod) and its File:Cooked Cod JE1 BE1.png cooked variant
- Obtained from using a Minecraft:fishing rod on an area of water.

New Minecraft:mobs

File:Ghast JE1 BE1.gif Minecraft:Ghast
- Flying mob in the Nether.
- When in target of the player, it shoots a Minecraft:fireball towards them.
- Drops Minecraft:gunpowder when killed.
File:Zombified Piglin JE2.png Minecraft:Zombie Pigman (now Zombified Piglin)
- Neutral mobs in the Nether.
- Are passive at first, but become hostile forever if the player hits one and angers any nearby zombie pigman.
- Drops Minecraft:cooked porkchops when killed.

New Minecraft:world generation

Proper biomes were added:
- Template:BiomeLink
  - Generates with Minecraft:sand and Minecraft:cacti.
- Template:BiomeLink
- Template:BiomeLink
- Template:BiomeLink
  - Generates with few Minecraft:oak trees, Minecraft:dandelions, and roses.
- Template:BiomeLink
- Template:BiomeLink
- Template:BiomeLink
- Template:BiomeLink
- Template:BiomeLink
  - Generates with Minecraft:taiga trees, Minecraft:snow, and Minecraft:ice.
- Template:BiomeLink
  - Generates with few Minecraft:oak trees, Minecraft:snow, and Minecraft:ice.

New structures

File:Glowstone Cluster JE1 BE1.png Minecraft:Glowstone blob
- Found on the Nether ceiling.
File:Nether portal (animated).png Minecraft:Nether portal

New Minecraft:gameplay

Minecraft:Fishing
- At the time, fishing was only used to obtain raw fish.

New soundtrack

Six new ambient music tracks from Minecraft:C418 were added:
- "hal1.ogg" - "Minecraft:Subwoofer Lullaby"
- "hal2.ogg" - "Minecraft:Living Mice"
- "hal3.ogg" - "Minecraft:Haggstrom"
- "hal4.ogg" - "Minecraft:Danny"
- "nuance1.ogg" - "Key"
- "nuance2.ogg" - "Minecraft:Oxygène"
"piano2.ogg" ("Minecraft:Wet Hands") received a slightly different mix.
"piano3.ogg" ("Minecraft:Mice on Venus") received an extension.

Notable changes

Added the ability to hide the player's HUD and viewmodel with F1
Darker Minecraft:grass block and Minecraft:leaves
Sunrise creates a red glow
New Minecraft:creeper Minecraft:sounds

History

The update was announced on October 4, 2010 on Notch's blog.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/0/http://notch.tumblr.com/post/1243370641</ref> A new type of block was announced on October 8, and on October 11 Notch posted a statement on his Twitter saying: "I just made the most unfair mob ever even more unfair. You will hate the Minecraft:Ghast."<ref>Template:Tweet</ref> On October 10, 2010, Notch posted the first image of Minecraft:the Nether on his blog.

On October 19, it was announced that there were six new block types (of which five had unique abilities), one new monster, a new dimension, and a couple of bug fixes.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/0/https://notch.tumblr.com/post/1351006839/calm-before-the-storm</ref>

On October 22, PC Gamer posted an article giving more details about the new update. The article states that Ghasts "are flying cuboid jellyfish that could shoot fireballs at you, blowing chunks out of the world around you and setting it on fire." It also states that the Minecraft:Nether portals to go to and from the Hell dimension is made from Minecraft:obsidian.

On October 25, Notch tweeted that he was working on a second, more harmless mob.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref> This was later revealed to be the Minecraft:zombie pigman.

Torches were planned to become temporary light sources with the new permanent light source being lanterns, but the update didn't make it in time. Minecraft:Lanterns, however, were added in the Java snapshot 18w46a and Bedrock 1.9.0 versions.

Trivia

The "poster" was located at minecraft.net/boo, which no longer exists. An archive of it is available at archive.org
The poster said that pumpkins were "useless", while now, they provide a shield against provoking Minecraft:endermen.
The poster said "Portal in, move 10 meters, portal out, and you're hundreds of meters away." Since portals move the player by a factor of 8, 10 meters away in the Nether is 80 meters away in the Overworld, not hundreds.
Burnt out torches were not added in this update, but they were added in Minecraft 2.0 April Fools update.