It seems weird that it's only console version that has this. Sure PC has LAN setup but couldn't they take it on step further? Or is it just to push their Minecraft Realms servers on PC?
Minecraft vanilla multiplayer has essentially been unchanged since Alpha when it was first introduced. The largest differences since then are the addition of menu settings, the nether, and op permission levels, along with the UUID player format. Minecraft Realms are the PC game's version of console multiplayer.
Console versions tap into the already there friends list which is part of the consoles OS, they don't run a server like the pc version does, you have a friend join your world
Wasn't Mojang saying that a friends feature would come?
The big problem with setting up things the way console versions go is the fact that computers are radically different from consoles. Each computer is set up slightly differently, and thus the 'quick-join' feature of a console just won't work as well. Consoles don't need to request a port-forward from the router, either. If they can get online, then all of their online features work. Whereas with PC Minecraft, you need to make sure your ISP and the router both allow you to accept 2-way communication from Java and Minecraft (and that in itself is a pain to set up unless you know exactly what you're doing - the 'easy mode' tools only get you so far.)
Like Trip said the console version of MC doesn't have to ask the router for a port-forward (i.e. Letting the server send information through your internet). Whereas PC version you have to go into your routers settings to let the server send information (port forwarding). It's that way with any PC game and there isn't really anything Mojang can do about that.
Like Trip said the console version of MC doesn't have to ask the router for a port-forward (i.e. Letting the server send information through your internet). Whereas PC version you have to go into your routers settings to let the server send information (port forwarding). It's that way with any PC game and there isn't really anything Mojang can do about that.
So they need to make something like a server like Call of Duty has then. I think if they did it would boost costumer happiness alot since most don't bother setting up servers seeing how unreliable it is, and just want to play survival with a friend and not go through the endless amount of mini-game servers there are.
There's a few problems with that though. First of all, minecraft has A LOT of variation, some people play with mods, some people aren't on the latest version of Minecraft, plus the MC community is pretty much split 3 ways between java versions. COD (Call of Duty) servers know what to expect, since all the servers are running the same setup as the players.
Not to mention Minecraft server-hosting is a huge business right now, having Mojang host all the servers themselves would cost Mojang a lot of money, and would destroy the server hosting business.
Port forwarding isn't really that hard, it takes maybe 30 seconds to a minute and is only a google search away. So I don't think Mojang is very interested in spending months and months just so they can make it take a minute less to make a server.
Although, many of those who want to create servers either don't have the money to host third-party, or the experience/permissions/connection to self-host.
The big problem with setting up things the way console versions go is the fact that computers are radically different from consoles. Each computer is set up slightly differently, and thus the 'quick-join' feature of a console just won't work as well. Consoles don't need to request a port-forward from the router, either. If they can get online, then all of their online features work. Whereas with PC Minecraft, you need to make sure your ISP and the router both allow you to accept 2-way communication from Java and Minecraft (and that in itself is a pain to set up unless you know exactly what you're doing - the 'easy mode' tools only get you so far.)
It's not so much between Java and Minecraft, if your referring to the message that comes up when you play Minecraft for the very first time asking you if you want to allow local connections on this machine for this program, that's for your software firewall on your computer. Port forwarding manipulates the hardware firewall on your router and alters the inbound and outbound traffic rules to allow applications to communicate on a wider range of ports. Rather than dynamically looking at each packet that comes in to see if it's safe or not, a router has a small list of inbound and outbound ports that it allows that it knows for sure and can guarantee safe traffic will come through (perhaps OS-specific and important ports that keep your system running optimally) and it will just allow traffic to come through those ports fine and leave the traffic for your software firewall the deal with, but other ports it may block and only allow certain directions to go through (inbound or outbound), or block outright. It's done to filter the harmful traffic from the legit traffic before your computer even knows it's in your network, and even before your router touches it.
So they need to make something like a server like Call of Duty has then. I think if they did it would boost costumer happiness alot since most don't bother setting up servers seeing how unreliable it is, and just want to play survival with a friend and not go through the endless amount of mini-game servers there are.
Not exactly. Even then the multiplayer system in place in Call of Duty works drastically different between console and PC. On console you just hit play and it finds a suitable host, similarly to how I described below but all automated and done for you. On PC, it's similar to Minecraft where you have the servers being on dedicated machines that you access through an IP address, but rather than looking on a website for a list of them, a la Minecraft, the game itself has a list of registered servers you connect to. Find one with low ping (in non-techy terms, low levels of lag / close to you) and connect. Call of Duty on PC also has a wide range of server types available too, rather than just the normal team deathmatch, deathmatch, CTF, domination, etc you have on console, you have all kinds of servers on PC just the ones mentioned on consoles, but also custom minigames like zombies (on non-zombies games, ie not World at War, Black Ops, BO2) and other custom gamemodes.
It seems weird that it's only console version that has this. Sure PC has LAN setup but couldn't they take it on step further? Or is it just to push their Minecraft Realms servers on PC?
As already mentioned, it's due to the technical differences between consoles and PC when it comes to networking and multiplayer gaming. Consoles use the built-in friends and social network functionality Sony / Microsoft had implemented into their consoles and thus use a peer-to-peer connection method to host the "server" (say you have 7 people on your friends world, your friend is the host and other players are connecting to his game). PC however uses a different method of connection, it instead uses a peer-to-server connection type (not sure the actual name, that's what I call it anyways), where the same 7 people connect to a server that is completely separate of any of your games. When you connect to Hypixel or whatever your game connects to a dedicated server in another location, same goes with everyone else, there isn't a player hosting the connection and thus it isn't as easy as selecting a friend and hitting "Join Game" or whatever. Both of you have to connect to the same external, dedicated server through an IP address.
Realms is their attempt at something similar, rather than hosting an external server on your own computer (which has issues of it's own, namely performance issues, again it is running outside of the game you actually play and takes resources of the computer to run) or connecting to a dedicated server at the other end of the globe, you simply buy a realm and connect to that instead.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Author of the Clarity, Serenity, Sapphire & Halcyon shader packs for Minecraft: Java Edition.
It seems weird that it's only console version that has this. Sure PC has LAN setup but couldn't they take it on step further? Or is it just to push their Minecraft Realms servers on PC?
Minecraft vanilla multiplayer has essentially been unchanged since Alpha when it was first introduced. The largest differences since then are the addition of menu settings, the nether, and op permission levels, along with the UUID player format. Minecraft Realms are the PC game's version of console multiplayer.
Putting the CENDENT back in transcendent!
Wasn't Mojang saying that a friends feature would come?
The big problem with setting up things the way console versions go is the fact that computers are radically different from consoles. Each computer is set up slightly differently, and thus the 'quick-join' feature of a console just won't work as well. Consoles don't need to request a port-forward from the router, either. If they can get online, then all of their online features work. Whereas with PC Minecraft, you need to make sure your ISP and the router both allow you to accept 2-way communication from Java and Minecraft (and that in itself is a pain to set up unless you know exactly what you're doing - the 'easy mode' tools only get you so far.)
Like Trip said the console version of MC doesn't have to ask the router for a port-forward (i.e. Letting the server send information through your internet). Whereas PC version you have to go into your routers settings to let the server send information (port forwarding). It's that way with any PC game and there isn't really anything Mojang can do about that.
So they need to make something like a server like Call of Duty has then. I think if they did it would boost costumer happiness alot since most don't bother setting up servers seeing how unreliable it is, and just want to play survival with a friend and not go through the endless amount of mini-game servers there are.
There's a few problems with that though. First of all, minecraft has A LOT of variation, some people play with mods, some people aren't on the latest version of Minecraft, plus the MC community is pretty much split 3 ways between java versions. COD (Call of Duty) servers know what to expect, since all the servers are running the same setup as the players.
Not to mention Minecraft server-hosting is a huge business right now, having Mojang host all the servers themselves would cost Mojang a lot of money, and would destroy the server hosting business.
Port forwarding isn't really that hard, it takes maybe 30 seconds to a minute and is only a google search away. So I don't think Mojang is very interested in spending months and months just so they can make it take a minute less to make a server.
Although, many of those who want to create servers either don't have the money to host third-party, or the experience/permissions/connection to self-host.
Putting the CENDENT back in transcendent!
It's not so much between Java and Minecraft, if your referring to the message that comes up when you play Minecraft for the very first time asking you if you want to allow local connections on this machine for this program, that's for your software firewall on your computer. Port forwarding manipulates the hardware firewall on your router and alters the inbound and outbound traffic rules to allow applications to communicate on a wider range of ports. Rather than dynamically looking at each packet that comes in to see if it's safe or not, a router has a small list of inbound and outbound ports that it allows that it knows for sure and can guarantee safe traffic will come through (perhaps OS-specific and important ports that keep your system running optimally) and it will just allow traffic to come through those ports fine and leave the traffic for your software firewall the deal with, but other ports it may block and only allow certain directions to go through (inbound or outbound), or block outright. It's done to filter the harmful traffic from the legit traffic before your computer even knows it's in your network, and even before your router touches it.
Not exactly. Even then the multiplayer system in place in Call of Duty works drastically different between console and PC. On console you just hit play and it finds a suitable host, similarly to how I described below but all automated and done for you. On PC, it's similar to Minecraft where you have the servers being on dedicated machines that you access through an IP address, but rather than looking on a website for a list of them, a la Minecraft, the game itself has a list of registered servers you connect to. Find one with low ping (in non-techy terms, low levels of lag / close to you) and connect. Call of Duty on PC also has a wide range of server types available too, rather than just the normal team deathmatch, deathmatch, CTF, domination, etc you have on console, you have all kinds of servers on PC just the ones mentioned on consoles, but also custom minigames like zombies (on non-zombies games, ie not World at War, Black Ops, BO2) and other custom gamemodes.
As already mentioned, it's due to the technical differences between consoles and PC when it comes to networking and multiplayer gaming. Consoles use the built-in friends and social network functionality Sony / Microsoft had implemented into their consoles and thus use a peer-to-peer connection method to host the "server" (say you have 7 people on your friends world, your friend is the host and other players are connecting to his game). PC however uses a different method of connection, it instead uses a peer-to-server connection type (not sure the actual name, that's what I call it anyways), where the same 7 people connect to a server that is completely separate of any of your games. When you connect to Hypixel or whatever your game connects to a dedicated server in another location, same goes with everyone else, there isn't a player hosting the connection and thus it isn't as easy as selecting a friend and hitting "Join Game" or whatever. Both of you have to connect to the same external, dedicated server through an IP address.
Realms is their attempt at something similar, rather than hosting an external server on your own computer (which has issues of it's own, namely performance issues, again it is running outside of the game you actually play and takes resources of the computer to run) or connecting to a dedicated server at the other end of the globe, you simply buy a realm and connect to that instead.
Author of the Clarity, Serenity, Sapphire & Halcyon shader packs for Minecraft: Java Edition.
My Github page.
The entire Minecraft shader development community now has its own Discord server! Feel free to join and chat with all the developers!