Minecraft Forums

I frequent these forums. I visit and post daily, and I've noticed something that is disturbing. No, it doesn't surprise me. But it bothers me.

So many people here post without fully understanding the actual game-making process. They post thread after thread, complaining because the game is not up to par with their standards. I see complaint thread after complaint thread, and very rarely do I ever see anyone come out and say they appreciate what Mojang has done for the gaming world. And those that do, are labeled as 'biased fanboys who always take Mojang's side because they're kiss-ups'.

I made this thread first and foremostly, to say thank you to Mojang for creating, and maintaining, the awesome game known as Minecraft. For roughly $20, we have gotten a game that we can play online continually for free, that we get updates often for free, we get preview builds of future updates every week, sometimes twice a week.

Thank you Mojang.

Now, on to a few points, targeted at those players who insist on complaining about nearly every aspect of the game.

* Pirates. When I first started playing Minecraft, it was in beta 1.2. I got a cracked copy, and played on it, and on a classic server I was admin on. As soon as I had the funds, I bought the game. Then, I bought a gift code for a friend, because I wanted more people to play. One thing that I have to say about pirates is this: If you haven't bought the game yet, don't complain about it. Buy the game, then you have a right to complain about a product that you have purchased.

*Consider this scenario: A small team of say, a dozen people, are building a truck from scratch. They've got the truck built, but they haven't worked out all the kinks yet. It's drivable, but it has a few issues, let's say it drives slower than it could, and it isn't always a smooth ride. Somebody buys the truck, knowing fully well that the truck is not a finished product. They then go back to the creators, and complain that the product they have received is not up to par. That's absurd. The product is unfinished, and the customer knows this, yet the customer complains anyways. Now let's assume the customer also says that the creators should add say, a ridiculously loud muffler to the truck. Let's also assume the customer knows nothing about truck-building, but acts like it anyway. This is also absurd. If somebody is a professional, doing something for a living, don't assume you know better than they do. They do it for a living, it's almost certain they are not only skilled and experienced, but they also have their own plans for the product. It's absurd to say that because you put a small amount of money into the product, it should be designed solely to your standards, when in fact, it's designed for a large variety of people. It's beneficial to please the majority rather than the minority. Let's now assume that every so often, the creators of the truck give you a free oil change, upgrade some parts, work out a few kinks, and also give you a completely new set of tires. At no extra charge. And the customer complains that they think they don't want the tires and the parts, that they suck, and that they want even better tires and parts, still at no charge. That is also absurd. Now let's say the customer takes the truck, and drives it off-road for a while, even though the truck is not only still a work-in-progress, but not designed for off-road driving. The customer goes to the creators, and complains that the truck did not perform well off-road. This is also absurd.

*Now let's take a good long look at Minecraft as a whole:

It has only recently reached version 1.0. It is not yet a finished product, however. There are bugs, and there are some issues. Anything before 1.0 should not be subject to complaints, as it was not finished, and the customer knows this. The same goes for snapshots. It's fine and well to point out bugs and issues, but don't complain about them. They are works-in-progress. Don't complain about the game because your computer sucks. The game is not designed for decade-old single-core computers. If you're running on a single-core, don't expect to game. It isn't designed for games. Games aren't designed for it. Your single-core processor has been outdated for a decade. It's cheap and easy to upgrade, and if you don't have a dual-core processor by now, you are simply lazy. And you cannot say that you cannot afford to upgrade. If you can afford the internet to visit these forums, and can afford Minecraft, then there is no reason you cannot afford to update your crappy processor.

The game as a whole, including lifetime updates, free online multiplayer, support for modders, no DRM, unlimited downloads from multiple computers, offline mode if you've signed in even once, so your friends can play single player just for you signing in a single time, preview versions before any update is released, and all of this for roughly $20. I dare anybody here to name a single game that can compete with those perks.

The offline/online code merge. This is only the FIRST step towards the mod api. It is not finished. It won't be finished for quite some time. It's all well and good to report bugs and issues, but constantly complaining about it is absurd. The merge was also made so that the developers don't have to update both offline/online code seperately. This not only makes it easier for the modders to do their thing, but it also makes it easier for the developers to add new content and fix bugs. Also, redundancy in code is bad and unnecessary. There is no reason that the developers shouldn't be allowed to do this, as it is their game, and they aren't required in any way, shape, or form, to continue updating and improving the game.

People who suggest that things NEED or SHOULD be added to the game. Suggest things, because the developers don't have to do a single thing for anybody here. They do it because they love the community, and because they want to stand out in the gaming world. They made it, they can do whatever they damn well please with the game.

They do not push a button to add new content. They have to code it. It isn't easy. It isn't simple. It requires work and effort, and even more so to find and squash bugs. A good majority of the people who frequent these forums have no knowledge of java whatsoever, nevertheless the ability to write an entire game in Java.

It's not finished. There's a lot that Mojang has planned for the game, and it isn't going to happen overnight.

Anyways, that's my rant. I could've gone on and on, but I figured that I said what needed to be said.

Don't even think of posting here unless you either
A. Read the entire post or B. Have good, solid, points or C. Both of the previous.

Again, THANK YOU MOJANG, FOR A WONDERFUL GAME. Keep up the fantastic work!