To you and some other people, sure. To the vast majority of people, it doesn't. Judging from the fact that this thread has come up several times and it ALWAYS gets an overwhelming number of people who say they like Snapshots, I'd say that's a good assumption to make.
How does the fact that people found out on Arbitrary Day X instead of Arbitrary Day Y make it more exciting? They still find out on a certain day, the actual day is irrelevant. I could just as easily argue that people getting exposed to 40 different new items at once could overwhelm them and they wouldn't appreciate the detail and intricacies of each individual item and thus they would get bored because they can't comprehend the vastness of it all. I've seen it happen before with other games.
That's pretty much the point of them, yes.
This goes back to the Arbitrary Announcement Day thing. It doesn't matter if it is announced in May or June, or on a Tuesday or Thursday. It is announced when it is announced, and you hear about it when you hear about it. The only difference between an item that is announced with a snapshot and one that is announced with an official update is what update you saw it first on. And beyond that, you want the number one place for Minecraft news to stop posting Minecraft news?
If you want to be surprised, don't read the front page. It is not hard to bookmark past it, or to simply read the title of the news article (because all snapshot releases are titles "<snapshot name> Snapshot ready for testing!") And then not read the rest of it. You do that any time you glance over the cover of a magazine, or a book, or a Google search result. You read the title, your brain checks to see if it wants to keep reading, and then you read more or ignore it. All it takes is a modicum of self control.
Speaking of self control, why did I even respond? This is a redundant thread, and will be locked soon anyways.
Your points are valid and I can see what your're saying, but I think we can just agree to disagree.
On the topic of which day it is released though I will add on to my previous idea.
Think of the snapshots like presents. If you get one every week it's nice right? It would mean more though if it's on Christmas.
The snapshot and updates, in my mind, work in a similar way. The weekly snapshots are nice, but they are more exciting when you get more content all at once.
I will state again that, I understand the importance of snapshots for bug fixes, along with the fact that the majority of the community likes snapshots just the way they are. I, along with the creator of the OP, am just giving my opinion on the matter.
Ever wonder why Minecraft doesn't have that entertaining factor that it used to?
Ever feel like you're playing it to test new features rather than just play?
When minecraft was still a suckling baby and Notch was the tender mother, You're welcome for that vivid visualization
We simply had teaser pictures and Videos, and loose promises.
Now We're handed the updated weeks before release.
Theres no suprise.
When the update is released, nobody cares.
They played and dried out the update much earlier than release.
"Then don't play the update! Just wait!"
You and me both know it doesn't work like that.
Everyone talks about it, everyone posts about it, And when you play outdated, your brain teases you "Just go update"
Yeah, 90% of you will disagree, but i'm just giving my 2 cents.
I pretty much agree. Snapshots have taken all the surprise out of all the new updates in Minecraft. With all the surprise gone the new updates are no longer interesting.
Now think about this. People have been asking for a redstone block for a while right? Imagine how utterly mind blowing it would be if the community didn't know of it's existence and then BAM! It along with all the other new redstone items would be released and people would play the game nonstop to learn what they can do with all their newly aquired technology.
But the snapshot(s) keep releasing more and more content...
Now I understand that snapshots are important for finding bugs or any other errors so...
A compromise/solution would be to LIMIT snapshots, not completly get rid of them. Along with making snapshots less frequent if this idea were to work the Minecraft Forums would simply have to stop posting all the details about the lastet snapshot on the front page. Plain and simple. Some people actually still want to be surprised and that can't necessarily happen when the new content is being shoved in their faces. If people would then decide to download the newest snapshot, they could then test/play around with whatever new content Mojang had released while others could remain surprised about the new content and be drawn to Minecraft once again.
I think that Minecraft should go more towards new blocks and terrain generation, with less new random mobs and items. I think that vanilla Minecraft should be plain, simple, and without all of this new stuff, but modding it should be easier to suit the players' interest. That's my position.
At the moment mushroom biomes are too rare. They aren't too rare because of Mooshrooms. They're nice but not THAT amazing. Mushroom biomes are too rare because they contain so little for being so rare. There needs to be more of a balance. I therefore suggest that Mojang add something very useful that can only be found in mushroom biomes.
I think they need to have a few thousand people testing snapshots. They shall not be leaked, and the testers are not allowed to disclose any information. Maybe an online based system like MC Classic.
The Halloween update might have had a chance at being scary if they didn't tell everyone about the changes before they happened.
It's not an issue of "Avoid it", it's an issue of keeping updates as updates, like TF2 etc. Too bad Mojang seems to implement terrible coding so they can't just release a large update with a small amount of bugs like Valve can. They don't seem pro-active enough to figure out that pickaxes glitched out when you used them (1.6) ruining thousands of hours of peoples work.
I like snapshots. I truly do. But I liked it when I opened up 1.8, and my chests where 3D, I had to eat, and endermen where taking my blocks. AND I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON! I like the points the OP and MagicCreeper have made, we are all veterans, we miss the old times. I understand people who joined minecraft when snapshots where out, they enjoyed. I think mojang should hire some bug testers, or just ask some out of the community to test. I miss the surprise of all the new features, but mojang should be almost bug free.
I agree they should be less frequent, but not because of the 'excitement.' Sometimes there is a lot that gets added in a single snapshot. Other times, not much at all. When it comes to the point that Mojang has to go out of their way to figure out a new feature to add to keep up with the standard of expecting new content every week, it should get pushed back a week. Sometimes Mojang is working on something that does not yield a large product during or after working on it.
I see what you're saying. They just released a 1.4.4 prerelease which is all bug fixes, so why make a prerelease? It is (as you stated) to keep up with the weekly demand for new content that they created.
I agree with this guy. Even if there are lots of snapshots, you could just ignore and take a chill pill and not make a pole about it.
The problem is that they're almost impossible to ignore. The second they're released they spread like wild fire.
On another note I'm staying chill. The poll (not pole) is just so people can quickly state their opinion. If they hopefully want to, they can delve into their reasons and explain them.
More and more people tend to play on the snapshots as if it were an actual release, knowing there will be a new version released in a week or so people wish for more and more content to be added in an ever quickening pace.
This results in filling up the game with more content, this content can be good sometimes but tend to be half-assed or worse, only good for the novelty you get of using it for the first time never to care about it again.
There's a word for killing a game with too much added stuff but I don't know it.
Snapshots increases the speed of which this is happening. In a game like this it's bound to happen sooner or later but Iwould prefer if it were to happen later
Except when people comment about it on Youtube and the Forums. It's on the front page of MINECRAFTFORUM, for god's sake. It's almost about impossible to avoid, unless you wear a blindfold. You are bound to know SOMETHING.
Exactly. When it's on the front page the information is impossible to avoid.
Since you can't avoid the content (if you go on the minecraft forum that is) what some don't want to know gets spoiled and ruins the excitement of the update.
Now I know what you're thinking, "OMG HE'S A TROLL CUZ HE DUN LIKE TEH SNAPSHOTS!" but please read what I'm about to say before posting random that doesn't pretain to the subject. I'd like for the community to have a legitimate discussion about this and not have it turn into a flame war.
If you disagree with me PLEASE disagree in a calm and polite manner. If possible please use proper English.
My reason to limit snapshots is as follows:
They take away the excitement of a new update. With the weekly snapshots that each have new content the community knows everything about the update before it actually happens. When the actual update is released it's like nothing ever happened. Back in Beta little to no information was released about the updates. When the update would be released everyone would have a blast figuring out all the new secrets within the game. If snapshots were more limited in content and less frequent then Minecraft could regain the element of suprise for each update. I understand that people are still excited about new updates with the snapshots, but it's just not the same.
I REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF SNAPSHOTS FOR DISCOVERING AND FIXING BUGS, but only to a certain extent because of my reasons above.
I'm looking foward to what the community has to say.
0
Your points are valid and I can see what your're saying, but I think we can just agree to disagree.
On the topic of which day it is released though I will add on to my previous idea.
Think of the snapshots like presents. If you get one every week it's nice right? It would mean more though if it's on Christmas.
The snapshot and updates, in my mind, work in a similar way. The weekly snapshots are nice, but they are more exciting when you get more content all at once.
I will state again that, I understand the importance of snapshots for bug fixes, along with the fact that the majority of the community likes snapshots just the way they are. I, along with the creator of the OP, am just giving my opinion on the matter.
0
I pretty much agree. Snapshots have taken all the surprise out of all the new updates in Minecraft. With all the surprise gone the new updates are no longer interesting.
Now think about this. People have been asking for a redstone block for a while right? Imagine how utterly mind blowing it would be if the community didn't know of it's existence and then BAM! It along with all the other new redstone items would be released and people would play the game nonstop to learn what they can do with all their newly aquired technology.
But the snapshot(s) keep releasing more and more content...
Now I understand that snapshots are important for finding bugs or any other errors so...
A compromise/solution would be to LIMIT snapshots, not completly get rid of them. Along with making snapshots less frequent if this idea were to work the Minecraft Forums would simply have to stop posting all the details about the lastet snapshot on the front page. Plain and simple. Some people actually still want to be surprised and that can't necessarily happen when the new content is being shoved in their faces. If people would then decide to download the newest snapshot, they could then test/play around with whatever new content Mojang had released while others could remain surprised about the new content and be drawn to Minecraft once again.
0
This is spot on. I completely agree.
0
0
0
0
0
Yeah I know the feeling. I'll be on during the weekend as well.
0
0
Could you say what you particularly like about them?
0
0
I agree completely.
I see what you're saying. They just released a 1.4.4 prerelease which is all bug fixes, so why make a prerelease? It is (as you stated) to keep up with the weekly demand for new content that they created.
0
The problem is that they're almost impossible to ignore. The second they're released they spread like wild fire.
On another note I'm staying chill. The poll (not pole) is just so people can quickly state their opinion. If they hopefully want to, they can delve into their reasons and explain them.
Agreed. You bring up an excellent point.
0
Exactly. When it's on the front page the information is impossible to avoid.
Since you can't avoid the content (if you go on the minecraft forum that is) what some don't want to know gets spoiled and ruins the excitement of the update.
1
If you disagree with me PLEASE disagree in a calm and polite manner. If possible please use proper English.
My reason to limit snapshots is as follows:
They take away the excitement of a new update. With the weekly snapshots that each have new content the community knows everything about the update before it actually happens. When the actual update is released it's like nothing ever happened. Back in Beta little to no information was released about the updates. When the update would be released everyone would have a blast figuring out all the new secrets within the game. If snapshots were more limited in content and less frequent then Minecraft could regain the element of suprise for each update. I understand that people are still excited about new updates with the snapshots, but it's just not the same.
I REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF SNAPSHOTS FOR DISCOVERING AND FIXING BUGS, but only to a certain extent because of my reasons above.
I'm looking foward to what the community has to say.