As we get closer to Minecraft’s latest release, Trails and Tales, players can preview upcoming features in snapshots. These are optional versions of the game found in the launcher, while also being available on servers. The most recent one is labeled 23w16a, allowing you to enjoy some new changes from previous releases. There aren’t really any game breaking updates, but some you’ll immediately notice. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too bad! These include tweaks to an animal’s behavior, specific structures, and a new icon. Others are smaller and less prevalent, unless you’re an advanced Minecrafter. Let’s unravel the snapshot 23w16a to find out what was changed!
What’s Changed?
There’s three main changes from this recent snapshot, trail ruin structures, sniffer behaviors, and a new application icon when running these game versions. In the past, the cherry blossom biome and new blocks were added to Minecraft. This was a lot bigger than anything else, as it altered how players interacted with the world around them. In comparison, snapshot 23w16a isn’t much of a heavy hitter on gameplay. Some of the community may actually wonder why this was even released, as there’s hardly anything new. We can’t control Mojang’s development, so let’s not worry about it. Instead, check out the major changes down below to see if you wanna try it out.
Sniffer Temptation
An exciting change to Minecraft is the ability to interact with sniffers! This requires you to obtain a Torchflower Seed, which is used to lure and breed these large creatures. Slowly but surely, the sniffer is becoming more like other farm animals, such as sheep or cows. It’s now possible for players to build farms with them, which is perfect if you’re a florist wanting to decorate your home with unique flowers. In the future, there may be more items sniffers can dig up. We just have to be patient and wait for more updates by Mojang, unless we use mods.
Better Trail Ruins
Another interesting feature is trail ruins being updated in all sorts of ways. This includes the complete eradication of suspicious sand, in favor of its gravel counterpart. Others involve changing the loot table for them, meaning archaeologists are more likely to dig up common items. Don’t worry though, there’s more rarer findings to obtain such as Pottery Sherds or Smithing Templates. The entire structure’s design was altered too, based on community feedback. This means the feeling of mining away inside is smoother and appears fuller compared to the older types. It’s a wonderful quality of life for players looking to explore these mysterious trail ruins in their world!
New Game Icon
Unlike the other features above, this one is technically outside of Minecraft. Introducing a brand new application icon! Instead of the standard grass block, it’s now dirt. It’ll only appear if using snapshot versions of the game, so most players won’t really notice anything. Alright, this isn’t too exciting considering other changes involve gameplay tweaks. Regardless, the community appreciates the difference made between official versions and previews.
Smaller Updates
Besides all that, there’s a ton of minor updates or additions to Minecraft with this snapshot. For example, the /return command is now accessible by anyone with cheats or operator privileges. What does this exactly do? Well, the official statement says, “…control execution flow inside functions and change their return value.” If you’re an advanced player, then you may know what this means. Essentially, this feature will be helpful for map creators messing around with command blocks. Other new changes include new advancement triggers, entity tags, and rendering improvements. These get a little complicated, so review the official devlog if you’re interested.
Conclusion
That’s about it! The snapshot 23w16a doesn’t really add or change too many features, but just enough to try out in-game. Whether you’re breeding sniffers or exploring the new trail ruin structures, it’ll be fun for some players. The real question now is, what should Minecraft update? Plenty of people have their beliefs and opinions on the topic, so let’s hope Mojang listens. If you’re wanting to test out these new features with friends, then consider making an experimental Minecraft 1.20 server. This is easily done on our panel, allowing you and others to enjoy upcoming changes. Besides this, we hope you learned something about snapshot 23w16a in this blog. Have a good one, gamers!
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