# Minecraft for the pc. Santa needs help.



## Jo Zebedee (Nov 26, 2014)

My littlest one wants a laptop from Santa in order to play Minecraft (she wants dragons. Danerys, watch out!) but Santa is struggling with various versions available eg the xploder version out in a couple of days - is that an add on to earlier purchases or is that a new version of the game. And the xbox seems the most prevalent version and it's not that easy to find pc versions. 

So please oh techie gods and goddesses, what do I buy to install Minecraft on a pc and where from? In the UK preferably since shipping might be an issue this close to Chrimbo.


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 26, 2014)

Microsoft has just bought them. The publisher / Developer WAS *Mojang AB*

It's in many respects a Virtual Lego + multiplayer battle. You have to make stuff. Other people will try and break it. Is she old enough? It's mostly teenagers and younger adults.

Forum
http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums

But Minecraft really depends entirely on user written add-ons for appeal. So it's hard to see how there will be viable Minecraft in a year's time. Though they bought Sybase SQL, power point  and Visio and the MS products still used. They managed to kill Danger's Sidekick phone though.

http://news.microsoft.com/2014/09/15/minecraft-to-join-microsoft/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2683...nd-3-ways-it-can-make-mojang-even-better.html


It's 99% an online thing.  So you can "buy" and download the starter pack. Then you have to download a LOT more, then really be online.

See  below (PC version is €20 approx.)
https://minecraft.net/

There are official demo/shareware versions
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/download/Minecraft,0319-35846.html


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## Jo Zebedee (Nov 26, 2014)

She's nearly ten, but she's a veteran on the pocket version and other people's xboxes. And she'll turn off the online function - she doesn't like people wrecking her worlds and I'm not happy with her being online, anyway. 

Thanks for the links. I think, looking at this, we'll let Santa deal with the laptop and we parents might stump up for Minecraft and Celtx for our other daughter once it's set up after Chrimbo.


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## Venusian Broon (Nov 26, 2014)

As Ray says, springs - https://minecraft.net/ gets you to the PC place to purchase, £17.95. That's where I got my version (for <_cough, cough> _research purposes as I'm writing my own PC game. Honest ). 

xploder? Never heard of it. From looking at the interweb It looks like its a cheat program specifically for the PS3 and Xbox (never! why play a game if you are just going to cheat at it!!!) 

As for multiplayer and other online in Minecraft (they just introduced something called 'Realms' - it's essentially a service you pay for to set up Minecraft worlds for friends - £8/month - so I assume you'd need a bank card or credit card to do that) They do appear to be readily accessible, so if you weren't looking you might worry that she might hit a few buttons...but having explored it there is a level of techy knowhow to set these things up. For example for multi-player you have to input a server address etc... and it looks like its impossible to hit a few keys and then find yourself online by mistake. 

Also I think very easy for you to check if any multiplayer or Realm activity has occurred - because if you open up the program it will tell you if there is a server connection/realm available. On my copy for example I've done neither so I don't have any servers in a list nor any realm. That gives you a bit of control I suppose. 

Don't start playing it yourself. can be highly addictive!


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## millymollymo (Nov 26, 2014)

Hah. Must be something in the air. My nearly ten year old is hoping for the exact same delivery from Santa as the Xbox version just doesn't live up to everything she wants to do. The PC version comes with greater mod ability (this knowledge is mostly based on her fevered ramblings.) I too have issues with her being online, I know how you feel springs. Blooming good job Santa has a workshop.


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## Jo Zebedee (Nov 26, 2014)

Venusian Broon said:


> x
> As for multiplayer and other online in Minecraft (they just introduced something called 'Realms' - it's essentially a service you pay for to set up Minecraft worlds for friends - £8/month - so I assume you'd need a bank card or credit card to do that) They do appear to be readily accessible, so if you weren't looking you might worry that she might hit a few buttons...but having explored it there is a level of techy knowhow to set these things up. For example for multi-player you have to input a server address etc... and it looks like its impossible to hit a few keys and then find yourself online by mistake.
> 
> Don't start playing it yourself. can be highly addictive!



My kids are very well trained on this. Absolutely no in-app purchases or they never go on line again. I'll make sure it's not turned on, though, and have a chat with her first, but she's pretty savvy for a nine year old and, like I say, doesn't want the feature anyway. 

And I cannot see what it is about the game. It bemuses me. So that addiction is safe, I think! 




millymollymo said:


> Hah. Must be something in the air. My nearly ten year old is hoping for the exact same delivery from Santa as the Xbox version just doesn't live up to everything she wants to do. The PC version comes with greater mod ability (this knowledge is mostly based on her fevered ramblings.) I too have issues with her being online, I know how you feel springs. Blooming good job Santa has a workshop.



He's a busy guy, all right. The fevered ramblings sound much like those of my little'un.


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## Venusian Broon (Nov 26, 2014)

springs said:


> And I cannot see what it is about the game. It bemuses me. So that addiction is safe, I think!



I see it as a sort of cross between patience and knitting. Repetitive and calming, good for passing a spare hour or so.


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## Juliana (Nov 26, 2014)

Both my kids have the pc version; we sprung for cheap laptop/desktop for them (son wanted desktop, daughter laptop) because minecraft was messing up the family mac. The pc version works a lot better.

They use them for minecraft, Sims (my daughter) and for a bunch of Steam games (you can open a Steam account and buy lots of games online, like the seriously bizarre Five Nights at Freddy's that mine seem to love so much). And Gmod, which they discovered through minecraft.


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## TheDustyZebra (Nov 26, 2014)

Do be sure to check the specs so that you get a laptop that has enough oomph to run Minecraft comfortably.


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## Jo Zebedee (Nov 26, 2014)

I got 5 gb and was assured that'd be enough?


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## TheDustyZebra (Nov 26, 2014)

Here's a page with recommendations -- 5gB RAM ought to be good, according to this. I think I have 4 on my laptop and it runs *ok* but slower than optimum; they only commandeer my laptop for an extra when there's another kid over.

https://help.mojang.com/customer/portal/articles/325948-minecraft-system-requirements


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## Ray McCarthy (Nov 26, 2014)

2G for 32 bit windows and 4G for 64bit windows, unless you are running mad stuff.
5G is fine.

32Bit windows unless you are running Server versions or NT 4.0 with PAE (Then you can have 16G) is limited to 2G anyway, but in most cases runs faster and uses less RAM than an identically configured 64Bit Windows. 64Bits always uses more RAM for same things if true 64 bit SW, and is only faster (if everything else is equal) on certain things. The main advantage is being able to use 16 G RAM (which almost no workstation needs) without PAE or server versions.  I have one PC that needed upgraded to 8G, but its' a 64bit test server that was running a copy of massive website in a virtual machine with enormous Oracle Database.


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## Juliana (Nov 26, 2014)

My son's pc is 4gB, because my husband didn't think of checking. Minecraft works fine, so do most games, but for instance his brand new Call of Duty (which he just got for his bday) requires 6... We're considering buying an upgrade since it was our silly fault for not checking gaming requirements. 

Edited to add: husband just checked my daughter's laptop and its 4gB. She uses it mainly for minecraft, Sims and Skyrim (and school work, of course) and it works fine.


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