The 1.8 "Bountiful Update" for the PC version of Minecraft went live today, adding a huge amount of assets into the game and ending a development period that has lasted almost 10 months.
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True to its "bountiful" nickname, the 1.8 updates adds an impressive list of new blocks, creatures and functions into the game. Mojang notes that this update took more than 300 days to develop all of these changes. New additions include Granite, Andesite, and Diorite stone blocks as well as aesthetic items like banners and armor stands. Sheep are also more useful than just the wool they grow, now dropping mutton when they are killed.
Another new feature in Minecraft 1.8 is the addition of rabbits, which come in six different skins. When killed, rabbits may drop a hide and meat with a rare chance of dropping a rabbit's foot. There's also a small chance that a rabbit will spawn as the Killer Bunny, a decently strong enemy that attacks the player.
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Other additions include a change to the enchanting mechanic that now requires lapis lazuli, an increase in max render distance to 512 blocks and a change from the old system of identifying blocks by ID numbers to a new ID name system less dependent on remembering a list of numbers. Several new commands were also included as well as some rebalancing work for villager trading and anvil repairing. For a full list of important updates, you can check out the 1.8 pre-release post.
Your PC version of Minecraft should install the 1.8 "Bountiful Update" automatically.
