Minecraft PC Update 1.3 Now Available

It’s been days – no, weeks since we’ve had a legitimate update for Minecraft on PC. Thankfully, those who have waited patiently will not go unrewarded, as this update adds (in addition to the many bug fixes) new items like red-stone tripwire, ender chests, cocoa beans, LAN support and more.

The most significant addition, however, is the complete and total removal of single player. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to mine and craft without your pals tagging alongside – the game is simply adopting a new strategy that involves centering every aspect on server-support. As such, the game client will run an internal server that will act as a single-player mode.

This ultimately changes very little, but will drastically ease difficulty on mod creators – with teams no longer having to worry about developing two different versions of their mod, one for SP and one for MP.

The update is available for any and all desiring Minecraft players – all you have to do is open up the game and let the update download. Attached below is a collection of the changes and features included in the 1.3 update, with a more rich, detailed (and quite lengthy) list available on Reddit.

• The game now runs an internal server in single-player mode
• The single-player server can be shared on LAN, with LAN server detection
• Made it possible to use client-side commands by enabling cheats (this is defaulted as disabled for old worlds)
• Added an optional “bonus chest” to get started quicker
• It’s now possible to trade with villagers. Added emeralds as a currency
• You gain enchantment orbs from other tasks than just destroying monsters. Max enchantment level has been decreased to 30
• Servers can automatically suggest and distribute texture packs
• Added new world map elements (does not need a new map, but they’ll only appear in new areas)
• Added cocoa beans
• Added an Ender chest
• Added tripwire
• Wooden logs can be placed sideways

[via Mojang]