Minecraft 1.7 gets pre-released, will change the world on Friday

The world will never be the same again! The world, in this instance, being the cubic lands of Minecraft. The long-awaited 1.7 update has been pre-released, with a full and official launch due to follow this Friday. Titled "the update that changed the world", it earns its name by doubling the amount of biomes available to the world generator, changing the rules around terrain generation, and overhauling certain code in preparation for a plugin API.

Full patch notes below:

New world generation!

Double the amount of biomes, with new trees/flowers/blocks.
New “Amplified” world option.
Less ocean, more awesome.

New blocks!

Two new types of wood.
Stained glass! With both blocks and panes.
Packed ice, red sand, podzol.
Lots of new flowers, including double-tall versions of current plants.
Portals can be bigger sizes!

Fishing!

Added more type of fish.
Redone the fishing mechanics. Can now catch junk and treasure too.
Fishing rod enchantments!

Maps!

Put them in an item frame and hang them on your wall. They're extra big!
Lots of new colours for lots of blocks!
Now with less lag!

Achievement & Statistics overhaul!

Now both world (or server) specific.
In multiplayer, it's announced to everybody when you get an achievement.
You can move your mouse over this in the chat to see what it was!
Some new achievements and statistic types were added.
Zoomable achievements screen!

Multiplayer enhancements!

Servers can now put a 64×64 image called “server-icon.png” in their folder, that you will see on your server list.
You can see who's online before joining a server; move your mouse over the player count!
Lots of hidden preparation for allowing name changes.

Resource pack changes!

You can now have multiple selected.
They can completely re-do your sounds, adding new ones or changing current ones.
Servers can now recommend a resource pack for you to use.

Chat & command improvements!

New commands to spawn mobs or blocks of any type.
Command block minecart!
Clickable links to achievements and items.
Click on somebody's name in the chat to message them!

Lots and lots of technical work!

Completely rewrote how the network (multiplayer) works.
Completely rewrote the sound manager.
New graphics options.
Basic shader support testing.
Many bugs fixed.

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.