by orf on 12/8/18, 7:41 PM
This kind of thing changes lives. I used to play a lot of counter strike source. One day I found a server mod called EventScripts, and suddenly I could make all kinds of crazy game modes on Python. I found I picked up this programming thing pretty naturally, and without that mod I doubt I would have even dabbled.
The feedback loop is phenomenal and is something you simply do not get with other forms of learning. I really can't think of a better method and I'm so excited the younger generation will be exposed to this.
Kudos Microsoft, I only wish it was done a bit quicker.
Edit: For anyone interested some tutorials are archived here: https://web.archive.org/web/20140810191103/http://python.eve.... Good times :)
by qwerty9876 on 12/8/18, 7:33 PM
This will get way more young kids interested in programming than all the subsidized school programs combined, by the way
by russellbeattie on 12/8/18, 10:13 PM
I looked briefly but didn't see it - does Minecraft scripting have a way to save state and reset to that state instantly, how about stepping through code in real time? If not, most programs are just macros - they simply mimic user-actions, and if somewhere along the script something doesn't go as planned, it's just a mess. It's really hard teaching 10 year olds how to do anything more than the basics if every time they run the program, their entire world is messed up, and there's no way to undo the script they just ran, or understand why it went wrong.
This has been true in Minecraft for years now, it'd be great if it were addressed.
by tails4e on 12/8/18, 7:38 PM
Does anyone know of a good guide to the Minecraft versions? My daughter wants to get mods and maybe venture into scripting, but it seems confusing as to what each version is capable of. We have it on Xbox and android but it seems none of this works on those. It seemd java edition is best; except this has now been replaced by win10 edition, but that does not support most mods or so it seems. It's quite confusing so if anyone has a magic decoder ring for versions/platforms/compatability I'd really appreciate the info!
by danShumway on 12/8/18, 7:31 PM
This is very cool, and very exciting.
My niece is really into Minecraft and has a huge interest in stuff like robotics and programming, I think in no small part because of Minecraft's influence. But because she's on the Windows 10 version it's difficult for me to help her with anything. Better, more open modding tools for Bedrock means that it's easier for me to show her stuff and pique her interest towards developing more interesting customizations.
Now if only I didn't have to set up a Windows VM to run Bedrock...
by brink on 12/8/18, 7:06 PM
Very exciting, should put a fresh breath of life into Minecraft for sure.
It looks like it's only available for Bedrock edition currently. What about Java edition? Is this Microsoft making an attempt to make the Java edition obsolete?
by 3jckd on 12/8/18, 7:17 PM
Fully-fledged DnD session in Minecraft anyone?
by danielvf on 12/8/18, 11:41 PM
Note that release only gives you an API to some UI elements and to entities (animals, monsters). This is not yet a full Bedrock API and the number of things you can do is currently quite limited.
Nice to see a start though!
by Waterluvian on 12/8/18, 8:12 PM
Are there typescript typings anywhere? Might be a great toy to play with this Christmas and get more experience with TS.
by Scaur on 12/9/18, 2:13 PM
I got my start in programming basically via Minecraft. Multiplayer servers taught me DNS, ports, & bash... modding on Mac OSX & configuring a server to work with the same mod (Flan's Mod) taught me basic client-server principles... hell, even Buycraft fuelled my interest in Bitcoin and web development. I don't know if I'd even have been a serious developer at all if it wasn't for Minecraft.
And now kids have access to learning JS directly. This is 100x as powerful as learning how to web inspector pages. I look forward to watching my little cousins surpass me.
by rauhl on 12/9/18, 2:42 AM
Well, it definitely sounds neat, and although I really wish it weren’t JavaScript, that’s actually a pretty good choice based on popularity. Pity it couldn’t have been TCL, Lisp, or even Scheme or Python.
I can’t wait until the modding community picks this up and figures out how to integrate it. Gonna be fun times ahead, no doubt!
As an aside, this was a bit of a surprise to me:
> you can learn more about how to sign up for that beta by clicking this line of green text
Link. Link. Doesn’t everyone know what a link is, these days?
by carlosdp on 12/8/18, 7:18 PM
Oh this is actually really cool, especially because the lightweight nature of JS and the way this is designed means plugin experiences are more plug-and-play when you join a modded server, rather than having to have a plugin pre-installed or having a download time when joining the server.
by subless on 12/8/18, 7:06 PM
As soon as I think Minecraft is old news something like this pops up. Seems very interesting.
by VanHallman on 12/13/18, 10:28 PM
The very first mod for this should be someone to convince Mr Crayfish to donate his Furniture Mod to the public domain (if it isnt there already) so that it can be ported to the Bedrock editions!
by phodo on 12/8/18, 9:39 PM
Kudos to Microsoft. This can also open up new opportunities for AI simulations, especially reinforcement learning. Similar to OpenAI. It should unleash a new playground for progress.
by pdyck on 12/8/18, 7:11 PM
Trying to write mods for Minecraft is what got me into programming as a teenager, this looks really cool!
by ilaksh on 12/8/18, 11:15 PM
It would be interesting to see a comparison between this API and what Java mods are capable of doing.
by benbristow on 12/8/18, 7:06 PM
Looks like the JavaScript API is ES5. Wonder if they've any plans to support ES6+?
by ru999gol on 12/9/18, 7:38 AM