The one about Armor fixes

It’s been a while since we shared an article here regarding Minecraft news.  Let’s start back up with today’s update.

This latest update brings a lot of quality-of-life features and changes that have been needed for a while now.  Read below to see all that’s changed.

Vanilla Parity:

Mobs

• Added new Spawn Egg items for Ender Dragon, Iron Golem, Snow Golem, and Wither mobs, which can be obtained using commands
• Polar Bear Spawn Egg colors have changed to distinguish it from the Ghast Spawn Egg
• Vex hitboxes are now vertically centered with their models (MCPE-257340)
• Vex and Allay now sit properly in Boats and Minecarts (MCPE-164441)
• Fixed Vex texture disparity between Bedrock and Java (MCPE-164227)
• Slimes and Magma Cubes no longer spawn in spaces that are 2 blocks tall or less (MCPE-46540)
• Glow Squid now emit particles when spawned outside of water
• Using a Saddle on a tamed Horse, Donkey, or Mule now results in it being equipped (MCPE-83815)
• Using Horse Armor on an unarmored, tamed Horse now results in it being equipped (MCPE-163336)
• Using a Carpet on a tamed Llama now results in it being equipped (MCPE-163336)
• Dispensers can now equip Saddles and Horse Armors to tamed Horses
• Dispensers can now equip Saddles and Chests to tamed Mules and Donkeys
• Dispensers can now equip Carpets and Chests to tamed Llamas
• Dispensers can now equip Saddles to Pigs and Striders
• Shears in a Dispenser now only shear one Sheep at a time
• Shears in a Dispenser can now shear Snow Golems and Mooshrooms
• The Wandering Trader no longer has a chance to offer duplicate Seed trades (MCPE-161780)
• Endermen, Skeletons, and Wither Skeletons now only spawn at light level 7 and below (instead of 11 and below) in the Nether (MCPE-163701)
• Updated the Skeleton/Zombie Horse’s and Donkey/Mule’s saddle and chest textures
• Villagers will now ensure that rain can pass through the block above them before launching Fireworks when celebrating after a raid victory (MCPE-152386)
• Axolotls no longer tick their dry-out timer when unloaded (MCPE-131041)
• Husks can now fit in a two blocks high space and baby Husks in a one-high space (MCPE-105369)
• All mobs are now able to path through Wither Roses (MCPE-159212)

Blocks

• Crimson and Warped block sets now have a unique set of sounds
• Campfires do not set players and mobs on fire anymore, but still, inflict damage (MCPE-98931)
• Campfires do not destroy Minecarts and Boats anymore (MCPE-109489)
• Bamboo plant placement now behaves the same way as Java Edition; it will no longer grow by clicking on the side of a Bamboo plant with a Bamboo item in hand (MCPE-99587)
• Bamboo sapling no longer replaces double plants when placed (MCPE-99806)
• Pumpkins and Melons can now grow on Mycelium and Moss blocks (MCPE-125932)
• The Sculk Shrieker block’s shriek sound can now be heard at the longer distance of 32 blocks (MCPE-163989)
• Respawn Anchor no longer retains its charges if mined with Silk Touch or picked (MCPE-145682)
• Beacon effect particles are now transparent (MCPE-17679)
• Conduit effect particles are now transparent (MCPE-93728)
• Redstone Dust now emits a sound when placed on the ground (MCPE-65423)
• Wooden Doors, Iron Doors, Wooden Trapdoors, Iron Trapdoors, and Fence Gates now use the same opening and closing sounds as Java Edition
• Updated Pressure Plates to have different sound pitches based on their behavior to match Java Edition
• Added a unique click sound for Wooden Buttons to match Java Edition
• Changed Frogspawn map color to match Java Edition (MCPE-159715)
• Change Bed block map colors to match Java Edition (MCPE-40709)
• Changed various blocks’ Map colors to appear correctly match Java Edition (MCPE-19228)

Experimental Features:

• In addition to experimental features added in 19.50, several new experimental features are now playable from the upcoming 1.20 update!
• Enable the “Next Major Update” toggle in world settings to enable this content
• These features are a work in progress and are still in active development. The design and functionality of these features will likely change before they’re released
• Please remember: Worlds that have used experimental toggles will always be flagged as “Experimental”. We recommend keeping these experimental worlds as separate copies from your main saves. More information can be found in this article

Mob Heads on Note Blocks

• When placing a Mob Head on a Note Block, that Note Block will now play one of the ambient sounds of that mob when played by a player or powered by Redstone!

Piglin Mob Head

• Piglins will now drop their heads when killed by a charged Creeper!
• Placing the Piglin Head on a Note Block will play one of the Piglin’s ambient sounds
• The Piglin Head will flap its ears when powered by Redstone on worn by a player!

Bamboo

• Added Block of Bamboo, which can be crafted from 9 Bamboo
• Added Stripped Block of Bamboo, which can be obtained by using an Axe on a Block of Bamboo
• Both Block of Bamboo and Stripped Block of Bamboo can be crafted into 2 Bamboo Planks

Fixes:

Stability and Performance

• Fixed a potential crash when gliding through an End Gateway
• The game no longer crashes when killing an entity with invalid conditions, functions, or pools entries in its loot table (MCPE-164623)
• Fixed multiple crashes that could occur when players died while affected by Withering
• Fixed a crash on Xbox when the Edit World Button on the Select World Screen had quick successive selections
• Fixed a bug that caused players to desync from multiplayer games if they saved and quit after dying and rejoining a game (MCPE-162630)

Gameplay

• Fixed a bug causing players’ hitboxes and nameplates to be unaligned when rejoining a world after dying and returning to the menu without respawning (MCPE-162630)
• Raids now trigger properly when the player with bad omen enters a village while riding/gliding (MCPE-152774)
• Fixed an issue where players could fall out of moving blocks when pushed upwards (MCPE-163725)
• Fixed an issue where the night was being incorrectly skipped if the last player in a game was in the Nether or End
• A player entering the Nether or End will now trigger a night skip if all players left in Overworld are sleeping
• Fixed a bug where dropping an item and sleeping at the same time would cause the server to hang (MCPE-162989)
• Orbs spawned within the same block will merge and combine XP values until the orb limit is reached (REALMS-10706)

Mobs

• Entities no longer disappear when sent through End Gateways (MCPE-164985)
• Ravagers are now able to attack when standing on various partial blocks like Mud (MCPE-162483)
• Vex now uses a separate charging animation when empty-handed (MCPE-164490)
• Vex now renders offhand items
• Fixed the Vex being incorrectly lit in dark surroundings
• Players can no longer see through terrain by riding a Horse, Mule, or Donkey at the edge of a 2-block-tall space
• Villagers will now take damage from lightning bolts on Peaceful difficulty, like other mobs
• Tropical Fish no longer use surface density limit when spawning underground (MCPE-157485)
• Evokers now play a ‘sit’ animation when riding a mount or vehicle (MCPE-43778)

Blocks

• Entities no longer get pushed out by Doors activated by Redstone signals (MCPE-158971)
• Using the Pick Block functionality on Fern and Grass now selects the correct item in the inventory instead of the first one between them
• Using the Pick Block functionality on Acacia Leaves and Dark Oak Leaves now selects the correct item in the inventory instead of the first one between them
• Hoppers no longer fail to collect items when trying to pull in multiple item types (MCPE-38963)
• Prevent Pistons from re-creating moving blocks that were destroyed mid-move (MCPE-164804)
• Blocks that require supporting blocks now appear properly on a Map when placed on partial blocks or above air (MCPE-159713)
• Scaffolding now displays particles and produces vibrations when the block under it is destroyed (MCPE-163738)
• Stone Walls are now placed correctly in a line when continuously placing them
• Levers now produce the same sound effect as Stone Buttons (MCPE-163335)

Items

• Fixed item degradation when rapidly attacking mobs (MCPE-157150)
• Fixed an issue that prevented some Tripwire Hooks from being valid trades when trading with a Fletcher Villager (MCPE-108195)
• Ender Pearls will no longer teleport a sleeping player (MCPE-161189)

Touch Controls

• Fixed a bug that prevented items from moving indirectly between Creative Mode inventory and players’ extended inventory in Pocket UI (MCPE-164479)
• Fixed a problem where the touch d-pad’s forward button was not functional when holding the strafe left/right button (MCPE-155199)
• The inventory tab will now reset its hover state if the player uses a second input method and hover on another tab
• Fixed a bug where players couldn’t interact with toast notifications in Joystick and Crosshair touch controls
• The pressing direction of the build button in touch controls will now be visually clicked down instead of up when being pressed (MCPE-162026)
• Fixed an issue where players could not remove items by clicking on the inventory items in the Classic profile (MCPE-162124)
• The touch focus circle has been reactivated with the new touch controls (not in Crosshair mode)
• Resolved an issue that pressing the inventory button could interact with the world instead of opening the inventory on some devices (MCPE-154499)
• Fixed an issue that players couldn’t scroll the inventory screen when one row was appearing off-screen (MCPE-159870)
• Added several levels of intervals for repeat crafting when holding on to the crafted items
• Removed the camera movement delay when the player swiped from the attack and build buttons in crosshair mode
• Fixed inventory screen touch interactions not working properly on Nintendo Switch
• The correct tip for dismounting Boats and Minecarts now appears when not using classic touch controls
• Toast notifications can now be swiped away on touch devices in-game
• Touch Control settings section is no longer visible on Xbox

Graphical

• Highlight selection no longer highlights the entire card for transparent objects like saplings
• V-sync settings are now properly configured in options (non-ARM devices) (MCPE-110006)

Accessibility

• The new Create New World screen is now available for text-to-speech users. We’d be happy to receive your feedback on it here: aka.ms/cnwnarration
• Fixed text-to-speech enumeration for the world on the Play screen, select language in the settings screen, select controls in the settings screen, and friends in invite friends screen when there are a large number of items in the list

User Interface

• Fixed a bug where the mouse cursor was visible and is no longer usable to control the player camera on the HUD screen after exiting the menu screen with a touch while moving the mouse around
• Fixed text being slightly off-centered to the left for Furnace, Blast Furnace, and Smoker screens (MCPE-151597)
• Feedback button on the main menu will now prompt the player with a modal before redirecting to their web browser
• Fixed an issue where text fields would not regain focus after being deselected with a gamepad (MCPE-153842)
• Text fields are no longer deselected with a second click on them once they are selected
• Fixed an issue where user interface elements on the Achievements screen and the new Create New World screen didn’t properly trigger sound effects (MCPE-163722)
• Added a missing error screen that displays when attempting to create a world with too little available disk space
• Fixed the quality of the Mojang Studios logo loading screen on Xbox (MCPE-163036)
• Removed extra space around the “open chat” message that appears when entering a world (MCPE-162700)
• Fixed an issue that caused the Wandering Trader’s trade window to show a profession (MCPE-162576)
• Resource packs will now be applied to the world after navigating to another screen before creation
• Fixed an issue where some resource packs prompted an error after being downloaded

Android

• The screen will no longer automatically turn off while a world is loaded when playing on Android devices
• Updated splash screen to be consistent between Android 12+ devices and older devices (MCPE-151413)
• Fixed controller input sometimes getting stuck when a controller was disconnected on Android devices
• The UI no longer flickers on Android when the on-screen keyboard appears (MCPE-142356)

Realms

• New Realm button on the two-player Realm info screen now activates correctly
• Added a highlight to Realms terms and agreements checkbox when the UI is hovered
• Redirect players back to the world selection screen if they choose to leave on the Download Resource Packs prompt
• Fixed a bug where the option “Require players to accept resource packs to join” did not reflect the actual state (REALMS-10799)
• Fixed erroneously showing previously applied packs on the Realms settings screen after a Realm reset
• Updated error message for failing to join an owned Realms server that is out of date. New messaging now describes the issue and provides steps to resolve the issue

Technical Updates:

Updated Add-On Template Packs

• Updated Add-On templates for1.19.60 with new resources, behaviors, and documentation are available to download at aka.ms/MCAddonPacks
  

Performance / Stability

• Fixed a crash that could occur when teleporting players to other dimensions using commands (MCPE-164940)
• Fixed a crash that could occur when using the “instant_despawn” component
• Fixed a crash that could occur when loading actors

General

• Added a content error for the condition that custom blocks with permutations or properties fail to load in non-experimental worlds for JSON formats 1.19.60 and onwards
• Ensure Block Permutation Conditions cannot have side effects (i.e. ‘math.random’, ‘math.random_integer’, and variable assignment)
• Released BlockSelectionBoxComponent outside of experimental toggle in JSON formats 1.19.60 and higher
• Released BlockDisplayNameComponent outside of experimental toggle in JSON formats 1.19.60 and higher
• Ensure Block Permutation Conditions can only use ‘query.block_property’ Molang Query
• Fixed albedo color arrays in texture sets for custom blocks (MCPE-163622)

Recipes

• Renamed and converted all Smithing Table recipes to use the newly introduced “minecraft:recipe_smithing_transform” recipe format

Particles

• Updated particles documentation with descriptions of new materials and included example particles in the example resource pack

Commands

• Executing the ‘/say’ command via the new execute syntax now displays the entity’s name that produced the message (MCPE-161450)
• When teleporting a group of leashed mobs using “/tp @e” a far enough distance away to unleash them, all mobs now get properly unleashed (MCPE-159617)
• Fixed a bug causing players to not wake up when teleported while sleeping (MCPE-162346)
• Running ‘/execute if|unless score’ on a player that doesn’t have a score set will now return false (MCPE-156279)
• ‘/execute if|unless score’ no longer accepts selectors that can return multiple entities (ie. @e, @a)

Commands (Experimental)

• Fixed a bug where the @initiator selector would not work with the Upcoming Creator Features experiment enabled (MCPE-164727)

Components

• Released BlockPlacementFilterComponent outside of experimental toggle in JSON formats 1.19.60 and higher
• Expanded “minecraft:shooter” component to define multiple projectiles that can specify different projectile definitions and condition filters
• Exposed more fields to shooter component to allow for more projectile customization such as throw power, sounds, and whether the attack is a magic attack
• Projectiles that teleport their owner will no longer do so while their owner is sleeping (MCPE-161189)
• Added “inventory” as a possible “domain” value for the “has_equipment” filter, which allows checking for items stored in the actor’s inventory
• Added an “equip_item_slot” field to the “interact” component
  
  • If set, an item held by the player will be equipped to the specified slot upon successful interaction
  • If an item is already present in the specified slot, it will be moved to the player’s inventory
  • Equipping an item removes it from the player’s inventory unless the player is in Creative Mode
• Players now respond correctly to speed changes using the minecraft:movement component

Actor Filters

• Created new actor filters “on_fire”, “on_hot_block”, “target_distance”, and “actor_health”

AI Goals

• The “celebrate_survive” AI behavior will now consider the highest rain passable block in addition to sky visibility before firing Fireworks
• The “move_outdoors” AI behavior will now consider the highest rain passable block in addition to sky visibility when searching for a place to consider as being outdoors
• Exposed new data parameters for the “trade_with_player” AI behavior to specify such things as the conditions that need to be met for the goal to start and the max distance the mob can be from its trading player before exiting the goal

Particle Effects

• Fixed a bug causing particles with collision and “expire_on_contact” to not expire when collided
• Added support for mixed color blending on particle effects

Molang

• Added new Molang query.is_local_player to allow detection of the current player
• Fixed a bug where dividing any value in Molang by a dynamically determined negative variable resulted in a division by a positive (absolute) value instead
  
  • This is a Molang Versioned Change that only takes effect for Molang expressions in packs that use a min_engine_version of 1.19.60 or higher

API (Experimental)

Entities/Players/SimulatedPlayer: Fire, levels, experience, and more

• Entity
  
  • Added method setOnFire(seconds: number, useEffects?: boolean = true): boolean)which sets an entity on fire (if it is not in water or rain)
  • Added method extinguishFire(useEffects?: boolean = true): void which extinguishes the fire
  • If an entity is on fire, you can call getComponent(‘minecraft:onfire’)on it, which returns an object of type EntityOnFireComponent, which has a property onFireTicksRemaining
  • Fixed a bug where viewDirectionwould return the direction from the previous tick
  • Fixed a bug where getEntitiesFromViewDirectionwould use the direction from the previous tick
  • Fixed a bug where getBlockFromViewDirectionwould use the direction from the previous tick
  • Fixed a bug where headLocationwould return the location from the previous tick
  • Fixed a bug where the getEffect method could return an invalid Effect (and another case where an Effect could become invalid after a new Effect was added)
  • Added method getEffectswhich returns an array of all active effects on the entity
• EntityHealthComponent
  
  • Fixed a bug where health could be modified on dead entities (MCPE-130687)
• Player
  
  • Added function addLevels(amount: number): number – Adds/Removes level to/from the player and returns the current level of the player
  • Added function addExperience(amount: number): number – Adds/Removes experience to/from the player and returns the current experience of the player
  • Added function resetLevel(): void – Resets the level of the player
  • Added function getTotalXp(): number – Gets the total experience of the player
  • Added read-only property level – Gets the level of the player
  • Added read-only property xpEarnedAtCurrentLevel – Gets the experience earned at the current level of the player
  • Added read-only property totalXpNeededForNextLevel – Gets the total experience required for the current level of the player
• Simulated Player
  
  • Added property isSprinting– Used to get or set if the sprinting state of the simulated player is set to true
• Added function respawn()– Respawns the SimulatedPlayer if it’s dead
• Added function disconnect()– Removes the SimulatedPlayer from the world

Blocks & Redstone

• Added function getRedstonePower(): number– Gets the Redstone signal strength of the Block if it is part of a circuit, otherwise returns undefined

Fill Block APIs

• Added function dimension.fillBlocks(begin: BlockLocation, end: BlockLocation, block: BlockPermutation | BlockType, options?: BlockFillOptions): number
  
  • Fills an area between begin and end with block of type block. Returns the number of blocks placed
• Added new interface BlockFillOptions with member matchingBlock?: BlockPermutation | BlockType
  
  • Used with fillBlocks to apply additional options, such as only filling blocks matching matchingBlock

Command to script message passing

• Added the ‘/scriptevent’ command as part of the Beta APIs experiment. This is what will trigger events.scriptEventReceive events (see below)
  
  • Usage: /scriptevent <messsageId: string> [message: ???]
  • messageId must be namespaced, use of the minecraft namespace is invalid (e.g. “/scriptevent give:coal”, “/scriptevent my_scripts:spawn_sheep”)
  • message is optional, with a max length of 256 characters
• events.scriptEventReceive
  
  • Added system event events.scriptEventReceive
  • Added read-only property id: String– The namespaced ID of the event
  • Added read-only property message: String- The content of the message the event was sent with
  • Added read-only property sourceBlock: Block– The command block that triggered/executed the command call if applicable, otherwise undefined
  • Added read-only property sourceEntity: Entity– The player/entity that executed the command call if applicable, otherwise undefined
  • Added read-only property initiator: Entity– The player that caused an NPC to execute the command call if applicable, otherwise undefined
  • Added read-only property sourceType: MessageSourceType– The type of source the event was triggered by
  • subscribe()can filter by valid namespace string using the ScriptEventMessageFilterOptions class
• ScriptEventMessageFilterOptions
  
  • Added ScriptEventMessageFilterOptions class
  • Added property namespaces: string[]– An array of namespaces to filter on

Item Stacks

• ContainerSlot
  
  • Added class ContainerSlot– Used to directly manipulate items stored within a container
  • Renamed entity property viewVectorto viewDirection and now returns Vector3
  • Renamed entity function getEntitiesFromViewVectorto getEntitiesFromViewDirection
  • Renamed entity function getBlockFromViewVectorto getBlockFromViewDirection
• Container
  
  • Added function getSlot(slot: number): ContainerSlot– Returns the slot at the given container slot index
  • Added function clearItem(slot: number): void– Clears the item at the given slot index
  • Added function clearAll(): void– Clears all items in the container
  • Made the itemStackargument of function setItem optional – If not provided, the slot is cleared
  • Added event events.playerSpawn– Fires when a player spawns in the world
  • Renamed event events.entityCreateto world.events.entitySpawn. This event no longer fires for players

Refactored and Improved Player events

• PlayerJoinEvent
  
  • Added read-only property playerId– The unique ID of the player that joined the world
  • Added read-only property playerName– The name of the player that joined the world
  • Removed property player
• PlayerLeaveEvent
  
  • Added read-only property playerId– The unique ID of the player that left the world

Say/Tell/sendMessage APIs

• Renamed IRawMessage to RawMessage for naming consistency
• RawMessage
  
  • Changed the signature of property withfrom (string[] | RawMessage)[]?  to (string[] | RawMessage)?

Scoreboard get/set value APIs

• Scoreboard
  
  • Added setScore(ScoreboardObjective, ScoreboardIdentity, Number)
  • Added getScore(ScoreboardObjective, ScoreboardIdentity)
• ScoreboardObjective
  
  • Added setScore(ScoreboardIdentity, Number)
  • Added getScore(ScoreboardIdentity)
  • Added removeParticipant(ScoreboardIdentity)
• ScoreboardIdentity
  
  • Added setScore(ScoreboardObjective, Number)
  • Added getScore(ScoreboardObjective)
  • Added removeFromObjective(ScoreboardObjective)

EntityHurtEvent updates

• Added read-only property damageSource: EntityDamageSource – Gets information about the damage source
• EntityDamageSource
  
  • Added property cause: EntityDamageCause – Gets the damage cause
  • Added property damagingEntity?: Entity – Gets the damaging Entity
  • Added property damagingProjectile?: Entity – Gets the damaging projectile Entity
  • Added function applyDamage(amount: number, source?: EntityDamageSource): boolean – Applies damage to the Entity and returns the result of the operation

As North American Launch Partner for the Overwatch League, the automaker looks forward to collaborating on behind-the-scenes content for league fans

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Following a thrilling opening week for the Overwatch League that drew more than 10 million viewers worldwide, a major new brand-marketing partner has signed on to support the league during its inaugural season: multinational automotive manufacturer Toyota.

Toyota will be a North American Launch Partner for the Overwatch League, and is looking forward to future collaborations around bringing behind-the-scenes content to fans. The automaker plans to have additional broadcast integrations, as well as a vehicle presence at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles.

“Toyota is excited to be a launch partner of the Overwatch League,” said Steven Curtis, vice president, media & engagement marketing for Toyota Motor North America. “We love the passion of esports fans, and the goal of our partnership is to help take the Overwatch League and the fan experience to the next level.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Toyota to the Overwatch League,” said Pete Vlastelica, president and CEO of Blizzard Entertainment’s MLG division. “When we were building the league, our desire was to create a premium experience for players and fans, and partners like Toyota are helping us do just that.”

The Overwatch League is further supported by sponsors HP® and Intel®, with players competing on cutting-edge gaming hardware including HP’s OMEN gaming PCs, powered by the latest Intel® Core™ i7 processors.

About the Overwatch League^™

The Overwatch League^™ is the first major global professional esports league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq: ATVI), whose iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and push the boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years. The latest addition to Blizzard’s stable of twenty-one #1 games,^[1] Overwatch was built from the ground up for online competition, with memorable characters and fast-paced action designed for the most engaging gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 33 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 46,000 people (more than 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold almost 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016—and about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.

© 2018 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE, BLIZZARD and BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING is a trademark of Major League Gaming Corp.

[1] Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the sponsorship arrangements for Overwatch esports, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180118005540/en/

Overwatch League
Mark Van Lommel, 949-955-1380 x61147
MVanLommel@overwatchleague.com
or
Toyota Motor North America
Zachary Reed, 214-316-1128
zachary.reed@toyota.com

Source: Overwatch League

News Provided by Acquire Media

– Diretide has ended. Diretide Point rewards will no longer be available.
– There will be opportunities to obtain The Hallowed Chest of the Diretide through playtime starting sometime in January.
– Fixed Orb of Venom slow stacking with Orb of Corrosion
– Fixed Cloak of Flames not doing less damage when carried by Illusions (now does 30)

Nintendo games are usually all-ages affairs, but every once in a while a game breaks the family-friendly mold the company’s consoles are known for. One example, Natsume’s Harvest Moon 64 (Bokujō Monogatari 2 in Japan,) is set to be released on Japan’s Nintendo Switch Online service sometime this year, and we’re feverously awaiting announcement of a Western release (seriously— it’s the best one of these kinds of games that isn’t called Stardew Valley.) However, even though it was re-released on Wii U’s Virtual Console, its absence from Nintendo’s Switch subscription service in the West may be due to one of the game’s central mechanics.

Nintendo has a history of censorship in the West, especially in the ’90s. Around the creation of the ESRB, when there was more outrage about how video games were affecting our youths, Nintendo had a strict policy calling for certain alterations to licensed games on its platforms during the localization process. The company would routinely require the removal or replacement of any instances of suggestive content, gore, and religious iconography in order to make its library more family-friendly and palatable in the West. One of the most common practices to appease this policy was stripping out any reference to alcohol and replacing it with something more ‘wholesome.’

In the original Japanese release of Pokémon Red / Blue / Green / Yellow, a drunk old man in Viridian City briefly blocks your path before sobering up. In the American release, however, he’s simply grumpy and in need of his morning coffee first. The changes don’t stop there. Buildings clearly labeled ‘BAR’ in Japan’s Mother 2 are all renamed to read ‘CAFE’ in America’s EarthBound. In Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, Vodka Drunkenski becomes Soda Popinski. Wario becoming dizzy and belching after being hit with a ball in Wario Land II suddenly makes much more sense when you realize he was originally being hit with a mug of frothy beer. This censorship was also required of third-party games, with Tecmo’s Secret of the Stars replacing an entire alcohol-related town named ‘Drunkards’ with the coffee-dependent ‘Sleepers.’

You’re able to challenge every person to a drink-off, winning handily if you’ve spent the year honing your alcohol consumption. Some are impressed. Others are dejected. All are drunk.

It’s surprising then, that not only did Harvest Moon 64 survive this localization change, but alcohol actually plays a uniquely deep role in the game. Its influence can truly be seen all over, in everything from its story to its mechanics. Take, for instance, the only building in town open during the second half of your day: the bar. At this local tavern you’re able to spend your hard-earned money on a glass of wine, liquor, or beer while surrounded by a fluctuating number of townsfolk. Sometimes lively and boisterous, with numerous residents crowded around wooden tables, other times lonely and barren, with only the bartender there for comfort.

It is here where, already a few drinks in, you uncover the deepest worries and desires of these residents. Harris, the lonely postman, wonders if he’s good enough for Marie, the librarian and mayor’s daughter. The baker, Jeff, ponders if he’s too young to already be waxing nostalgic. Zack, the town shipper, prays he’s capable of raising his young daughter after his wife’s death. All of these people are only able to come out of their shell with the help of this ‘magic liquid.’

The connection between Harvest Moon 64 and alcohol permeates through to the game’s mechanics. A hidden ‘tolerance’ stat determines your ability to outdrink the village residents at the New Year’s Eve celebration. You’re able to challenge every person there to a drink-off, winning handily if you’ve spent the year honing your alcohol consumption. Some are impressed. Others are dejected. All are drunk. Regardless of their reaction, each townsperson you’ve bested stumbles out of the festival with a higher affection stat for you. Drink is a central component of this community, and you’ve proven yourself capable of being a part of it.

Nowhere is this relationship with alcohol more prevalent than in the player’s attempt to restore the vineyard—the game’s longest, most opaque side quest. In the far back corner of Flowerbud Village’s vineyard rests a large, dead tree. It’s been years since the vineyard has produced quality grapes, and the family who runs it has suffered, unable to see the twisted, sickly, barren branches of this tree as anything other than a sign of their own failure.

Karen, the moody and abrasive daughter who works part-time at the bar, dreams of saving up enough money to run away to the city (and away from her family) for good. Gotz, the grumpy father who inherited the vineyard, drinks alone each night, turning down your every attempt to socialize. Sasha, the meek, withdrawn mother, worries heavily about her daughter’s unhappiness. None of them can understand why the quality of their wine isn’t what it used to be, and why that barren tree no longer blooms. Legend has it, however, that in this tree sleeps a spirit. A Goddess of Wine capable of restoring the vineyard—and its family—to former glory. Harvest Moon 64’s very own Dionysus.

It’s by completing this side quest that you’re able to awaken the long-dormant spirit. Through a series of events that include befriending the local bartender, a harvest sprite, and a specific prayer, you’re able to restore the vineyard back to its former glory, its wine becoming sweet and profitable once again. Karen and the rest of her family are overjoyed. One of the workers, Kai, brings by a bottle of the new batch to your farm and drinks with you to celebrate. What were the most standoffish NPCs in the game are suddenly reborn, and, if just for a moment, full of ebullient hope.

It is worth noting that the game tends to celebrate alcohol consumption in a way you wouldn’t likely see today. It’s not blind glorification — the bartender cautions you not to drink too much, and a scene of Karen stumbling drunk on the job is certainly not portrayed as a good thing — but overall Harvest Moon 64 tends to fall short of showcasing more nuanced, negative aspects of drinking. However, for an almost 25-year-old game on a Nintendo console, it’s impressive that it was present at all.

Who knows why Harvest Moon 64 was spared Nintendo of America’s strict censorship policy back in 1999. It’s not as if the game came over from Japan completely unchanged, as a fourth television station and farm completion screen are among the features not brought over from the Japanese version. Probably it was simply too integral to lose or adapt in this case. After all, what would this small country town be without the joys and sorrows of alcohol? How would they celebrate their success? How would they mourn their loss? It’s drinking that brings out these residents’ rich, complicated interior lives, turning would-be stock characters into blooming three-dimensional ones you can truly empathize with.

So next time you’re in Flowerbud Village, take a moment to have a glass of wine and appreciate just how undiluted the English language version of this game was. Cheers!

We love tactics games, and luckily for us, there are plenty of fantastic examples of the genre on both the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. It’s always a thrill to plot your moves ahead of time, unleash your different units, and try your best to overpower your opponent with brain power and weapons. Plus, you can pretend to be an army general without any of the guilt. Sorry little virtual troops, some of you aren’t ever seeing your virtual wives and children again.

Anyway, before we send some fictional soldiers to meet their makers, be sure to check out our huge army of amazing content. Let us command some information into your eyeballs with our guides covering the best Switch RPGs, the best Switch party games, the best Switch strategy games, and of course the best Switch adventure games.

Alright, troops, let’s march on down into our guide to the best tactics games on Switch and mobile.

Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp – Switch 

Nintendo and developer Wayforward recently took two of the best tactics games ever made, jammed them together into one delicious package, and gave them a gorgeous update in this HD remaster. In fact, remaster is cutting it short, as Wayforward gives the games a spiffy new toybox art style, as well as the addition of extra modes and smart enhancements that make these perfect for the modern tactics fans.

Read our Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp review to see why we call it the “blueprint to the perfect remake.”

Fire Emblem: Three Houses – Switch 

The Fire Emblem franchise rarely steps a foot wrong, but co-developers Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo’s school-focused entry is a particularly stellar step forward for the tactical IP. You play as a young professor called Byleth who must choose which school house to steward, and ultimately lead into war. Full of great characters, amazing fights, and a fantastic story, this is the best Fire Emblem game since Awakening.

Get to know the cast with our Fire Emblem: Three Houses characters guide.

Triangle Strategy – Switch 

Ignore the silly name, as Square Enix and Team Asano’s HD-2D tactics game is much more complex than its mundane moniker might suggest. A political thriller with more depth than its bright visual style suggests, there’s a reason we argue that it’s the closest thing to a good Game of Thrones game on the market. Read our full Triangle Strategy review to learn why we call it a “sublime tactical game with a gut-wrenching story of political and personal strife.”

Mario & Rabbids Sparks of Hope – Switch 

Gamers were in for a big surprise in 2017, as Nintendo and Ubisoft’s Mario & Rabbids collaboration is a fantastic tactics title that somehow blends the Mushroom Kingdom with those loony Lepus. Fast forward to 2022, and Mario & Rabbids Sparks of Hope is an interstellar sequel that improves the franchise in almost every single way. You can read our Mario and Rabbids Sparks of Hope review for more information, and make sure you don’t miss the Mario and Rabbids Sparks of Hope Rayman DLC.

Wargroove – Switch 

Developer Chucklefish is behind Wargroove, an Advance Wars-like that definitely toes the line between inspiration and imitation. However, this is a really smart tactics game with a lot of great characters, and some really interesting online features. You can even take part in matches with friends, and play whenever you want like a game of chess. It also looks gorgeous, so tactics fans will have a blast with this one.

Into The Breach – Switch and mobile 

I will talk about Into The Breach any chance I get. The futuristic roguelike is a tactics masterclass, using just a few units and locations to their fullest potential. Developer Subset Games has crafted an endlessly replayable tactical game that features high-stakes matches to save the human race from a ruthless army of insect-like aliens. The isometric look is also absolutely gorgeous with an incredible synth soundtrack, slightly taking the sting out of watching the end of humanity.

Bad North – Switch and mobile 

If you want something a bit less complicated, this minimalist masterpiece is a great starting point. From Plausible Concept, Bad North is a game that balances wordless war with simple visuals to offer a tactical game with a difference. Everything is easy to understand, and fantastic visual design means you always know what to do. It gets tricky, but this is a great pick for younger gamers as well.

Meet more about the violent delights of Vikings in our Bad North review.

Clash of Clans – mobile 

Everyone and their moms know about Clash of Clans, but much like other megahits such as Angry Birds or Candy Crush, Clash of Clans is successful because it’s a great game at its core. Command your own army, build your base, and defend your forces from millions of other players around the world. It’s addictive, it’s easy to understand, and there are potentially years of gameplay. Give it a try, and then use our Clash of Clans bases guide to get started.

Stand down, troops, our guide to the best tactics games on Switch and mobile is over for now. However, if you still have the itch for more gaming – like Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker – then strap on your bomb suit and wander down into our explosive guide on the best Switch survival games.