Earlier today on their sub-Reddit Mojang posted a topic on a new launcher for their big hit game Minecraft, which will hopefully cut out a lot of the problems related to Java.

While it’s not 100% brand new (its a native wrapping around what is currently available), they’re hoping that by using the new launcher and running off a version of Java that will now be installed with the game they can hopefully improve the time the game takes to launch and make running smoother than it has been in the past.

While they are developing it for Windows and OSX, currently only the Window version is available for the testing period right now. Dinnerbone has said they hope to get the OSX version out for testing early next year. However he does note that they may or may not make a native launcher for Linux as they’re not sure if Linux actually needs one at this stage.

There is also going to be a new installer available with better located icons and buttons, but for the moment only the native launcher is availble for the test.

If you’re interested, hop over to the topic and get a download link as well as reading up on the rest of the information available for you there.

Reddit “We need your help testing a new launcher!”: [x]

It was a stellar weekend for eSports as some of the best StarCraft II players in the world faced off at BlizzCon 2014 to see who would claim the WCS Grand Championship. Starting with highly touted matches such as Bomber vs. MMA, the action quickly reached new levels of competitiion. Through it all, a lone Zerg player represented that last hope for Zerg players to secure a major win in 2014. In the end, it came down to 4 of the best. Taeja, Classic, MMA and Life.

The final match, however, would be one of the most unanticipated and most epic. MMA vs Life in a classic Terran vs. Zerg. Picked to go to the distance and take the full 7 games to decide, Life stunned the casters and the world when he took the series 4-1, claiming the title of WCS World Champion and putting the capstone on a year long comeback of truly amazing proportions.

Life takes home a cool $100,00 in prize money, with MMA netting $50,000. Classic and TaeJa, who placed 3rd and 4th both net $15,000.

If you love eSports, I’d highly recommend watching the VODs of the tournament found on the WCS Twitch page. The level of play was truly amazing, and will mark the last time Heart of the Swarm is used in one of the major tournaments, as Legacy of the Void is nearly upon us.

For more eSports coverage, stay tuned to Sanitarium.fm.

Today at BlizzCon, Blizzard announced that StarCraft2: Legacy of the Void will be a standalone game and will not require a copy of StarCraft 2 to play. Game director Dustin Browder says this will allow first-time players and established fansx alike the chance to dive into Starcraft 2.

The new game will focus on the Protoss as the player attempts to reunite the scattered Protoss Tribe. Players will be able to use the Spar of Adun, and ancient Arcship to destroy an entire enemy army at the touch of a button. LotV will also introduces Archon mode, a new co-op and PVP mode in one. Teammates will have to work together to control a single army and base.

Another new mode is Allied Commanders, that allows players to join forces and fight through scenarios together, levelling up their commander’s as they go. LotV will also introduce new automated tournaments over  Battle.net. And, as Browder teased “The Lurker is back.”

No release date has been announced yet.

For the first time in many years, Blizzard announced a new franchise today: Overwatch, a team-based multiplayer shooter with Pixar-like graphics.

The game looks great. It’s a PvP shooter with classes, very reminiscent of Team Fortress 2. Here’s the cinematic trailer:

And, more importantly, here’s gameplay footage from the newly-christened Overwatch, which really does look fantastic:

Here’s Blizzard describing the game in a press release:

The action of Overwatch takes place in a technologically advanced, highly stylized future earth. In a time of global crisis, an international task force of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities known as Overwatch had come together to restore peace to a war-torn world. After many years, the group’s influence waned, and it was eventually disbanded. Overwatch might be gone now . . . but the world still needs heroes.

 

With an emphasis on accessibility and pure fun, Overwatch brings Blizzard’s signature easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay to the FPS genre. Harnessing the power of their hero of choice, players will join forces in teams of six and battle each other across a range of futuristic global locations, from the hologram-lit streets of London to a bazaar in the shadows of a high-tech Egyptian pyramid. Every battlefield is iconic and built to highlight each character’s unique abilities, and fights can shift from streets to rooftops to open skies within the span of a breath.

 

“Overwatch is our take on a vibrant, near-future universe with amped-up characters and action-packed team-based gameplay,” saidMike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “With every new Blizzard game, we look at our favorite aspects of a genre and put our own spin on things. Our goal with Overwatch is to create an awesome FPS experience that’s more accessible to a much wider audience while delivering the action and depth that shooter fans love.”

 

The heroes of Overwatch each bring their own distinct weapons and superabilities to bear. Here’s just a glimpse of the numerous heroes that will ultimately fill Overwatch’s rosters:

 

– Tracer, a former British test pilot who shrugs at danger, can execute impossible acrobatic assaults thanks to her ability to teleport, drop energy bombs, and even reverse time.
– Reinhardt, a hulking German soldier in battle armor, can charge great distances and pin his enemies to a wall or slam the ground with his rocket hammer to knock them off their feet.
– Hanzo, a bow-wielding Japanese mercenary, has the ability to scale walls with his bare hands, fire off a tracking device that illuminates nearby enemies for his team, and unleash a huge spirit dragon that does grievous damage to all enemies in its path.
– Symmetra, an Indian architech, manipulates light and energy to shield her allies and damage her enemies—and she can turn the tide of any battle by building a device that instantly transports her teammates to the front lines.

The beta will be out in 2015 and you can sign up HERE!

Overwatch is a reworked version of the PVP portions of Blizzard’s Titan, the long-in-development MMO that was overhauled in mid-2013. Despite reports earlier this year that Titan had been cancelled, the game was actually turned into Overwatch last year, according to a person familiar with the project.

The next update to Minecraft seems to be about to bring in a few tweaks to the video options of the game.

Mojang dev Dinnerbone has been tweeting about some of them, mentioning mainly the new options for clouds: off/fast/fancy as well as the option to turn on or off entity shadows. The graphics button for fast/fancy will now control some of the particles too; namely the transparency of leaves and rain particles.

These updates separate the clouds and shadows from the rest of the graphical options which at the moment are all tied together. This will help less powerful computers run the game without having to disable absolutely everything graphics-wise.

For the next pre, I’ve changed some video options around. Clouds is now “on/fast/fancy” and there’s a new option for entity shadows “on/off”

— Nathan Adams (@Dinnerbone) October 28, 2014