Minecraft Metaverse? Creator of Hit Sandbox Game Promises Interconnected Network of Minecraft Multiplayer Servers!

When I asked Markus "Notch" Persson if he planned to turn Minecraft, his hit indie sandbox game, into an MMO, he said no, but added, "I know there are some server admins who have pretty large scale plans for their Minecraft servers." And according to a more recent Tweet from Notch, an upcoming feature will effectively make Minecraft an MMO -- or more accurately, a metaverse: "Yes, you will eventually be able to link servers with portals. NOT SOON, though." Portals are in-game teleport entry points in Minecraft, which usually take you to other parts of a custom-made level. (It's how you can make a working version of the game Portal in Minecraft.) When and if this feature is added, we could see hundreds or even thousands of Minecraft multiplayer levels linked up into a Second Life-style grid. Extraordinary vision. And given Minecraft's runaway success, it's quite possible that Minecraft could ultimately become the largest metaverse online.

Hat tip to Minecraft blogger Bone, who puts it this way: "Will we be able to pop into our friend’s world and punch some trees? I hope so."

Got Minecraft news you want to share? Contact me, part-time Minecraft reporter Wagner James Au at wjamesau at well dot com. (My Minecraft avatar was made by Bone Mosten of Punching Trees).

Comments

[Eggy Lippmann]

YES GOD YES!
We will round up giant armies of people, dig underneath the enemy castle's walls and raid their chests for precious Diamond and Redstone!
Hopefully!

[Adeon Writer]

To be more specific, portals that send you to another server entirely don't yet exist, however a current server already can have multiple "instances" with portals that lead between them at will, which makes it rather easy to set up different areas/realms with links.

[SignpostMarv Martin]

Given the scale of Minecraft maps, it'd be more accurate to make comparisons to OpenSim's "Hypergrid" feature than it would be to Second Life's grid.

I believe that the current size of Agni is tiny compared to the potential size of an individual Minecraft map.

[Adeon Writer]

"I believe that the current size of Agni is tiny compared to the potential size of an individual Minecraft map."

If the a minecraft avatar is assumed to be the height of an average human, then the max size of a minecraft map is larger than the surface of the earth.

So yes, I'd say so. :)

[SignpostMarv Martin]

a) block size is supposedly 1m cubed.
b) potential map size is supposedly 8 times the surface of the earth.

[优文网]

I believe that the current size of Agni is tiny compared to the potential size of an individual Minecraft map.