Developer of block-based building bonanza Minecraft Mojang announced today on their Twitter an update to their subscription service. Known as Minecraft Realms Plus, it features a recurring fee like the standard Realms service, allowing players to create their own private persistent servers. Only invited players are able to play on any given server, allowing for more privacy. Up to 11 players, including the owner, can play at a time, although there is no limit on invites.
As the server is always online, it allows players to develop big projects and have them sustain themselves while players are away. Farms will grow their crops, furnaces will smelt ore, and time will otherwise pass normally. Friends on the approved list can access the server at any time and do not need the owner present. Realms Plus includes over 50 additional pieces of content from the Minecraft Marketplace at no additional cost. Mojang plans to add additional Marketplace doodads to the subscription service each month, with more details forthcoming.
Depending on the platform, Realms Plus has various pay tiers. Players may purchase recurring subscriptions each month, or potentially save money through buying several months at a time. The website suggests checking the platform in question for more information regarding deals. Slightly different versions of Realms Plus are available for both Minecraft and Minecraft: Java Edition. Cross-platform play is available for the version of Minecraft through the Windows 10 Store, the Bedrock Engine-based release. Mod support for Realms is available for the Java Edition, but is not currently compatible with the Bedrock version.
Other features include the ability for Realm owners to swap game modes and utilize admin commands. Owners can also upload and download their maps as well as access Clubs. Clubs act as a miniature social media platform, allowing players to share photos, videos, and socialize. Clubs, however, are not currently available in the Java Edition.
The advent of Minecraft Realms Plus isn't the only piece of news to come out of MINECON 2019. It debuted alongside a number of features and other announcements regarding biomes and updates for the funny cubes.
Quick Take
It's interesting to see Minecraft's revival occurring from the outside. I never got into it in its heyday, but witnessing the renaissance surrounding it this year has been amazing, to say the least. Maybe that's a sign for me to finally see what it's all about? It's aged very well.
