Halloween Update

{
 "title": "Halloween Update",
 "images": [
 "OldNether.png"
 ],
 "rows": [
 {
 "field": "October 30, 2010",
 "label": "Release date"
 },
 {
 "field": "(link to Java Edition Alpha v1.2.0 article, displayed as Java Edition Alpha v1.2.0)",
 "label": "Version(s)"
 }
 ],
 "invimages": [],
 "footer": "<div style=\"display:inline-block\">\n<div style=\"display:inline-block;padding:0 .4em\"><span style=\"margin-right:-0.35em\">◄</span>◄ [[Seecret Updates]]</div>\n\n</div><div style=\"display:inline-block\">\n\n<div style=\"display:inline-block;padding:0 .4em\">[[Adventure Update]] <span style=\"margin-right:-0.35em\">►</span>►</div>\n</div>"
}

The Halloween Update is the name for Java Edition Alpha v1.2.0, a major update released on October 30, 2010. The Nether was the most prominent feature of the update.

New dimension

• The Nether
  • A new hell-like dimension that can be accessed through a Nether portal.
  • Can be used to traverse large distances on the Overworld, as 1 block in the Nether equals to 8 blocks in the overworld.

New blocks

• 👁 Image
  Glowstone
  • Obtained by crafting nine glowstone dust.
  • Can be used as a light source.
• 👁 Image
  Jack o'Lantern
  • Obtained by crafting a pumpkin with a torch.
• 👁 Image
  Nether Portal Block
• 👁 Image
  Netherrack
  • Found abundantly in the Nether.
• 👁 Image
  Pumpkin (now Carved Pumpkin)
  • Found in patches across the Overworld.
  • Can be worn by the player.
• 👁 Image
  Soul Sand
  • Found in the Nether.
  • Has high friction, slows down the player's speed when walked over.

New items

• 👁 Image
  Clock
  • Used to tell the time in the Overworld.
  • Cannot function in the Nether.
• 👁 Image
  Glowstone Dust
  • Obtained from mining glowstone blocks.
  • Can be used to craft glowstone.
• 👁 Image
  Raw Fish (now Raw Cod) and its 👁 Image
  cooked variant
  • Obtained from using a fishing rod on an area of water.

New mobs

• 👁 Image
  Ghast
  • Flying mob in the Nether.
  • When in target of the player, it shoots a fireball towards them.
  • Drops gunpowder when killed.
• 👁 Image
  Zombie Pigman (now Zombified Piglin)
  • Neutral mobs in the Nether.
  • Are passive at first, but become hostile forever if the player hits one and angers any nearby zombie pigman.
  • Drops cooked porkchops when killed.

New world generation

• Proper biomes were added:
  • 👁 Image
    Desert
    • Generates with sand and cacti.
  • 👁 Image
    Forest
  • 👁 Image
    The Nether
  • 👁 Image
    Plains
    • Generates with few oak trees, dandelions, and roses.
  • 👁 Image
    Rainforest
  • 👁 Image
    Seasonal Forest
  • 👁 Image
    Shrubland
  • 👁 Image
    Swampland
  • 👁 Image
    Taiga
    • Generates with taiga trees, snow, and ice.
  • 👁 Image
    Tundra
    • Generates with few oak trees, snow, and ice.

New structures

• 👁 Image
  Glowstone blob
  • Found on the Nether ceiling.
• 👁 Image
  Nether portal

New gameplay

• Fishing
  • At the time, fishing was only used to obtain raw fish.

New soundtrack

• Six new ambient music tracks from C418 were added:
  • "hal1.ogg" - "Subwoofer Lullaby"
  • "hal2.ogg" - "Living Mice"
  • "hal3.ogg" - "Haggstrom"
  • "hal4.ogg" - "Danny"
  • "nuance1.ogg" - "Key"
  • "nuance2.ogg" - "Oxygène"
• "piano2.ogg" ("Wet Hands") received a slightly different mix.
• "piano3.ogg" ("Mice on Venus") received an extension.

Notable changes

• Added the ability to hide the player's HUD and viewmodel with F1
• Darker grass block and leaves
• Sunrise creates a red glow
• New creeper sounds

The update was announced on October 4, 2010 on Notch's blog.^[1] A new type of block was announced on October 8, and on October 11 Notch posted a statement on his Twitter saying: "I just made the most unfair mob ever even more unfair. You will hate the Ghast."^[2] On October 10, 2010, Notch posted the first image of the Nether on his blog.

On October 19, it was announced that there were six new block types (of which five had unique abilities), one new monster, a new dimension, and a couple of bug fixes.^[3]

On October 22, PC Gamer posted an article giving more details about the new update. The article states that Ghasts "are flying cuboid jellyfish that could shoot fireballs at you, blowing chunks out of the world around you and setting it on fire." It also states that the Nether portals to go to and from the Hell dimension is made from obsidian.

On October 25, Notch tweeted that he was working on a second, more harmless mob.^[4] This was later revealed to be the zombie pigman.

Torches were planned to become temporary light sources with the new permanent light source being lanterns, but the update didn't make it in time. Lanterns, however, were added in the Java snapshot 18w46a and Bedrock 1.9.0 versions.

• The "poster" was located at minecraft.net/boo, which no longer exists. An archive of it is available at archive.org
• The poster said that pumpkins were "useless", while now, they provide a shield against provoking endermen.
• The poster said "Portal in, move 10 meters, portal out, and you're hundreds of meters away." Since portals move the player by a factor of 8, 10 meters away in the Nether is 80 meters away in the Overworld, not hundreds.
• Burnt-out torches were not added in this update, but they were added in Minecraft 2.0 April Fools update.

• 👁 The Halloween Update logo.
  
  The Halloween Update logo.
• 👁 A complete list of what Notch hoped to finish for the update.
  
  A complete list of what Notch hoped to finish for the update.
• 👁 A complete list of what Notch finished for the update.
  
  A complete list of what Notch finished for the update.
• 👁 A Nether landscape.
  
  A Nether landscape.
• 👁 A ghast attacking the player.
  
  A ghast attacking the player.
• 👁 The Overworld in Alpha 1.2.
  
  The Overworld in Alpha 1.2.
• 👁 An example of the new biomes added in this update.
  
  An example of the new biomes added in this update.
• 👁 First image of the nether.
  
  First image of the nether.
• 👁 First image of biomes.
  
  First image of biomes.
• 👁 First image of soul sand.
  
  First image of soul sand.

• Adventure Update
• Pretty Scary Update
• Nether Update