Java Edition Alpha v1.2.0

{
 "title": "Minecraft Alpha v1.2.0",
 "images": [
 "Alpha_v1.2.0.png",
 "Alpha_v1.2.0_menu.png"
 ],
 "rows": [
 {
 "field": "''(link to Java Edition article, displayed as Java Edition)''",
 "label": "(link to Edition article, displayed as Edition)"
 },
 {
 "field": "(link to Halloween Update article, displayed as Halloween Update)",
 "label": "Official name"
 },
 {
 "field": "October 30, 2010",
 "label": "Release date"
 },
 {
 "field": "(link to Java Edition Alpha server 0.2.2 article, displayed as 0.2.2)",
 "label": "Server version"
 },
 {
 "field": "<div class=\"hlist\"><span style=\"white-space:nowrap;\">(link to :Category:Java Edition Alpha v1.2.0 previews article, displayed as '''Previews''') (1) </span><br/>((link to Java Edition Alpha v1.2.0/Development versions article, displayed as View all))</div>",
 "label": "<span style=\"white-space: normal;\">Development versions</span>"
 },
 {
 "field": "Original unavailable<br>\n[https://vault.omniarchive.uk/archive/java/client-alpha/a1.2.0.jar Reuploaded client] ([https://meta.omniarchive.uk/versions/v1/a1.2.0-2057.json .json])",
 "label": "(link to Tutorial:Installing a version#Manual version installation article, displayed as Downloads)"
 },
 {
 "field": "3",
 "label": "(link to Protocol version article, displayed as Protocol version)"
 },
 {
 "field": "<span class=\"plainlinks\">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_version_history#Java_SE_5 Java SE 5]</span>",
 "label": "<span style=\"white-space: normal;\">Minimum Java version</span>"
 },
 {
 "field": "minecraft.net/game/",
 "label": "(link to Applet#Hosting article, displayed as Applet page)"
 },
 {
 "field": "1288468289000 (orig.)<br>1288468646000 (reup.)",
 "label": "(link to al_version article, displayed as Cache ID)"
 }
 ],
 "invimages": [],
 "footer": "<table style=\"margin: auto; word-break: break-word;\">\n<tr style=\"background: inherit;\">\n<td style=\"padding: 0.4em\" >[[Java Edition Alpha v1.1.0|<span style=\"margin-right:-0.35em\">◄</span>◄  Alpha v1.1.0]]</td>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" style=\"padding: 0.4em\">'''Alpha v1.2.0'''</td>\n<td style=\"padding: 0.4em\" >[[Java Edition Beta 1.0| Beta 1.0 <span style=\"margin-right:-0.35em\">►</span>►]]</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=\"background: inherit;\">\n<td style=\"padding: 0.4em\">\n[[Java Edition Alpha v1.1.2_01|◄  Alpha v1.1.2_01]]\n</td>\n\n<td style=\"padding: 0.4em\">\n[[Java Edition Alpha v1.2.0_01| Alpha v1.2.0_01 ►]]\n</td>\n</tr>\n</table>"
}

Alpha v1.2.0, also known as the Halloween Update, is a major update to Java Edition. It was released with server 0.2.2 on October 30, 2010,^[1] at 20:53 UTC.^[2] It primarily added the Nether along with new Nether-exclusive mobs and blocks. It also added fishing, a new terrain generator, and other changes and fixes.

Alpha v1.2.0 was re-uploaded immediately after release to prevent the game still saying "do not distribute" in the main menu.^[3]

This version is listed in the launcher, but instead downloads Alpha v1.2.0_02.^[4]

👁 Image
Netherrack

• Generates in the Nether.
• Sustains fire indefinitely.

👁 Image
Soul sand

• Generates in the Nether.
• Decreases the player's walking speed.

👁 Image
Glowstone

• Generates in the Nether.
• Emits a light level of 15.
• Drops 1 glowstone dust per block.
• Crafted with 9 glowstone dust.

👁 Image
Pumpkin

• New plant found in patches in the overworld.
• Can be worn by the player.

👁 Image
Jack 'o' lantern

• Emits a light level of 15.
• Can be worn by the player.
• Crafted with 1 pumpkin and 1 torch.

👁 Image
Nether portal

• New block used to transport players to and from the Nether.
• Emits a light level of 11.

👁 Image
Clock

• New item that tells the time.
• Crafted with 1 redstone dust and 4 gold ingots.

👁 Image
Glowstone dust

• Obtained by mining glowstone, one piece per block.

👁 Image
Raw fish

• Obtained by fishing.
• New food item, which restores 2HP👁 ❤️
  .

👁 Image
Cooked fish

• New food item, which restores 5HP👁 ❤️
  👁 ❤️
  👁 💔
  .
• Obtained by cooking raw fish in a furnace.

👁 Image
Ghast

• Large, white mob that floats around in the Nether.
• Shoots fireballs at the player.
  • The fireballs use the snowball texture when shot.
• Has 10HP👁 ❤️
  👁 ❤️
  👁 ❤️
  👁 ❤️
  👁 ❤️
  .
• Drops 0-2 sulphur.

👁 Image
Zombie pigmen

• Neutral mob found in the Nether.
• When one zombie pigman is attacked, all nearby pigmen retaliate and attack the player, becoming permanently hostile.
• Holds a golden sword.^{[note 1]}
• Has 10HP👁 ❤️
  👁 ❤️
  👁 ❤️
  👁 ❤️
  👁 ❤️
  .
• Drops 0-2 cooked porkchops.

👁 Image
Ghast fireball

• It is a projectile from a ghast.
• It has a straight trajectory unaffected by gravity and a theoretically infinite range.
• It creates an explosion upon impact with an entity or block, setting fire to nearby blocks.
• It uses the same snowball texture.

• New terrain generator, featuring 12 new biomes:

👁 Image
Desert

• A warm biome consisting of sand and cacti. No trees generate.

👁 Image
Forest

• A biome with many trees.

👁 Image
Hell

• A biome found in the Nether. Consists of netherrack and soul sand.
• To get there, you'll have to build an obsidian portal frame and set it on fire in the center 👁 Image
  .
• One block passed in this dimension is equal to eight blocks passed in the Overworld.
• Water cannot be placed here.

👁 Image
Ice Desert

• Unused biome. Same as the desert, except the ground is covered in snow and no cacti generate.

👁 Image
Plains

• Flat, open biome with only the occasional tree.

👁 Image
Rainforest

• Very wet forested biome, with a 1 in 3 chance of trees being big, rather than 1 in 10 in all other biomes.

👁 Image
Savanna

• Mostly flat biome with occasional trees. Only difference from the plains biome is the grass color.

👁 Image
Seasonal forest

• Very similar to the forest, with the only difference being a lower-density canopy.

👁 Image
Shrubland

• Very similar to plains, with the only difference being the grass color.

👁 Image
Swampland

• Indentical to Shrubland, with only a different grass color and the occasional patch of snow.

👁 Image
Taiga

• Snowy forested biome.

👁 Image
Tundra

• A cold biome with snow, ice, and very few trees.

Fishing

• Gives function to the fishing rod.
• Each tick when a fishing bobber is in water, it has a ¹⁄₅₀₀ chance of catching a fish.
• Currently the only item that can be obtained through fishing is raw fish.

Music

• Added new music by C418: hal1.ogg, hal2.ogg, hal3.ogg, hal4.ogg, nuance1.ogg, nuance2.ogg

Splash

• Added new splashes:
  • Slow acting portals!
  • Try the Nether!
  • Don't look directly at the bugs!
  • Oh, ok, Pigmen!
  • Finally with ladders!
  • Scary!

Textures

• 👁 Image
  An unused texture for pigmen has been added to mobs/pigman.png.

👁 Image
Block of diamond

• Texture changed from 👁 Image
  .

👁 Image
Block of gold

• Texture changed from 👁 Image
  .

👁 Image
Block of iron

• Texture changed from 👁 Image
  .

👁 Image
Stone stairs

• Now face the same direction as the player when placed.

👁 Image
👁 Image
Furnace and lit furnace

• Now face the same direction as the player when placed.

👁 Image
Grass block

• Texture changed from 👁 Image
  .
• Its color is now dependent on temperature/humidity values.

👁 Image
👁 Image
Leaves

• Texture changed from 👁 Image
  👁 Image
  .
• Its color is now dependent on temperature/humidity values.
• Decaying no longer occurs.

👁 Image
Rails

• Texture changed from 👁 Image
  .

👁 Image
Wooden stairs

• Now face the same direction as the player when placed.

General

• Higher lighting values are required the deeper they are to keep mobs from spawning.

👁 Image
Skeletons

• Now hold bows.

👁 Image
Slimes

• Completely removed from mob spawning code.

Chunks

• Fake chunks spawn at 32,000,000 blocks instead of the void.
  • They cannot be interacted with.
  • They are not solid.
  • Lighting stops working.
  • Trees, flowers, grass, and dungeons stop generating beyond this point.

Sunrise

• Now creates a red glow at the horizon.

Sky

• Color is now dependent on temperature/humidity values.

Heads-up display

• Pressing hides the HUD and the view-model from the person's view. In third person mode, pressing creates a view looking back at the player's own face.

Player

• The "ough" sound no longer plays when the player takes damage.

Music

• piano2.ogg now has a slightly different mix.^{[note 2]} piano3.ogg has been extended.^{[note 3]}

Title screen

• Changed Minecraft logo from 👁 Image
  to 👁 Image
  .

Level previewer

Winter mode

• Due to the removal of winter mode and therefore snow, it no longer becomes visually distorted at great heights.

/wood

/iron

• Fixed the game still saying "do not distribute" on title screen.^{[3][note 4]}

• 👁 A Nether portal in this version.
  
  A Nether portal in this version.