Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 22w06a focuses on legal and technical changes

As always, Minecraft is entering a new year with big plans for updates and future changes. Many players have been waiting for some of these upcoming improvements to feature in Minecraft: Java Edition snapshots, in order to provide feedback, but so far snapshots have focused more on bug fixes and minor tweaks than testing experimental features. Today’s Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot is more of the same, as Mojang Studios continues to work hard behind the scenes on larger snapshots to come in the future.

Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 22w06a is headlined by a legal change for South Korean players, which sees gameplay timers and occasional notices installed to remind players to take breaks. Beyond that, there are plenty of technical updates surrounding tags for Minecraft creators and a small handful of bug fixes. The snapshot is available now for players to test.

The Wild Update is the first major feature update for Minecraft in 2022, and it’s going to add new mobs like frogs and The Warden, the Deep Dark biome, quality-of-life improvements, and much more. There’s a lot to look forward to in The Wild Update, which aims to cement Minecraft as one of the best PC games ever for another year.

The full changelog for Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 22w06a includes:

Changes

• If you’re playing in South Korea, we added gameplay timers and notices in compliance with gaming laws to help remind players to take occasional breaks from gameplay

Technical changes

• Any type present in registries (blocks, items, biomes, etc.) can now have tags

Universal tags

• Tags can now be defined for any registry (blocks, items, biomes, and more — see registries.json in report)
• New tags are stored in datapacks under tags directory (same as old ones)
• Names of new tag directories are the same as registry names (so /data/[namespace]/tags/potion and /data/[namespace]/tags/worldgen/biome)
• Existing tags (blocks, items, fluids, entity_types, game_events and functions) keep their name (for now)
• Some fields in worldgen structures that previously only lists of element ids now accept tags
  • Those entries now accept [id, ...], id (shortcut for [id]) and #tag
  • Changed fields are:
  • feature.glow_lichen configuration: can_be_placed_on
  • feature.spring_feature configuration: valid_blocks
  • feature.simple_random_selector configuration: features
  • block_predicate_type.matching_blocks: blocks
  • block_predicate_type.matching_fluids: fluids
  • biome: inner list in features, map value in carvers
  • biome_source.checkerboard: biomes
• Some tag fields now require id to be prepended with # (however they are not yet accepting element list)
  • dimension_type: infiniburn
  • feature.geode configuration: blocks.cannot_replace, blocks.invalid_blocks
  • feature.vegetation_patch, feature.waterlogged_vegetation_patch configuration: replaceable
  • feature.root_system configuration: root_replaceable
  • structure_processor.protected_blocks: value

Fixed bugs

• Structure blocks do not rotate entities correctly when loading
• Superflat world “Water World” preset settings are obsolete for the 1.18 update
• Flashing particles when boosting upwards with firework rockets
• Parrot dying while using Riptide enchantment