Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson may not be revealing all of the nitty-gritty details about the next big patch just yet, but it's clear the so-called "Adventure Update" is shaping up to be a major game changer. With the core elements of the gameplay already locked-down, the Minecraft development team is now focusing on beefing up the content and giving players much more to do in the game world.

"Most of the basics of the game engine [are] in place, so it's time to flesh this game out into something more gamey," writes Notch on his blog this week. "More content, more exploration, more things to do, and interesting combat." There's more than 40 different additions to the game planned for the Adventure Update, he says, and the list ranges from small items to "huge" new elements. At this point, we know NPC vi ... Read more »