Minetest 5.8.0

[Krock]

Minetest 5.8.0 has been released!

Release blog post

Minetest Game is no longer the default game and will no longer be shipped by Minetest. If you want it back, install it by using the “Content” tab.

Highlights

• Minetest no longer ships with a default game - instead, users are directed to choose one from the ContentDB dialog
• Redesigned the Settings GUI to be more user-friendly
• Android: Place nodes with single tap
• Added improved antialiasing filters
• Modding: Added ability to override item images using ItemMetaData

Changelog: https://dev.minetest.net/Changelog#5.7. ... 6.92_5.8.0
Source code: https://github.com/minetest/minetest/tree/5.8.0

Downloads

Refer to the Assets section on the GitHub release page: Minetest 5.8.0

Which "minetest-5.8.0-XXXXX" download do I need?

• Windows: win64 (common), win32 (old systems)
• MacOS: macos. Note: M1+ users might need to sign the application before running.
• Android: arm64-v8a (newer), armabi-v7a (more widely used), x86 (ChromeOS, budget), x86_64 (ChromeOS)
• Linux: check for updates in your package manager (WIP)

[ThePython]

Minetest inventory management is now better than MineCraft's. In some ways, it already was (scrolling, middle-clicking, consistent right-click behavior), but now it's so much better. There are still some things MineCraft does that Minetest doesn't (for example the number keys to swap stacks with the hotbar), but still, this is amazing.

Also, the changelog says "Scroll the mouse wheel on top of a slot to pick up or put down items" but this was already in the game.

[lemonzest]

Will there be an AppImage for Linux?

[Zughy]

Let's goooooooooo

[mrkubax10]

Cool

[Vaelecrixteuroe]

Awesome! Lesgoooo!!! ⸜( ˙˘˙)⸝

[ErrorNull]

fantastic work. keep on chugging along.. never stop.

[hlqkj]

Sadly, not as many big new features as one would expect from a non-patch release, but I welcome the dramatic speed-up in crafting - thanks DS! - and the absolutely awesome inventory shortcuts - thanks OgelGames!! :)

I see the concerns I expressed in viewtopic.php?t=30005 have been taken into account with a "Yeah I definitely agree" and nothing more... Too bad. I'm starting to think tht Minetest GUI's fate will be the same one of proper lighting and VAEs, lol.

Anyways, many thanks to all for the effort you put in this release! :D

[rubenwardy]

I see the concerns I expressed in viewtopic.php?t=30005 have been taken into account with a "Yeah I definitely agree" and nothing more... Too bad. I'm starting to think tht Minetest GUI's fate will be the same one of proper lighting and VAEs, lol.

Unfortunately, those will have to wait for 5.9.0 as we were already in feature freeze (which includes a freeze on text/strings). What you see now is not the final state of things

[TenPlus1]

Sweet, thanks guys :)

[Blockhead]

Very nice work, and big thanks for getting it out right in time for the Game Jam.

Personally, the crafting improvements are great, as is the layout of the new Settings interface (even if I don't really like how the button clashes with the left tab alignment and overall design language of the rest of the UI).

I am overall ambivalent about changing to .md as the file extension for the Lua API docs, but kind of annoyed that the .txt file was left in, because now tab completion is much slower to get to that file. I have worked out how to give direct function/line number links with the new filetype on GitHub, that was not too bad. But what was/was there a rationale for leaving the file lua_api.txt instead of removing it entirely? So that bad links that point to master (instead of a specific commit) don't go bad?

Will there be an AppImage for Linux?

AppImage isn't something the developers of Minetest have ever packaged; they have the Ubuntu PPA and that's about it for first-party versions of Minetest for Linux. Most distributions build packages themselves. There was one individual making AppImages over at this thread, but their GitHub has been quite inactive. You may have to make it yourself.

I see the concerns I expressed in viewtopic.php?t=30005 have been taken into account with a "Yeah I definitely agree" and nothing more... Too bad. I'm starting to think tht Minetest GUI's fate will be the same one of proper lighting and VAEs, lol.

I assume you meant to link to this post. It does seem a shame to have not improved the wording. However there was not any consensus on what a better wording would be. Also, the string doesn't just have to be written in English, but translated for all the localisations of Minetest. And of course this is all under time constraints in actually trying to get a release out for the Jam.

[lemonzest]

I have a number of AppImages from many projects and they build them right on github actions, would it be possible for minetest to be built there with the other builds?

[cHyperspeed]

many thanks to the devs who are involved in making such a good game.

[Wuzzy]

It's PARTY TIME!

My favourite feature is clearly the per-player fog. Basically, Minetest has just dropped a new weather type (indirectly). Also, MineClone 2 could implement the Darkness and Blindness effects with this (those are basically black fogs).

The new settings menu is much more organized. The best part of the new settings page is that the depth of the settings tree has been greatly reduced.
Although the choice of adding a settings button is certainly weird, it breaks with the tab design somewhat.
The main menu overall is still ugly and chaotic, unfortunately. I think the only solution to this is a full redesign from the ground-up. The slow incremental improvements aren't going to work longterm because of people failing to agree on a consistent direction.
I like the choice of more "pixel" style icons which is definitely the direction I want the whole main menu style to go eventually. Currently the main menu has some kind of "identity crisis" with a weird mix of pixel style and smooth button gradients.

Clicking the > and < on the game bar now moves the whole bar by one page, rather than by 1 game. This is a small change but for someone who has a large number of games installed, this has removed a HUGE annoyance (since I needed to click like 30 times to get to the end, now I only need 3 clicks).

Music and other long sound files now load much faster. This is important for games that have a lot of music because they have stalled loading for quite a long time.

3 of my own features have made it in: A mod translation updater script in util/ (a huge help for maintaning translations of big games), more player physics overrides, and an ability to disable climbing/swimming downwards (per-node).

I like this update!

[runs]

It's PARTY TIME!

My favourite feature is clearly the per-player fog. Basically, Minetest has just dropped a new weather type (indirectly). Also, MineClone 2 could implement the Darkness and Blindness effects with this (those are basically black fogs).

The new settings menu is much more organized. The best part of the new settings page is that the depth of the settings tree has been greatly reduced.
Although the choice of adding a settings button is certainly weird, it breaks with the tab design somewhat.
The main menu overall is still ugly and chaotic, unfortunately. I think the only solution to this is a full redesign from the ground-up. The slow incremental improvements aren't going to work longterm because of people failing to agree on a consistent direction.
I like the choice of more "pixel" style icons which is definitely the direction I want the whole main menu style to go eventually. Currently the main menu has some kind of "identity crisis" with a weird mix of pixel style and smooth button gradients.

Clicking the > and < on the game bar now moves the whole bar by one page, rather than by 1 game. This is a small change but for someone who has a large number of games installed, this has removed a HUGE annoyance (since I needed to click like 30 times to get to the end, now I only need 3 clicks).

Music and other long sound files now load much faster. This is important for games that have a lot of music because they have stalled loading for quite a long time.

3 of my own features have made it in: A mod translation updater script in util/ (a huge help for maintaning translations of big games), more player physics overrides, and an ability to disable climbing/swimming downwards (per-node).

I like this update!

On the other hand, the setting button is my personal favorite. Of course it breaks with everything, but it is necessary to do just that, to change.

In addition, the about tab should be given a button. It is not very relevant.

[AlexiosTheSixth]

Finally new players won't just see MTG and think minetest is a crappy barebones game

[Melkor]

Good news!
please add a factory reset button, i messed up something

[DOOM_possum]

this is not good news -------- (For Me).

.
because i like the old MENU, and also love the v7 generation engine------------- but if it helps NEW USERS find, new games, and also SKIN PACKS, this will be a torch to light The Way, for Mesecon Tech

even if the fencing will sometimes lock into the TREE haha XD

[Vaelecrixteuroe]

After playing around with this version for a little while, I got some initial observations.

• I really like the more intuitive UI for the Settings Tab. A step in the right direction definitely. Now we just wait for the graphical elements to be consistent; cause at the moment, they're completely jumbled. The only pixelated button in the Main Menu is the settings tab, and it doesn't look right. But then again, I'm sure these will all be gradually polished as the development goes on.

• Shaders have improved significantly, at least I think so. The bloom (which might've been in the prior version in the advanced settings, I'm not sure) have been added, and they look great. Gives the nodes a soft look that was severely needed when dynamics shaders are on. Performance is not impacted that bad as well, which I didn't expect.

• MTG is no more! By default at least, which count me in as a fantastic decision. *The only gripe I have is the "You have no games installed" is really jarring to look at, it's offset and doesn't tell more information to a new player.

• Inventory management became a lot less painful. I especially like how items aren't exchanged in the creative menu any longer. That one irked me for a while.

Regardless, this update is long in the making - and it's great! The settings in general (despite the aforementioned inconsistency) is my favorite feature by far. It's just makes thing soooo easy to modify. Now if only we can change settings in-game. :P

*On second thought, it's actually concise seeing there's already a "Install a Game" button readily available. Still could be more verbose, but that might just be me.

[rob123]

the minetest game is now in the top games which could mean that it failed. If minetest game is in the first page then the user might just assume that they need to install minetest game to play minetest.

[Blockhead]

the minetest game is now in the top games which could mean that it failed.

It means that heaps of people still play Minetest Game and probably re-downloaded or will re-download it as soon as they're able to update, so they can keep playing their existing worlds. I don't see the fact that MTG is still there as a failure; it is clearly labelled "modding base" in the text description. Until/unless there are big changes to the rest of the Minetest ecosystem of games, MTG is going to stay there and that's fine.

If minetest game is in the first page then the user might just assume that they need to install minetest game to play minetest.

This sounds contrived. Have you actually observed anyone doing this IRL, or in some online chat? Because "please install a game" as an instruction is not at all the same as "please install this specific game (that isn't even listed at #1 [accurate at time of writing])". I don't think people are that dumb.

[Nordal]

It means that heaps of people still play Minetest Game and probably re-downloaded or will re-download it as soon as they're able to update, so they can keep playing their existing worlds.

I think that is the point here.

I don't see the fact that MTG is still there as a failure; it is clearly labelled "modding base" in the text description. Until/unless there are big changes to the rest of the Minetest ecosystem of games, MTG is going to stay there and that's fine.

I fully agree. MTG is a modding base, and it is a very nice modding base. So many mods have proven beyond doubt how suitable and inspiring it is. Why making good things bad? I can see no failure, not in any way. I enjoyed playing MTG with an increasing number of interesting and enlarging mods for years. I now managed to make a little mod by my self and I'm very happy. But I would not get bored still only playing MTG with mods. Unless I don't get bored playing itself. ;)

[j8810kkw]

man a lot is changing

[j8810kkw]

I will try playing this version, because it does seem rather interesting.

[AwesomeDragon97]

the minetest game is now in the top games which could mean that it failed. If minetest game is in the first page then the user might just assume that they need to install minetest game to play minetest.

I agree that having a game called Minetest Game in the #1 position in the list might mislead new users. I think that MTG should be renamed to something that doesn’t include “Minetest” in its name to avoid confusion.