Development cycle

Minecraft undergoes a rather long Development Cycle. It constantly updates, and Notch stated that it will continue to do so even after the game was completed. The PC version of the game was officially released on November 18, 2011 at Minecon. The Pocket Edition is currently in Alpha.

Classic
The very first and very basic version of Minecraft, Classic was released to the public on May 17, 2009. Classic was available originally in Creative Mode, and later in Survival Mode (as played in Survival Test.) During this phase, the gameplay of Minecraft was nearly completely different than it is today. Many features (such as crafting) were not yet implemented, and the basic ideas of blocks and mobs were first created and then perfected. The world map was limited, and consisted a single 'environment'. Despite these limitations, an especially important addition Classic provided was Creative Multiplayer, where players could collaborate and build together. This paved the way for the later addition of Survival Multiplayer, which appeared in Alpha. Classic Minecraft was abandoned once it reached version 0.30, and Minecraft entered its Indev stage. Players can still play Classic for free on the official Minecraft website, and Notch has stated it will remain for historical purposes.

Indev
Indev, which stands for In Development, was the second phase of Minecraft's development and the first one that required players to buy the game in order to play it. Indev was released to replace Classic on December 23, 2009, and introduced many new features, eventually leading to the entire Minecraft source code being scrapped and rewritten from scratch during this phase. Indev was only playable in Survival game mode, and because of this was the one that shaped and formed Survival mode, along with the whole Minecraft experience, into what it is today. Introduced were many important game elements such as crafting and a proper inventory, allowing players to create items and tools using natural resources and making Minecraft's gameplay roughly what it is today. The world map was still limited, but could now be played in several different variations, known as World Themes. Indev remained available on the official Minecraft website until September 2010, when it was removed. It is now no longer possible to play Indev.

Infdev
Infdev (which means Infinite Development) was released on February 27th, 2010, and became the third phase of Minecraft's development. It featured the important addition of maps that can generate infinitely, which extended the gameplay possibilities even further, but scrapped other features of Indev such as World Themes. This is turn spelled the demise of features such as 'floating islands' and 'permaday'. These removals are understandable, as Infdev's main purpose was to develop infinite maps. However, some extra gameplay features and items were added, such as the addition of Minecarts and the ability to respawn. Infdev remained available on the official Minecraft website until September 2010, when it was removed, making it impossible to play.

Alpha
Alpha was the fourth phase of Minecraft's development, and was released. It introduced several new features such as Biomes, Redstone wiring, and another dimension called The Nether. This version also brought back Multiplayer in Survival form, also known as Survival multiplayer.

Beta
Beta was the last phase of Minecraft's development. At this time, the game saw a 50% price increase. Features such as Achievements and Statistics, Weather, and a new Minecraft logo and launcher were introduced. This phase also included the Adventure Update which added a large amount of content into the game including new combat mechanics, Hunger, and naturally generated structures.

Minecraft
Minecraft was released on November 18, 2011 and included many new features. Some of the more notable features include the addition of The End and the boss mob Enderdragons, which after defeated would result in the player "winning" the game. Various new mobs were added to both the Overworld and the Nether, such as the Blaze and Mooshroom. A full list of the additions can be found here.

Table of Features
Below is a short summary of what features each new milestone introduces.

Pocket Edition
As of August 16, 2011, Mojang AB released the Minecraft Pocket Edition. It is the first official mobile Minecraft. Minecraft Pocket Edition is currently in Alpha.

Blocks
List of the 36 blocks in the Pocket Edition: Unavailable (These blocks are in the game generator, but not in the inventory management screen.)
 * Ladders
 * Flowers
 * Cyan and Dandelion
 * Mushrooms
 * Both Red and Brown
 * Sugar Cane
 * Doors (?)
 * Dirt and Grass
 * Wool
 * Gray, Pink, Lime, Yellow, Light Blue, Blue, Purple, Cyan, White, Red, Green, and Brown
 * Wooden and Cobblestone stairs
 * Stone Slabs
 * Sand and Sandstone
 * Leaves
 * Glass
 * Stone
 * Cobblestone
 * Wooden Planks
 * Default wood color
 * Gold, Iron, and Diamond blocks
 * Brick block
 * Pine and Birch Wood
 * Ores
 * Gravel
 * Bedrock
 * Camera

Features

 * Ability to invite and play multi-player on a world. (local wireless network)
 * Save multi-player worlds on a phone.
 * Randomized worlds.
 * Placing and destroying blocks.

Entwicklungszyklus Développement Cykl rozwoju Цикл разработки