Java Edition 14w29a

14w29a is the thirty-sixth snapshot for 1.8. This snapshot contains a lot of optimizations specifically targeting render performance.

This version was previously removed from the launcher for some time, but was added back in September 2018.

Additions

 * Options
 * Multiplayer settings
 * 'Reduced debug info' toggle to enable/disable reduced information on the F3 debug screen
 * Video settings
 * 'Use VBOs' toggle to enable/disable vertex buffer objects
 * Offers a ~10% performance increase when set to ON
 * Gamerules
 * Gamerule to enable/disable reduced information on the F3 debug screen
 * Op-only unlike the 'Reduced debug info' toggle in multiplayer settings
 * Overrides 'reduced debug info' settings in clients
 * The ability to create gamerule variables
 * These are fake gamerules which don't actually affect your world, but can be used with with the new   argument to update a scoreboard objective based on the value of that gamerule
 * Declare using
 * Access using
 * Access using

Changes

 * Commands
 * argument to check the time
 * Has an another argument after that which can be  or   to check either the number of ticks since the start of the day or the number of ticks since the world was created, respectively
 * argument to see the current size of the border
 * Additionally has a  argument after the   which can be set to   or
 * This forces particles to show even if the player's 'Particle' toggle is set to Minimal or Decreased
 * Signs, chests, beacons, beds, heads and ender chests
 * Now display the cracking animation
 * Beds did display the cracking animation previously, but not on their top and bottom
 * Stairs
 * Flipped inventory texture back to original orientation.
 * Ore generation
 * Ore generation is more than twice as fast
 * Scoreboard
 * The scoreboard sidebar is now also secondarily sorted by alphabetical order on the name
 * Ore generation is more than twice as fast
 * Scoreboard
 * The scoreboard sidebar is now also secondarily sorted by alphabetical order on the name

Fixes
36 bugs fixed

From released versions before 1.8
 * – Mobs don't spawn next to water streams if the x and z coordinates are negative
 * – Starvation prevents sleeping in bed on peaceful
 * – Viewing a map while invisible still shows both hands holding it
 * – Standing on exact x = 0, z = 0 coordinates prevents breaking / placing block in north west
 * – Zombies and skeletons don't burn on slabs
 * – You can make smooth sandstone into smooth sandstone
 * – Minecarts and TNT are not moved by water currents
 * – Signs and chests do not display cracking animation
 * – Retracting piston shows ghost hitbox of technical block
 * – Sociable zombies spawn in the nether upon pigman damage
 * – Client freezes for ~1 second in multiplayer when opacity of a block changes next to unloaded chunk

From the 1.8 snapshots
 * – Weird texture overlay while spectating squid underwater
 * – Entity teleportation bug
 * – Unable to disable  for someone in spectator mode
 * – Piston arm is visible sticking through the back of the piston
 * –  and   not working
 * – Furnaces don't get placed correctly when a village is generated on server
 * – Wrong orientation for fire created on nonflammable block's side
 * – Items being held improperly
 * – Cannot add fake players or named entities to scoreboard teams
 * – You get the message "Your game mode has been updated" even when
 * – Trapdoors are open when you place them
 * – Iron trapdoors appear on the opposite side of where they are placed when open (east-west orientation)
 * – Detector rails render as unpowered, even when powered
 * – command doesn't work
 * – Piston hitbox
 * – Ping indicator extends over the right side of the tab list
 * – Block on Zombie Villager's head is rendered in relation to the body

From the previous snapshot
 * – Frame-rate drop in 14w28b
 * – command writing errors on the server log
 * – Mob spawners count min/max spawn delay with a rate of 10 instead of 1
 * – Chests that should be oriented east/west are oriented north in desert temples
 * –  are not used when a command sign is right-clicked by non-OPs
 * – Cannot or fill ender chests
 * – Sidebar scoreboard shows the lowest scores and not the best when hitting the limit of the sidebar
 * – Rails (any) crash nearby clients when pushed by sticky pistons repeatedly / pushed into entities