Halloween Update

The Halloween Update was a major update for Java Edition Alpha released on October 30, 2010 as Alpha v1.2.0. The Nether was the most prominent feature of the update.

Features

 * For a complete list of changes, see Java Edition Alpha v1.2.0


 * Notable Additions
 * The Nether
 * Nether portal
 * 6 new blocks: netherrack, soul sand, glowstone, carved pumpkins, jack o'lanterns, and nether portal blocks
 * 2 new mobs: ghasts and zombie pigmen
 * 4 new items: clocks, glowstone dust, raw fish, and cooked fish
 * Biomes
 * Fishing


 * Notable Changes
 * Added the ability to hide the player's HUD and viewmodel with
 * Darker grass block and leaves
 * Sunrise creates a red glow
 * New creeper sounds

Torches were planned to become temporary light sources with the new permanent light source being lanterns, but the update didn't make it in time, and the idea has now been officially rejected (at least so far as adding lanterns).

History
The update was announced on October 4, 2010 on Notch's blog. A new type of block was announced on October 8, and on October 11 Notch posted a statement on his Twitter saying: "I just made the most unfair mob ever even more unfair. You will hate the Ghast." On October 10, 2010, Notch posted the first image of The Nether on his blog. On October 19, it was announced that there were six new block types (of which five had unique abilities), one new monster, a new dimension, and a couple of bug fixes. On October 22, PC Gamer posted an article giving more details about the new update. The article states that Ghasts "are flying cuboid jellyfish that could shoot fireballs at you, blowing chunks out of the world around you and setting it on fire." It also states that the portals to go to and from the Hell dimension will be made from obsidian.

On October 25, 2010 Notch tweeted that he was working on a second, more harmless mob. This was later revealed to be the zombie pigman.

Trivia

 * The "poster" was located at minecraft.net/boo, which no longer exists. An archive of it is available at archive.org
 * The poster said that pumpkins were "useless", while now, they provide a shield against provoking endermen.
 * The poster said "Portal in, move 10 meters, portal out, and you're hundreds of meters away." Since portals move the player by a factor of 8, 10 meters away in the Nether is 80 meters away in the Overworld, not hundreds. Also, moving less than 16 meters before building a new portal will most likely take the player back to the original portal in the Overworld (provided it has not been destroyed beforehand), so 0 meters away.