Minecraft 1.21.6 Snapshot 25w17a – Waypoint Icons, Distance Detection
Minecraft 1.21.6 Snapshot 25w17a introduces several new features. The new Locator Bar helps players find friends in multiplayer by showing colored icons pointing to their locations, and you can hide from it by sneaking, wearing a skull, or using invisibility. A new /waypoint
command lets players create and customize map markers with colors and icons. The Realms interface has been redesigned with clearer tabs for Worlds, Players, Subscription, and Settings. Players can now choose a preferred server region for better online stability. Lastly, technical updates include upgraded data and resource pack versions, along with improved fog and cloud effects for a smoother and prettier experience.
Features:
Additions and Changes
Locator Bar
The Locator Bar, introduced as an experimental feature in snapshot 25w15a, has now been officially added to the game.
- It’s a new interface element that shows the direction of other players in the world.
- The Locator Bar appears in the same place as the experience bar in certain situations:
- If no other players are present, the experience bar displays normally.
- If another player is present (and not hidden), the experience bar will only appear when experience is gained.
- Facing other players within a 120-degree radius will show them as colored indicators on the Locator Bar.
- Players above or below the screen are shown with an arrow pointing up or down next to their icon.
- The icon size changes based on how far away the player is.
- Indicator colors are random for each player.
- Servers can change the color using the
/waypoint
command.- Example:
/waypoint modify @s color red
sets the indicator to red.
- Example:
- Players on a team will have their indicator match their team’s color.
- Servers can change the color using the
- Sneaking will hide a player from the Locator Bar of others.
- Wearing a carved pumpkin, a head/skull, or having the Invisibility effect also hides a player from others’ bars.
- Spectators are only visible on the Locator Bar to other spectators.
- Multiplayer servers can enable the Locator Bar using the
locatorBar
game rule.
- The Locator Bar appears in the same place as the experience bar in certain situations:
Other Updates
- Added an option to reduce cloud render distance.
- Improved the Realms configuration screen.
- Introduced a region preference setting for better control over the Realm’s server location.
Technical Features
- Added a server-side waypoint broadcasting system to control Locator Bar behavior:
- By default, all players broadcast their own waypoint, and all players can see all waypoints.
- The transmission and reception range for each player can be controlled using the
waypoint_transmit_range
andwaypoint_receive_range
attributes.
Data Pack Version 74
- Added the
/waypoint
command to view and modify waypoints. - Added the
waypoint_transmit_range
andwaypoint_receive_range
attributes:- Default: 0.0, Min: 0.0, Max: 60,000,000.0
- Players have a default range of 60,000,000 blocks.
- Creatures with a transmission range above 0 will send waypoint packets to nearby receivers.
- Receivers only accept waypoints within their reception range.
- Added
useLocatorBar
game rule to enable/disable the Locator Bar and remove all waypoints. - Added
happy_ghast_avoids
block tag for blocks that cheerful Ghasts avoid:- Includes:
sweet_berry_bush
,cactus
,wither_rose
,magma_block
,fire
, andpointed_dripstone
.
- Includes:
- Added
triggers_ambient_dried_ghast_block_sounds
block tag for blocks that trigger dried Ghast ambient sounds:- Includes:
soul_sand
andsoul_soil
.
- Includes:
Resource Pack Version 58
- Changes to the uniform FOG block:
- Removed
FOG_IS_SKY
in favor of splitting sky shading.
- Removed
Screenshots:
Requires:
Java
Java Runtime Environment
How to install:
- Please visit the following link for full instructions: How To Download & Install Minecraft Snapshots
Minecraft 1.21.6 Snapshot 25w17a Download Links
Client: Download from Server 1
Server: Download from Server 1