Minecraft snapshot 25w17a patch notes: Locator bar, custom cloud range, and more

Minecraft snapshot 25w17a brings two notable updates: the locator bar is now enabled by default, and a new option has been added to adjust cloud range.

The locator bar, a feature useful in multiplayer servers, was first introduced in snapshot 25w15a as part of an experimental data pack. Starting with 25w17a, it is now available by default in all new worlds.

In the previous snapshot, 25w16a, Mojang extended the range at which clouds appear in the sky. While this quality-of-life change made the skies more visually appealing, lower-end PCs might have struggled to render the extended range. Likely for this reason, Mojang has added a new option to adjust the cloud rendering distance.

In addition to these two features, the update includes improvements to the Realms service and several bug fixes. Here are the patch notes for Minecraft snapshot 25w17a.

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Minecraft snapshot 25w17a patch notes: Everything you need to know

New features in Minecraft snapshot 25w17a

• Added an option to reduce the cloud range
• Added the Locator Bar, a new HUD element that shows the direction of other Players in multiplayer

Locator Bar

The Locator Bar is a new default UI element that displays the direction of other players in the world.

If there are no other players in the world the experience bar will display as normal, otherwise if another player is in the world (and that player is not hiding) then the experience bar will appear when experience is gained, otherwise the Locator Bar will display in the same area.

• Multiplayer servers can toggle the Locator Bar with the locatorBar gamerule
• Players can hide by crouching, wearing a mob head or a Carved Pumpkin, or using a Potion of Invisibility
• Players in Spectator Mode are not visible on the Locator Bar
• However, Spectating player are visible to each other
• Facing other players within a 120 degrees range will display those players as colored indicators on the Locator Bar
• Other players that are above/below the screen will also display an up/down arrow with their indicator
• The indicator will change to different sized icons depending on how far away the other Player is
• Colored indicators are randomized for each player
• Servers can modify the colors of indicators with the /waypoint command
• eg: /waypoint modify @s color red to set an indicator to red
• Players on a team will override their default indicator color with their team color

Player Changes

• Crouching will hide the player, preventing them from appearing on the Locator Bar of other players
• Spectators are only visible to other spectators on the Locator Bar

Item Changes

• The following items will hide players when worn in the head slot:
• Carved Pumpkin
• Skeleton Skull
• Wither Skeleton Skull
• Player Head
• Zombie Head
• Creeper Head
• Dragon Head
• Piglin Head

Potion Changes

• Using a Potion of Invisibility will also hide players from the Locator Bar

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Changes in Minecraft snapshot 25w17a

• Improvements to the Realms configuration screen
• Introduced a Region Preference setting that allows for more granular control over what region a Realm is started

Realms

• Changed the layout of the Realms configuration screen to use tabs
• A Worlds tab containing changes to any of the world slots, creating new worlds and changing their settings
• A Players tab to manage the players that have access and their level of access to the Realm
• A Subscription tab to manage the Realms subscription
• A Settings tab to change the settings of the Realm
• Introduced a Region Preference setting that allows for more granular control over what region a Realm is started
• Changed wording for Close/Open Realm to Temporarily close/Reopen Realm

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Technical changes in Minecraft snapshot 25w17a

• The Data Pack version is now 74
• The Resource Pack version is now 58
• Added a Server-authoritative Waypoint broadcasting system for controlling the Locator Bar behavior for Players

Data Pack Version 74

Commands

Added waypoint

This is a new command for querying and modifying waypoints.

waypoint list

• waypoint modify <entity-selector> color <color>
• waypoint modify <entity-selector> color hex <hex-color>
• waypoint modify <entity-selector> color reset
• waypoint modify <entity-selector> style <waypoint_style/resource>
• waypoint modify <entity-selector> style reset

Arguments:

• entity-selector: For selecting entities that are transmitting as waypoints (see waypoint_transmit_range attribute)
• color: Overrides the Locator Bar icon color for this waypoint
• hex <hex-color> arguments are in web format (RRGGBB)
• Red is either hex F00 or hex FF0000
• Cornflower blue is hex 6495ED
• style: For changing the icon spriteset and selection distances
• set <waypoint_style/resource> changes the style to a specific asset under waypoint_style/
• reset will restore the default icon behavior of the Locator Bar

Waypoint Styles

These define custom icons to be displayed on the Locator Bar and are within the waypoint_style/ asset directory.

The default implementation is as such:

• {
• "near_distance": 128,
• "far_distance": 332,
• "sprites": [
• "minecraft:default_0",
• "minecraft:default_1",
• "minecraft:default_2",
• "minecraft:default_3"
• ]
• }

• near_distance and far_distance are optional and default to the values 128 and 332 respectively.
• far_distance distance must be greater than near_distance
• Each sprite is searched within the prefix of hud/locator_bar_dot/ (the directory textures/gui/sprites/hud/locator_bar_dot).
• An example custom icon is given by summoning a Waypoint emitting mob with the custom name "Xilefian":
• /summon armor_stand ~ ~ ~ {CustomName:[{text:Xilefian}],attributes:[{id:waypoint_transmit_range,base:1000f}]}

Game Rules

Added locatorBar

• Default is true: enabling the Locator Bar
• Changing to false will remove all existing Waypoints from all players
• The Game Rule has been renamed from useLocatorBar during the experiment. This may break minor command related features in worlds created in the previous snapshot.

Added waypoint_transmit_range and waypoint_receive_range

• Default: 0.0, Minimum: 0.0, Maximum: 60000000.0
• Players have a default transmission and receive range of 60,000,000
• Mobs with a transmission range above zero will send waypoint packets to nearby receivers that are within that range
• Similarly, receivers only receive waypoints that are inside their receive range (and receive nothing if that range is zero)

Examples:

• /attribute @s minecraft:waypoint_transmit_range base set 0 will prevent a player from transmitting (hiding them)
• /attribute @s minecraft:waypoint_transmit_range base set 80 will only let a player transmit up to 80 blocks (hiding them from players further than that)
• /attribute @s minecraft:waypoint_receive_range base set 0 will prevent a player from receiving (turns off their Locator Bar)
• /attribute @s minecraft:waypoint_receive_range base set 120 will only let a player see Locator Bar dots that are within 120 blocks (hiding all players further than that)

Waypoint Broadcasting

The Locator Bar works by a server-controlled Waypoint system. Waypoints are received by Players, and connections between## Tags

Block Tags

• Added #triggers_ambient_desert_dry_vegetation_block_sounds - blocks that can trigger ambient desert dry vegetation sounds to play from blocks above
• Added happy_ghast_avoids - blocks that happy ghasts avoid getting close to
• #plays_ambient_desert_block_sounds has been renamed to #triggers_ambient_desert_sand_block_sounds
• Added triggers_ambient_dried_ghast_block_sounds - blocks that can trigger ambient Dried Ghast sounds to play when a Dried Ghast block is placed on them

Waypoints and Players are managed by the multiplayer server.

• By default, all Players transmit a Waypoint from themselves, and all Players receive all Waypoints
• Individual Players can have their transmission and receive ranges controlled by the waypoint_transmit_range and waypoint_receive_range attributes

Tags

Block Tags

• Added happy_ghast_avoids - blocks that happy ghasts avoid getting close to
• Added triggers_ambient_dried_ghast_block_sounds - blocks that can trigger ambient Dried Ghast sounds to play when a Dried Ghast block is placed on them

Resource Pack Version 58

Shaders & Post-process Effects

Fog Uniform Block

• FOG_IS_SKY has been removed in favour of splitting up the sky shader

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Fixed bugs in Minecraft snapshot 25w17a

• MC-240121 - "1x1_b5.nbt" piece does not generate in woodland mansions
• MC-296369 - Dispensers cannot equip harnesses onto happy ghasts
• MC-296421 - Right-clicking a happy ghast equipped with a harness while crouching will play hand animation
• MC-296438 - The "display" field on Attribute Modifiers is not optional, despite the changelog saying it is
• MC-296443 - Happy ghasts don’t avoid pathfinding into dangerous blocks
• MC-296511 - Gamemode Switcher icons become invisible when using resource pack with opaque or translucent selection.png
• MC-296516 - Tooltips are incorrectly rendered below nearby elements when holding your mouse cursor over players that are online on realms
• MC-296538 - Rarity of Dried Ghast is inconsistent with its crafting ingredients
• MC-296542 - Waypoints on locator bar do not adjust to 3rd person front camera
• MC-296567 - Waypoints on locator bar do not respect team colors
• MC-296583 - Applying the waypoint_transmit_range attribute to an entity at the same time it is summoned makes it not show on the locator bar
• MC-296750 - The game crashes after startup on some systems (predominantly Linux systems) with AMD graphics
• MC-296755 - Resource Packs: The panorama overlay now renders in front of everything in the title screen
• MC-296756 - Clouds do not render at render distance 2 & 3
• MC-296764 - The text cursor renders behind command auto-complete text
• MC-296766 - GUIs of rideable mobs are missing their slots as of 25w16a
• MC-296770 - Strikethrough text in the villager interface is rendered behind characters
• MC-296774 - Player messages within the "Select Chat Messages to Report" menu aren’t rendered while selected
• MC-296775 - Some elements within the "Select Chat Messages to Report" menu are rendered darker while player messages are selected
• MC-296777 - Lead shift right-clicking doesn't work on Boats with Chests
• MC-296779 - The social interactions menu is rendered darker than normal
• MC-296782 - Player models within the “Report Player Skin” menu are rendered darker and lower than normal
• MC-296794 - Furnaces, blast furnaces, and smokers sometimes do not show the burn progress and lit progress animations
• MC-296805 - The game crashes when holding your mouse cursor over players that are online on realms
• MC-296806 - Cloud rendering has a considerable impact on performance as of 25w16a
• MC-296807 - The titles of selected tabs within the "Create New World" menu are rendered behind the background
• MC-296808 - The titles of lists within the resource pack and data pack menus are rendered behind the background
• MC-296984 - The "No pending invites!" text within the realms invitation menu is rendered behind the background

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Minecraft snapshot 25w17a is available for download through the official launcher. This snapshot does not introduce any major new features, but you can still try out the locator bar with friends on multiplayer servers or simply check if all the listed bug fixes have been addressed.