Minecraft update expands world customization; floating islands return

Minecraft is a game all about freedom and customization, so the upcoming 1.8 update--which introduces new customization options for Minecraft's terrain generator--should be an especially welcome one.

As demonstrated in the video above, the update provides players with new options when creating a world. There are now 16 sliders that dictate the terrain that is to be generated in addition to options for enabling and disabling things like lava oceans and water lakes. More advanced users are free to type in specific values for many of these aspects. Those simply interested in trying something different from what they're used to can choose from seven presets made by Mojang or find those created and shared by other players.

The presets shown in the video give some sense of what's possible using these new options: One turns nearly every bit of land into an enormous mountain, one submerges the entire world underwater, and another scatters floating islands (which are making a comeback in this update) throughout the world.

A release date for the 1.8 update has not yet been announced. Developer Jens Bergensten said on Twitter in March that his best guess for its launch was sometime in May.