New on Java Realms: The Seven Map War

The end of summer in Stockholm. The time of ice cream, picnic baskets, and us sending Marc Watson, who usually writes these posts, into exile from the offices so that he finally takes some time off! We wouldn’t want to send him off without anything to do with all that free time though, so here’s a Realms release for you Marc!

I’m Oskar Thysell, fellow Realms enthusiast, map tester pHd and I’m happy to make this sharp-turn segue into what selections we have for you today! Be a security guard! Dodge cars! Find out how to properly use the verb ‘beaconate’! Find out about all these maps for the low, low price of scrolling your mouse wheel a few inches downwards!

SECURITY GUARD

by DTplayers

As a wee lad, my fondest wish was to one day grow up and roleplay as a security guard in a Minecraft map. Now all I need to do is grow up. Security Guard makes no bones about it: you have a snazzy uniform, you can scroll through the security cameras of the local Minecraft museum you work at and, if a thief happens to stop by, you’re authorized to use excessive sword-bopping to stop them!  

Less law-abiding types can also play as a thief; using your wits (and one invisibility potion if worst comes to worst) your goal is to steal as many relics as possible from the museum. Hilarity ensues when you leave the museum with a diamond sword, Nether Star, paintings, Villagers, Shulker Boxes and even an Ender Dragon in your pocket. Any map where your inventory has the same concept of physical space as a clown car is always gonna be a home run for me.

CAR DODGER

by The_Artist123, Ferao, darkMagicmachine

Once a pastime exclusively for reckless frogs, now humans are invited to partake in the pleasant activity of car dodging! In a glorious man vs. machine scenario, Jerry the villager stands in the middle of a parking lot as the last member of his tribe. Lunging at him from every angle are cars with an unexplainable destination in sight; they seemingly exist only to obstruct and hunt our poor protagonist. As a lifelong pedestrian this map pretty much sums up my daily commute, give or take a couple near-death experiences. So if you live in a city on the larger spectrum of hurly-burly-ness this might even feel like a nice and breezy vacation!

MAZE WARS

by Azerus Team

 Maze Wars. Maze Wars never changes. If there's anything me and my bull-headed humanoid friends like doing more than hanging out in a maze, it's going to war within said location. Especially when it's the kind of war where nobody gets hurt! Here, you navigate the maze in order to place the most flags, and you only have powerups you find and the magical abilities you start with as tools to mess with your friends. As with other non-violent games, like Monopoly, acts of aggression as a reaction to the game we take no responsibility for. If you, for example, would happen to defeat your fellow content coordinator named Sara with 1 point by capturing her base and therefore ending the game prematurely, you have to accept the real life consequences.

BEACONATORS

by Jbip, Ewol51, 6pri1

Do you hate Beacons with a burning passion and would use your last breath to spit at them? Or do you have a strong parental instinct to protect them from harm and harbor them close as they grow into Beacon-adulthood (Note: not an actual game mechanic in this game)?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, I hope you didn't do it out loud in a public setting, as talking to Minecraft articles is seen by some people as a tell-tale sign of peculiar-ness. Strikers and Defenders collide in this map that grows larger every time a Beacon is destroyed, sending the Strikers beaconating across the land. If you're a Defender, you don't have to just beaconate by your base, you can also play parkour minigames to pass the time (and gain coins) when you feel secure enough to goof off.  

VERTEX SKYWARS

by Vertex Creations

Skywars. Skywars never changes (er, did I use that line already?). The customization options in this PvP map are marvelous - best believe whatever specific skywar you have in mind, Vertex Skywars has you accommodated. There’s multiple cosmetic effects, such as particle trails and win animations, to choose from. 15 different maps and 10 kits suited for whatever playstyle you fancy. Prefer explosives? Start out with the aptly titled Explosive Kit! The Rusher Kit starts you off with an ender pearl and a stone axe so you can potentially get the drop on your competitors before they've even finished reading their item tooltips! If you're up to it, grab the Hardcore Kit and revel in your victory if you manage to get the win with nothing in your starting inventory but a single stick!

CIVILIZATION OF THE UNFORGOTTEN

by SuchAGod

Like any good Minecraft map, Civilization of the Unforgotten poses more questions than it answers. What’s up with the crashed plane right across from the watchtower? Does the civilization consist of the creepers and skeletons hanging out in “The Empires Great Central” or have all the original members left? Does the carpet upstairs there hold any significance? What makes this civilization so unforgettable? Why can’t I make builds as beautiful as this one on MY Realm? Questions it does answer is if it’s possible to build a house of snow blocks in the desert (and make it stylish as well). Check it out for yourself and send any wild theories our way!

SUMMER SOLSTICE

by Terasal, Zerghunter666, Jrxss & Ethernets

Quick, name me three things that just scream ‘summer’ to you. I’m kinda hoping you said ‘ice cream’, ‘picnic basket’ and ‘a kid in speedos made out of terracotta blocks who actually seems to be screaming something’. If not, there’s still 17 more objects carefully sculptured on this map to evoke nostalgic feelings of that sunny time of the year with all the ice creams, picnic baskets and screaming kids in speedos. If this map doesn’t inspire our Swedish summer here to continue for another six or seven months, I don’t know what will.

TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE

If you still haven’t had your fill of warmongering, Puzzle Wars is back as well. Good ‘ol Puzzle Wars. Never changes, y’know.

To learn about loading this and other content into Java Realms for your PC, visit our help site. If you haven't yet tried Realms for yourself, you'll have a blue diamond on the Minecraft Realms button, located on the main screen of Minecraft: Java Edition. Click it, then follow the instructions to try Realms free for 30 days.

Want to have your own Minecraft creations featured on Realms and on this blog? Head over to this page, which explains the Java Realms Content Creator Program. If you have questions about this process, you can find Marc on Twitter.

Happy Minecrafting!