It's not a huge secret that things have been changing since Microsoft purchased the rights to Minecraft last year. Ever since then, things have been very different. The EULA began being enforced, Realms released, 1.9 came out, and finally, the big one, development began on the Windows 10 version of Minecraft.
The idea of the Windows 10 version seems harmless, until you start reading into it. See, the standard, original version runs on Java, while the Windows 10 version operates in C++. An entirely different coding language means that all current projects won't even register as anything, because of how different languages are. In basic terms, that means every plugin and mod ever made will be pointless.
https://youtu.be/YcyxOYLAnE8
The advantages behind this idea are actually very reasonable. It isn't a completely new version of Minecraft, but an adaptation of platform to run the Pocket Edition. Microsoft's goal in this is to create a universal Minecraft platform, so players can interact from their tablets, consoles, and computers. It's basically like having Minechat on every device, except you have the full functionality of being in-game. It'll also allow for there to be a single development team to release updates for every platform at once.
https://youtu.be/Byy0En3tCQU
The biggest concern for all current users of PC version (us) is obviously: what about any modifications to the game? I mean really, no Towny plugin? What about all of the custom plugins we have? It's estimated that approximately 50% of the player base for Minecraft use a form of plugin or mod. Apparently, Microsoft isn't as stupid as we thought, because they have already announced a new way to mod: add-ons.
https://youtu.be/3Dc8JrTyC2I
Add-ons work by allowing the user to view the code directly for basically everything. Through what code is already added, you can change the code simply by moving files from folder to folder. For example, if you copy/paste, you can make creeper run as fast as you want, climb like a spider, and bounce like a rabbit. It is basically Microsoft exposing bits and pieces that will allow you to change any part of the game, even adding new blocks.
In addition to allowing people to mod freely, they work similar to plugins, in that any version of the game can read the code for the add-ons, meaning there won't be a need for people to have certain mods to play on a specific server (though servers have no been added yet). Among the best thing about this kind of mod, is the guaranteed forward/backward compatability. All add-ons will be compatible with every single version of the C++ version, meaning your "mods" for this will never be outdated. If Meep were to release a version of the server on the Windows 10 platform, we could modify as much as we want, and everyone could connect.
But, that's the problem. We don't have the resources to make an entirely new version of the server. So that means we're toast as soon as this releases, right? Not exactly. . .
Microsoft also announced they will continue to support, and release updates for, the Java version. So, in essence, there won't be any major changes caused by this. The Windows 10 version is not an entirely new version, but the Pocket Edition that works on your computer.
