CHAIRS + STRAW BEDS WERE JUST ADDED TO MINECRAFT... | 26.3 Snapshot 3

This Minecraft snapshot, 26.3, introduces several significant features, including post effects, changes to the dappled forest biome, straw beds, and cushions. The new `post` command enables custom shaders through resource packs, similar to Bedrock Edition's Vibrant Visuals. While still in development, this opens up possibilities for enhanced visual experiences in Java Edition. The dappled forest biome has received sound updates. The red shrub, now officially named the red shrub, has a unique sound effect. All colored variants of the popular leaf also have new, distinct sounds described as soft and squishy. The visual appearance of the red shrub may have been subtly adjusted, appearing less intensely red. A highly anticipated item, the straw bed, has been added. Crafted from three hay bales, it yields four straw beds. These beds function similarly to regular beds for sleeping and skipping the night, but crucially, they do not set the player's spawn point. This allows players to sleep without altering their respawn location. Straw beds can be placed adjacent to each other, creating a unique flooring or rug-like aesthetic. They break quickly when mined and disappear after use, leaving no respawn point. In the Nether, straw beds instantly break and do not explode, likely to avoid trivializing ancient debris mining. They are flammable, burning and dropping as an item rather than being destroyed. The straw bed's design also allows for creative building, resembling piles of hay, and can be placed on its side. Compared to slabs, straw beds are slightly shorter and can float in the air. The transcript expresses a desire for hay slabs for building purposes. Cushions are another major addition, with 16 variants corresponding to each wool color. Crafted from three slabs (which are themselves crafted from three cushions), these cushions allow players to sit down in the game, offering 360-degree movement while seated. They can be placed on various blocks, including stairs, effectively creating chairs. Cushions can also be combined with other blocks like end rods to form unique seating arrangements. They stack up to 16 in an inventory. The visual design of the cushions is praised for its vibrancy and texture. The transcript highlights the creative building potential unlocked by cushions, suggesting uses as decorative elements, small garden beds, or even as part of cafe-like structures when combined with fences to create tables and chairs. The functionality of placing a cushion on a slab to create a "slab chair" is noted as particularly unusual and cool. While cushions can be placed on many surfaces, they don't work on all blocks, and they will break if the block supporting them is removed. Technical changes include a fix for lighting across all entities, which was previously a bug related to visual updates. Potion brewing recipes are now data-driven, making it easier to add, modify, or remove potion recipes. Several ocean generation features, including coral mushroom, kelp, seagrass, and sea pickles, have been removed as hardcoded world features and are now handled by more configurable functionality. New feature types have been added for coral claw and coral tree in warm oceans.