Meet Dolphin

The ocean in Minecraft Pocket Edition is a dark and eerie realm filled with mysteries, eagerly awaiting new explorers in the upcoming update. What terrifying, untold secrets has the development team prepared for us? Sharks? The Kraken? Or perhaps Ender Whales? Nathan Adams, one of the creators involved in this update, will answer all these questions.

“Dolphins were added to Minecraft PE simply because they are incredibly cute,” Nathan explains.

Nathan, as one of the lead developers, took on a significant role in designing the dolphins for the update, collaborating closely with Jens, Agnes, and especially Maria Lemon. Right after the announcement at Minecon Earth, the team began extensive work on creating this mob. This mob was intended not only to be a typical entity in the world of Minecraft PE but also to serve as a welcoming symbol for players entering the underwater realm.

“The main benefit of dolphins is their friendliness – when a player descends into the dark depths of the ocean, where anything could await them, they are greeted by a dolphin – a gentle mob that alleviates loneliness and reassures them that not everything in the ocean is frightening,” the developer shares. “It’s comforting to think that there’s someone in the ocean who cares about you. Dolphins excel at fulfilling this role.”

Dolphins exhibit remarkable social behaviors: they can be found in groups, and once they spot a player, they immediately engage, showcasing their high intelligence. Above all, they are very playful!

“Dolphins want to play with you or with items they find on the ocean floor. If they notice you, they’ll start playing around, especially if you’re in a boat. Afterwards, they might follow you, even willing to act as your ‘boat.’ Dolphins can leap over boats just to demonstrate how friendly and playful they are,” Nathan notes.

Alright, got it. Forget about lurking monsters and other undead beings. I just want to spend time with these guys!

“If they trust you, which happens automatically unless you anger them, they’ll consider you one of their own! This manifests in them wanting to stay close to you and even providing certain speed boosts. Sometimes, they’ll even play ping-pong using nearby objects.”

Throughout the lengthy development process, the mobs underwent numerous changes. At one point, they even turned against the developers!

“When marine creatures were first introduced in Minecraft PE, Maria was working on the jumping mechanics of the mobs. Suddenly, it became apparent that dolphins were leaping onto boats, destroying them! It was quite disheartening to realize that you could become shipwrecked due to these enchanting beings,” Nathan recounts.

So what does this mean? Despite their cheerful demeanor and friendliness, should we really trust dolphins? Could they be much smarter than humans? Are they waiting for the right moment to take over the world? Were they modeled after real dolphins?

“We had to conduct extensive research on animal behavior. Where do dolphins actually live? How do they behave differently? Do they truly have social habits? What aspects of their portrayal in films are accurate, and which are false?” the creator emphasizes.

However, the developers faced a new challenge: implementing such dolphin behavior and their natural habitat conditions proved to be quite difficult, as dolphins’ living environments differ significantly from those of other mobs in Minecraft PE.

“We’re used to the idea that if a mob lives on land, it dies upon entering water, similar to sea animals. Dolphins, however, require both environments. Their bodies must remain wet, while they need oxygen to survive on land. This posed a major issue: unlike other mobs, dolphins demanded optimal living conditions,” Nathan shares.

Be cautious with the trust of dolphins! Gaining their trust is easy, but losing it is equally simple: if you “offend” one dolphin, their entire community will turn against you and keep their distance from the waves. Nathan devised a brilliant solution to this problem.

“Just treat them well! I understand that some users of Minecraft PE may want to try hitting them to experience the wrath of the dolphin kind, but that’s absolutely not advisable. Don’t attempt to tame them – just let them bring joy to you, as no one else can do it better! If you help them, they will surely reciprocate.”

Well, things aren’t as scary as they seemed, but what about the Ender Dolphin?