Minecraft Makes Big Changes to Realms

gamerant.com:

Minecraft's Realms and Realms Plus recently received an update that added new features to Realm Stories, an enhanced render distance, and access to cosmetic items. The changes are meant to increase communication across the realm for all players, as well as jazz up everyone's characters. Minecraft Realms are only available for the Bedrock edition of the title.

Realms and Realms Plus are Minecraft's private server subscription service. First introduced in 2013, Realms allow friends to play together in a persistent world without worrying about other players wreaking havoc. Since launching, there have been multiple updates to the way these personal worlds function. The latest update focuses on communication between world members, event planning, and more.

The latest update to Realms affects Realms Plus subscribers. The first is the inclusion of Realm Stories, a social hub for all realm participants. The hub features multiple tabs, including the Story Feed with live event updates. The Timeline tab shows when members are typically in-game, making it easy to plan realm events, when to hunt for resources together, or when a building buddy will be on next. The Member Tab shows all members of a realm, including visitors, and if they're online. This is great if something, like a spreading fire or mob attack, is happening and players need help. The Comment thread makes it easy to chat with everyone who's available, or leave messages on what the base needs.

Along with the Realm Stories features, the render distance was increased by eight chunks on most platforms. This greatly helps when trying to set up a meeting zone and a player is having a hard time finding the location, or doesn't even have coordinates turned on in Minecraft Realms. Now, players can see farther into the distance, know when mobs are about to attack them earlier, and plan better escape routes. Some secret areas are likely to be discovered with the clarity this brings to the map.

The final addition to the