In the 1.21.50.24 Preview, Sand blocks had darker shading consistent with the Java Edition. However, in the 1.21.50.25 Preview, the shading appears much lighter, negatively impacting the look of Desert biomes and breaking parity with the Java Edition.
The fix is straightforward: in blocks.json, change the ambient_occlusion_exponent value for Sand blocks from 0.55 to 1.0.
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Repro Steps:
Travel to a Desert biome in the 1.21.50.24 Preview.
Observe the shading on Sand blocks.
Travel to a Desert biome in the 1.21.50.25 Preview.
Note the difference in shading on Sand blocks.
Expected Results:
Sand blocks should have darker, consistent shading, aligned with the Java Edition.
Actual Results:
In the 1.21.50.25 Preview, Sand blocks have noticeably lighter shading.
Linked issues
is duplicated by 2
relates to 1
Attachments
Comments 6
migrated
This report is valid. Sand had darker shading in 1.21.50.24 Preview, but no longer does in 1.21.50.25 Preview. That makes it valid to report. You claim darker sand shading is unintentional, but that is an assumption.
I believe it is more likely that Mojang intentionally changed the sand shading to match Java Edition, as they did this with other blocks as well, but since the ambient_occlusion_exponent was not functional, they changed the hardcoded shading values instead. The problem is that some blocks had the ambient_occlusion_exponent field applied to them, so when they made the field functional in 1.21.50.25 Preview, it unintentionally reverted their changes for some blocks.
Ultimately, Mojang should be the one to decide whether this is intentional or not.
This report is valid. Sand had darker shading in 1.21.50.24 Preview, but no longer does in 1.21.50.25 Preview. That makes it valid to report. You claim darker sand shading is unintentional, but that is an assumption.
I believe it is more likely that Mojang intentionally changed the sand shading to match Java Edition, as they did this with other blocks as well, but since the ambient_occlusion_exponent was not functional, they changed the hardcoded shading values instead. The problem is that some blocks had the ambient_occlusion_exponent field applied to them, so when they made the field functional in 1.21.50.25 Preview, it unintentionally reverted their changes for some blocks.
Ultimately, Mojang should be the one to decide whether this is intentional or not.
It is worth noting that this bug affects three block IDs:
sand
red_sand
suspicious_sand
Since MCPE-184909 was resolved Works As Intended, this bug is now more important, because sand and sandstone ambient occlusion are currently mismatched. This causes the sides of desert caves and mountains to look janky.
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Thank you for your report!
However, this issue is Working as Intended.
Please note, that mechanics of the game may change between updates.
Things such as graphics, sounds, world creation, biomes, redstone, villagers, and animals may not work the same in current versions.
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