Being an open sandbox, Minecraft comes with minimal requirements and limitations regarding gameplay. However, the widely loved games seem to work even better outside the game.
It has features like cross-platform playmaking, cross-save, and MMO game-level multiplayer. But does it support basic-level features like the offline play that’s getting rare these days?
Yes, Minecraft features an offline mode that is enabled as soon as you lose connection to the internet. As one might expect, certain game features are locked while the basic functionality continues to work as intended.
With that said, the offline gameplay is rather seamless in Minecraft. However, it also raises a lot of questions regarding the entire mechanic.
Will You Lose Your Offline Progress?
No, the game will be synced once you connect to an internet connection again. However, uninstalling Minecraft before the syncing process will cause your progress to increase in smoke. Your online progress will stay there, but the offline one will be done and dusted.
That said, the same can happen if your game files get corrupted. Therefore, we recommend using a backup instead of trusting Microsoft’s Minecraft to perform its magic.
What is SMP Merge in Minecraft?
The SMP merge is a process that occurs during the online sync. However, certain anomalies manage to mess up everything. There have been instances of players getting the side effects of this SMP Merger.
Your game tends to think you’re playing under the name of ‘Player,’ whereas the post connection Minecraft believes the account under your username is different. Therefore, there is a fair chance of your progress going down the drain.
Can You Play Multiplayer Without an Internet Connection?
While the complete experience is only deliverable through a network connection, playing partial multiplayer using the local area network is still possible. These LAN connections allow anyone playing Minecraft under the same connection to join your world and play with you.
However, you need to have the option enabled in the settings. That being said, here is how the process works:
- Launch the game while choosing the single-player option.
- Open the world you want to host the game in and press the Esc key.
- From the menu, enable the Open to LAN option.
- Simply choose the game modes you want to play and click Start LAN World.
Once this setup has been done, the players on the client computers should be able to join by clicking the Multiplayer tab. The detection process is automatic, so you don’t need to act past this point. Choose the game and click enter.
Ultimately, Minecraft is meant to be played online. Therefore, the offline experience will be rather limited. It’s not incomplete and houses the entire core experience that a player might expect from Minecraft. Thus, it’s only a matter of perspective and choice.