Update & Play

Live and authenticated beta: set up once

1. Install Prism Launcher and Java 21. Import the live 0.3.1 profile, or the separate authenticated beta 0.4.0-beta.2 profile. Minecraft 1.21.1 and NeoForge 21.1.256 remain pinned.
2. Download the Update & Play shortcut kit, right-click the ZIP, choose Extract All, and keep the extracted folder in a writable location.
3. Close Minecraft, Prism and other Java applications. Run Update & Play-Live.cmd or Update & Play-Beta.cmd. On the first run select the matching Prism instance folder and Prism executable if requested. The helper remembers these local paths; Microsoft sign-in remains in Prism.
4. Use the same channel shortcut for later launches. Use Setup-Live.cmd or Setup-Beta.cmd to change the saved selection. Keep the helper folder; make a Windows shortcut to the matching CMD if convenient. Live and beta must use separate profiles directly under Prism's instances folder.

The helper backs up an old Schema Builder JAR before replacement. If the manifest, checksum, download or update fails, it stops before launching. A repeat launch reuses the installed JAR when it already matches.

Offline beta: set up the incremental kit once

1. Download the offline beta Update & Play kit. Close the game and Java applications. Back up your existing extracted beta.1 folder, then extract the whole new kit into that folder, replacing only the shipped setup files. Keep the existing .tools, build and run folders and Gradle wrapper JAR. The kit contains no runtime caches, settings, accounts or worlds to overwrite them.
2. Read the kit's README. If this is a first setup, extract into a writable folder and let the official Java, Gradle and game-tool setup finish once; it may take several minutes or longer on a cold setup. Your locally remembered test name remains available across kit updates.
3. Use the kit's Update & Play-Beta.cmd shortcut in that same folder for later launches. It checks only the offline beta channel, updates the custom mod and retains this folder's prepared runtime, settings and local worlds. Use the offline kit's shortcut for port 25567; the authenticated kit's beta shortcut uses port 25566.
4. Choose a different test name on each PC. This development server uses test identities without Microsoft sign-in; inventory and position follow the same remembered name.

Offline beta stays on frozen 0.4.0-beta.1. Authenticated beta stays on the reviewed train 0.4.0-beta.2 snapshot. An unpublished local candidate does not change either download channel.

Check a download or troubleshoot

Live channel manifest · Authenticated beta manifest · Offline beta manifest

Read the extracted README before accepting a Windows download/script prompt. The helpers do not change the permanent execution policy. If a check fails, keep the error text and retry once the network is available. Do not bypass a checksum error. Downloads and profile-update checks do not prove sign-in, joining or multiplayer gameplay.