An innovation here is treating parts of the world like cellular automata at times
Dwarf Fortress used cellular automata for water and lava before Minecraft [1]. It also had a from-the-ground-up crafting system with complex production chains, with geology and ecology playing a major role.
Again, this doesn't determent what Minecraft developers created, but they didn't come up with these concepts from scratch, as many people assume. (Even the article says they were inspired by DF.)
Dwarf Fortress used cellular automata for water and lava before Minecraft [1]. It also had a from-the-ground-up crafting system with complex production chains, with geology and ecology playing a major role.
Again, this doesn't determent what Minecraft developers created, but they didn't come up with these concepts from scratch, as many people assume. (Even the article says they were inspired by DF.)
[1] http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131954/interview_the_m...