20/03/2011 - Map Downloads

Server Updates:

• BenneyBoy444 Citizen.
• I enabled the "vegitation" plugin so that long grass (wild grass) would grow, but then because it was making the server use too much RAM, I disabled it. The grass is still there.
• You can now download the Town world save.
• If you really want, you can download the last temporary map save, or even the "underground experiment" save.
• I'm currently trying out this cool Minecraft map renderer, if anyone wants to make a "map" of the town save, that would be great! If nobody says anything about this, then I'll make one myself sometime.. maybe :)

Recommended Mods and Texture Pack

Do you want better looking textures which don't explode your computer that runs on donkeys and coal? Do you want grass which grows upwards and tickles your knees, and torches that emit light as you and other people throw them at each other? Then this pack of goodies is for you!

Please do not use other mods on the server without asking me first. I'll probably say it's fine as long as it's not something like flying ^^

This pack which includes Wild Grass and Dynamic Lighting mods, and a heavily customized texture pack which is mostly Jolicraft. These mods are equally awesome in singleplayer, giving it a more "realistic" and "wildernessey" feel. Full credits and installation instructions are in the download.

Click here for the very awesome collection of nice things.

The Town is back up!

YAY, FINALLY!

Home sweet home (:

Even our fireplaces are still warm! It seems like forever that the town has been gone, but it's back.

Your chests should still be locked, but you might want to check them, just in case.

If anyone who isn't yet a member of the server wants to join, now would be a great time :)

Sorry about the delay...

Switching back to the town map has been delayed by a few things..

Firstly, I'd been having quite a bit of fun on the temporary map:

Secondly, I "crashed" my car avoiding creepers (no pic sorry), and it's been weeing everywhere "I wasn't even going that fast" etc.. I've been looking for a new one. Might get this tomorrow :D (I'm going to be needing donations even more badly after this >.< thankfully, insurance and petrol cost will stay the same)

<Picture was here>

Thirdly, bukkit (an admin tool, basically) hasn't been having it's updates properly recorded. There have actually been a few updates, but there was no mention of them on the wiki! And on top of that, there forums have been a bit on and off recently, so a few times when I've had time to, I haven't been able to update everything.

Forthly, I've been trying out new Minecraft texture packs and mods, and have settled with Jolicraft, Wild Grass, Dynamic Lights, and 4x supersampling AA forced on by Nvidia control panel. If anyone else is enjoying the wonders of Wild Grass and wants it on the server, or if anyone needs some help installing any of these mods, then leave a comment and I might help you get it working :)

And finally, I've been pretty ill recently *sad face*.

Anyway, everything important is now fixed, updated or replaced and we should have the town map back up this weekend :D

It seems I'm making progress with my "needs more pretty pictures on the blog" aim :)

Log in problems and update

If you've been having problems logging into the server the last few days there's bad news, It's only going to get worse! But thankfully, it's not my fault at all!

The reason why logging on to Minecraft or the server has been tricky recently is because of Minecraft.net (where you log into) having some issues.

Notch has said: "Minecraft.net is suffering some difficulties at the moment, with the database getting overloaded. We’re working hard on fixing the problem."

So why is it going to get worse?
Well as you all know, every time Minecraft is updated in a big way, it breaks all the posh admin tools. The update should be coming tomorrow. But knowing Notch/Mojang it's going to be at least 2 days late.

Whats in the update? (That hasn't been mentioned here already)
Most importantly, this:

 

Also, betterlight is being made official and may be in this update, if you know what this mod is, then you know how awesome this news is.

The information about this update is rather spread out throughout the mess that is the internet, shall I put more information up when I find it or it gets published?

So whats going to happen to the server when the update is released?
To be brutally honest, I have no idea!
It's highly likely that I'll be creating a new temporary map to play on until the admin tools are updated, at which point, the town will be slapped back onto the server. It would be great fun to do a multiplayer lets-play if we start a new map, if you have a mic and you'd like to be filmed/recorded then leave a comment. Like actually leave one, not just think about leaving one you muppet.

 

19/02/2011 - New Pages

If you haven't already noticed, the blog has been going through a lot of changes. There's now a twitter feed on the right, which contains messages from the server about people logging in/out and dying. It also has notches and my messages on their too. If the server goes down I'll post updates there so everyone knows whats going on. There's lots of new pages under the new banner, you should have a look at the updated rules.

Server Updates:

• IMsoxy has become a Citizen.
• The map has been extended a lot in the last couple of weeks, most recently I expanded it by 100 blocks today. It will not be expanded again - unless we get loads of donations and/or the new save file format takes up a lot less space.
• Half of the regular members went on an awesome "adventure" a couple of days ago, we might make these explorations a regular thing because they are fun :)
• There was a redstone repeater in Seeks and Chowders basement, this caused about 10-20% less FPS for anyone near it. It had a switch, so I just turned it off. Repeaters like this are absolutely fine - but you should turn them off before you leave the server.
• Mumble has been working well. Anyone who doesn't have a microphone, should get one, I'm never going to say you have to have one, it's just nicer than typing.
• I've been switching around bukkit plugins loads in the last week, check the "Server Information" page for the updated list.

13/02/2011 - We has Bukkit

Technical (sorta) Server Updates:

• The server now has 1.5GB or RAM and 3 vCPU cores.
• There are now 10 slots on the server, a larger map, and it restarts less often
• We are now using Bukkit, rather than the outdated hmod.
• The server is using just over 1GB of RAM usually, so it's no longer being limited by the amount of RAM available.

General (more helpful) Server Updates:

• In case you missed it up up there ^ , the map is now way larger, its also round rather than square.
• You can now protect your signs with "/cprivate", just like chests.
• The server now runs on a whitelist, this means that only people I have personally added can join the server, however once they have joined the server, they can build/destroy blocks straight away. If someone new comes on, keep an eye on them! - This is mostly due to complications with Bukkit and plugins.
• Creepers have come back to terrorize the town, they shouldn't damage terrain.
• TNT explosions don't damage terrain, this will be changed back sometime.
• Death notifications are back!
• Fire and water physics are now much better. Fire spreads much quicker and blocks no longer burn forever. Water is much faster to place and get rid of. Some peoples fireplaces/chimneys may be affected by this. I need a couple of people with shops to start selling netherstone.
• I'm going to put up a new list of commands on a page on the blog soon, new ones have been added (some just for councillors), and some have been modified.
• I'm going to change the server rules slightly and put them up on a page here, don't worry there won't be any big changes.
• People are using note-blocks for doorbells and things, it's awesome, maybe you should give it a go :)

Server Updates just for Councillors:

• You can now send/receive "mail" on the server, type "/mail" and you can figure out how to do it. Remember, Citizens can read mail sent to them, but can't respond.
• If you request, you can have any name colour you like, just send mail to me on the server or comment here. Here is the list of possible colours.

*Quick edit: Fixed Whitelist.