Pretty much anything is open for discussion with the exception that we will not discuss our security plugins. You may suggest things that we should secure, but we won't discuss implementation.
New Server - HardCore
First off, we are going to be introducing a new style Minecraft server, named HardCore. This is currently being tested by staff and MKindy is the lead admin. Here are a few of the features we're looking at:
- Landclaim protection uses GriefPrevention and is the sole responsibility of the player. If you fail to protect it, any manner of environmental or player-based damage can take it.
- Death results in severe penalties, including the loss of on-hand inventory and the resetting of your landclaim status in GriefPrevention.
- For these reasons, PvP is strictly forbidden in all its forms. The server is PvE only.
- Mob spawns more often and are significantly more dangerous.
- Physics have been added to all blocks one would consider "loose material" -- cobblestone, dirt, grass, mycelium -- in addition to logs and leaves.
- Stone blocks are much harder and require iron or better to mine, and will wear out iron or diamond picks very fast. TNT has been improved as a mining tool -- larger blast radius, fewer destroyed blocks, more blocks dropped.
- Staff are subject to the same rules and penalties as players and, while on duty, are unable to perform normal player functions such as building or mining. Any items used or obtained by staff while on duty are not available to them in their off-duty form.
- And plenty of other variations now and into the infinite future which will hopefully make the game more exciting and ever the more challenging.
- VIP's will get to help us do final testing
Next, we're looking at some pretty major changes for 1.5. Well, that's our intent. A lot depends on when 1.5 is released, when CraftBukkit has a version ready, and what unforseen gotchas popup.
- We do not plan to create a new world. The only new map thing that we know of is the quartz ore. We will be handling this by trimming the current Nether world (basically removing the outer areas that no one has built permanent stuff) and letting players go to the Nether and generate new chunks by traveling to them. Yes, that does mean some lag from time to time. It also means new Nether Fortresses. And hopefully not as far to travel as currently.
- We're going to replace our multiworld plugin with a different one that is easier to use and has less lag. There's not much functional difference, except that we'll be most likely modifying the Hub. Although to be honest, we may not have time.
- We'll be replacing FalseBook with CraftBook. However, this greatly depends on our testing of CraftBook and making sure that it doesn't break Enigma. Of course, 1.5 itself might do that.... So, we'll have to see.
- We may fix the directions so the sun rises in the East. Of course, that means all our compass points in the various train stations have to be changed. And West Fyra won't actually be West of regular Fyra....
- Here's the big one. We'll be changing over to a new plugin to handle protections and claims (aka cuboids). You'll be able to make your own cuboids, including towns (although we haven't figured the details out about that). Locks, adding people to cuboids, and such will all be different. Existing cuboids will be migrated into the new system. Players with landclaims without a cuboid will be able to add one themselves.
In the meantime, what do you think about what we're come up with so far?
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Bungee update by wokka
There is a java/minecraft application called Bungee that several servers are using, to proxy minecraft connections and allow seamless connection between servers, without modifying the minecraft client. This has finally matured enough that we feel comfortable testing with.
As simple as walking through a portal will shove you over to another server, but don't worry, we won't send you off to XYZ lame server, it will be one on our network. This will allow us to offload some processes and streamline how our game server is setup. The age old issue with MC is the single threaded setup, each game server only uses one cpu, and our server has 8. Our goal is to move our Enigma and Creative worlds over to their own servers, taking some load off of the Survival server as well as allowing them to have their own plugin setups. Hopefully that will give us a few options, especially for Enigma.
With the addition of the new server, Hardcore, this will be accessible via a portal in the Hub, so that you don't have to exit, select another server in your Multiplayer and join it. It's quite fast in our testing, not much worse than hitting a portal to change worlds in game.
We don't have an ETA for things to go into effect, but I've already set things into motion. Most of you haven't even realized that the proxy is in place, other than the tab list of players lost color. The cause of this is from the proxy, since its controlling the tab list, and when a staff member is testing on Hardcore, they are actually showing up in the list
The drawback was losing colors, but that's ok for now. The next step is implementing the portals into the game, so that you can switch servers, and pulling enigma and creative away to other servers.More than likely, Hardcore will be the first server online to use this setup, so look for an announcement for its opening soon.
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Enigma is now on it's own server, it promises less lag, the puzzles and rides should be much smoother there. Post a reply if you see issues or have comments.
