I have three quick announcements:

Dynmap Issues

I'm aware that the Dynmap is having trouble, and players are unable to log in.  It's actually a bug I ran across previously, but I had fixed it easily before.  Now, nothing I seem to do is getting it to work.  I am aware of the issue and still working on it, so bear with me!

Economy Trends Page

I've been able to add a page to the blog which details all of the recent price trends on the economy!  This should tremendously help shop owners or other traders determine a market to sell.  Remember, it always benefits you to buy from another player, as it will always be cheaper than the Global Shop.  Also, you'll be helping someone else get more Talons for their goods.  It's a simple win-win!

Anyways, check out the Current Price Trends page. It is very Spartan right now, but I will spruce it up soon.

Donations are Available!

Well, I know several of you were asking, and I'm happy to say that I've gotten the donations page up and ready!  You should see the links above under the Donations column.  Here are the new pages:

Donations - Donate to the server here, and see what donation perks are available!

Hall of Donors - A page where all donors will be recognized and thanked for their support of Eagleworld

New Server Fund - What the donations are all about.  See how we're doing and how far we have until we have a new server to play on!

So, I've been working my butt off the past few days, and I think there's plenty to show for it so far.  I've overhauled the web server on Delorean, getting rid of the messy port 8000 stuff, preparing for the forums, and preparing for more things in the future, such as multiple Dynmaps, and other possible features in the future.

New Forums are Live!

I'm happy to say the forums are just about complete!  While there are tweaks to be made here and there, I think we are ready to go:

http://minecraft.eagleworld.net/forums

Please head over there and sign up.  I'll active your accounts and give you full access right away.

New Server On Its Way...Need Ideas!

The other great news is that since the forums are pretty much complete, I can start work on the new server!  I have some ideas that I've compiled already from all of the suggestions I've received thus far, but it's too much to put in a blog post.  So, I've compiled them all in the Suggestion Box Forum on the new forums.  I encourage everyone to register on the forums, vote on my ideas, comment on them, and submit your own threads for discussion as well!

Like I've said before, this is your server too, and I want everyone to enjoy it.  So, I'm open for ideas.  The ideas I've compiled so far are an amalgamation from your feedback so far, but they are by no means concrete.  So, I want your ideas on how to make Eagleworld better!

Anyway, I'm going to keep tweaking the forums as they need it (e.g. I didn't put up a logo picture yet), but I'm also going to be working on the new server.  Please please please post your feedback on the forums, and let's work on this together!

Anyway, as I work my ass off on getting the forums ready, I welcome your input, and I hope to have a forum update for you soon!

EDIT: We have a forum ready to go...I just need to configure it.  It's going to be at minecraft.eagleworld.net/forums.  While I won't allow registrations until it's ready, you can at least see the progress!

So, I have updated the Server Info page with the new ranks and powers of the new ranks.  I've also redone the list of users and updated everything accordingly.  So, if you're looking for all of the updates with the new ranks and stuff, you can now check for it there.

And, as I promised, with the new ranks, it's time to handle long overdue promotions!  So, without further ado, here's who's getting bumped up:

Apprentice to Journeyman:

• Minikimi90

Technician to Engineer:

• Karaktar
• pfleegore

We also have some changes in staff, too:

New Veterans:

• Runninghobo
• SanctusTerra

These two are valuable members of the server, but are unable to fulfill their duties right now (due to time obligations, personal reasons, etc.)  So, they will be given the revered status of Veteran as thanks for their hard work on the server.  Should they wish to come back to the staff of Eagleworld if/when their situations change, they will be gladly welcomed.

Note that there will be further changes in the Eagleworld Staff soon, so stay tuned!

I finally managed to get the Help Page updated to reflect the latest changes in the server commands.  There are a bunch of new commands out there and an adjustment of permissions across the board, so be sure to look at the commands for your rank and the ones below you to see what you now have the ability to do.

Just one note: The Mods have two commands listed that are not yet in the version of Essentials on Eagleworld: /nuke and /fireball.  These will be implemented in the 2.5 version of Essentials, which is not stable yet.  Once it is stable, I will be rolling it out to Eagleworld, and these commands will be available.

The next step on the server overhaul is redoing the global shop.  I know there are items missing from the shop (most notably slime), but I have to go over the whole list of items and balance out the prices.

Keep posted!

I've got two major things to cover here today, so I'll do them in one post:

Updated Rules/Blog Info

Please kick on over to the Server Info page and check out the new Server Rules.  I've also adjusted the Important Info under Server Settings.  I've made things a bit more concise and clear, as well as added a few rules.  No real surprises here...just stuff I've been enforcing for a while but weren't officially part of the rules.

I also changed around the New Players page a bit and made it a bit easier to read.  I trimmed some of the language and made it more concise and to the point.

Beta 1.5 Updates

Several of you have been bugging me about this, so let me give an update about where we stand.  Right now, there is no recommended build for Bukkit that works with Beta 1.5.  There IS a Bukkit version that will work with Beta 1.5, but it is untested and buggy.  Also, I did a quick scan to see which plugins were updated for 1.5...not many.  So, if I update now, we'll have a buggy Bukkit plugin, half support for the plugins that do work, and a bunch of plugins that don't.  Not what we want, is it?

If you want more info on this, the Bukkit team has a post on it: Link Here

For those of you too lazy to click the link, here's what the Bukkit team said about updating to 1.5:

"We have completed the update to Minecraft 1.5_02 (and have had it done for a while now) and are working out a few issues before we promote a recommended build. A TEST ONLY build is available but we highly recommend that you wait until we promote a Recommended Build before putting it on your production server."

In other words, Bukkit is not ready for production yet.  If you're still not convinced and are saying, "But Eagle, can't we just use a version that works?  They said they have a build, it's just not recommended."  Well, here's another statement regarding the Bukkit Team on non-recommended versions:

"Only Recommended Builds have gone through extensive testing. Anything else could result in unforeseen problems like Bukkit eating your cake or your world. You have been warned."

I'm not dealing with that.  So, we wait.  Might I remind you the server is working 100% with Beta 1.4.  Everything is functional, and we have no issues whatsoever.  The only issue on the server right now is a severe case of SNS Syndrome.

Speaking of SNS Syndrome, I will be making another post soon about how to back up your Minecraft Directory to test the new versions of Minecraft, yet keeping the old one so you can still play on Eagleworld.  Stay tuned!

Just some quick notes:

1. Make sure you log in when you comment

If you don't, I'll have to approve every comment you make.  Give an admin a break. 

2. Check out the New Players page

While it's geared more for new players, everyone will benefit from the read.  It outlines everything about the blog and will make it easier for you to read through it and get it done quicker for you.  While the blog is important, I don't want you to spend an evening reading it all. 

3. Register if you have not already

Registrations and email notifications are all set up now, so feel free to create an account!  If you haven't gotten an email about your account, let me know.  I will help you get it set up.

4. Get notifications about the blog

There are now many ways to get notifications about blog updates:

• RSS Feed (top right of the blog header)
• Twitter Feed
• MC Server Message-of-the-day (displays the date the blog was last updated)

I believe you can get email notifications too in your subscriber account, too, but I'm not sure.  I'm trying to make it as easy as possible to keep up-to-date on all server changes, so take advantage of whatever method works best for you!

Any questions or comments, we have the comments section now, so have fun!

Just a quick note that the new Minecraft blog is now live!  I have tested the majority of it to make sure it works, but I can't be 100% sure.  Leave a comment below if it does.

One note:  Anyone that is a server regular, PLEASE create an account and use it to make your comments.  I have to approve all anonymous comments, but people with an account only need to have one comment approved.  It'll make life a lot easier.  It takes 2 seconds and only needs a valid email address.

Have fun!

Note that the date/time on this post is when the new blog was initially installed.  I will make another post outlining the basic blog info once it's ready for production.

Just a quick update regarding the blog. I've added the server to www.mcserverlist.net, which is a site with a comprehensive list of Minecraft servers. Consequently, we will see an influx of new users coming to Eagleworld via the site. If you are one of these new users, we welcome you to Eagleworld!

Also, I have added a Twitter feed for Eagleworld.net to make life easier when it comes to checking on blog updates. If you have a Twitter account, follow @eagleworld.net. Every time I update the blog, I'll post it on Twitter. Hopefully this will make checking blog updates easier!

Lastly, I've tweaked the blog a little bit and adjusted the layout a bit to make finding stuff easier. If you have a suggestion for the blog or its layout, feel free to let me know and I'll do what I can to adjust it.

I'm still working on fixing bugs and adding back iConomy to the server, so stay tuned!