A Ghastly Update
Hey everyone!
I've worked a few more hours on the server (brings me up to 45 in total for this Bukkit migration...), and brought you a few new updates:
Mod Adjustments
I was using WorldGuard in order to restrict TNT, Flint and Steel, and Lava for non-Artisan/VIP members. It is a huge plugin, and I was using it for a very minute purpose. As such, I migrated the item protection over to EssentialsProtect, which is a subset of the comprehensive Essentials plugin.
This has streamlined the server quite a bit and reduced the load on it. Unfortunately, this has removed two useful commands from our arsenal, /stack and /locate. I like the functionality of /stack, though, and plan on bringing it back sometime in the future. Stay tuned.
In regards to iStick, I have found a potential successor to the plugin, called CreativeStick. Hopefully it will become stable and let me get rid of WorldEdit. WorldEdit is huge and bloaty, and getting rid of it will streamline the server even more.
Blog/Help Page Updates
I've tweaked the Help Page a bit more to reflect some changes and make sure people don't get confused. I still have to work on all of the plugin sections, so stay tuned for those.
iConomy Updates
Everyone has their mind on iConomy, so let me give you an update on what's going on. First off, I have updated iConomy on the server to version 4.2, which is rather stable and seems to have all the basic money commands (like /money pay and /money top) running quite smoothly. I have updated a lot of player net worths, so /money at least looks sort of what it used to look like. I still have to do importing work, though.
As far as a Global Shop, the solution is evident: SimpleShop. It works similarly to the old iConomy iCShop plugin, but only for the Global Store. It will at least let people buy/sell their items. As far as installing it goes, I will need to wait for it to get updated. There are preliminary versions that are compatible with iConomy 4.2, so it's just a matter of waiting for a stable release. Be patient, and it'll be back soon!
One more thing...
Oh yeah. Since I can't placate your iConomy needs tonight, I've implemented one little change which might please a bunch of you...
The Nether-realms have come to Eagleworld.
It's really easy to get to...just use /world to switch from Eagleworld to the Nether. Portals won't work for it, as they screw things up and spawn additional portals everywhere...really annoying and stupid. Rather, just use /world to get to the Nether, and /world to get back to Eagleworld. When you use the command, it'll bring you to either map's spawn point. In the Nether, I have created a safehouse made of adminium that'll protect you from Ghasts and Pig Zombies. However, the second you venture outside of it...beware.
And before I get a million complaints, there ARE a few bugs with the Nether. For example, your nice name color (and rank prefix) will disappear when you use the /world command. You will either have to live with it or log out and log back in every time you switch worlds. Also, the Ghast missiles do not display on-screen. You'll just see the explosion around you once it's already happened. I can't do anything about it, so don't ask me to, please.
So, have fun with the Nether! You'll be able to see the map of the Nether from the dynmap page as well (just like you can with Eagleworld). Enjoy!
Server and Blog Updates
Hey, everyone!
Well, I am proud to announce that I had a few hours between Sunday and tonight (bringing me up to 40 hours of work total so far on the Bukkit migration) to bring a few new features to the server! This is all part of an ongoing effort to make Eagleworld the best Minecraft server possible that can handle all of your Minecraft needs! Here's what I've done:
Monsters
Monsters are now enabled on the server! Also, since toggling this variable has taken the server out of peaceful mode, auto health regeneration is now disabled. So, all of a sudden, food and armor are no longer useless on the server. 
However, those of you that like the peace, don't worry. I've disabled creeper block damage, so land and buildings are safe (you can die from creepers though). Also, TownyMod will clean up monsters that are inside towns, so you are guaranteed monster-free inside a town. Lastly, TownyMod will regenerate your health inside a town, just like peaceful mode did.
Long story short, the survival aspect of Minecraft is back, but it is only in the Wilderness. You city-dwellers are safe.
Blog Updates
The plethora of new features that Bukkit has brought to us can be daunting and complicated. However, I have taken the time to update the Help Page that provides a list of all of the new commands. They are organized by rank, so everyone will know what commands they have access to. I have not yet updated the LWC, Towny, and iConomy sections, but I will eventually.
So, click the Help Page link in the header above (or the last paragraph) to get a detailed list of all basic commands you now have access to!
and lastly...
A New Dynamic Server Map!
Since Minecraft Beta 1.3 changed the map format, we have lost the ability to use Cartograph for our daily map snapshots. However, Dynmap, a Bukkit plugin, takes server mapping to a new level. I have provided a link to the dynamic map on the right hand side of the page (you can also click here).
When you load the page, you will see an up-to-date server map that updates dynamically as users change it. You can navigate the map by clicking and dragging just like you would on Google Maps. You can zoom in or out with the zoom bar on the top left of the page, or by using your mouse's scroll wheel.
The server also shows who is online with the popup menu on the right. You will see the users' locations on the map as well, their locations updating in realtime. The popup menu on the right also lets you see underground locations on the map, as well as hone in on specific users.
Lastly, the dynamic map lets you see the active in-game chat, as well as participate in it! This way, even if you can't play Minecraft, you can keep in touch with your buddies in-game.
I hope these new update provide more fun gameplay for everyone. Creatures in-game will definitely bring new life to gameplay and make hard to obtain items (such as gunpowder) more accessible to the adventurous. Also, Towny has made it possible for you pacificts to still have fun without the dangers of monsters.
The only thing I ask is that if you have not read the previous post yet, PLEASE DO SO. There are TONS of server updates that you will need to know to prepare yourself for the Bukkit version of Eagleworld.net. It's a long read, but I promise you will find the information helpful.
Anyway, have fun with the new features, and let me know if you have any issues. I know the server's been rocky for a while, so spread the word and get players back to Eagleworld, so we can all have fun again!
Reverting kMod, Minecraft.net, and Blog Updates
What a day. It's been a rough one, for sure. I have three major points of news to cover...
Firstly: www.minecraft.net is still flapping up and down due Mojang's web server migration. The website is still only connecting sporadically, which causes great difficulty with logging into Eagleworld. Our server is up and running as always, but it may take as many as 20 tries to get logged in due to the overloaded authorization server. Notch has not provided updates since the last post, so we just have to wait and see what happens.
Secondly: In testing the newer versions of kMod (both 0.9 and 0.9.1), I was notified by several users that a major regression occurred: colored blocks do not work in either of those two versions of kMod. While 0.9+ has fixed several other issues we were having (such as stairs not orienting properly when placed), the lack of colored wool blocks is too large of a regression to leave be. As such, I have rolled back Eagleworld to version 0.8.5 of kMod until a new version is released.
Unfortunately, the bugs we were experiencing in 0.8.5 will have to stay for a little while later. Consult the previous post (LINK) to see the details.
Lastly: I have added two new big updates to the Eagleworld.net Minecraft blog you will be interested in. The first is a comprehensive help page (found here) which answers the majority of questions I get about getting around Eagleworld. The second is a live server status update for both Eagleworld's Minecraft server and Minecraft.net. The Eagleworld Minecraft server status checks to see if the processes are running on Delorean every time you load the page. This gives you a to-the-second status on the server status. The Minecraft.net status pings www.minecraft.net and sees its response time. If it responds within a second, it lists minecraft.net as up. No response or a delayed response gives a down status. The reason for the one-second cap is that if minecraft.net does not respond in 1 second, it is under heavy load (just like now) and will cause major delays and problems logging in.
Hopefully these blog updates will make your life easier and let it be a more useful resource in regards to Minecraft overall. Ideally, I would like the blog to be a one-stop shop for all of your Minecraft news, and I believe these updates bring it one step closer to that goal.
Now let's just hope Mojang gets their web server working right soon...