New forums are live, and a new server soon!
Hey, everyone!
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!
Eagleworld is now on Tekkit.
It's about time, right? The whitelist is off, the server is updated, time to par-tay!
I'm going to keep this post as short as possible, so we can all get to playing:
Here's the mods I went with:
- Tekkit (ALL mods enabled!)
- Essentials (for all the warps and stuff we're used to)
- LWC (protect your chests)
- CoreProtect (rollbacks and anti-griefing)
- Dynmap (yes, we still have Dynmap! and this time, no chat spamming!)
- EssentialsEco (not yet configured, but it's installed)
- ChestShops (coming soon!)
Updates to the Rules/Policies
- The rules are chopped down and simplified
- The policies of the server are DRASTICALLY reduced and relaxed in the interest of fun
- Server ranks still offer prestige and status, but now most features are available, even to Builders
- There are no longer restriction on only building in towns, and TownyMod is no longer around. We can do towns on our own without the plugin!
Changes to the Server Economy
- iConomy is substituted for the more stable and updated EssentialsEco
- Annoying commands are gone, in favor of ChestShops
- The Global Shop no longer trades everything in favor of Equivalent Exchange
- There will be a National Bank in Capitol City that trades metals, gems, etc.
- Trading with the National Bank will only give you a slight penalty in value as opposed to before
- Your Talons (basically your bank account) will now generate interest!
- The economy plugins are NOT SET UP YET, but will be soon once the server is in full swing!
What you need to do to join:
- Download and run the Technic Launcher at www.technicpack.net
- Select "Tekkit" from the drop down, log in, and connect to the server at delorean.eagleworld.net
- Get re-added by an admin (I will be on as much as I can, at least on the console)
- Find a place to build (preferably away from spawn, as Capitol City will go there)
- Use "/dynmap webregister" if you wish to be able to use the dynamic map
- Have FUN! There is a lot to do with Tekkit, so enjoy!
Pre-1.8 Preparations
Hey, everyone!
I am happy that so far everyone has unanimously approved of the map restart idea, so that is going to be what will happen to Eagleworld come 1.8. I am already preparing for all the changes necessary once 1.8 is released. Since I have a better idea of what's going to happen, I wanted to reiterate what I said in my last post with a bit more clarity, as well as provide a loose timeline of how this is going to roll out.
NOTE: I do apologize that this post is very long and verbose, but I'm putting all this information out there to ensure everyone is informed, and your questions are answered. I'll update this post as more questions and need for clarifications arise.
Rollout Timeline
- Pre-1.8 Preparations
- I am currently testing the pre-release 1.8 to see how the new features should be handled (new rules, necessary plugins/configs, etc.)
- Users can finish up structures in the old world and gather resources or earn money to prepare for the new world
- Users should consider what town they wish to join/found on the new map and prepare or help prepare the town applications
- Release-time changes
- Once 1.8 is officially released, I will wait for a Bukkit release before I generate the new map, and ideally wait for Essentials to get updated as well (Essentials is vital to protecting against creepers/endermen/etc., and usually release the same day as Bukkit anyway)
- Once Bukkit/Essentials are ready to go, I will implement these on the test server and select our chosen seed
- I and Eagleworld Staff will help generate the new map as I install/configure all the new mods
- While on the test server, no building will occur, except for me marking the location of the new Capitol City
- Once the server is fully tested and ready for cut over, I will push out all the changes to production
- I cannot guarantee a timeline for how long this will take, as it depends on Mojang, the Bukkit Team, and all our plugin developers, but I am hoping to get it done within a week of 1.8's release. Again, however, a lot of this is dependent on other people, not me, so I can't give hard timelines.
- Migration to the new map
- Towns will be officially selected and mayors will found their towns with my assistance
- Members will move into their towns and help build town structures, as well as set up personal homes as well
- Members will move all their items from the old world to the new, and select their structure to be moved, as well as the location (if possible)
- Building migration by Admins (if possible)
- Users will select their structure to be migrated, and the location of the structure
- If a structure is to be moved to a town, the mayor will need to approve of the location as well as the admins
- Admins will then move the structure using WorldEdit as time allows (we are volunteers, after all)
- Note that users that opt to move their structures into a town will get a bonus.
- Additionally, users that opt to not move a structure at all will get an even larger bonus
- I'll decide on the bonuses after I can determine whether or not this is even possible
- Lockdown of the old map and finalization of move
- Once the active users are moved over to the new world, I will make the old one immutable, as to preserve it
- I will ensure warps remain active (I might rename them for clarity purposes)
- I will attempt to ensure things such as redstone, mine carts, and the like work in the world, but can't give a guarantee
- If users come back after a while and wish to reclaim their items/building, I will deal with those on a case-by-case basis.
Rule/Policy Changes
As far as what's going to change/stay the same, here's what I have so far:
Inside Towns
- Mayors will be responsible for controlling towns as usual, but assistants will need to be run by me in the future
- Mayors will need to allow for me to put one highway and at least one subway station in their town (the width will be equal to one towny block (16 blocks), and leave the area above/below it for my use (signs, subways, etc.)
- Mayors are strongly encouraged to use the town plot system to allow for residents to control their own buildings
- Mayors are strongly encouraged to allow residents to build all their structures inside the town, as opposed to in the wilderness
- Naturally, towns will have a large demand for space, and will be allowed to get much larger than on the old map
- I will make it easy for towns to expand to fulfill their needs, as well as ensure towns are far enough apart to not feel cramped for space
The Wilderness
- The wilderness will remain free to build, but all users are encouraged to build their structures primarily inside towns
- I will encourage the wilderness to be used more for exploration and mining, or for special structures/creations that are not fitting for a town
- Since Strongholds will be limited on maps (currently set to 3 according to Jeb's latest remarks), I will make sure Eagleworld's Strongholds are preserved for all users to see and explore (however, the person that finds it will be allowed to loot the chests inside for items)
- Since chests will now spawn in places like mine shafts, dungeons, and strongholds, unlocked chests in the wilderness will be allowed to be free game (this does NOT apply to chests in towns, public LWC chests, or chests inside an obvious player building)
- Assuming I can find a way to do this, I will periodically wipe out parts of the wilderness that are solely used for resource gathering and allow for areas to regenerate to keep resources available on the map
The Economy
- The economy will largely remain unchanged, as users will retain their items and Talons, and salaries are unaffected
- A new marketplace will be created in Capitol City where users can set up stores (I have not yet decided how it will look...I might even make a mall or a bazaar that users can make stores in or something)
- Old stores will be deleted, and users will get their stocked items back
- As before, all players regardless of rank will be allowed to make a store in Capitol City
- I will hopefully get the worldwide global shop working again, but if I cannot, another physical store will be created, similar to Walmart.
Maps/Warps/Dynmap
- The new Eagleworld map will be a random seed based on a string symbolic to Eagleworld
- I will not release the seed string, to encourage fair play and not allow users to scout for locations/resources
- The Dynamic Map will stay as usual, and it will show the new map, old map, and the nether
- Warps from the old world will be preserved but preceded with a string to differentiate the old warps from the new ones
- Warps as usual will be given out by admins, and warps outside of towns will be created very sparingly
Blog/Users/Promotions/Advertising
- I will revamp the New User and Server Info pages to simply them and include the updated information
- Eagleworld will be promoted on both MC Server list and the Minecraft Forums to encourage new users to join
- Users will still be tested to ensure trustworthy, mature players join the server
- I will retain the referral system bonus for players
- Users will still be promoted based on trustworthiness, maturity, and activeness on the server as usual (I am aware some of you are overdue for promotions, but I will straighten that all out after 1.8 is out)
What I need from you
So far, everyone's been very good at voicing their opinions about this change, and I greatly appreciate your feedback so far. If you have opinions or whatnot about this, please feel free to add a comment to this post.
I do have some other questions for everyone, and would appreciate you answering them:
- How do you feel about the shift to building primarily in towns as opposed to the wilderness?
- What would make you more willing to build in a town as opposed to sticking to the wilderness?
- What is your opinion on creepers/endermen in the wilderness?
- Do you have any concerns about 1.8 or the changes being made to Eagleworld?
Again, as before, I do take your opinions very seriously. Also, your feedback has not just made decisions easier for me, but brought my attention to things I had not accounted on. So please speak up if you have something to say, as I want to ensure if we are going to make this huge change, I do it in the best way possible for everyone!
Thanks for your time!
Important: Should we start anew?
Hey, everyone!
Okay, I've got some plans down the pipeline, especially with 1.8 coming out, and I want to get a consensus from the active players on what to do. I implore ALL of you to read this and leave at least one comment to have your voice heard, as this is important to you and your creations on Eagleworld.
Eagleworld has been running for almost a year, and the game has changed drastically since we started on Minecraft Alpha. The game has introduced many new items, and the map format has changed drastically. Additionally, 1.8 is going to have a large change to the map structure, including a much higher ceiling. So, suffice it to say a lot of the spawned area Eagleworld has is, well, outdated.
Also, in that year, the players have done a damn good job of pillaging the land for all the good stuff. 
So, after a year, the map has many good creations, but has a lot of "exploited territory" laying in ruin as well. As such, now might be a good time to start anew.
Start anew? Does that mean I lose all my crap?
Not exactly. I'd like to get a consensus from the players as to whether or not they are okay with this first. Second, all your creations and hard work would not just disappear. As most of you know, I don't settle for second-best with how I run this place, so it would be a lot better than just dumping everything and starting anew.
Here's what will stay the same:
- All members would retain their ranks, and there would be no change to that system at all.
- All players would retain their Talons, and the banking system would be the same.
- I will create a new Global Shop and let players create new player shops as I did before.
- Players will be allowed to bring all of their items over to the new map.
Here is what will change:
- Once 1.8 comes out, Eagleworld will be updated as per the normal update procedure.
- Once the server is on 1.8, I will create a new map called Eagleworld2 (note the server can support multiple maps).
- The nether's map will be purged and be started fresh.
- Townymod data will be purged completely and new towns will be allowed to form on the new map.
- Players will start playing on the new map, forming towns again.
- All players are allowed to use their resources from the old map on the new one, but are recommended to not destroy their old creations, as the old map will be kept around.
- Not Guaranteed - With the help of WorldEdit, Admins will allow players to select one building/structure of their choice to be copied to the new world. For example, in my case, I would "copy" my mansion and bring it over to the new world.
- Once the transition is complete, the old Eagleworld map will be frozen and exist as a museum. This way, we can start anew, but you can still show off all your hard work to other players.
Here's what will happen to the towns:
- All the old Towny data will be removed. All players and towns will start fresh.
- I will lay claim to the new Capitol City and mark the land first (hey, my server guys :-))
- I encourage ALL active players to have a town to join. I would rather more structure than not inside towns.
- The new towns can be based off of old ones, or completely new ones can be formed...it's all up to you.
- In terms of claiming space, I will make sure towns have the ability to claim the land they need, as I am aware we had problems with this in the past.
- I will accept applications for new towns, but those towns need to have a definitive citizen list, mayor, location, theme, etc.
- Everyone can apply, but realize the more organized groups/mayors will have a better chance than less organized ones.
- Once we get settled on the new map, I encourage more players to set up home base inside towns, not scattered in the wilderness. Wilderness building is fine, of course, but I would rather see towns be more active than less active.
What I need from you people
I need to know what people think about this. It is going to take a lot of work to do this, but I believe it will be worth it, However, it'll only be worth it if everyone is on-board with the idea, and people will actually play on the server. Note that once we transition to 1.8 and the map is reset, I will start promoting the server more aggressively to bring in new blood. So, I ask every player on the server to make a comment to this post! Your opinion is very important, so please make sure your voice is heard.
Please note the following in your comment:
- Are you for or against this move for Eagleworld? Please explain why/why not.
- How important is the ability to copy a structure from the old world to the new one to you?
- Would this move make you play more or less on Eagleworld?
- Do you like or dislike that players will retain their items/Talons?
- Do you like how the Towny system will be handled?
- Finally, any additional comments/suggestions are welcome.
Like I said before, I am NOT doing anything without first getting a voice from the players, so don't worry about the changes just yet. They will not take place until the server is on 1.8 anyway, so we have time to deliberate. I want to get a feeling from the players first, and from there I can get a more definitive plan.
On that note, I welcome your comments/suggestions! Please make sure to respond, as it is highly important I hear from everyone! Thanks!
Minecraft Beta 1.5_02 Updates and Changes
Hey, everyone!
Well, the Bukkit team put out their recommended build yesterday for Beta 1.5_02. For those of you still grumbling about it, the wait was warranted. The team had a lot of work to do not just working on Beta 1.5, but restructuring their entire update process. Let's remember they're not coding in Logo here...there's a lot of effort that goes into this. Try to curb that immediate gut reaction of chagrin and show some appreciation for these guys. They DO make Bukkit for free, after all.
Anyway, let me go over everything you need to know about Beta 1.5. Yes, you need to read it. Everyone's gonna complain about it, you might as well read the page of info I have for you regarding the updates.
Server Changes
Here's the quick view of what I actually had to update this release:
- Minecraft - Now on Beta 1.5_02 (no, that's not a typo...the server is on 1.5_02)
- Craftbukkit - Now on Build 733
- BigBrother - Now on a development snapshot of 1.8
- LWC - Now on 2.31
Nothing really outstanding here. All other plugins seem to be working in a stable manner (or, at least as stable as they were in 1.4...). Note that some of these plugins are not being actively developed, but seem to still work (such as SimpleShop and LocalShops).
Permission Changes and New Kits
I've tweaked some of the permissions in the game, and added a bunch of new kits! Some of these were requested, some I came up with myself. Here's the list:
- /tptoggle - Guests now have access. Now, you guys can use /tpa to show guests around.
- /tpdeny - Guests now have access. Allows guests to clear existing /tpa or /tpahere requests.
- /kit bedtime - New Architect kit. Gives you 1 bed to allow server-synchronized sleeping.
- /kit armor - New Artisan kit. Gives you a full set of leather armor.
- /kit snowballs - New Artisan kit. Gives you a full stack of snowballs.
- /kit jewellry - New VIP kit. Gives you 1 watch and 1 compass.
- /kit doggie - New VIP kit. Gives you 8 bones and 8 cooked pork for use in taming/healing wolves.
- /kit cookie - New Mod kit. Gives you 1 cookie.
- /kit boobtasmic - Restricted to admins only (per Runninghobo's request).
Known Dynmap Issues
Currently, the Dynamic Server Map seems to have some problems on the new release. The web page seems to work fine when in top-down view. Chatting, user locations, and map scrolling works perfectly. However, when you switch to isometic view, the web page crashes. I have to look into this to see what is going wrong. I might be able to fix this with a simple plugin reinstallation, but it could take me a while to fix. Note that complaining about this to me will not fix the plugin. Thanks.
Otherwise, Business as usual
Besides, the changes above, the server is the same as it was before. Towny, iConomy, FlatEarth, and everything else you're used to is the same as usual. I hope everyone enjoys Beta 1.5!
P.S. - I still owe you the jar backup tutorial...I'll post that this week.
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!
Map Shortcuts
In the interest of making everyone's life easier, I have made a shortcut to the latest map on the blog. Instead of having to go to the maps directory and scrolling all the way down to find the latest map, you can simply click the link on the right side of the page entitled "Latest Cartograph Map" to get to the map.
If you still want to go to the maps directory to view the archive of files, that's fine too. I created a link for that as well on the right-hand side.
Enjoy!