Craftbukkit, Towny, BigBrother, and iConomy Updated!
Hi, everyone!
Well, it's been a few days since I've updated, as I haven't really had any updates to give you. Nothing really changed as far as improvements or bugfixes go, but I have a recent update which I'm glad to announce:
Craftbukkit has been updated from Build 440 to Build 493! This may not sound exciting, but it has certain improvements that come with it:
- More stability overall
- Better chunk loading during warps
- Better support for certain plugins
The last bulletpoint is a good one...we have some new mods installed:
- iStick is now installed for Mods/Admins
- WorldEdit is now removed to increase server speed
- BigBrother is now updated for better undo support
- iConomy 4.3.3 is now installed
- TownyMod is now upgraded as well.
iConomy is running and the /money command works, but everyone's net worth is not 100% yet. I still have to install SimpleShop to get the Global Shop back up and running. Once that is ready, you will be able to buy and sell goods from the server once again!
Player Shops still do not have a viable method for me to install. I am still looking.
One last thing...this is important for Town Mayors/Assistants to read: Towny now supports citizen plots. Originally, all of the land you claimed for your town was considered owned by you. Now, all of the plots are unowned. You will need to work out town plots between you and your citizens. Unfortunately, since we weren't following this from the start, people's property might not cleanly fall into town blocks. So, there's really not much we can do about that.
To get more info about TownyMod's new commands, check out the master command list on their webpage: LINK. It'll show the info about how to work with plots and the like.
In the meantime, we are one step closer to having iConomy back! I will work on it more tomorrow once I get the time to do so. I would have had it done tonight, but I got derailed too many times by user requests. So, I'll try for tomorrow!
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!
Server is now up using Bukkit.
Total hours clocked so far: 34 40.
UPDATE: I have updated a bunch of info in this post. Even if you have read this post, please check through for all stuff with "NEW" in front of it!
This will be a long post, and I expect everyone to read it. There is too much to know about the new server to NOT read this. I have very little patience right now with this server, and any questions easily answered by this post will not be answered nicely.
That being said, let's talk about what's working and what's not.
What is done so far:
- Minecraft updated to 1.3 and map converted successfully.
- Craftbukkit (The Bukkit API) is installed at Build 440.
- Essentials plugin installed (provides all basic commands we like).
- All warps we use converted to Essentials plugin format. (NEW: Use /warp to see the list of warps. Some have changed named and some have been deleted.)
- Permissions plugin installed (provides group-based permissions).
- TownyMod is installed and working. All data imported.
- LWC (Lightweight Chest Protection) installed and working. Chest Database imported, so all chests are still protected.
- BigBrother installed to log ALL changes to server. This will let me catch griefers as well as roll back their changes if necessary.
- WorldEdit installed for Mods/Admins to perform Anti-Griefing as well.
- WorldGuard installed to restrict Lava, TNT, and Flint and Steel.
- iConomy is installed, but only the base plugin.
- All scripts I made/use converted to Bukkit, so backups work fine.
- NEW: Monsters enabled! Check upcoming post for details.
- NEW: Bedrock Gap Insurance installed.
- NEW: Dynamic Maps installed.
What still needs to be done:
- Set everyone's Talons to their previous amount (could not import).
- Set everyone's permissions to what they need to be (could not import).
- Install a Global Shop plugin, as well as a player shop plugin.
Install a form of map plguin (preferrably better than the one we had).- Figure out what other plugins I need to fix/install.
- Eventually get more worlds available (such as the nether-realms, a wilderness server, and a fallout server).
WHAT DOES NOT WORK RIGHT NOW:
- Warps are all f***ed up due to a 1.3 chunk reload bug. There is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Warps work, but you might die when you teleport to the new area, and it will take a while for everything to load. I WILL NOT respawn items if you lose them in this way for ANY REASON.
- There is no global shop. No, it's not coming soon. The iConomy plugin updated to 4.0 as of last night, so the shop plugins need to update. Once they do, I will work on it.
- I will not be doing member salaries right now. If you missed out on February, you will be given a chance to claim it when I am ready again.
Maps will not update. Be patient.- Monsters will not spawn yet. We are almost ready for them. They'll be here soon. And yes, they will only be outside towns. And yes, Creepers won't kill the land/buildings, but they can kill you.
And most importantly...
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
- Wait for me to grant you your proper permissions. Permissions will be given as follows:
- People with no status stay as Guest.
- People with member status become a Builder.
- People with VIP status become an Artisan. This is NOT a demotion. You will have all the same privileges you had before, plus more.
- NOTE: I will go into the new ranks in detail in another post.
- Make sure you read /rules in-game again. Just to make sure everyone understands them.
- Make sure you read all of the new commands that are available through the /help command (use /help 2, /help 3, etc. to see all the pages). I won't get time to do it for a while, as there is still so much to do on the server.
- Be patient. It's going to be a while before this all works right.
- If I am not online to give you your rights, don't bitch at me. I've been at this for days, and I need a break.
- NEW: You will need to set your /home warp again with /sethome.
Anyway, the server is online. Give it a shot. If you have problems, feel free to ask me, but PLEASE double-check the blog first to make sure I didn't address it yet. I'll be updating this post often to make sure everyone is abreast with any server issues or to-dos left.
And if I sound a bit sort, I've just had a real exasperating time with this, so bear with me. Everything WILL work soon, and any bugs or whatever will get ironed out. Otherwise, there are quite a few suprises in store for you thanks to Bukkit, so make sure to check out the /help command and see them all!
Bukkit Migration Update #2
Still working on it, here.
There's a shit-ton to do left, and it is quite a bit of work, I have to say. The major problem with this is that plugins don't really support flatfile configurations (e.g. stuff plopped into a text file). Now, most plugins only suport SQLite or MySQL databases for their data, which means unless the plugin author provides a conversion tool (most didn't), I have to migrate all of the data by hand. That being said, I have a few updates:
- iStick is not working at all. I need to look into other mods, such as WorldEdit to give me in-game degriefing tools.
- GriefAlertr and SignLogger are failing. I am going to look into BigBrother for server data logging. The problem is this mod has bugs, too.
- Towny is installed, but not tested. I can't get into the damn game because minecraft.net is down...again. However, it looks like all of our data is saved and instantly configured.
- iConomy is going to cause a major problem. Not only do I need to manually convert all data to SQLite, but it also just updated to a new version. This means I can't even set up a Global Shop until the shop mods are all updated. So, I might get it installed, but it'd be basically useless for now.
Because I can't even launch the game to test my settings, I'm going to have to come back to this later today. Things are getting installed and working, but there are still dozens of hours of configurations to do even after I get the server back online. And I might not even be able to get the server online soon if I can't find some kind of plugin that will have anti-griefing logging. So, I'm really in a bind here. I'm working on it, though. I'll figure it out somehow.
Bukkit Migration Update #1
BIG POST ALERT - I know it's a large post, but it's in-depth info on what to expect from Bukkit and Eagleworld in the future. It's probably worth a read.
Just wanted to give everyone a bit of an update regarding the migration to Bukkit mod (from hmod). As most of you have seen by the Anarchy Mode server I've plopped on Delorean, the game is basically unplayable compared to what have been used to. No economy, no townymod, and not even freakin' warp points, lol. So, I've been working hard on getting the real server at least to a point where we can play it with the following:
- Basic core functions we all need (warps, home, etc.)
- Administrative functions (kick/ban, grief alerts, etc.)
- Theft protection (such as LWC)
- Basic Economy Plugin (iConomy with the /money command)
- A global shop we can buy/sell from
That being said, there are plenty more things we're going to want on top of these core functions:
- Townymod working as it was before
- Server mapping functionality, preferably with updated block types
- Player Shops at least as they were before (if not less cryptic)
- Town monster protections (so we can enable monsters again)
- The Nether!
The good thing about these items is that they don't prevent us from playing on the server while I work on them. We'll have all of that in due time, even though it'll take a while.
Anyway, here's the quick synopsis on how far I've gotten on Bukkit:
- Cleaned up Minecraft directory and prepped it for Bukkit
- Converted server map directory to Beta 1.3 format (I also checked around to make sure we had no map issues)
- Retrieved stable build of Bukkit and successfully installed it
- Installed "Essentials" plugin, which provides the core functionality that hmod used to give us
- Converted old hmod warps to Essentials
- Installed "Permissions" pluing, which enables user groups and the ability to grant/restrict permissions to player grous
- Started work on applying permissions to user groups
The Permissions plugin is going to take me a while to get just right. It's one of those plugins that doesn't actually do anything, but makes the other plugins possible. It also has inspired me to implement a new ranking system for the server.
Potential New Server Ranking System:
- Guest: - White color - The old default. For new players that have joined. Restricts building rights and only gives access to the most basic commands.
- Builder: - Cyan color - Same as the former member rank. Gives basic building rights, full member access to mods (Townymod, iConomy, etc.), as well as the ability to use other fun stuff, such as /home and /kit. Not allowed to use destructive items (TNT, Lava, Flint & Steel), nor water buckets. Builders can, however, use water purchased from the Global Shop.
(NOTE: I'm restricting water to discourage massive usage of it on the server, as well as to discourage water griefing.) - Architect: - Yellow color - A new rank that is an extension off the old member rank. Gives full water access, access to better kits, more commands, and other perks.
- Artisan: - Green color - Same as the former VIP rank. A trusted rank that gives full access to all block types (including destructive items). Also receives better kits, more commands, more stuff.
- VIP: - Purple color - This VIP isn't the same as the old one! VIP status will truly restricted to only the top members. VIPs will get access to new fancy commands that Bukkit provides, as well as other fun perks such as teleportation powers.
- Mod: - Blue Color - The same as before. Mods are responsible for maintaining the server and assisting the Administrator. Has access to anti-griefing tools, kick/ban privileges, as well as iStick, the all-in-one admin tool.
- Admin: - Red Color - The same as before. Has all the mod powers, plus many admins powers as well, such as the ability to spawn items. While I am unsure I will need more admins by myself, the rank is there in case I do.
- r00t: - Red Color - The same as admin, except that it has full op privileges right from the minecraft application itself (not just Bukkit) and it can basically override anything. Since a proper security scheme should have one admin that can override even other admins in case of some severe compromise, r00t will stay reserved for me.
I'm not 100% sure I'm going to go through with this ranking system, but I'm still thinking it over. I felt like the difference between member and VIP was too much and wanted to give people more opportunities to be able to do more on the server without giving too many rights away to those I didn't truly trust for the role. I also wanted to make the ranks something else to make the server more fun, but not make it too hierarchical to the point where it detracts from the game in any way. I'm open to suggestions if any of you have any good ideas.
Anyway, seeing as it's almost 5AM here in NJ, I'm calling it a night. I hopefully will get a lot more done tomorrow, as I have no pressing things to do besides get Minecraft and Bukkit running!
Minecraft Server is back up…sorta
Well, it's day 3 with no Minecraft, the only thing that's even remotely close to a solution to bringing the server back up is kMod. This mod is basically a fork off of hMod, done by a guy called hclewk, who decided to take it upon himself to attempt to ressurect the mod. He has been working hard on the mod so far, and plans on continuing to do so, at least in the short term until Bukkit is complete.
Anyway, I have decided to adopt kMod now, despite the fact that it is risky to do so. I do have full backups of the map and the server configs, just in case corruption occurs due to the unofficial, buggy mod.
PLEASE keep in mind this is a BUGGY BUGGY BUGGY release. Just to give you an idea about how many bugs there are, these are the ones that have been reported so far (as per the list I took from the kMod site below):
- Open anything and you'll place a block on the object you opened. i.e. Chests, Furnaces, Doors, Signs. This can result in a torch destroying the block beside a door in order to be placed there.
- You can place blocks on yourself. This duplicates the block, by putting one on the ground, but keeping the one in your inventory.
- Lava buckets do not work. You place lava and it disappears. The same occurs with water.
- You cannot use food except cake. You cannot throw eggs. (Probably the same for snowballs)
- The HUD is slow on updating when you drop items (Or from what I experienced)
- Stargate doesn't work (Fairly known one and is confirmed to not work)
- Animals aren't spawning.
- Monsters aren't spawning.
- Ladders don't work.
- Can't place new blocks? (i.e Noteblocks, Sandstone)
- Sheep dye doesn't work.
- Levers won't flip up or down and they sometimes move the block but they work.
- Craftbook doesn't work.
- The HUD doesn't have the extra effect from the patch update where the items grow larger then shrink back to normal size to indicate you picked something up.
- If you lay a birch tree, the white trees, they'll come out as normal brown trees.
- Can't place torches on snow.
- Any other block placed on snow floats.. (Guessing this happens with steps too and floor plates.}
- Cuboid doesn't work.
- Stairs and torches are somewhat broken. I place one on the wall (torch) and there's a block next to it, it will instantly move to the other block. And stairs won't work at all. I try to place them, and they face the opposite direction.
- Using a bow with arrow in your inventory makes the shooting sound and decreases the number of arrows you have, but the arrows are not shot, or if they are, they are invisible, do no damage, and cannot be picked up.
- Boats cannot be placed, but can be ridden.
I do not wish to be informed that these bugs exist. As you can see above, I am aware of it. "Letting me know" is not necessary, and will be promply ignored. Complaining about it will get you a kick. I am really not in the mood to deal with complains over a matter that I have no control over. Surely you can understand my frustration in the matter, but please realize taht I do not have control over the matter, and I am simply attempting to make the best over a bad situation.
However, since the server IS back up, I would like to reward those of you that are taking the time to deal with my long posts. If you log on the server either today or tomorrow and see me online, send me a tell with the word "malcom" when on the MC server (type /tell Eagle malcom) and you will get 500 Talons!
While I wouldn't call the server "up," I would definitely call it functional enough to let us work on our projects again, at least until kMod gets more stable over the next few days. Enjoy!