Just another blog post to handle three minor things on the server. I'll deal with these in order or ease:
Downtime earlier today
I apologize for the server downtime. The server crapped out on me because the console hung up. While the server itself was running fine with the console hung, it caused the reboot to not happen properly. So, after the reboot, the server went down completely.
Anyway, I don't suspect it to happen again, especially after I update Craftbukkit to the latest recommended build. The Bukkit team has a new build ready, I just have to test it before deployment.
Global Shop Update
Well, I finally got around to it...the Global Shop has been updated to add three new items: Red Mushrooms, Brown Mushrooms, and Slime Balls. Prices can be found on the Global Shop page as usual.
Promotions
And, finally, the fun stuff: Promotions!
Unlike last promotion, which was all about the builders, this one's all about the higher-ups:
Builder to Architect:
justynsm
Architect to Artisan:
jbkarate9
xchrisbeftwx
Thunder__Child
ljdarten
Artisan to VIP:
Archer665
WARRIORSPARTON
VIP to Moderator:
SanctusTerra
And, that's all she wrote, folks! Again, as usual, there are few active members that are not getting promoted. If you are active and not promoted, you just need a bit more time, that's all.
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.
This is just a quick note that Eagleworld is now on version 1.7.3 of Minecraft. Feel free to update and join! Thankfully, the update went through without any averse regressions or bugs that I can see. Here's a quick synopsis of what I did:
Minecraft SMP is now on 1.7.3 and up-to-date.
The Piston Bugs (and the resulting dupe bugs) should be resolved.
Craftbukkit is temporarily on a non-canon version put out by Dinnerbone, one of the head developers. Once the Bukkit Team fixes all of the dev cycle problems they had due to the delay of the 1.7.3 update, they will release a recommended build and I will update accordingly.
Essentials has been updated to the latest version and appears stable. New commands, too!
LWC is an all-new version, but the functionality appears to be the same, so no new commands to learn.
CreativeStick is updated as well. Functionality is pretty much the same.
BigBrother is updated and caught up to the latest MC functionality. Server protection is the same as it always was
Dynmap is a new version! Also, I've installed the Landmarks plugin to allow us to label things on the server. I'm working out the details more, but you can see two examples at the spawn point and The Capitol.
iConomy, LocalShops, Townymod, and FlatEarth are unchanged. No new version, still work 100%.
I still need to update the help page so you can get a view of all the latest commands. It's going to take me a while to parse through the whole thing and update it. Honestly, I'm really tired and can't do it right now. If you're that desperate to find out (which I suspect), go to the Essentials Command Guide and figure it out yourself for now.
And for those of you that thinks this is easy, it's not. If you're bitching about why I don't have any new mods or that it took longer than you wanted, take a small look at some of the stuff I have to configure every time we update:
Spoiler Inside: Permissions Config File for Eagleworld
Spoiler Inside: Essentials Config File for Eagleworld
############################################################
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
# | Notes | #
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
############################################################
# If you want to use special characters in this document, such as accented letters, you MUST save the file as UTF-8, not ANSI.
# If you receive an error when Essentials loads, ensure that:
# - No tabs are present: YAML only allows spaces
# - Indents are correct: YAML heirarchy is based entirely on indentation
# - You have "escaped" all apostrophes in your text: If you want to write "don't", for example, write "don''t" instead (note the doubled apostrphe)
# - List items are prefixed with a hyphen and indented:
# lists:
# - look like this
# not:
# - like this
# - Text with symbols is enclosed in single or double quotation marks
# - CraftBukkit and Permissions have been updated: CraftBukkit and Essentials almost always line up, but sometimes other plugins fall behind CraftBukkit's multiple daily updates
# - You have saved the document as UTF-8, NOT the default, ANSI
############################################################
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
# | Essentials (Global) | #
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
############################################################
# A color code between 0-9 or a-f. Set to 'none' to disable.
ops-name-color: 'none'
# The character(s) to prefix all nicknames, so that you know they are not true usernames.
nickname-prefix: '~'
# The delay, in seconds, required between /home, /tp, etc.
teleport-cooldown: 0
# The delay, in seconds, before a user actually teleports. If the user moves or gets attacked in this timeframe, the teleport never occurs.
teleport-delay: 0
# The delay, in seconds, required between /heal attempts
heal-cooldown: 60
# The number of items given if the quantity parameter is left out in /item or /give.
default-stack-size: 1
# What to prevent from /i /give
# e.g item-spawn-blacklist: 46,11,10
item-spawn-blacklist:
# Set this to true if you want permission based item spawn rules
# Permissions:
# - essentials.itemspawn.item-all
# - essentials.itemspawn.item-[itemname]
# - essentials.itemspawn.item-[itemid]
# - essentials.give.item-all
# - essentials.give.item-[itemname]
# - essentials.give.item-[itemid]
permission-based-item-spawn: false
# Whether or not to reclaim memory on player logout; this is technical, and should only be changed under special circumstances.
# This generally increases server stability unless very specific runtime configurations are used.
# HOWEVER, it is known to cause lag upon users logging OUT, so beware!
reclaim-onlogout: false
# Should primitive spawn protection be enabled? For most servers, this should be flase; it is better to use a third-party plugin to protect it.
spawn-protection: false
# Nether settings (switch between worlds with "/world nether" and "/world normal")
# Sets whether the nether system is enabled, what folder to save the world in, and whether portals should teleport players between worlds.
nether:
enabled: true
folder: nether
portals-enabled: false
generate-exit-portals: false
ratio: 16
# Mob limit on spawnmob
spawnmob-limit: 100
#Shall we notify users when using /lightning
warn-on-smite: true
# The message of the day, displayed on connect and by typing /motd.
motd:
- '&cWelcome to &9Eagleworld&c, &9{PLAYER}&c!'
- '&fType &c/help&f for a list of commands.'
- '&fType &c/rules&f for the list of server rules.'
- '&fVisit &9www.eagleworld.net/minecraft&f for'
- ' server news and info (updated &c7/4&f)!'
- 'Currently online: {PLAYERLIST}'
- 'You have {MAILS} mail messages'
# The server rules, available by typing /rules
rules:
- '&9[1] &fYou must speak to an admin first to obtain building rights.'
- '&9[2] &fAll players must be 13 years of age or older.'
- '&9[3] &fAccount sharing is NOT allowed.'
- '&9[4] &fNo Griefing. This is a strict &czero-tolerance&f policy.'
- '&9[5] &fNo Hacking. This is a strict &czero-tolerance&f policy.'
- '&9[6] &fPlayful behavior (such as placing signs on someone''s house) is okay.'
- '&9[7] &fRespect fellow players and keep the tone of the game friendly.'
- '&9[8] &fDo not steal others'' items. If someone dies, allow them to retrieve their items.'
- '&9[9] &fLittering is not allowed. Auto-harvesters and mobspawners must be controlled.'
- '&fLastly, HAVE FUN! The server is here for you to enjoy!'
# When a command conflicts with another plugin, by default, Essentials will try to force the OTHER plugin to take
# priority. If a command is in this list, Essentials will try to give ITSELF priority. This does not always work:
# usually whichever plugin was updated most recently wins out. However, the full name of the command will always work.
# For example, if WorldGuard and Essentials are both enabled, and WorldGuard takes control over /god, /essentials:god
# will still map to Essentials, whereas it might normally get forced upon WorldGuard. Commands prefixed with an "e",
# such as /egod, will always grant Essentials priority.
# We should try to take priority over /god. If this doesn't work, use
# /essentials:god or /egod. If god is set using WorldGuard, use /ungod to remove then use whichever you see fit.
overridden-commands:
# - god
# Disabled commands will be completelly unavailable on the server.
disabled-commands:
# - nick
# Restricted commands will only be available to ops.
# These will have NO EFFECT if you have Permissions installed!
# These are here only if you want something simpler than Permissions.
restricted-commands:
- bigtree
- item
- give
- heal
- plugin
- time
- top
- tp
- tphere
- tree
- setspawn
- antioch
- kick
- ban
- unban
- top
- jump
- tpo
- tppos
- tpohere
- economy
- setwarp
- delwarp
- essentials
- gc
- spawnmob
- broadcast
- burn
- ext
- kill
- ping
- banip
- unban
- mute
- kick
- kickall
- unbanip
- togglejail
- setjail
- eco.loan
# Note: All items MUST be followed by a quantity!
# Times are measured in seconds.
kits:
startertools:
delay: 1800
items:
- 268 1
- 269 1
- 270 1
- 271 1
- 50 32
woodpick:
delay: 300
items:
- 270 1
tools:
delay: 1800
items:
- 272 1
- 273 1
- 274 1
- 275 1
- 50 32
stonepick:
delay: 300
items:
- 274 1
torches:
delay: 3600
items:
- 50 32
food:
delay: 3600
items:
- 260 8
bedtime:
delay: 3600
items:
- 355 1
ironpick:
delay: 3600
items:
- 257 1
noms:
delay: 3600
items:
- 320 8
bukkit:
delay: 3600
items:
- 325 1
armor:
delay: 3600
items:
- 298 1
- 299 1
- 300 1
- 301 1
snowballs:
delay: 3600
items:
- 332 64
bling:
delay: 7200
items:
- 314 1
- 315 1
- 316 1
- 317 1
jewelry:
delay: 7200
items:
- 345 1
- 347 1
doggie:
delay: 3600
items:
- 352 8
- 320 8
cookie:
delay: 3600
items:
- 357 1
chainmail:
delay: 7200
items:
- 302 1
- 303 1
- 304 1
- 305 1
boobtasmic:
delay: 7200
items:
- 86 1
- 303 1
- 288 1
- 332 256
# Disable all signs
signs-disabled: false
# Backup runs a command while saving is disabled
backup:
# Interval in minutes
# interval: 60
# Add a command that backups your data, e.g.
# command: 'rdiff-backup World1 backups/World1'
# Set this true to enable permission per warp.
per-warp-permission: false
# Sort output of /list command by groups
sort-list-by-groups: true
# More output to the console
debug: false
# Set the locale for all messages
# If you don't set this, the default locale of the server will be used.
#locale: de_DE
############################################################
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
# | EssentialsHome | #
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
############################################################
# When users die, should they respawn at their homes, instead of the spawnpoint?
respawn-at-home: false
# When a user interacts with a bed, should their home be set to that location?
# If you enable this and remove default user access to the /sethome command, you can make beds the only way for players to set their home location.
bed-sethome: false
#if no home is set send you to spawn when /home is used
spawn-if-no-home: false
############################################################
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
# | EssentialsEco | #
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
############################################################
# Defines the balance with which new players begin. Defaults to 0.
starting-balance: 0
# worth-# defines the value of an item when it is sold to the server via /sell.
# These are now defined in worth.yml
# Defines the cost to use the given commands PER USE
command-costs:
# /example costs $1000 PER USE
#example: 1000
# /kit tools costs $1500 PER USE
#kit-tools: 1500
# Set this to a currency symbol you want to use.
currency-symbol: '$'
############################################################
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
# | EssentialsHelp | #
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
############################################################
#Show other plugins commands in help
non-ess-in-help: true
############################################################
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
# | EssentialsChat | #
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
############################################################
# If EssentialsChat is installed, this will define how far a player's voice travels, in blocks. Set to 0 to make all chat global.
# Note that users with the "essentials.chat.spy" permission will hear everything, regardless of this setting.
# Users with essentials.chat.shout can override this by prefixing text with an exclamation mark (!)
# Or with essentials.chat.question can override this by prefixing text with a question mark (?)
chat:
radius: 0
# If set to the default chat format which "should" be compatible with ichat.
format: '<{DISPLAYNAME}> {MESSAGE}'
#format: '&7[{GROUP}]&f {DISPLAYNAME}&7:&f {MESSAGE}'
# You can also have group-specific formats, uncomment to enable:
# group-formats:
# Default: '{WORLDNAME} {DISPLAYNAME}&7:&f {MESSAGE}'
# Admins: '{WORLDNAME} &c[{GROUP}]&f {DISPLAYNAME}&7:&c {MESSAGE}'
############################################################
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
# | EssentialsProtect | #
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
############################################################
protect:
# Database settings for sign/rail protection
# get mysql.jar and sqlite and place it in your serverroot/lib directory from here:
# http://java.net/projects/essentials/sources/svn/show/lib?rev=435
# mysql, sqlite or none
datatype: 'none'
# If you specified MySQL above, you MUST enter the appropriate details here.
# If you specified SQLite above, these will be IGNORED.
username: 'root'
password: 'root'
mysqlDb: 'jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/minecraft'
# For which block types would you like to be alerted?
# You can find a list of IDs in plugins/Essentials/items.csv after loading Essentials for the first time.
alert:
# 10: lava
# 11: still lava
# 46: TNT
on-placement: 7,46,49,8,9,10,11
# 1: rock (just an example--doesn't actually do much)
on-use: 7,46,49,325,326,327,8,9,10,11,259
# 46: TNT
on-break: 46,63,68,49,56,14,21,15,41,42,57,22,73,74
# Users cannot PLACE these types of blocks/items.
# < 255 designates a BLOCK
# > 255 designates an ITEM (Some blocks can be placed as blocks OR items; lava blocks can be placed by lava buckets, for example.)
blacklist:
placement: 327,51,46,11,10,7
# placement: 327,326,14,56,46,11,10,9,8
usage: 327,259,46
# usage: 327,326,325,259,46
#prevent people from breaking blocks
#break: 20,50
# break: 46
# General physics/behavior modifications
prevent:
lava-flow: false
water-flow: false
water-bucket-flow: false
fire-spread: true
lava-fire-spread: true
flint-fire: false
lightning-fire-spread: true
portal-creation: true
tnt-explosion: false
creeper-explosion: false
creeper-playerdamage: false
creeper-blockdamage: true
# Monsters won't follow players
# permission essentials.protect.entitytarget.bypass disables this
entitytarget: false
# Prevent the spawning of creatures
spawn:
chicken: false
cow: false
creeper: false
ghast: true
giant: false
monster: false
pig: false
pig_zombie: false
sheep: false
skeleton: false
slime: true
spider: false
squid: false
zombie: false
wolf: false
# Maximum height the creeper should explode. -1 allows them to explode everywhere.
# Set prevent.creeper-explosion to true, if you want to disable creeper explosions.
creeper:
max-height: -1
# Protect various blocks.
protect:
# Protect all signs
signs: false
# Prevent users from destroying rails
rails: false
# Blocks below rails/signs are also protected if the respective rail/sign is protected.
# This makes it more difficult to circumvent protection, and should be enabled.
# This only has an effect if "rails" or "signs" is also enabled.
block-below: false
# Prevent placing blocks above protected rails, this is to stop a potential griefing
prevent-block-on-rails: false
# Disable various default physics and behaviors
disable:
# Should fall damage be disabled?
fall: false
# Users with the essentials.protect.pvp permission will still be able to attack each other if this is set to true.
# They will be unable to attack users without that same permission node.
pvp: false
# Should drowning damage be disabled?
# (Split into two behaviors; generally, you want both set to the same value)
drown: false
suffocate: false
# Should damage via lava be disabled? Items that fall into lava will still burn to a crisp. ;)
lavadmg: false
# Should arrow damage be disabled
projectiles: false
# This will disable damage from touching cacti.
contactdmg: false
# Burn, baby, burn! Should fire damage be disabled?
firedmg: false
# Should the damage after hit by a lightning be disabled?
lightning: false
# Should people with build: false in permissions be allowed to build
# Set true to disable building for those people
build: true
#Should we tell people they are not allowed to build
warn-on-build-disallow: false
#disable weather options
weather:
storm: false
thunder: false
lightning: false
############################################################
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
# | New Players | #
# +------------------------------------------------------+ #
############################################################
newbies:
# Should we announce to the server when someone logs in for the first time?
# If so, use this format, replacing {DISPLAYNAME} with the player name.
# If not, set to ''
#announce-format: ''
announce-format: '&dWelcome {DISPLAYNAME} to Eagleworld!'
# When we spawn for the first time, which spawnpoint do we use?
spawnpoint: newbies
# End of File <-- No seriously, you're done with configuration.
And these are just two configs out of the whole list I have. Just two. These are also in YAML format, which makes it more difficult. While YAML is not difficult syntax, if you accidentally put one thing out of order (e.g. one of the subitems in a group is just ONE SPACE OFF, or if I use a tab instead of 4 spaces), the whole plugin will crash and cause the server to crash. If that happens, I get to scour the logs to figure out which plugin crashed, then I get to scour through this entire file to find the one damn thing that's off. It doesn't help that sometimes a tab can be disguised as spaces if they line up in my text editor.
Also, when it comes to configuring each plugin, I have to scour through the whole list of permissions (This is iConomy's for example, and this is a small one) for every updated plugin. If any permissions have changed at all, I have to go through and revalidate all of the permissions for that plugin to make sure functionality won't break when I update. It's tedious and slow. And this is all AFTER I manage to get all of the plugins to work on the latest Minecraft SMP and Bukkit build.
Now, I get the fun of translating that permissions file you saw above into something you can use on the Help Page. Otherwise, I'll get nothing but complaints that you can't do what you want to do. So even after I'm done, I still get 5-10 hours of work scouring through this crap making sure the blog is updated.
This latest update took roughly 10 hours to do so far. And no, this is not fun. It's tedious, boring, mind-numbing, and painful. Testing new plugins and actually playing the game is fun. Unfortunately, both of those activities as of late tend to give me more work to do on the server...
One last thing: You can expect some more promotions this weekend, so stay tuned!
Just a quick update to keep everyone abreast of the situation: Right now, Bukkit doesn't have an official release for 1.7.3, but Dinnerbone, one of the Bukkit team developers, has given a link to an unofficial build that is stable on 1.7.3. He stated that it is not formally part of their code repository, but it will be soon. I think it is safe to start working with that build.
Unfortunately, time for me lately has been extremely scarce for personal reasons. Therefore, it might take me a little while to roll this one out. I'm shooting for Monday/Tuesday, but that isn't guaranteed. Either way, it'll involve playing the plugin version game and scraping together a stable environment.
So, hopefully you should only have to wait another day or two, then it's time for pistons!
Well, Chris (bigx2021) and I had some fun celebrating the 4th of July, so I figured we might as well share it with the rest of the server! Chris went over to Pennsylvania and grabbed a bunch of fireworks, and we proceeded to set a bunch of them off at his house in his backyard. The dialogue is rather stupid, and yes, we probably weren't as safe as we should have been, but hell, we had fun. A bunch of you have recommended I put more videos on the blog than not, so here's another fun one to enjoy! I had over half an hour of footage that I used, so I broke it up into four parts. Just watch them one after the other. Enjoy!
Oh, by the way, even though you've heard this a billion times before, don't try this at home. Despite how stupid we made ourselves look, we HAVE done this before and know how to be safe with them.
Here's a quadruple-whammy post for y'all tonight. I have four major things to cover, but I'll try to keep it as succinct as possible:
1.7 Update News
Just so you are in the loop, yes, Craftbukkit does have a recommended build for Minecraft 1.7.2, and I can update at this point. However, there are major bugs in the server app itself (not Bukkit) that cause dupe bugs and piston bugs. The Bukkit team is strongly recommending not to update until this is fixed, and I tend to agree. Here is the Bukkit team's blog post regarding the matter: link here.
So, the long story short is hold tight until this is resolved. The good news is I can temporarily start working towards updating the server to get a head-start once the update is finished.
Independence Day Promotions
Well, I promised more promotions, so here they come! This batch involves the newest string of members and an embellishment of the server staff:
Builder to Architect:
Banana_Blob
adamant454
MegaUltraBuilder
pillsbaryjoeboy
Artisan to VIP
Nonagrrl
VIP to Moderator
Nephylim
Melany23
Moderator to Administrator
Openminded
I chose to promote Nephy and Melany to mods because they are both dependable and trustworthy members of the server, and they have experience modding Minecraft servers in the past. Also, the times they are online will fill the gaps of when mods/admins are actually online to ensure greater coverage of the server at all times.
I chose Openminded as the latest admin because Nick (Runninghobo) has been quite busy lately and he hasn't been able to back up me as much as he was in the past. Therefore, the need for additional admins is in order. Open has consistently proven to provide great assistance to helping me deal with the server, not just in building things (such as the subway system), but also in dealing with new members. He's proven as a mod that he will be able to serve as a quality admin on this server.
So, I hope you all congratulate the new promotions and welcome the new server staff! And if you were expecting a promotion, don't get upset. There are three major reason that people don't get promoted at any given time on this server:
Hasn't been on the server long enough to demonstrate the worthiness of a promotion
Has demonstrated trustworthiness, but has been inactive on the server
Has given me a reason to question whether or not to promote them.
The majority of the lack of promotions in the list are due to 1 and 2. Honestly, I have 10-12 people I'd be willing to promote right now, but they either don't play anymore or have played very sporadically. So, don't fret if you don't see your name on the list today.
July Salaries
Well, it's that time of the month again! July salaries are ready to be given out, so make sure to claim them! And, since the server is not on 1.7 yet, I'll be giving out another "SNS-Free Bonus" this month for those of you that were willing to either not update or willing to back-up their 1.6 install: If you claim your salary before I update the server, you will get a 500 Talon bonus! So, make sure to claim them soon!
Quick update on Playing Admin
I've received a LOT of questions regarding Runninghobo's post on Playing Admin on the server. While I posted a response to his post in the comments and clarified some stuff, I still see people unclear about this. For example, someone was concerned because they saw a moderator asking questions and accused them of playing admin. Note that while mods cannot actually promote members, they can do all the preliminary questioning and prep them for membership.
So, to the members, if you see a mod asking questions, it's okay. And if you are a moderator, and want to know what you need to do to question a member, please ask me!
I'll be redoing the Server Info and Help Pages soon, so I'll make sure to add all this info in to clarify it for good.
And in closing...
It's a lot of crap to read, I know, but there's a lot going on in Eagleworld right now. Any questions about the post (I'm sure there will be a lot), please comment below and ask away! I will be sure to answer them as best as I can!