Banana937's blog

Well, I wasn't really planning on using my server for MC2 anymore because I have (as you can probably tell by my recent activity on the server) completely lost interest in Minecraft, but because I don't really have anything else to use it for, I figured why not.

So, this is how it's going to play out:

• MC1 will be changed from Creative Freebuild to something else, which will depend on the result of a vote among the Admins
• MC2 will be Hardcore RPG and I will start setting it up tonight
• A reset in the staff will occur and everyone below Admin will be reverted to default

I will start with MC1, and then do the rank reset, and then MC2. After that is done, I will focus on adding extra things like Teamspeak/Mumble and making functionality changes to the site.

Due to a series of unfortunate (and rather embarrassing) events that happened last night, I'm not allowed to play any video games for the next two weeks (and I believe that includes using IRC).

I'll be in touch on the website and an update may be possible for MC1 if 1.6 comes out, but sadly, the MC2 renovation can't start until I can have a little chit-chat with all those who will be involved so that will have to wait until then.

Hello all! Sorry for the delay in server updating. I planned to do it the other day (because I'm now on Spring Break) but my computer was having some problems and I had to get a part replaced. MC1 is now updated to 1.5.1, though, and should be working fine. I have everything backed up from the 1.4.6 version, so if there are any problems, a restore and a fresh update is always possible.

Please report any bugs, as usual. I've gone on and tested it out, and it doesn't look like we should be having any game-breaking problem, but if there are any, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY. I'll try to be on IRC as much as possible, and I'll check the stream daily. You can also leave me a note with Bobby.

Next is MC2, but that's going to take a little while. The reason being, we're going to go into the major renovation stage. I will talk to those who I plan on involving in the building of the new server, and hopefully we'll have it running in a few weeks.

Some time in the near future, we will be doing a little bit of swapping with the servers. I will keep my server, "MC2", however it will be renamed MC1 and will take over as the primary server of the network (it will also be undergoing some serious renovations, including the return of RPG, which you'll hear about in the upcoming weeks). Kieraan will host what is now known as MC1 on his rented server which has very good specs, and it will be "MC2".

Hopefully, Kieraan can also host TeamSpeak from his server, so we'll have that up-and-running. And if Fela is kind enough to grant me site access, I can actually do something about these spambots and our site will be usable again.

Sorry, guys. The power went out and MC2 went down, but it's back up now, so we're all good! Report any errors that might have occurred as a result (corrupted chunks, rollbacks, etc.).

This post will be temporarily stickied every time a staff change happens (until the end of February or March, as I see fit, at which point I will make a new post) just to keep track of changes.

January 22, 2013:

• Ace_X promoted to Mod

Also, I apologize for the recent influx of blog posts. I guess I just have a lot of shit to say

You know what I was saying last post? I figured, "Why wait until tomorrow to do what you can do today?"

So I sat down, and I made some changes. There's no more Admin+ rank. Now don't get your panties in a bunch, Admin+s, you're still special in my heart. I've merged the original Admin and Mod ranks, so now Mods have WorldEdit and all of the stuff that Admins used to have, and all original Admins have been "demoted" (but not really, because they haven't lost anything) to Mod. And then, I simply renamed the Admin+ rank to "Admin", so you haven't lost anything either, guys.

The reason I did this was because we don't have enough active staff members to have 3 separate administration ranks. I was originally considering removing Mod, but then we would be left with "Admin" and "Admin+". Why be so redundant? The ranks are the same as they would have been if I got rid of Mod, except for the little tag in front of your name. I just figured it was best to diversify a bit.

Another change I made was the removal of the Builder+ rank. On both MC1 and MC2, Builder+s have no advantages over Builders, other than a "+", so why even create it? I know it was originally made to give people a sense of promotion in the hierarchy of the server, but honestly, it's just creating an environment where people are constantly asking "Is this build good enough for Builder+?"

It's inevitable. We all knew it was coming. The long dreaded changes we must make around the server. Some good, some bad, some just plain ugly.

LOLJK IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES NOW!

First of all, we're getting rid of Builder+. There's no difference between it and Builder. We're going to do a merge and I'm going to "demote" (even though they won't really be losing anything) all Builder+s to Builder. There's also serious contemplation about removing the Mod rank. Let's get real: dedication to the server (from everyone) has decreased. We just don't have enough active staff members to have a Moderator rank.

Speaking of staff ranks, there's going to be some staff re-evaluations coming up soon. I don't think we need to worry about the Admin+s--they all seem to be doing their jobs--however I don't think I've seen an Admin/Mod come online in a LONG time. The first of these changes will be the promotion of KieraanBreeze to Admin. I know he may have had a bumpy ride over the course of the past year, but he's come back and been rather willing to help out. He's writing a plugin that will replace MCBans (which, to be honest, is getting on my nerves, too), and has advanced knowledge with regard to managing a server.

MC2 is only lacking some security plugins, and then it should be good to launch to the public.

Also, we need more people. As a result, I'm going to take over as "head of advertising", and will constantly be looking for new websites to advertise our server (but obviously being wary of websites that are griefer's paradise). The_Untitled1 and _ONLYUSEmeBOW have offered to make a promotional video for us, and I'm sure we can try to get helzee--who's rather good at videography--to give a helping hand *wink wink nudge nudge*.

Another effort to draw in users is Sunday Fundays, which will begin shortly.

So go! Enjoy the servers while they're up! Because, as we all know, as soon as 1.4.8 or 1.5 rolls around, they'll be down again!

As many of you know, MC2 is up and running. It is fully updated to 1.4.6 (but don't worry, people on a 1.4.7 client can still access it) because there was no Beta Build of CraftBukkit for 1.4.7. As many of you also know, there is a whitelist. This whitelist is for Admin+s (minus Thom) and Owners ONLY until the server is completely ready. It's still missing a few security plugins, such as Orbfuscator and NoCheat. Right now, a spawn is being built and rules are being written, and I wish I could have finished it tonight but we had a team dinner for track so I didn't have much time.

Here is my current order of importance:

1. Build a basic spawn, which will be very similar to one of the original MC1 spawns (think, World 3 -- bedrock with a glowstone trim, just enough for a rules board and such)
2. Add NoCheat and Orbfuscator and configure properly
3. Update MC1 (which shouldn't take nearly as long as MC2 took, because obviously all of the plugins are configured and there is a world set up
4. Properly configure CraftIRC on MC2 (I know the message relays look like shit -- everything is default)
5. Build a massive "spawn island" on MC2 that will have a shop and stuff. As soon as you drop off the island, you are subject to death (don't worry, you can't die falling -- there will be water)

All players have access to /spawn and /tpa with a 5 second delay to prevent people teleporting away in the face of death. You must be still during this delay, or the teleport will cancel!

Here's how it will work in terms of administration:

Owners will be permanent administrators and not have the option to play legit. Kieraan has permissions similar to an Owner (obviously minus the promoting and server modifying permissions) as he has specifically requested a rank like this because he is not interested in playing legit. Treat him as an Admin+ on this server (and only this server -- for now ).

Admin+s have the option to choose between playing legit and administrating. There are two separate "Admin+" ranks set up for each of these. It is impossible for an Admin+ to be banned on death, for obvious reasons, and we request they do not take advantage of this to spite their killers. They have /tp access, however it has a 5 second delay still applies. Any Admin+ caught taking advantage of this command will lose their rank on all servers and be subject to other punishments depending on the severity and consistency of the abuse.

Admin+s may switch between the two ranks, however they must be searched by me for any possibility of spawned and stored items that will then be funneled into the game when they go to legit.

GRIEFING IS ALLOWED -- I WILL POST A FULL LIST OF RULES TO THIS BLOG POST WHEN THEY ARE WRITTEN -- ENJOY!

1.4.5 LET'S GO ARCATOR LIVES ON WOOOOOOOOOO

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way... during the update process we encountered some minor problems. Someone decided to turn on the server before I had managed to configure WorldGuard, LogBlock, and mcbans, thus allowing all of the previously banned players to get on and grief us to their heart's content without being logged. The backup files are WAY too large to transfer, sadly, so we're just going to REBUILD. The damage is minimal, and primarily limited to the spawn area (including Thonova).

This project is not only to rebuild griefs, but ALSO to rebuild some of the configs. So I need YOUR HELP ARCATORIANS!

Comment here if you find a grief that needs to be repaired with the co-ordinates. Also comment here if you find a technical problems with a plugin that needs to be fixed. I will be glad to fix it.

And also, to ease the pain, an update on MC2: It needs Spout, which isn't updated yet, so we're going to have to wait a bit longer.