Minecraft Survival Servers

This post is to inform everyone of what needs to be done when Minecraft updates it's versions (ie. 1.7 to 1.8). As we're a Bukkit server with plugins, it may take a tad bit longer for things to be updated on our server than the vanilla Minecraft so it's important that you HOLD OFF ON UPDATING until we give the okay. If you update your client before our servers are ready, it will not let you in until we are updated as well.

There are a number of ways to make multiple copies of your files so you can roll back if you need to and maybe someone can find or post a tutorial on how to do so, but this, in my opinion will be the easiest way if you absolutely cannot wait to try 1.8. There is another client version of Minecraft called Spoutcraft, which you can find here: http://dev.bukkit.org/client-mods/spoutcraft/.

It operates the same exact way Minecraft does but has an abundant amount of features included with it. So, my suggestion, is download this and use IT to play around with the new version until it's finished and just say "No" to updating the regular Minecraft client until you know it's ready. Spoutcraft & Minecraft run independently of each other, so as one is updated the other does not need to be.

I'm not 100% sure yet if Spoutcraft will automatically update clients or ask you, but I will update this when I find out. For now, I'll assume it does and suggest to use IT for the updates while waiting.

Feel free to ask any questions should you have any.

When Jeremy and I first started the Empire we decided that the Wasteland was going to be an "anything goes" world. This was because Town was a safe happy place where you could build protected. We also wanted to keep the SMP (Survival Multiplayer) aspect of the game that we feel makes it so fun (that is why there is only dirt in town, etc).

Recently a lot of people have been complaining about their stuff being griefed in the Wasteland, and we understand how that feels. Some people have been asking to "protect" areas in the wasteland (similar to a residence) so it can't be griefed. The problem is that it sort of ruins the point of running a survival server.

What we propose is that we have a process where people (usually a team) can apply for an extra plot in town to build something in. And then we make it a rule that the wasteland is "anything goes" and don't complain if your stuff gets taken / your cabin burns down from a lightning strike / etc. Additionally when the 1.8 update comes out we make a new world that does NOT have a live map. This would keep the survival feel of the wilderness while allowing space for people to be creative. What does everyone think?

Introducing the new supporter subscriptions. Becoming a supporter helps cover the costs of running the Empire. There are three levels available: Iron, Gold, and Diamond. Each level comes with perks for both the site and game server (Diamond has the most).

Click here to view the perks available with each level.

All subscriptions are processed through Paypal. I know the amounts are in USD and we have members from all over the world, but Paypal will take care of all of that.

Unfortunately with some updates this morning we had to get rid of the plugin we were using that let us have the fancy floating items in the shop . We have replaced it with a shop plugin that will now allow players to create their own shops to sell items for rupees! I have added a section to the Server Guide that outlines how the new shops work. This also means that the official Empire Shop (in the Town spawn) will be closed for renovations temporarily.

Click here to view a list of the other changes.

Personally I think that the black text on signs is hard to read sometimes. Today I added a plugin that allows anyone to color the text on the signs they create. It is really simple to use, and I added the instructions to the Server Guide under a new Advanced section.

Today I applied some updates to the Live Map, you may need to clear your browser cache to see them:

• You can now click on residences in Town to see the address and who owns it.
• Residences waiting to be claimed will now show in blue on the Town map.
• There is now a red border around the protected spawn area on the Wasteland and Nether.
• You can now follow a player on the map by clicking their little avatar photo in the right players list. Following a player keeps the map centered on them.

Lawsuit settlement negotiation may soon become a spectator sport. In response to a trademark complaint from Bethesda Softworks, Minecraft creator Notch is suggesting an unorthodox way of settling the dispute.

In a post on his blog, Markus "Notch" Persson has proposed a decisive game of Quake 3 to put the litigation to rest.

"I challenge Bethesda to a game of Quake 3," Persson said. "Three of our best warriors against three of your best warriors. We select one level, you select the other, we randomize the order. 20 minute matches, highest total frag count per team across both levels wins."

If Persson's team wins, The Elder Scrolls developer would have to drop its lawsuit claiming that the indie developer's next game, Scrolls, infringes on its own trademark. If Bethesda wins, Persson would agree to change the name of Scrolls to a Bethesda-approved title. In either case, Persson would be willing to put a disclaimer in his game noting that it is not related to The Elder Scrolls series in any way.

"I am serious, by the way," added...