This is my first time online so i might be a little rusty so excuse me if i ask questions ingame, Im wondering am i allowed to have these mods: Optifine, Mo creatures, TMI(wont use), Gemstones mod, will these affect the game in any way on this server? Thanks and look forward to playing tommorow. Am i allowed to build underneath my property?
Optifine is allowed as is TMI, though TMI will not work for you. Mo' creatures and Gemstone will cause problems by creating fake items, so I recommend using Spoutcraft for your SMP experience and using the normal Minecraft.Jar for your SSP experience.
That shouldn't cause the rest of us or the server any problems. so I don't see why not. You just need to check with Justin first, he knows what will and won't work with the server.
Optifine only gives you additional graphical options. You can tune in a way that lets you see clearly under water, though.
I would also suggest Spoutcraft (has optifine options built in). The things that are not allowed are things that would give you an advantage over others in terms of playing the survival part of the game. X-ray mods/packs, mods that allow you to move faster than the game would allow or fly, duplication glitches and things of that nature are not allowed and are cause for bans. A lot of the stuff we have blocked already, and if there are ways around it, we have ways to catch it, so for the most part, the Empire is fairly clean of this stuff.
None of mods mentioned in the OP will give you any unfair advantage. Optifine: most people use this to get a higher fps. It will give you a better experience playing the server, not cheat on it. Mo creatures: Animals are spawned server-side therefore it will not affect anyone, including you. TMI: items are spawned server-side therefore you can have this mod loaded but it will not do anything. There was a recent update for this mod which allows you to change time of day, etc. However, as this is also server-sided this will not affect anything. Gemstones mod: The world was generated upon start of the server, by the server client. Nothing is affected by you using the mod. Yes, you can build up and down within the boundaries of your plot. Where ever you are not allowed to build, you simply cannot.