Escapecraft

We've got a lot of things planned for our Minecraft community this year. And we want to get our player community involved in discussing the changes and letting us know what they want to see.

Pretty much anything is open for discussion with the exception that we will not discuss our security plugins. You may suggest things that we should secure, but we won't discuss implementation.

New Server - HardCore

First off, we are going to be introducing a new style Minecraft server, named HardCore. This is currently being tested by staff and MKindy is the lead admin. Here are a few of the features we're looking at:

• Landclaim protection uses GriefPrevention and is the sole responsibility of the player. If you fail to protect it, any manner of environmental or player-based damage can take it.
• Death results in severe penalties, including the loss of on-hand inventory and the resetting of your landclaim status in GriefPrevention.
• For these reasons, PvP is strictly forbidden in all its forms. The server is PvE only.
• Mob spawns more often and are significantly more dangerous.
• Physics have been added to all blocks one would consider "loose material" -- cobblestone, dirt, grass, mycelium -- in addition to logs and leaves.
• Stone blocks are much harder and require iron or better to mine, and will wear out iron or diamond picks very fast. TNT has been improved as a mining tool -- larger blast radius, fewer destroyed blocks, more blocks dropped.
• Staff are subject to the same rules and penalties as players and, while on duty, are unable to perform normal player functions such as building or mining. Any items used or obtained by staff while on duty are not available to them in their off-duty form.
• And plenty of other variations now and into the infinite future which will hopefully make the game more exciting and ever the more challenging.
• VIP's will get to help us do final testing

Survival Changes for 1.5

Next, we're looking at some pretty major changes for 1.5. Well, that's our intent. A lot depends on when 1.5 is released, when CraftBukkit has a version ready, and what unforseen gotchas popup.

• We do not plan to create a new world. The only new map thing that we know of is the quartz ore. We will be handling this by trimming the current Nether world (basically removing the outer areas that no one has built permanent stuff) and letting players go to the Nether and generate new chunks by traveling to them. Yes, that does mean some lag from time to time. It also means new Nether Fortresses. And hopefully not as far to travel as currently.
• We're going to replace our multiworld plugin with a different one that is easier to use and has less lag. There's not much functional difference, except that we'll be most likely modifying the Hub. Although to be honest, we may not have time.
• We'll be replacing FalseBook with CraftBook. However, this greatly depends on our testing of CraftBook and making sure that it doesn't break Enigma. Of course, 1.5 itself might do that.... So, we'll have to see.
• We may fix the directions so the sun rises in the East. Of course, that means all our compass points in the various train stations have to be changed. And West Fyra won't actually be West of regular Fyra....
• Here's the big one. We'll be changing over to a new plugin to handle protections and claims (aka cuboids). You'll be able to make your own cuboids, including towns (although we haven't figured the details out about that). Locks, adding people to cuboids, and such will all be different. Existing cuboids will be migrated into the new system. Players with landclaims without a cuboid will be able to add one themselves.

We have even more changes being discussed in staff, so stay tuned for more things to discuss in the future.

In the meantime, what do you think about what we're come up with so far?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Bungee update by wokka

There is a java/minecraft application called Bungee that several servers are using, to proxy minecraft connections and allow seamless connection between servers, without modifying the minecraft client. This has finally matured enough that we feel comfortable testing with.

As simple as walking through a portal will shove you over to another server, but don't worry, we won't send you off to XYZ lame server, it will be one on our network. This will allow us to offload some processes and streamline how our game server is setup. The age old issue with MC is the single threaded setup, each game server only uses one cpu, and our server has 8. Our goal is to move our Enigma and Creative worlds over to their own servers, taking some load off of the Survival server as well as allowing them to have their own plugin setups. Hopefully that will give us a few options, especially for Enigma.

With the addition of the new server, Hardcore, this will be accessible via a portal in the Hub, so that you don't have to exit, select another server in your Multiplayer and join it. It's quite fast in our testing, not much worse than hitting a portal to change worlds in game.

We don't have an ETA for things to go into effect, but I've already set things into motion. Most of you haven't even realized that the proxy is in place, other than the tab list of players lost color. The cause of this is from the proxy, since its controlling the tab list, and when a staff member is testing on Hardcore, they are actually showing up in the list The drawback was losing colors, but that's ok for now. The next step is implementing the portals into the game, so that you can switch servers, and pulling enigma and creative away to other servers.

More than likely, Hardcore will be the first server online to use this setup, so look for an announcement for its opening soon.

=-=-=-=-=-

Enigma is now on it's own server, it promises less lag, the puzzles and rides should be much smoother there. Post a reply if you see issues or have comments.

I like the ideas so far, though I do have one question: Will the introduction of a new land claim system mean all old cuboids will need to be redone?

From her Post:

Tulonsae wrote:Existing cuboids will be migrated into the new system. Players with landclaims without a cuboid will be able to add one themselves.

Will the new hardcore server be the standard 3 worlds & it require a different server address to access it?

How will you combat the cubiod's placed by players that are gone for months/do not return/ban?

Thanks

The hardcore server will be one world only, and will have its own server address. Landclaims created by players who don't log in for a long time will be periodically wiped, as far as I'm aware.

I've been playtesting hardcore a lot and I have to say, it's a lot of fun. I think y'all are going to enjoy it. Coming back every once in a while to ensure your landclaim doesn't get wiped will be no trouble at all. You'll be wanting to play there every day.

Are the staff from the Escape server now going to be carried over to the Hard-core server as well?
And yes, these ideas are very good and looking to see them put forth.

Yes, it is indeed fun, until your house ends up getting rolled back from accidentally falling off of a large height.

aeroeng and I learnt that day that sometimes it just isn't the best idea to make a treehouse on a hardcore server.

Tulonsae wrote:your own cuboids

I think this was directed at me XD

Victini998 wrote:

Tulonsae wrote:your own cuboids

I think this was directed at me XD

Actually, to many, many players....

dandres wrote:Will the new hardcore server be the standard 3 worlds & it require a different server address to access it?

How will you combat the cubiod's placed by players that are gone for months/do not return/ban?

Thanks

Goda answered two of these questions. I'm not sure if it will have a nether and end or not. Need to ask Kindy about that.

HC currently does have a nether and an End.

Does anyone know the answer to my question 6 posts up?

TEKNOVIRUS wrote:Are the staff from the Escape server now going to be carried over to the Hard-core server as well?
And yes, these ideas are very good and looking to see them put forth.

Staff yes, that means the mods. So far we have not discussed moving mentors over, since there is not really a new chat. This server is really geared to the more advanced player. Of course, this will change if needed, but those are our plans.

"It also means new Nether Fortresses. And hopefully not as far to travel as currently."

FIVE HOURS, IT TOOK ME FIVE HOURS! And then I lost it to the flush!

Hardcore, good luck staying alive to get to find a fortress, stay alive, then get out

Tulonsae wrote:

Victini998 wrote:

Tulonsae wrote:your own cuboids

I think this was directed at me XD

Actually, to many, many players....

hue hue hue

I like these things.

Tulonsae wrote:

• Physics have been added to all blocks one would consider "loose material" -- cobblestone, dirt, grass, mycelium -- in addition to logs and leaves.

Tulonsae wrote:

• logs and leaves.

So would trees turn into bushes with a trunk sticking out the middle of them?

Only if you updated a block touching the leaves. Trees form like normal and only fall when a block updates.

motormaniac wrote:

Tulonsae wrote:

• Physics have been added to all blocks one would consider "loose material" -- cobblestone, dirt, grass, mycelium -- in addition to logs and leaves.

Tulonsae wrote:

• logs and leaves.

So would trees turn into bushes with a trunk sticking out the middle of them?

I think Tulon means if you cut the bottom it will fall

Will my title be tranferred too?

Victini998 wrote:Will my title be tranferred too?

Undecided.

Victini998 wrote:Will my title be tranferred too?

its possible, it depends on how we do perks and how things are setup on HC as to users. It will likely boil down to what we can automate the easiest.

Also, if stone requires iron to mine, how will you get the iron to make a pick? Or the stone to make the pick to mine the iron?

You'll have to adapt, searching for more exposed and under-the-dirt iron, or trade for iron.

Everyone will get a set of starting gear, including a stone pick. You can use that to mine the iron. In addition, whenever you mine an ore block, the surrounding stone turns to cobble, which can also be mined with a stone pick. It's a really cool mining system, and it totally changes the way you play. I actually love running into those big patches of gravel and dirt now.

Yes, big patches of dirt and gravel are nice, just gotta watch out for the collapses, since they won't support themselves. As soon as you mine one, they all fall down.

What about firespread for HC?

Iron_Fang wrote:

motormaniac wrote:

Tulonsae wrote:

• Physics have been added to all blocks one would consider "loose material" -- cobblestone, dirt, grass, mycelium -- in addition to logs and leaves.

Tulonsae wrote:

• logs and leaves.

So would trees turn into bushes with a trunk sticking out the middle of them?

I think Tulon means if you cut the bottom it will fall

Yes. Luckily you don't get smothered by leaves falling on you...

MKindy wrote:You'll have to adapt, searching for more exposed and under-the-dirt iron, or trade for iron.

I still think iron picks are used up too fast, unless you changed that. I don't think I even mined a stack of stone before mine was gone....

with the new protection system... what is the size limit? or is that changeable? and are players limited in the amount of claims they can make? IF they are limited or of a restricted size will it be possible to purchase more/bigger ones by donating?