I was going to wait until October to just give a 2 year summary, but decided it would be better to update this blog page that looks abandoned 😂 – If you want to stay up to date at all times, please check out our discord (Where there is a #💻︱server-updates section, and a #⚡︱maintenance-updates section that is regularly updated).

The 1.21.4 Update

We finally now have the server running natively on the 1.21.4 update. This means the world generator is now using 1.21.4 – check out the server map and explore something that hasn’t been generated yet (The best place to do this is the resource world after a reset). As soon as someone finds a new pale forest – tag me in the Discord. I haven’t seen one yet!

I also thought I’d explain really quickly why updates to the “native” version of the server take so long (and what I even mean by that). The server uses a “version proxy” system that allows anyone from 1.9 to 1.21.4 to join – regardless of what version the server is actually running. The user will see different things based on what version they are on, and what version they’re connecting to. As an example, if I connect to the server (Now running native 1.21.4) with a client on version 1.21.3 – and I find a creaking, it will show up as a warden with a “Creaking” nametag. The version proxy identifies what textures/mobs/particles your client has access to – and finds alternatives for ones that you don’t have access to. In cases with mob swaps, a nametag with the correct ID will be put above the mob, and the mob will have the mechanics of whatever mob it is intended to be. If the server was running 1.21 – and you connected with a 1.21.4 client, you wouldn’t have access to any of the new mechanics/mobs/items – but you would be able to play as if you were on the correct version.

When I say “natively” or “native” version on the server – I am referring to the underlying version of Minecraft that the server itself is using. This will affect world generation & available blocks, items, and mobs. I don’t list the native version in many places, but there is one way to check. If you use /menu and hover over the server connection item – you’ll be able to check your client version, and the server version. If the versions match, the server version text will appear green – but if it’s a mismatch, that server version text will be yellow.

The reason that it often takes a long time to get updates going, is that several things have to happen before I can update:

1. Minecraft vanilla server software released (This initiates the process).
2. Spigot server software updates (Happens Quickly).
3. Paper server software updates (This can be days to weeks – maybe even a month, depending on the changes that happen between versions).
4. Custom server software [fork of paper] updates (This usually happens 2-3 weeks after paper updates).
5. Plugins update (Because of how long the main server software process takes, usually MOST plugins are available at this point – but I still have to sort out if there are plugins that are abandoned, or have not received updates – and if there are alternatives, or if they still work properly).

This isn’t my favorite thing, but the good news is that the “version proxy” software usually releases within a week or two of spigot updates. This means you can connect with any client version back to 1.9 once that is updated on the server.

Website Updates

I’ve been working on re-working the “plugins” section of the website. It is now called Documentation – and will encompass many of the commands, plugins, menus, and systems that we use on the server. Right now, I’ve just converted the existing sections from the old plugin page to each have their own individual documentation page. You will still see references to the “plugins” page (Including on the main menu), but all its links now go to the documentation page. If you spot a broken or confusing link on the site, please let me know.

I’ve also been trying to clarify some of the content in the documentation – as well as adding some visual flare in the form of icon emoji ! Hopefully, this will make walls of text a bit easier to mentally organize and separate. It will also help tremendously when I get into menu documentation. Each documentation page now also has its own dedicated comment section where you can ask questions, or point out things I’ve missed (or that need to be updated).

Finally, I’m trying to get the website in order a bit more. I’ve got a few issues I need to handle:

• Redoing fonts – The Minecraft font is too harsh to read with long-form content (Like documentation). It works great for stylistic titles, but the regular paragraph text has to be changed. I’ve already updated this on the documentation pages.
• Redoing font sizes, margins, and padding – I need to redo these so that the website works more dynamically. I didn’t create a standard design language before working on the website, that was a mistake. Many of the sizing options are set in pixels – which does not scale well on smaller devices. I need to re-work them using other CSS measurements like REM.
• Fixing SEO/Embed Options – When I first created this site/server, I had no intentions of it being public or very large, but I now see that SEO and Embed options must be implemented. Embeds generated on things like Discord for the site are a nightmare. I’ve also done some big SEO no-nos like including multiple H1 titles on a page (Ex. One H1 title for desktop, and one H1 for mobile – but only hiding them based on media size, so robots from services like google still see 2 H1 titles).

I’ve got a lot more work to do, but the site will get there eventually.

General Server Updates

There are tons of updates in the #server-updates channel of the discord. There are too many to mention since the last blog post. I do not intend to post every update for the server here on the blog, but I did want to highlight a few interesting ones:

• /stats has received an upgrade. You can now hover over an item and see the top 5 rankings (with names & scores) for each category.
• Updated the values in our mob limiter plugin to be double what they were previously. Should increase spawn rates with mob farms.
• Added new item to /voterewards – Music Disc Rewards Menu
• Fixed the player command prompts when clicking the Mail Icon or Names in /msg messages – or any other player selection function items (Ex. Trade Request on /menu).
• Added Player Weather to the /cheats menu. Left-Click to enable sunny weather for yourself at any time. Shift-right-click to return to server-controlled weather. [NOTE: This does not affect mechanics of the server – it is client side only]
• PvP is now enabled in Resource World [It is still disabled in Main World]
• PvP is now enabled in Resource Nether [It is still disabled in Main Nether, and the End]
• Added new /channels menu.
• Voting on any site listed in /vote will now reward the player with vote tokens.
• You can then access /voterewards to trade your tokens for a selection of items.
• New spawn added (Default starting point, or visit by using /spawn command).

There are many other small updates and bug fixes (Some of which even missed the update channels in discord) – and there are always a few things that are community tools I am working on. Which may be enabled and accessible, but not documented until tested more thoroughly. Overall I am happy with the server and how it’s running and operating. I do wish I could get a more stable and numerous player base (maybe time to look into some ads), but you folks who play routinely are a real gem – and are a big part of what makes the server. You’re much appreciated! My intention is to find people who appreciate what the server is – improved vanilla. It is slightly more relaxed – a little more community-focused – and hopefully includes some useful systems/plugins, in comparison to the average vanilla server.

Another priority is expanding the functions for the donors. I appreciate that people are willing to support us financially. It’s not necessary – and the server is not dependent on it. However, The money is used to pay for custom software/plugins – currently. It will be cool if one day I can pay myself a small little something from it, but that’s not really a priority or something I care that much about right now. I am more and more convinced that maybe the donor subscription is too high. I will begin evaluating its pricing soon. In my quest to ensure donors are not a “tier above” regular players (in terms of general support, in-game wealth, and commands) – I am hesitant to expand the things awarded to donors. It may be easier to reduce pricing versus increasing the rewards. I am also looking into trying to do a “server hours” based discount. Like if a user plays for a certain amount of time – they can obtain a discount code for the subscription, but I have to find out if this can extend to current donors – if implemented.

There’s still a ton to do and improve on, but I am happy with the current progress and community. Thank you for everyone’s suggestions, and your in-game hours!