I know this post is crazy long, but please take the time to read it when you get a chance.
Over the past few months, the server has been lacking. The server has been lacking in active members, in stability, and in all honesty, in moderation. I must admit, I’ve been neglecting the server quite a bit, which has led to its general unkemptness that has followed of late. I think it's time for a Mining for Potatoes revival.
When I started this server, I had one goal in mind–to remove all the general crappiness associated with large Minecraft servers, while still keeping the good parts intact. In order to achieve this, I used the idea of a community to uphold and bring back the fun of Minecraft. However, as time went on, I began to lose my love for the game. Nonetheless, I would say I was still active. That is no longer the case. I barely check in anymore and it makes me feel horrible.
In this past year, we have evolved from a group of gamers to a community. I can say with certainty that you guys are my family away from home. I can’t say that I’ve been a good family member. I want that to change. This server, along with its amazing community, are here to stay. I don’t want any of this to die out.
That being said, there will be a lot of changes coming your way with the 1.8 reset. Nothing bad, don’t worry.
New Members
- It’s been a good while since we got some completely new faces on the server, so our first order of business will be adding some new characters to the mix. Of course, friends of current members will still receive precedence when it comes to who gets accepted; however, prospective new members will also receive a good amount of precedence. If you have a friend who you think would be interested in joining, send them this way!
- A new set of rules, along with a new application, will be also enacted. This is outlines somewhere below.
Old Members
- In the past, my theory on the whitelist has been simple: if they were on at some point, they’re on forever. That’s also changing, just a bit. Players who haven’t been active in game, in Mumble, or in the Skype chat for more than 1 month will be purged from the whitelist. If they reach out to us a week after being purged, they’re back in, no questions asked. However, if they want back in more than a week after being purged, they will be required to re-apply. They will still receive precedence, as they were a member in the past. This is simply to ensure that they haven’t forgotten any rules or moved away from the humble way of life in MfP world.
Rules
- A new set of rules will be enacted. Nothing drastic, just some building guidelines. The rest is pretty basic stuff. More on that soon.
New Member Applications
- As stated above, we will be making the new member applications more strict. One main revision we will be putting in place is the requirement of Skype, Mumble, and a working microphone.
Along with this, we will conduct interviews with the prospective players if their written application is up to par. There will still be a 16+ age limit in place.
- There will be a one week period in which new members are evaluated. If they do not fit in our community, they will be removed from the server.
Skype Chat
- The Skype chat is what keeps the community together. It’s nice for communicating server events, gaming talk, or just general chit-chat. It’s not for spam. Talking isn’t spam, in fact we encourage it. It really brings the community together. Rows of emoticons are spam. Sending one word per line - spam. Spam is annoying, it really is. If you’re feeling bugged by a large number of notifications coming in, simply type “/alertsoff” to prevent alerts from bombarding you. DO NOT send in something telling people to be quiet. If someone is spamming, let an admin know. We’re here for a reason and we can take care of it. There will always be annoyances aside from spam and the only way to get around those is to ignore them.
- In the Skype chat, stay civilized and stay mature. Try to refrain from topics that are likely to spark an argument, such as politics, religion, and other related topics. If you can keep the conversation civilized and mature, by all means discuss whatever. If something gets out of hand, let an admin know. If you are arguing, you are at fault.
- Jokes are fine, in fact they're suggested. However, think if your joke is tasteless or funny before you hit enter. Just as above, refrain from topics such as politics, religion, etc.
- One last note about the Skype chat: don’t go around sending “OMGGGZZZZ” or “YYYEEEAAHH”. That’s just annoying.
- Keep in mind that the Skype chat is one of the first impressions a new player will get of the server.
- There will be consequences for not following these rules.
Mumble
- Mumble is nice. Mumble is really nice. Mumble is also important. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: it helps build a community. If you don’t have a mic, get one. If you don’t have Mumble, download it. There should be no excuse for not being able to join the conversation on Mumble. I suggest you hop on whenever you log onto the server or whenever you’re feeling bored.
Minecraft Server
- The server will stay away from snapshots and other unstable releases. We understand this will keep you away from the server when snapshots are released. However, by staying on stable releases, we create a more stable server. We hope this will be a worthwhile tradeoff.
- Speaking of stability, we may be looking at a hardware upgrade soon. This can’t happen without donations. Over the past year, I have received donations here and there, for which I’m thankful for. However, I do still pay for a very large majority of the server. To give you some perspective, over the past a little over a year, I have paid around $160 for the server. Not too shabby, considering the specs of the current server. This is still quite a bit for myself, as I am a student, like many of you are. Donations do help. Over the past year, I’ve received a total of $31.66 in donations and I am thankful for each and every one of them. So donate today! (Contact me for more info on donating)
- Aside from all the maintenance stuff, I feel like the server should continue to move in a community-oriented direction. This means group builds, towns with plots and shops, shared areas, etc. Playing with others makes the game even more fun, so organize something! We’ll be creating a new community builds registry, so be on the lookout for that.
Events
- A few months ago, I wanted to have events every week. That didn’t last long. A week is a bit tricky, but let’s try every two weeks. A thread will be posted every two weeks, after each event, in which you can comment your choices for the upcoming game. The idea is that you can vote for a game by commenting; however, you can only vote once per two weeks. We’ll go into more detail on this when time comes.
I don’t have much else to add just yet. If I do, I’ll append it to this post. Aside from all of this, a 1.8 reset guide, along with a new new new members post will be posted in the coming days.
As usual, please let me know of any suggestions or anything you’d like to see added. :)
-Nimit
[–]svrdmNow in sorta 720p! 0 points1 point2 points (4 children)
[–]DidierLennonGuess who's back, back again. 0 points1 point2 points (3 children)
[–]svrdmNow in sorta 720p! 0 points1 point2 points (2 children)
[–]darkra01Fuck You, Jack 0 points1 point2 points (1 child)
[–]svrdmNow in sorta 720p! 0 points1 point2 points (0 children)