LOL It'd be funny if server updated at Minute from New Years or something, I mean like, they can totally make that work >.>
I'll take that as a yes? Or is it just an empty map because everyone was dicking around like last time?
There was a map and hours of discussion on teamspeak. The build team had a fairly good idea for spawn but no one wanted SK to suddenly show up and nuke it. Thus no progress has been made. Does this help answer the question?
Perhaps it is lost on me, but I've never understood why there even needs to be a spawn before we are allowed to play? I can understand the use of one for the new players that have never joined the server before, but for veterans of Alice who have seen multiple resets... Be honest with yourself? How long do you even spend in the spawn before you run off and start building your own area? How often do you even visit it after you've settled in somewhere? Can anyone shine a little light on this?
Because SK89q. I could be talking out of context but I remember SK saying something about having a spawn that leaves a good impression on new players is very important to him and the server as a whole. I can't remember the exact reasons because there was lots of chatter on TS. Maybe someone else remembers. EDIT: I agree that having a spawn that you only see once seems like a waste. I've tried suggesting additions like the Bazaar. Other people like rail stations. NPC markets are good, but are too static to keep players coming back. EDIT2: I just had a brief chat with SK. We are also waiting on the new launcher.
I can agree that for new players that a spawn is an absolute necessity. But I know it's possible to just keep the current whitelisted people and give them access to the server. New people obviously wouldn't be allowed on until the spawn is complete. Glad to know we're waiting on more than just the spawn though. Personally what would keep me coming back to the spawn is actually being there before or as it's being developed. I've never been able to connect with any of the spawns on Alice because I had absolutely no part in building them, and I never saw them being built. They're just some pretty structures that are there once I log in. They largely in part never have a use after you've built yourself up to be self sustainable, unless you are new in which case they're fun and helpful. I don't think we've ever built any sort of connectivity to some of the awesome towns that players have built. I don't understand why spawn can't serve as something more than just the starter town. Allow us to purchase pre-built structures in spawn. Allow us to purchase a portal in the Transportation Network, that would connect spawn to our base. Create a system of ownership over unique structures, like an Inn, a cake shop, an electricity/utilities corporation; and create a system that enables us to charge for access to these things. If I remember correctly most of these things were already part of mods that we have on past (or current) versions of Alice. Just some thoughts. I'm still waiting for the day where we create a super challenging "story" server with a theme and hopefully an ever-growing spawn ;>
Moderators on this server tend not to interfere with players. What I mean is that mods don't want to play the role of Game Master. Like with the currency debate, creating a theme or story for players to participate in requires supervision. The moderator role as far as I can tell only extends to the point of helping stuck players, fixing glitches, repairing griefer damage, and banning trolls. Anything beyond is at the mods discretion. The Bazaar on 1.4 and somewhat 1.5 was my project. I originally started it as a player and was granted mod powers shortly after it became popular. Having mod powers made supervising the Bazaar easier but it still required effort to keep from falling apart. My best guess at why the 1.5 Bazaar was never started is that I was unavailable due to real life. And none of the other mods had enough interest to take over and get it going again. I guess my point is that you shouldn't rely on admins or mods to create systems, themes, or stories. Create them yourself. I'm planning on starting a small town with a little back story and a community quest/achievement. It would be really neat if there was another town that we could compete against.
That was pretty much it. I worked on it for a little while when you took time off from minecraft, but there was not enough interest in staffing it to continue. Hopefully we'll get a simple currency that will make trade better, and drive some enthusiasm for a new bazaar. The builders have given us some great spawn designs on Alice (and good old Vincent). I would be in favor of a modest spawn build this time though. Even a relatively simple spawn, if designed well, can provide the atmosphere and polish I think SK wants players to feel when they log in.
I like the idea of pre built structures available at spawn. I will work on ideas if we decide to do that. Respond fast, winter break at my school is almost over. And has anyone seen sundress lately?
I don't particularly think I was asking for systems that required Moderators to run them extensively? Unless my understanding of Trade-o-Mats (etc) is completely wrong, it should be pretty self sustainable after the initial setup. I personally had four years of experience running events for players for a very popular game, events that were officially sponsored and recognized by the publisher of the game as quality and efficient. Thousands of people enjoyed them. When an event or system is properly designed, it can require minimal to no effort on behalf of the host after the initial setup. Is the issue with "moderator interaction" that you speak of an issue of moderator commitment/time, or an issue of policy? I remember when I last played Alice I was trying to help design some quests/lore/areas, and it was almost impossible to get anyone who had the authority to do the stuff that I was supposed to be working on (I was on a "trial" basis or something?) to actually do it. I forget who it was I was working with, but I got most of my work done when he actually just let me do the things myself. In the long run, nothing much was accomplished because I was basically working through someone, telling a moderator what to do (horribly inefficient process). I only brought up the story themed map because during the last reset I was present for, SK was very interested in maps with story and environmental hazards such as acid rain. If that has since changed, oh well.
For launch, the spawn is unimportant, because it can be built very quickly (in two days), and has so in the past. Spawn is useful later on because it pulls new players in and makes it seem like it's worth staying for. The launcher, however, is more important for launch, which I'm still working on. There are a bunch of cool ideas floating around, but I am the only person that has (historically) been able to write the code for, and that is 90% of the problem. If we had more programmers on board, more would get done. I was not a fan of this, but the Bazaar was moderator-maintained was because of ownership/land protection reasons. We've already got the "protection" part down: the issue is managing the removal of plots once players stop playing. Can it be programmed? Of course. But who has to do it? There is a disconnect between what we all want done and what can be done, at least with one programmer. We also don't have someone to do art and graphics, so I do that too. I don't really want to manage the building of spawn, but I've let others in the past and it turned out to be a terrible idea. Most of the starting quests on 1.4 were also setup by me (by the time that you [tiffy] asked, most of the starting quests were done I think). It's a lot of work. We do have the modpack team now though, and lguasso does the bans, so I delegate if I can. Part of the problem is also that we tend to be "ahead of the curve." Before modded servers were a thing, we did it, but that meant that we needed our own custom launcher. Before multiple servers connected together were a "thing," we had it, so I ended up having to write cross-server code. Before there were even mods that added new mechanics (like Redstone logic gates), we had it. I'm not complaining though. I have enjoyed running a server, and enjoyed playing with cool things before others, BUT it would be very helpful if we had more programmers and artists/designers. That said, it was discussed in another thread that I want to make "buy/sell" pipes for Alice 1.5.
Care to give us a hint what this versions spawn theme will be? I'd like to work on some quests ideas again but I have nothing to work with for inspiration at the moment.
