Minecraft
This article is about BitFolk's semi-official Minecraft server for use by customers. If you were looking for information on running Minecraft on your VPS, please see:
Minecraft
"Minecraft is a sandbox construction game, inspired by Infiniminer, Dwarf Fortress and Dungeon Keeper, created by Markus Persson, the founder of Mojang AB."
Server access
BitFolk's Minecraft server is a closed service, intended for use only by BitFolk's customers and other trusted individuals. Therefore if you as a BitFolk customer would like to connect to the server you will first need to provide your registered Minecraft user name via the BitFolk Panel. Once submitted you should be automatically added to the server's whitelist.
If you aren't a BitFolk customer then you'll need to find someone to vouch for you; please enquire in the IRC channel.
World map
An updating world map is available. At the moment it updates every half an hour.
Finding yourself
You can easily locate yourself on the map by finding your coordinates from the game client. Press F3 to bring up an overlay with the coordinates of your head. x and z are your position and y is your height (64 is sea level). You can browse straight to your current location by constructing the URL. For example:
http://minecraft.bitfolk.com/viewer/clamps/#/45/64/-909/max/smooth-lighting
would view the location:
x: 45
y: 64
z: -909Map lag
The map generator can only display what the server has written to disk. The Minecraft server is quite lazy about writing to disk, buffering a lot of data in memory. It can be quite some time before changes in the world appear on the map.
Points of interest
Some interesting features of the world can be marked out for display on the map. By default, markers for "Homes" and "Player positions" are displayed. This can be altered using the "Points of interest" menu.
Sign posts placed in the game are also displayed on the map. It is possible to select only certain categories of sign for viewing.
- All signs
- All signposts.
- Homes
- Signs whose text starts with "Home:", "Chez" or "Castle" or ends with " house".
- Portal
- Signs whose text starts with "Portal:".
- Storage
- Signs whose text starts with "Storage:" or "Stuff:".
- Directions
- Signs whose text starts with "To:" or "Room:".
- Spawns
- Player spawn locations, denoted by a bed icon.
- Player locations
- The last known location of each player, denoted by their avatar.
Ideas for more points of interest or alternate strings to be matched are welcome, as long as they won't spoil enjoyment of the game (e.g. by marking out desirable finds like chests and ores).
Server properties
The server is a normal survival-mode multiplayer.
Relevant server settings:
allow-nether=true
spawn-animals=true
pvp=true
difficulty=1
gamemode=0
spawn-monsters=true
view-distance=10The IRC channel
You may find it easier to chat to other players via IRC. If so, you will find them in ##bitfolk-minecraft (note the two ##) on Freenode.
Rules and etiquette
There are no hard and fast rules. Some guidelines:
- Be excellent to each other.
- No griefing.
- Other users will want to chat to you in-game. At least say hello; don't ignore everyone.
- Have fun!
GitHub
You'll find bits and pieces such as our Overviewer config file and miscellaneous scripts on BitFolk's GitHub.
Gallery
A zombie rides one of bigcalm's mine carts.
The beginnings of DG_Jones' lava cube.
Snow golems keep a creeper at bay.
A creeper explosion damages the BitFolk greenhouse.
Ciemon's castle.
An enderman in soapturtle's bed.
Chez soapturtle.
Useful links
- The server's map, updated every half an hour.
- Minecraft Wiki
Frequently asked questions
These answers have been reached by consensus of active players. Consensus may change.
Can I build structures anywhere I like?
People tend to prefer a little bit of distance between each other. It would be polite to keep out of viewing distance and try to avoid mining into each others' excavations without prior agreement.
Can I go off on a huge jaunt into new territory?
Yes.
Can I build a mob grinder?
Yes, as long as it isn't so complex that it lags the server too much.
Can I build a crazy complex redstone mechanism?
Yes, up to the point where it begins to lag the server. Bear in mind that historically we (the group of active players) have decided to generate a new world every few months, so you might not want to spend weeks making something only to have the other players decide to start over.
Can I build an enormous transport network?
In general yes, but please ask before bringing it near someone else's buildings. And do bear in mind that other players will eventually desire a new world.
Can I have the seed for the world so I can explore it single player?
No, we would prefer that you explored it multi player on our server. People often want the world seed so they can programmatically discover where all the resources are.
Can I have a copy of the world for my own purposes?
Yes, but only after we wipe the world to create a new one. We have backups of all previous worlds.
The Minecraft server is broken! Who can fix it?
Try popeydc, CieLawD or bitfolk.
The Overviewer is broken! Who can fix it?
Try bitfolk.
Can I invite my friends who aren't BitFolk customers onto the server?
Yes, if you will vouch for them not being griefers. They'll need to be added to the whitelist. Please ask in the IRC channel about that.