The Server is offline!

<Draccy> ohai2021-01-05

Surviving 2020

Whoops. It's been a lot longer than we realized since the last news update. Let's get catch up...

Discord Server

We have a discord server that's sort of the hub for development and discussion for our experimental furry-themed RPG. You can get to it via this link for now.

Not Yet Playable

Draccyserv is not currently a playable game/map. The project is ongoing, with efforts made to expand a playable adventure game with quests and skill mechanics. At the moment, only early prototype quests are available. See the to-do list at the end of this article for our to-do list.

Map Refresh

Recently we took steps to cut down the Overworld map. It is now a 2048x2048 area and contains only the Central region. The centermost chunks have been wiped and repopulated with a backup of their blocks. This was done to counteract some map corruption that has haunted our earliest chunks for several years. FPS and TPS have significantly improved in Central City as a result. This has temporarily removed all entities from the map, but we are actively restoring them.

Dimensions

A new feature (most readily implemented in 1.17) will allow us to load as many separate maps as we need, which brings us back to a server design not seen since 2013. Each map will contain its own small world, with unique biomes and a centermost city. We plan to expand the warp pipe system to facilitate teleporting between worlds.

Beta To-do List

Here's a quick rundown of our next steps:
1. Establish shops that sell a variety of useful blocks and items (scripts)
2. More minigames and ways to make money (scripts)
3. Custom mob spawning and loot tables (datapack)
4. Recipe quests for common items (scripts, datapack)
5. 2-path Quest tree to reach Central dungeon (scripts)
6. Clean up Central region biomes, custom biomes (datapack)
7. Dungeon moved to separate dimension (datapack)

<Draccy> OMG2020-03-04

New Hardware

Until today, Draccyserv's hardware hadn't seen a significant upgrade since the server first launched in 2010. The new system features a Ryzen series CPU and NVMe SSD, which has dramatically improved performance.
These clunky vanilla function scripts are still sluggish, but we're no longer at risk of crashing the server as we push Mojang's system to its limits for the sake of the RPG experience.

Newer Toys

The previously mentioned Dialog system has been substantially expanded. In addition to a complex set of new mechanisms that can be added to NPC dialog interactions, there are multiple dialog trees which are triggered by a player's progress through the quest system.

The components which are required to assemble a proper RPG are finally coming together, and we can now focus on development of the story.

click here for older news

<Draccy> It's Alive!2020-01-24

New Toys

We have created a new NPC Dialog Creation Tool which will allow admins to create custom NPC chat dialog on the fly. This web tool connects directly to the live server and automatically creates the scripts that make the NPCs talk!

With this tool we hope to make NPC creation much faster, allowing for Writers to jump in and create stories without any technical obstacles.

<Draccy> Back On Track2019-12-23

1.15 Runs Great

Draccyserv is now running 1.15.1, with most function scripts and models already working correctly.
There are definitely some bugs with the resourcepack, and a few scripts might need some subtle tweaks.
The new update has the server running more like it did in the 1.12 days, which should allow for more simultaneous players before we have to think about upgrading our hardware.
Unfortunately it looks like our high-speed rails will not work with the new chunk loading engine. When carts teleport into an unloaded chunk, they enter a limbo state that traps the players. We will try submitting a bug support in hope of a future update resolving the problem.

Custom Models and More

From a cosmetic perspective, Deaccyserv is about to become much more content rich.
We are implementing the custom model system first released in MC:JE 1.14, which allows for any item to display a custom model.
With this mechanism, we can set up custom models in many places, not just as in-hand items but as large in-game objects. Check out screenshots (wip) for some recent examples.
We continue to explore resourcepack tricks and custom map items to create other display tricks. Look for grafitti and other 2D graphics around Central City!

Quick Bug List

* Rails run at normal minecart speeds for the time being.
* Conveyor belts are disabled pending a performance workaround.
* Warp pipes are still broken.
* Regular crafting recipes and advancements are enabled.
* Custom crafting recipes and advancements are broken.
* Resourcepack has a number of unhappy models and WIP objects.

IMPORTANT NOTE: SOME VANILLA ITEMS ARE BEING REPURPOSED AND NEWER STAIRS/WALLS SHOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM NEW BUILDS.

<Draccy> [SCENE MISSING]2019-12-08

Recovering From A Crash

Recently, some errant hardware in the Draccyserv server machine caused periodic failures. We are presently in the process of getting everything back online.

<Draccy> Zzzz...2019-09-19

Staying Current

The effort to keep Draccyserv going is still constant, though we have not seen many players as of late. Until it's clear what will come in 1.15, some projects on the server map will remain on hold.
Recent changes to the way chunks load have forced us to run the metro carts in a slower mode for safety. If you get stuck in a wall riding the rail system, please scream for help and perhaps a discord-side admin will come and save you.

1.15 Snapshot Creative

We're handing out creative mode to whoever wants to mess around in 1.15's development versions. This time around, Chillserv is a playground for free building around the village, which is on the same seed as the last map so it's all hilly and fun. Connect to draccyserv.com:4444 with the latest development version to play.

<Draccy> Things are Happening2019-24-05

New Toys

1.14 has offered a number of robust new tools that will allow us to better manipulate how vanilla Minecraft operates. Custom block drops are now possible, which means some blocks might get fully reskinned and recontextualized which were previously limited by the drop.
Silk touch and enchantment tables are likely to return, possibly in a different context. Most blocks are planned to have 1:1 drop ratios, so Silk Touch is kind of unneccessary. We might stick to enchanted books (which may be presented as a different item).

Stats Menu

Although it is still undocumented, alpha testers are welcome to try the recently added stats menu. With the current system, a "menu opener" object will appear in your inventory, which will open a chat-based menu when activated. The clickable options allow you to upgrade stats, which will unlock new crafting recipes.

Resource Limitations

Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to keep the 1.14 vanilla server from capping out our reasonably beefy AMD CPU. This has seriously limited how many players can be on, as well as how many servers can be running simultaneously. This is a notable change from 1.13, which was already heavier than 1.12 running the same kinds of scripts. We're looking into a solution.

<Draccy> Let's Chill and Craft04/18/2019

1.14 on Chillserv

Minecraft 1.14 is now on its pre-release scheduling. The official release is right around the corner. Draccyserv will not change significantly during this update, and many new items will be disabled until they're implemented in the RPG system.

Chillserv will continue to update through the pre-release schedule and will provide a space to play with the new vanilla mechanics during Draccyserv's development. The new village defense mechanics offer a new way to play.

Accidental Hiatus

Draccyserv updates have been a bit stagnant on the website as communication has largely been happening on our Discord server. Even so, development over the winter was a bit light. We're hoping for the same energy in warmer days as we've seen the past two years, particularly with the upcoming flood of new resources.

<Draccy> ALPHA EGG IS INCUBATING08/18/2018

Share Your Ideas

We are open to suggestions for changes to MC's crafting recipes. All crafting recipes can be reworked to use new patterns, materials, etc. If you want to suggest something, check out #mechanics for targeted discussion. (Check out our Discord chat for more information.)

Coming soon: Draccyserv 4.0

New items, abilities and game mechanics. Look forward to new features like Power Armor, better alchemy, teleport tokens, and crossbows. Steampunk fans will probably appreciate this update.

Be ready for completely new ways to craft, build and explore. We're looking forward to adding new dungeons and minigames to keep players entertained beyond the usual Minecraft activities. As we continue to develop our Furry RPG, we hope to get feedback from our Alpha Testers so that we can fine tune the experience.

<Draccy> THE TIME IS UPON US06/06/2018

You Can Play 1.13 Right Now:

Chillserv is now running the new 1.13 Pre-Release. This will be the home of 1.13 gameplay until the main server is ready for the update. Player inventories from 1.13 can be copied to the main server after we update if requested. For more about 1.13, check out https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/1.13

Play on Chillserv by selecting development version and connecting to draccyserv.com:4444
We will continuously update the game on this server until we're on the official release.

Main Server Keeping 1.12:

For the sake of keeping our world-building tools, Draccyserv's main RPG map will continue to run 1.12 for a little while. We need worldedit to allow for easier dungeon building. We will also need some time to port our scripts over to the new command syntax (testing on LAN-only development server)

Volunteers Needed:

We have teams for worldbuilding+lore, backend development (sysadmin) and in-game script experimentation. If any of these interest you, check out the associated discord chats to join a project.

<Draccy> An Update!03/23/2018

Dungeons and Beta Status

Our "Alpha" RPG wasn't much more than a trade system strapped to NPCs to unlock recipes, but it was the start of something demonstrable. We will continue to carry the "Alpha" name until all dungeons are up and running. Presently, we are working on several dungeon designs, but nothing is playable yet.

Skill Tree System

We are developing a skill system that will attach recipes and abilities to a progress system. Interact with the RPG to unlock new recipes and materials. Complete combat objectives to get better weapons. Little by little, we are deconstructing the original Minecraft game to create new mechanics.

Skill classes we've thought of so far: Swords/Axes, Archery, Armor, Building, Travel, Bartering

One idea we have is for swords to get automatic enchantments in the hands of someone with sufficient sword level. Regular enchanting will be removed from the game.

Prepping for 1.13

The next big update to Minecraft brings many new aquatic features, but also some major changes to how blocks are generated and recipes are processed. We now have total control over recipes, including furnace smelting. As such, there are new metals and ores in development which will be implemented when 1.13 is released.

Expect very different crafting recipes than what you're used to. Smelt willemite stone to get tin ingots, combine with copper ingots for brass, combine brass with components to make contraptions. Other mundane recipes are being fleshed out to be more interesting, and we will be implementing a "reverse" recipe system that lets you turn items into their components.

<Draccy> Fixed The Lag!10/22/2017

Pigs No Longer Flying

I'm pleased to announce that the server no longer chokes to death when more than three players connect. Minecarts and other such transportation should move smoothly. Entities will fall to the ground predictably, etc. There were some issues with the function scripts controlling our City Heart system, which have been resolved.

Dungeons!

We're working on some experimental dungeon concepts. Now that the server is running better, we aren't afraid to break out the big guns and put custom scripts to create truly unique experiences into play. We will be emulating some of the fun stuff you've seen in single player adventure maps, modded servers, and even classic games besides MC itself. (Zelda-style puzzles!)

Work in Progress

Things have been quieter lately. The summer took a lot of of people, but we're back on track! Thanks for being patient, everyone. Beta will probably be some time next year, but we will continue to develop for the time being.

<Draccy> IT'S HAPPENING!07/27/2017

Official Alpha Launch

There is finally enough of a game running on Draccyserv that players can come and try it out. We've only got the basic trade quests for the moment, but we expect to be fleshing things out with more story, dungeons, minigames, adventures and so on.

Please invite your furry friends! Link our website. Spread it around.

Whitelist Active

We have turned on the whitelist. By the look of things, a number of our active players haven't actually signed up successfully. For the moment, the whitelist is working correctly, so please sign up so you can play with us! :3

<Draccy> Hi Everyone!06/21/2017

The Road To Alpha

We're making some serious progress all around. The Alpha stage of our furry adventure game is built around the NPCs we're putting in. We now have about 100 unique models for characters. A lot of them are placeholders, but all of them will provide the means to unlock recipes. Alpha testers need only explore the map and find the trades to complete their recipe books.

We aren't officially in Alpha until all of these trades are up and running (and they aren't at the time of this writing). As we enter the Alpha stage, we will start fleshing out some of the trades with quest items, and maybe some prototype dungeons! It's all very exciting.

Shout Out To Our Dev Team

We put out the invitation to some old friends and wound up with a whole bunch of new Admins and contributors! Here's an early thanks to everyone who's joined in the fun - we couldn't do it without you!

FOUNDERS: Draccy, Garr, ReginaIdiotarum

ADMINS: Buffalo, GriffinVarro, Keilaron, KitRuppell, KitCalibur

SUPPORT: Omnirexitor, JayTanoshi

<Draccy> Holy shit yes!05/07/2017

It's Bigger Than We Thought

Okay, so Reg, Garr and I have been picking apart the new Advancements system AND the recipe unlock system, and we're rapidly developing an RPG quest system using them, along with all our existing infrastructure.

Buyable lots are going away. Nobody seemed interested in those, so we'll just let players build outside town borders. In their place, expect to see loads of new shops and mini games! NPCs will be everywhere!

We figured out a way to give NPCs anthropomorphic heads. This'll make for a much more diverse set of characters throughout the world!

Imagine If You Will...

You arrive in Central City, a new player. In front of you is a sprawling urban landscape full of little shops selling useful things. You've got 30 emeralds in your pocket and the world is your oyster. Eventually you bump into an NPC outside a shop selling iron tools. She tells you that there's a place in the Northwest province where a master blacksmith lives. He could teach you how to make your own iron tools instead of buying from this asshole in Central City!

After exploring the landscape for a bit, you decide you want to find this blacksmith and learn his secrets. You buy a train ticket West first, arriving in Las Oasis after several stops. You explore the landscape of casino mini games in the dramatically different desert climate.

This time you decide to go on foot, braving the desert and running for your life from the powerful Hyper Creepers until finally you catch sight of the ocean. At first you expect to have to swim it, but soon you spot a boat rental hut near a weird little village. You don't know how to build boats, but this place can hook you up with one. They warn that the boat will disappear if you keep it for more than 24 hours.

It's a mild journey for the most part, across the ocean, fleeing from guardians below the surface as fast as your little boat will take you. You arrive safely at Iron Island, only to find that the blacksmith is retired. He bemoans the loss of his favorite hammer, which he lost in the caves below the island years ago. He might teach you his trade if you recover it!

This scenario is just a tiny example of what is now possible on Draccyserv. We are building a new RPG game into our existing world, with new adventures everywhere you look.

<Draccy> Something is coming.04/10/2017

A Draccyserv Tradition

As has been the case since 2013, we had a lull in server administration that left a big gap in the news. Nothing serious.

Suddenly: Control

The new snapshots have introduced something very special to the toolkit given to mapmakers and servers. We will soon have control over recipes and achievements (now called Advancements). This will allow us to strap RPG-like accomplishments to natural Minecraft gameplay. It really feels like the missing piece to the puzzle that has been Draccyserv's directives. We've always wanted to change the general structure of the game, to give people a reason to explore our map. Plans to engineer quest objectives using command blocks were devised, but implementation was difficult. Now we are being handed the keys to the gameplay!

Stubbornly Dedicated

As usual, I've refused to give up on this old server. We've been online since 2010 with hardly a day of downtime, with the same center of the map since the day we launched. It's something to be proud of, really. Minecraft is a tired game, now. A lot of young folks play it on consoles, but the PC game is largely abandoned. It would, for example, impress me to find out that somebody read this news update before May of 2017. Even so, these new changes are exciting. Maybe we'll get that old magic back.

<Draccy> Didn't get around to it.12/01/2016

Back to the regular map!

Well, Draccy got extra busy with life right after trying to set up the map for modifications. The result was a long period where Draccyserv sat on a creative map and nothing else really happened. Eventually we decided to just put the map back up the way it was. Ores are exactly the same for now. We might try to change the map again later. Stay tuned!

Everything is broken!

Well, not everything, but a lot of stuff broke as a result of changes in 1.11. Most entities were renamed, whch means anything that depended on entities (like ARMOR STANDS) is now broken. This includes Warp Pipes, which use armor stands as part of their structure. Warp Pipes and several vanilla-dependent features are down right now. Town properties are set up with a Bukkit plugin for now, so they should be fine.

Dracpack Updates Pending

We were expecting bigger problems with the Dracpack, but it looks like only a couple textures are broken. Please report any issues you find with textures or models so Draccy can fix them in the next update!

<Draccy> I'll get around to it.10/13/2016

Messing with the Map

When Draccy first designed the modified ore distribution, it was based on a flawed theory that forcing players to travel for resources would help prevent camping in one spot. With this goal in mind, the map was remade with ores more or less exclusive to one of the 9 map regions.

It went over like a lead balloon. Players who were affected had nothing good to say about this move. Those who weren't affected didn't care. Sooo...
We're going to take updated map seeds and regenerate parts of each (outer) region. Each time we will use a map editor to delete the uninhabited chunks from one region, load the seed for that region, fly around in creative until it's fully rendered, then do it all over again for the next one.

The new seeds will include a little of every ore, with a strong emphasis on the regionally dominant ore. You'll find coal in the desert, gold in the lavalands, and anything at all in the forest/swamp.

While we're working on all this, a temporary map will be loaded onto the server with full creative mode for everyone. Have fun!

Nice and Quiet

You might have noticed that the big updates that were promised a couple months ago didn't happen. A part of the hesitation was on Draccy's part. Some players were in the middle of big projects that we didn't want to interrupt.

Our lack of action has caused the server players to dwindle to a safe minimum. This is the ideal time to start messing with the map. It is our hope that providing a well-structured space will encourage past players to return.

<Draccy> Whoops! 07/08/2016

Back After Downtime

Some issues with our ISP, combined with real life complications on Draccy's part lead to some downtime for the server. Our IP address changed without the DNS being updated, so "draccyserv.com" temporarily lost connection to the server itself. We're back now! You can play again. :3

Wiki Overhaul

Draccy, with a lot of help from Greystone, has been adding lots of new content to the wiki. If the button in the navigation isn't working, add /swik to this URL to find the real wiki location.

We've been having some trouble with spam in the wiki lately. For this reason we have made it difficult to find. A new redirect page is planned for implementation soon, which should confuse the spam bots. Please report any spam you find to an Admin on the server (or on IRC).

Greystone is Back!

Our long lost master builder has returned, just in time to enjoy the new warp pipe leading to his home. Greystone's place is becoming more of a public feature. Check out the impressive survival-mode constructs in the Southwest are of the Central region.

<Draccy> MORE INTERESTING! 06/06/2016

Regional Monsters

Every region now has its own unique enemy mob. For each area, we have a spawner or some other means of generating customized mobs that introduce new challenges. These mobs are more dangerous than regular monsters, and they drop better loot as well. Players are welcome to try to stop the spawning mechanisms if they so desire, in order to make an area safer.

Custom Loot Tables!

We're experimenting with new loot tables for mobs. Regular drops are less frequent from enemy mobs, and all enemy mobs drop emeralds. There's also a much higher chance to drop a head, even for mobs that didn't normally have a head drop (like Endermen)!

RPG Lore and NPCs coming

With most of the game mechanics in place, we're turning our focus to developing the lore and NPCs on the server. Towns will get more and more cultural backstory which will be reinforced by NPCs. We're open to suggestions, since it's a tall order to come up with all these stories!

<Draccy> IT IS DONE. 05/17/2016

Worldguard Based Lots

As mentioned in earlier news, the buyable lot system had to be adapted to use sk89q's WorldGuard for redundancy. This conversion project is now complete, with easy fallback mechanisms in case plugins die suddenly.

All other features are being designed with vanilla in mind, so that no matter what, Draccyserv's features will always work!

Creating Dangerous New Mobs

As part of our plan to make the game more challenging, we're adding spawners for unique mobs in each region. In The Wilds (any place that isn't a town), new monsters will appear, such as Chicken Jockeys in Central, Ghasts in the South, and Giants in the Northeast.

More information can be found in the wiki.

<Draccy> Well. This is awkward. 05/03/2016

We Made A Mistake

OKAY, SO...
We can't exactly run everything on command blocks alone. As we near the completion of the server-wide buyable property system, we are realizing that our powerful server lags badly even with only 3-5 players.

In our design we execute 5 simultaneous commands on every tick, per armor stand (under each lot), for 21 lots in each of the 9 towns! Up to 945 per tick! It's best way to do buyable lots via command blocks, and Minecraft's dodgy code can't handle it.

TLDR; we can't go pure vanilla anymore. Minecraft isn't good enough even with command blocks. We're going to have to get some plugins. (keep reading)

Learning From the Past

Here's the awkward part. We've been preaching anti-bukkit mentality ever since we discovered command block mechanisms.

Not long ago, Bukkit nearly destroyed Draccyserv. After it imploded due to DMCA issues in 2014, all the nice features from Bukkit went away. We were left with a broken server that most players abandoned over the next weeks.

Even before that, we struggled with plugins that broke as new game versions came out. We've seen that plugin developers can be unreliable over time.

Command Blocks seemed like the solution to our problems. Sick of the third party software problems, we decided to invest our time into vanilla mechanisms instead.

Even when Spigot came along a few months later, we stuck to vanilla and kept improving Draccyserv features without mods.

Plan of action: Redundancy

Because we're hitting a brick wall with the property system, we have to eat our words and embrace SOME Bukkit plugins.

First off, we're not giving up on our vanilla mechanisms. We're going to finish the existing property system with our command blocks first. Once it works in vanilla, we'll set up Worldguard with vanilla as the fallback.

This is how we're going to do everything on the server. We won't add any feature we can't replicate with vanilla command blocks. Sometimes the mechanisms cause lag, so in those cases we're using plugins as a redudancy.

If a plugin breaks, the failsafe vanilla system will take over and nothing will be lost.

We have adopted a server mod called Paper, which is a fork of Spigot (which is a fork of Bukkit). The mod has potential, as they aim to make things more like vanilla whereas Bukkit tries to reinvent Minecraft's engine.

No matter how good the modding community is, Minecraft updates will break server mods. We can't count on them to keep up, and some day Paper, Spigot, or even all of Bukkit may fail permanently. We'll be ready for it.

The next couple weeks will be spent attaching worldguard to all of the properties we have been setting up with command blocks. When we know both systems are fully installed, we'll switch off the command blocks, which will get rid of the lag.

<Draccy> Things are happening! 04/18/2016

New Hardware Installed

The new parts came in last week and Draccyserv has been upgraded!
Draccyserv now has a slick new MSI motherboard sporting a 4.0GHz AMD A6-6400K APU (Black Edition). What's more is we've managed to overclock that sucker to 4.5 GHz!!! No more CPU bottleneck!
Despite the new hardware, there's still chunk lag on Draccyserv. We're investigating our options, and we're fairly confident that additional RAM will help with the larger volume of players.

Donations!

Special thanks to Buffallo, a long-time player and Admin, for her generous donation towards new RAM! We'll soon be running on 16GB (15 dedicated) at 2133MHz as opposed to the old 8GB (1600MHz) stick we presently use. Thanks buff!

Rail System Mostly Complete

ReginaIdiotarum (AKA Reg/Rex), has been working hard to restore and update the Draccyserv railways. We now have high speed lines between every town, and a pawful of stations that didn't exist before. Thanks Reg!

Buyable Lots

Back in 1.8 we had some experimental property-buying mechanisms. Draccy has reimplemented the commands using new 1.9 features, and now there's a fully functional deed-and-property system in place!
Players will be able to buy deeds in each town at the respective Town Hall, which will enable them to build on the associated plot of land. This lets anyone have a safe zone inside the city (away from monsters) where they can live, sell items, or just stash their stuff.

<Draccy> The lag is not better! 04/10/2016

The Dedicated Machine Sucks

At some point Draccy thought it was a good idea to move from a powerful processor to a much weaker platform. The idea was that the shared resources of running off the dragon's personal computer were causing performance issues on the server. As it turns out, the CPU difference was a big deal, and now the server runs WORSE, not better.

To combat this problem, we're buying some upgrades. About $100 (USD) is going into a new powerful AMD platform that should be better than the original computer.

Flirting with Bukkit

For a little while, we've been trying out Spigot (a fork of Bukkit) to see if it helps with performance.
As you may recall, we abandoned Bukkit in 2014 when the project ate itself for legal reasons. Command blocks were promising, so we decided to try to go full vanilla. It has worked out fairly well, but lately the server performance has been suffering.
Spigot definitely runs better than vanilla on the crappy CPU (see below), but a number of useful vanilla functions are now broken.

We've decided that there's no advantage using Spigot. We aren't interested in Bukkit plugins that'll just break down randomly. We can do it all with command blocks and a good CPU. :3

Technical Details: Computer hardware

Draccy's original CPU, an old 3.4GHz AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition from 2008.

The temporary downgrade: 2.33GHz Intel Core2 Quad Q8200

PROTIP: Minecraft doesn't thread at all.

The new CPU: AMD A6-6400K 3.9 GHz APU - Black Edition (dual core, but with overclocking it will be a monster)

In all cases we're using about 5GB of Dedotated WAM to server.

<Draccy> Three Months Later! 03/19/2016

Migrating to Dedicated Machine

So a new computer has been built to host Draccyserv! This machine is temporary, but will be replaced with better equipment as the demand grows.

Presently it is an old Core 2 Quad system with 4GB of RAM. The dedicated resources should make a big difference in Draccyserv's performance despite the downgrade.

1.9 Is Here!

Alright! So 1.9 has been out for a few weeks, and we've had a great opportunity to play with some of the new features.

As expected, the new types of command blocks are allowing us to add new features that were not possible before.

We look forward to mod-like packages in the future that should bring some unique, non-vanilla gameplay to Draccyserv once more.

Warp Zone

One of our first big changes has been to relocate Warp Zone to the spawn area AND change how it works. The former allows us to reduce pipe lag and add music.

The latter is more of a game changer: You now need to visit a destination before most pipes will take you there. That means exploring is a must if you want to trade between towns!

<Draccy> Six Months Later! 12/29/2015

1.9 Delayed

Six months ago, we were celebrating the upcoming release of Minecraft 1.9. Now we know it won't be released until some time in 2016. Probably soon, though. Heavy experimenting has helped us see what 1.9 will bring to the server (a heck of a lot), but since it's not out yet, we have to wait!

Server Improvements

Despite the lack of 1.9, we've been slowly patching up the issues on the server. Towns are still pretty neglected, but we're starting to add NPCs. Also available is the new time machine, which brings you to archived versions of the map (all the way back to 2010!)

Whitelist Disabled

Most people are aware, but just a notice: You currently do not need to "join" on this website in order to play on the server. The whitelist is not enabled as of this posting, so players are free to join without going through extra steps. It WILL be implemented again after 1.9 releases.

Dracpack Update

A slightly buggy, but much-improved Dracpack has been released. It features new 3D versions of redstone, iron bars and rails, along with a number of texture updates. Further work is being done on the 1.9 edition of the pack, which will release when the server updates to the new game.

<Draccy> Progress! 06/15/2015

What's New?

We've made some stellar progress on the towns over the past few weeks. Most towns have at least the basic road and lot structure in place, and we ran some experimental mechanisms and successfully had buyable lots working. It is temporarily disabled due to lag, but we'll have it all running soon!

All towns are now monster-proof. The City Heart mechanism is working great to repel monsters and control gamemode inside of towns. You will no longer be able to build freely in towns. This is in anticipation of the buyable lots that will soon be available to all players. Stay tuned!

1.9 Will Matter

We're very excited about the 1.9 command blocks. The combat update is swell, but these new types of command blocks will allow us to implement new features we only dreamed of before. On top of that, they'll eliminate the lag problem we were having with our current system thanks to the always-on Blue Command Blocks.

Dracpack is gonna need a serious update to fit with some format changes and other stuff, so there might be a week where the textures or block models are a bit messed up. Hang in there, Dracpack fans!

Happy Anniversary

Last month, Draccyserv turned 5! We started some time in August 2010. Normally we'd have a celebration, but the server has been quiet lately and there wouldn't be enough people around to appreciate the announcement. That's fine, though! This lull is useful for setting up the next generation of Draccyserv.

<Draccy> Oh right, the server! 06/15/2015

cricket sounds

Sooo, a lot of complicated stuff in the life of Draccy caused serious delays on the server overhaul. Half the towns are barely playable, the promised buyable lots are not available yet, and some players have left out of boredom. Sorry to see you all go, but we hope to have you back soon!

Most of the life emergencies are over, and now it's time to give our beloved Draccyserv a much needed revival as we approach our FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.

Upcoming Features

Draccy and Rex are exploring new ways to work with vanilla command blocks to add more RPG-like adventure features:

Spellbooks and magic items for mages (buyable in towns)

Level-restricted dungeons - earn EXP levels to gain access to dungeons with loot!

Special armor, tools and abilities for moderators

Dangerous lands with random challenges like Spawn Towers and Doom Engines!
Monster-proof towns with built-in traders to get things rolling

NPCs with dialog! Interesting villager quests!

Buyable lots in towns for homes or businesses, safe from creeper attacks!

Automatic shop system (with a much guide book)

Development is going to take some time, but we'll get the bugs in town protection fixed before the anniversary.
We need volunteers to help design the quests and write NPC dialog, as well as Wiki administrators. If you're interested in supporting Draccyserv, let us know!

New Bufflebot

In other news, TerrorBite was kind enough to do some heavy updating to his python-based IRC bot, which has now been branded on our server as BuffleBot 4.0! She's got all the old features and some new ones too, like better name handling without triggering highlights. Best of all, if the server goes down, the bot doesn't explode. That means chat will be right back when we reload.

Ready for the Combat Update!

Draccyserv is 100% vanilla, meaning that the Combat Update (1.9) for Minecraft will be available to the server on launch day. There are no mods to get in the way, so we'll always be ready to play!

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<Draccy> Hooray! 12/02/2014

It Was Just A Flesh Wound

We sure hope you didn't think Draccyserv was dying! Far from it.

Region Project Complete

We are pleased to announce that the Region Project is finally complete, after a total reboot after the release of 1.8. Draccyserv now sports 8 unique locations beyond the edges of the Central Map, each of which has one or more unique biomes covering the entire area. In these areas you will find only one kind of ore or resource (for instance, redstone in the desert, or abundant clay in the swamp/roofed forest).

Towns in Development

There are many exciting plans to implement town trading and land ownership (with benefits that will be attractive to some - you are always welcome to live off the land outside of towns!)

Chat With IRC again!

Bufflebot is back. We are working with a small group from another server to utilize their python-based chat bot, which straps to Minecraft's server through normal, vanilla-based resources. We will soon offer an embedded chat here on the website if you don't want to install your own IRC client.

A Dream Has Been Realized

Back in early 2011, when Draccyserv adopted hMod (a bukkit predecessor), it was our goal to use it until the game itself offered the same features. When Bukkit replaced it, it remained our goal.
The advent of Bukkit's demise coincided well with the rise of 1.8's command block features. After some stumbling, we were able to get the server on its feet without Bukkit, and there has been a great deal of success in implementing Command Blocks to replace the functions of server mods. More features are being added every week, and we have even achieved some things we were never able to handle with Bukkit before. A lot of features are still missing, but planned.
It's always been our plan to go mod-free when we could. Now whenever the game changes, we won't have to wait weeks for the unofficial modding APIs like Bukkit to reverse engineer the server and catch up with the changes. Official MC plugins will be welcome when Mojang's API actually exists, but that's an abandoned project from what we can see.

<Draccy> Oh hi... :V 10/04/2014

(wall of text ahead! keep scrolling!)

The Latest Plans

As you may know, Draccyserv has been running on 1.8 Vanilla for quite some time, with a fair bit of success. We have some new players and old friends populating the tiny Central map area and tolerating the temporary limitations. Keilaron has shown interest in representing server interests. It's important to keep in contact with Keil/Ohmi on irc.furnet.org for any technical questions if Draccy or Regina are not avaialble. Buffalo will also be happy to assist in any way that she can.

So When Do We Get Mods?

Thanks to the new command block system, we have been able to reproduce many of the features for which we used to depend on Bukkit plugins. Rexidiotarum (Regina) has become very active on the server with her hardcore experimentation with advanced game logic as provided by the 1.8 update.
The bottom line is: We don't really need mods like Bukkit anymore. If we recover the old features that make Draccyserv interesting through vanilla mecahnisms, we might never have to go through this loss of features ever again. We are already adding new features that Bukkit was never able to provide.
With a little PHP development we can get IRC and website maps back, as well as the registration system. We're making custom Draccyserv interface software, because we know how to do that kind of stuff.

The Dracpack

Early on, I updated the Dracpack to have some of the new models I've been showing off on IRC and so-on. Later I introduced some new components, then stopped updating for a bit. I am still working on the pack and will continue to introduce new features using custom models and sounds. It's important that players use the Dracpack where possible, rather than some other resource pack, since ours contains some materials unique to Draccyserv. Certain structures are going to be a lot uglier and quieter without our pack (but it still mostly Vanilla compatible).

So Where Is Draccy?

As a small business owner, my life is typically consumed by work for 80% of my day. What little free time I get is typically spent on relaxing as hard as I can so that I can handle the next working day. I want to start giving the server more of my personal attention, but I really depend on Rexidiotarum and other experienced Admins to take on a lot of the work. The Dracpack is my best investment in the server, but I love to hang out with players and guide development, so you can expect to see me around as frequently as I can manage.

Website Plans

The website is going to play a bigger part in server interaction in the near future. Here are some of the planned features:

Return of the Admin faces

List of registered players

Website login features

Registration system + whitelist

Integrated wiki information

Embedded IRC chat on page

Return of interactive world map

<Keilaron> == TRANSMISSION == 09/07/2014

More bits of information

So it turns out a lot of Bukkit developers are bailing. Although Bukkit itself might not have been previously doomed now its chances of continuing are looking a little bleak.
Alternate solutions to Bukkit have made it clear they're not dead; Of note are Spigot, Cauldron, and Glowstone, though the latter (while supposedly Bukkit-compatible) may come with its own host of problems being a from-scratch implementation (and that, if it is a reverse-engineer, possibly illegal in some areas -- but I'm not a lawyer).

There's also Sponge, which is apparently the "successor" (as much as one can be) to Bukkit. Read that document for details. There are, of course, discussions on what options server owners have.

On the subject of blame and legal things... I don't know why so many are blaming Mojang for this. This seems to be one person's knee-jerk reaction (or possibly a stupidly impossible bid to try to "force" Mojang into releasing some or all source code) that has snowballed into a dramavalanche.
The only murky thing I can't answer right now is where copyright of Bukkit actually lays. First off, you must understand that a license – the GPL in this case – is not a copyright and a copyright is not a license. We clear on that? Good.
The problem is while Bukkit has made their license clear, their copyright on the other hand is not. I'm assuming that it defaults to "<project> © <project owners> and contributors", which means the DMCA takedown is well within legal right, but otherwise it isn't. Why?
Some projects assign copyright as thus: "<project> © <project owners>" i.e. note the lack of "and contributors", which means contributors must reassign or forfeit copyright. This is important, and is what allowed, among other things, for Apple to purchase CUPS in the past.
In that case Apple fully owned CUPS and that was that. In this case, some can (rightfully so) argue that Mojang may not have full ownership of Bukkit, and again that is why the DMCA takedown request may be valid.
Another part of reality here people are fond of assuming is that Mojang wouldn't need to enforce their EULA. This is, in reality, a terrible falsehood — It is completely possible for companies to lose certain rights or claims if they do not defend them, which is why companies will randomly get quite defensive over certain things. What that has to do with this situation, however, is unclear to me. I'm only addressing it because I've noticed it mentioned. Do not blame Mojang — or if you do, please let me know why so I can update this with some concrete information that isn't a knee-jerk or emotional reaction.

<Keilaron> == TRANSMISSION == 08/23/2014

Stop the drama llama, folks.

Turns out — a lot of people are just blindly listening to one bukkit developer (apparently the was-lead) suddenly deciding that that was it for Bukkit, because . . . I'm not sure, actually. The EULA hasn't changed since December and everyone was generally okay with that version of it.
Unless 1.8 ships with a different one (which wasn't presented to me, so perhaps that's a bug?), there's no indication as to why Bukkit would have to stop development, even if it were separate; The current EULA makes it clear mods are O.K., so the only other possibility is that I've seen some comments mentioning that the EULA has been "enforced" recently, but I don't know of anything having been taken down. (Protip: Being asked to agree to an EULA is not an enforcement as such.)
Bukkit will be updated for 1.8, and there's no real need to Mojang to stop development of Bukkit as it is quite popular. They would not have purchased it if they didn't think they could keep working on it, and if their intent was to quash it, they would have done so by now.
So please... do not jump to conclusions. What happens happens, and since Bukkit is an open source project, the likelyhood that it will simply implode and die is very low -- unless, of course, everyone jumps onto the bandwagon that's headed off a cliff. 'cause y'know, the game is only over when you give up. So don't.

<Draccy> . . . 07/21/2014

Please stand by!

So I sorta went onto an impulsive project to once again redesign the website. I think it's coming along nicely (definitely half finished if you're reading this within the vicinity of it's posting.

<Draccy> . . . 07/12/2014

Another article

Looking for the other news thing that was floating around since June? I never wrote it!
Sorry. Been super busy. I've poked at the server a bit and people are getting on there again. The experimental lots in the Central area seem fairly well received.
I'm gonna try to work with Buffalo and a team she'll assemble to flesh out the vague and rambling explanations I spout out regarding all the cool things I want to do with the server. Here's how it will go:
1. Sort out the info and write it all into the Server Wiki.
2. Establish a plan of action to set projects with goals that make the server awesome.
3. Create smaller teams to tackle each project, with direction managed in the Wiki.

We're going to have to get started soon, since at this point 1.8 is actually right around the corner. Give your respect to UltraMoogleMan on IRC. His work is really incredible.

5/25/14

REMEMBER WHEN WE CARED?

It's been a long time, hasn't it?
We have a lot of work to do, now. Draccyserv's maps have been neglected, its plugins made obsolete, and its players unappreciated. Well, we're working to change that now.
We are restructuring the server design to cater to both casual and ambitious players. We'll try to have the best of multiple aspects of the game, so that everyone can play the way they want... together!

3/8/14

SPLITTING UP THE MAP

So, today we start an ambitious project to split up the huge overworld map into 9 parts. This will allow us to more easily manage and update terrain within the areas, as well as provide many advantages when 1.8 is released.

Some regions have been taken offline temporarily. It is very likely that these maps will be radically different (entirely replaced in many cases), with the benefit being stable, interesting and up-to-date terrain.

ANYONE WHO LIVES IN AN OFFLINE REGIONS CAN ACCESS THEIR HOMES VIA A BACKUP.
If you can't wait to use your home, an Admin will be happy to help you move into the Central or Cardinal regions.

1/1/14

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Much like the fireworks show, this news article was actually handled on January 2nd. :V
So it's 2014, and the server is running fairly stable on 1.7. Our next objective is to import or create terrain that's new in this version. We hope to introduce Roofed Forest, Savanna, Mega Taiga, and Mesa biomes in the near future.
The new areas will be sandwiched in between our existing ones, sharing 2-4 regions as they border the major biomes. It is very likely that certain less-manageable biomes like the Jungle will become minor to a complimenting larger one.

In other news, the website is undergoing another small redesign. Ignore weirdness and temporary backgrounds.

12/1/13

FINALLY RUNNING MINECRAFT v1.7

You've been waiting a long, long time for this update. I'm sure our most loyal players have not minded running the older 1.6.4. Heck, you all do it for mods anyway, and 1.7.2 has some weird new bugs!
Anyway, we were waiting for bukkit. It's finally updating, and thankfully most plugins work already. Right now we're missing trains and dynmap, which should catch up soon!

10/1/13

OFFICIALLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Hello all you new people! More are coming in every week as we start to advertise our server to the furry masses.
At long last, our major projects are complete, and the server is ready for anyone and everyone to start playing! We have installed a special sign-up system (that big button on the right),
which allows new players to register with the server. Registration is mandatory, although most pre-public players are automatically whitelisted. This helps Admins keep track of the newbies!

Big Stuff in 1.7?

While some of it is not official yet, we're fairly certain that 1.7 is going to start the transition to Plugins API. The biggest change so far is a reworking of the way resource packs stack,
which opens the door for packs to be installed in order priority. When these packs expand beyond texture and sound, game mods will be able to layer on top of each other.
FTB-familiar players: think GregTech on top of Industrial-Craft, as Resource Packs.
NOTE: We will not support game mods until they are part of an official API.

9/10/13

3RD ANNIVERSARY!

On September 10th, 2010, Draccyserv was revealed to the world.
Three years later, we're still going strong. Brickhaus still stands. So much has come and gone.
To celebrate our long-lived server, fireworks and bacon are available at Brickhaus. Enjoy!
---

8/08/13

Delicious, Delicious Trains

At long last, the railway system is 100% complete. This means that there's a fast, safe way to get to every town. We're polishing it all up to be very easy to use.
The price of teleporters is now going up to 25em per button, including warps to Brickhaus. Since rails are now practical and other towns will have the same features as Brickhaus,
there is no longer a need to make Brickhaus a special case. On that note, we will be added new amenities to every town, including a healing booth inside each Town Hall.
---

7/03/13

How To Get The Dracpack

The Dracpack currently is undergoing some exciting development, including the introduction of custom music files! Check out the "resource packs" section of this website for instructions on downloading+installing.

Website Changes

This website was first introduced over two years ago, using old XHTML standards. It's currently getting an HTML5 facelift. Most people will only notice some small style changes, but the entire thing is actually being rewritten.

>> View Older News <<

7/01/13

It's July!

The latest update requires a new client. You can DOWNLOAD IT HERE. It's needed in order to continue playing on Draccyserv!
There's a lot of new features to check out (horses, etc.) and renamed items/new music thanks to the Resource Pack switch. Until we figure out what's up with it, you'll have to download the Dracpack manually from this website.
Some animations in the Dracpack need to be fixed, as they did not transition well to the new format. Please be patient while Draccy works on them!

6/01/13

It's June!

Suddenly we're halfway through the year. Feels like only yesterday we were celebrating Xmas in the usual spot outside Brickhaus, but now there's only a small ruin where the Grand Stand had been erected.
Draccyserv's OVERWORLD map turns 3-years-old this year. Draccy started his work on that world back in June 2010, so as a small celebration, a new Challenge Tower is being built where the first sign was erected years ago.
There are new Time Booths scattered around the Central Region. These link previous versions of the map together over the past three years, allowing players to explore Draccyserv's history. Brickhaus started out as wood!

5/17/13

Nobody Reads These Anyway

Hello, people who actually read the server news!
Today, the Overworld has undergone a dramatic change in format. No longer will you always go to Brickhaus with /spawn or death. If you are not in the Central region, you will instead go to the nearest Town. This means that you WILL go to Brickhaus if you're in the Central region. Meanwhile, /home is now free, but will require a 5 minute cooldown between uses. Using a bed will no longer set your home, so please remember to /sethome!

We Broke Shit Again

Unfortunately these changes did require some /home targets to be lost. More specifically, we switched back to HomeSpawnPlus (instead of SimpleSpawn) for our plugin, and some year-old settings were loaded. If your old home point is now in a wall and you start to suffocate, /spawn immediately and tell an Admin if you lose your stuff!

Region Project Nearly Done! Really!

The region project is about 80% done. We need to set up some more NPCs, rail stations and waypoints. There's still a fair bit of ore seeding left to do as well. It really won't take long now that we've mapped things out in the wiki.

4/13/13

Not What Was Advertised

Okay, okay, I keep getting busy. Here's a turbo-recap of this month so far:
On April 1st we pranked players by putting spawn above the Brickhaus pond and filling the area with pigs. Also we claimed to be downgrading to an old version of Minecraft.
In the past few weeks, Bukkit has migrated to 1.5 fairly well. Most of our key plugins, including TrainCarts and Region Effects, are working again.
Some old players, including our beloved Najuk, have returned to Draccyserv. Rico is settling in, but StickyPaw is missing!

3/13/13

Back From Hiatus

Alright, so I (Draccy) have been busy with life, snapshots, and (plz hold - will resume later)

3/14/13 - 5:37 AM

...Okay, resumed. See what I mean? Busy dragon!
Welp, I'm Back™ to sort everything out again. We've just updated the server to Minecraft 1.5, which of course knocks out bukkit. This means that once again, plugins will be offline until Bukkit works with the new game. You can check development status with the handy link on the left of this page.

The Redstone Update And You

Minecraft 1.5 has a whole lot to offer. The Dracpack will now have many animated textures. The redstone-based features of Brickhaus will (predictably) become more advanced. Also, the way roleplayers roleplay (privately on this non-RP server) will be dramatically affected by item renaming.

1/04/13

PS: Happy New Year!

There have been many improvements to the server website lately. The previously useless left column now lists the plugins currently loaded on the server, while a new feature below shows our list of server Admins, complete with cute little heads! These two lists automagically update every time the server is restarted, so they should stay current.
Apologies to Chrome users: Apparently the Chrome browser does not have the ability to NOT smooth images as they are scaled up. This means that for you, textures and player skins loaded on the website will look blurry. :(
We now have a working, automatic backup script which will save a copy of all the major maps once a day. A separate monthly backup is extracted on the 25th of every month for archive purposes.
The Wiki is having some substantial upgrades done to it, starting with a reworking of how information is distributed. We'll start with a region, then break it down to places and features found there. Extraneous information not related to regions will be linked below the big map on the main page.

12/25/12

The News We Actually Wrote!

A lot of time went by where a supposed "Holidays Coming" news article was said to exist, but never came about. Sorry about that. Here comes the news:
A Server History book is now for sale at Brickhaus (Information Booth), and you can visit a Museum on West Road (past Downtown) to see some replicas of outdated technology and obsolete server features. It's neat!
The value of emeralds has been dramatically inflated. A single emerald can't buy much now, but a couple stacks of them will buy you a set of cheap armor, for example. 32 Emeralds = 1 Gold Ingot. See the Bank for more exchange rates.
The Region Project is coming along nicely. Biomes and terrain are mostly developed for the major areas, and towns are growing in each location. An Admin is responsible for each town, and will probably assume "Lordship" over the area. Find out who your Region's Admin is! (Draccy controls Central)
TrainCarts came back, enabling cool railway experiences, but then it broke again (for now). We're working on building the promised railway system between regions/towns, after which teleporting will cost money. Until then, warping to towns is free at the Admin Hall button panel (go South from Brickhaus).

10/31/12

Happy Halloween!

1.4 is out, and bukkit is mostly working already. With the exception of a few annoying bugs (phantom creeper holes, anyone?), the transition was pretty painless.
We are trying to buckle down on the region project. With no mod API in sight, it's easier to look at the region idea as a community-friendly project. In order to create the regions in the first place, we need some manual editing of the terrain. That's where you come in!
We're looking for Volunteers to help with big projects like planting the jungle in the southeast. Volunteers will be granted creative and worldedit privs. Those who put in the most effort have a chance to be promoted to mod status!
Ask an Admin if you want to help out. There's lots to be done!

9/22/12

Regions: A Game Changer!

So we Admins on Draccyserv noticed a trand: A lot of players end up wandering off into the wilderness and surviving in a tiny area of space. It's like playing single player, only there's talking to other players.
We have always wanted to create a more emersive and engaging atmosphere for our server to make it much more than what singleplayer has to offer. Recently we came up with a new system that relies on Regions of the map to reoragnize the game experience.

How It Works

This is a long one, but important. Please read!
The map will be divided into 9 Regions, each of which contains one biome type, one commodity (ore/clay) and a town for trading and economy. These regions are connected by teleport buttons, high-speed rail and nether shortcuts to make trading and mining accessible.

An Example

The Northwest Region will be a vast Ocean dotted with sparse islands. The area is rich in underground Iron deposits, but there will be no gold, diamond, etc. anywhere in the Region. The town at the center will have a Town Hall which buys their most precious commodity: Coal!
Meanwhile, in the Southeast Region, an endless jungle sits atop the world's largest coal desposit (and nothing else). The town loves building with wood, but needs Iron tools to do their jobs faster. Their most precious commodity is Iron.
So you'll go to the Jungle to get all the coal/wood/charcoal you need, and bring the excess to the Ocean for an easy profit! The same goes for the extra iron you mine out of the Ocean - sell it to the Jungle Town!

The Economy

Why settle for the price the Jungle Town Hall has to offer? You could set up shop in the Jungle Town or anywhere else, and sell your Iron for a better price than any Town Hall will offer, while still having a better trade for you! Some lucky player gets discount Iron while you still make a profit.
We are introducing a mandatory inflation to reshape the economy for the better. Emeralds will no longer have the subjective value based on their rarity. They will be more of an arbitrary material that represents currency based on an independent standard. Having a floating currency value will free up exchange and be more compatible with Vanilla prices!

9/04/12

Downtown is Reborn!

The Admins of Draccyserv have been brainstorming for new ways to bring the community closer together. One problem we saw was that Downtown did not get a lot of use. Some shops served little or no purpose, and the whole area was somewhat inaccessible.
By building a new Downtown directly attached to Brickhaus Compound, we hope to see more commerce and spawn-centric activity! The new Downtown shops are all specially designed to serve useful, specific functions and are inhabited by NPC shopkeepers!
Old Downtown is now an overgrown ruin where a new PvP/PvM arena is being built! Excitement~

New hardware coming!

Draccy has officially ordered the new motherboard, CPU and RAM to build the fancy new computer that houses Draccyserv. The system will have 8GB of DDR3 1600, a quad-core AMD processor (overclocked), and a motherboard with the proper FSB and chipset to handle it all. The existing solid state drive that houses the Overworld map and OS will be able to run at the intended SATA-3 speeds on the new board.

8/06/12

The Trouble With Traders

When MC 1.3 came out, we were excited to adopt Mojang's official economy model. Sadly, it turns out that it's less of an 'economy' and more of a 'traders sell shit for too much money' system.
After initially destroying the value of the diamond, we finally caved and implemented a plugin that disables all normal traders and lets us design our own. Diamonds are now equal to emeralds in value.

Build-a-Villager Workshop

We now have a plugin that will allow you to create your own shopkeeper (for free!) who will sell items in the chest beneath him. You need only to look at a chest and type /shopkeeper to get started. Read this lovely wiki article for more information. (Thanks Keil!)

7/28/12

Minecraft 1.3 Release!

This post is a little early, but since the pre-release is officially available, we're announcing that Minecraft 1.3 is finally released!
The server will be updating on August 1st to the 1.3 release. For a full list of upcoming features, click here.

GET YOUR SHIT READY

Holy crap, things are gonna CHANGE! Firstly, 1.3 will force us back onto vanilla, so you newbies who have been enjoying bukkit, make sure your structures are creeper proof and that you're positioned at home before August 1st. You have been warned!
1.3 will introduce Emeralds as currency, which knocks out our old GP system. Mojang has an official exchange rate for ingots and diamonds (as designated by the new NPC traders), so we will be moving to that. The value of diamonds is going to drop dramatically. If you're reading this before August 1st, we just re-enabled diamond buying at the bank with the old rates. Go get rich!

Holding Our Breath

It's been a while since the last news update. We've been holding off for the long-awaited 1.3 release, which would be big news. It took awhile! Not much has been happening anyway.

Welcome Back, Oldies!

We'd like to welcome back our older members who have recently found their way back to the server. This includes Spyglass7 (who was recently out on duty), and DenSnake (who has been gone for a long time). Great to see you again!

5/26/12

Emeralds!

If you haven't heard yet, the latest Minecraft Snapshot for 1.3 introduces emeralds, a new canonical currency for Minecraft.
Rather than fight progress, Draccyserv will be adopting this currency ASAP. The initial exchange will be 1 emerald for every 9 gold. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you get your GP traded for GOLD INGOTS before 1.3 comes out! We can't guarantee that any part of iConomy will be available for at least a month following the release of MC 1.3.
The role of diamond will basically be replaced by emeralds in our currency system, while the value of diamond will be forced to change due to NPC-controlled sales. Exchange for raw diamonds has already been suspended on Draccyserv (sorry).

5/03/12

Railway Progress

The Draccyserv Overworld Railway project is making good progress. We now have a partially complete Red Line, a mostly complete Green Line, and several diagonal offshoots.
Places are starting to get connected for the first time and stations are going up all over the map. Speaking of which, the Dracpack has a Railway Map as one of the large paintings. This is being updated frequently.

Wiki Contributors

A new list has been added to the main page of the wiki which outlines the pages we need most. Please do your part and create/expand one of these pages if you can! We need all the help we can get.

4/09/12

North In Denial

1.2 officially changed which way North was in Minecraft. Bit of a pain, but we can't do anything about it. Meanwhile, we've been ignoring this and trying to operate anyway. We are probably going to have to change all the road names to reflect the change!

New Plugins

We've added a few new plugins, including the exciting new Chestpack plugin (portable backpack) and the Courier plugin (send letters written on maps). They still need some configuration, but you can try to use them now.

Dynmap Is Back!

It's up and running and better than ever. The layout functions properly on the maps page, and you can now see the world border (red).
We have to manually regenerate each world, so please be patient. Also, you will be able to create new markers with unique icons soon!

Website Changes

By now you have probably noticed that the "news" page has become the "Landing" page, and navigation has been tidied up.
We're working on a website overhaul that will take some time to complete. Some pages like the Texture Packs section really need some love.
Oh, and we'll be taking periodic photos for new wallpaper revisions whenever Brickhaus changes. Visit often and you might be in the shot!

4/07/12

McMMO

This isn't really a big piece of news for most people, since you've all been playing with it this whole time, but we now have McMMO installed. This gives players the ability to gain experience to develop special skillsets, like any good MMO.

Wiki Updates

The overhauled wiki is still being overhauled, with much fine-tuning still in progress. Our focus is currently on expanding the development page.
REMEMBER: The wiki is public! You can add and edit articles all you want! Help is greatly appreciated.

4/04/12

/warp is gone!

Yes, we took /warp (and also /tpa) away. You can still warp, though! Go to Brickhaus to access the Warp Center, which has buttons that will take you to the usual destinations.

Brickhaus 3.0

The warp center is just one of many big changes to Brickhaus. Go to /spawn and check it out!

Overhauled Wiki

The Wiki has been to be readable and easier to use. For best results, make sure you have an up-to-date browser.

NPCs Back Online

We managed to get Citizens up and running. Traders work, so you can now buy items and use the Bank!
The plugin developers keep changing the way the Citizens works. Be prepared for more problems in the future.

Economy Reset

At some point we had to reinstall iConomy, so unfortunately all accounts are reset. Please talk to an Admin for possible reimbursement.

2/02/12

Now That I Have Your Attention

First off, if you're reading this, please tell your friends on the server about it. A lot of people ignore the MOTD these days. Also, please note the new plugin list on the wiki.
Basically, Draccyserv is in a bit of flux at the moment. We have a lot of positive changes happening, but because of the way a modded minecraft server has to be set up, they're really coming at a cost. Lately we've been experiencing a lot of lag spikes. Us admins are trying (some of us, anyway) to get to the bottom of it.

The Lag

It's a new thing. Veterans of Draccyserv who have been around for many months will recall a time when everything ran quite smoothly. Sure, there's always some new bug we're trying to get past, but the LAG is new.
The culprit is some new rogue plugin. We don't know what it is, but until we find it we're running barebones. A lot of plugins are disabled (only the bare essentials and a few economy tools are left), and the server is now running smoother. As we gradually add plugins back in, we will have to restart the server many times for testing purposes. Please bear with us during this maintenance period - you can still play, but you might be interrupted now and then, so play safely!
We're working on a wiki page that describes the plugins we use and links to their development pages. Click the "Server Features" link in the navigation for a shortcut to it. This will help players get in touch with the heart of Draccyserv, which has always been its extra features and mods.