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I was just talking with a friend recently about the possibility of starting a Minecraft server. I'd definitely be interested.

Yeah, I'm pretty much done. I think I got everything I wanted to get except a few pumpkin/frost moon items, but I can farm those on my own (or just steal them from my other characters).

Well yeah, I mean you always start with a little house. But that's just until you get the supplies to start your bigger projects!

So what kind of server did you have in mind? Survival? Creative? Mods or Vanilla?

As it just so happens I use to run a bukkit server. However, given the recent drama over at bukkit I have no idea what kind of state the project is in right now. It may not even be a possibility, which is sad, because it made running a server and installing mods really easy.

If that's an option, then yay! When I ran a server I kept it pretty close to Vanilla and only installed mods I thought added to the experience without fundamentally changing the game. My favorite was CreeperHeal (http://dev.bukkit.org/bukkit-plugins/creeperheal-nitnelave/). Creepers (and TNT and fire) still damage their surroundings, but that damage slowly repairs itself over time. It kept creepers dangerous without fucking up your buildings and leaving craters all over the map. :D

Cool. I ran a Minecraft server months ago so me and my son could play along with his friends. Vinny told me a new version of the game was out recently and I believe they added a bunch of new stuff like new mobs and stone types.

Sorry I haven't been on the Terraria server much lately. I've been playing in my own world. I was thinking about looting the other CG worlds that I have for Vampire Knives for me and you, Travis, since I gave them to Tim. It'd be cool to play the moon events again and beat Duke Fishron.

I also used http://dev.bukkit.org/bukkit-plugins/otherdrops/ to alter some block drops and add in some fun little stuff. On my server I decided it was dumb to have everyone running around with stone tools, so I added a rule where if you were using iron or better tools you had a small chance to get iron while mining stone. That way everyone could keep using iron tools without fear of using up all their iron. I also added a few fun things, like the (very) small chance you could find buried treasure (a random number of gold bars) while digging in dirt. :P The only other thing I changed was making blocks that usually just break (like glass or stairs) reclaimable.

I think the Creeper Heal mod sounds cool. I have only run vanilla Minecraft so far. So, I wonder if I would have to install mods if they were installed on the server. Also, I am absolutely sure that Vinny would be thrilled if he could join us. I think it would be really cool. Also, I think my only suggestions are to turn on single player commands and to turn off PVP. If it were my world, I would also make use of the command keepInventory and turn that on so that when someone dies they don't lose their stuff. Losing your inventory really sucks!

The mods are installed server-side, so you don't have to install anything.

It says it supports "Bukkit and plugins" so I would assume that means we're free to use any of the plugins (mods) we want.

Since I quit, there are at on of new commands and server settings that weren't around. I didn't know there was the option to keep inventory on death now. Unless they've added a new item, I don't think there's a magic mirror equivalent. Although I guess with keep inventory turned on, death is a pretty quick way to warp back to your spawn point. :P There are sever commands for admins you can use to teleport if i remember correctly, and of course there are mods that will enable that sort of thing.

Sweet, Travis, I'm so glad you agree, I was afraid you wouldn't. It makes the game easier, sure, but in a way that makes it more enjoyable and much less frustrating. I always hated losing my inventory and would often back up and revert to back up upon death. Luckily, that command makes all that unnecessary.

Thanks for the answer, Tim, that makes sense.

Oh, Travis, I also wish there were a Magic Mirror, but Minecraft doesn't seem to have that, except sleeping in a bed, which is like Terraria. No Magic Mirror, but if you find the coordinates of where you want to go, you can use the "tp" (teleport) command. I believe finding coordinates is done with the F11 (Debug) key.

I'm glad you thought of this as I was thinking of it months ago when I ran the server with my son. I think it would be fun. I also didn't find much difficulty in setting up and configuring the server. The game's wiki has some good instructions.

Luckily, I've learned a lot about the game since I first played it less than a year ago. Whenever I play now, I create a new world (as usual) and enable some of the extra options that are available such as single player commands and a treasure chest. Those commands help me survive by letting me change the game rule to "keepInventory" and teleport. The treasure chest is usually nearby and seems to contain random items for beginning survival such as tools and food.

Oh and while there is a mod called "single player commands," one of the options upon world creation is the usage of commands, so you can use them in single player mode w/out the mod. I'm not sure when "keepInventory" was put into the game, but I know it's been there for about as long as I've played it. I think my son helped educate me on these commands, well that and looking things up on the wiki.

Ok, the "keepInventory" command is available upon enabling "cheats" (commands) at world creation. The Debug key is F3, not F11. I've checked out some recent 1.8 videos by one of my favorite YouTubers. The new version adds a lot of new things, so it's a great time to get back into the game. I suggest looking at the release notes for what's new.

How's your progress on getting a Minecraft server going? I looked up CreeperHeal and wanted to use it, but it seems it's for Bukkit servers, not the regular one you get from the website. I was going to try a Bukkit server, but the link for the recommended download is unavailable due to "legal reasons." So, I hit a snag and wasn't sure what to download. I did, however, download the latest version of the server software from Mojang. I created a server with the latest software, deleted the old world, and created a new one. I started playing on it with Vinny, but eventually decided that I wanted to play on my own in a new single player world. I'm looking forward to a CG server because I think playing with you guys would be a lot more fun.

A couple of notes about the vanilla Minecraft server, it will tell you that in order to run, you must edit a configuration file to agree to the EULA. Also, turning off PVP requires a simple edit of the server's configuration file. I think it's pretty simple to set up and configure, the guide on the wiki was quite helpful the first time I got one set up.

I *could* host a Minecraft server that you guys could join, but I'm not sure how my bandwidth would be affected, especially since my small home network connects to a few computers and a couple of tablets. Also, if I did, the server might not be always available as I may have to reboot my PC sometime (although this new PC of mine only seems to need to reboot for Windows Updates).

I don't know that I'd go for studio headphones (what might be called monitors) if you want deeper, richer sounds from music or games. I mean, I guess it all depends on the headset. Then there is the other variable: your ears. Frequency response range is probably most important. Studio monitors are designed for balance and a truer representation of unfiltered sound. Most consumer headphones have that "bass boost," which is undesirable for recording music, per se, but could enhance the listening pleasure of most hip-hop or D&B.

I have studio monitors that I use for recording music, but I don't like to use them for gaming because they don't produce those deep, head-shaking lows. For that I have a set of Plantronic GameCom headphones. One thing the Plantronics also have is a soft fabric cover on the ear pieces. This is a huge thing to consider, especially for prolonged use. The leather-type covers do help to limit outside sound, but don't breathe very well, and after a while they start to get hot and sweaty. I have a set of Sony Gold Wireless that do this, and it's the only thing I hate about them. I've never used Beats, aside from maybe trying them in Best Buy once. The price may have a little to do with the name there, I would assume.

That name "Monoprice" is horrible, but they do look like nice headphones. I like the ability to swap out cables/detach for storing. Can't beat $25, either.

That name though... Nintendo really needs to work on their naming conventions.