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Minecraft server

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A Minecraft server is a player-owned or business-owned multiplayer game server for the 2009 Mojang video game Minecraft. In this context, the term "server" often colloquially refers to a network of connected servers, rather than a single machine.[1] Players can start their own server either by setting one up on a computer using software provided by Mojang, or by using a hosting provider so they can have their server run on dedicated machines with guaranteed uptime.[2] The largest and most popular server is Hypixel.[3][4]

Minecraft multiplayer servers are controlled by server operators, who have access to server commands such as setting the time of day, teleporting players and setting the world spawn. The server owner (or users that have access to the live server files) can also set up and install plugins to change the mechanics of the server, add commands among other features, and can also set up restrictions concerning which usernames or IP addresses are allowed or disallowed to enter the server.[2]

Multiplayer servers have a wide range of activities, with some servers having unique premises, rules, and customs. Player versus player (PvP) combat can be enabled to allow fighting between players. Many servers have custom plugins that allow actions that are not normally possible in the vanilla form of the game.[citation needed]

History

Multiplayer was first added to Minecraft on May 31, 2009, during the Classic phase of the game.[5][6][user-generated source] The oldest server map is called "Freedonia", in the Minecraft server MinecraftOnline. The server and map were created on August 4, 2010, within the first hour of Minecraft multiplayer being released.[7]

In 2013, Mojang announced Minecraft Realms, a server hosting service intended to enable players to run server multiplayer games easily and safely without having to set up their own.[8][9] Unlike a standard server, only invited players can join Realms servers, and these servers do not use IP addresses. At Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016, it was announced that Realms would enable Minecraft to support cross-platform play between Windows 10, iOS, and Android platforms starting in June 2016,[10] with other platforms releasing over the next two years.

In June 2014, Mojang began enforcing the EULA of the computer versions of the game to prevent servers from selling microtransactions that unfairly affected gameplay,[11] such as pay-to-win items,[12] only allowing servers to sell cosmetic items.[13] Many servers shut down due to this.[14]

On September 20, 2017, the Better Together Update was released for Bedrock codebase-derived editions of the game, which added multiplayer servers, along with six official featured servers: Mineplex, Lifeboat, CubeCraft, Mineville City, Pixel Paradise, and The Hive.[15]

Management

Managing a Minecraft server can be a full-time job for many server owners. Several large servers employ a staff of developers, managers, and artists.[14] As of 2014, the Shotbow server employed three full-time and five part-time employees. According to Matt Sundberg, the server's owner, "large server networks are incredibly expensive to run and are very time consuming [sic]."[16] According to Chad Dunbar, the founder of MCGamer, "it really costs to run networks above 1000 concurrent players." This includes salaries, hardware, bandwidth, and DDoS protection,[11] and so monthly expenses can cost thousands of dollars.[14] Dunbar stated that MCGamer, which has had over 50,000 daily players, has expenses that can be "well into the five-figure marks" per month. As of 2015, expenses of Hypixel, the largest server, are nearly $100,000 per month.[11] Many servers sell in-game ranks and cosmetics to pay for its expenses.[14][11]

Software

Vanilla server software provided by Mojang is maintained alongside client software. While servers must update to support features provided by new updates, many different kinds of modified server software exist. Modifications typically include optimizations, allowing more players to use a server simultaneously, or for larger portions of the world to be loaded at the same time. Modified software almost always acts as a base for plug-ins, which may be added and removed to customize server functionality. These are typically written in Java for the Java Edition, although JavaScript and PHP are used in some Bedrock Edition software.[citation needed] As the vanilla software for Bedrock is made compatible with only Ubuntu and Windows, modifications may allow for added compatibility. Notable plug-in software include CraftBukkit, Spigot, Paper and Sponge[17] for Java and Pocketmine-MP, Nukkit,[18] Altay and Jukebox[19][user-generated source] for Bedrock.

Vanilla and modified servers alike communicate with the client using a consistent protocol but may have vastly different internal mechanisms. Certain server software can allow for servers to be linked, allowing players to dynamically cross worlds without "signing out"; these include BungeeCord and Waterfall in Java and WaterDog and Nemisys for Bedrock. In a similar vein, due to close feature parity between up-to-date editions of the game, Java servers may utilize a proxy server such as DragonProxy or Geyser to communicate with both protocols, allowing Bedrock players to join.[20]

Notable servers

The most popular Java Edition server is Hypixel, which, released in April 2013, has had over 20 million unique players,[3][4] around half of all active players of the Java Edition itself.[21] Other popular servers include MCGamer, released in April 2012, which has over 3.5 million unique players;[22] Wynncraft, released in April 2013, which has over 1 million unique players;[23] and Emenbee, released in 2011, which also has over 1 million unique players.[24][25] As of 2014, servers such as Mineplex, Hypixel, Shotbow and Hive Games receive "well over a million unique users every month", according to Polygon.[12]

Oldest server

The record for the oldest server in Minecraft is a common debate within the community. The community generally considers either MinecraftOnline and its map "Freedonia", or Nerd.Nu, a server that has some of the oldest maps on a server, to be the oldest server in Minecraft. Proponents of Nerd.Nu being the oldest server argue in YouTube video essays that people have built on nerd.nu's maps longer even if some are lost to time.[26][27] People who argue that MinecraftOnline is the oldest server, again using articles and YouTube video essays, disregard servers in Minecraft's browser or classic form and use when Minecraft's official survival multiplayer was released as when the oldest server would be crowned.[28] Additionally, MinecraftOnline's map has never reset, while nerd.nu's map has over 25 map revisions.[7][29]

While it has since been disproven, the server 2b2t previously was regarded as the oldest server in Minecraft by YouTube creator TheCampingRusher.[30] 2b2t's age and lack of formal rules currently makes it the second oldest map and the oldest anarchy server in Minecraft.[31]

List

  Mojang featured server

Name Inception date Notes Refs.
2b2t December 2010 An anarchy server; there is minimal to no moderation or rules, allowing the use of cheats. Its map is one of the longest-running server maps in the game. [32][31][33]
Autcraft 2013 Dedicated to be a safe haven for children with autism [34]
Build the Earth March 21, 2020 Dedicated to recreate the planet Earth in 1:1 scale, including man-made structures. [35][36][37]
Digital Jesuit November 2019 Created by Catholic priest Robert Ballecer as an organized secular Minecraft server for a less toxic gaming experience. [38][39][40][41]
Dream SMP April 25, 2020 A private survival multiplayer server owned by the YouTuber Dream and played on by many prominent Minecraft content creators. It is divided into factions and includes heavy roleplay, streamed live on YouTube and Twitch. [42][43]
Hermitcraft April 2012 Hermitcraft is a private, invite-only server and is one of the most well-known. Members are called "hermits" and make content on various platforms, mainly YouTube and Twitch. Many well-known content creators such as BdoubleO100, DocM77, Ethoslab, Grian, and MumboJumbo, as well as several others, are part of the Hermitcraft lineup. Hermitcraft has been featured by Mojang during various events in the past. The server is also known for working with various charities such as SOS Africa and the Make a Wish Foundation. [44][better source needed]
HiveMC February 24, 2013 A minigames server created in 2012. Originally a Java server, it has since become exclusive to Bedrock edition after closing its doors to Java players. [45][46][47][48]
Hypixel April 13, 2013 Minecraft's most popular server, founded by Simon Collins-Laflamme and Philippe Touchette, and contains a prominent number of game modes. [11]
MinecraftOnline August 4, 2010 Created in August 2010 and opened to the public after two days of testing, MinecraftOnline is the oldest survival server, containing the oldest running server map. Sources conflict on whether MinecraftOnline or nerd.nu should be deemed the oldest Minecraft server. [49][50][51]
Mineplex January 24, 2013 Minigames server. In 2015, it held a Guinness World Record for the most popular Minecraft server at the time. [51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58]
nerd.nu June 2009 One of the two oldest Minecraft servers. The map has been revised at least 26 times, and sources conflict on whether nerd.nu or MinecraftOnline is an older server, creating a major dispute within the community. [26]
The Uncensored Library March 12, 2020 A server and map released by Reporters Without Borders in an attempt to circumvent censorship in countries lacking freedom of the press. It has received significant press coverage. [59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]
Wynncraft April 2013 Server that functions as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. [69]

References

  1. ^ Collins-Laflamme, Simon. "What are Hypixel Admins even working on?". Hypixel - Minecraft Server and Maps. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Hutchinson, Lee (September 10, 2012). "Blocks with friends: How to run your own Minecraft server". Gaming & Culture. Ars Technica. pp. 1–4. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Fogel, Stefanie (December 13, 2018). "Creators of Popular 'Minecraft' Server Announce New Game 'Hytale'". Gaming. Variety. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Jarvey, Natalie (December 13, 2018). "Riot Games Leads Investment in Hypixel Game Studio". Tech. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  5. ^ Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer's Edition. Macmillan - Guinness World Records. September 1, 2015. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-910561-13-3.
  6. ^ "Java Edition Classic 0.0.15a (Multiplayer Test 1)". Official Minecraft Wiki. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Avard, Alex (September 27, 2017). ""Welcome to Freedonia": Minecraft's oldest server is still a mind-boggling menagerie of marvel and wonder". GamesRadar+. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Crecente, Brian (March 18, 2013). "Minecraft Realms hopes to make an increasingly complex game more family-friendly". Polygon. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
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  23. ^ Velasco, Carl (May 22, 2017). "A Game Within A Game: 'Wynncraft' Is An MMORPG Inside 'Minecraft'". Culture. Tech Times.
  24. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (March 23, 2019). "Minecraft players write touching tributes on in-game signs for "amazing" server owner who died of cancer". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  25. ^ Horti, Samuel (March 24, 2019). "Minecraft players build touching tribute to server owner who died of cancer". News. PC Gamer. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
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  29. ^ "Minecraft: PvE Revisions - Nerd.nu Gaming Community". nerd.nu. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
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  35. ^ Prescott, Shaun (March 30, 2020). "A 1:1 scale model of Earth is possible in Minecraft, with mods and your help". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
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  38. ^ Robert Ballecer [@padresj] (August 31, 2019). "Ok... I want to spin up a few servers in the Vatican for gamers who want a little less "toxic" and a bit more community. What should be my first server?" (Tweet). Retrieved October 5, 2020 – via Twitter.
  39. ^ Meisenzahl, Mary (December 5, 2019). "The Vatican started a 'Minecraft' server and it was immediately attacked, according to the priest that set it up". Business Insider. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
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Further reading