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November Wall o'Text and stuff...

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Koolio:
This post is a the missing wall of text that I decided not to put on the frontpage this time  :P
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So I should explain some of my own reluctance to really do any server stuff lately, such as bukkit plugins for the server or build projects as it has more to do with bukkit project itself pretty much disbanding as posted 3months ago.. the effects of that on servers and not just my own can be seen in the decline of new plugins and updated ones.. I briefly got into making java plugins and converting a lot of the skript code into proper java plugins for the server before 1.7 just as signs of other plugin developers abandoning there plugin projects were starting to happen.  It also halted any rank changes as I was intending to make a plugin to handle players ranking up based on other stats, recommendations, loyalty, playtime etc, just moving away from basing ranks on voting sites which I really don't care for anymore (which makes me laugh because I realize everytime I say it I probably cause 5more players not see anypoint in going to voting sites either :D ) And if skript and phpsend ever stops working, Kraftzone would really not feel like kraftzone I can tell you that, anyway after bukkit team quitting, my own interest in coding plugins for the server halted aswel.

Its not a good sign because no one really wants to code for an abandoned project, and then redo it again for another server project if you continue. Still there are good signs of a bukkit 1.8 alternative (spigot based on bukkit, which we have been using over a year anyway) coming out this/next month, I seriously hope it will support as much of the existing plugin base. Kraftzone's server setup is very much dependent on many core plugins working, and I really couldn't fix them all (about 90plugins, even the larger server networks only have like 40 plugins at most), I have managed to keep a few abandoned plugins going with some minor fixes. Its not fun though, only good for learning experience and your time would be better spent working on your own plugins.

Anyway in that time I've taken a bit of step back from Minecraft it and got into another game called 7 days to die with a server which I've been running for 2 months http://7dtd.tk  It happens to also be one of the few servers with some very cool plugins made by yours truly.  A bit like all the stuff you find with bukkit essentials, only for 7dtd which is still in alpha and does not have anywhere near the kind of developer/modding community that minecraft has for it yet. So its been fun making that stuff and I plan to continue on with it.

So what does that mean for Kraftzone the minecraft server, well it means this website is going to be changing a little bit overtime. I'm planning on turning Kraftzone.net into more of a gaming network, not just a minecraft server. This website has a minecraft feel to it, with minecraft avatars, other minecraft related galleries, etc ...it will all remain for the most part, however it will most likely be pushed onto a subdomain like http://mc.kraftzone.net  while http://Kraftzone.net will become more like a frontpage to encompass all of the other sites and news from those sites. http://Kraftwars.net will be part of the network and get some more attention. Your username/password for the account here will become the main login for all websites hosted underneath Kraftzone.net such as the faction server and the 7dtd server.

The other change will be in donator ranks, that whole money thing that helps keep this all going, has been slowing down over the months which is really just the way things go, minecraft is pretty much past its popularity on the pc, and more on the decline, but just like other such hugely popular games it still has millions of players. And a few of them still like the minecraft server I run here, so these changes are really more of a way to keep the minecraft server going.

The way I see it, is that Kraftzone as a minecraft only server will go on only as long as people play on it, but even that still needs new players and people willing to contribute to the hosting fees. Coming near 3 years of Kraftzone I can't say I still run this server for the same reasons I did when I started it. While I had initially set out to just pay for the server hosting myself, donations weren't even something I'd even considered, however the server expanded and so did the costs for it. Taking donations when you are running something like that is a no brainer, your own time and effort involved is a lot more than most people can even consider. What starts off like hobby that you pay for out of your own pocket that you do for fun, soon turns into more of responsibility and an obligation to past donators to keep it all going. Its been fun and a great way to have projects where you can learn stuff though.

I'm sure some of you still remember the brief period in Kz history when I gave it all away. Only to soon came back as I saw it get run into the ground and its hard to just watch something you've start go down hill like that. I still enjoying doing this however it won't last how it is currently without further improvements and changes to how things are done.

And I just want to address the perception some have over what a server like this makes in donations just because they see what other servers get in donations and compare the quality of kraftzone to what are very much for profit servers or what some players have said to have donated to this server. I can tell you in 3years of running kraftzone the way I have, you would make more money working at <minimum wage job > in month. So I get a bit irked at people who think I run kraftzone and make money from it like its profit when its not, I run it the way that has allowed the server to go for as long as it has. 1-2 people a month donating for a tier rank and or creative has kept this going. Its had more than 2 people in a month in the past, its even had a few larger donations than the ranks are priced at, some think I've made a great profit out of it. Like they've paid for the lifetime of the server hosting bills and I've gone on holiday.

Well simply not true, T3 donations barely cover 1-2weeks worth of the dedicated hosting bill now, that means that for those who have gotten t3 and creative (using old price) have generally helped pay 2weeks of hosting. Now I know there is many who like to tally up who's donated and try to work out I've sitting on a big pile of money running Kraftzone.. well its not true, it covers the hosting and any extra if made (usually when the exchange rate was not accounted for) is put aside to cover slower months. I can say I've pretty good job of keeping it going for this long (if it was about making money KZ would have been run a lot different and the cracked server would have been cut years ago).

Now things are slowing down its gone back to me putting in my own money to offset what contributions come in for the month. The current dedicated server is more than what Kraftzone (just the main server) actually needs anymore with the current playerbase not including Kraftwars, 3xbungee proxy servers, the lobby server, teamspeak and website server also used for map backups, so downsizing is an option though it would change the feel on Kraftzone which I'd rather avoid. As I'm running the 7dtd server that could take over from where Kz has in new players contributing to the upkeep of that instead, and so long as the current dedicated server manages to keep it all running smoothly that is how it will go from here on.

That's how this show runs and I can't say I've done a bad job of doing it. I still think my kraftzone/xmas trailer wipes the floor of many the server listed top servers, and Kraftzone's history and maps are some of coolest towns and builds ever, not just griefed builds all over the map that aren't even worth keeping on server resets. So thanks to all those who have not let get that way.

Great servers and large communities have a great playerbase whos time and effort go into making it what it is, sharing there own time and creativity often for nothing more than a rank and recognition within the community. So its not all one guy doing it all, which is why I'm trying to find those who are self motivated and want to improve the server without needing to be asked or told.

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