MineCustoms Update! (Halo-craftstoms?)
We've made a lot of progress on the server! Most of the plugins are working well and we are fast approaching opening day! The worlds are generated and working with the correct permissions, and the spawn city is nearly complete. Here is a run down of some basic things players will want to know before entering the game for the first time:
Build World:
When you first spawn into the server you will be in Build World, right at the heart of Spawn City. Within the city limits you are protected from mobs, PvP, burn damage, explosions... pretty much everything besides fall damage. This is a safe area where you can obtain services, get an apartment, and meet up with others in safety! The city will not be complete, as we want to leave room for others to add in their own shops, houses, and whatever else the city might need!
Outside the city it is a bit more dangerous, as mobs will attack. However, if you are going to make an interesting build this is the place to do it. Here you can have somewhat protected builds where you need not fear interference from other players, as any form of griefing is strictly forbidden! So long as you are in build world feel safe to build, but remember that this is still survival and you do need to keep yourself alive! We may hold build contests here at times as well, with the best of the best being preserved (in some form or another) even after world resets.
The Wilds:
Within the city limits there is a teleport building. The main portal will take you to a land known as The Wilds. In the spawn of the wilds the protections of build world linger, but once outside of the city ALL BETS ARE OFF. Mobs, explosions, and fire are all things to worry about and combat is on Hard difficulty. Furthermore, once far enough out of the city PvP is enabled! If you are looking to fight your friends this is the place to go. If you do venture into the wilds it would be wise to bring armor and a weapon, not to mention a good supply of food.
While The Wilds are a dangerous place, they are also a rewarding one. There are many things that can only be found inside the Wilds, including Dark Oak trees, Giant Mushrooms, Diamonds, Emeralds, and Lapis Lazuli. If you want to get ahold of these materials you will need to travel into the wilds to get them. There may also be a chance to enter The End from The Wilds at some point, as there is no way to enter it from Build World.
User Levels and Permissions:
Grunt: New players who need to earn our trust. Grunts do not have full building permissions yet. After a set amount of time Grunts will be automatically promoted to Marines.
Marine: Standard players on the server. Regular Halocustoms members will be automatically promoted to Marine rank.
Heretic: While PvP is allowed in the Wilds, it is not without consequence. Any member who kills a non-heretic member (or steals from them and is caught) will be branded a Heretic until the next Wilds world reset. Heretics have the same permissions as Marines, but everyone will know what you did and may be more wary trusting you. On the other hand, there are some who may decide they want to be marked as a Heretic. The choice is yours!
Spartan: Moderators, essentially. HC staff playing on the server will be immediately promoted to Spartans, thought longtime players who have helped out may be recruited as well.
Prophet: Your administrative overlords! Admins on HC and those of us who run the server are Prophet tier and have all access in order to maintain the server.
What's Left To Do?
At this point we have a few bugs to work out and a few more buildings to build before we can get to Beta testing. Once we have that done and we are sure that everything works as it is supposed to the server will be ready to go. Expect to be able to get on in a couple of weeks time! Until then, we'll keep you up to date on what's going on.