So, we are trying to make a Map where Minecraft players could join either in Singleplayer or Multiplayer. In this map we will recreate a real historic building (i.e. Eifel Tower, Empire State Building, etc...) telling the historical and architectonic aspects of the builds, as a scientific communication model to gamers.
Our doubt are:
1 - We need to work collectively and simultaneously, we talked about Forge and Github. But we are not working in the same physical place, each one of us are scattered though our city, there is any way that we can work together in a multiplayer mode?
Some us know how to code and use Github, but some don't. Because the deadline, we can't teach everyone how to use it. So, there is other ways to us work collectively besides Forge and Github?
2 - If we create a multiplayer map can it be adapted/accessed for single player and vice versa, creating it on singleplayer mode can be adapted/accessed by a multiplayer mode?
And while creating servers of that magnitude is something well beyond the skills of someone just getting into Minecraft multiplayer (though you can easily join any of them to take a look around and play with folks), rest assured you and your friends can easily get a simple Minecraft server you can work collectively and simultaneously on up and running without too much hassle.
My name is Robert and I am going to attempt to answer as many of your questions (both stated and inferred by your question) in turn as thoroughly as I possibly can. In addition, I'd like to ask a few questions so I can get myself up to speed with your experience with Minecraft so I know the level of detail that might be required going forward with helping you.
*How long have you been playing Minecraft?
*I assume by your lack of experience with the multiplayer aspect of the game that this is your first time ever setting something like this up, would I be correct?
*How many people are you wanting to be able to play together in this build group you are creating?
*I would assume by your description that you and your group want to eventually complete this map and make it available for download on this and other Minecraft sites where you can get maps like https://www.planetminecraft.com/ and http://www.minecraftmaps.com/ . Am I correct?
*How are you wanting to display these builds you will be making? Are you just going to be building them wherever in a normal Minecraft world? Or are you wanting them all nicely lined up side by side and in rows?
*Are you aware that Minecraft has a Superflat option for world creation?
*What the heck are you building in Minecraft that you need a deadline?
Know that I absolutely encourage questions to anything I will be talking about here, as well as any other questions you might have related to it. I will try and answer any and all questions to the best of my ability. I have been playing Minecraft for just over 8 years since August 2011, so I know quite a bit about it. Feel free to ask anything and I will try to either answer it or direct you to where you might find an answer. I am always willing to help,
I am aware of the other thread you started asking about MOD and world creation and I read that all the way through.
Because of the apparent misunderstanding and miscommunication on that thread you were told about a bunch of things that were completely irrelevant to simply setting up a Minecraft multiplayer experience for yourself and some friends to build in and enjoy. So, I am going to address the two main concerns in your post above you seem to have that were created due to those misunderstandings and miscommunications.
'Joining' Inherently Means Multiplayer
First off though, when you speak of wanting someone to be able to 'join' a Minecraft game, this means a multiplayer game by definition. You don't 'join' a singleplayer game because then it would no longer be single player.
You DO NOT Need Forge or GitHub
You first question is about using Forge and Github. I want you to be reassured you absolutely DO NOT have to worry about Forge or Github if your only goal is to set up a Minecraft multiplayer world. So you can breathe easy that no one is going to have to learn much of anything complicated and it is not going to take very long at all to get this set up. Neither Forge nor Github have any relevance to what it sounds like you are trying to accomplish. But for the record, I will briefly describe each of these for your own edification so you at least know what the heck they are when people mention them.
Forge
Forge is the most common modding API that is used in the creation and running of Minecraft mods. Only if you are a modder do you need to worry about knowing anything about the inner workings of Forge. If you are just someone running mods on your world all you have to know is how to download and install Forge (which is easy as pie), and how to download and install the mods (which is also super easy, like usually drag-and-drop easy). But again, Forge is not relevant to this discussion so it will not be mentioned again. However, I DO know a bunch about using (not creating) Minecraft mods if you ever want to know about it in the future, so feel free to ask. Who knows, after you get this build project up and running, you may want to set up a modded multiplayer server with other worlds in the future.
Github
Github is a code repository that coders in general use to help with keeping track of their build versions, code history, and source code and files. It is also a place where people wishing to access open source code (depending on the program), or to compile a program from its source code can go to find the necessary files and information. But again, like Forge, Github is irrelevant to the task at hand, so you can completely disregard it.
So again, both of these things are only relevant for Minecraft modders and you don't need to worry about them at all.
What Is REALLY Required
All that is required to enjoy Minecraft multiplayer is the setting up of a Minecraft Server or LAN (which is basically just a local server). You can read about servers here:
You'll probably want a server because it sounds like even though you are all in the same city, you won't be playing together in the same room or building (meaning on the same network) much, if at all. Though that is always an option even if you use a server initially. That option is called LAN and I will go over it a little later as well in case you ever decide to get together and want to do Minecraft multiplayer in the same place.
Accessibility Of A Minecraft Map For Singleplayer/Multiplayer
In response to your other question about being able to access a map in both single and multiplayer modes. Any Minecraft map is just that, a map. It does not by default have any single or multiplayer mode attached to it. How it can be accessed all depends on what the needs of those using the map are, what they are doing, and whether the map is placed within your Minecraft game 'saves' folder or a server installation. Any Minecraft world or map can be used interchangeably depending on how those using it wish to access it.
About Versions
The BIG thing to remember with Minecraft maps is that once you start playing in a specific version of the game, playing in an older version will cause considerable alterations to the world and may even alter the world enough to break it. Generally, you never want to go back a version (for instance, down from 1.14 to 1.13), because doing so will eliminate any added features or blocks from your map once you load it in the older version. It is usually safe to go up versions however, as the game is not losing, but gaining more things as the version number increases. The only thing is that you will not see new features or blocks (if they are part of world generation) in already mapped chunks of the game and will have to generate new chunks for those features and blocks to have the ability to generate.
Minecraft Singleplayer
To access a Minecraft map for singleplayer, the map must be in the 'saves' folder in your .minecraft installation folder (which is itself usually in a folder called 'appdata', at least on a Windows OS). You can also access these folders easily by going into the Resource Pack section in the options menu of the game and selecting the 'Open Resource Pack Folder' option in the lower left. Then go up one folder and you'll be in your .minecraft folder where everything for the game is kept. Alternatively, on Windows you can type %appdata% in the search function to find it. You will want to go into the 'Roaming' folder from there and it should be at or near the top. You should as a matter of habit shortcut to your .minecraft folder for ease of use in the future. It just makes accessing everything in here so much easier.
Minecraft Multiplayer
To access a Minecraft map for multiplayer, where it has to go depends on what type of multiplayer you are using: LAN or a server. Also, everyone who wants to join in a multiplayer game, whether LAN or server, MUST be running the exact same version of Minecraft as that used for the LAN host or the server.
Multiplayer Via LAN
If you are wanting to play a world via LAN, first off, everyone must be on the same network (LAN stands for Local Area Network). Then, whoever has the world being used must open it in singleplayer as if it was just them playing. This requires them to have the world in their 'saves' folder as mentioned above in Minecraft Singleplayer. They then go into the game menu (with Esc) and select 'Open to LAN', choose the type of access they want to allow to everyone joining the LAN, and then select 'Start LAN World'.
The options here are the Game Mode; either Survival, Creative, Spectator, or Adventure (which dictates what they have access to and how they will be able to interact with the world); and whether or not to Allow Cheats (On or Off), which means the ability to use game altering commands via the in-game command prompt or command blocks. It is basically like giving someone admin 'op' permissions. You can read about commands here:
Then everyone else goes into their Multiplayer menu from the title screen and should see this LAN world pop up under the 'Scanning for games on your local network'. If not then you might have firewall issues on one or more of your computers (including the host computer), or you might have to directly connect to the computer hosting the LAN world using its IP address followed by the port number. This happens sometimes.
You can get this port number by looking at the chat in the Minecraft game of the host computer. It will say 'Local game hosted on port ##### (where ##### is a five digit number, usually in the 50000 or 60000 range). The format you will want to use is like this: ###.###.###.###:#### Where the numbers and periods are the IP and the port number comes after the IP separated from it by a colon (:), so for example 192.168.2.3:56789
The IP address that follows that format above is called your internal IP or local IP. Your local IP is the address that identifies your computer on the network that it is currently connected to. You can find this on Windows by running the command prompt via 'cmd' through search and typing ipconfig. It usually displays as something like 'IPv4 Address' near the top.
Multiplayer Via Server
The other option for multiplayer is to do it via server (which is the option you will likely be using given your circumstances). By using a server you are running a Minecraft world independent of anyone's interactions with it and simply logging into and out of this world, each using your respective Minecraft game clients (which is the main Minecraft program you downloaded and installed when you purchased the game). It will continue to run in the background on the server computer even if no one is actively logged into it using their Minecraft client.
The difference between logging into a server world versus a LAN world is that a server will use what is called an external IP to allow others to access it. Your external IP is different from your local IP. You can find your external IP by going to https://www.whatsmyip.org/
Note: You can use a server even if you are all together in the same place. You do not need to constantly switch your world from being on a server to being on LAN and back dependent on your proximity to each other. You can use a server if you are in the same room, the same building, the same neighborhood, the same city, the same state, country, or anywhere in the world. However, the IP that people use to log into the world via the server will change as you move around (if the server is on a laptop or a tower computer that is moved), so take that into account. If the server remains stationary then that will not be an issue.
Notes About Having Your Own Server
Lag When Running Server & Client On Same Computer
Unless you have a dedicated server computer to act as the host for this world, one of you is going to have to use your computer for this purpose as well as to log into the server world using your Minecraft game client to actually play the game. Running a server and your Minecraft client at the same time can be quite taxing on lesser systems and create major lag for yourself and anyone else playing on the server. The severity of this lag depends on the capabilities of the computer running the server. Sometimes you'll hardly experience any, while other times it can make the game unplayable, making so you can't interact with, pickup, or hit anything. You should be aware of this beforehand. Using a separate computer for purposes of running a Minecraft server is highly recommended unless you have a pretty powerful setup.
Server Uptime
If using a server to have people playing together in multiplayer, the computer that is running the server must stay on at all times that you are wanting to allow people onto the server. That is the idea behind the term 'server'; it 'serves' the Minecraft world to everyone so they can access it. So you need to be aware of this if you choose to set up your own server. The person who has the server must have their computer on the entire time they want it going and open for the other players (as well as themselves) to be able to access and play in it.
Server Uptime Scheduling
Since it sounds like you are all in the same city (and thus in the same time zone), you can figure out what a good play time would be amongst yourselves and simply open the server at times when the group will be using it and turn it off when they're not. You DO NOT have to have it on 24/7 unless you want to!
For example, depending on everybody's schedule who is involved in this project (such as work, school, or other obligations), the person with the server can simply open it when they get up in the morning and close it when they go to bed.
If everyone is on the same schedule, you can schedule a time to have it open so everyone can work together on the project, (say in the evenings between 5pm and 10pm for example).
If there are people on different schedules (such as morning, swing, and graveyard) you might find it easier and more convenient to use one of the server hosting options I mention below.
3 Options For Creating A Minecraft Server
There are three main options for creating a Minecraft Server. You can decide which one is right for you.
Creating Your Own Minecraft Server
The first involves doing it yourself. This is the only option I personally have experience with, so that is why I am mentioning it first. It is also the only option I can in good conscience recommend as I have no experience with the other options. Though I'm sure Microsoft has probably made the Realms process described below as painless as possible. This is the least expensive and relatively simple way to do it, especially if all the members of this build group communicate with one another and are able to arrange a pretty consistent time to all be on the server and play together, or at least to have the server open (if you decide to not have it open 24/7). If you choose to go this route, I have provided some steps to set up your own server after I list the other two server options.
Minecraft Realms
I do not have experience with this option, I am simply listing it here because it exists and you should know about it.
Microsoft and Mojang provide their own server hosting service so that you and your friends can access it anytime for a small monthly fee. The main upside to this is that it is always open and can be accessed by anyone you allow permissions to (as they are private servers) 24/7. It also eliminates the potential lag problems of having a Minecraft server and client running on the same computer at the same time that I mentioned earlier. The fee could even be split between all the members of the build group to keep costs down for a single person. Going this route will also help with file security as I assume Microsoft likely keeps backups of things in case of failures somewhere. The main limitation of going this route is that a Minecraft Realms server can only host 10 people simultaneously, so keep that in mind if this build group is larger than that.
I do not have experience with this option either, I am simply listing it here because it exists and you should know about it.
There are numerous Minecraft server hosting sites that will host your Minecraft world for a small monthly fee. The same benefits I listed above for Minecraft Realms applies here as well. Minecraft server hosts are so numerous that I have no idea which are the best options, the most affordable, have the best reputations, are the safest, etc. You'll need to do your own research on each one if you decide to go this route. Which is also the reason I list this last.
This section briefly goes over the steps you will need to take to set up a Minecraft server on your own computer. If you opted to go one of the server hosting routes then you can disregard most of this. If you want to read it for your own edification, then feel free to do so. You can also find more details as well as instructions for other operating systems besides Windows here:
Though that is not the official site, it has all the client and servers for pretty much every version of Minecraft. I trust it and I use it so you should be safe.
If you prefer to get it from the official source for the most recent non-snapshot version of the game, you can go here:
Create a folder exclusively to hold your server. Name it something that makes sense like 'Minecraft Server' and then the version number. This is important! A server will not work right if you have more than one in a folder. If you for some reason got server files mixed together, delete any duplicate files that the extra server created. Make sure you are deleting the right ones though in case you have changed any settings, opped anyone, or made a whitelist, etc. Put each server in a different folder.
Run server.jar With Java
Put the server.jar file (or whatever you decide to name it) you downloaded in the folder and run it with Java. Depending on the version, it will initially create two files and a folder: the files 'eula.txt' and 'server.properties', and the folder 'logs'. The 'eula.txt' and 'server.properties' are both text documents that can be opened with NotePad, WordPad, NotePad++ or any other simple text editing software. Older server versions may not have the EULA and will simply create all the necessary operating files the first time you run it. The file server.properties contains lots of settings you can customize about the world a server creates or a world you are running on it.
Agreeing to the EULA
The next step you must perform if your server generated a 'eula.txt' file is opening and agreeing to the EULA or 'End User License Agreement', which you can read by copy and pasting the link in the text document. All you do is change the 'false' at the end of eula=false to 'true' and save the change. If you do not do this, the server will simply shutdown upon trying to run again.
Start The Server
After agreeing to the EULA, run the server jar again and it will produce the rest of the files needed to run the server as well as starting the server and creating an initial world for it based on its default settings. Again, older server versions may not have a EULA and will simply create all the necessary server files the first time it is run.
The additional files the server should create are: banned-ips.json, banned-players.json, ops.json, usercache.json, and whitelist.json
.json files can also be opened and edited in the text editor of your choice. For older server versions, these files will be .txt files instead of .json files.
Minecraft Server Settings
The server.properties file that the Minecraft server jar creates the first time you run it has a plethora of settings you can alter and customize for any world you have the server create, as well as a world you are hosting using the server. Some of the options I know, but many I do not (or simply don't use). You can get a complete rundown of what the options in the server.properties file affect by going here:
As this list consists of 42 separate items and not all of them are important or relevant if you are just running a bare-bones basic Minecraft server, I am not going to go into detail unless asked. The wiki page above gives pretty much what you need to know about the settings that would likely affect a basic Minecraft server, and it would be redundant to retype all that here, so please see that page for details. You can see all the available options there or by simply downloading and running the server jar yourself.
One that I will mention and that has significant bearing on our discussion is:
level-name=world
This option is the name of the world you want the server to open and allow everybody to log in to. All worlds you want a server to have access to MUST be present in the folder with the server. By default, when a server is first started (after agreeing to the EULA), it will create a random world using its default server settings called 'world' and this world will appear in the folder you put the server in after it is done generating (which is shown by a number with a % after it in the server console window). Changing what comes after the = in this setting allows you to have the server open and host whatever world you want. For example, if the world you create for this historical build project is called 'Historical Build Project' then that is what you would type where the word 'world' is above directly after level-name=, so it would look like this level-name=Historical Build Project . It really is that simple. The server will then find that world in your server folder, open it, and allow everybody else to log into it.
Op The Appropriate People (Probably Everybody)
In the server console, type 'op username' where username is whoever you wish to op, into the small line in the bottom right to give admin or op permissions to whoever you want. They do not have to be logged into the server to do this. This is essentially the same as turning the Allow Cheats option in the LAN multiplayer description ON for whoever you 'op'. Everyone who is 'opped' will be able to use all the commands that Minecraft offers like changing gamemodes, gamerules, changing the weather, tp-ing (teleporting) to other players and players to them, etc. Again, for the massive list of commands that being opped gives you access to, go here: https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Commands
All players who are opped will appear in the file ops.json. This file is complex and utilizes each player's UUID, so I recommend against editing this file directly and just rely on using 'op' or 'deop' through the server console if you want to change things.
Have Everyone Log In With Their Minecraft Clients
Last but not least, once the server is running with the appropriate world you want, have everyone log in through their Minecraft clients (including whoever is running the server). They each go into their Multiplayer menus, select 'Add Server', input a name for the server and its IP address which can be found by the server owner by going to https://www.whatsmyip.org/ and giving that to everyone you want to be able to log in to the server. The server should now show up in the server list with little green bars denoting the number of players logged into the server and the number of players allowable. If not try hitting 'Refresh' and see if that helps. Everyone should now be able to log in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, any Minecraft world can be transferred from singleplayer, to LAN, to being run on a server, and then back simply depending on where it is placed within the Minecraft game or server installation. Putting your world folder in the 'saves' folder in someone's Minecraft game client installation allows singeplayer access for that person and the opening of LAN access (to that person's computer) for everyone on the same network. Putting your world folder in your server folder and setting the
level-name= option in the server.properties text file to whatever the name of your world is, will allow quick and easy server play by opening this world through the server and allowing everyone to log in and enjoy server-based multiplayer.
I hope this has helped you understand what is needed for you and your friends to enjoy Minecraft multiplayer and bring your Historical Build Project idea to life. It isn't that hard to get multiplayer up and running (whether server or LAN). However, there are a few snags you may encounter in the process. In particular, there is an issue you may encounter called port-forwarding that we might have to deal with. I can provide a more thorough step by step if needed. Please let me know if you encounter any problems getting your own server set up if that is the way you choose to go. If you go with Minecraft Realms or other server hosting, you likely won't encounter very many problems but you may still. But remember, I don't know much about those things so I won't be able to help very well there.
If you have any further questions or need clarification on any point I have discussed, don't hesitate to ask. I would also love to follow up with you, finding out what way you decided to go to get the multiplayer going, and if you ever make the map available, so please let me know. It could be an interesting teaching resource as I homeschool my son.
Hello, Robert!
My name is Fernando, english isn't my native language, sorry any grammar mistake.
Thanks a lot for the detailed reply!
I read it all and passed it to my colleagues. I'll start answering the early questions that you did.
I have played Minecraft a lot between 2012-2016. Most playtime was survival mode interacting with the world, farming stuff and building my little farm. But the first person perspective always caused me discomfort, like vertigem and nausea, so I have to stop playing. You're correct, I never played any multiplayer map. Minecraft to me was at breaks from MMOs, that I used to play with friends.
For this map project we are about 4 to 8 people, can join more depends on external/unexpected factors. Yes, our plan is to make it available to download to other players. We're planning on a progressive construction of a Big real life space, we expect to reproduce our local workplace and their buildings as an visiting online site, i.e. an excavation site to use as a science communication tool.
Our starting point will be the principal attraction, the most famous building. From it we will progressing adding new buildings and places by time. Because that we have a deadline, we need to make it available in early December.
I didn't know about the Superflat feature, can you explain more about that? Sounds like our project could benefit from that.
A question that we have is:
We work with AutoCAD schematics, as the builds blueprints and stuff. Has any software that we can use to import and export to Minecraft?
You are very welcome. I hope that all the info I provided helps you with your project.
Yes, I know English is not your first language. You said as such in your other forum thread. Not that it matters much. You seem to be doing just fine to me.
Considering how long ago you played, I'm surprised you did not know about the Superflat option. It was added at the beginning of 2012 so it has existed the entire time you played from 2012 to 2016. Well regardless, I got you covered. I go over it at the bottom of this post.
Regarding the vertigo and nausea issues. I can relate if you are talking about changing the FOV settings to anything higher than the standard 70 or 'Normal' setting. The 'Quake Pro' setting (which is the highest at 110) is completely unplayable for me. Did you perhaps change that setting and that is why you experienced the symptoms? And do you have them anymore while playing, or did they subside? I know it sure affects me in a negative way.
More Questions If I May
*What MMOs did you and your friends used to play? And do you still play them?
*You mention excavation site in your description of what you do above. Are you in archaeology, paleontology, or some other profession that deals with digging stuff up? Or am I misunderstanding?
*It sounds from this: "We're planning on a progressive construction of a Big real life space, we expect to reproduce our local workplace and their buildings as an visiting online site," that you are going to use a recreation of your workplace as the hub of the world. Is that correct?
*Do you all work at the same place?
*Are you all in the same, or similar professions?
*What are your professions if I might ask?
*What are your skills pertaining to Minecraft? *Are there different people within your group who are better at different aspects of the game?
*Who is doing what for this map?
*What are your plans to start with? *What are you planning to create first?
*I'm still kind of puzzled as to why there is a hard deadline of December for this map. Is it because of winter coming and there being snow that will obscure whatever it is you are trying to replicate for the map?
When answering, you are welcome to just copy/paste my question and then your answer if you'd like. That way it might be easier to keep track of them all. I know, I am curious If I am being nosy let me know.
AutoCAD and Minecraft
Unfortunately, I know nothing about AutoCAD other than it exists and have heard it can be used with Minecraft, but other than that I cannot help you with that aspect of what you are doing. And I briefly perused those two articles, and given that I know nothing about AutoCAD, all that lingo he uses goes right over my head. It's like a foreign language to me. I don't even understand it let alone could tell you whether it still works or not. And by the way, the articles are from 2014, not 2004. Minecraft didn't exist back then
Schematics and MCEdit
If AutoCAD is capable of outputting the schematic file format,
then it should just be a matter of loading the schematics into Minecraft via a Minecraft external editing program such as MCEdit. Unfortunately, MCEdit is several versions of Minecraft behind (it's at 1.11 or 1.12 I believe) and doesn't support all the blocks as of yet. But you can find it here:
I do not now what the difference between those two versions are. I just stumbled across the latter while Googling the former. The former is the one I've used, but not in many years.
MCEdit Tutorials
I'm gonna be honest. I've used MCEdit all of maybe a handful of times the past 8 years I've played Minecraft to move things around in a few of my older worlds, so I am not the one to ask on how to use it and what it is capable of. I do however know for a fact that MCEdit uses the schematic file format to import things from other programs into Minecraft, and vice versa. I've just never done it myself. I would read the documentation and look up the myriad of YouTube videos on the subject (just make sure they are for the most recent version of the program, or whichever version you chose to use). I know there are tutorial videos from everything about the basics of using the thing, to all about the filters feature and everything in between. Like I said, this is not my area of expertise.
For that reason, I have included a few resources you and your group can use to help educate yourself about it.
YouTube
Here are a few YouTube searches filtered by most recent:
Remember that you want to make sure you are using info for the versions of MCEdit and Minecraft you are using. I don't know how much the program changes between Minecraft updates, so things that used to be a feature long ago may not work anymore. Things like filters, I mean. The basic moving around and editing of stuff and the import/export of schematic files has likely remained the same for all versions.
Here are a few sites that specialize in Minecraft schematics you might find helpful. Their FAQS might have useful stuff that would assist in your project. They might also have forums specifically for the site, I don't know. I just found them now, so I don't know anything about them, but here you go:
There is a Bukkit server plugin, Forge mod, as well as on a few other modding platforms, called WorldEdit that is many times used hand-in-hand alongside MCEdit to help create structures and other things faster and then export them to schematic files. I've never used it myself though, so again, I am not the person to go to for info on this.
There is also an external editing program called WorldPainter that many use to customize a Minecraft world by hand, much like painting a world on a canvas, hence the name. It is capable of modifying chunk size (16x16 blocks) areas of a Minecraft world to whatever biome or block you want. It is used to terraform a large-scale general geography that is then taken into MCEdit, or used alongside WorldEdit in-game to modify and tweak it further.
With all this talk about external editing programs, you may not be aware of some in-game alternatives to assist with or compliment your builds. I will briefly mention three of them here.
Structure Blocks were added in Minecraft 1.10 and can be used internally within the game (and transferable between maps as each structure - or piece of a structure - is saved to a separate file) to create structures of varying size and complexity. They are used by the game itself when creating things like the randomized layouts of the Woodland Mansions.
Jigsaw Blocks are blocks that can be used to create randomized layouts from a predefined list of template structures. They are used by the game itself when creating the new villages as well as the Pillager Outposts.
Though what you can do with commands building-wise is quite limited in comparison to stuff like WorldEdit or MCEdit, it is still pretty good if you need basic things like cubes, boxes, platforms, and other blocky objects. Of particular interest are things like the /fill and /clone commands for working with blocks. The /setblock, /testforblock, and /testforblocks commands for interacting with blocks. The /particle and /playsound commands for creating visual and audio effects. And things like the /execute, /give, /tellraw, and /testfor commands for interacting with players. Overall, utilizing some of the game's own commands can help you make your maps more responsive to player actions while they are exploring the world you create.
Imparting Information Through Signs, Books, /title and /tellraw Commands
If imparting knowledge to those that experiencing your map is one of your primary goals, then you'll likely use one of four different methods to achieve this: signs, books, the /title command, or the /tellraw command.
A Book and Quill holds a whopping 50 pages of text (albeit rather large Minecraft text), so its not as much as it at first sounds, but you can fit a lot of info into one of these things.
Once you have a book exactly the way you want it, you can finalize the book, essentially sealing it and making it read-only so people can pick it up and read it. It can be read beforehand as a Book and Quill, but it is also editable at this time as well.
Books are also capable of interacting with the game's redstone system via the Lectern block. It outputs a signal dependent on how many pages you are into the book.
that let you concentrate more on what is on the sign, in the /title or /tellraw command, or in book and allows you to use simple text formatting tools like you're using a program like Microsoft Word to format, highlight, bold, and color the text, among other things. It really is quite remarkable.
You can even make it so that players can click on certain text on a sign, in a /tellraw command, or in a book to execute commands. You can even include things like links to websites if you are so inclined in a /tellraw command. Since your map sounds like it will be all about learning architectural and historical facts about different structures, this might be of particular interest to you. The options here, if you learn how to use them, are really quite extensive.
Minecraft Superflat World Generation
So, about your other question, Superflat World Gen. Superflat is a world generation option you can find when you create a new world under the 'More Word Options' button on the 'Create New World' screen. It is one of five world gen options, the others being: Default, Large Biomes, AMPLIFIED, and Buffet. You can read more about each here:
Of particular interest when there is a need to build a completely customized world, Superflat worlds are a completely flat plain made up of layers of whatever block types you wish. The amount and thickness of these layers are completely customizable. You can also include or exclude all the standard Minecraft features in these worlds, such as trees, ores, villages, structures, etc. by adding to or deleting parts of the preset code generation string that is shown in the box at the top of the screen in the Superflat 'Presets' screen.
This is the preset string for the 'Overworld' preset. It creates exactly the same stuff you find in a standard 'Default' Minecraft world, but the entire thing is flat, has no caves, and is a single biome - in this case, plains (but it can be changed to whatever you want). But other standard structures like villages, mineshafts, and stronghold will generate, as well as lakes and lava pools.
There are 9 such presets that can be used, or you can simply add or delete your own layers if you know the syntax (which is not hard).
Superflat 'The Void' Preset
Speaking of presets, there is one in particular that is immensely valuable if you want to be able to create your entire world from scratch, as well as not have any hostile or passive mobs spawning in the world (which is a standard part of Minecraft world generation in any other world type), other than through the use of spawn eggs, monster spawners, or commands, and that preset is 'The Void'. The Void preset is absolutely nothing but air with a small 33x33 block platform for you to start on. This is great if you would like each structure to be floating on its own individual platform, for instance. You can create the platform and structure completely to your specifications.
TinkerCAD? Hmm...
Also, speaking of AutoCAD, I ran across this site while researching for this post. Thought you might find this entertaining. Literally by the same folks who make AutoCAD, AutoDesk. Perhaps this could be something you could use to help with this map. I noticed after the fact that Kean had mentioned it in one of his articles as well.
Hope everything I have provided helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions, if you didn't understand something, or I wasn't thorough enough, and I'll try to help or elaborate more as best I can. Good luck!
Hi, Robert, my name is Marcelo and I am working on the same project that Fernando mentioned.
Just to give you a bit more context about what we are trying to achieve. We work on a public health institution in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is one of the oldest and biggest public health institutions in Brazil, dealing with all fields of health, including scientific dissemination. The campus in Rio de Janeiro is comprised of several historical buildings, including the castle that inspired the institution´s logo (you can see more of the castle here: https://portal.fiocruz.br/castelo-patrimonio-da-ciencia). There are several expositions and cultural activities on these buildings, particularly for children, so it is an important environment for developing the love for science in kids. But of course, since Brazil is such a big country, a lot of people can´t come to Rio to visit the events taking place at Fiocruz. That is one of the reasons we thought about recreating the campus in the format of a Minecraft map and then making it available for download on Minecraft sites, so people who live far from Rio de Janeiro (actually, anyone in the world) could download the map and use it to learn and play. We will use real maps of Fiocruz's campus and buildings as references for our map.
We are not thinking about a multiplayer experience right now because we couldn´t secure the funding for buying and keeping a server. So, for now, we would just create the map for a single-player experience. Our first question, then, would be, are single and multiplayer maps interchangeable? Is it possible for me and Fernando to create together a map using a Minecraft server and, once that map is finished, give it to other players so they could experience it as a single-player map? Is it necessary to make any adjustments in this case?
Answering your questions:
*Do you all work at the same place?
We both work at the campus in Rio de Janeiro. I am a public servant and professor there. Until a couple of months ago, Fernando was a graduate student.
*Are you all in the same, or similar professions?
*What are your professions if I might ask?
I am a graphic designer/health communication researcher/game researcher. Fernando is a historian and scientific disseminator.
*What are your skills pertaining to Minecraft? *Are there different people within your group who are better at different aspects of the game?
I played a lot of Minecraft in the old days and (if I remember well) even tried to set up a domestic server once, but never tried my hand in creating mods or even complex maps like this project. We still have to recruit more people to our group.
*Who is doing what for this map?
Fernando is gathering the reference maps for the campus and the buildings and also some historical information, so we will be able to put historical snippets in many parts of the map. We both will build the map. I will also recruit more people to help with the construction.
*What are your plans to start with? *What are you planning to create first?
Our plan is starting with the castle. It is the "heart" of the institution and its main architectural highlight.
*I'm still kind of puzzled as to why there is a hard deadline of December for this map. Is it because of winter coming and there being snow that will obscure whatever it is you are trying to replicate for the map?
It is more of a bureaucratic thing. I got a grant for this project and in December there is a milestone where we have to present the castle already built. So, in order to keep the trust of the upper management, it is important for us to complete the main building in time.
When answering, you are welcome to just copy/paste my question and then your answer if you'd like. That way it might be easier to keep track of them all. I know, I am curious If I am being nosy let me know.
Please, be our guest and feel free to ask as many questions as you want You are being extremely helpful with your patient and very detailed answers. And we more than happy to share about what we are trying to do. We think this project is special in a lot of ways. First, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is a very old institution (for Brazilian standards, at least)
and it was a surprise even for us when they funded an initiative involving a digital game. Second, this project is designed to help the scientific dissemination among children and teenagers in Brazil, so it really could have a beneficial impact on the health and lives of the population of Brazil. So, again, we really want to thank you for your help with our many doubts.
I am happy to make your acquaintance. It is my pleasure to assist you gentlemen (and ladies if there are any in any way I can as you work your way through setting this up for your group.
As stated previously in my first answer to Fernando:
"Accessibility Of A Minecraft Map For Singleplayer/Multiplayer
In response to your other question about being able to access a map in both single and multiplayer modes. Any Minecraft map is just that, a map. It does not by default have any single or multiplayer mode attached to it. How it can be accessed all depends on what the needs of those using the map are, what they are doing, and whether the map is placed within your Minecraft game 'saves' folder or a server installation. Any Minecraft world or map can be used interchangeably depending on how those using it wish to access it."
and also here:
"Conclusion
In conclusion, any Minecraft world can be transferred from singleplayer, to LAN, to being run on a server, and then back simply depending on where it is placed within the Minecraft game or server installation. Putting your world folder in the 'saves' folder in someone's Minecraft game client installation allows singeplayer access for that person and the opening of LAN access (to that person's computer) for everyone on the same network. Putting your world folder in your server folder and setting the level-name= option in the server.properties text file to whatever the name of your world is, will allow quick and easy server play by opening this world through the server and allowing everyone to log in and enjoy server-based multiplayer."
Now, to elaborate a bit more using your questions directly from your post.
Important: In these answers and in other posts I have made previously, I mention changing a setting called 'level-name=' in the server.properties file that a server creates, from the default 'world' to whatever the name of the world you are using for this project will be. So, 'level-name=world' to 'level-name=your world name'. Despite mentioning it multiple times (as it is important to the operation of a server), this only needs to be done once. Unless you go changing the name of your world or you use the server to run multiple worlds with different names during the course of this project, this setting will stay the same unless changed.
Our first question, then, would be, are single and multiplayer maps interchangeable?
Yes, absolutely. All Minecraft maps are interchangeable for use in single OR multiplayer. As stated prior, Minecraft maps are never given a single or multiplayer designation at anytime during their creation or while being accessed that precludes them from being used the opposite way. Any Minecraft map is just that, a map with a world in it that anyone can be given and they can then decide whether they wish to play it singleplayer, multiplayer LAN, or multiplayer server. This means Minecraft maps can be moved from singleplayer access to multiplayer access and back again without doing anything to the folder containing the map itself. All that is required is placing the map folder in your 'saves' folder if accessing it single player or via LAN for multiplayer, or in a Minecraft server installation folder (which you will create yourself to put your server into if you make one yourself) if wanting to access it multiplayer via a server, and then ensuring the 'level-name=' field in the server.properties file matches the name of the world to be run exactly. How a person or group plays a map, and with how many people, is left to that individual player or players of the map in question.
Now, a map can be DESIGNED for use in multiplayer. But that will be a conscious choice of the map maker themselves and never an attribute inherent within the properties of the map. The only thing that would make a map multiplayer as opposed to singleplayer would be if someone decided to create puzzles within it that required the use of more than one player. For instance, if you had a door that opened with a stone button that is placed on the opposite side of the room from the door and there isn't enough time to get to the door once the button is pressed. Something like this would require that one player press the button while everyone else goes through the door. Maps that necessitate the use of more than one player in this fashion usually provide the ability to create shortcuts within the map to allow everyone to meetup again after a puzzle like this is completed, thus allowing them all to continue together, if not immediately, then shortly thereafter.
Is it possible for me and Fernando to create together a map using a Minecraft server and, once that map is finished, give it to other players so they could experience it as a single-player map?
Everything I am saying here in regards to creating a world via a server may not apply if you go the route of using Minecraft Realms or a Minecraft server hosting site. I do not know what world creation options are like when creating a map on a service like this. I can only speak about what I have experience in and that is creating worlds using singleplayer and self-created servers only.
It IS possible to create a map using a server, but the options are more limited and less robust than if you created the map for singleplayer first and then put it in your server folder, changed the 'level-name=' field, and started the server afterwards. The reason being is that a server does not have the graphical interface when creating worlds like the singleplayer world creation does. And also, depending on the type of world you wish to create, that world might not even be possible to create (notice I am not saying run) via a server (at least not that I can discern how to do yet), due to the lack of settings to do so.
For instance, say you wanted to create a Superflat 'Void' world as mentioned in my previous post on this thread. Doing this through the singleplayer world creation is quite simple as you merely select the 'Void' preset while in the Superflat presets screen. However, creating this same world via a server seems impossible at the moment as you only have the ability to designate the general Superflat world type using the the 'level-type=' line in the server.properties and changing it from 'default' to 'flat'. There is no option in the server.properties file to allow for selection of one of the nine presets available through the preset menu in singleplayer. Therefore, a server seems only capable of creating standard flat worlds that don't require any tweaking. The same goes with the myriad of options available via the 'Buffet' world type in singleplayer as well. The server.properties file seems only capable of recognizing that a world is 'buffet', but not which one of the 75 different buffet options there are. This lack of ability to input the desired additional information for world creation into this file essentially renders this world creation option completely useless.
Personally, I would create your world for this project using singleplayer and then simply move it to your server folder after creation. This is as simple as a copy and paste, and changing of the 'level-name=' field. Creating the world in singleplayer allows you full access to all available world creation options, and in a nice, easy to use graphical interface as well. Once a world is created, none of the fields in server.properties that affect world generation are relevant and can be ignored, as they no longer affect anything. They only apply when a world is CREATED BY the server, not simply being run using the server. All the data as to how a world generates after it is created is saved in a file in the world folder and travels along with that world.
Once you have a completed map (whether in whole or in part) all you need do is upload it to this and other Minecraft sites and anyone can download it and play it. Unless you designed something in the map to require more than one player, all you need do is describe your map, provide some screenshots and an optional video, and a link to download it (usually from someplace like Mediafire), but you could probably use a download link to a page on your site if that is how you will make it available, and that's it. If for some reason you DID design the map, or a portion of it, to require more than one player, do be sure to say that in your description. Otherwise, you need not say that a map is single or multiplayer as that is really up to the end user to decide. Any Minecraft map can be downloaded and played by as little as one person, or it can be downloaded by a teacher and played by their class of 30 students, or it can be downloaded by a server host and put on their server for 100 or 1,000 or more people to access. As stated previously, it is all in the way the individual or group using the map wishes to play it.
Is it necessary to make any adjustments in this case?
The only adjustment you and your group have to make is the moving of whatever world you create from your singleplayer 'saves' folder (as I assume you will create it in singleplayer given my advice from earlier) and moving it into your server folder (on whichever, or whoever's computer you decide to use for that purpose) for server operation. As I said, a simple copy and paste. The only thing you need do is change the 'level-name=' field in the server.properties file (after the file is generated when you first try and run the server file, and once you agree to the EULA) from 'world' to whatever the name of your world is. For instance: level-name=Historical Build Project . That is all that has to be done to tell the server to run that world.
Conclusion
The big confusion here seems to be that there is some sort of difference between single and multiplayer maps. I assure you, there IS NOT. Singleplayer and multiplayer are forms of accessing a map, not anything inherent within the map itself. ALL Minecraft maps are inherently devoid of any single or multiplayer designation and can be played by as little as one player in singleplayer, a small group via LAN, or as many as multiple thousands via a server. That includes this map you will be working on. It can be moved back and forth between single and multiplayer access just as easily. The only exception to this is if the maker(s) of the map has made it require multiple players due to how they DESIGNED it, (i.e. puzzles or something else requiring multiple people), and will be noted in the description of a map. I hope that, with everything that I have laid out here and previously, I have assuaged both your concerns around this issue and cleared up the confusion and misconceptions.
As always, if you, Fernando, or anyone else in your group has any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask them here and I will try and answer them in a timely fashion and as completely as possible.
Sorry for the long time to reply. Other projects got in the way.
Thank you very much for your detailed answer.
Since maps in Minecraft can be used interchangeably both for singleplayer and multiplayer, the work on the map should become much easier for us. I think we will follow your suggestion, creating a map on singleplayer and then moving it to a server for adding the structures.
Right now Fernando is locating and collecting the historical maps that will help us to base our Minecraft map. Meanwhile, I will create a server for our map. If everything goes fine, next week we should be building the first blocks. We will put regular updates about the work here.
Again, thank you very much. Your messages helped us immensely.
Excellent, Marcelo. And you are quite welcome. Sounds like you are getting close to breaking ground.
As a reminder, here is the main setting you need to change to whatever your world name is in order to load your singleplayer-created world through your server to access it for multiplayer:
Level Name
level-name=world
And don't forget to OP all your people via the server console.
Here are a few more settings that might be relevant to you that you will want to be aware of in the server.properties file, and their defaults. You can leave these as is or change them to your needs.
Here is the link to the server.properties page on the official wiki again so you can reference it for what these do, as I am not going to be redundant and rewrite all that here:
All other settings are either highly technical and seldom used by most people, not recommended to mess with by the wiki page itself, or are world generation settings that don't apply if you are simply loading a pre-generated world (as it sounds like you will be).
Technical Settings
broadcast-console-to-ops=true
broadcast-rcon-to-ops=true
enable-query=false
enable-rcon=false
max-tick-time=60000
network-compression-threshold=256
online-mode=true
prevent-proxy-connections=false
query.port=25565
rcon.password=
rcon.port=25575
resource-pack-sha1=
server-ip= (wiki says to not mess with this and I never have, though I DO know what it does)
snooper-enabled=true
use-native-transport=true
World Generation Settings
generate-structures=true
generator-settings=
level-seed=
level-type=default
If you have any issues while getting things set up please let me know, and I will try to help as best I can. As always, I look forward to hearing updates on your project and of course would like to know when it is complete (at least the first part of it, as it sounds like a multi-part project), so I can check it out.
When trying to create the Minecraft server I got stuck in a problem. Maybe you can help us.
I found a detailed tutorial that included port forwarding in the router (https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Personal-Minecraft-Server). I followed those steps and last Sunday everything was working fine. However, today, when I started the server and tried to connect I got this message: “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException: Connection refused: no further information”
I read through the articles from the links you provided. What I can tell you from my past experience is this:
I have never encountered the io.netty.channel issue myself that I can remember.
I have no idea how to use ESET NOD32 antivirus and what its features are, so I will be no help in dealing with anything if the problem is related to that.
Also, I noticed this in the list of incompatible programs that was linked in that first article:
Causes login and multiplayer connectivity problems.
ESET Security has a feature that interferes with Minecraft’s ability to connect to Mojang’s servers. To fix it, follow these instructions here, and set the mode to Interactive. Then, open the launcher and try to log into Minecraft. ESET will open a window asking what to do, press EXCLUDE.
If the above fix does not work, you will need to uninstall ESET Antivirus.
all depending on the types of stuff I have found my computers infected with over the years and they have solved all my special cases where I've had something attack my system or in some cases have just plain blocked things from assaulting my computer in the first place. I am not plugging or promoting them, just simply telling you what I use.
And I don't use Windows 10 as my computer has Windows 8. So, I have no idea if an update might have caused it. I know I have had bad updates in the past on Windows 7 that have completely disabled my computer and required a format to fix (as the OS wouldn't even load), so that is certainly a possibility. Though it sounds like if that IS the problem that your computer still works at least, which is fortunate.
Other Things You Can Try
That being said however, there are three things that I have done from time to time that have helped solved connection issues that I have had.
Make Sure Your Java Is Up To Date
Ensure your Java is up to date for both 32-bit and 64-bit installs. I know you said you did this already but you might want to read this just to make sure you did everything.
I prefer to install updates manually by downloading the files directly from the Java site as I have had automatic Java updates mess up my ability to launch programs and games that use it. Just download both the Windows Offline and Windows Offline (64-Bit) from the links on this page:
When it tells you have an old version installed and to uninstall it as you are installing each of these updates, say NO and uninstall via the 'Programs and Features' section of your 'Control Panel' once both updates are installed. I say this because I've had cases where the uninstall the install program does doesn't remove everything or messes up and then you have to do it manually anyways. ALWAYS make sure you uninstall old Java versions on your computer once you update.
Double-check the IP For Your Server
I've had this happen numerous times where either my modem or router (or both) will restart for some odd reason that I wasn't aware of (like I was gone or sleeping) due to poor or intermittent internet connection, a power surge, it got unplugged somehow, or something else and wound up changing the IP addresses on the computers on my network around so that the IP I use to connect to my server is no longer the correct IP. So it would do something like change 192.168.2.4 to 192.168.2.2 or something similar. Obviously, this then causes any computers trying to connect to that server to not be able to. If you check the server's IP by going into the cmd prompt and typing ipconfig, you can check your IPv4 address and make sure it hasn't changed and that you are trying to connect to the correct one.
In addition to your internal IP, you can also try using your external IP address, or the localhost (with or without the port number) if you are logging into the server from the same computer, both as detailed on this page:
I have had a few times over the years where I had server connection issues and I had no idea what was causing them and doing this as a long shot did the trick. This includes absolutely everything in the .minecraft folder. Uninstall Minecraft via Programs and Features, then delete anything that it misses out of the .minecraft folder. This includes all the versions and everything else except any saves you might have. Take any worlds you have currently in your 'saves' folder out and put them to the side so you can reinsert them into the new saves folder once you reinstall. It is possible that just one or more of the files in your Minecraft install or the version you are using got corrupted somehow or by something and doing a fresh install might very well solve the issue.
I hope one of these three things solves your problem as I am not very well-versed in network stuff and will likely have a hard time troubleshooting issues, particularly because of the long distance. I can only really make suggestions on things I have tried in the past that have worked for me and go from there. Also, my apologies for not responding sooner as I haven't checked Minecraft Forum in over a week. Good luck and let me know what happens after you try these things (or if you have already).
Hello,
So, we are trying to make a Map where Minecraft players could join either in Singleplayer or Multiplayer. In this map we will recreate a real historic building (i.e. Eifel Tower, Empire State Building, etc...) telling the historical and architectonic aspects of the builds, as a scientific communication model to gamers.
Our doubt are:
1 - We need to work collectively and simultaneously, we talked about Forge and Github. But we are not working in the same physical place, each one of us are scattered though our city, there is any way that we can work together in a multiplayer mode?
Some us know how to code and use Github, but some don't. Because the deadline, we can't teach everyone how to use it. So, there is other ways to us work collectively besides Forge and Github?
2 - If we create a multiplayer map can it be adapted/accessed for single player and vice versa, creating it on singleplayer mode can be adapted/accessed by a multiplayer mode?
Thanks in advance
Hello,
You are in luck! Minecraft is literally built for multiplayer, as this list of popular Minecraft servers can illustrate:
https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/15-best-minecraft-servers
And while creating servers of that magnitude is something well beyond the skills of someone just getting into Minecraft multiplayer (though you can easily join any of them to take a look around and play with folks), rest assured you and your friends can easily get a simple Minecraft server you can work collectively and simultaneously on up and running without too much hassle.
My name is Robert and I am going to attempt to answer as many of your questions (both stated and inferred by your question) in turn as thoroughly as I possibly can. In addition, I'd like to ask a few questions so I can get myself up to speed with your experience with Minecraft so I know the level of detail that might be required going forward with helping you.
*How long have you been playing Minecraft?
*I assume by your lack of experience with the multiplayer aspect of the game that this is your first time ever setting something like this up, would I be correct?
*How many people are you wanting to be able to play together in this build group you are creating?
*I would assume by your description that you and your group want to eventually complete this map and make it available for download on this and other Minecraft sites where you can get maps like https://www.planetminecraft.com/ and http://www.minecraftmaps.com/ . Am I correct?
*How are you wanting to display these builds you will be making? Are you just going to be building them wherever in a normal Minecraft world? Or are you wanting them all nicely lined up side by side and in rows?
*Are you aware that Minecraft has a Superflat option for world creation?
*What the heck are you building in Minecraft that you need a deadline?
Know that I absolutely encourage questions to anything I will be talking about here, as well as any other questions you might have related to it. I will try and answer any and all questions to the best of my ability. I have been playing Minecraft for just over 8 years since August 2011, so I know quite a bit about it. Feel free to ask anything and I will try to either answer it or direct you to where you might find an answer. I am always willing to help,
I am aware of the other thread you started asking about MOD and world creation and I read that all the way through.
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding-java-edition/minecraft-mods/mods-discussion/2983684-questions-about-mod-and-world-creation-need-help
Because of the apparent misunderstanding and miscommunication on that thread you were told about a bunch of things that were completely irrelevant to simply setting up a Minecraft multiplayer experience for yourself and some friends to build in and enjoy. So, I am going to address the two main concerns in your post above you seem to have that were created due to those misunderstandings and miscommunications.
'Joining' Inherently Means Multiplayer
First off though, when you speak of wanting someone to be able to 'join' a Minecraft game, this means a multiplayer game by definition. You don't 'join' a singleplayer game because then it would no longer be single player.
You DO NOT Need Forge or GitHub
You first question is about using Forge and Github. I want you to be reassured you absolutely DO NOT have to worry about Forge or Github if your only goal is to set up a Minecraft multiplayer world. So you can breathe easy that no one is going to have to learn much of anything complicated and it is not going to take very long at all to get this set up. Neither Forge nor Github have any relevance to what it sounds like you are trying to accomplish. But for the record, I will briefly describe each of these for your own edification so you at least know what the heck they are when people mention them.
Forge
Forge is the most common modding API that is used in the creation and running of Minecraft mods. Only if you are a modder do you need to worry about knowing anything about the inner workings of Forge. If you are just someone running mods on your world all you have to know is how to download and install Forge (which is easy as pie), and how to download and install the mods (which is also super easy, like usually drag-and-drop easy). But again, Forge is not relevant to this discussion so it will not be mentioned again. However, I DO know a bunch about using (not creating) Minecraft mods if you ever want to know about it in the future, so feel free to ask. Who knows, after you get this build project up and running, you may want to set up a modded multiplayer server with other worlds in the future.
Github
Github is a code repository that coders in general use to help with keeping track of their build versions, code history, and source code and files. It is also a place where people wishing to access open source code (depending on the program), or to compile a program from its source code can go to find the necessary files and information. But again, like Forge, Github is irrelevant to the task at hand, so you can completely disregard it.
So again, both of these things are only relevant for Minecraft modders and you don't need to worry about them at all.
What Is REALLY Required
All that is required to enjoy Minecraft multiplayer is the setting up of a Minecraft Server or LAN (which is basically just a local server). You can read about servers here:
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Server
You'll probably want a server because it sounds like even though you are all in the same city, you won't be playing together in the same room or building (meaning on the same network) much, if at all. Though that is always an option even if you use a server initially. That option is called LAN and I will go over it a little later as well in case you ever decide to get together and want to do Minecraft multiplayer in the same place.
Accessibility Of A Minecraft Map For Singleplayer/Multiplayer
In response to your other question about being able to access a map in both single and multiplayer modes. Any Minecraft map is just that, a map. It does not by default have any single or multiplayer mode attached to it. How it can be accessed all depends on what the needs of those using the map are, what they are doing, and whether the map is placed within your Minecraft game 'saves' folder or a server installation. Any Minecraft world or map can be used interchangeably depending on how those using it wish to access it.
About Versions
The BIG thing to remember with Minecraft maps is that once you start playing in a specific version of the game, playing in an older version will cause considerable alterations to the world and may even alter the world enough to break it. Generally, you never want to go back a version (for instance, down from 1.14 to 1.13), because doing so will eliminate any added features or blocks from your map once you load it in the older version. It is usually safe to go up versions however, as the game is not losing, but gaining more things as the version number increases. The only thing is that you will not see new features or blocks (if they are part of world generation) in already mapped chunks of the game and will have to generate new chunks for those features and blocks to have the ability to generate.
Minecraft Singleplayer
To access a Minecraft map for singleplayer, the map must be in the 'saves' folder in your .minecraft installation folder (which is itself usually in a folder called 'appdata', at least on a Windows OS). You can also access these folders easily by going into the Resource Pack section in the options menu of the game and selecting the 'Open Resource Pack Folder' option in the lower left. Then go up one folder and you'll be in your .minecraft folder where everything for the game is kept. Alternatively, on Windows you can type %appdata% in the search function to find it. You will want to go into the 'Roaming' folder from there and it should be at or near the top. You should as a matter of habit shortcut to your .minecraft folder for ease of use in the future. It just makes accessing everything in here so much easier.
Minecraft Multiplayer
To access a Minecraft map for multiplayer, where it has to go depends on what type of multiplayer you are using: LAN or a server. Also, everyone who wants to join in a multiplayer game, whether LAN or server, MUST be running the exact same version of Minecraft as that used for the LAN host or the server.
Multiplayer Via LAN
If you are wanting to play a world via LAN, first off, everyone must be on the same network (LAN stands for Local Area Network). Then, whoever has the world being used must open it in singleplayer as if it was just them playing. This requires them to have the world in their 'saves' folder as mentioned above in Minecraft Singleplayer. They then go into the game menu (with Esc) and select 'Open to LAN', choose the type of access they want to allow to everyone joining the LAN, and then select 'Start LAN World'.
The options here are the Game Mode; either Survival, Creative, Spectator, or Adventure (which dictates what they have access to and how they will be able to interact with the world); and whether or not to Allow Cheats (On or Off), which means the ability to use game altering commands via the in-game command prompt or command blocks. It is basically like giving someone admin 'op' permissions. You can read about commands here:
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Commands
Then everyone else goes into their Multiplayer menu from the title screen and should see this LAN world pop up under the 'Scanning for games on your local network'. If not then you might have firewall issues on one or more of your computers (including the host computer), or you might have to directly connect to the computer hosting the LAN world using its IP address followed by the port number. This happens sometimes.
You can get this port number by looking at the chat in the Minecraft game of the host computer. It will say 'Local game hosted on port ##### (where ##### is a five digit number, usually in the 50000 or 60000 range). The format you will want to use is like this: ###.###.###.###:#### Where the numbers and periods are the IP and the port number comes after the IP separated from it by a colon (:), so for example 192.168.2.3:56789
The IP address that follows that format above is called your internal IP or local IP. Your local IP is the address that identifies your computer on the network that it is currently connected to. You can find this on Windows by running the command prompt via 'cmd' through search and typing ipconfig. It usually displays as something like 'IPv4 Address' near the top.
Multiplayer Via Server
The other option for multiplayer is to do it via server (which is the option you will likely be using given your circumstances). By using a server you are running a Minecraft world independent of anyone's interactions with it and simply logging into and out of this world, each using your respective Minecraft game clients (which is the main Minecraft program you downloaded and installed when you purchased the game). It will continue to run in the background on the server computer even if no one is actively logged into it using their Minecraft client.
The difference between logging into a server world versus a LAN world is that a server will use what is called an external IP to allow others to access it. Your external IP is different from your local IP. You can find your external IP by going to https://www.whatsmyip.org/
Note: You can use a server even if you are all together in the same place. You do not need to constantly switch your world from being on a server to being on LAN and back dependent on your proximity to each other. You can use a server if you are in the same room, the same building, the same neighborhood, the same city, the same state, country, or anywhere in the world. However, the IP that people use to log into the world via the server will change as you move around (if the server is on a laptop or a tower computer that is moved), so take that into account. If the server remains stationary then that will not be an issue.
Notes About Having Your Own Server
Lag When Running Server & Client On Same Computer
Unless you have a dedicated server computer to act as the host for this world, one of you is going to have to use your computer for this purpose as well as to log into the server world using your Minecraft game client to actually play the game. Running a server and your Minecraft client at the same time can be quite taxing on lesser systems and create major lag for yourself and anyone else playing on the server. The severity of this lag depends on the capabilities of the computer running the server. Sometimes you'll hardly experience any, while other times it can make the game unplayable, making so you can't interact with, pickup, or hit anything. You should be aware of this beforehand. Using a separate computer for purposes of running a Minecraft server is highly recommended unless you have a pretty powerful setup.
Server Uptime
If using a server to have people playing together in multiplayer, the computer that is running the server must stay on at all times that you are wanting to allow people onto the server. That is the idea behind the term 'server'; it 'serves' the Minecraft world to everyone so they can access it. So you need to be aware of this if you choose to set up your own server. The person who has the server must have their computer on the entire time they want it going and open for the other players (as well as themselves) to be able to access and play in it.
Server Uptime Scheduling
Since it sounds like you are all in the same city (and thus in the same time zone), you can figure out what a good play time would be amongst yourselves and simply open the server at times when the group will be using it and turn it off when they're not. You DO NOT have to have it on 24/7 unless you want to!
For example, depending on everybody's schedule who is involved in this project (such as work, school, or other obligations), the person with the server can simply open it when they get up in the morning and close it when they go to bed.
If everyone is on the same schedule, you can schedule a time to have it open so everyone can work together on the project, (say in the evenings between 5pm and 10pm for example).
If there are people on different schedules (such as morning, swing, and graveyard) you might find it easier and more convenient to use one of the server hosting options I mention below.
3 Options For Creating A Minecraft Server
There are three main options for creating a Minecraft Server. You can decide which one is right for you.
Creating Your Own Minecraft Server
The first involves doing it yourself. This is the only option I personally have experience with, so that is why I am mentioning it first. It is also the only option I can in good conscience recommend as I have no experience with the other options. Though I'm sure Microsoft has probably made the Realms process described below as painless as possible. This is the least expensive and relatively simple way to do it, especially if all the members of this build group communicate with one another and are able to arrange a pretty consistent time to all be on the server and play together, or at least to have the server open (if you decide to not have it open 24/7). If you choose to go this route, I have provided some steps to set up your own server after I list the other two server options.
Minecraft Realms
I do not have experience with this option, I am simply listing it here because it exists and you should know about it.
Microsoft and Mojang provide their own server hosting service so that you and your friends can access it anytime for a small monthly fee. The main upside to this is that it is always open and can be accessed by anyone you allow permissions to (as they are private servers) 24/7. It also eliminates the potential lag problems of having a Minecraft server and client running on the same computer at the same time that I mentioned earlier. The fee could even be split between all the members of the build group to keep costs down for a single person. Going this route will also help with file security as I assume Microsoft likely keeps backups of things in case of failures somewhere. The main limitation of going this route is that a Minecraft Realms server can only host 10 people simultaneously, so keep that in mind if this build group is larger than that.
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/realms/
Minecraft Server Hosting
I do not have experience with this option either, I am simply listing it here because it exists and you should know about it.
There are numerous Minecraft server hosting sites that will host your Minecraft world for a small monthly fee. The same benefits I listed above for Minecraft Realms applies here as well. Minecraft server hosts are so numerous that I have no idea which are the best options, the most affordable, have the best reputations, are the safest, etc. You'll need to do your own research on each one if you decide to go this route. Which is also the reason I list this last.
https://www.google.com/search?q=minecraft+server+hosting
Setting Up Your Own Minecraft Server
This section briefly goes over the steps you will need to take to set up a Minecraft server on your own computer. If you opted to go one of the server hosting routes then you can disregard most of this. If you want to read it for your own edification, then feel free to do so. You can also find more details as well as instructions for other operating systems besides Windows here:
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Tutorials/Setting_up_a_server
Downloading The Server Jar
Simply download the server file for whatever version of Minecraft you want to run. You can find the jar files for Minecraft clients and servers here:
https://mcversions.net/
Though that is not the official site, it has all the client and servers for pretty much every version of Minecraft. I trust it and I use it so you should be safe.
If you prefer to get it from the official source for the most recent non-snapshot version of the game, you can go here:
https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server
Creating Your Server Folder
Create a folder exclusively to hold your server. Name it something that makes sense like 'Minecraft Server' and then the version number. This is important! A server will not work right if you have more than one in a folder. If you for some reason got server files mixed together, delete any duplicate files that the extra server created. Make sure you are deleting the right ones though in case you have changed any settings, opped anyone, or made a whitelist, etc. Put each server in a different folder.
Run server.jar With Java
Put the server.jar file (or whatever you decide to name it) you downloaded in the folder and run it with Java. Depending on the version, it will initially create two files and a folder: the files 'eula.txt' and 'server.properties', and the folder 'logs'. The 'eula.txt' and 'server.properties' are both text documents that can be opened with NotePad, WordPad, NotePad++ or any other simple text editing software. Older server versions may not have the EULA and will simply create all the necessary operating files the first time you run it. The file server.properties contains lots of settings you can customize about the world a server creates or a world you are running on it.
Agreeing to the EULA
The next step you must perform if your server generated a 'eula.txt' file is opening and agreeing to the EULA or 'End User License Agreement', which you can read by copy and pasting the link in the text document. All you do is change the 'false' at the end of eula=false to 'true' and save the change. If you do not do this, the server will simply shutdown upon trying to run again.
Start The Server
After agreeing to the EULA, run the server jar again and it will produce the rest of the files needed to run the server as well as starting the server and creating an initial world for it based on its default settings. Again, older server versions may not have a EULA and will simply create all the necessary server files the first time it is run.
The additional files the server should create are: banned-ips.json, banned-players.json, ops.json, usercache.json, and whitelist.json
.json files can also be opened and edited in the text editor of your choice. For older server versions, these files will be .txt files instead of .json files.
Minecraft Server Settings
The server.properties file that the Minecraft server jar creates the first time you run it has a plethora of settings you can alter and customize for any world you have the server create, as well as a world you are hosting using the server. Some of the options I know, but many I do not (or simply don't use). You can get a complete rundown of what the options in the server.properties file affect by going here:
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Server.properties
As this list consists of 42 separate items and not all of them are important or relevant if you are just running a bare-bones basic Minecraft server, I am not going to go into detail unless asked. The wiki page above gives pretty much what you need to know about the settings that would likely affect a basic Minecraft server, and it would be redundant to retype all that here, so please see that page for details. You can see all the available options there or by simply downloading and running the server jar yourself.
One that I will mention and that has significant bearing on our discussion is:
level-name=world
This option is the name of the world you want the server to open and allow everybody to log in to. All worlds you want a server to have access to MUST be present in the folder with the server. By default, when a server is first started (after agreeing to the EULA), it will create a random world using its default server settings called 'world' and this world will appear in the folder you put the server in after it is done generating (which is shown by a number with a % after it in the server console window). Changing what comes after the = in this setting allows you to have the server open and host whatever world you want. For example, if the world you create for this historical build project is called 'Historical Build Project' then that is what you would type where the word 'world' is above directly after level-name=, so it would look like this level-name=Historical Build Project . It really is that simple. The server will then find that world in your server folder, open it, and allow everybody else to log into it.
Op The Appropriate People (Probably Everybody)
In the server console, type 'op username' where username is whoever you wish to op, into the small line in the bottom right to give admin or op permissions to whoever you want. They do not have to be logged into the server to do this. This is essentially the same as turning the Allow Cheats option in the LAN multiplayer description ON for whoever you 'op'. Everyone who is 'opped' will be able to use all the commands that Minecraft offers like changing gamemodes, gamerules, changing the weather, tp-ing (teleporting) to other players and players to them, etc. Again, for the massive list of commands that being opped gives you access to, go here: https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Commands
All players who are opped will appear in the file ops.json. This file is complex and utilizes each player's UUID, so I recommend against editing this file directly and just rely on using 'op' or 'deop' through the server console if you want to change things.
Have Everyone Log In With Their Minecraft Clients
Last but not least, once the server is running with the appropriate world you want, have everyone log in through their Minecraft clients (including whoever is running the server). They each go into their Multiplayer menus, select 'Add Server', input a name for the server and its IP address which can be found by the server owner by going to https://www.whatsmyip.org/ and giving that to everyone you want to be able to log in to the server. The server should now show up in the server list with little green bars denoting the number of players logged into the server and the number of players allowable. If not try hitting 'Refresh' and see if that helps. Everyone should now be able to log in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, any Minecraft world can be transferred from singleplayer, to LAN, to being run on a server, and then back simply depending on where it is placed within the Minecraft game or server installation. Putting your world folder in the 'saves' folder in someone's Minecraft game client installation allows singeplayer access for that person and the opening of LAN access (to that person's computer) for everyone on the same network. Putting your world folder in your server folder and setting the
level-name= option in the server.properties text file to whatever the name of your world is, will allow quick and easy server play by opening this world through the server and allowing everyone to log in and enjoy server-based multiplayer.
I hope this has helped you understand what is needed for you and your friends to enjoy Minecraft multiplayer and bring your Historical Build Project idea to life. It isn't that hard to get multiplayer up and running (whether server or LAN). However, there are a few snags you may encounter in the process. In particular, there is an issue you may encounter called port-forwarding that we might have to deal with. I can provide a more thorough step by step if needed. Please let me know if you encounter any problems getting your own server set up if that is the way you choose to go. If you go with Minecraft Realms or other server hosting, you likely won't encounter very many problems but you may still. But remember, I don't know much about those things so I won't be able to help very well there.
If you have any further questions or need clarification on any point I have discussed, don't hesitate to ask. I would also love to follow up with you, finding out what way you decided to go to get the multiplayer going, and if you ever make the map available, so please let me know. It could be an interesting teaching resource as I homeschool my son.
Hello, Robert!
My name is Fernando, english isn't my native language, sorry any grammar mistake.
Thanks a lot for the detailed reply!
I read it all and passed it to my colleagues. I'll start answering the early questions that you did.
I have played Minecraft a lot between 2012-2016. Most playtime was survival mode interacting with the world, farming stuff and building my little farm. But the first person perspective always caused me discomfort, like vertigem and nausea, so I have to stop playing. You're correct, I never played any multiplayer map. Minecraft to me was at breaks from MMOs, that I used to play with friends.
For this map project we are about 4 to 8 people, can join more depends on external/unexpected factors. Yes, our plan is to make it available to download to other players. We're planning on a progressive construction of a Big real life space, we expect to reproduce our local workplace and their buildings as an visiting online site, i.e. an excavation site to use as a science communication tool.
Our starting point will be the principal attraction, the most famous building. From it we will progressing adding new buildings and places by time. Because that we have a deadline, we need to make it available in early December.
I didn't know about the Superflat feature, can you explain more about that? Sounds like our project could benefit from that.
A question that we have is:
We work with AutoCAD schematics, as the builds blueprints and stuff. Has any software that we can use to import and export to Minecraft?
I was reading those explanations, but got really confused how it works. Have you any input on that matter and if this methods still working since it is from 2004?
https://www.keanw.com/2014/09/exporting-minecraft-data-from-autocad.html
https://www.keanw.com/2014/09/importing-minecraft-data-into-autocad.html
Thanks again for your feedback
Looking forward to learn more!
Hello Fernando,
You are very welcome. I hope that all the info I provided helps you with your project.
Yes, I know English is not your first language. You said as such in your other forum thread. Not that it matters much. You seem to be doing just fine to me.
Considering how long ago you played, I'm surprised you did not know about the Superflat option. It was added at the beginning of 2012 so it has existed the entire time you played from 2012 to 2016. Well regardless, I got you covered. I go over it at the bottom of this post.
Regarding the vertigo and nausea issues. I can relate if you are talking about changing the FOV settings to anything higher than the standard 70 or 'Normal' setting. The 'Quake Pro' setting (which is the highest at 110) is completely unplayable for me. Did you perhaps change that setting and that is why you experienced the symptoms? And do you have them anymore while playing, or did they subside? I know it sure affects me in a negative way.
More Questions If I May
*What MMOs did you and your friends used to play? And do you still play them?
*You mention excavation site in your description of what you do above. Are you in archaeology, paleontology, or some other profession that deals with digging stuff up? Or am I misunderstanding?
*It sounds from this: "We're planning on a progressive construction of a Big real life space, we expect to reproduce our local workplace and their buildings as an visiting online site," that you are going to use a recreation of your workplace as the hub of the world. Is that correct?
*Do you all work at the same place?
*Are you all in the same, or similar professions?
*What are your professions if I might ask?
*What are your skills pertaining to Minecraft? *Are there different people within your group who are better at different aspects of the game?
*Who is doing what for this map?
*What are your plans to start with? *What are you planning to create first?
*I'm still kind of puzzled as to why there is a hard deadline of December for this map. Is it because of winter coming and there being snow that will obscure whatever it is you are trying to replicate for the map?
When answering, you are welcome to just copy/paste my question and then your answer if you'd like. That way it might be easier to keep track of them all. I know, I am curious If I am being nosy let me know.
AutoCAD and Minecraft
Unfortunately, I know nothing about AutoCAD other than it exists and have heard it can be used with Minecraft, but other than that I cannot help you with that aspect of what you are doing. And I briefly perused those two articles, and given that I know nothing about AutoCAD, all that lingo he uses goes right over my head. It's like a foreign language to me. I don't even understand it let alone could tell you whether it still works or not. And by the way, the articles are from 2014, not 2004. Minecraft didn't exist back then
Schematics and MCEdit
If AutoCAD is capable of outputting the schematic file format,
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Schematic_file_format
https://fileinfo.com/extension/schematic
then it should just be a matter of loading the schematics into Minecraft via a Minecraft external editing program such as MCEdit. Unfortunately, MCEdit is several versions of Minecraft behind (it's at 1.11 or 1.12 I believe) and doesn't support all the blocks as of yet. But you can find it here:
https://www.mcedit.net/
https://www.mcedit-unified.net/
I do not now what the difference between those two versions are. I just stumbled across the latter while Googling the former. The former is the one I've used, but not in many years.
MCEdit Tutorials
I'm gonna be honest. I've used MCEdit all of maybe a handful of times the past 8 years I've played Minecraft to move things around in a few of my older worlds, so I am not the one to ask on how to use it and what it is capable of. I do however know for a fact that MCEdit uses the schematic file format to import things from other programs into Minecraft, and vice versa. I've just never done it myself. I would read the documentation and look up the myriad of YouTube videos on the subject (just make sure they are for the most recent version of the program, or whichever version you chose to use). I know there are tutorial videos from everything about the basics of using the thing, to all about the filters feature and everything in between. Like I said, this is not my area of expertise.
For that reason, I have included a few resources you and your group can use to help educate yourself about it.
YouTube
Here are a few YouTube searches filtered by most recent:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mcedit&sp=CAI%253D
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mcedit+tutorial&sp=CAI%253D
I know a YouTube user named SethBling uses it a ton to make maps and various creations:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8aG3LDTDwNR1UQhSn9uVrw
https://www.youtube.com/user/sethbling/search?query=mcedit
Minecraftforum.net
You can ask around here such as in the mapping and modding sections of the forums,
looking at the mapping and modding tutorials:
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding-java-edition/mapping-and-modding-tutorials
or just searching the forums using the normal search and then advanced searches to narrow down thread dates:
https://www.minecraftforum.net/search?search=mcedit
Remember that you want to make sure you are using info for the versions of MCEdit and Minecraft you are using. I don't know how much the program changes between Minecraft updates, so things that used to be a feature long ago may not work anymore. Things like filters, I mean. The basic moving around and editing of stuff and the import/export of schematic files has likely remained the same for all versions.
Reddit
You can also try Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/search/?q=mcedit&restrict_sr=1
Schematic Specializing Sites
Here are a few sites that specialize in Minecraft schematics you might find helpful. Their FAQS might have useful stuff that would assist in your project. They might also have forums specifically for the site, I don't know. I just found them now, so I don't know anything about them, but here you go:
https://www.minecraft-schematics.com/
http://www.minecraft-schematics.net/
https://minecraftstuff.net/schematics
WorldEdit
There is a Bukkit server plugin, Forge mod, as well as on a few other modding platforms, called WorldEdit that is many times used hand-in-hand alongside MCEdit to help create structures and other things faster and then export them to schematic files. I've never used it myself though, so again, I am not the person to go to for info on this.
You can read up on it here:
https://enginehub.org/worldedit/
https://dev.bukkit.org/projects/worldedit
https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/worldedit
WorldPainter
There is also an external editing program called WorldPainter that many use to customize a Minecraft world by hand, much like painting a world on a canvas, hence the name. It is capable of modifying chunk size (16x16 blocks) areas of a Minecraft world to whatever biome or block you want. It is used to terraform a large-scale general geography that is then taken into MCEdit, or used alongside WorldEdit in-game to modify and tweak it further.
https://www.worldpainter.net/
In-Game Alternatives
With all this talk about external editing programs, you may not be aware of some in-game alternatives to assist with or compliment your builds. I will briefly mention three of them here.
Structure Blocks
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Structure_Block
Structure Blocks were added in Minecraft 1.10 and can be used internally within the game (and transferable between maps as each structure - or piece of a structure - is saved to a separate file) to create structures of varying size and complexity. They are used by the game itself when creating things like the randomized layouts of the Woodland Mansions.
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Woodland_mansion
Jigsaw Blocks
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Jigsaw_Block
Jigsaw Blocks are blocks that can be used to create randomized layouts from a predefined list of template structures. They are used by the game itself when creating the new villages as well as the Pillager Outposts.
Command Blocks
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Command_Block
Command Blocks are blocks that are capable of executing commands within the game.
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Commands
Though what you can do with commands building-wise is quite limited in comparison to stuff like WorldEdit or MCEdit, it is still pretty good if you need basic things like cubes, boxes, platforms, and other blocky objects. Of particular interest are things like the /fill and /clone commands for working with blocks. The /setblock, /testforblock, and /testforblocks commands for interacting with blocks. The /particle and /playsound commands for creating visual and audio effects. And things like the /execute, /give, /tellraw, and /testfor commands for interacting with players. Overall, utilizing some of the game's own commands can help you make your maps more responsive to player actions while they are exploring the world you create.
Imparting Information Through Signs, Books, /title and /tellraw Commands
If imparting knowledge to those that experiencing your map is one of your primary goals, then you'll likely use one of four different methods to achieve this: signs, books, the /title command, or the /tellraw command.
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Sign
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Book_and_Quill
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Written_Book
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Commands/title
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Commands/tellraw
More About Books
A Book and Quill holds a whopping 50 pages of text (albeit rather large Minecraft text), so its not as much as it at first sounds, but you can fit a lot of info into one of these things.
Once you have a book exactly the way you want it, you can finalize the book, essentially sealing it and making it read-only so people can pick it up and read it. It can be read beforehand as a Book and Quill, but it is also editable at this time as well.
Books are also capable of interacting with the game's redstone system via the Lectern block. It outputs a signal dependent on how many pages you are into the book.
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Lectern
Sign, Book, /title, and /tellraw Editors
There are online editors for all of these things:
https://minecraft.tools/en/sign.php
https://minecraft.tools/en/book.php
https://minecraft.tools/en/title.php
https://minecraft.tools/en/tellraw.php
https://minecraftjson.com/ (for various .json text commands including /tellraw commands)
that let you concentrate more on what is on the sign, in the /title or /tellraw command, or in book and allows you to use simple text formatting tools like you're using a program like Microsoft Word to format, highlight, bold, and color the text, among other things. It really is quite remarkable.
You can even make it so that players can click on certain text on a sign, in a /tellraw command, or in a book to execute commands. You can even include things like links to websites if you are so inclined in a /tellraw command. Since your map sounds like it will be all about learning architectural and historical facts about different structures, this might be of particular interest to you. The options here, if you learn how to use them, are really quite extensive.
Minecraft Superflat World Generation
So, about your other question, Superflat World Gen. Superflat is a world generation option you can find when you create a new world under the 'More Word Options' button on the 'Create New World' screen. It is one of five world gen options, the others being: Default, Large Biomes, AMPLIFIED, and Buffet. You can read more about each here:
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/World_type
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Superflat
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Large_Biomes
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Amplified
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Buffet
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Debug_mode
Of particular interest when there is a need to build a completely customized world, Superflat worlds are a completely flat plain made up of layers of whatever block types you wish. The amount and thickness of these layers are completely customizable. You can also include or exclude all the standard Minecraft features in these worlds, such as trees, ores, villages, structures, etc. by adding to or deleting parts of the preset code generation string that is shown in the box at the top of the screen in the Superflat 'Presets' screen.
It looks like this:
minecraft:bedrock,59*minecraft:stone,3*minecraft:dirt,minecraft:grass_block;minecraft:plains;pillager_outpost,village,biome_1,decoration,stronghold,mineshaft,lake,lava_lake,dungeon
This is the preset string for the 'Overworld' preset. It creates exactly the same stuff you find in a standard 'Default' Minecraft world, but the entire thing is flat, has no caves, and is a single biome - in this case, plains (but it can be changed to whatever you want). But other standard structures like villages, mineshafts, and stronghold will generate, as well as lakes and lava pools.
There are 9 such presets that can be used, or you can simply add or delete your own layers if you know the syntax (which is not hard).
Superflat 'The Void' Preset
Speaking of presets, there is one in particular that is immensely valuable if you want to be able to create your entire world from scratch, as well as not have any hostile or passive mobs spawning in the world (which is a standard part of Minecraft world generation in any other world type), other than through the use of spawn eggs, monster spawners, or commands, and that preset is 'The Void'. The Void preset is absolutely nothing but air with a small 33x33 block platform for you to start on. This is great if you would like each structure to be floating on its own individual platform, for instance. You can create the platform and structure completely to your specifications.
TinkerCAD? Hmm...
Also, speaking of AutoCAD, I ran across this site while researching for this post. Thought you might find this entertaining. Literally by the same folks who make AutoCAD, AutoDesk. Perhaps this could be something you could use to help with this map. I noticed after the fact that Kean had mentioned it in one of his articles as well.
https://www.tinkercad.com/minecraft
That's It For Now
Hope everything I have provided helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions, if you didn't understand something, or I wasn't thorough enough, and I'll try to help or elaborate more as best I can. Good luck!
Hi, Robert, my name is Marcelo and I am working on the same project that Fernando mentioned.
Just to give you a bit more context about what we are trying to achieve. We work on a public health institution in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is one of the oldest and biggest public health institutions in Brazil, dealing with all fields of health, including scientific dissemination. The campus in Rio de Janeiro is comprised of several historical buildings, including the castle that inspired the institution´s logo (you can see more of the castle here: https://portal.fiocruz.br/castelo-patrimonio-da-ciencia). There are several expositions and cultural activities on these buildings, particularly for children, so it is an important environment for developing the love for science in kids. But of course, since Brazil is such a big country, a lot of people can´t come to Rio to visit the events taking place at Fiocruz. That is one of the reasons we thought about recreating the campus in the format of a Minecraft map and then making it available for download on Minecraft sites, so people who live far from Rio de Janeiro (actually, anyone in the world) could download the map and use it to learn and play. We will use real maps of Fiocruz's campus and buildings as references for our map.
We are not thinking about a multiplayer experience right now because we couldn´t secure the funding for buying and keeping a server. So, for now, we would just create the map for a single-player experience. Our first question, then, would be, are single and multiplayer maps interchangeable? Is it possible for me and Fernando to create together a map using a Minecraft server and, once that map is finished, give it to other players so they could experience it as a single-player map? Is it necessary to make any adjustments in this case?
Answering your questions:
*Do you all work at the same place?
We both work at the campus in Rio de Janeiro. I am a public servant and professor there. Until a couple of months ago, Fernando was a graduate student.
*Are you all in the same, or similar professions?
*What are your professions if I might ask?
I am a graphic designer/health communication researcher/game researcher. Fernando is a historian and scientific disseminator.
*What are your skills pertaining to Minecraft? *Are there different people within your group who are better at different aspects of the game?
I played a lot of Minecraft in the old days and (if I remember well) even tried to set up a domestic server once, but never tried my hand in creating mods or even complex maps like this project. We still have to recruit more people to our group.
*Who is doing what for this map?
Fernando is gathering the reference maps for the campus and the buildings and also some historical information, so we will be able to put historical snippets in many parts of the map. We both will build the map. I will also recruit more people to help with the construction.
*What are your plans to start with? *What are you planning to create first?
Our plan is starting with the castle. It is the "heart" of the institution and its main architectural highlight.
*I'm still kind of puzzled as to why there is a hard deadline of December for this map. Is it because of winter coming and there being snow that will obscure whatever it is you are trying to replicate for the map?
It is more of a bureaucratic thing. I got a grant for this project and in December there is a milestone where we have to present the castle already built. So, in order to keep the trust of the upper management, it is important for us to complete the main building in time.
When answering, you are welcome to just copy/paste my question and then your answer if you'd like. That way it might be easier to keep track of them all. I know, I am curious If I am being nosy let me know.
Please, be our guest and feel free to ask as many questions as you want You are being extremely helpful with your patient and very detailed answers. And we more than happy to share about what we are trying to do. We think this project is special in a lot of ways. First, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is a very old institution (for Brazilian standards, at least)
and it was a surprise even for us when they funded an initiative involving a digital game. Second, this project is designed to help the scientific dissemination among children and teenagers in Brazil, so it really could have a beneficial impact on the health and lives of the population of Brazil. So, again, we really want to thank you for your help with our many doubts.
Best,
Marcelo
Hello Marcelo,
I am happy to make your acquaintance. It is my pleasure to assist you gentlemen (and ladies if there are any in any way I can as you work your way through setting this up for your group.
As stated previously in my first answer to Fernando:
"Accessibility Of A Minecraft Map For Singleplayer/Multiplayer
In response to your other question about being able to access a map in both single and multiplayer modes. Any Minecraft map is just that, a map. It does not by default have any single or multiplayer mode attached to it. How it can be accessed all depends on what the needs of those using the map are, what they are doing, and whether the map is placed within your Minecraft game 'saves' folder or a server installation. Any Minecraft world or map can be used interchangeably depending on how those using it wish to access it."
and also here:
"Conclusion
In conclusion, any Minecraft world can be transferred from singleplayer, to LAN, to being run on a server, and then back simply depending on where it is placed within the Minecraft game or server installation. Putting your world folder in the 'saves' folder in someone's Minecraft game client installation allows singeplayer access for that person and the opening of LAN access (to that person's computer) for everyone on the same network. Putting your world folder in your server folder and setting the level-name= option in the server.properties text file to whatever the name of your world is, will allow quick and easy server play by opening this world through the server and allowing everyone to log in and enjoy server-based multiplayer."
Now, to elaborate a bit more using your questions directly from your post.
Important: In these answers and in other posts I have made previously, I mention changing a setting called 'level-name=' in the server.properties file that a server creates, from the default 'world' to whatever the name of the world you are using for this project will be. So, 'level-name=world' to 'level-name=your world name'. Despite mentioning it multiple times (as it is important to the operation of a server), this only needs to be done once. Unless you go changing the name of your world or you use the server to run multiple worlds with different names during the course of this project, this setting will stay the same unless changed.
Our first question, then, would be, are single and multiplayer maps interchangeable?
Yes, absolutely. All Minecraft maps are interchangeable for use in single OR multiplayer. As stated prior, Minecraft maps are never given a single or multiplayer designation at anytime during their creation or while being accessed that precludes them from being used the opposite way. Any Minecraft map is just that, a map with a world in it that anyone can be given and they can then decide whether they wish to play it singleplayer, multiplayer LAN, or multiplayer server. This means Minecraft maps can be moved from singleplayer access to multiplayer access and back again without doing anything to the folder containing the map itself. All that is required is placing the map folder in your 'saves' folder if accessing it single player or via LAN for multiplayer, or in a Minecraft server installation folder (which you will create yourself to put your server into if you make one yourself) if wanting to access it multiplayer via a server, and then ensuring the 'level-name=' field in the server.properties file matches the name of the world to be run exactly. How a person or group plays a map, and with how many people, is left to that individual player or players of the map in question.
Now, a map can be DESIGNED for use in multiplayer. But that will be a conscious choice of the map maker themselves and never an attribute inherent within the properties of the map. The only thing that would make a map multiplayer as opposed to singleplayer would be if someone decided to create puzzles within it that required the use of more than one player. For instance, if you had a door that opened with a stone button that is placed on the opposite side of the room from the door and there isn't enough time to get to the door once the button is pressed. Something like this would require that one player press the button while everyone else goes through the door. Maps that necessitate the use of more than one player in this fashion usually provide the ability to create shortcuts within the map to allow everyone to meetup again after a puzzle like this is completed, thus allowing them all to continue together, if not immediately, then shortly thereafter.
Is it possible for me and Fernando to create together a map using a Minecraft server and, once that map is finished, give it to other players so they could experience it as a single-player map?
Everything I am saying here in regards to creating a world via a server may not apply if you go the route of using Minecraft Realms or a Minecraft server hosting site. I do not know what world creation options are like when creating a map on a service like this. I can only speak about what I have experience in and that is creating worlds using singleplayer and self-created servers only.
It IS possible to create a map using a server, but the options are more limited and less robust than if you created the map for singleplayer first and then put it in your server folder, changed the 'level-name=' field, and started the server afterwards. The reason being is that a server does not have the graphical interface when creating worlds like the singleplayer world creation does. And also, depending on the type of world you wish to create, that world might not even be possible to create (notice I am not saying run) via a server (at least not that I can discern how to do yet), due to the lack of settings to do so.
For instance, say you wanted to create a Superflat 'Void' world as mentioned in my previous post on this thread. Doing this through the singleplayer world creation is quite simple as you merely select the 'Void' preset while in the Superflat presets screen. However, creating this same world via a server seems impossible at the moment as you only have the ability to designate the general Superflat world type using the the 'level-type=' line in the server.properties and changing it from 'default' to 'flat'. There is no option in the server.properties file to allow for selection of one of the nine presets available through the preset menu in singleplayer. Therefore, a server seems only capable of creating standard flat worlds that don't require any tweaking. The same goes with the myriad of options available via the 'Buffet' world type in singleplayer as well. The server.properties file seems only capable of recognizing that a world is 'buffet', but not which one of the 75 different buffet options there are. This lack of ability to input the desired additional information for world creation into this file essentially renders this world creation option completely useless.
Personally, I would create your world for this project using singleplayer and then simply move it to your server folder after creation. This is as simple as a copy and paste, and changing of the 'level-name=' field. Creating the world in singleplayer allows you full access to all available world creation options, and in a nice, easy to use graphical interface as well. Once a world is created, none of the fields in server.properties that affect world generation are relevant and can be ignored, as they no longer affect anything. They only apply when a world is CREATED BY the server, not simply being run using the server. All the data as to how a world generates after it is created is saved in a file in the world folder and travels along with that world.
Once you have a completed map (whether in whole or in part) all you need do is upload it to this and other Minecraft sites and anyone can download it and play it. Unless you designed something in the map to require more than one player, all you need do is describe your map, provide some screenshots and an optional video, and a link to download it (usually from someplace like Mediafire), but you could probably use a download link to a page on your site if that is how you will make it available, and that's it. If for some reason you DID design the map, or a portion of it, to require more than one player, do be sure to say that in your description. Otherwise, you need not say that a map is single or multiplayer as that is really up to the end user to decide. Any Minecraft map can be downloaded and played by as little as one person, or it can be downloaded by a teacher and played by their class of 30 students, or it can be downloaded by a server host and put on their server for 100 or 1,000 or more people to access. As stated previously, it is all in the way the individual or group using the map wishes to play it.
Is it necessary to make any adjustments in this case?
The only adjustment you and your group have to make is the moving of whatever world you create from your singleplayer 'saves' folder (as I assume you will create it in singleplayer given my advice from earlier) and moving it into your server folder (on whichever, or whoever's computer you decide to use for that purpose) for server operation. As I said, a simple copy and paste. The only thing you need do is change the 'level-name=' field in the server.properties file (after the file is generated when you first try and run the server file, and once you agree to the EULA) from 'world' to whatever the name of your world is. For instance: level-name=Historical Build Project . That is all that has to be done to tell the server to run that world.
Conclusion
The big confusion here seems to be that there is some sort of difference between single and multiplayer maps. I assure you, there IS NOT. Singleplayer and multiplayer are forms of accessing a map, not anything inherent within the map itself. ALL Minecraft maps are inherently devoid of any single or multiplayer designation and can be played by as little as one player in singleplayer, a small group via LAN, or as many as multiple thousands via a server. That includes this map you will be working on. It can be moved back and forth between single and multiplayer access just as easily. The only exception to this is if the maker(s) of the map has made it require multiple players due to how they DESIGNED it, (i.e. puzzles or something else requiring multiple people), and will be noted in the description of a map. I hope that, with everything that I have laid out here and previously, I have assuaged both your concerns around this issue and cleared up the confusion and misconceptions.
As always, if you, Fernando, or anyone else in your group has any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask them here and I will try and answer them in a timely fashion and as completely as possible.
Ciao for now,
Robert
Hello, Robert,
Sorry for the long time to reply. Other projects got in the way.
Thank you very much for your detailed answer.
Since maps in Minecraft can be used interchangeably both for singleplayer and multiplayer, the work on the map should become much easier for us. I think we will follow your suggestion, creating a map on singleplayer and then moving it to a server for adding the structures.
Right now Fernando is locating and collecting the historical maps that will help us to base our Minecraft map. Meanwhile, I will create a server for our map. If everything goes fine, next week we should be building the first blocks. We will put regular updates about the work here.
Again, thank you very much. Your messages helped us immensely.
Best,
Marcelo
Excellent, Marcelo. And you are quite welcome. Sounds like you are getting close to breaking ground.
As a reminder, here is the main setting you need to change to whatever your world name is in order to load your singleplayer-created world through your server to access it for multiplayer:
Level Name
level-name=world
And don't forget to OP all your people via the server console.
Here are a few more settings that might be relevant to you that you will want to be aware of in the server.properties file, and their defaults. You can leave these as is or change them to your needs.
Here is the link to the server.properties page on the official wiki again so you can reference it for what these do, as I am not going to be redundant and rewrite all that here:
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Server.properties
Allow Flight
allow-flight=false
Allow Nether
allow-nether=true
Difficulty
difficulty=easy
Enable Command Blocks
enable-command-block=false
Enforce Whitelist
enforce-whitelist=false
Force Game Mode
force-gamemode=false
Game Mode
gamemode=survival
Hardcore
hardcore=false
Max Build Height
max-build-height=256
Max Players
max-players=20
Max World Size
max-world-size=29999984
Message of the Day (MotD)
motd=A Minecraft Server
OP Permission Level
op-permission-level=4
Player Idle Timeout
player-idle-timeout=0
PvP
pvp=true
Resource Pack
resource-pack=
Server Port
server-port=25565
Spawn Animals
spawn-animals=true
Spawn Monsters
spawn-monsters=true
Spawn NPCs
spawn-npcs=true
Spawn Protection
spawn-protection=16
View Distance
view-distance=10
White List
white-list=false
All Other Settings:
All other settings are either highly technical and seldom used by most people, not recommended to mess with by the wiki page itself, or are world generation settings that don't apply if you are simply loading a pre-generated world (as it sounds like you will be).
Technical Settings
broadcast-console-to-ops=true
broadcast-rcon-to-ops=true
enable-query=false
enable-rcon=false
max-tick-time=60000
network-compression-threshold=256
online-mode=true
prevent-proxy-connections=false
query.port=25565
rcon.password=
rcon.port=25575
resource-pack-sha1=
server-ip= (wiki says to not mess with this and I never have, though I DO know what it does)
snooper-enabled=true
use-native-transport=true
World Generation Settings
generate-structures=true
generator-settings=
level-seed=
level-type=default
If you have any issues while getting things set up please let me know, and I will try to help as best I can. As always, I look forward to hearing updates on your project and of course would like to know when it is complete (at least the first part of it, as it sounds like a multi-part project), so I can check it out.
Best Wishes,
Robert
Many thanks again, Robert. We will keep you informed about the project.
Best,
Marcelo
Hello, Robert,
When trying to create the Minecraft server I got stuck in a problem. Maybe you can help us.
I found a detailed tutorial that included port forwarding in the router (https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Personal-Minecraft-Server). I followed those steps and last Sunday everything was working fine. However, today, when I started the server and tried to connect I got this message: “io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AnnotatedConnectException: Connection refused: no further information”
I tried the steps in this page (https://appuals.com/fix-io-netty-channel-abstractchannelannotatedconnectexception-connection-refused-no-further-information-error-on-minecraft/), then, since my antivirus is ESET NOD32, I tried the steps in this one (https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/archive/tutorials/931689-tutorial-how-to-fix-cant-connect-to-minecraft-net). After that, I even completely removed the antivirus and turned off Windows Firewall for testing, without any change. The crazy thing is that last Sunday the server was working. Could it be a problem with the last Windows 10 update?
Could you help us to solve this problem? I couldn´t find anything online.
Best,
Marcelo
Greetings Marcelo,
I read through the articles from the links you provided. What I can tell you from my past experience is this:
I have never encountered the io.netty.channel issue myself that I can remember.
I have no idea how to use ESET NOD32 antivirus and what its features are, so I will be no help in dealing with anything if the problem is related to that.
Also, I noticed this in the list of incompatible programs that was linked in that first article:
https://minecraftirc.net/support-articles/known-incompatible-software/
ESET Antivirus
All Versions
Causes login and multiplayer connectivity problems.
ESET Security has a feature that interferes with Minecraft’s ability to connect to Mojang’s servers. To fix it, follow these instructions here, and set the mode to Interactive. Then, open the launcher and try to log into Minecraft. ESET will open a window asking what to do, press EXCLUDE.
If the above fix does not work, you will need to uninstall ESET Antivirus.
Uninstall Tool: Windows / Mac
For antivirus and general system security I personally use:
AVG antivirus https://www.avg.com/en-us/homepage#pc (despite the article above saying it is incompatible, I have never had issues)
Spybot Search & Destroy https://www.safer-networking.org/products/spybot-free-edition/
Malwarebytes https://www.malwarebytes.com/
SuperAntispyware https://www.superantispyware.com/
all depending on the types of stuff I have found my computers infected with over the years and they have solved all my special cases where I've had something attack my system or in some cases have just plain blocked things from assaulting my computer in the first place. I am not plugging or promoting them, just simply telling you what I use.
And I don't use Windows 10 as my computer has Windows 8. So, I have no idea if an update might have caused it. I know I have had bad updates in the past on Windows 7 that have completely disabled my computer and required a format to fix (as the OS wouldn't even load), so that is certainly a possibility. Though it sounds like if that IS the problem that your computer still works at least, which is fortunate.
Other Things You Can Try
That being said however, there are three things that I have done from time to time that have helped solved connection issues that I have had.
Make Sure Your Java Is Up To Date
Ensure your Java is up to date for both 32-bit and 64-bit installs. I know you said you did this already but you might want to read this just to make sure you did everything.
I prefer to install updates manually by downloading the files directly from the Java site as I have had automatic Java updates mess up my ability to launch programs and games that use it. Just download both the Windows Offline and Windows Offline (64-Bit) from the links on this page:
https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp
When it tells you have an old version installed and to uninstall it as you are installing each of these updates, say NO and uninstall via the 'Programs and Features' section of your 'Control Panel' once both updates are installed. I say this because I've had cases where the uninstall the install program does doesn't remove everything or messes up and then you have to do it manually anyways. ALWAYS make sure you uninstall old Java versions on your computer once you update.
Double-check the IP For Your Server
I've had this happen numerous times where either my modem or router (or both) will restart for some odd reason that I wasn't aware of (like I was gone or sleeping) due to poor or intermittent internet connection, a power surge, it got unplugged somehow, or something else and wound up changing the IP addresses on the computers on my network around so that the IP I use to connect to my server is no longer the correct IP. So it would do something like change 192.168.2.4 to 192.168.2.2 or something similar. Obviously, this then causes any computers trying to connect to that server to not be able to. If you check the server's IP by going into the cmd prompt and typing ipconfig, you can check your IPv4 address and make sure it hasn't changed and that you are trying to connect to the correct one.
In addition to your internal IP, you can also try using your external IP address, or the localhost (with or without the port number) if you are logging into the server from the same computer, both as detailed on this page:
https://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/142116/cannot-connect-to-my-own-minecraft-server
Delete, Re-download, & Reinstall Minecraft
I have had a few times over the years where I had server connection issues and I had no idea what was causing them and doing this as a long shot did the trick. This includes absolutely everything in the .minecraft folder. Uninstall Minecraft via Programs and Features, then delete anything that it misses out of the .minecraft folder. This includes all the versions and everything else except any saves you might have. Take any worlds you have currently in your 'saves' folder out and put them to the side so you can reinsert them into the new saves folder once you reinstall. It is possible that just one or more of the files in your Minecraft install or the version you are using got corrupted somehow or by something and doing a fresh install might very well solve the issue.
I hope one of these three things solves your problem as I am not very well-versed in network stuff and will likely have a hard time troubleshooting issues, particularly because of the long distance. I can only really make suggestions on things I have tried in the past that have worked for me and go from there. Also, my apologies for not responding sooner as I haven't checked Minecraft Forum in over a week. Good luck and let me know what happens after you try these things (or if you have already).
Sincerely,
Robert