With the recent announcement about changes to the EULA (and in particular, how they will affect multiplayer servers), many questions have arisen. Mojang has looked over numerous discussions by you, the community, and has released a new Q&A announcement, to address some of the most frequently-asked questions to come from the announcement. More many come in the future, but for now, check out these clarifying answers, direct from Mojang!
Quote fromAre any servers exempt to the EULA?
No. It affects all servers and players equally.
Do server hosts have a grace period to implement changes to their servers?
Yes. All servers must comply with the EULA by August 1st, 2014.
Can I charge for access to my server?
Yes. How players join a server is up to you. Single entrance fees or subscriptions are both allowed.
How often am I allowed to charge players to access my server?
You can charge players as regularly as you like. You can even charge for timed access if you think it’s the best way to monetise your server.
What counts as a server? Are proxies one big server, or lots of smaller ones?
A server is something a user connects to with their client. The user is on a different server when they leave the one they are connected to and manually join another (in the multiplayer screen). Virtual servers and proxies make no difference here, to the client it’s the same server.
Can I charge access to a specific part of my server, such as a minigame or world?
No, you cannot charge for any part of a server other than the initial access. Once on a server, all players must have the same gameplay privileges. You may make a different server for the user to connect to which features “premium” areas, and charge for access to that server instead, but the benefits cannot carry over to your other servers.
So can I charge for my minigames or mods?
Yes, so long as all players on your server have access to the features.
Can I offer a limited trial period for all users?
Yes. So long as both trial and paying users have access to the same gameplay features during the trial, we’re cool with it.
Can I give paying users priority access to my server?
Yes, but you cannot restrict gameplay elements to specific users.
Does the EULA still apply for access to user-created mods?
Yes. It doesn’t make a difference who made the mods, or how they were implemented onto your server. All mods require Minecraft to run. You are not allowed to charge for Minecraft features which affect gameplay.
What do you mean by “hard currency” compared to “soft currency”?
Hard currency is real money or anything that can be converted into real money, including Bitcoins. Soft currency is available in-game only, and has no real-world value. The restriction in the EULA only apply to hard currency; you may unlock anything with soft currency.
Can I sell “kits” for hard currency if I provide a balanced alternative for non-paying users?
If the “kits” contain gameplay-affecting features they are not allowed. Gameplay balance is not relevant to the EULA. If the items included in the kit are purely cosmetic, you can charge real money/hard currency.
My server features a currency that you can earn through gameplay, but which can also be bought for hard currency. Is that OK?
Soft currencies that are solely earned in-game are fine, but you cannot sell in-game currency for hard currency. Hybrid/dual currency systems are not allowed.
Can I sell boosters, which provide faster gold gain, XP, or other in-game resources for hard currency?
No – boosters, item generators, and all other features that affect gameplay are not allowed.
So how do I make money from cosmetic items?
You can sell cosmetic items for hard currency directly or allow players to fund an “account” specific to your server. It’s up to the host of the server to decide how this works. Remember that capes are the exception to this rule – you are not allowed to give them away or sell them.
Can I sell ranks on my server?
Yes. Ranks are allowed so long as any perks gained are cosmetic. Coloured names, prefixes, special hats etc. are fine.
Can users purchase something that affects the entire server, such as a temporary XP boost?
Yes, but everyone who can access the server must be able to use the feature, regardless of whether they purchased it or not.
Can I award all players with a gameplay feature if I reach a donation goal within a time period?
Yes, so long as all players receive the benefit regardless of who donated then it’s OK.
Can I charge for access to server commands?
Yes, as long as their effects are purely cosmetic. Commands that affect gameplay, such as a command to fly, cannot be sold for hard currency.
If all players get access to a feature such as a plot of land, can I sell access to multiple plots for hard currency?
No – that would be a gameplay affecting change, so it’s not allowed. All player who access your server must have the same gameplay features offered to them. The same rule applies to items, such as potions.
How should servers deal with users who have already spent hard currency on features that affect gameplay?
Users may keep the perks they have paid for, on the condition that the same perks are available to other players on the server (directly, or purchasable using soft currency). It’s up to the server host to decide how to compensate users for previous transactions.
Do you have a question you would like answered about the EULA? Let's discuss it in the comments!
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EXTREMELY FRIENDLY REMINDER OF FRIENDLINESS AND HAPPY-JOY FEELINGS
Please keep all discussion as civil as possible! This is a very hot topic, and we understand that there are very strong feelings about the EULA. That's okay! Open discussion is a GOOD thing! However, please avoid the following:
- Name-calling
- Encouraging (or claiming to engage in) EULA violations
Um you are so wrong
"Please keep all discussion as civil as possible! This is a very hot topic, and we understand that there are very strong feelings about the EULA. That's okay! Open discussion is a GOOD thing!"
Nobody's saying it should be a business. They're saying that people should be able to sell stuff in-game to keep the server running.
Actually, its quite alright for people to speak up when they see something they disagree with, if it wasn't...you should also not be talking.
As for financially supporting a server themselves, its generally not feasible for the large servers.
I honestly think the best option, for those that disagree with the move is to move on. Will it cause Mojang to change their mind? Nope, not likely. Petitions, boycotting, etc. isn't likely to change a thing, however, by speaking with the server owners of the servers you enjoy and asking them to move their content to a new platform with a more open environment, you not only ensure that your current experience is maintained, you may also end up with a better one (due to easier modding capabilities, faster engine, etc.).
I love Minecraft as a platform for creative content. I believe Mojang's recent movements are stiffling that creativity by denying people the freedom to handle the content the way they wish to present it. People are arguing about whether P2W is right or not, but it doesn't matter, because someone might enjoy it. Those that don't enjoy it are free to seek out their own experience (or create it) just the same. No one should be stiffling another.
If you have stated your opinion and have nothing left to say, then that's that, but don't try to convince the community that they shouldn't talk about something that concerns them.
Mojang has given leeway for servers to essentially grandfather donators and even make it so ordinary players still have to work harder for the donor perks.
They probably saw this as a necessary thing to prevent repercussions. However, Mojang also said donating for the perks has to stop, therefor no more perks can be bought for and no more can be grandfathered.
I concede on that point. Should have said if you're going to try to pressure Mojang into compromising anymore... you should at least adapt your server while you're at it if you don't want to shut down, just in case they don't budge.
setzke I don't know if you have seen this yet but here
"Please keep all discussion as civil as possible! This is a very hot topic, and we understand that there are very strong feelings about the EULA. That's okay! Open discussion is a GOOD thing!"
Show me some of these questions which have been unanswered, and I'll do my best to answer them, and others will do the same. We have not missed the questions people have been asking entirely.
Agreed. The main problem is little kids that can't grasp the above concepts.
I did edit it at the last minute..... giving other ideas besides not existing
And weak minded? What's weak minded is people making a server thinking that they are not ultimately responsible for funding it, and if people actually care very much about the server, they will probably donate for cosmetics.
I was looking a little higher than that. :S
But arguing this is really pointless on my end because we aren't aloud to make any more threads about the EULA which leaves this one XD
The little kids who stole their parents CC.
But here's one I didn't ask before -- do you think under the new EULA that it is unlawful to allow for unbanning for money? Doesn't this fall into PAY TO ACCESS? It'd be on a hardcore map where you are auto-unbanned after 2 weeks.
Man, for a community of 16 million players, everyone sure is the same! You'd think there'd be some non-greedy server owners, but apparently not!
I think it's funny how you say people starting up a state of homeostasis is weak-minded. It's entrepreneurial. It's what the Free Enterprise System is all about.
Finally a counter-argument that exists *cries*
Being weak minded is miserably playing on a server that doesn't make you happy because of the way it makes money. Nobody with a brain should suffer from pay to win servers in a game that has so many servers. They can always walk away. If too many servers are pay to win, they're not missing anything. You're pretty much saying server owners should subsidize other people's fun.
That is true but there was always a higher chance they would donate for a kit over cosmetics. (It's clear mojang does not care at all about balancing kits so I won't try and make a point out of it.)
Creative servers as an example - you can no longer charge for world edit which is a problem. Very few servers give it to everyone because of the trololols. I am sure you can agree with me there is no "winning" in creative only servers. So it really should be exempt from all of this pay to win nonsense.