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
https://www.change.org/petitions/mojang-do-not-go-through-with-the-eula#share
Here are a few arguments I've seen here and on /r/minecraft, and I'll try and refute them:
It's not. Time is one resource, and there are other costs (other than hosting) that come up. Most players will happily consume the server (and we're happy that they are on, because they are indirectly supporting it!) without purchasing a rank, and that's fine. Most server owners and administrators want to give something back for supporting it (even it is for the /fly, kits or whatever).
Unless your paying for really good internet, DDoS protection, or a server that can support more than just a few players.
Even disregarding the fact that children shouldn't be taking their parent's credit cards, most server owners are resonable with refunds and payments.
Hmm...a <username>.dat isn't property of Mojang? If you say it is, you mine as well say the anything saved using the .psd format is property of Adobe.
I can't restrict the client's ability to render a diamond sword or signal to the server that I wanted to move in a certian direction.
They threatened that to some auth system (I think for the technic pack or something like that). No follow through..but even if they did, there'd be plenty of ways to get around it.
This turns in to an game of cat and mouse, and it'd probably be a hell of a list to try and maintain.
Sorry, but it'll probably just widen the gap between people who don't purchase stuff and do. You're probably not going to be leveled off as everyone else.
And what is it with capes?
Seriously, are they just trying to off as many sectors of the MC community as they can, because what, they like creating them?
There is a great thing at http://sterlingplays.com/. You should see it if you haven't already.
World edit is a game changer. It completely affects how you build stuff and the quickness. Therefore is not an exception for selling perms.
No, your not understanding the concept of the EULA... Your basically saying that on your server you would charge people to have permissions on world edit... That whole concept of EULA is to prevent Pay to win. Worldedit is a HUGE advantage if you have to pay for it especially if there are people in your server that either CAN'T pay for it.
Therefore its still unfair and that is where everyone has to have access to world edit.
In other words: i can use a 3rd party OFFICIAL government website to checkm using it's tax code number, if that company exist, and thus I have some form of legal recourse in case I get scammed . True cash transaction REQUIRE to have at least that amount of customer protection. It works a LOT better than a website itself merely just saying "we do respect our privacy" and basically asking people to take them at their words.
BTW if I'm in Canada and purchase something in the USA, I have to pay both CAD and USD taxes. Fun. But globalization is slowly taking care of that (too slowly, yeah).
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so basically I agree that this would put down a lot of servers which currently operate totally under the radar of the law. The real law, not Mojang's EULA. Hopefully that would force the average quality of what would be left to increase dramatically and become true businesses instead of a lot of Garage Joes with server farms.
Because frankly, letting my PC run 24-7 would just cost me a bit more electricity. 400 Watts at 7 cents per kilowatt-hour = only 20$ of electricity per month. Maybe you'll go through an extra hard disk faster than normal whoopedoo what is that +2$ per month ? Because you use a dedicated small cheap HD just the right size/performance/cost, not your brand new 3TB 1000$ hi-tech drive. And it's not as if Minecraft requires a lot of bandwidth too. Anyway, it is only +10$ per month for my high speed internet access to also become unlimited. So yeah, only monster servers have higher costs.
The situation if all those server owners being sooo outraged is much like merchants owners on the underground merchant street being outraged because suddenly the law tries to regulate their business. It's going to fall on deaf ears because utlimately the biggest culprits know what they were doing was wrong.
The only point I'm willing to concede is that this move comes suspiciously at the same time Realms has started cruising. But a bit of analysis shows that this move came from the sheer abuse of a few big P2W servers which impacted directly Mojang (angry customers calling Mojang support).
Anyway, P2W is SO UGLY it should die die DIE forever.
You're being completely unreasonable though. Just imagine what it would be like if everyone had access to worldedit. You want to construct something cool? Too bad, not only is it so lag-intensive because everyone is using it that it becomes unfeasible to use, but that jerk griefer could go around cutting out everyone's creation and there's not a thing you can do about it.
Worldedit is not an advantage, it is a helpful tool for people who like big projects, but it is quite possible and reasonable for someone without worldedit to construct the same things, it just takes longer.
So you now have a tool that isn't that big of an advantage but will, and it is not merely a possibility but a guaranteed, wreak havoc on the server if everyone has it, and you're saying that it shouldn't be restricted? That's either very naive or you really want to make a replica of the starship Enterprise without paying for worldedit commands.
First off, i didn't say give everyone worldedit, i said you cannot charge for world edit. That is what the EULA is about. Whether you want to shave a few hours off a build with worldedit is not the point. Thats like saying i can save a bunch of time with Treecapitator. Any outside mod that helps you in anyway should not be charged for as it gives other people advantages some people can't either afford or purchase.
EULA is amazing as it evens the fairness of Minecraft on servers. I could care less if you can buy kits and what not because i dont play factions. I would actually much prefer cosmetic purchases then i would buying a perk/item that ruins the vanilla feel of the game.
As for the worldedit grief, you obviously would have rules and regulations and some sort of grief protection if you made a fair server where everyone can use worldedit. Also i like how you are calling me naive when you didnt even mention anything about rules along side everyone having worldedit.
I LOVE worldedit, but i would rather it be fair instead of me being able to purchase it, thats my point.
A petition wont effect it at all one the eula statment has not been changed it is just now that they choose to enforce it and mojang can just choose to ignore the petition there not a branch of gonvenment there a company lol .
Exactly my point, if its creative with like plots and what not, i dont think you should have to pay for a rank or pay for worldedit or charge for permissions. Think thats silly and against the EULA act anyway!
But i agree its just users convenience.
Why? There is nothing wrong with worldedit, it gives you zero advantage..
hmm lets see here... You can make gigantic walls in about 10 seconds, you get really no "great feeling" like you would if you built it legit in creative. You have a lot of advantage against vanilla creative. If you cant see the advantage of commands over no commands, then i dont know what to say...
Also, you quoted my post that had nothing to do with how advantageous worldedit was.
Going along with this, I wonder how they plan to monitor every single server to make sure they follow this rule. You don't HAVE to use buycraft. Also, I wonder if they will realize how big they dun goofed after every server needs to shut down
Then I guess that just sucks for them when the server is gone. Life is like that. Maybe they'll learn something. I have been on one server that needed donations to keep going. As a reward people got stuff like a color for their name in chat, no gameplay-changing perks. People donated anyway. It can work.
The giant servers cost thousands to maintain. I've never stepped foot on one and I bet a lot of Minecraft players haven't either or didn't stay very long if they did get on. A server capable of handling a couple hundred players or less (the capacity for the vast majority of the thousands of servers in existence) can be had for $100 a month or less. Even cheaper if you have the ability to host from home. Plus not everyone requires income from a server (Minecraft or otherwise) to run it. Some of us have disposable income from other sources like a job or possess the hosting resources already.
I call melodrama on this. I've had several servers I play on die for varying reasons over the years. It sucks but I just go hunting for a new one and keep playing. So did most of the other players. I suppose some people are completely tied to their favorite server and without it there's no point to playing Minecraft at all anymore but I haven't met very many so far.
I love the new EULA and I can/could get the content if I wanted to. The reason I like the EULA is because it removes the pay-to-win aspect, provides a better community, and gives a sense of equality. It could have its tweaks, but so can everything. I feel as if a lot (not all) are overreacting and acting like this is the end of the world. You don't even know how it's going to play out, or if Mojang is even going to enforce it this time.