Quote fromA select group of players now have access to the Minecraft Realms limited alpha test. Minecraft Realms is a service designed to let players play on a server together with minimal setup, and will be available to the public later this year.
Will this change the way I play Minecraft?
- Nothing will change regarding how you create, setup, or host servers today. Minecraft Realms is an additional service of hosting servers for those who want it. Nothing is mandatory.
How can I get into the Realms closed Alpha?
- You can’t yet, sorry. It’s a private, invite-only thing. Keep an eye on this blog for more info!
How much does it cost?
- We’re not sure yet. It will be a subscription service. One subscription = one server. Only the host needs to pay. The host can invite (whitelist) friends to play on his/her server.
How many players can play together?
- This is not confirmed yet. During the closed alpha we have set a limit of four players to test out our systems.
What is Minecraft Pocket Realms?
- It is the mobile version of our Realms service.
How much will Pocket Realms cost?
- We’re not sure yet. It will be a subscription service. One subscription = one server. Only the host needs to pay. The host can invite (whitelist) friends to play on his/her server.
How do I buy a Pocket Realms subscription?
- Realms subscriptions will be available via an in-app purchase within Minecraft – Pocket Edition. You’ll need to log in with your Mojang Account to use the service. If you don’t have an account you’ll be asked to create one.
Players should note that normal Minecraft servers are not being done away with, or being replaced. So far, Realms appears to be targeted towards people who simply want a quick, easy way to play privately with friends and family, and early tests have been very promising. I've personally had a chance to test out the Realms feature, and it's really easy to invite some friends into your game, and just play, without having to worry about port forwarding, setting up permissions, or anything but the game itself.
Keep an ear to the ground, as we bring even more Realms news in the coming days!
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Posted Mar 20, 2013Port-forwarding can be a chore for some people. Also, the person's internet or computer specs might prevent him/her from hosting a decent server. For example, I want to host a server to play with my friend on the other side of the world, but my internet is bad and my computer can't handle it. So I pay a little money to Mojang, and I have a server anyone can join, right away.
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Posted Mar 20, 20131- Capability for the host (i.e. the person paying for the service) to upload and download the world.
2- Mods support.
Without these, using WorldEdit (for example) or a mapper becomes impossible, and you're stuck with Vanilla.
3- Multiworlds support
Wether it is to connect your own worlds together, or connect your world to all others, having support for this through a standardized rules/access granting room interface would help a lot.
I'd find it crazy if for each world you pay the same. Some worlds are tiny, some huge, and having 2 connected worlds doesn't means you'll have twice as much players.
But I bet Realms will be popular even without these features.
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Posted Mar 20, 2013These servers are going to be meant for small gatherings or will I be able to rent a server that can hold 3,000 players at one time? (Not like I would want to, but that's just an example.)I must retract my previous question. Since the final details have yet to be determined. Maybe a less detailed question, such as: Will this service replace 3rd party server hosting or not?
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Posted Mar 20, 2013This isn't taking up too many development resources. You can see that 1.5.1 already has a pre-release out for fixes and they are vigorously working to correct the issues that are present in the game.
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Posted Mar 20, 2013But I think it's a great idea for people that just want to be able to run a vanilla server for friends and family. I run a server for my friends, but if the cost was low enough, I might consider it.
The great thing is that this doesn't take away from private servers at all, just adds a new optional feature for those interested. Good for everyone. Remember Mojang is not EA.
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Posted Mar 20, 2013If it's more expensive, then I don't see any real advantage to Realms over any of the billion existing 3rd party host services.
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Posted Mar 20, 2013-
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Posted Mar 20, 2013Mojang has one large advantage over other hosts - trust.
If you are looking for a third party host, there's a lot of potential research involved, who is cheapest, while still being reliable. And it's hard to accurately find who is reliable.
Mojang on the other hand... while many third party hosts are legitimate businesses, people will view Mojang as legitimaterererer.
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Posted Mar 20, 2013I would say no. Besides that hosting an xbox multiplayer session is free and easy! (If you have a Gold Account)
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Posted Mar 20, 2013