[0.4.14] LinuxGaming2 - A Server for Builders

[LazyJ]

Maintenance Notice

Tuesday, August 26th, after the backup, the server will be closed for maintenance.

I expect this to take most of the day.

Update 2014_08_27

Maintenance is complete.

[LazyJ]

Updates and Overhaul Notes

Updates

• Minetest engine updated to v. 0.4.10 (2014_08_25)
• minetest_game updated to 2014_08_26
• HomeDecor
• MoreBlocks
• MoreOres
• MoreTrees
• PlantLife
• Markers
• Sethome
• Travelnet
• Unified Inventory
• WorldEdit

Overhaul

• Some legacy mods where removed as their functions are now in other, newer mods. Aliases created to aid in the transition.
• Some deprecated code updated in most of our legacy mods to ensure they continue to work well.
• HomeDecor
  • Crafting recipes added where missing, crafting conflicts fixed.
  • "Snapple Piepad" now has a crafting recipe and can be placed in the world. Looks like a nice security system panel on the wall.
  • Sign GUI has color code reference below text screen and a carriage-return mark to indicate, roughly, where to break the current line of text and start a new line.
• Bones mod removed, TNT mod removed, swords removed, all flammable properties removed. (For those of you who prefer swords to gather leaves I've coded all leaves so you can cut them just as quickly with any tool.)
• MoreTrees planks, HomeDecor tile blocks, and most of MoreBlock's full-sized blocks can be rotated with a screwdriver now.
• Junglegrass can be stacked on top of each other or attached to each other. This makes it easier to build indoor trees and stalk-like houseplants as well as small, ornamental landscaping trees and shrubs.
• The old, reddish, junglewood texture from MoreBlocks has been kept.
• MoreTrees leafdecay disabled, default leaf decay used with extended leave radius. Acacia leaves and other MoreTrees leaves can be mixed with other leaves and trunks for better variety of "built" trees.
• Ores and stairs/slabs that are duplicated by MoreOres, MoreBlocks, and minetest_game have had their modname added to their descriptions to help reduce confusion, particularly for crafting recipe requirements.
• Clearobjects has been run and the world database defragged.

Other Changes

• HomeDecor took over the locked signs mod. As a result the locked signs can be written in color. However, the down side is that many of them have been flipped out of position. Just one of the growing pains of updating that we'll have to work through one at a time.
• Old signs will still use the old text entry method. To update the signs you will have to dig them and place them again.
• Many of the crafting recipes for HomeDecor have changed to better utilize the smaller mods that have been recently absorbed into it. Refer to Unified Inventory's crafting guide for the new recipes
• Waypoints have been phased out of Unified Inventory. From what I can see in the waypoint files, very, very few players actually used waypoint. Thousands of empty waypoint files and fewer than 10 had any coords in them.

[Pawl]

I want to have this skin:

[krzychu]

this skin I want to have.

[LazyJ]

Catching up on some posted requests...

Italian Promotion of Minetest

I would like to advertise minetest in an Italian forum, and I would like to quote your server, whether for advertising, and to give an example of what minetest can give, of course, to give the Italian newcomers welcome me. Sorry if I made mistakes, google translator.

Howdy, Guinzo ;) Sorry for the late reply.

If I understand your post correctly, you would like to quote parts of our thread to help promote Minetest?

Sure. Sounds OK to me. ;)


Player Skins
Pawl and krzychu, your skins have been uploaded and they are activated. ;)

[marrrekksk]

I want to have this skin:

[LazyJ]

Howdy, marrrekksk ;)

Your skin file has been uploaded and will take affect after the next server restart.

[Pawl]

maybe this mod viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9277&hilit=factory could be on your server?

[LazyJ]

maybe this mod viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9277&hilit=factory could be on your server?

Howdy, Pawl ;)

Thanks for the suggestion.

I tested and evaluated the mod you linked to (thanks for the link, that helps): LemonLake's "Factory" mod.

"Factory" is a cool mod but because of the way our server is setup it won't work very well. The items are transported along the top of the conveyor belt as entities. The server automatically deletes entities after 10 seconds. So anything you drop or the "takers" put on the conveyor belt would be deleted 10 seconds later.

Because of this and the other issues below, "Factory" will not be installed on our server.



Some Other Issues of Concern

Items are transported on top of the "Factory" conveyor belts, leaving them exposed where any thief could come along and take them. Because of this, "Factory" seems better suited for use in a singleplayer world or on a private server among trusted friends.

It is difficult to drop items onto just the right spot on the conveyor belts where the items won't fall off at a curve or get stuck on something along the side of the conveyor.

The recipes are very expensive; making them not very practical in a survival-mode server. Players could spend more resources on constructing the components than those components would help with in the same amount of time.

If the conveyor belts extend beyond the active_block_range, the items are deleted. To make sure that the items on very long conveyor belts make it to the other end, the player has to walk along with the item all the way. While the player is walking with the items, when they have walked beyond the active_block_range the "taker" is in, the "taker" node stops working. Also The conveyor belts move items slower than a player's walking speed by about half. All of these issues defeat the purpose of the conveyor belt.

It is cheaper, faster, simpler, and far more secure to fill the large bags of Unified Inventory and run to (or use your second sethome to teleport to) the remote chests than it is to construct and babysit the conveyor belts.



Time and Minetest's Development Will Tell

At present, automated mods like "Factory" won't work well on our server. However, in time as the MInetest engine and mods' code improves, that may change. Time and Minetest's development will tell. ;)

[Pawl]

Thanks for your opinion and experiences.

[LazyJ]

Update

Screwdriver Tool
I've uploaded TenPlus1's redo of the screwdriver tool with one, little, addition. In the past, the screwdriver has been used to grief and steal so I've added a priv requirement to the screwdriver. Only players with the "twist" priv can use the screwdriver. I've already granted the twist priv to the regulars that I could think of.

Like the bucket's "spill" priv, the "twist" priv is a priv of trust. To be granted the "twist" priv players have to be a part of our server long enough to be familiar with our customs and rules. Players who have proven themselves to be of good character, proven that they are responsible, and proven that they can be trusted to use their privs to help others instead of griefing are the ones who are granted extra privs.

This update to the screwdriver changes how it works. Instead of holding the sneak-key while clicking through four different modes, you only have to either left-click or right-click on the object.

Left-click = rotate.
Right-click = flip.



10-Second Item Deletion
Players littering with dropped items has long been a problem. This last run of clearobjects took over five hours to complete.

Five hours is an absurd amount of downtime as a result of players who won't bother themselves to manage their inventories responsibly.

I have consulted the admins and moderators about this and it has been decided to set the item_entity_ttl to 10 seconds.

If you want to give another player something by dropping it, the item will have to be picked up in less than 10 seconds or else it will be deleted. Giving another player stuff in this way is not recommended.

Here are some better alternatives:

• Place the items in the other player's inbox. (highly recommended)
• Trade the items using a barter table. You both gain. ;) (recommended)
• Leave the items in an unlocked chest with a locked sign next to it saying "Free Stuff".

That last option, leaving free stuff in an unlocked chest, has a broader advantage: "One player's trash is another player's treasure."

You and other members of our community can put unwanted stuff (trash) in free chests.

Newcomers and other members of our community can then take stuff, that they can use (treasure), from free chests.

(Tip: Saw-made stuff, placed in the "recycle" slot of the saw, can be recycled in the saw if there is a full-sized version, of the same material, in the "input" slot. Those unwanted scraps that you put in a free chest may be just enough for another player to recycle into a full-sized block for their project.)

(Tip: Leaves, weeds, ivy, and other plant-stuff aren't the garbage you may think they are. All of these plant things can be used as short-burn fuels. Instead of wasting a whole lump of coal on a single ingot or whatever you want to cook in small quantities, use these plant fuels in the furnace instead. The furnace fire won't show, when using plant fuels, but the furnace is working. Keep the furnace's menu up to monitor the progress.)

[LazyJ]

Update

• Updated minetest_game to 2014_09_06's release.
• Added sword tool capabilities to picks, shovels, and axes.

A while ago swords were removed for two reasons:

1. To make it clear that fighting is not allowed on our server.
2. To stop the fraud of players selling swords to newcomers who didn't know PvP is disabled on our server.

When the swords were removed I changed the code for all leaves, default and MoreTrees, to make them easier to dig.

"Tim" recently suggested altering the tools' capabilities as well to make digging leaves easier. So I went back through and added the tool capability code of swords to their like-material pick, axe, and shovel counterparts. The hoe works differently so it was left alone.

The tools made from MoreOres stuff have also been enhanced by their sword counterparts.

While working in the tool code I noticed a few things that may interest players who take time to plan and prepare.

• When it comes to digging and chopping, the hand digs almost as fast as wood and stone tools. The biggest difference it that you can't dig stones with your hand.
• Steel tools work just as fast as bronze tools but don't last as long.
• Mese tools work just as fast as diamond tools but don't last as long.
• Default mese and diamond tools dig leaves much faster than MoreOres' tools.

[LazyJ]

Update

• Overview maps updated, 2014_09_07.
• The uploaded "Big" map hasn't been compressed yet. I'll let my computer work on that over night and upload the compressed version tomorrow.
• 71mb version of the "Big" map has been uploaded.

[LazyJ]

Update

• It has been brought to my attention that adding the swords' capabilities to the other tools causes a conflict with the bush mod's code. I'll review the various code involved. There is a balance in the gameplay that will be maintained; not every player will be satisfied.
• Fixed. I've added the "snappy" groupcap as a condition in the bush mod's code. Hand and shovels dig the bushes, picks will harvest the berries, axes will destroy the bushes and return a random amount of sticks to the inventory.
• The suggestion has been made to post Wazuland2's custom game and mods on GitHub as a sub-game. Doing so means Wazuland2 would no longer be unique. I will consult with the admins and moderators before making a decision on the matter.

[LazyJ]

Update

Yup, still working some bugs out. ;)

Streets Legacy
I've updated the code of our legacy version of Streets to be compatible with texture packs that support the 2014_09_06 version of StreetsMod.

At the moment, it doesn't seem prudent to upgrade to the current version of the StreetsMod.

My preliminary evaluation of the mod shows that, for most the part, it just adds yellow-lined versions of the white-lined road materials we already have. So far, most of the Streets roads in our server have been placed by admins. Other than that, players have made little use of the Streets mod we have.

Another concern is that the newer versions of StreetsMod have a soft-dependency on Mesecons.

Technic and Mesecons can be used to create infinite-loop / lag machines that would effectively shutdown the server. For that reason, Technic, Mesecons, and any other mod that depends on them will not be installed on our server.



Tidying Up a Little

Some admin shops that were made unnecessary in recent updates have been removed making room to line-up the colored wool, admin shops a litttle better. The colored wool admin, shops that were on top of the Admin Shop building have been moved to the street level with the other colored, wool admin shops.

The antimoonrock and moonrock admin shops have been moved to the top of the Admin Shop building.

[CraigyDavi]

Another concern is that the newer versions of StreetsMod have a soft-dependency on Mesecons.

That's only for the traffic light, it can easily be removed.

[LazyJ]

There have been a couple requests to increase the allotted number of areas players can use to set protection on their builds.

I've given the matter considerable consideration the past few days and decided to leave the settings as they are currently.

My reasoning stems from the following:

The current limit is in place because of problems in the past with players making large land-grabs. They are the type that declare they are going to create mega-builds, or an epic "this", or an awesome "that". If they actually did do something, other than shooting-off their mouths, it usually turned out to be either a large cobble slab or a giant, empty, cobble box. Ugly. Uninspiring. Wastes of space.

Currently each player has up to 16 areas that they can set protection on. Each area has a range up to 50x100x50.

The Markers mod is coded for a smaller area range and it will stay that way.

On our server, the Markers mod is intended for newbies, to help them get established. More experienced players have to step-up their game to the next level and learn to use the chat commands of the Areas mod to utilize the full 50x100x50 range. The seasoned pros of our server know how to use chat commands to their advantage.

When combined, the current allotment of 16, 50x100x50 areas creates an overall area roughly the size of Spawntown. So far, only a small handful of players have created anything that comes close to this size.

If you intend to set protection on multiple, small builds, then you must think ahead before building and choose wisely. Instead of keeping two protections on two builds that are right next to each other, remove the two protections and then set a single protection over both builds.

From time-to-time I survey various regions to assess the growth and development of our server. I have seen a number of well designed builds that are worth visiting, studying, and protecting. I've also seen a lot of ridiculous stuff that players have wasted protection on. Things like mines, mine shafts, and junk.

If you are setting protection on a series of elevators down a mine shaft then you are wasting you allotted number of protections. The second sethome mod was installed expressly for the purpose of deep-shaft mining.

The "areas" priv is a very serious priv and has been entrusted to a few consistent, long-time, non-admin, non-moderator, players who understand what a problem land-grabbers are and have proven that they can be trusted with such a powerful priv. These players, who have the "areas" priv, can set ownership for other players that goes beyond the set limit.

It is time for these "areas" priv players to step-up to the responsibilities that come with that priv of trust and help other players.

[LazyJ]

"Invalid Chest"

There are quite a few Money mod, shop chests that have not been "retuned" since the mod was updated a little over a year ago.

When accessed, these chests caused the server to crash.

"Brian", one of our server's members, came up with a code fix so that instead of crashing the server, these old shop chests now display the error message, "invalid chest".

As I mentioned above, it's been a little over a year now since the update. If the owners of these chests haven't bothered to retune the chests by this time or, more likely, the owners have not even logged in over this past year, then it is reasonable to begin removing these chests.

From here on out, in between my various other projects, I will delete these "invalid" chests as I find them.

[krzychu]

Why is my account banned?

[LazyJ]

Why is my account banned?

krzychu,

The ban message says the reason is "Stealing".

Stealing is against our server rules which are posted in the first thread and displayed in the screen that pops up every time a player logs in.

I will discuss this matter with our staff members to determine its severity. A temporary ban may be sufficient; if not, the ban may be permanent.

[klappspaten]

Hi krzychu,

you have been banned from our server for stealing from a refrigerator in Rock Town. As can be read here and in our server rules (and btw you've also been told by me the day you and marrrekksk visited Dwarf City) stealing isn't allowed on our server and will be punished with a ban.

[shadowpawn84]

Sanctum Sancorum (work in progress) by shadowpawn84




Ubuntuyou's Birthday build by klappspaten and shadowpawn84







Buster Sword by shadowpawn84

[shadowpawn84]

ANNNNND here is a screenshot of klappspaten's "Mortal Kombat Bear" build.............. (sigh) :P

[CamryRainbow]

http://www.minecraftskins.com/newupload ... 120744.png

[CamryRainbow]

http://www.minecraftskins.com/skin/3982108/edited/




this is the right one