Unexpected Downtime - Server Back Up!

Apologies for the unexpected downtime, a mandatory management interface update was pushed out as a fix for the latest Minecraft version and it reset some of the server config, everything is now fixed and the server is back up!

DigginChickin Now A Moderator!

It was getting frustrating that she couldn't do certain things and had to keep interrupting me so I would do it so DigginChickin is now a Moderator! lol

Seriously though she was doing a great job as Helper so I think it is well deserved!

Congrats!

Donation Changes

As of today all packages on BuyCraft have been disabled except for the Free Booster Pack, this is due to a large number of chargebacks in recent weeks, almost 40% of the donations received.

We have had a few people banned today as chargebacks were made on transactions where someone else bought multiple players Donator rank. Tatankore has ensured that all players affected through no fault of their own have been unbanned and returned to Member+ rank.

We had been toying with the idea of moving completely to GroupPay for a while and looking at the figures we decided that this is the best way forward, it does mean we lose the instant delivery offered by BuyCraft but it offers far more security for the server and also gives players the assurance that 100% of donations goes towards hosting costs. 

As per the original plan remaining BuyCraft funds will be left in the account until next year and as originally stated on the Donate page the money will then be split and donated to some of the developers who created the mods and plugins we use.

The new custom GroupPay link (http://donate.diggyminecraft.co.uk/) should be fully functional within the next 24 hours, please see the 'Donate' page of this site for details of the changes.

Server Software Update Tomorrow

There will be up to two restarts and a downtime which should be no more than 5 minutes long at around 9am (UK) tomorrow morning for a software update, as the downtime will be so short I won't post any updates here unless there's a problem.

Building Challenge Open!

The warp sign is now at spawn and permissions have been added, good luck all!

The challenge will close and judging will start on 14th April,
judging will take place over 7 days, see signs in world for details.

Building Challenge Details

Ok so here are the full details...

The builds are to be built in BuildWorld, in 16 x 16 x 16 areas.

Signs will be added to the WarpZone at spawn once the competition officially starts.

A total of 32 building areas will be available, which can be bought via a [BuyRegion] sign.

The price of the region is the entry fee, which has been set as $30,000 to prevent abuse etc.

The region will not affect your protection stone limits and are limited to 1 per player.

Entry is for a single player only to prevent arguments over ownership later on.

The [BuyRegion] sign will show the name of the player who purchased the region.

The regions are not transferrable and additional players cannot be given build permissions.

Players of Member rank or above can enter and prizes are transferable.

Entry is open to any player who is Member rank or above, including staff.

Winners may claim the prize for themselves or transfer it to another player of their choice.

There are a couple of restrictions and please dont use concrete!

Concrete has been used to cover the build areas and make them private until judging time, it will be removed with WorldEdit on the closing date, any concrete used in builds would also be removed so please remember not to use it!

As for restrictions it's simple really, nothing too laggy and no running machines (including condensers etc) that aren't a part of the design and turned off most of the time, if you do wish to use machines, pistons etc then please include either a pressure plate or button for players to use to see it 'working' for a short while.

There is absolutely no theme at all.

Be creative, use your imagination, isn't that what Minecraft is all about?

We don't want to make suggestions, we want to see some original thinking and inspired ideas, this is your chance to try and make the whole server go 'WOW'!

The challenge will officially start... 10:00am (UK) on Monday 24th March!

The challenge will close and judging will start on the 14th April and judging will take place over 7 days, see signs in world for details.

Prizes:

1st Prize - VIP Slot for the remainder of 2014, including ALL of the VIP benefits!

2nd Prize - 2 x Premium Booster Pack (via BuyCraft), plus 1 stack of any item!*

2nd Prize - 1 x Premium Booster Pack (via BuyCraft), plus 1 stack of any item!*

* Obviously excludes protection stones and banned items :p

Everyone who enters a build will receive a small gift for their effort!

If you cannot afford the entry fee why not see if you can find a sponsor, likewise if you are a rich player then why not sponsor a player or two and give them a chance of winning the VIP slot, please use the message board at spawn for this rather than spamming chat by asking everyone directly though!

We're looking forward to seeing what people come up with, good luck all!