Changes To VIP System

We've made some changes to how the VIP system works in order to simplify it, details can be found in the VIP Benefits section of the website.

Because of the hosting company switch back in April some existing VIPs would potentially lose out under the new system so anyone who donated between 27th April and 17th May will be given the opportunity to renew their VIP status for a smaller donation next quarter to make up for it! If this applies to you then a special PayPal link will be sent to you by e-mail nearer the time.

We are also working on a couple of new VIP perks and will update the site with details soon!

UPDATE:

Discounted minimum VIP donations will be as follows:

Donations between; 27th April & 2nd May - £5
Donations between; 3rd May & 17th May - £4

The VIP limit will remain at 12 players as I will be subsidising any shortfall resulting from the discounts myself.

Hosting Company Commision

Our hosting company, FragNet, are now paying 20% recurring commission on signups via the links on our website, so for example if someone buys a Counter Strike + Voice server for £10.00 a month we receive a £2 a month discount on our hosting fees for as long as they keep the server!

They offer servers for over 60 different games as well as voice services, web hosting,  dedicated servers and more based either in a choice of 4 European and 8 Us locations, with discounts of 10-20% for paying quarterly, biannually or annually.

So if you know anyone looking for a game server please do point them this way, they'll get a great quality server and we'll have less funds to raise next quarter so it's win-win!

PvP Village Removed From Spawn

I decided to remove the PvP village from Spawn Island as Marble End has essentially replaced it.

However it isn't entirely gone...

Instead of getting rid of of it completely I've moved it to Marble End, where it has been adapted into a  space-ship-village-kind-of-thing, that will make more sense when you see it, honestly!

It adds skeletons and zombie pigmen into the mix of mobs in Marble End, although they cannot leave the village due to interdiction torches at the entrance, as well as containing another regularly supplied chest. The chest in the village automatically receives iron swords and various random splash potions, it is the only chest in Marble end supplied with these items and I think the splash potions will add an interesting dynamic to the world.

Enjoy!

EDIT: The Interdiction Torches have been replaced with tesla coils to make it a little more dangerous going in and out of the village and to stop players standing in the doorway safely killing all the mobs!

Spawning Tweaks

I've tweaked the maximums for natural mob spawning from the default values as follows:

squids - decreased by 20%
animals - decreased by 20%
hostile mobs - decreased by 30%

I've also decreased monster spawning frequency, which means that for any given chunk the server will attempt to spawn hostile mobs less often.

From a player perspective these changes probably won't even be particularly noticeable, however when you look at the server as a whole this will mean at least 150 less mobs during the day and at least 400 less mobs at night with a typical number of chunks loaded. This will give a noticeable reduction in CPU usage, especially during busier times, and also reduce 'Nether lag' a little.

Server Software Upgrade

The server will be down for up to 40 minutes this morning for a software upgrade, I'll update here when it's complete.

EDIT: 10:10 - The upgrade is complete and the server is now up again!

June Challenge - RollerCoasters

As promised here are some more details on how and when they will be judged...

Judging will take place on Sunday 30th June, sometime in the afternoon.

Entries will be judged by DiggyWig, DigginChickin and 3-6 other random players chosen on the day.

Each judge will make a first and second choice, being selected as a judges first choice will get you 10 points, second choice will get you 5 points, all your points will then be added up to get your basic score.

As well as the basic score bonus points will be awarded for:

Best rollercoaster name - 10 bonus points
Most impressive feature - 10 bonus points
Most unique build - 10 bonus points
Most interesting use of materials - 10 bonus points

For the bonus points each judge will get to cast a single vote for each category, the coaster with the most votes in each category will get the points, or they will be split in the case of a draw.

Once all the votes are in, I will add up everyones points and post details here, the winners name will also be displayed on one of the boards at spawn and images of the builds will be posted here and on the Technic Forums!

The winning entries will also be offered a choice of prizes!

Entries will be disqualified if they cause excessive lag or death of the judges!

To enter you need to send the name/s of the player/s entering the coaster, the name you have given your it and coordinates the judges should teleport to when judging. This information can be sent either by skype (DiggyWig or DigginChickin) or e-mail (admin@diggyminecraft.co.uk) but must be received by midnight on Saturday 29th June for your entry to be included.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you all come up with!