Black Raven Dragoons

[Zancarius]

We are no longer running an official server any longer. However, I am, so please see the associated thread. I'm leaving this old post archived and visible for this reason.

I'm posting this information as a public service since our presence has been expanding to numerous games outside the original scope of the 'goons. Consequently, I think it's necessary to clarify how one might go about accessing the Minecraft server.

Gaining Access

If you're a member of the guild, you'll automatically be given access to the server. Just sign-up on the forums and post your minecraft.net username or get in touch with one of us (Grimblast, Highgrade (he goes by Aychgee), Elade (PeriwinklePixel), or myself). The server operates in a protected mode such that anyone can join, but you can't do anything unless you've been granted permission.

If you're not a member of the guild, you usually have to have someone vouch for you, and access is given on a first-come, first-serve basis. Think of it as a sponsorship; we reserve the right to grant or deny friends-of-friends access, but generally, everyone is welcome. If you're friendly and willing to help out with anything in particular, you'll be a good fit.

The Fine Print

Of course, there is some fine print. Traffic on our server is really quite low since we have Real Life™ obligations (just like you do) and only play Minecraft when time allows. Our interests are diverse, and it's possible that you won't see some of us on for weeks or months, so as of our current status, we don't really need to worry much about the player-cap. If the time comes that we do have to pay closer attention to the cap, then connection priority will be given to active guild members. I can't see this as become an issue since our server is technically private but it's worth noting.

As a side benefit, if any of us sees you on regularly and you're not a guild member, then you may end up being conscripted as an honorary member. That may require forum participation. Or it might just require the appropriate alignment of certain celestial bodies. Either way, if you're a regular and you've demonstrated that you're quite friendly, then you likely won't be subjected to player-caps if they should occur.

The Rules

We don't have many rules other than this simple one: Don't be a dick. It's the golden rule of Internet cooperation. If you don't destroy or interfere with other people's construction projects, if you're reasonably friendly, if you're not a dick, and if you seem willing to help (either your friends or anyone else), then you've got nothing to worry about.

Nightly backups run every morning via pathological abuse of Git (yes, I'm serious). Thus, any attempts at destroying or griefing structures aren't likely to cause lasting damage (outside of being a nuisance). We've not had to deal with anything of the sort so far, and I hope we never will. That said, if you do decide to join up, you won't have to worry about anyone griefing your efforts since we do try our best to filter the types of people who join up. If you've come from a server where griefing was common, then you'll feel much more relaxed under our wings.

Conversely, if you find abuse or are the victim of abuse, report it immediately. The best option for reporting abuse is here, in the Minecraft forum, but if you catch someone on the server, they probably know who to get in touch with to correct it. Reverting damage is fairly easy, but if it's extensive, we may have to roll back the server to the latest backup (usually no more than 24 hours prior to the event). Likewise, I'm sometimes in a charitable mood, and if you're the victim of lots of creepers blowing up your stuff, I may come down and revert the damage done to your structure. Of course, that depends on whether I'm busy or in easy reach of your zone.

Other forms of Minecraft etiquette are present on our server as well. Things like replanting trees after you've cut them down (and cutting them down completely!) can go a long way to maintaining areas near the spawn that are useful to new comers. Likewise, if you're traveling the landscape and see something of interest, be sure to either loot the structure completely and plant torches around so people know it's been "used" or if you're not in need of more materials, consider leaving the structure alone for someone else to partake in. Nothing's worse for new players than wandering thousands of blocks only to find every desert temple, village, and other structure devoid of useful items.

As such, be aware that we take liberty in deciding whether to revert or replace chunks containing structures that have been looted to give them another refresh and chance to spawn something interesting. We try not to modify areas containing active construction, so if you want to keep your structure unharmed, be sure to build it up.

Be sure to ask first before taking items from other players' inventories. Food and basic construction materials are probably okay, especially if you're starving and need to build a shelter, but anything more valuable such as ore, armor, tools, etc. should be requested first. If you really want to get on someone's good side, consider repaying them with more than you took once you're able.

It is recommended that you sign up on our forums even if you're not an "official" member of the guild. Until I create some sort of registration app for Minecraft, it's our best option for tracking you. You don't have to post (although it's encouraged if you want some brownie points), but I do advise that you check the Minecraft forum (that's this one) regularly. Our server updates tend to lag behind the official Minecraft server since we track Spigot instead, so we usually post an "all clear" when it's OK for you to update your client to the latest release.

We have had some people in the past who were in the friends-of-friends situation complain about having to follow the forums. They eventually stopped playing because they'd update immediately after a release and were most likely upset that they couldn't play. If they had only tracked our updates, this wouldn't have happened, and they'd still be playing. So, lesson learned: Check our forum periodically to see what's up. If you do, you'll be fine. If you don't, you'll be (unpleasantly) surprised.

I don't like handing out bans. I'll do it if you're disruptive to others' play. Playing on our server is a privilege, not a right; if you're unhappy with our requirements, there's plenty of other Minecraft servers to enjoy, or you can purchase your own instance via Mojang's Minecraft Realms.

Miscellaneous Other Cruft

I can't stress enough that you're encouraged to participate, which is as simple as saying "hi." Doing so often enough will likely award you with an honorary membership into the guild (if you're not a member) or extra kudos of some sort (if you are a member). It's not really required, but it does help us get to know who's playing on the server even if most of us use it as a side project from time to time.

So, the bottom line is thus: Have fun, do what you like to do, be respectful, and enjoy your time with us.

[Zancarius]

Updated server info and clarified a few bits.