Introduction:





Minecraft is a videogame. The goal of a videogame is to provide a player with a challenge. Enjoyment is earned when the challenge is completed, which is why we find videogames enjoyable. Think of it like this: Challenge = Enjoyment.


If you want to have a successful Minecraft server, you need to provide a lot of player interaction





What not to include in your server:





Bad staff. Thato s a killer right there, and has ripped apart every server Io ve played on. And ito s not their fault. Every time it was one of the previous admins or owners who ranked up someone who never deserved to be staff, and couldno t handle the power. Owners and server admins: Be super careful of who you rank. More on that in the staff section of this guide, but ito s a biggie. Dono t rank someone until you know everything about them and know they will be dedicated to the server. For the most part, thato s the biggest one. The rest is personal preference.





Ranks:





Ranks have always been a topic discussed through many different servers with great detail, but never has a decision been made agreed on unanimously. For the most part, you can do your ranks however you like. Here is an example of how I would do it:


Default rank - This is the starting rank. No special anything.


Builder - something for when someone buys a house plot. They get permissions to build on their plot.


There should be a shopkeeper rank in there as well, and maybe even higher up a game manager, for someone who can run games and record scores. Ranks should not be given out to anyone who meets the bare minimum. Set a standard for each rank, and only give the rank for those who go above and beyond. Last server I was on the architect rank was too easy to get and over 80% of the server population was an architect. Make ranks hard to get, but not too hard. Use ranks to unlock areas in-game. Make it so certain places/attractions on the server can only be accessed by certain ranks. For example, o you cano t run this parkour course until youo re a builder ranko .





Staff:





The staff team makes or breaks a server - Literally. The last two servers I was on fell due to an unorganized, unstable, and overall bad staff team. The staff team consists of the server Owners, the Admins, and the Moderators. Thato s it. Your staff team should be small and close-knit. Everyone needs to know everyone, and they should all get along. If staff start fighting, then trouble starts. You need your staff to be hard workers. I highly suggest asking them to agree to becoming a staff member, because once you belong to staff your priority is to the server. Staffo s job is to keep the server running, so they cano t spend all day doing what they want. Make sure thato s clear to them. I also HIGHLY SUGGEST a minimum age requirement. Minecraft is played by a ton of people, ranging from 7 to 23 years old on average. Little kids and the young, immature teenagers are not good candidates for staff. They are just too immature, and while they may seem nice and helpful to everyone, their lack of maturity will ultimately be their downfall. Have a minimum age requirement (14 or 15?) and dono t tell people. If you are thinking of promoting someone to staff, ask their age. If ito s over the limit, accept them. If not, dono t. And if they say they wono t tell you, chances are ito s a 10 year old behind that player and you dono t want them anyways. Dono t make friends staff. I know ito s hard, but everyone needs to start from the beginning. Even if your best friend begs you, theyo re new to the server, are still learning the ropes, and wono t have the respect of the server citizens. Staff need to be responsible people. If you find a staff member is being mean, abusing their powers, disregarding their responsibilities, or not coming online anymore, demote them, and promote someone else. This is how company management works. Being in staff isno t a right - ito s a privilege, and any staff member who no longer deserves it should be deranked immediately. It is important to get rid of the bad staff and bring in fresh ones. This was a huge problem on my last server. No admins were coming on, and nobody was being promoted to admin because o we had too manyo . Keep the flow going. Be sure to get new people in when old ones leave, but DONo T DO IT TOO FAST. Also, depending on the severity, ito s better to give a warning and another chance than an instant derank.








Donating:





Servers cost. Donations are what keep them going. The problem is getting donators. It helps to have an addictingly fun server. It also helps if people really want what comes with donating. You want to make donating to the server the most desirable thing on the server. Treat your donators like kings, but not too much. Make levels of donation. For example - $10 is donator, $20 is super donator, $30 is donator++, $40 is donation master, $50 is Donation King. Make it clear to your server citizens that donators are important. Make a sign in spawn easy to see that lists all donators. Make giant statues of all top donators. One thing I suggest is making areas only accessible by certain levels of donation. Give commands to donators. One popular command is Mob Disguise. Give that to donators, and allow the higher donator ranks to turn into more mobs. One big thing: DONo T GIVE DONATORS TOO MUCH POWER. Celebrate them, congratulate them, thank them, make them feel like the kings of the server, but never give them anything meant only for staff. NEVER give donators world edit. Never give them anything that they can abuse. While ito s great that they donated, you dono t know their intentions. They could be a total jerk. Also, NEVER BETTER SOMEONEo S ODDS OF BECOMING STAFF BECAUSE THEY DONATED. Why not? Johnny DerpsALot is a donator. He becomes staff, and uses world edit to destroy an entire world and then kills everyone and bans all from the server. Just because someone donates doesno t mean you can trust them.





The End:





Well, thato s my guide. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask me. I personally have only, ever been fully in-charge of one server, but I have admin experience and a logical business mind, so I know a thing or two ;). Be sure to have fun. Minecraft is played to have fun, and if at anytime you or another server player isno t having fun, do something to fix it.


Also, Pro-Tip: Constantly look for ways to better your server. The best way to keep people happy is to ask for feedback. Make yourself approachable to the newest dirt puncher who joins the server saying heo s confused and doesno t like something. Odds are, he may have an idea or suggestion that will bring more people to the server.








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