24,940
About a month ago, we asked you guys what your burning questions were for Cyprezz and Paril! We compiled a pretty hefty list for each of them, and they did their best to answer each one! We present to you, the long-awaited interview with... Cyprezz!!
Personal Questions
Does the cyborg run on Android or Apple?
Bertiecrafter
Android. I’m not a fan of the closed ecosystem or business practices of the red fruit. Uninstall.
What do you like to do in your free time? Hobbies?
Perfections
Free time? Can I have some of yours?
Digital Hobbies
What is your favorite game? (if it is Minecraft, then what is your second favorite game)
Whetshu
I know you asked for a favorite game but here’s my top 5 for each platform.
PC VR
What is your favorite texture pack or skin on the site?
CenturianDoctor
Hard one to answer because it depends on the mood of the Minecraft world and myself so I’ll go with Mythic - A Pixel Art Journey by FishyMint for general Minecraft play and for a bright happy vibe, Bloom, Bright & Retro by rose_bushes_ and I have to toss this one is as the both the most underrated and unique packs, Tales of Jobutara Kingdom by Valerii Kim
For my favorite player skin, I’ll keep it simple and simply state, Totem of Emotion by Kefka
Why are you so awesome?
WaffleBear
I care about others.
What did you eat for breakfast today? Lunch? How about dinner?
Fqsh
Breakfast: Vegan Skillet (made of tofu, black salt, and other seasonings, red peppers, kale, vegan sausage) with toast!
Lunch: Leftovers from last night! Vegan Jambalaya made with rice, beans, and veggies! Topped with half a bottle of sriracha.
Dinner: Curried Butternut Squash soup with chickpea salad sandwich
When will the city from the cubed community come out
DogManYellow2
We’ll have to ask Aequotis. Last I asked them, they downloaded all the maps but haven’t found the time to create the neighborhood yet.
What is your favorite cake?
Luistheteleporter
Lemon with lemon frosting. I’m not that into sweets but LOVE spicy food!
What is your day-to-day life like? Do you have another job to sustain yourself?
Parine
Planet Minecraft has sustained my lifestyle since around 2012. Prior to that, PMC was supplemental income while I did freelance web development for clients.
My day to day life during the week: Wake up 6am - 7am depending on what I’ve got going on workwise, cuddle wife, browse phone in bed, wash face, make coffee, go outside with coffee, wife, cat Onyx and walk around the yard, head upstairs to my office and get to work.
Work consists of constantly changing tasks but typically starts with catching up with emails, PMs, tickets, reports, greenlights, GDPR requests, and various Discord servers. Then I’ll usually start a Twitch stream and work on the next website update which falls under many categories including but not limited to fixing bugs, backend database & server updates, frontend interactive features, graphics for contests, and events, SEO and advertising analytics, and planning for the future. There is never a dull day and there are large and small ideas for the website that have been on the back burner for years that are coming.
After work, I eat dinner either at home or out (pre-covid), possibly work on something around the house if I’m not too wiped from the day, shower, crawl into bed and watch something on Netflix or Twitch and fall into sleep mode.
anonpmc1572080
Minecraft is one of the most customizable creative games ever made. It’s not just a sand-box game where you can build anything but you can customize the way you look, the way the game looks, and even what the game is… Modding games were the reason I got into programming in the first place. So when Minecraft came along at the same time I was starting my own web development business, it was a no brainer. I wanted to support the game and the community that would be sharing content and modding it.
I never imagined Planet Minecraft would get as big as it has. I hoped it would be successful but the first few years of PMC were absolute chaos in terms of trying to keep servers up and the insane activity and creativity of the community. I love challenges and PMC has kept me very busy and entertained.
When you originally made PMC all these years ago, what was your goal? Did you ever expect it to grow such a community, or was that just a side effect of making a platform to share stuff on?
Wildcard_Gamer
My goal was simply to give players of the game a place to share what they were creating. When PMC launched it only had a projects, blogs, and forum section. It quickly expanded to cover other subjects with the common goal of allowing creativity to be shared with the world. When you create something and are proud of it, it’s nice to share and get feedback or at the very least document it for yourself. It’s all about sharing creativity with others.
The community and social aspect of PMC was something I didn’t expect to become as strong as it has. We are getting to know each other beyond the game. Many members don’t even play Minecraft anymore but they create content for it, socialize with the community and friends they’ve made, or periodically check up on the community and their content.
I’m very happy with how PMC has established a pleasant and supportive culture. The internet can be a toxic place but I’m proud of PMC’s community. We have rare cases of drama, as any community does, but for the vast majority of the time, the community of PMC is happy and I think the majority share the experience. I thoroughly enjoy reading wall posts on PMC, seeing what members have done with their profiles, and browsing the endless streams of creative content, trends, collections, comments, threads…. It’s all part of what PMC has become.
How was the name "Planet Minecraft" chosen? Does PMC stand for "Planet MineCraft" or "Planet Minecraft Community"?
Lemilas
It was a name that captured the inclusive and global scale of Minecraft. I wanted us to feel like we were on our own planet. PMC originally stood and still does for Planet MineCraft. Everyone would naturally abbreviate Minecraft as MC. In addition, a 3 letter abbreviation is ideal for reference in discussion. HOWEVER, as time went on I started to think of the abbreviation as Planet Minecraft Community more and more. Which is truer to what an abbreviation is supposed to be, letter = word. I think both work and like it either way.
How many changes will be made in the future regarding the look and personal (like your page and how you can present content. I've seen a few people wanting to be able to make skins un-downloadable.. if that’s a word) parts of PMC?
Monca
The content pages will continue to change in small and potentially large ways. I’ve seen the specific request you’re referencing and understand why some would want it. It’s possible that we’ll add that feature someday but many / all visitors are looking for and expect to find skins to actually use in the game. If a visitor finds a skin they love, gets excited, goes to download or change their skin and can’t, they are going to be disappointed. Are they confused? Do they then beg for a download in the comments or just move on? Do they assume the rest of your skins are not downloadable and skip them all? These are just some of the questions that I would be considering and addressing when adding the ability to turn off downloads on skins.
PMC has grown tremendously in the time span since it first launched. Have you ever considered doing "Freeform Contests"? This meaning, would you ever consider hosting a contest with a set abstract theme, but having absolutely no rules (besides no NSFW) for it? Like let's say there is a contest for "Life" - people would have to make a skin revolve around the theme of life, but it wouldn't have any other boundaries (again, besides no NSFW). So let's say one person makes a cloud skin, one person makes a skin of something from religion. So on, so forth. I think it could be cool giving people a theme, but a theme with no set direction. It would give people a new perspective to look at, so I wanted to ask this question.
On a side note, will 2FA ever come to PMC? That would be awesome for security purposes.
ThisIsMystic
It would be quite difficult to judge a Freeform contest. We do try to have themes that allow creative freedom. Our official events allow more freeform themes because we don’t have to judge or compare them to one another.
2FA: We have it for moderators but were unsure about releasing it site wide until it was tested. We haven’t had any issues for months, so we launched it after seeing this interview question. You will find it under your account settings.
Cyprezz, what is the process of deciding who will become a moderator of any kind, as well as a judge for a contest?
Moderators are nominated by myself and other moderators. We review, discuss and go from there depending on where we need help the most. As we’re handling reports, interacting with the community and watching the interactions of others, we tend to notice when someone has traits of a potential moderator. We have a solid team, so it’s rare that we need to promote more moderators these days. I don’t want to go into too much detail on what we’re looking for because then members that want to be moderators might try to be someone other than who they are naturally.
For contests, judges are typically chosen based on their backgrounds but we also like to have some diversity on the team to average out the scores & perspectives.
How has your work week changed over the years? (honestly, my own 8 years here is coming up soon. Besides, do I remember the server? failure years ago that the site went down for a weekend/week or something?)
eagoy
I’m more organized and focused on both short and long term goals. After 10 years, you’d think I’d be “done” with updates but instead more ideas keep coming. I still easily “work” 40 hours a week and could probably fill 40 more. I put work in quotes because it doesn’t always feel like work when you love what you do. I have a difficult time doing anything else to be honest. I just find myself wanting to “work”. The variety of tasks that I handle during a week is much greater than it was before. There’s a lot to keep on top of but I’m used to it. You have to pick and choose what you spend your time on carefully. My quality standards have also increased and can spend many hours or revisions trying to get something just right.
In recent years, I’ve started being more involved with the community itself. There were times when I purposely distanced myself socially because I was overwhelmed, concerned about my anonymity, and didn’t like the attention. I’ve never been a fan of fame. I guess over time, I felt less overwhelmed, more secure, and accepted that member attention is going to be a thing.
You’re correct, in earlier, more chaotic years, PMC was growing at a pace that I could not keep up with both because of my lack of experience and the pace at which Minecraft & PMC was growing. Servers simply could not keep up and I was the only one working to fix it. I’d upgrade and then growth would demand another upgrade. Eventually, I was able to find enough time between server upgrades to learn and improve the back-end performance of PMC faster than the traffic growth and our downtime went away.
You have put in so much time into a Minecraft fansite. Why? What was your motivation to do so?
kodayne
It is very rewarding to think of an idea, create it and then watch literally thousands of members using it AND then get to watch it grow into something you didn’t imagine in the first place. This Minecraft site has challenged me from day one in so many ways and I’m never bored or short of ideas. If anything the ideas list grows and grows. That’s motivating to me.
It also pays the bills. If it didn’t do that I would not be able to spend as much time as I’ve put into a Minecraft site but I’d like to think that I’d still be supporting the community even if it was in a smaller capacity.
Are there aspects of developing that are tedious and not as fun as other parts? What’s your favorite vs least favorite thing you do on the site?
ChatieTheDragon
Oh.. good question. The social drama is my least favorite thing to navigate. I try to avoid it at all costs and I don’t like seeing others in emotional distress or taking part in it. However, there are times where I can’t avoid it and must focus on it, figure out what’s happening and try my best to help resolve it while also trying to keep emotionally distant from the drama. That’s been a learning process in itself but I’m at a point where most drama is simply scanned, boiled down into facts and the “emotional” part is really just, oh they are clearly mad and they are hurt and that’s just a fact. Why and how do I address what’s going on and are they crossing or about to cross a line where I or other moderators need to step in to help or prevent further drama.
The most tedious aspects of managing the website are handling tickets regarding account issues, GDPR requests, and greenlights. Other than that there are times in developing features where something can be tedious such as the Bedrock Update requiring me to write a script to attempt to identify all existing Bedrock maps and resource packs and then going through all of them one by one to mark them to be moved into Bedrock or leave them like Java. There’s a lot of updates that happen that no one is aware of and they tend to be of the tedious / processing kind but are equally if not more important than the “fun ones” that everyone sees.
Both of you must have a lot on your plate. How do you prioritize your time? Do you spend Mondays fixing bugs and Tuesday working on new features, for example?
Also, I imagine there is a long list of good ideas that could be worked on and added to the site. Given enough time I'm sure you would work on all of them. How do you prioritize what gets worked on and added, and what has to be sacrificed?
Finally, who the hell keeps breaking things?
Acier
We have to be adaptive. Priorities change on a weekly, daily, minute basis depending on variables that can’t be controlled. I do tend to focus on “maintenance” type tasks such as bug tickets, greenlights, reports, etc in the morning. Because of the weekend, Mondays usually require more catching up than other days.
Priorities. Usually, we have one to three longer-term “major” updates being worked on that are a higher level priority with our own deadlines in mind sometimes tied to events or happenings in the community or world. There are also major updates that end up taking a back burner sometimes because other major updates are suddenly more important or because we need a break from working on them to reflect on what it’s becoming. One of my most anticipated updates has been in development for over 2 years and that doesn’t count that it relies on multiple major systems before it. It’s being used and simultaneously tested on a limited basis as we speak. It was on my list of hopeful pushes for this event but again, other aspects of the schedule demanded priority and it will have to wait.
It’s also helpful to switch between different tasks from strictly technical updates, graphic or UI design, back-end & database, new technology, optimizations, or purely fun updates. So priority-wise, I sometimes need or want to do something more than another simply to switch gears and take a “break” while not taking one. This also naturally has the same impact on the community and balances out what everyone sees or experiences which I think works out well.
Lastly, #blameparil
Which developer blames the other developer for mistakes the most?
Bertiecrafter
Even though I just used the classic #blameparil tag, we both understand mistakes happen especially with a site with an evolving 10+ year custom codebase with as many systems as Planet Minecraft. We’re both on edge during and after every update but honestly, we now have enough experience and internal systems monitoring and controlling our update flow that most mistakes are caught and patched quickly. It’s the elusive bugs that require a specific combination of actions or states that are difficult to track down and even more difficult to assign any blame. It’s more like a shared, “You won’t believe this!” Some mistakes last for years and many times it’s because no one bothers to report them or it’s such an obscure bug that it’s not a priority to fix it.
Do you two get always along or do you occasionally fight?
Quip Nytherum
I’m really trying to think of a time that I would consider a fight even for entertainment purposes. Sometimes it takes some back and forth to decide on what to do but it’s not fighting. If there was a fight, I don’t remember or would ever hold onto it enough to recall. I’m sure we’ve had disagreements most likely about something the other didn’t feel strongly enough to bring up. Paril is a good person and very easy to get along with.
Who is the bigger meme of the 2?
Girouette
I’d say Paril. He has the multiple avatars and #blameparil thing going for him. I might have more fan art and content posted but I wouldn’t consider those memes. *shrug*
Can you share with us some broad strokes of changes and/or additions/features you've got in mind going forward for the site (inclusive of forums, tools, events, etc.)?
PLEASEdeleteAccountNow
I am typically very reserved on what is planned mostly because priorities change and they tend to take considerably longer to finish properly than you predict. I don’t like feeling pressure to release something before it’s ready. Stress is bad. However, I’ll spill some beans for sake of the interview without going into any detail or order of planned release. Groups, PWA (Progressive Web App), Optional Push Notifications, Official Community Hosted Event / Contest System, Site Achievements, Player heads, and more...
What is a feature that you were really close to adding but decided against it and why?
anonpmc2713049
Site wide friend chat. Essentially, we’d first have to introduce a friends system, and then we could allow you to choose to request a private chat with your friend(s) while you browse the website. However, because of social pressure and risks of abuse, I decided against it. Even though you would only chat with friends, there’s an odd pressure that I don’t like from even accepting / denying friends, and then once you do there’s more pressure of chatting with them if they ask you to. Rather members just come and browse in “peace”. It might seem nice at first but ultimately cause some negative drama and feelings.
What's it like to own a website that nearly 2 million people use? Is it a tough task?
Spongie
Well, the 2.9 million+ members have gradually arrived over the years. Sometimes growth was difficult to handle but it’s been 10 years so I’m used to having an active community website.
We’re growing at about ~1,000 new activated members a day. The majority of our visitors don't bother joining since there is no requirement to do so. So, sometimes when I look at activity logs and analytics, it can still shock me how much is going on that we don’t see on the surface. The vast majority are not members and then the minority of members contribute content or interact with the community in a way that impacts many instead of a few. All those tiny interactions have effects on different people.
It can be tough at times but we’re established enough that it’s more about keeping up with everything while making time to develop new features. Moderators help everyone including helping developers focus on the functionality and fixing bugs.
Were there any major proposed changes, features, or policies going on internally that didn't make the cut that would have disastrous consequences for the community if they were not caught sooner?
garlicbreathinator
Nothing comes to mind. Everything can be changed and with a community this active, it doesn’t take long to realize mistakes and adjust.
Are there any furry/scaled/feathered members of the PMC team we could meet?
garlicbreathinator
Here’s Onyx! He’s our Bengal kitty.
How do you get rid of/fix website glitches?
Spongie
First, the glitch has to be noticed and reported either by developers, members, or by our various monitoring systems. Secondly, we need to recreate the issue ourselves on our development machine. After that, what we do to fix it completely depends on what the glitch is. Lastly, we confirm it’s fixed and then we push the fix to the live servers.
Is this website made with coding? How do you make sure the website works right?
Spongie
The website is made with multiple coding languages and years of development. We make sure it works right by testing new features as much as we can before releasing them to everyone. After that, the community does a great job of finding any remaining issues.
Is your account yours only?
Spongie
Yes. Cyprezz account is only mine and the PMC account is my wife’s account. Before meeting her, I used to login to it to post stuff but I don’t need to anymore and she’s WAY more active.
Do you have a message going with all the mods to discuss big website issues?
Spongie
Yes, we have a moderator Discord. We discuss website issues and post pictures of cats.
What do you think has changed the most about PMC these last ten years? What has changed the least?
Chiaroscuro
I think team builds and in turn project contests have changed the most. Many teams moved on to develop maps exclusively for the Minecraft Marketplace. It’s rare to see them post here anymore. I wish more teams would share their creative work or delayed releases with our community. I completely understand that compensation for their time is vital if they are to continue creating content as a full or part-time job.
Going with a bit of a corny answer, I think the love of the game has changed the least. There were noticeable highs and lows a few years ago but ultimately, right now, the game is just as if not more appreciated by new and veteran players. Minecraft is unique in that way.
How did you choose your PMC name?
Lemilas
I barely remember at this point but I do recall the base of the name coming from a group that I listened to in high school, Cypress Hill. I adapted the name to be “cooler” by swapping s’s with z’s and that also made it feel more modern / bot-like to me. I liked the Cy part for Cyborg and the prezz part for “pres” or president. So Cyborg President of PMC? Something like that. I can’t imagine using a different username now.
What's your all-time favorite PMC update?
DinowCookie
The member profile update! It was a fun development project and I’m very happy with how customizable it is. It’s nice to see everyone’s personality shine through in their profile designs. Some members go all out and get really creative! You are a prime example.
I have many widgets that I use for internal purposes such as site metrics, moderators hub, ad stats, and custom group widgets… coming soon.
What is your favorite feature of PMC?
Luistheteleporter
The diamond button, the simplest form of positive feedback. Also, profile widgets. I just like that they are customizable and each member uses them differently. Also, content update notifications. I love seeing my favorite resource packs updated. Also… wall posts, I start most my mornings catching up on them. Also… haha
What's the planning process for this milestone anniversary been like? How taxing has it been on your normal workflow etc?
Yuki
It was fun and 12+ hour work days for over a month. By the end of it, I was wiped out but it was worth it! We didn’t finish everything but that’s only because other ideas grew or were added that were better than others. Priorities shift as time goes on and as projects take more or less time than anticipated.
The museum server was an idea that REALLY grew thanks to Stubbs1’s imagination and long hours of building. Once I saw the scale of the museum, it was clear it needed to be a higher priority than several of my updates. Nothing would bring the community together to celebrate better than a community server.
I was caught off guard by emotion the morning of the anniversary when I saw a combination of the website fireworks, confetti, and birthday theme with a feed full of amazingly kind wall posts. The events were just starting and I could feel the overall excitement of the day 10 years in the making coming through the community. I’ll never forget it.
What are your thoughts on 1.17, the Caves & Cliffs Update?
Idelac
I’m excited! I think it’s going to be one of the best and most appropriate updates for Minecraft. Similar to the Aquatic and Nether updates, it is adding life and depth to areas of the game that give multiple reasons to explore again.
Reading through the long list of planned features, it’s impressive how much this is going to change and add to the game from simply making spelunking exciting to candles and wireless Redstone! After 1.17, I feel like the game will have revamped all major areas that needed attention in terms of content.
I wonder what they have planned after this. It’s interesting to think about what they’ll focus on when all major zones are packed with content. I think they’ll feel free to optimize and polish older systems, add clever details or quality of life improvements. They might add new global systems that impact all zones like ambient sounds, collectible insects, or more structures to come across.
What do you think Minecraft will be like in another 10 years? (Especially given the java/bedrock divide and aging engine)
garlicbreathinator
10 years is a long time. I’m just going to fantasize and don’t necessarily believe everything I’m about to say.
The major game overhauls will slow down allowing Mojang to focus on optimizing and improving the performance of the game and adding content that doesn’t require the community to rewrite their mods, plugins, data packs, and server software. We’re already approaching that point with 1.17. This is a good thing. It will allow the development community to extend the game without spending time patching for compatibility or learning yet again how the underlying systems interact with each other.
I disagree with the divide even though there will always be pros and cons to each edition. With major overhauls behind us and both Editions sharing common core features, Java and Bedrock boundaries start coming down. We’re already seeing plugins like Geyser that allow Bedrock players to join Java Edition servers and play together. Planet Minecraft just started officially supporting Bedrock content and servers. I see the two communities as one and coming together even more at least where it matters the most, creating Minecraft content and playing together.
I’ll throw out some wild speculations for fun:
Minecraft, including Java Edition, gets 3D skin accessories and social features such as animated body emotes (waves, hugs, dancing). Some are free but these might be the first and perhaps only microtransactions of Java Edition. There are enough players in the world, where the convenience of purchasing content in the game is greater than modding and trying to find and download them for free.
Minecraft gets a Quest System and that ties everything together, extending and chaining the treasure map system with custom structures, achievements, data packs, enchanted loot, and more. In vanilla Minecraft, you can get quests from the various villagers and pillagers. One challenge will be communicating the quest goals without dialog while keeping them interesting / rewarding enough to justify them in vanilla. Besides language barriers, I don’t think they ever want Minecraft characters to speak. Data packs explode in popularity as developers create custom quests & resource packs.
Minecraft gets more weather conditions.
Minecraft is playable in VR with RTX on with Elon Musk’s Neural Link.
Herobrine returns.
Minecraft and its community have changed a lot in the last 10 years. How have your lives changed since you started this project?
garlicbreathinator
I bought a house, traveled around the world, met and married the love of my life.
What do you believe is the best way Minecraft and content created with it could be used to improve communities/the world?
garlicbreathinator
I believe that simply playing the creative game of Minecraft is improving the community and world. Minecraft celebrated their 10th anniversary. A generation of kids that grew up playing Minecraft is now in positions to change the actual world around them. They are or will be entrepreneurs, city planners, architects, mayors, engineers, programmers, educators, and presidents of companies / countries. They grew up creatively applying themselves and building the world around them. I think it’s something that will translate into changing the real world even if it’s not directly correlated.
Personal Questions
Does the cyborg run on Android or Apple?
Bertiecrafter
Android. I’m not a fan of the closed ecosystem or business practices of the red fruit. Uninstall.
What do you like to do in your free time? Hobbies?
Perfections
Free time? Can I have some of yours?
Digital Hobbies
- Gaming (PC, VR, PS4, Switch)
- Watching Twitch, some of my favorite channels are TheSushiDragon, AvoidingThePuddle, Kitboga, TheStockGuy, and LIRIK
- Watching Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, etc
- Woodworking
- EDM Festivals
- Gym
- Golf
- Aikido
- Travel | pre-covid
What is your favorite game? (if it is Minecraft, then what is your second favorite game)
Whetshu
I know you asked for a favorite game but here’s my top 5 for each platform.
PC VR
- Half Life: ALYX
- Walking Dead : Saints & Sinners
- Sairento VR
- Gorn
- Fallout 4 VR
- Minecraft (doesn’t count for question)
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Quake Series
- Carmageddon
- Subnautica
- Uncharted Series
- God of War
- Shadow of Mordor
- Red Dead Redemption II
- Diablo III
- Stardew Valley
- Dead Cells
- Moonlighter
- Zelda : Breath of the Wild
- Overcooked 2
What is your favorite texture pack or skin on the site?
CenturianDoctor
Hard one to answer because it depends on the mood of the Minecraft world and myself so I’ll go with Mythic - A Pixel Art Journey by FishyMint for general Minecraft play and for a bright happy vibe, Bloom, Bright & Retro by rose_bushes_ and I have to toss this one is as the both the most underrated and unique packs, Tales of Jobutara Kingdom by Valerii Kim
For my favorite player skin, I’ll keep it simple and simply state, Totem of Emotion by Kefka
Why are you so awesome?
WaffleBear
I care about others.
What did you eat for breakfast today? Lunch? How about dinner?
Fqsh
Breakfast: Vegan Skillet (made of tofu, black salt, and other seasonings, red peppers, kale, vegan sausage) with toast!
Lunch: Leftovers from last night! Vegan Jambalaya made with rice, beans, and veggies! Topped with half a bottle of sriracha.
Dinner: Curried Butternut Squash soup with chickpea salad sandwich
When will the city from the cubed community come out
DogManYellow2
We’ll have to ask Aequotis. Last I asked them, they downloaded all the maps but haven’t found the time to create the neighborhood yet.
What is your favorite cake?
Luistheteleporter
Lemon with lemon frosting. I’m not that into sweets but LOVE spicy food!
What is your day-to-day life like? Do you have another job to sustain yourself?
Parine
Planet Minecraft has sustained my lifestyle since around 2012. Prior to that, PMC was supplemental income while I did freelance web development for clients.
My day to day life during the week: Wake up 6am - 7am depending on what I’ve got going on workwise, cuddle wife, browse phone in bed, wash face, make coffee, go outside with coffee, wife, cat Onyx and walk around the yard, head upstairs to my office and get to work.
Work consists of constantly changing tasks but typically starts with catching up with emails, PMs, tickets, reports, greenlights, GDPR requests, and various Discord servers. Then I’ll usually start a Twitch stream and work on the next website update which falls under many categories including but not limited to fixing bugs, backend database & server updates, frontend interactive features, graphics for contests, and events, SEO and advertising analytics, and planning for the future. There is never a dull day and there are large and small ideas for the website that have been on the back burner for years that are coming.
After work, I eat dinner either at home or out (pre-covid), possibly work on something around the house if I’m not too wiped from the day, shower, crawl into bed and watch something on Netflix or Twitch and fall into sleep mode.
PMC/Developer Questions
What was the reason behind making Planet Minecraft, and did you ever expect it to get as big as it is?anonpmc1572080
Minecraft is one of the most customizable creative games ever made. It’s not just a sand-box game where you can build anything but you can customize the way you look, the way the game looks, and even what the game is… Modding games were the reason I got into programming in the first place. So when Minecraft came along at the same time I was starting my own web development business, it was a no brainer. I wanted to support the game and the community that would be sharing content and modding it.
I never imagined Planet Minecraft would get as big as it has. I hoped it would be successful but the first few years of PMC were absolute chaos in terms of trying to keep servers up and the insane activity and creativity of the community. I love challenges and PMC has kept me very busy and entertained.
When you originally made PMC all these years ago, what was your goal? Did you ever expect it to grow such a community, or was that just a side effect of making a platform to share stuff on?
Wildcard_Gamer
My goal was simply to give players of the game a place to share what they were creating. When PMC launched it only had a projects, blogs, and forum section. It quickly expanded to cover other subjects with the common goal of allowing creativity to be shared with the world. When you create something and are proud of it, it’s nice to share and get feedback or at the very least document it for yourself. It’s all about sharing creativity with others.
The community and social aspect of PMC was something I didn’t expect to become as strong as it has. We are getting to know each other beyond the game. Many members don’t even play Minecraft anymore but they create content for it, socialize with the community and friends they’ve made, or periodically check up on the community and their content.
I’m very happy with how PMC has established a pleasant and supportive culture. The internet can be a toxic place but I’m proud of PMC’s community. We have rare cases of drama, as any community does, but for the vast majority of the time, the community of PMC is happy and I think the majority share the experience. I thoroughly enjoy reading wall posts on PMC, seeing what members have done with their profiles, and browsing the endless streams of creative content, trends, collections, comments, threads…. It’s all part of what PMC has become.
How was the name "Planet Minecraft" chosen? Does PMC stand for "Planet MineCraft" or "Planet Minecraft Community"?
Lemilas
It was a name that captured the inclusive and global scale of Minecraft. I wanted us to feel like we were on our own planet. PMC originally stood and still does for Planet MineCraft. Everyone would naturally abbreviate Minecraft as MC. In addition, a 3 letter abbreviation is ideal for reference in discussion. HOWEVER, as time went on I started to think of the abbreviation as Planet Minecraft Community more and more. Which is truer to what an abbreviation is supposed to be, letter = word. I think both work and like it either way.
How many changes will be made in the future regarding the look and personal (like your page and how you can present content. I've seen a few people wanting to be able to make skins un-downloadable.. if that’s a word) parts of PMC?
Monca
The content pages will continue to change in small and potentially large ways. I’ve seen the specific request you’re referencing and understand why some would want it. It’s possible that we’ll add that feature someday but many / all visitors are looking for and expect to find skins to actually use in the game. If a visitor finds a skin they love, gets excited, goes to download or change their skin and can’t, they are going to be disappointed. Are they confused? Do they then beg for a download in the comments or just move on? Do they assume the rest of your skins are not downloadable and skip them all? These are just some of the questions that I would be considering and addressing when adding the ability to turn off downloads on skins.
PMC has grown tremendously in the time span since it first launched. Have you ever considered doing "Freeform Contests"? This meaning, would you ever consider hosting a contest with a set abstract theme, but having absolutely no rules (besides no NSFW) for it? Like let's say there is a contest for "Life" - people would have to make a skin revolve around the theme of life, but it wouldn't have any other boundaries (again, besides no NSFW). So let's say one person makes a cloud skin, one person makes a skin of something from religion. So on, so forth. I think it could be cool giving people a theme, but a theme with no set direction. It would give people a new perspective to look at, so I wanted to ask this question.
On a side note, will 2FA ever come to PMC? That would be awesome for security purposes.
ThisIsMystic
It would be quite difficult to judge a Freeform contest. We do try to have themes that allow creative freedom. Our official events allow more freeform themes because we don’t have to judge or compare them to one another.
2FA: We have it for moderators but were unsure about releasing it site wide until it was tested. We haven’t had any issues for months, so we launched it after seeing this interview question. You will find it under your account settings.
Cyprezz, what is the process of deciding who will become a moderator of any kind, as well as a judge for a contest?
Moderators are nominated by myself and other moderators. We review, discuss and go from there depending on where we need help the most. As we’re handling reports, interacting with the community and watching the interactions of others, we tend to notice when someone has traits of a potential moderator. We have a solid team, so it’s rare that we need to promote more moderators these days. I don’t want to go into too much detail on what we’re looking for because then members that want to be moderators might try to be someone other than who they are naturally.
For contests, judges are typically chosen based on their backgrounds but we also like to have some diversity on the team to average out the scores & perspectives.
How has your work week changed over the years? (honestly, my own 8 years here is coming up soon. Besides, do I remember the server? failure years ago that the site went down for a weekend/week or something?)
eagoy
I’m more organized and focused on both short and long term goals. After 10 years, you’d think I’d be “done” with updates but instead more ideas keep coming. I still easily “work” 40 hours a week and could probably fill 40 more. I put work in quotes because it doesn’t always feel like work when you love what you do. I have a difficult time doing anything else to be honest. I just find myself wanting to “work”. The variety of tasks that I handle during a week is much greater than it was before. There’s a lot to keep on top of but I’m used to it. You have to pick and choose what you spend your time on carefully. My quality standards have also increased and can spend many hours or revisions trying to get something just right.
In recent years, I’ve started being more involved with the community itself. There were times when I purposely distanced myself socially because I was overwhelmed, concerned about my anonymity, and didn’t like the attention. I’ve never been a fan of fame. I guess over time, I felt less overwhelmed, more secure, and accepted that member attention is going to be a thing.
You’re correct, in earlier, more chaotic years, PMC was growing at a pace that I could not keep up with both because of my lack of experience and the pace at which Minecraft & PMC was growing. Servers simply could not keep up and I was the only one working to fix it. I’d upgrade and then growth would demand another upgrade. Eventually, I was able to find enough time between server upgrades to learn and improve the back-end performance of PMC faster than the traffic growth and our downtime went away.
You have put in so much time into a Minecraft fansite. Why? What was your motivation to do so?
kodayne
It is very rewarding to think of an idea, create it and then watch literally thousands of members using it AND then get to watch it grow into something you didn’t imagine in the first place. This Minecraft site has challenged me from day one in so many ways and I’m never bored or short of ideas. If anything the ideas list grows and grows. That’s motivating to me.
It also pays the bills. If it didn’t do that I would not be able to spend as much time as I’ve put into a Minecraft site but I’d like to think that I’d still be supporting the community even if it was in a smaller capacity.
Are there aspects of developing that are tedious and not as fun as other parts? What’s your favorite vs least favorite thing you do on the site?
ChatieTheDragon
Oh.. good question. The social drama is my least favorite thing to navigate. I try to avoid it at all costs and I don’t like seeing others in emotional distress or taking part in it. However, there are times where I can’t avoid it and must focus on it, figure out what’s happening and try my best to help resolve it while also trying to keep emotionally distant from the drama. That’s been a learning process in itself but I’m at a point where most drama is simply scanned, boiled down into facts and the “emotional” part is really just, oh they are clearly mad and they are hurt and that’s just a fact. Why and how do I address what’s going on and are they crossing or about to cross a line where I or other moderators need to step in to help or prevent further drama.
The most tedious aspects of managing the website are handling tickets regarding account issues, GDPR requests, and greenlights. Other than that there are times in developing features where something can be tedious such as the Bedrock Update requiring me to write a script to attempt to identify all existing Bedrock maps and resource packs and then going through all of them one by one to mark them to be moved into Bedrock or leave them like Java. There’s a lot of updates that happen that no one is aware of and they tend to be of the tedious / processing kind but are equally if not more important than the “fun ones” that everyone sees.
Both of you must have a lot on your plate. How do you prioritize your time? Do you spend Mondays fixing bugs and Tuesday working on new features, for example?
Also, I imagine there is a long list of good ideas that could be worked on and added to the site. Given enough time I'm sure you would work on all of them. How do you prioritize what gets worked on and added, and what has to be sacrificed?
Finally, who the hell keeps breaking things?
Acier
We have to be adaptive. Priorities change on a weekly, daily, minute basis depending on variables that can’t be controlled. I do tend to focus on “maintenance” type tasks such as bug tickets, greenlights, reports, etc in the morning. Because of the weekend, Mondays usually require more catching up than other days.
Priorities. Usually, we have one to three longer-term “major” updates being worked on that are a higher level priority with our own deadlines in mind sometimes tied to events or happenings in the community or world. There are also major updates that end up taking a back burner sometimes because other major updates are suddenly more important or because we need a break from working on them to reflect on what it’s becoming. One of my most anticipated updates has been in development for over 2 years and that doesn’t count that it relies on multiple major systems before it. It’s being used and simultaneously tested on a limited basis as we speak. It was on my list of hopeful pushes for this event but again, other aspects of the schedule demanded priority and it will have to wait.
It’s also helpful to switch between different tasks from strictly technical updates, graphic or UI design, back-end & database, new technology, optimizations, or purely fun updates. So priority-wise, I sometimes need or want to do something more than another simply to switch gears and take a “break” while not taking one. This also naturally has the same impact on the community and balances out what everyone sees or experiences which I think works out well.
Lastly, #blameparil
Which developer blames the other developer for mistakes the most?
Bertiecrafter
Even though I just used the classic #blameparil tag, we both understand mistakes happen especially with a site with an evolving 10+ year custom codebase with as many systems as Planet Minecraft. We’re both on edge during and after every update but honestly, we now have enough experience and internal systems monitoring and controlling our update flow that most mistakes are caught and patched quickly. It’s the elusive bugs that require a specific combination of actions or states that are difficult to track down and even more difficult to assign any blame. It’s more like a shared, “You won’t believe this!” Some mistakes last for years and many times it’s because no one bothers to report them or it’s such an obscure bug that it’s not a priority to fix it.
Do you two get always along or do you occasionally fight?
Quip Nytherum
I’m really trying to think of a time that I would consider a fight even for entertainment purposes. Sometimes it takes some back and forth to decide on what to do but it’s not fighting. If there was a fight, I don’t remember or would ever hold onto it enough to recall. I’m sure we’ve had disagreements most likely about something the other didn’t feel strongly enough to bring up. Paril is a good person and very easy to get along with.
Who is the bigger meme of the 2?
Girouette
I’d say Paril. He has the multiple avatars and #blameparil thing going for him. I might have more fan art and content posted but I wouldn’t consider those memes. *shrug*
Can you share with us some broad strokes of changes and/or additions/features you've got in mind going forward for the site (inclusive of forums, tools, events, etc.)?
PLEASEdeleteAccountNow
I am typically very reserved on what is planned mostly because priorities change and they tend to take considerably longer to finish properly than you predict. I don’t like feeling pressure to release something before it’s ready. Stress is bad. However, I’ll spill some beans for sake of the interview without going into any detail or order of planned release. Groups, PWA (Progressive Web App), Optional Push Notifications, Official Community Hosted Event / Contest System, Site Achievements, Player heads, and more...
What is a feature that you were really close to adding but decided against it and why?
anonpmc2713049
Site wide friend chat. Essentially, we’d first have to introduce a friends system, and then we could allow you to choose to request a private chat with your friend(s) while you browse the website. However, because of social pressure and risks of abuse, I decided against it. Even though you would only chat with friends, there’s an odd pressure that I don’t like from even accepting / denying friends, and then once you do there’s more pressure of chatting with them if they ask you to. Rather members just come and browse in “peace”. It might seem nice at first but ultimately cause some negative drama and feelings.
What's it like to own a website that nearly 2 million people use? Is it a tough task?
Spongie
Well, the 2.9 million+ members have gradually arrived over the years. Sometimes growth was difficult to handle but it’s been 10 years so I’m used to having an active community website.
We’re growing at about ~1,000 new activated members a day. The majority of our visitors don't bother joining since there is no requirement to do so. So, sometimes when I look at activity logs and analytics, it can still shock me how much is going on that we don’t see on the surface. The vast majority are not members and then the minority of members contribute content or interact with the community in a way that impacts many instead of a few. All those tiny interactions have effects on different people.
It can be tough at times but we’re established enough that it’s more about keeping up with everything while making time to develop new features. Moderators help everyone including helping developers focus on the functionality and fixing bugs.
Were there any major proposed changes, features, or policies going on internally that didn't make the cut that would have disastrous consequences for the community if they were not caught sooner?
garlicbreathinator
Nothing comes to mind. Everything can be changed and with a community this active, it doesn’t take long to realize mistakes and adjust.
Are there any furry/scaled/feathered members of the PMC team we could meet?
garlicbreathinator
Here’s Onyx! He’s our Bengal kitty.
How do you get rid of/fix website glitches?
Spongie
First, the glitch has to be noticed and reported either by developers, members, or by our various monitoring systems. Secondly, we need to recreate the issue ourselves on our development machine. After that, what we do to fix it completely depends on what the glitch is. Lastly, we confirm it’s fixed and then we push the fix to the live servers.
Is this website made with coding? How do you make sure the website works right?
Spongie
The website is made with multiple coding languages and years of development. We make sure it works right by testing new features as much as we can before releasing them to everyone. After that, the community does a great job of finding any remaining issues.
Is your account yours only?
Spongie
Yes. Cyprezz account is only mine and the PMC account is my wife’s account. Before meeting her, I used to login to it to post stuff but I don’t need to anymore and she’s WAY more active.
Do you have a message going with all the mods to discuss big website issues?
Spongie
Yes, we have a moderator Discord. We discuss website issues and post pictures of cats.
What do you think has changed the most about PMC these last ten years? What has changed the least?
Chiaroscuro
I think team builds and in turn project contests have changed the most. Many teams moved on to develop maps exclusively for the Minecraft Marketplace. It’s rare to see them post here anymore. I wish more teams would share their creative work or delayed releases with our community. I completely understand that compensation for their time is vital if they are to continue creating content as a full or part-time job.
Going with a bit of a corny answer, I think the love of the game has changed the least. There were noticeable highs and lows a few years ago but ultimately, right now, the game is just as if not more appreciated by new and veteran players. Minecraft is unique in that way.
How did you choose your PMC name?
Lemilas
I barely remember at this point but I do recall the base of the name coming from a group that I listened to in high school, Cypress Hill. I adapted the name to be “cooler” by swapping s’s with z’s and that also made it feel more modern / bot-like to me. I liked the Cy part for Cyborg and the prezz part for “pres” or president. So Cyborg President of PMC? Something like that. I can’t imagine using a different username now.
What's your all-time favorite PMC update?
DinowCookie
The member profile update! It was a fun development project and I’m very happy with how customizable it is. It’s nice to see everyone’s personality shine through in their profile designs. Some members go all out and get really creative! You are a prime example.
I have many widgets that I use for internal purposes such as site metrics, moderators hub, ad stats, and custom group widgets… coming soon.
What is your favorite feature of PMC?
Luistheteleporter
The diamond button, the simplest form of positive feedback. Also, profile widgets. I just like that they are customizable and each member uses them differently. Also, content update notifications. I love seeing my favorite resource packs updated. Also… wall posts, I start most my mornings catching up on them. Also… haha
What's the planning process for this milestone anniversary been like? How taxing has it been on your normal workflow etc?
Yuki
It was fun and 12+ hour work days for over a month. By the end of it, I was wiped out but it was worth it! We didn’t finish everything but that’s only because other ideas grew or were added that were better than others. Priorities shift as time goes on and as projects take more or less time than anticipated.
The museum server was an idea that REALLY grew thanks to Stubbs1’s imagination and long hours of building. Once I saw the scale of the museum, it was clear it needed to be a higher priority than several of my updates. Nothing would bring the community together to celebrate better than a community server.
I was caught off guard by emotion the morning of the anniversary when I saw a combination of the website fireworks, confetti, and birthday theme with a feed full of amazingly kind wall posts. The events were just starting and I could feel the overall excitement of the day 10 years in the making coming through the community. I’ll never forget it.
Minecraft Questions
What are your thoughts on 1.17, the Caves & Cliffs Update?Idelac
I’m excited! I think it’s going to be one of the best and most appropriate updates for Minecraft. Similar to the Aquatic and Nether updates, it is adding life and depth to areas of the game that give multiple reasons to explore again.
Reading through the long list of planned features, it’s impressive how much this is going to change and add to the game from simply making spelunking exciting to candles and wireless Redstone! After 1.17, I feel like the game will have revamped all major areas that needed attention in terms of content.
I wonder what they have planned after this. It’s interesting to think about what they’ll focus on when all major zones are packed with content. I think they’ll feel free to optimize and polish older systems, add clever details or quality of life improvements. They might add new global systems that impact all zones like ambient sounds, collectible insects, or more structures to come across.
What do you think Minecraft will be like in another 10 years? (Especially given the java/bedrock divide and aging engine)
garlicbreathinator
10 years is a long time. I’m just going to fantasize and don’t necessarily believe everything I’m about to say.
The major game overhauls will slow down allowing Mojang to focus on optimizing and improving the performance of the game and adding content that doesn’t require the community to rewrite their mods, plugins, data packs, and server software. We’re already approaching that point with 1.17. This is a good thing. It will allow the development community to extend the game without spending time patching for compatibility or learning yet again how the underlying systems interact with each other.
I disagree with the divide even though there will always be pros and cons to each edition. With major overhauls behind us and both Editions sharing common core features, Java and Bedrock boundaries start coming down. We’re already seeing plugins like Geyser that allow Bedrock players to join Java Edition servers and play together. Planet Minecraft just started officially supporting Bedrock content and servers. I see the two communities as one and coming together even more at least where it matters the most, creating Minecraft content and playing together.
I’ll throw out some wild speculations for fun:
Minecraft, including Java Edition, gets 3D skin accessories and social features such as animated body emotes (waves, hugs, dancing). Some are free but these might be the first and perhaps only microtransactions of Java Edition. There are enough players in the world, where the convenience of purchasing content in the game is greater than modding and trying to find and download them for free.
Minecraft gets a Quest System and that ties everything together, extending and chaining the treasure map system with custom structures, achievements, data packs, enchanted loot, and more. In vanilla Minecraft, you can get quests from the various villagers and pillagers. One challenge will be communicating the quest goals without dialog while keeping them interesting / rewarding enough to justify them in vanilla. Besides language barriers, I don’t think they ever want Minecraft characters to speak. Data packs explode in popularity as developers create custom quests & resource packs.
Minecraft gets more weather conditions.
Minecraft is playable in VR with RTX on with Elon Musk’s Neural Link.
Herobrine returns.
Minecraft and its community have changed a lot in the last 10 years. How have your lives changed since you started this project?
garlicbreathinator
I bought a house, traveled around the world, met and married the love of my life.
What do you believe is the best way Minecraft and content created with it could be used to improve communities/the world?
garlicbreathinator
I believe that simply playing the creative game of Minecraft is improving the community and world. Minecraft celebrated their 10th anniversary. A generation of kids that grew up playing Minecraft is now in positions to change the actual world around them. They are or will be entrepreneurs, city planners, architects, mayors, engineers, programmers, educators, and presidents of companies / countries. They grew up creatively applying themselves and building the world around them. I think it’s something that will translate into changing the real world even if it’s not directly correlated.
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On the SMP server I primarily play, I'm pleased to say there is a #cute-pets channel in their associated Discord. In any case, give Onyx a snuggle from me...and meet my husband and my's adorable son, Stormy (old, fat, but adorable!):