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!ATTENTION! Welcome to v2.0
I apologize for the removal of the old blog. I realize it benefited a lot of people, but due to the submission rules the blog has been removed permenantly. Not by my choice of course, but by others with little regard for the needs of many.
Commenting Rules (Breaking these could result in removal of comment)
DO NOT advertise your server at anytime for any reason at all.
DO NOT crtique the work you see here; the article's goal is only to help.
DO NOT say you "did everything you said and it didn't work." I will rage on you if you comment this. There is no 100% garauntee to popularity.
Let's Begin
So, you’re making a Minecraft server? Well congratulations that makes you an entrepreneur! What do you mean Cameron? A server is, one hundred percent, like a company. It has a target market; Minecraft players. It has competition; other servers. It earns an income; donations. It has expenses and requires advertisement and the list goes on and on. Well so what?
So you need to treat your server like a company. Too many times have I seen servers spring up out of random impulsion and poor planning, only to close down after a month. I call these servers “Dirty 30s,” because they only last about thirty days. So if you want a successful server, the first step is realizing its importance. A Minecraft server isn’t a joke, despite what your parents or friends may think, it's a legitimate way to earn some serious cash. (Eula Pending)
First Impressions
These are the most critical elements to retaining new players. When a player joins your server you have mire seconds to convince them to spend more time. That first view of your server is what can make or break it. Everything matters, even things you don't think do, actualy do. So let's break it down:
Spawn - Wherever it is, they better be staring your best build in the face
Join Items - Do not start your players off with abosolutey nothing. However don't be that server that spawns them will full diamond armor, tools, and weapons.
Your Chat - I will get into more on this later, but understand an ugly, unreadable chat is just as bad as a sign wall.
Server Setup - Every server has different rules and plugins that need to be explained to the player when they join. However, using sign after sign to do it, is horrid to look at. No one is going to read them; it's a waist of everyone's time.
When a player joins the server, they judge the quality of it by what they spawn looking at. You will want to strategically place the first spawn and death points to your advantage. Once you have impressed a player with your first spawn, you are still not guaranteed and added member. Hooking a player is almost as important as sparking their interests.
Hooking Players
I strongly recommend against tasking a player. By tasking I mean asking them to vote for your server right away without giving them a chance to determine wether or not they like it. I also see servers tasking players to enter passwords and usernames before ever allowing them to move. DO NOT DO THIS! They will leave, I promise you that. So let's talk about the right things to do.
Jump Puzzles - Start their experience off with a challange! Don't make it impossible as they will get frustrated and leave. This is all about balance. Most times players join a server only to find that the sole challange is escaping the camped out spawn. Offering a pvp free challange will more than likely capture the interest of others.
Questionaire - You’ve done them, I’ve done them and all servers should have one. Nothing will teach a player about your server faster than a questionnaire. Make it interesting though, and use humor; if you make them laugh they are sure to stick around. Warning! Don’t make a quiz that takes longer than 3 minutes.
Storyline – If you are planning on doing an RPG server this is the one for you. Any player who joins a server and is immediately thrown into a story/conflict will be straight hooked. Make the story interesting though, lots of players have short attention spans.
Okay so you have the basic idea down. I'm not saying you HAVE to do one of the three, but they are the most common I've seen. Just try to find a way you think you'll hook players into your server.
Stand Out
FACTIONS - PVP - SHOPS - RAID - LWC If this is what your server description looks like then don't ask me why no one plays your server. There are literlly thousands of servers that do exactly this. No one is going to play a factions server with no one on when they can play a factions server that actually has players. If all you plan on doing is having the generic factions server then good luck to you, but for those of you who are willing to put a little bit more time and effort into a server, stick around.
Your server needs to be unique! I know Cameron, but what should I do? Find something you really enjoy doing in Minecraft and implement that into your server. For example, I really like making cities and ports all over my map. So for my server, I’m going to make it unique by building multiple cities for players to travel to and explore. Each city will sell unique loot that players can only receive there. They can also own property in multiple cities and even begin renting that property out to other players. You see what I’m doing? I’m taking something I enjoy and am finding ways to make it work on my server.
The Heart and Soul
By this I mean plugins. Bukkit plugins have revolutionized the Minecraft multiplayer. I'm suprised everyday by some of the things these plugins can do. Just the other day I found a plugin that allowed you to change the mechanics of the game. For example, breaking a block could trigger any command you wanted. So if a player breaks a block of wood, instead of the block dropping into their inventory, a zombie boss is spawned and is very angry someone was chopping his tree.
You don't need to get that articulate with it, but be creative. Sometimes I spend hours scrolling through the bukkit plugin list looking for something unique. However, not all of you have the time I do (Off from college for the summer), so I'll let you in on a few plugins I find usefull and interesting.
SkillAPI - Similiar to Wynncraft's combat and leveling system.
Towny - The better, more sophisticated, version of Factions.
GlobalMarket - Identical to WoW's Auction House.
rtriggers - This is one of my favorites. Custom commands.
cmdNPC - Force player to run commands when right clicking an npc.
After you have found some awesome plugins you think people will love, get ready cause there is more work to do. You need to be as involved with your server as your players are. I talking online everyday for at least a few hours. During that time you need to be assisting players. A player who joins your server and gets immediate responces from staff is a million times more likey to stick around. Even I have gotten frustrated with server staff comepletely ignoring me and other players. Your players are the ONLY reason to have a server. They are the gasoline in your car, without them your server will stop running.
For those with a bit more ambition and time, custom plugins may be for you. This phanomenon is gaining an increasing amount of popularity. Server owners are either hiring coders or doing it themselves, but I'm starting to see server specific plugins now-a-days. Custom plugins blow a huge hole in the blockade that is server popularity. If you can get your hands on one, keep it! Only your server has it and players cannot find the same experience elsehwere. THAT IS CRUCIAL!!!
Lastly, you need to have events. I know this sounds strange, but its no laughing matter. Hold pvp tournaments or set up a server wide competition between players. For example, you might announce to everyone that the first person to be at spawn with twenty different player heads, receives god armor or something like it. Then sit back and watch as your players hack and slice at each other's throats. Do these kinds of things weekly and don't repeat the same challanges; that'll get boring and people will stop participating.
Marketing
This is where the fun ends for us server owners. It's a battle in the world we live in. By that I mean, setting up a Minecraft server has become such a no-brainer that there are litterally thousands of server ads clogging the interwebs. It is more than likely you will post your server on PMC and a few other sites only to receive three or four new players. Usualy these three or four players will wonder around on your server for a bit then leave to go do the same thing on someone elses server. So how do you stand out of the crowd this time? Your server is magnificent, but no one has even stopped by to witness it. As of right now there are only a few things you can do.
Put it Everywhere - Find any site displaying a server list and add yours. SAVE all the links to these different sites so you may go back and edit your server info if need be.
Cover Photo - This is a typically a picture of something on your server that looks beautifull. A forest, city, mountain side, you name it. That isn't all you need though. Your cover photo should have your server's name, IP adress and a catch slogan / phrase you'll need to come up with.
Banner - I'm starting to see some pretty crazy banners for servers these days. I know most of you don't know how to use Photoshop and that's okay! There are plenty of free banner making websites out there. If you're willing to spend a little money, you can make some insane banners like the .gif ones (Moving Banners).
Novelette - This a full written representation of your server. The format is up to you, but remember you want to sound educated and formal to be taken seriously. DO NOT post, "Join meh surverrr cuz itz got factionz!!!" Seeing things like that is an early sign of a dirty thirty.
I suggest making a folder with all three of these elements in it and saving it somewhere on your computer. That way, when you want to make a change to one of the above three, you don't need to go on each website and manualy do it over and over. Just edit the files you saved on your computer and re-upload them. Once I did this I was amazed at the time I saved.
Finally, you're going to need a website. A server's website is it's representation outside of Minecraft so it better reflect the same quality as your server does. I'm assuming you don't know HTML 5 so I'll skip all the jazz about cPannel and nameservers and so on. If you don't know what Enjin is, you might as well be named Patrick cause, you're living under a rock. Enjin offers free web service, but for a limited time. Eventualy you will need to spend some money on it. Ignoring the financial details, let's discuss what your website should look and act like.
PICK AN ATTRACTIVE THEME! I swear some people have no taste at all! Some of the server websites I've visted look like they were built in the early 90s. Why would you pick a template so ugly?! Personally, I think white, navy blue and black go well together, but that's my opion and you are free to have your own.
Now that you have your theme you need to add the basic Minecraft server website essentials. That includes a: Home Page, Forums, Server Shop, and Member List. That part may seem obvious to most of you, but not to all, so I included it. This may sound hypocritical of me because I'm aware I suck at everything grammar, but the content on your website should be close to flawless. No mispelled or social media conjured words (lol a nu user joined da site 2day!) I realize that may seem light-hearted and inviting to some, but leave that kind of talk to your players, we are running a business here remember?
Outro
I cannot cover everything I know in a short blog and if you want to find more ways to increase your server's chance at success, I'll be finished with my book before the end of July and then make it available for purchase. (Probably no more than a dollar) I believe everyone who takes the risk of starting a server deserves some type of reference such as this. I can remember when I bought my first one and thought to myself, "Wow, I hope I didn't just waist fourty dollars."
It's rough and you WILL go through times of doubt. I have had days where I ask myself if I even enjoy playing Minecraft and if my server is still worth the time. Fight that! It will go away I promise. Stay motivated, determined, and most importantly, stay loyal to the players that are loyal to you.
Planned Changes as of ---{July 16th, 2014}---
- Fix all typos and grammar errors - DONE
- Add pictures for extended detail
- Go more indepth on ways to properly market your server
- Go more indepth on ways to stand out
- Add a list of all server advertising websites in order of most to least used
- Discuss Custom Plugins (by Nickolous15) - DONE
- Take suggestions
I apologize for the removal of the old blog. I realize it benefited a lot of people, but due to the submission rules the blog has been removed permenantly. Not by my choice of course, but by others with little regard for the needs of many.
Commenting Rules (Breaking these could result in removal of comment)
DO NOT advertise your server at anytime for any reason at all.
DO NOT crtique the work you see here; the article's goal is only to help.
DO NOT say you "did everything you said and it didn't work." I will rage on you if you comment this. There is no 100% garauntee to popularity.
Let's Begin
So, you’re making a Minecraft server? Well congratulations that makes you an entrepreneur! What do you mean Cameron? A server is, one hundred percent, like a company. It has a target market; Minecraft players. It has competition; other servers. It earns an income; donations. It has expenses and requires advertisement and the list goes on and on. Well so what?
So you need to treat your server like a company. Too many times have I seen servers spring up out of random impulsion and poor planning, only to close down after a month. I call these servers “Dirty 30s,” because they only last about thirty days. So if you want a successful server, the first step is realizing its importance. A Minecraft server isn’t a joke, despite what your parents or friends may think, it's a legitimate way to earn some serious cash. (Eula Pending)
First Impressions
These are the most critical elements to retaining new players. When a player joins your server you have mire seconds to convince them to spend more time. That first view of your server is what can make or break it. Everything matters, even things you don't think do, actualy do. So let's break it down:
Spawn - Wherever it is, they better be staring your best build in the face
Join Items - Do not start your players off with abosolutey nothing. However don't be that server that spawns them will full diamond armor, tools, and weapons.
Your Chat - I will get into more on this later, but understand an ugly, unreadable chat is just as bad as a sign wall.
Server Setup - Every server has different rules and plugins that need to be explained to the player when they join. However, using sign after sign to do it, is horrid to look at. No one is going to read them; it's a waist of everyone's time.
When a player joins the server, they judge the quality of it by what they spawn looking at. You will want to strategically place the first spawn and death points to your advantage. Once you have impressed a player with your first spawn, you are still not guaranteed and added member. Hooking a player is almost as important as sparking their interests.
Hooking Players
I strongly recommend against tasking a player. By tasking I mean asking them to vote for your server right away without giving them a chance to determine wether or not they like it. I also see servers tasking players to enter passwords and usernames before ever allowing them to move. DO NOT DO THIS! They will leave, I promise you that. So let's talk about the right things to do.
Jump Puzzles - Start their experience off with a challange! Don't make it impossible as they will get frustrated and leave. This is all about balance. Most times players join a server only to find that the sole challange is escaping the camped out spawn. Offering a pvp free challange will more than likely capture the interest of others.
Questionaire - You’ve done them, I’ve done them and all servers should have one. Nothing will teach a player about your server faster than a questionnaire. Make it interesting though, and use humor; if you make them laugh they are sure to stick around. Warning! Don’t make a quiz that takes longer than 3 minutes.
Storyline – If you are planning on doing an RPG server this is the one for you. Any player who joins a server and is immediately thrown into a story/conflict will be straight hooked. Make the story interesting though, lots of players have short attention spans.
Okay so you have the basic idea down. I'm not saying you HAVE to do one of the three, but they are the most common I've seen. Just try to find a way you think you'll hook players into your server.
Stand Out
FACTIONS - PVP - SHOPS - RAID - LWC If this is what your server description looks like then don't ask me why no one plays your server. There are literlly thousands of servers that do exactly this. No one is going to play a factions server with no one on when they can play a factions server that actually has players. If all you plan on doing is having the generic factions server then good luck to you, but for those of you who are willing to put a little bit more time and effort into a server, stick around.
Your server needs to be unique! I know Cameron, but what should I do? Find something you really enjoy doing in Minecraft and implement that into your server. For example, I really like making cities and ports all over my map. So for my server, I’m going to make it unique by building multiple cities for players to travel to and explore. Each city will sell unique loot that players can only receive there. They can also own property in multiple cities and even begin renting that property out to other players. You see what I’m doing? I’m taking something I enjoy and am finding ways to make it work on my server.
The Heart and Soul
By this I mean plugins. Bukkit plugins have revolutionized the Minecraft multiplayer. I'm suprised everyday by some of the things these plugins can do. Just the other day I found a plugin that allowed you to change the mechanics of the game. For example, breaking a block could trigger any command you wanted. So if a player breaks a block of wood, instead of the block dropping into their inventory, a zombie boss is spawned and is very angry someone was chopping his tree.
You don't need to get that articulate with it, but be creative. Sometimes I spend hours scrolling through the bukkit plugin list looking for something unique. However, not all of you have the time I do (Off from college for the summer), so I'll let you in on a few plugins I find usefull and interesting.
SkillAPI - Similiar to Wynncraft's combat and leveling system.
Towny - The better, more sophisticated, version of Factions.
GlobalMarket - Identical to WoW's Auction House.
rtriggers - This is one of my favorites. Custom commands.
cmdNPC - Force player to run commands when right clicking an npc.
After you have found some awesome plugins you think people will love, get ready cause there is more work to do. You need to be as involved with your server as your players are. I talking online everyday for at least a few hours. During that time you need to be assisting players. A player who joins your server and gets immediate responces from staff is a million times more likey to stick around. Even I have gotten frustrated with server staff comepletely ignoring me and other players. Your players are the ONLY reason to have a server. They are the gasoline in your car, without them your server will stop running.
For those with a bit more ambition and time, custom plugins may be for you. This phanomenon is gaining an increasing amount of popularity. Server owners are either hiring coders or doing it themselves, but I'm starting to see server specific plugins now-a-days. Custom plugins blow a huge hole in the blockade that is server popularity. If you can get your hands on one, keep it! Only your server has it and players cannot find the same experience elsehwere. THAT IS CRUCIAL!!!
Lastly, you need to have events. I know this sounds strange, but its no laughing matter. Hold pvp tournaments or set up a server wide competition between players. For example, you might announce to everyone that the first person to be at spawn with twenty different player heads, receives god armor or something like it. Then sit back and watch as your players hack and slice at each other's throats. Do these kinds of things weekly and don't repeat the same challanges; that'll get boring and people will stop participating.
Marketing
This is where the fun ends for us server owners. It's a battle in the world we live in. By that I mean, setting up a Minecraft server has become such a no-brainer that there are litterally thousands of server ads clogging the interwebs. It is more than likely you will post your server on PMC and a few other sites only to receive three or four new players. Usualy these three or four players will wonder around on your server for a bit then leave to go do the same thing on someone elses server. So how do you stand out of the crowd this time? Your server is magnificent, but no one has even stopped by to witness it. As of right now there are only a few things you can do.
Put it Everywhere - Find any site displaying a server list and add yours. SAVE all the links to these different sites so you may go back and edit your server info if need be.
Cover Photo - This is a typically a picture of something on your server that looks beautifull. A forest, city, mountain side, you name it. That isn't all you need though. Your cover photo should have your server's name, IP adress and a catch slogan / phrase you'll need to come up with.
Banner - I'm starting to see some pretty crazy banners for servers these days. I know most of you don't know how to use Photoshop and that's okay! There are plenty of free banner making websites out there. If you're willing to spend a little money, you can make some insane banners like the .gif ones (Moving Banners).
Novelette - This a full written representation of your server. The format is up to you, but remember you want to sound educated and formal to be taken seriously. DO NOT post, "Join meh surverrr cuz itz got factionz!!!" Seeing things like that is an early sign of a dirty thirty.
I suggest making a folder with all three of these elements in it and saving it somewhere on your computer. That way, when you want to make a change to one of the above three, you don't need to go on each website and manualy do it over and over. Just edit the files you saved on your computer and re-upload them. Once I did this I was amazed at the time I saved.
Finally, you're going to need a website. A server's website is it's representation outside of Minecraft so it better reflect the same quality as your server does. I'm assuming you don't know HTML 5 so I'll skip all the jazz about cPannel and nameservers and so on. If you don't know what Enjin is, you might as well be named Patrick cause, you're living under a rock. Enjin offers free web service, but for a limited time. Eventualy you will need to spend some money on it. Ignoring the financial details, let's discuss what your website should look and act like.
PICK AN ATTRACTIVE THEME! I swear some people have no taste at all! Some of the server websites I've visted look like they were built in the early 90s. Why would you pick a template so ugly?! Personally, I think white, navy blue and black go well together, but that's my opion and you are free to have your own.
Now that you have your theme you need to add the basic Minecraft server website essentials. That includes a: Home Page, Forums, Server Shop, and Member List. That part may seem obvious to most of you, but not to all, so I included it. This may sound hypocritical of me because I'm aware I suck at everything grammar, but the content on your website should be close to flawless. No mispelled or social media conjured words (lol a nu user joined da site 2day!) I realize that may seem light-hearted and inviting to some, but leave that kind of talk to your players, we are running a business here remember?
Outro
I cannot cover everything I know in a short blog and if you want to find more ways to increase your server's chance at success, I'll be finished with my book before the end of July and then make it available for purchase. (Probably no more than a dollar) I believe everyone who takes the risk of starting a server deserves some type of reference such as this. I can remember when I bought my first one and thought to myself, "Wow, I hope I didn't just waist fourty dollars."
It's rough and you WILL go through times of doubt. I have had days where I ask myself if I even enjoy playing Minecraft and if my server is still worth the time. Fight that! It will go away I promise. Stay motivated, determined, and most importantly, stay loyal to the players that are loyal to you.
Planned Changes as of ---{July 16th, 2014}---
- Fix all typos and grammar errors - DONE
- Add pictures for extended detail
- Go more indepth on ways to properly market your server
- Go more indepth on ways to stand out
- Add a list of all server advertising websites in order of most to least used
- Discuss Custom Plugins (by Nickolous15) - DONE
- Take suggestions
| Credit | Cred for my knowledge goes to my server team who is still with me today |
| Tags |
3 Update Logs
Update #3 : by CameronBrandt 07/15/2014 4:27:21 pmJul 15th, 2014
Added "Custom Plugins" section.
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I want a tutorial on Bungee
If someone could publish lists of plugins for some types of server, that would be 1000x as awesome
sorry if I sound needy, but I think too many people just go too into depth with server type and not enough time into the real plugins and hardware/software that goes into all of the popular servers.
oh, and you want to get rid of competition at all cost. DDos is a good idea-I mean, marketing would be a good idea :D (seriously, don't Ddos a rival server)
i found this informative, and funny. Diamond