So my cousin and I are still playing Minecraft, and in order to facilitate a better gameplay experience, I decided to convert my VPS into a dedicated MineCraft server. This means that it is no longer hosted on my cousin’s computer. Secondly, I decided that we should start anew. My cousin didn’t want to give up the map that we had worked so hard on, so a compromise was made: we would load the current map onto the new server, and just move far away from our original settlements and build up again from scratch.

I enabled some plugins to make the experience more fun as well. First, I used a border guard plugin to limit us to 200 blocks in any single direction so we couldn’t go back to our original home. Secondly, I added an RPG plugin that has given us new will to do everything by hand rather than summoning items as we need them, and third, we went with a plan.

The first things we decided to work on is the transportation systems. Having roadways and subway systems started before building a permanent structure will hopefully mean a more organized build up. As we knock down mountains to give ourselves a bigger workspace, we mine for resources, lay roads, and I’ve even started working on my first skyscraper.

While it is difficult to start over, Minecraft is one of the few games where “the beginning” grind doesn’t have to be horrible. I hope to have some screenshots of our progress on my Flickr account soon.