Well Mojang gave everyone approximately 24 hours to let everyone know that 1.2.3 was coming out!
How very nice of them to do this. They obviously expected everyone to be watching the news and playing Minecraft 24/7.
I think the lack of communication from Mojang about this update has been extremely frustrating.
Me and a friend run a small server that has just been up for over a month. It has however been very successful it that amount of time. This update to 1.2.3 has been a big annoyance for us though.
1. Mojang's announcement of this meant that not many people had time to prepare for it.
None of the plugin developers had time, and we certainly did not have enough time to warn our users about it. After all not many people play on week nights.
As a result when it came out most people automatically updated to 1.2 despite our warning that you would not be able to play on the server. This meant that we had to update to 1.2 or lose just about everyone that plays on our server.
2. The lack of warning gave a massive advantage to the larger servers. All of the larger servers had a massive advantage with this update. Instead of having to wait for craftbukkit and all of the plugins to come back all they needed to do was pay a dev to fix their own custom plugins! Most of the large servers were up and running fully that day meaning that people went and played on them instead of ours or others.
3. We have tried 3 times to convert our map to the new format. Every single time this has been unsuccessful. It would always screw up.
The main point of my little rant here is that Mojang needs to give people more warning next time. Our choices as a small server were:
Update - No plugins, screwed map, permissions not working, no stable version of craftbukkit and lots of late nights trying to get things worked out.
No update - People won't play, lose players, and uptime to larger servers who don't need it.
All I ask Mojang is that next time you give people a little more warning. Perhaps even tip the people at bukkit off so that they can update things!!!!!!! What you have done makes it very hard for smaller servers. Has anyone else had the same problems as us?
Mojang told us that the 1.2 update was happening a week before it happened. I understand that you may have missed that, however, if you don't pay attention to goings on. However the fact that they have been releasing snapshots every week for this update was a hint.
Also the people at Bukkit, it may interest you to know, now work at Mojang. Working on the new mod API. So i'm pretty sure they would have had a tip off that it was updating.
Not only that, but Jeb released a 1.2 prerelease a day before the update, so they would have had a head start.
Please get your facts straight before ranting.
I do know that the people at craftbukkit work for Mojang now. That only makes it worse that there is still not a stable version of craftbukkit.
Secondly do you mind me asking where you saw that 1.2 was coming out? I did see that they released previews but like the other updates that does not really hint to an update coming out so soon.
Don't see much of a point ot your post. I mean why do they have to tell you weeks in advance on an update. Tell your users not to update or they will not be able to play. They gave you a couple of days and that was good enough. I mean the people that make bukkit can't update instantly even if they are warned. They need the actual release to be able to update.
Don't see much of a point ot your post. I mean why do they have to tell you weeks in advance on an update. Tell your users not to update or they will not be able to play. They gave you a couple of days and that was good enough. I mean the people that make bukkit can't update instantly even if they are warned. They need the actual release to be able to update.
Simply what I was saying is that despite it is not our fault it simply makes the smaller servers look bad when it comes to updating. Users always blame things on the owners even if it is their fault. For example if this update required a map wipe then they would have lost everything because they would not have been able to login.Even though we told people not to update we would still get the blame.
BTW do you run a server yourself?
Wow, you are blaming this all on Mojang.. I don't even know where to start.. the OP is such a litany of failure.
Mojang is not now, nor was ever under any obligation to give any kind of "warning period" to you or anyone else regarding patches.
That's not their problem. How server admins choose to run their servers is entirely their domain. It's utterly idiotic to suggest that Mojang is supposed to actually consider and cater to any of that.
YOU are the one who has made the choice that you "MUST" upgrade, or "lose" people on your server.
YOU decided to rush to patch, despite the fact that every single update cycle is the exact same thing. Anyone who pays even a tiny bit of attention knows the drill. Patch comes out. Many servers WAIT TO UPDATE until bukkit and other essential mods are updated. Because that takes time.
The vast majority of these people wouldn't dream to come in here and whine about it. Whining that the mod makers aren't fast enough. Blaming your own server issues on these updates.. Forcing update out of some irrational fear of losing people.. when most people know the drill, and would return to your server later when it did upgrade.
It's not Mojang's fault in any way shape of form. This is entirely a problem of your own making.
I'm entirely convinced that this is really all just about one thing, and one thing only. And you gave it away in your OP when you said "lost donations".
Wow, you are blaming this all on Mojang.. I don't even know where to start.. the OP is such a litany of failure.
Mojang is not now, nor was ever under any obligation to give any kind of "warning period" to you or anyone else regarding patches.
That's not their problem. How server admins choose to run their servers is entirely their domain. It's utterly idiotic to suggest that Mojang is supposed to actually consider and cater to any of that.
YOU are the one who has made the choice that you "MUST" upgrade, or "lose" people on your server.
YOU decided to rush to patch, despite the fact that every single update cycle is the exact same thing. Anyone who pays even a tiny bit of attention knows the drill. Patch comes out. Many servers WAIT TO UPDATE until bukkit and other essential mods are updated. Because that takes time.
The vast majority of these people wouldn't dream to come in here and whine about it. Whining that the mod makers aren't fast enough. Blaming your own server issues on these updates.. Forcing update out of some irrational fear of losing people.. when most people know the drill, and would return to your server later when it did upgrade.
It's not Mojang's fault in any way shape of form. This is entirely a problem of your own making.
I'm entirely convinced that this is really all just about one thing, and one thing only. And you gave it away in your OP when you said "lost donations".
Lol. Do you own your own server? Do you know how much time and money it takes? Do you know how frustrating it is when people start sending you hate emails because they can't go and attend their watermelon patch?
Lol. Do you own your own server? Do you know how much time and money it takes? Do you know how frustrating it is when people start sending you hate emails because they can't go and attend their watermelon patch?
I can't answer the first two questions but do watermelon patches really need "attending?" Farming in Minecraft involves sitting and waiting for the plant to grow. Not much attending to be had.
Anyways...yes, it can be frustrating but it shouldn't be a problem in the near future with the Bukkit team working for Mojang. Yeah, it doesn't help now but the future is looking good.
I can't answer the first two questions but do watermelon patches really need "attending?" Farming in Minecraft involves sitting and waiting for the plant to grow. Not much attending to be had.
Anyways...yes, it can be frustrating but it shouldn't be a problem in the near future with the Bukkit team working for Mojang. Yeah, it doesn't help now but the future is looking good.
Lol. I was being slightly sarcastic about the watermelons just to give people an idea.
I am certainly looking forward to Mojang and the bukkit team working together though.
I do know that the people at craftbukkit work for Mojang now. That only makes it worse that there is still not a stable version of craftbukkit.
Secondly do you mind me asking where you saw that 1.2 was coming out? I did see that they released previews but like the other updates that does not really hint to an update coming out so soon.
What it boils down to is this... Updates are VOLUNTARY. Neither you nor the users of your supposed server are required to update to the latest version the day it is released. If you had bothered to read about the oh... 30 or so patches prior you would know that patches are usually released with some significant bugs, and that server mods and other addons usually lag behind by a few days. What happened was that the people who are on your server were so hyped up and new to the game that they just clicked "update now" without bothering to backup their .jar, or even consider what servers they were playing on. This part is not your fault, you have noob players.
What IS your fault however is updating your server because of some assumed pressure, before things you needed were ready. These supposed "Larger Servers" are in the same boat, but most of these either don't need Bukkit since they're whitelist only, or have not upgraded because they don't want to deal with the numerous complications (including the high chance of needing to make a new world or spend hours fixing theirs because of anvil glitches). The fact that you're trying to blame Mojang for this is absurd and only shows how utterly inexperienced you are.
Do you know how frustrating it is when people start sending you hate emails because they can't go and attend their watermelon patch?
Grow some tougher skin. If you cant handle some hate emails from random people over the internet you are going to end up a wreck of a person in real life.
Just an suggestion though, some servers are running both a 1.1 and a 1.2 right now. Of course that may or may not be a option for you.
For the record, I (with my wife) pay €49/month to keep a large gameserver running. I have never asked or expected donations. If you cannot afford paying a server without it having any impact on your economy, you should not be doing it.
Minecraft updates have always followed a policy of being published as soon as they where ready (or even before ;-) ). So modders will never be able to update their mods before after the update. That is a policy decision by Mojang, and gives the majority of players (ssp and vanilla) a better experience, because we dont have to wait for something that is already ready to go.
I have always kept a vanilla server with whitelist, because it simplifies life a lot. Do not rely on catching strangers for donations, it is simply not the way.
What I don't understand is why can't never versions of MC (1.2) play on older versions of MC servers (1.1) they have all the files in the game to do so.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Your a such a great friend that if we were both in a falling plane and there was only one parachute... I would feel really bad and think of you often.
How very nice of them to do this. They obviously expected everyone to be watching the news and playing Minecraft 24/7.
I think the lack of communication from Mojang about this update has been extremely frustrating.
Me and a friend run a small server that has just been up for over a month. It has however been very successful it that amount of time. This update to 1.2.3 has been a big annoyance for us though.
1. Mojang's announcement of this meant that not many people had time to prepare for it.
None of the plugin developers had time, and we certainly did not have enough time to warn our users about it. After all not many people play on week nights.
As a result when it came out most people automatically updated to 1.2 despite our warning that you would not be able to play on the server. This meant that we had to update to 1.2 or lose just about everyone that plays on our server.
2. The lack of warning gave a massive advantage to the larger servers. All of the larger servers had a massive advantage with this update. Instead of having to wait for craftbukkit and all of the plugins to come back all they needed to do was pay a dev to fix their own custom plugins! Most of the large servers were up and running fully that day meaning that people went and played on them instead of ours or others.
3. We have tried 3 times to convert our map to the new format. Every single time this has been unsuccessful. It would always screw up.
The main point of my little rant here is that Mojang needs to give people more warning next time. Our choices as a small server were:
Update - No plugins, screwed map, permissions not working, no stable version of craftbukkit and lots of late nights trying to get things worked out.
No update - People won't play, lose players, and uptime to larger servers who don't need it.
All I ask Mojang is that next time you give people a little more warning. Perhaps even tip the people at bukkit off so that they can update things!!!!!!! What you have done makes it very hard for smaller servers. Has anyone else had the same problems as us?
And if they have yet, I am not aware.
Also the people at Bukkit, it may interest you to know, now work at Mojang. Working on the new mod API. So i'm pretty sure they would have had a tip off that it was updating.
Not only that, but Jeb released a 1.2 prerelease a day before the update, so they would have had a head start.
Please get your facts straight before ranting.
Secondly do you mind me asking where you saw that 1.2 was coming out? I did see that they released previews but like the other updates that does not really hint to an update coming out so soon.
Simply what I was saying is that despite it is not our fault it simply makes the smaller servers look bad when it comes to updating. Users always blame things on the owners even if it is their fault. For example if this update required a map wipe then they would have lost everything because they would not have been able to login.Even though we told people not to update we would still get the blame.
BTW do you run a server yourself?
Playing Minecraft since [Friday, March 19, 2010, 9:20:21 PM] (First indev world save)
I don't think updating is something the people at MOJONG view as "Warning"/ a negative thing.
And they shouldn't
Mojang is not now, nor was ever under any obligation to give any kind of "warning period" to you or anyone else regarding patches.
That's not their problem. How server admins choose to run their servers is entirely their domain. It's utterly idiotic to suggest that Mojang is supposed to actually consider and cater to any of that.
YOU are the one who has made the choice that you "MUST" upgrade, or "lose" people on your server.
YOU decided to rush to patch, despite the fact that every single update cycle is the exact same thing. Anyone who pays even a tiny bit of attention knows the drill. Patch comes out. Many servers WAIT TO UPDATE until bukkit and other essential mods are updated. Because that takes time.
The vast majority of these people wouldn't dream to come in here and whine about it. Whining that the mod makers aren't fast enough. Blaming your own server issues on these updates.. Forcing update out of some irrational fear of losing people.. when most people know the drill, and would return to your server later when it did upgrade.
It's not Mojang's fault in any way shape of form. This is entirely a problem of your own making.
I'm entirely convinced that this is really all just about one thing, and one thing only. And you gave it away in your OP when you said "lost donations".
Yes it does have them in there. I have not read anywhere though that this caused any problems. I will google it!
Lol. You should see some of the emails I have got.
Lol. Do you own your own server? Do you know how much time and money it takes? Do you know how frustrating it is when people start sending you hate emails because they can't go and attend their watermelon patch?
I can't answer the first two questions but do watermelon patches really need "attending?" Farming in Minecraft involves sitting and waiting for the plant to grow. Not much attending to be had.
Anyways...yes, it can be frustrating but it shouldn't be a problem in the near future with the Bukkit team working for Mojang. Yeah, it doesn't help now but the future is looking good.
Lol. I was being slightly sarcastic about the watermelons just to give people an idea.
I am certainly looking forward to Mojang and the bukkit team working together though.
http://twitter.com/#!/jeb_/status/172634968441364480
Note the date.
Lol. Subtle hint, i can't say I have twitter. Thank you very much for the link though.
I will be keeping a watch on that more often now.
What IS your fault however is updating your server because of some assumed pressure, before things you needed were ready. These supposed "Larger Servers" are in the same boat, but most of these either don't need Bukkit since they're whitelist only, or have not upgraded because they don't want to deal with the numerous complications (including the high chance of needing to make a new world or spend hours fixing theirs because of anvil glitches). The fact that you're trying to blame Mojang for this is absurd and only shows how utterly inexperienced you are.
Grow some tougher skin. If you cant handle some hate emails from random people over the internet you are going to end up a wreck of a person in real life.
Just an suggestion though, some servers are running both a 1.1 and a 1.2 right now. Of course that may or may not be a option for you.
Minecraft updates have always followed a policy of being published as soon as they where ready (or even before ;-) ). So modders will never be able to update their mods before after the update. That is a policy decision by Mojang, and gives the majority of players (ssp and vanilla) a better experience, because we dont have to wait for something that is already ready to go.
I have always kept a vanilla server with whitelist, because it simplifies life a lot. Do not rely on catching strangers for donations, it is simply not the way.