Minecraft on PC has evolved significantly in the few, short years it's been around, and one of the most prominent features is the online multiplayer where users can create persistent worlds with space for hundreds of players to gather and create. Whether you're hosting a server for a few friends or launching a massive effort to recreate your favorite TV show's world, you've got options for hosting your own Minecraft Server. If your version of Minecraft is up to date, the easiest way to get your friends in on the fun is to simply pause and click "Open to LAN" and then "Start LAN World" to invite other players into your game. However, there are many advantages to more permanent server options that may be appealing if you find yourself playing with others often.
Mojang Minecraft Server Software
If you only need to have a few friends connected at a time and don't mind breaks in persistence, you can set up a listen server using a simple program that you can download from the same page as the game client (linked above). Save that .exe file into a folder all by itself, and then double-click to run it for the first time. The program will generate a world and configuration files, as well as text files to use as lists to either allow or block players.
Now that you've got the world generated, you can stop the server by typing "stop" in the commands text box and changing settings, or you can just start playing. While the server software is running, you can use the direct connect button under the multiplayer menu, and connect to "localhost" to join. If you want to invite your friends to play from different locations you'll have to first identify your external IP address using a website, and set up your router to port forward. If you're all on the same network, you can simply find your IP address and share it with your friends.
This method of hosting a server is configurable — provided you're willing to learn a little bit about different server parameters and how they work — but in the long term it suffers a few shortcomings. Playing on the same computer that you use to host can cause some significant lag for yourself and other players if you don't have spare RAM to use for your own client. While the amount of RAM allocated for the server can be changed, it may not be enough, and may cause your own client to become unplayable.
Home internet connections also have the possibility of a dynamic IP address, which may cause remote players to become disconnected. Finally, if your computer turns off or becomes disconnected from your network, the server won't continue to run and persistent world features will be lost. Still, if you're looking for an easy way for you and your friends to play Minecraft together, you can run and connect to a server with only a few clicks.
Craftbukkit
Craftbukkit is a more hands-on option for server hosting software that is designed to accommodate a larger number of add-ons and mods. The Minecraft community creates and curates any number of game-changing and content-adding modifications, and running a number of them together can create performance issues even on high-end servers. CraftBukkit maintains a forum of add-ons designed specifically for their server software, creating a solution for managing the effects of many add-ons together in game, without causing conflicts or reducing performance. Setting up CraftBukkit takes a little bit of java knowledge as well, but can easily be made up for by following the simple instructions for different operating systems on the Bukkit wiki.
Configuration is a little tougher with Bukkit than the simpler server software in this list, but in exchange you get a program that is far more customizable on the backend and in-game. Multiple pages of server commands greet you once you're playing, allowing you to make any number of changes to the world and the way the server operates. If you're so inclined you can begin to browse Bukkit's forums for some add-ons that add anything from new blocks and vehicles to property and other kinds of portals.
Connecting to a Bukkit server is similar to connecting to a standard server, and mostly doesn't require that users also install the mods that are running host-side. Although instructions on the site are straightforward, there are still a few hiccups in installing the server that may take a bit of troubleshooting to get resolved. Once it's up and running, you can connect to it from another computer on the network and even run a few mods. Connecting to the server on the same computer isn't an option, but with a bit of work it could be set up to work that way. Ideally, you would run Bukkit or the regular Minecraft server software on a remote machine.
Paid Server Options
A number of websites offer hosting for game-specific servers, and for a monthly fee they will host a server for you with a variable number of players to connect. There are many benefits to this type of server, including easy setup, consistent access, and technical support. There are more paid services available than the free offerings, and a lot of them can be found on the Minecraft forums starting at under five dollars a month, with rates increasing for use of extra server software and for more allowed connections.
While setting up your own server can be complicated and require some networking and FTP knowledge, most of the paid services designed specifically for Minecraft automate the process. Setup is usually as simple as picking the number of players, deciding the type of world, then hitting go. Configuring and restarting the server is also easy thanks to web interfaces that deal with configuration files and parameters in more robust ways than a user might if they were just editing the files themselves. Some systems like Multicraft (pictured below) are implemented by hosting companies to allow users to access the controls to their servers in limited ways while leaving some configuration decisions in the hands of the host.
Connecting is a breeze with these options, as the connection IP and port are listed on the server administration page, and there are options to ban or allow players and restart the server, all conveniently located. If you're feeling a bit more do-it-yourself, any service that offers servers with a decent amount of RAM can be fitted with a Bukkit or Minecraft server instance loaded over FTP. Amazon offers these kinds of servers with flexible memory use based on what's needed for competitive rates, if you prefer the control over files and settings and feel comfortable not using web-based control software.
Do you have any additional recommendations for setting up a Minecraft server? Tell us in the comments.
From BEN Latest News: www.benlatestnews.com
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/benlatestnews
0 comments:
Post a Comment