If things go as planned, Minecraft will be updated to version 1.3 this week. However, don't update just yet! The server software might take a few hours, days or even weeks to be updated, and you wouldn't be able to join in the meanwhile! Keep an eye on this space to know when the upgrade will be done.

There's something I've been alluding to and is now time to introduce: the PvP Arena!

While PvP (Player vs Player) is disabled throughout the server, a special location has been built for those wishing to get their hands dirty!

To visit it, from the Central Nether portal, head toward Silver Cane Island and stop at the first train station. Before you head to the main location, though, you might want to step through the Nether portal found there and visit the Bloodworks.



Click on any screenshots to view a bigger version.

This location, specially prepared for PvP contestants, provides you with a place to empty your inventory and sleep. That way, if you get defeated in battle, you can quickly return in the melee. Once ready, head back in the Nether and follow the main path to the arena itself.



This large platform features a worn-down building for hiding and taking aim, several trees for cover, fire (best avoided), soul sand traps, and more! Other players will definitely be worth keeping an eye out, but the environment itself can cause trouble: zombie pigmen patrol these grounds, and lava lies far down below!

People who wish to view the battles yet stay out of harm's way can go to the overhead observation platform. This glass box keeps you safe from other contestants and mobs while providing you with a nice point of view of the ongoing brawl!




To mark this official unveiling, everyone interested is invited to join us for a group battle this Monday at around 8pm (Eastern time). This is a free-for-all round: anything goes, just try to do your best to try to take down other players and whatever supplies they carry!

See you there!

... oh, and if you've got a Tumblr account, we're now on Tumblr!

The dynamic map render is complete, so those of you who rely on this tool can now view it as before.

Please note that it's address changed. If you have a direct bookmark to it, you'll have to change it to the new address. The link in the menu bar has been updated as well.

The server is now back online!

There are a few important things to note:
- The most recent backup I had is from July 14th. Whatever work was done after that was lost, and I'm sorry about that. A case of bad timing caused the server to crash a mere two hours before I had another backup run scheduled.
- The protections are about a month old. This means that any chests, doors and furnaces you've placed within the last month are now unlocked. Please double-check these as soon as possible!
- The map is still down for the time being, it will take a day or two before it's available again.

To compensate for the lost work, meet me in-game and I'll give you back whatever supplies you gathered between then and now. I know this won't restore the construction work you did in the meanwhile, but at least you won't need to bother again with tons of digging.

On the upside, I was about to schedule a server maintenance downtime. I took care of that work yesterday, so we're good to go now!

The server has been down for several hours at least, and I've got no explanation yet to explain this situation. I'm hoping to see it resolved soon.

UPDATE: 24 hours in, I got word from my host that there is a possible Minecraft/Bukkit exploit affecting several of their customers as well as other server providers. They need to go through servers one by one to check on them, which means that this could take more time still.

UPDATE 2: Well, crud. We've been hit harder than expected, and I'll need to do a full rebuild of the server from backups. This will take me several hours, and I'm hoping (but not promising) to have it up and running again tonight. I'll make a new post here once it's fixed. Thank you for your patience.

UPDATE 3: I've got most of the files ready to go; unfortunately, uploading the map itself will take a few hours. This means that, barring any unexpected problems, the server will be back online on Tuesday night.

I sometimes want to share quick notices or updates about the server, such as unexpected downtime of an hour or two or authentication issues from Mojang's staff. However, those events tend to be relatively short and not worth of a full-blown news post here. I also know that many players here are active on social networks, especially on Tumblr. As such, how many of you would be interested in seeing those quick updates posted in social networks?

I'm especially interested in your opinion on the following topics:
- Post all updates, including quick notices, on Twitter
- Have a dedicated Tumblr account posting ongoing news
- Include all quick notices directly right here
- Another option that I haven't considered

Remember, everyone whitelisted on the server already has a message board account and can quickly reply to this news item. Tumblr users, feel free to reply to this message or send me an Ask with your thoughts.

Thank you!