All FAQs
Click this link to fill out the form.
http://digstraightdown.com/join
The form will email an admin and you will receive an email response soon. Applications are processed manually, not automatically by a computer so please be patient.
We would use an email if we need to get hold of a specific player. For instance, if there is a problem with their build, or something else they need to be made aware of.
We do not sell or give away emails to anyone.
You might miss an important email regarding either your build, your character or the server.
There are very few exact rules about where a player can and can't build. No one is allowed to build within 200 blocks of spawn, without permission. So if your X or Z coordinate in the over-world is less than ±200, don't build.
When deciding where to build, it is strongly advised to talk to your neighbors. If you like building close to other players, find someone who wants a close neighbor. On the other hand, if you find people that want to be left alone, please respect their wishes and find somewhere else to build. There is plenty of room for all personalities.
Avoid conflict, if you are not sure if it is a good place to build, just ask a mod!
The lab is a creative world where players can test out ideas or just mess around. It is temporary, so don't build anything permanent. Players use it to test ideas, play with redstone or use materials that would be difficult to obtain in the overworld. There is a portal to it in spawn with multicolored wool.
Anything you want, really. There are no rules against grief in the lab, but it is still considered rude to destroy other people's builds in the lab.
Players join the lab in creative mode, but they can change this with
/gamemode survival or the shortcut /gm 0
/gamemode creative or /gm 1
/gamemode adventure or /gm 2
Players can change the time:
/day or /night
/time set <time>
Additionally, players have near complete access to worldedit, a plugin that allows for very fast and imaginative creations. I highly recommend learning this plugin if you plan to spend more than 15 minutes in the creative world.
There are several very useful tutorials on youtube and google and that is a good place to start if you are new to the plugin
Here are some useful reference links:
http://wiki.sk89q.com/wiki/WorldEdit/Permissions
http://cloud.github.com/downloads/sk89q/worldedit/worldedit_ref_rev6.pdf
Yes.
1. Use the worldedit selection wand to select what you want to save.
2. Type //copy
3. Type //schematic save <username>-<buildname>
This means the name of your build must start with your username (not a nickname) then a hyphen (-) and then the name of the build. Examples:
Jokomoms-Ghastship
Zorrothefox-Dirthouse
Cronie-Awesomebuild
Schematics not saved in this format clutter up the file system and it makes it difficult for us to figure out what things are. Incorrectly named schematics may be deleted and the violator will receive a sexy boudoir picture of Cronie.
To load a build that you have saved:
1. Type //schematic load <filename>
2. //paste
Please note that players are limited to 20k blocks at one time. If your schematic is larger than 20k blocks, just ask Cronie and he will paste it for you. (This limit is to prevent possible lag/crash issues)
The short answer is yes. Players can worldedit up to 20,000 blocks at a time.
HOWEVER, any block that changes other blocks (tnt, lava, fire, pistons, water, etc) will cause lag for the ENTIRE server, even those who are not in the lab. Please be respectful and use self control when you set off tnt or other such blocks
Worldedit Etiquette:
If you are the only one on the server and you don't mind some lag, it is OK to set off 10k or so TNT.
If there are other people on the server, please keep the amount of tnt you ignite to less than 2000. And if people complain about it, just stop please.
If you make a large redstone or water or piston contraption, make sure it is turned OFF before you leave.
No. We use many plugins for protecting the server from grief. We also use some plugins add extra functionalities to the game. The most noticable feature that players can use is /home and /sethome
Cronie is the owner and operator of both digstraightdown.com (the website) and mc.digstraightdown.com (the minecraft server)
Currently, there are no moderators other than Cronie
The colors of name and text in chat correspond to the different ranks we have on the server.
Pink: This is the rank non-members have when they first join. Unable to build or interact with most items. They can only pick up cooked food. They can chat and enter spectator mode to look around, but that's about it. These players need to become members in order build.
White: Default member rank. This rank can build and use standard commands.
Light Blue: Vanilla rank. This rank simulates the functionality of single player vanilla minecraft. They are unable to use /home, some portals and many other commands. This is for people who prefer a challenge for no real reason. Any member can switch between vanilla and default rank by entering the spectator room and selecting either the white or blue portal.
Yellow: Builder. Able to control day and night. (largely obsolete now)
Purple: Architect. Able to control the weather (rain/sun) This rank is a reward for placing large numbers of blocks for the nether transportation project.
Red: Moderator or Owner. Able to invite or ban players.
*Light Green: This is not a true rank. Players who donate to the server have the option of having a green nickname for a month. Does not confer any other abilities.
Spawn is located at 0,0 and the world extends 4000 blocks in all 4 directions, so the world is 8000x8000 meters.
If it is a minor issue, you can ask in chat and often this will answer your question.
If you have a question about joining or re-joining the server, you should Contact zorro@digstraightdown.com
If you have a question about the Nether Transportation Project, Contact donut@digstraightdown.com
If you have a technical issue, a question about the rules, website, a problem with grief or anything not otherwise mentioned Contact cronie@digstraightdown.com
When contacting any of us, pleasebe respectful, use proper grammar and a spellchecker. "Leetspeak" is frowned upon and may delay your response. Please be descriptive, but brief. Say what needs to be said, then stop. Including coordinates and screenshots is also helpful when appropriate.
There are many ways to explore:
1. Try asking in chat. If some older players are not busy, they may be able to show you around.
2. Experiment with the portals in spawn.
3. The server map is a good way to get an overview of the worlds http://digstraightdown.com/map
4. Try Spectator Mode!TM if you want to fly and teleport to explore super fast.
By clicking this link
http://digstraightdown.com/map
You will see an overhead view of the map. You can zoom in and out with the mousewheel or [CTRL] +/- You can maneuver with the arrow keys or left click dragging. Clicking one of the little cubes on the right side of the screen will bring up the map for a different world (World, Nether, The End and The Lab.) Clicking on a player's nametag will zoom in on their position on the map.
The portals are all at the Spawn building. You get there by typing /spawn (spawn is located at x=0, y=0)
The portals are little areas that are meant to look like the place they go to. The portal to the nether has lava and netherrack, the portal to the tree-farm has trees in it and so on.
Some portals work just by stepping into the area, some have a button you have to press.
Spectator mode (aka Spec mode) gives players the ability to fly and use various teleport commands, BUT you can't pick up or drop items nor can you break or place blocks. It is used when people want to explore or check out other peoples' builds without having to walk there.
To enter Spectator mode:
1. Go to /spawn
2. Go through the portal with multi-colored glass
3. Choose the color that matches your name color in chat. If your chat name is pink, use the pink portal. If your chat name is white, use the white portal. Make sure you have at least one empty inventory slot since you won't be able to interact with anything in your hand. Press the button and move forward quickly to trigger the pressure plate.
4. You will be teleported out to spawn and you will be able to fly and teleport. Double-tap the jump button to fly. Type /tp <name> to teleport to another user or /tp <x> <y> <z> to teleport to specific coordinates.
5. When you re done with spec mode, return to /spawn and re-enter the same portal. Move forward and you will be teleported to an area that will reset your status.
Note: You can die and starve in Spec mode, so bring some food and avoid mobs.
shoo!
The map has not reset since it started in January 2012. When a minecraft update includes content that can only be generated from new chunks, the map is expanded, but the old chunks remain intact. Evidence of this can be seen on the map.
At this time there are no plans to reset the map.
Lag is a part of all online gaming and minecraft is no exception. Many players experience more lag at spawn. Mostly this is because the files for the area around spawn are the largest and therefore take the longest time to download and they are larger for the video card to process. Other reasons may include slow or buggy connections, outdated or overburdened hardware or insufficient allocated java memory.
This is not a complete list and everyone experiences different levels of lag. One important thing to know is that, while players often lump all delays into the catch-all category of "lag," there are several different "flavors" of lag.
Video Lag is the most common reported type of lag. This is caused by the game asking the video card to do too much work. The result is slow framerate or dropped frames. The best solution (other than getting a new card) is to reduce the number of things the game is asking your video card to do: go into your settings and reduce the view distance, change graphics from "fancy" to "fast" and turn off all of the other bells and whistles that you can live without.
If turning your settings down doesn't help sufficiently, you should consider installing optifine I am not going to add a tutorial on how to install this, since there are many out there on the interweb already. Optifine is extremely helpful for most users with video lag issues.
CPU lag is another possibility if your computer is older. There is not much you can do about this besides upgrading your system. Turning down settings and/or optifine may help.
Actual latency is a less common than many players may assume. Latency is the time between when your computer asks for some bit of information from the server and when it receives a reply. If you have cable internet, it is unlikely that this is an issue. If you are running through a router and other users are sharing a connection, or if you are on a wifi connection then this is more of a possibility.
The easiest way to test your latency is to check your ping. For windows 7 users, bring up the start menu. In the little text box at the bottom, type CMD and enter. This should bring up a command window (a black screen.) In this area, type ping mc.digstraighdown.com. This will make your computer send a small amount of data to the server and test how long it takes to return. This is your latency and is measured in milliseconds. After typing that, your window will show the results.
The last part of the last line should say "Average = xxx ms." If this number is under 300, latency should not be your problem. If it is 300-600 (i.e. 3-6 tenths of a second,) you will have noticeable delays but it may still be playable, depending what you are doing. Above 600 is undesirable. (I don't know the steps for this in windows 8, but they are bound to be similar. Mac users should google how to do this.)
It can be tempting to blame the server for lag issues, but unless everyone is experiencing the same issues, this is not usually the case. It does happen sometimes that a plugin will malfunction or the network the server is on will have a problem. If you think it is a server issue, just ask other players if they are also having lag. If they are not, then it is more likely something to do with your system or its connection.
We typically have several hundred people on the mailing list, (200-600.) These are people that have joined or responded to a roll-call email.
The number of people on the server at a given time varies wildly. It mostly depends on the time of day and time of year. More people play in winter, less in summer. More people play in the evening. Whether or not it is evening depends on your time zone, of course.
In the very early hours of the morning, there are sometimes only one or two people online. In the evening, there can be 15-25 people at a time. All of this is extremely variable.
The majority of players are from the U.S. but we have very strong European roots with many players from Scandinavia and the continent.
Speaking English is not a requirement to play here.
The spawn building is at x=0, z=0
You can walk 4000 meters in any direction before hitting the world border. This makes the map 8000x8000 meters/blocks.
Players are not allowed to build within 200 blocks of spawn.
Yes, we have several. Just ask someone who is online to show you what you are looking for.
Pretty simple, just leave them as you found them.
If you cut a tree down, replant a sapling of the same type.
If you break a piece of glass at the tree farm, fix it with glass, not dirt or wood.
If you harvest carrots, replant carrots.
If you harvest wheat, replant wheat.
If you are working a farm and a creeper blows up near you, fix the damage.
If you kill a cow, breed a calf to replace it. If you kill a chicken, replace it. If you take a horse, breed a horse to leave there.
You don't need to wait for items to grow after you plant them and if you shear a sheep you don't have to wait for it to grow back.
There is no specific rule about using someone else's mine. However, the world is big enough to make your own mine and it is generally considered polite to find your own ores.
If it causes damage to a player's building or area, yes.
Yes, with the exception of some command blocks that take care of some server functions, it is all survival.
Moderators are able to use various teleport commands and are able to invite or ban players. They also have access to some player info such as IP address and other info about their status on the server.
Mods can not use the /give command or make items. They can't use creative or fly. Mod powers on this server are very limited.
I, Cronie (the owner,) have unlimited power, but I do not build in the overworld/nether/end. I do some building in the lab and other worlds that are unconnected to the regular worlds. The only exception to this is a small redstone area beneath spawn which takes care of some server functions (such as spectator mode.)
I have seen other servers where owners build and mods have virtually unlimited powers and I didn't like it. The system is set up this way to prevent corruption or the appearance of such.
That's an exellent question.
It's very important to thoroughly wring out your sponges after every usage.
This will prevent the accumulation of grime and bacteria.
A dry sponge is a happy sponge.
Do you take hot showers?
Yes.
Dry skin.
I would check the point first, before re-priming it.
But remember that the summer months take a particular toll on any region's aquifer, depending on the local climate.
And that's the last question Thank you for coming.
You've been wonderful.
Discord is free text and voice chat software.
No, never.
Email cronie@digstraightdown.com with any issues. using discord will only delay a response.
Click this link https://discord.gg/ynag5hC
That should bring up the Discord website in your browser. Please use your minecraft name as your username to avoid confusion. I would recommend downloading the Discord app instead of using the browser version, but either will work.
Discord is far from perfect and glitches are common. Please be patient if you experience problems.
That is fine. Donations are not required to play here. I understand that not everyone is financially able to donate, but those who can are appreciated.
DSD is 100% player funded. Players can choose to help the server out by donating in any amount.
You get a not from Cronie thanking you for being a good person and a fuzzy feeling for doing the right thing :)
DSD is a fair and equal server. I do not want to disadvantage players that are already struggling in real life. Those players that are able to donate will know that they are helping other players to enjoy the game :)
100% of the money goes to server fees, as described here http://digstraightdown.com/donations-menu
I do not take any money out of the account for any other purpose. I do not make any profit whatever for running DSD.
That has not happened yet, but the server would shut down. I would give players as much notice as possible in the message of the day, but if the money is not there, the server stops existing.
The current server balance is listed in the message of the day. It is just a text file and it does not automatically reflect donations as they come in.
DSD has a player created nether rail travel system. This is to take advantage of the difference in blocks traveled between the nether and overworld.
In minecraft, travelling 1 block in the nether will move you 8 blocks in the overworld. Travelling 100 blocks in the nether is equivalent to to 800 in the overworld.