The long awaited starter zone/newb spawn has been opened and is in operation! I’d like to thank those of you who’ve been involved in getting this massive project completed. Initial discussions started back in January, and many people have put in countless hours to make this thing happen.
Why did we build a new starter zone?
- Filter out bad players
Now when people login for the first time, they can’t use commands or talk. This right away gets rid of spammers and trollers without any staff intervention. Additionally, anyone who is not capable or willing to complete the trials won’t make it to the main server, which filters out quite a bit of other bad players, like griefers. - Attract good players
Our players love the security we offer in VeteranCraft. The fact we’ve been in operation nearly 2 years and have a high retention rate of loyal players prove that people like the idea of something that is safe. Something that will last. Our target players will surely appreciate the steps the new starter zone takes in filtering out turds from the punchbowl so they have the best chance for awesome game play with awesome co-players. - Educate and inform new players
The very act of getting through the trials proves that the player has learned some important elements about our rules and culture. This will lighten the burden of repetitive questions to staff and others that take up time. - Handle large volume of new players
As we start to scale up traffic as summer approaches, having this filtering tool will help us save slots for players who are worthy of being here. It handles players in a way that it can handle large volumes of players without needing help from staff.
Introducing the New Starter Zone!
This project was planned tediously and organized at a pretty high level compared with most Minecraft projects. A lot of discussion in the forums as well as Trello planning boards, helped us manage this project and its’ many aspects. The following list will go into the basics of the sections of the starter zone. The zone incorporates VeteranCraft’s role-playing and lore culture into the process as a story line.
1. You’re on a journey to Vetronia.
You begin your journey to Vetronia.
You seek brighter pastures, so you decide you’re going to take a leap of faith and emigrate to the enchanted land of Vetronia, in search for a new life. You board a ship, bound for Vetronia. The seas are fair and skies clear. As you make your way to your sleeping quarters, you learn a bit about this awesome place, anticipating your arrival.
2. You wake up. Your ship has wrecked in the Nether.
Your ship has wrecked in the Nether.
What happened? Your ship is broken up and sinking in lava. You don’t know what to do but something tells you that you need to make your way out of this place. You proceed, learning about some server basics, and about the staff. You soon discover you are going to need to complete some trials of righteousness before you can get out of this predicament.
3. You tread through Cthulhu’s head into a hellish Nether Fortress.
You enter Cthulhu’s head.
You approach a scary, lava-surrounded nether fortress. You venture inside, and learn a bit about VeteranCraft account upgrades. You make it through the trial of Cthulhu!
4. You are now lost in a system of mine shafts.
A chasm in the mineshaft system.
You can see the haze and creepiness start to let up as you ascend through a cobweb laden, abandoned mineshaft. During your hike you learn all about the laws of the land of Vetronia, which will be helpful if you ever make it there! You are paying close attention, because you don’t want to wind up in the Vetropolis Graveyard.
5. You find your way out, through a grassy cavern.
Looking down from the top of the grassy cavern.
The shaft opens up into a large, open cavern. Your sense of anxiety starts to lessen as a nice gravel path winds up a grassy hill. As you cross the foot bridges over the stream, you learn about ways you can build in Vetronia, once you get there. You feel as if the trials are nearly over.
6. You come upon a quaint village.
Underground village
After no sign of civilization, you pop out of the mineshaft to a marvelous sight. You’re awestruck by the completely underground timber framed village, surrounded by natural trees, and a sense of peace overtakes you. You hike up through the streets, learning about how you can protect your property with Residence. You realize that you have the means to protect your property, and that gives you a good feeling.
7. You enter the heavenly quartz temple.
Interior of the quartz temple
At the end of the village you see a quartz temple, and venture inside to find a magnificent structure. You learn a bit more about the culture of VC, but you realize your trials have come to an end! You will make it out after all!
8. You find your ship, it’s repaired!
Your ship outside the quartz temple
As you exit the temple, you lay your eyes on a very Goonies-esque sight… Your ship has magically been repaired and is awaiting your embarkation. You get a few provisions offered by the community, and board the ship to sleep off the journey.
9. You wake up during your arrival in Vetropolis – it was all a dream!
The ship is now docked in Vetropolis.
As you wake up, you realize the trials were all a dream! You peek out your porthole and realize you’ve made it safely to Vetronia, and your ship is docked right in Vetropolis. You gleefully disembark the ship to be welcomed by the citizens, and begin your new life.
What’s Changed?
- New players go into newb group, making it so they can’t see chat or talk, or use commands.
- Once they finish the trials, they will be placed into the player group, and be able to chat, and use commands.
- Old players who want to see the starter zone can access it via a portal in the /spawn tower, upstairs.
- If you do so, your donor status, or other default permissions will be temporarily disabled until you complete the trials.
- There are currently 2 messages for new players – The first announces their start of the trials. They can’t hear you. The 2nd is when they’ve completed the trials, feel free to welcome and congratulate them when that message plays.
This message plays when the user has completed the trials.
Please be patient for the time being, as we work out tweaks on the tech end, and the physical end. We hope to make this starter zone better as we learn ways to improve it. Please report bugs or issues you run into in the forums.
Who do we Have to Thank?
From the initial planning, to the big dig, to the designing, building, and technical programming, so much time and effort has gone into this, and we want to give a hand to all who were involved. I will edit this list as I remember who I’m leaving out. Please don’t be offended if I don’t initially remember who did every single thing.
Keep in mind that this project was built by hand with legitimately mined materials. Nothing was spawned, and World Edit was not used to dig the massive hole. We take a great deal of pride in that.
Excavation, Planning, Design, Building
Pherian’s pre-build sketch of Cthulhu.
- Emulated
- Pherian
- Meatbawllz
- LightWarriorK
- Ryanpitts
- Bonzai728
- jonthepope
- sebasgokart
- Spentxlr8tion
- vEchozZ
- MintYogi
- Frelling
- MusicPlayer16
- TheMackFather
- lilmack96
- Roseis
- Dalferes
- Chrissyfly82
- Countless Others!
Programming
- Frelling
- Mudwog
- Hannahbrian
Comment below what you think!
Post Author: meatbawllz
Meatbawllz founded VeteranCraft in June of 2011 to create a player experience for mature players, with a great balance of features. VeteranCraft is a place with many skilled players that help pitch in to make things awesome.
