MCGamer Current Events Page

April 4, 2014. Issue #6

CEP New Publication Schedule!

By Jimmer

It has come to the attention of the CEP team, that it is very trying, demanding, and pressing to get the stories that are needed for a CEP issue out on time. Sometimes, the stories are not as top notch and as well put together as we wish for them to be. Therefore, effective immediately (starting with this issue), the CEP team is going to be moving our publication dates to better fit our schedule. No longer will CEP be posted every two weeks, but it will be published every month. This way, we will have longer stories, more accurate facts, and it will generally be an improvement to the publication. Also, the team will have a good month to write the best stories that they possibly can for the community. In the end, everyone wins. So, next month: expect another great issue from the Current Events Publication Team. We hope that you continue to enjoy our publication!

Get Creative! Creative Server- Now Open!

By MeaganRoses, DracoHD, BoNe2, Razzledgirl, Col. StaR

The rumors and hub sign have been telling the truth: Creative is Back, and the server is better than ever! As of March 20th, players are now free to join the MCGamer Creative server and build to their heart’s content. Furthermore, with the reopening of Creative, we’re also pleased to announce the two newest Admins: BoNe2 and Razzledgirl!

After Creative was initially closed several months ago, it was very much missed by the community at large. To many, a large part of their MCGamer experience had just shut its doors. However, Chad had been busy working to bring it back since the day of it’s closure. After much thought, he decided to get back into contact with two friends whom he knew were more than qualified to run Creative.

These two new admins, BoNe2 and Razzledgirl, were personally requested by Chad, and have been head of the Creative server ever since December 2013. The story comes back from Mau5ville, when these three met; since then, their relationship has ever been so close. Their roles are to manage and control the Creative side of things, run the server, fix bugs, insert new plug-ins, handle users, attend new clients, and handling their requests.

With the addition of them into the Staff Team, new ideas and projects have come to hand, ready to involve players with more than simple builds. Contests, such as ‘Show Off your Plot’, and other community events are currently being conceptualized. Soon, we will be ready to involve more players onto Creative, and invite them to flex their creativity.

If you are interested to participate in the Show Off your Plot contest, you can find all the necessary information here.

Want to know more about the Creative Server? Everything you need to know can be found here.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Admin Q & A

By Col. StaR and DracoHD

        On March 15th, the Administration put themselves under the spotlight with the very first MCGamer Administration Questions and Answers Panel. This panel introduced the enigmatic admins to the community and allowed them a glimpse inside the Admin offices. Dave and Col. StaR (Le0 was absent due to a potentially-dangerous storm in her area) were more than happy to talk about themselves, their work, and the community as a whole.

        Moderator @Ninetailsfox92, with the help of many other staff members, moderated the Q&A Panel, allowing players to ask any question that they felt was necessary knowledge for the community. Of course, players also were free to ask whatever random questions they wanted to as well. The result was a lot of fun, and I (Col. StaR) will admit that I learned a bit more about Dave that way. The Administration admits that it was an enjoyable experience, as we managed to have fun with the players while sharing information about this great community as well.

        Highlights of the Q&A:

• Telling everyone 4 times what the roles and responsibilities of each Admin is.
• Sharing the Admin’s perspectives on the community’s present and future.
• Addressing stated concerns about drama and false rumors, and how the Administration plans to stop such issues.
• Live Q&A whacky questions, including our preferences for tacos and bacon.
• Dave ordering a pizza during the panel.
• Guest Star: ChadtheDJ
• Dave and StaR being terrible at answering questions. (- StaR)

Q&A Panel thread: http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/administration-q-a-panel.87668/

Full video recording here (Thanks to @hiyourHD): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YppJUQUiEhg

We thank everyone for attending, and we hope you all had as much fun as we did. With any luck, we can get another one of these going soon!

PSA: Lag Issues

By DracoHD, Col. Star

Hello Tributes! Lag is a serious problem which can afflict anyone who uses the internet as vicariously as we do. But while a lot of blame as been thrown on the MCGamer servers for the lag, the truth of the matter is that it is not as simple as that. Lag is a symptom with a variety of causes. But don’t worry folks, for a new community PSA has been launched to help everyone find and solve the root of their lagging problems.

These issues have been given much concentration in the last days, and the staff is trying their best to get the databases online; giving our clients the best experience, here at MC Gamer, as possible. Lately, these errors have risen due to ISP’s issues, and problems with the data centres that this community uses. There is a lot of game traffic; with an average of 50000 players, and over 12000 games played in the last 24 hours, no wonder these data centers are complaining.  However, thanks to some clever database organization and some negotiations with other data centers, the Developers feel confident that they are making progress eliminating lag altogether.

This is why I recommend checking out the Public Service Announcement, created by JennoKoala. This thread offers an in-depth information article, regarding these issues. It is focused on the problems and possible solutions to them; a very descriptional thread, that amongst others, will help to inform yourself about these connectivity issues.

From common problems to personal problems, this thread includes a variety of topics including;  lag issues and reports, ping, Frames per Second (FPS) and so on.

It is a really helpful thread, and I recommend you take look for yourself if you ever face yourself in a situation with lag.

Check it out yourself! Here 

Needed: Events and Tournament Ideas

By Col. StaR

Thanks to some added free time, Dave has begun an initiative to start more community events, contests, and tournaments. But there’s a bit of a problem: what do we do?

That’s why the Events/Tournaments thread exists. The staff is hereby asking for your recommendations for events and tournaments which you’d like to see hosted by MCGamer. We’re open to any and all ideas, and it doesn’t have to be constrained to MCSG or Minecraft in general. Art contests, TeamSpeak events, and tournaments within other games are all open for suggestions.

Have an idea of an event you’d like to see? Just curious to see what everyone else wants? Be sure to check out the running thread here: http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/events-tournaments.93359/

Upcoming Events

By MeaganRoses

In most cases, toddlers are described as the ‘terrible twos.’ However, this server is anything but terrible, heading into its second year of existence! With the community growing by nearly 5,000 unique players every day, MCGamer is becoming one of the most successful Minecraft servers in existence.

It is expected we will hit the 6th million SG Game in mid-April. 24 lucky players will go down in history as participants of the 6th millionth game, will you be one of them?

As such, MCGamer will be celebrating both of these milestones in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned for these celebration dates!

Ever had a question for ChadtheDJ? Here’s your chance to get your questions answered and meet Chad at the very first Owner Q+A Event. Be sure to mark your calendar to hop onto the Teamspeak on April 12th. Times are here.

Live in Australia? There will be an MCGamer meetup with several staff members and players in Perth! The date is April 18th, and the exact location and times can be found here.

Administrative  News

Welcoming our newest Admins:

BoNe2  & Razzledgirl

Hey everyone, our names are BoNe2 (Jim) and Razzledgirl (Sam), the newest additions to the admin team. We came here per Chad’s request to set up and run the creative server for the community. Over 4 years ago, we met Chad on Mau5ville, a creative server owned by Deadmau5, which we helped run.

BoNe2 is a 26 year old, full-time Computer Information Systems student at FGCU, and also works part-time at a digital prescriptive analytical marketing company. Razzledgirl is a 23 year old web developer, and has a lot of experience in community management.

Razzledgirl is also almost always on teamspeak, so if you need anything, message her there.

Developer News

Welcoming our newest Developer:
Rustywolf

Hey guys, My name's Rusty and I'm the new developer here. Some of you may know me from when I was a mod here. I started playing about 10 months ago, becoming mod about 7 months ago to try and help out. I'm 17 and currently attending University for software engineering.

As a developer here, I’ve implemented the QuickJoin, and worked with Devin on the new Disguise system, as well as a few bugs here and there.

I'm almost always on the teamspeak, so if you need anything just send me a message

STAFF NEWS

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW TRIAL SENIOR MODERATORS:

_AquaTechMC_

Hello everyone! I have been here at MCGamer since about June 22, 2013. My first friend in this community and who will always be my best friend is levi_the_potato. He has been there for me since the beginning really and I can never thank him enough for keeping me in this awesome community! I was hired as a moderator here on October 2,2013. I was so happy to get moderator it meant so much to me and to this day I still feel accomplished for it. Throughout the time of me being a moderator I met many friends and have grown so much not just as a mod but as a person. Being a moderator has taught me so much about how to handle certain situations, how to be fair, and how to keep calm. On March 8, 2013 I was promoted to trial Sr.Moderator. I never thought that I would ever get to this point and I am so happy and proud that I actually did it. I never could have done it without all of my friends here and what a huge influence they have had on me to become the person that I am today!

DracoHD

Hello, as you may or may not know, I’m Marco, and I have been recently ascended to Trial Sr Moderator. I will carry on offering my potential, and hopefully gain the full rank, remaining in this community with a positive and joyful attitude. Since I got accepted as moderator on the 8th of October, I’ve been spending much time on the servers, forums and more. It’s a new step in the duty, and something to look forward. I hope I do my very best.

KiNNEY

Hey i'm Kinney and I have been a member of Staff here since June 29th of 2013 and recently I was given a shot at Sr. Mod with a Trial period, for this all I am going to do is my best and give it a real shot to the best of my abilities, I am really looking forward to what the future holds and hopefully I will continue to serve this community as a Senior Staff member.

Congratulations to all three of you on your promotions! The community all wishes you the best of luck on your trials and thank each of you for your continued dedication and hard work!

These staff members were recently hired:

@BoNe2

@Razzledgirl

@Grada_MC

@JacyNinja

@BadgerPig

@TheBlueMeerkat

@Lindsey

@ClearIy

@Dragonfossil

@Zuggernut

@Buxtonaters

@Sayfisac

@DairyKing

@Krypton360

@FireRedCoats

@DeadStrikers10

@AmyGlitters

@Jodimo

@StarWilliams12

@TheOneHarry

@CommunisticPuppy

@DonutDude

Resignations:

@Tacoface1234

@Toxin

@LovelyWishes - http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/resignation-lovelywishes.89121/

@ Gustyy - http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/gustyys-resignation.89163/

@echo_555

@Nellie_San - http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/kthxbai.89538/

@TheBreadMan1000

@ParryThePlat

@rkettenstock - http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/rkettenstock-resignation-from-moderator.90583/

@xEpicEricx

@soadamnix

@Gamertagcody

@Tzazon - http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/tzazons-letter-of-resignation.93260/

@Fuzzypoo

@Kas (kseniagru)

@Fredflinch

@Dizzydogface (http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/good-byee.94306/)

@SixZoSeven - http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/farewell-ill-still-be-on-the-forums-and-during-events-like-livestreams.92653/

@Tree_TheBigKind - http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/trees-resignation-leaving-post.93211/

@Dpinky - http://www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/dpinkys-resignation-letter.94448/

~MOD OF THE MEETING~

 Danny (roguehh)

I have received the Mod of the Meeting rank because of the high number of moderator actions I performed since I was accepted as a moderator in December last year. I am extremely honored and grateful for having received the rank and I thank the Sr. Staff for awarding it to me.

And

Blakew447

Be sure to congratulate him on his hard work; it is very appreciated, and I’m sure you’ll see him around in games or TeamSpeak.

MAP NEWS

Mortal Skies - Red Forest

By krackan

“Years ago, a global war wiped out most of civilisation and left the planet in ruin, the only choice for the survivors was to take to the skies in airships and live out their whole lives in the sky. But the years went by, and soon it had been hundreds of years since the war and the planet has recovered, the descendants of the survivors of the war live out their lives in the skies as by their traditions, but factions have broken out demanding that humanity sets foot on the ground again. Which side will you choose? A life in the skies or the soil beneath your feet? Will you fall.. or fly?”

Everyone’s thinkin’ it I’m just sayin’ it…. PIRATES. But seriously, yet another breath taking map from the Red Forest team, one I myself put a lot of work into. But before you skip this article because you think “Oh great Krackan is writing about his own map, gee I wonder what he’ll think about it”, keep in mind I only did the terraforming (which may I say is quite top notch), and this review will focus on the building.

So for those of you who haven’t battled it out sky-high on this fantastic map yet really should. Mortal Skies is a steampunk themed build, filled with all sorts of awesome structures. TL;DR it’s a city floating in the heavens with sky-ships (technically they should be planes then…?) docked within. As always, the attention to detail is mind blowing. Flying around this map really does seem like the real thing. Honestly, this map needs to be experienced to be believed. I cannot emphasise enough how epic this map truly is without taking you to it.

Many ships of different shapes and sizes sit in the docks, surrounded by cargo, cranes and a clock tower, one really does need to experience this map to appreciate how much work was put into this build. Stunning, incredible, breath-taking. Somebody get me a thesaurus.

MINECRAFT NEWS

Oculus Rift Minecraft Release Cancelled

By JeremyTyler

The Oculus Rift, a Virtual Reality Headset made specifically for 3D Gaming, has disappointingly backed away from their previous statements about debuting a Minecraft version of their product. After weeks of excitement and curiosity regarding the Minecraft gaming community’s newest advance in 3-Dimensional in-game technology, the purchase of the Oculus Rift by Facebook has cancelled it’s release! Minecraft creator Notch writes on twitter,  “We were in talks about maybe bringing a version of Minecraft to Oculus. I just cancelled that deal. Facebook creeps me out.” Although there has been lots of controversy behind the move, according to Facebook administration of the project, ultimately the cancellation is in fault of the Minecraft owners failure to provide an initial investment round to help out the product. Notch feels a bit betrayed by this decision (which was in spite of his recent investments)  “I definitely want to be a part of VR, but I will not work with Facebook,” he writes. “Their motives are too unclear and shifting, and they haven’t historically been a stable platform. There’s nothing about their history that makes me trust them, and that makes them seem creepy to me,” Markus Persson, or Notch, explains. The Minecraft creator has also tweeted a multitude of foreshadowing tweets conveying feelings of excitements for new, similar projects as well. Although no specific names are mentioned, it’s possible that Minecraft may be on board with Sony’s Project Morpheus. Minecraft was approved for a PlayStation 4 release in 2013, and who knows what other possibilities are in the future with Sony?

Guest Writer Article

Anonymous writer

Clume

It’s funny how people change over time; I was out walking the other day, and I saw this girl from primary school. We couldn’t stand each other in primary school, we weren’t enimies, we just never talked. It’s funny how people change. Well.. I was there, walking down the street, it was raining. I remember the raindrop on my head. I saw the girl I couldn’t stand from primary school, she looked tired. She looked up and smiled at me. It was weird.. After just a couple of years apart, she smiled at me like we were best friends. It was not a fake smile, it was nice and I smiled back. Suddenly the rain didn’t mean anything anymore. It was the beginning of a new friendship. It’s funny how people change.

ENTERTAINMENT

Section by MeaganRoses

submission by: Oper | Vxry

submission by:

Have a fun comic strip you’d like to submit to the publication? Submit here: www.minecraftsurvivalgames.com/threads/get-published-comics-contest.81703/#post-971834 

Compiled by the CEP Staff

Happy birthday to the following community members:

March 1: @BaccaBoy1999 @hornbug12 @mothehero5 @Munster123 @tbone2713 @Thisnothend

March 2: @danchessplayer @Newo @ToastySoldier
         March 3: @AbelJauregui @SergioFire @ThisJKid @XxTaylorPaigexX

March 4: @Beardy @KnightPenguinMC @Wertea

March 5: @albinthemaster @crazycarla152 @CreeperChaos @dudmud @Tman78354

March 6: @JULIASAYS @MilanPlays @Skillz @TheClownCostume

March 7: @FangKlaw37 @rustlerspeed

March 8: @Baccacity12 @Charidash

March 9: @bawley @BON3_BR34K3R @cool_girl @iTzSlash3rHD @Max_Creator

March 10: @Capzook @Detur @McOrange @SunGodMonkey

March 11: @Grada_MC @ItsDavidOkay @M0HAMMED321

March 12: @GeorgeSearle @Ibby @MrMinecraft2789 @toklasse @wooders1996

March 13: @Max10680

March 14: @Dx8Avenger

March 15: @Indescent @infamouscakes @Kieee

March 16: @Ahmadxb12 @dirtydog24 @I_AmAwesome @KotteN @NGX_Zulu @YoloMasterplz

March 17: @BlondeAsian @Perkins @Pokemons8087 @Tiiba_

March 18: @Hks

March 19: @AlmostBreezy @Jijarugen @Kenzo_Mutsuda

March 20: @Amandahz @eriksoderlund @freestylemagic @mifhjk @TeamPlsIFan @xXStealthReinXx

March 21: @Mr_Dice @xxxTrolMasterxxx

March 22: @Captain_Fluffs22 @crazymw3IQ

March 23: @Edcora @ender0323 @Lefamily @Von_Clutch_FTW @xdareu

March 24: @CallMeScruffy @ThisGirlKailey @xXMITCHBOYXx

March 25: @TheHo @xDefrasa

March 26: @jackieboy @Spike11

March 27: @Laced_Up_Tobs @LittleHunter723 @Obitofan123

March 28: @Avaline @FlubbyPandaz28 @itsmeconnord @Jackson_murray @MagicMidget03

March 29: @BTzombie @CeeJayDawg @Yapoo

March 30: @corncobHtheDJrainbowslime @davindthecool @myruhh7

March 31: @farani21 @IILauncher @Sixorr @Velocity @xx_unlimiter2_xx

Publication Information 

Have a Story to Share?

The MCGamer community is very dynamic and highly active, yet our reporters can only see so much. That’s why we depend on community members to help us find new stories to write about. Do you know about a topic that would make a great story for us? You can always leave us a tip, or write your own story; you will be credited if the story you suggested gets published.

Follow the template displayed and private message all staff members below if you want to contribute or want a topic covered.

Template for stories:

Name (IGN, Forum name etc):

Title of story:

Why should this story be featured?:

Story details/Summary (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How):

Are you interested in writing the story?:

Thread link(If applicable):

Notify all the staff members listed with the correct template. We will then review it and decide if it could be featured and assign an editor help you along with your work. Make sure to PM or message (not poke) ALL staff members. If you don’t, it may be overlooked until the requirements are fulfilled.

 Do note that the submission of a story does not guarantee its publication. The CEP Staff and the MCGamer Administration reserves the right to deny any suggested story for any reason. The author of any articles written by a non-member of the CEP staff will be marked as a Guest Writer, and they will not be recognized as an official member of the CEP staff; the Guest Writers’ thoughts and opinions do not reflect on the thoughts and opinions of the CEP, the CEP staff, nor the MCGamer community.

Staff You Should message your template to:

@MetagrossVSwablu

@Krackan      

@Lively

@DracoHD

@MeaganRoses

@JeremyTyler

@JimmerHD

Do you have an event you’d like to have published?

Are you hosting an event for the MCGamer community? Want to get some advertising, but don’t know how? The MCGamer Current Events Publication is always looking for community events to write about. Whether they’re up and coming or already finished, we want to know about them all.

Follow the template displayed and private message all staff members below if you want to contribute or want a topic covered.

Template for events:

Name (IGN, Forum name etc):

Event you want to be announced (Concert, a battle in game, giveaways etc):

Why your event should be announced:

(Optional) Can you write a draft for how you want your event to be announced?:

Thread link:

Notify all the staff members listed with the correct template. We will then review it and decide if it could be featured and assign an editor help you along with your work. Make sure to PM or message (not poke) ALL staff members. If you don’t, it may be overlooked until the requirements are fulfilled..

Staff You Should message your template to:

@MetagrossVSwablu

@Krackan      

@Lively

@DracoHD

@MeaganRoses

@JeremyTyler

@JimmerHD

Want to help out in another way?:

Do you think you have some skills that can help us out, such as editing, illustrating, interviewing, or video production? If so, then we want you! Follow the template displayed and private message the staff members below if you want to contribute.

Miscellaneous Application:

Name (IGN, Forum name etc):

What your skill is:

How experienced are you in that:

How you think it can help the publication:

In order to contribute to the CEP, please send a Private Message/Conversation via the Forums to @Col_StaR and @wooders1996. We will then review it and decide if it could be featured and assign an editor help you along with your work. Make sure to PM or message (not poke) the stated staff members. If you don’t, it may be overlooked until the requirements are fulfilled.

The Current Events Publication Team:

 Col_StaR- Hey, this isn’t my head anymore!

 DracoHD- Hello. My name is Marco, and  I will be working on the Minecraft section. In this section you will see new updates, new ideas brought in by Mojang and further information about any area including it. I will be helping out in any area I can, and after Col's offer, I'm ready to help and offer my skills anywhere I can!

 Krackan- -Insert Joker “Hai…”- My current tasks in this project is providing updated information on maps being added, removed or changed. In addition, I am also in charge of writing reviews for maps in order to bring attention to a map that may not be as popular as others. Although that is the intent, it is not limited to only unknown maps.

~your favorite cracker-lacking mythical sea entity

 JimmerHD - Hey there, I’m Jimmer! I’m mostly going to be working on miscellaneous stories, and helping out with the publication in general. You can mostly find me writing, or editing material, or just generally moderating. Feel free to PM me, or poke me on Teamspeak, if you have any questions.

 MeaganRoses- Hi MCGamer! I’m Meagan and I’m incredibly excited to be working on a project such as this. Currently I am a senior in high school and I am the Editor for the Yearbook, so I have quite the amount of experience in publication! I love photography, writing, and graphic design… and I love Minecraft of course :) I can’t wait to see where this is headed!

 JeremyTyler- Hey everyone! My name’s Jeremy and I’m going to do my best to help all of you readers out there catch up on some fun MCGamer news. You can look forward to some interesting updates and articles coming your way. This is a great team and I’m absolutely ecstatic to be working with them to produce some fun output for you!

 Lively- Hello! I’m sure you’ve seen me around on the forums. My role in this project is to write the articles on various topics, and to edit what I come across. I’m a jack-of-all-trades, if you will. My experience in the area of writing comes from my two short stories that I have published via an online medium. Here’s to a long and interesting future with this project.