The server plugin architecture I have used is Bukkit but there are a few others. I’m sure the others have similar plugins to the ones I have tried out. The reasoning behind trying each of these plugins was to add something to the game without making it silly, ie I disregarded “Everyone is Invincible and can fly and do what they like” types.

The first, iConomy, is important because it has links with other mods.

iConomy adds currency into the game. It keeps tabs of how much currency people have which is then used by other mods to allow payment. Linked with this was a mod I forget the name of which takes money from you when you die – you can set it up so it doesn’t drop you below a certain value, takes a percentage, takes a fixed value, etc. There are other similar ones but this is the one I used.

Jobs
This mod enables you to configure simple jobs which reward people with gold for doing them. An example would be to create a Lumberjack and give money each time they cut down a tree. People can gain levels in a job as well as money and you can limit the number of people on the server allowed a specific job (eg Make a Sheriff job and give money for killing things but only allow one person to have it). People can either have a number of jobs or be limited in the amount of jobs they have.

PermissionsBukkit
Lots of mods which do this which is to basically allow functionality of mods to specific people, so you could have someone joining the server not able to do anything (including destroying and placing blocks), you could allow an admin position and everyone with that rank would be able to do the various slash Job commands like give someone a rank (if you weren’t doing it automatically) and an op position which would allow all commands.

HeroicDeath
A ‘silly’ little fun plugin which displays a message to all on the server when someone dies about the method of their death.

mcMMO
This is similar to the jobs plugin but with a couple of differences. Firstly, you’re not defined by job, it just rewards you with exp and levels for doing things like mining, fishing, killing, etc. So far, Jobs is a better mod. However, what this does is to allow ‘supermoves’ based on your levels. By holding a tool and right clicking you activate the jobs power so with an axe you chop things instantly not just the block you’re hitting but others around it. With mining you can mine things faster and based on your level you have a chance of getting double materials from it.

Essentials
This is more of an admin mod which gives lots of slash commands like allowing teleportation to players, setting warps places you can then go to at any point, etc. To be honest the main thing I liked about the mod (and things I’ve now found other mods do, rendering this one a bit useless) is the things it does with signs. You can place commands on signs to allow people to right click them and trigger various effects. One is to allow people who right click it to gain an item, the sign acting like a chest but one which is never emptied. When linked with the iConomy mod though you can have places where players sell blocks to earn money and places where players can spend money to get items which would otherwise take a lot of faffing about (eg Diamonds).

Cookiez
Silly fun addon which makes zombies drop cookies instead of feathers

Stargate
A mod which allows the creation of portals which are linked to each other instead of linking to the nether. Portals can be linked just with each other or to a number of different ones (you choose destination by clicking on a portal sign). Again this can be linked with the iConomy mod to require a fee before use.

There were a few of other mods I’ve seen which I’ve not tried but look interesting, it’s quite overwhelming really. There is a temptation to try everything but I think that could ruin things.

For more information and to look at the other mods which are available, please visit http://forums.bukkit.org/forums/plugin-releases.17/ or http://dev.bukkit.org.

Posted by Talthinar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

The Martyrdom scenario has 5-10 players per team.

The official description states:

Within a holy grove in the Silverwood, Guardians and Defiants fight to take control of the Fang of Regulos. Imprisoned here for millennia by the High Elves, the power of the fang lay dormant until the rifts corrupted the shrine and killed the protectors.

You must fight to take control of this powerful artefact. Be warned, the longer it is within your grasp, the more its dark power will eat away your soul.

Earn points for your team by holding onto the relic for as long as possible. However, no one can withstand the power of the relic for long, and the carrier will take an increasing amount of damage until they die. You may also accrue points for your team by defeating enemy players.

You begin on the high ground overlooking the square which holds the fang. The fang is “imprisoned” in the center of the square, amidst the rocks. In order to pick up the fang, you must right-click it and be uninterrupted.

If you see anyone from the opposing faction kneeling at the fang, they are attempting to pick it up. You can do damage to your competitors to interrupt their process.

As there is no friendly fire in RIFT, you can use an Area of Effect (multi-target) damage spell to interrupt everyone from the opposing team in order to help your teammates pick up the fang first.

Once someone has picked up the fang, the player name and health bar appears in the right-side of the default screen. It is colored to show the faction of the person holding the fang. In addition, the fang-holder is lit up with a “spotlight” effect that can be seen from a great distance. To target the fang-holder, you can click on the symbol showing the name and health.

If the fang-holder is of the opposing faction, then everyone in your group should be focused on damaging that person (and, if applicable, anyone healing the fang-holder). The fang itself causes a slow damage over time to the person holding it. The amount of damage it does increases the longer it is held.

Once the fang-holder is dead, the fang appears where he fell, ready to be picked up. If no one picks up the fang, it resets and goes back to the prison in the center of the square.

If the fang-holder is of your faction, then your team should be defending the fang-holder from others and healing the fang-holder to undo the damage caused by holding the fang.

Your team gains points when in possession of the fang. If you are the fang-holder, you should be staying as close to the center as you can. The further away the fang-holder is from the center, the slower the points add up. Often the fang-holder will try to hide behind the tree to stay out of line of sight but this drastically reduces the amount of points his team earns per second. A good defending team should keep the fang-holder alive in the center for maximum points.

For those who like to see an example of the Black Garden warfront in action, I recommend the Pallytime video tutorial for details and some ideas for advanced tactics:

And if that was all too detailed and complicated for you then you can follow the Warhammer guide (shown in comic-strip form on the right).

Simply remember one instruction: Kill the Dude with the Thing.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

“In the Ascended class system, Soul Attunement is the player’s ability to commune with the souls of Telara’s honored dead and gain their powers and abilities. Each Calling has a unique selection of Souls that can be embraced by the player, providing nearly endless opportunity to discover the path that’s right for them!”
RIFT – Classes & Callings

There are four classes:

• Cleric
• Mage
• Rogue
• Warrior

Rogues and Mages are focused on DPS, Clerics on Healing abilities and Warriors are your Tanks, although there is generally one or two souls per class that focus on other abilities.

There are eight base souls per class and one purchased soul per class which requires 2,500 PvP favor.

Cleric

The militant orders gird themselves in chainmail, and march into close combat wielding heavy, two-handed warhammers, or a simple combination of mace and shield. The more arcane priesthoods, meanwhile, wear cloth vestments, brandishing symbols of spiritual power such as staves, tomes, and totems.

The primary healing clerics are the Purifier, Sentinel and Warden. The Cabalist, Druid, Inquisitor and Shaman are offensive clerics with good DPS. The Justicar is a perfectly viable tank. Druids are a pet class.

The Cleric PvP soul (only obtainable by earning favor in PvP) is the Templar.

Mage

The art of weaving magic does not favor heavy armors that distract the senses and restrict movement. Though the Mage’s traditional light cloth robes leave their bodies vulnerable, their mind is their true bulwark. Mages employ a variety of arcane items such as staves, wands, tomes, and totems to focus their spell-casting. In addition, many Mages protect themselves in close combat with a simple edged weapon such as a dagger or short sword.

All of the Mages have some DPS but the offensive callings are listed as Elementalist, Necromancer, Pyromancer, Stormcaller and Warlock. Archons and Dominators act as a buffing/support class. Chloromancer is the only Mage which has a focus on healing. Elementalists and Necromancers are pet classes.

The Mage PvP soul (only obtainable by earning favor in PvP) is the Archmage.

Rogue

Rogues prefer simple leather armor, leaving them unencumbered to move stealthily and make swift escapes. In close combat, a Rogue wields a light-weight sword or dagger in each hand. Never the sort to give up an advantage, many Rogues have also mastered the art of ranged combat with bows and firearms.

Assassin, Bladedancer and Nightblade are sneaky close-range rogues. Marksman, Ranger and Saboteur offer ranged DPS. Riftstalker is a toe-to-toe melee rogue for tanking. The Bard is a buffing class and strongest in a group. Rangers are a pet class.

The Rogue PvP soul (only obtainable by earning favor in PvP) is the Infiltrator.

Warrior

Warriors are melee fighters who rely on heavy plate armor for protection as they close with their opponents. Many augment their armor with large, sturdy shields built to deflect even the fiercest blow. Others forgo this extra protection, wielding massive axes, swords, and glaives to cut a swath through their enemies.

Paladin, Reaver, Void Knight and Warlord are the traditional tanks. Beastmaster, Champion, Paragon and Riftblade offer more DPS. Beastmasters are a pet class.

The Warrior PvP soul (only obtainable by earning favor in PvP) is the Vindicator.

Next: Character Interface and Statistics

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

There are two factions in RIFT: The Guardians and the Defiant. You can not be in a group nor a guild with a member of the opposite faction. There is no means to change faction, no “betrayal” quest or similar. You must choose your faction at character creation and there is no way to change faction once you have chosen. The races are limited by faction. All the callings and souls are available regardless of the faction chosen.

Both the Guardians and the Defiant are focused on protecting Telara from the death god Regulos. However, both factions fear that the other faction is making things worse and so they war upon each other as a necessary part of saving the world.

On PvP servers, the conflict between the factions are a free-for-all, although the capital cities and key areas are defended by guards who will kill the opposing factions on sight. On PvE servers, the primary meeting point for factions is in instanced areas, Warfronts, which are similar to the battlegrounds in World of Warcraft. The Warfronts have a specific objective, for example holding possession of an item over time or capturing and holding a specific area from the opposition. Each faction gains points as they accomplish specific goals.

The Guardians

• Races: Dwarves, High Elves and Mathosian
• Starting Area: Mathosia (North)
• Capital City: Sanctum

Guardians are the chosen of Telara’s gods, the Vigil. They are traditionalists, focused on rescuing Telara through the power of the gods. They believe that the Defiant have caused the convergence of the planes.

From the official site: RIFT – The Guardians

“A golden age awaits, but Telara must first be saved — by deed, by example, and by the sword. Its people must be redeemed, its corruptors purged, before the world can truly be safe.

“The Vigil dictates no single path to salvation, so the Guardians seek their own place in the holy litany by ending the threat of the dragons and the blasphemy of the Defiant.”

The Defiant

• Races: Bahhi, Eth and Kelari
• Starting Area: Freemarch (South)
• Capital City: Meridian

The Defiant believe that the gods have abandoned Telara and that the old technologies are the only way to save Telara. They have resurrected the old technology and are using it to try to save Telara.

From the official site: RIFT – The Defiant

“The Defiant do not care whether the gods abandoned the world or not.

“So while the Guardians run around Telara building temples, sticking their noses in everyone’s business, and desperately praying for a miracle, the Defiant plan on actually delivering one”

Next: The Classes and Souls

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

RIFT is a fantasy MMORPG from Trion Worlds. The game is based in the world of Telara which is recovering from the Shade War, including the damage done by a huge magical explosion.

The after-effects of this explosion include mysterious rifts – doorways from other planes – which allow dangerous beings to enter the world. The Telarans are struggling against these attacks but unfortunately the resistance is split into two factions, the Guardian and the Defiant, with different beliefs and conflicting methods for protecting Telara.

Official Sites

• Official URL: http://www.riftgame.com/
• European site: http://eu.riftgame.com/
• Forums: http://forums.riftgame.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RIFTgame
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/riftgame
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/RiftMMO
• Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/riftmmo/
• Developer Trion Worlds: http://www.trionworlds.com/

Fan Sites and Wikis

• Telarapedia: http://telarapedia.com/
• Rift Junkies: http://www.riftjunkies.com/
• Tank Telara: http://tanktelara.com/
• ZAM Rift: http://rift.zam.com/

Character Builders

• Rift Role Builder: http://riftrolebuilder.com/
• LotD Rift Builder: http://riftbuilder.lotd.org/

Next: RIFT Factions

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

When I first started exploring Fallen London, I wrote:

I spent yesterday in a state of confusion after learning the dark secrets of a friend. My nights are still plagued with nightmares. But now I know that as long as I keep my cheerful goldfish close to hand, I will remain this side of sanity.

This is part of the learning curve for the residents of Fallen London. This is an everyday occurrence in Echo Bazaar.

However, your dreams can take you to other places and if you are not careful, you might find yourself inside the mirror.

There are three ways of entering the Mirror-Marches.

If your Nightmares reach 8 and you are holding a Memory of Light, you will be sent there automatically instead of to a State of Confusion.

You can also look through the Mahogany Mirror at Mrs. Plenty’s Carnival, at the cost of two Memories of Light.

If you enter a State of Confusion and receive the opportunity card A plan occurs, you can pay 7 Fate and take the option to set fire to your mirror, which will move you to the Mirror-Marches.

You will automatically leave the Mirror-Marches when your Nightmares reach zero. You will find yourself back in your lodgings with an increase to Wounds and a decrease to Having Recurring Dreams: Is Someone There? and you’ll lose 1 Memory of Light.

There are a number of Opportunity Cards which reward a Memory of Light including a number of Having Recurring Dreams: Is Someone There? events and successful visits to the cellars of the Shuttered Palace.

The Mirror-Marches has its own exclusive storylets and cards, most of which increase or decrease your nightmares.

Storylets

The Mirror-Frames

Each of these mirrors has a minimum amount of Nightmares needed in order to see them. Looking at the frame will decrease your nightmares. All but the wooden frame have mild side-effects.

The seductive forest

The temple complex

A familiar scene?

Action: Step through the mirror
Result: Moves you to a State of Confusion

When you leave the State of Confusion you will lose your accumulated Nightmare properties unless you are in possession of Honeyed Laudanum.

Red-Bordered Cards

Red-bordered cards have a specific effect and use up an action simply by viewing them.

Red Cards Which Decrease Nightmares

Red Cards Which Increase Nightmares

General Cards

These cards will not use up an option until you commit to the action, although not all of them will offer a choice.

Cards with Prerequisites

All of these cards decrease Nightmares.

Cards based on Luck

These cards will decrease Nightmares if you are lucky and will have no effect if you are unfortunate.

Other Cards

All material here is (c) Failbetter Games 2010, used by permission.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

You can now create charcoal in a furnace, which acts exactly like coal and uses the same graphic (but does not stack with coal).

To create charcoal without coal, you need a furnace, wood (harvested directly from a tree) and at least one wooden plank. Burn the wood using the wooden plank as fuel and you will gain one charcoal per wood. One wooden plank fuels the creation of six charcoal.

Once you have charcoal, you can use that to convert the rest of your wood. You can use coal in the same way. One coal or charcoal will smelt 8 items.

This obviously makes a major difference to Surviving Minecraft, as you no longer need to find a coal seam to make torches in order to survive the night.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

I realized that the easy way to follow the conversation would be to make a list which consisted only of the official Twitter accounts associated with Echo Bazaar. That way, I could simply click on a link and watch the conversation on a simple page. I looked around and although I found many lists of players and one or two of the Masters, I couldn’t find a list that included all of the official Twitter accounts associated with Echo Bazaar that didn’t also include the players (making the list difficult to follow).

So I made a Twitter list:

@Tay/residents-of-fallen-london

If you click on the link above (finish reading this sentence first!), you’ll see that it becomes much easier to follow the banter between the fine ladies and gentlemen of Fallen London. In fact, I found it surprising to realise how many conversations I had missed, even though I already follow all of the Echo Bazaar twitter accounts.

Here are the members, the long-term residents of Echo Bazaar, which I included in my illustrious list:

• _The_Duchess
• BenjaminVillein
• Doctor_Schlomo
• Huffam_esq
• Madame_Shoshana
• Mr_Apples
• Mr_Cups
• Mr_Eaten
• Mr_Fires
• Mr_Hearts
• Mr_Iron
• Mr_Mirrors
• Mr_Names
• Mr_Pages
• Mr_Sacks
• Mr_Spices
• Mr_Veils
• Mr_Wines
• Mrs_Plenty
• Overgoat
• Sinning_Jenny

I’m sure I don’t have everyone though. That’s where you all come in: tell me who I forgot! And if you find this list useful, please feel free to follow it or drop me a line and let me know.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

Echo Bazaar has the answer. Take control of your fate.

Fate is an underground currency of the Echo Bazaar, purchased using real-world money or very occasionally rewarded for long-term storylets. Fate is never required for your sojourn in Fallen London but it can, let us say, make your experiences in the City more interesting.

If you choose to use your fate to control your future, you have a few options.

Main Storylets

On the Fate tab, you will see unique storylines that you can take part in … for a price.

A Change in Souls: 25 Fate
Those with Shadowy 20 or more can delve into the wicket toils of the soul trade. This is a detailed storylet that plays out over multiple locations and opportunities. You have the choice to act as a spirifer, collecting the souls of the unwitting, or to fight the soul trade.

Once complete, you can spend another 25 fate and take a further look into the Trade in Souls by resetting your situation and viewing the spirit trade from the opposite side.

The Rubbery Murders: 25 Fate

Who has been poisoning deep amber traders? Is there really such a thing as a rubbery murderer?

You’ll want Watchful 20 or more to take advantage of this series in which you play detective and attempt to determine the truth. The clues come to you through storylets but when the crunch comes, do you think you can be sure who did it?

A Long-Lost Daughter: 25 Fate

It is an ordinary day. Not even particularly dank, for once. It is a day that generally lacks portents. You are walking to your lodgings. A grubby urchin sidles up to you and speaks theatrically from the side of her mouth. ‘Psst! Gottalettaforyer.’

Your qualities should be 30 or higher to take part in this storylet. You will receive a letter when you next visit your lodgings, starting you on the path of “in contact with a Long-Lost Daughter”. This is an interesting storylet which pushes the player into making some interesting decisions.

Mini Storylets

Opportunity Cards may give you the option to use Fate and take advantage of special experiences.

A visit to the Gracious Widow
Someone is planning to intercept her next shipment of brandy

You must first have played the opportunity card which gives you the status of in search of a Stiff Drink 1. At some point thereafter, you should receive an Opportunity Card to visit the Gracious Widow.

Someone is planning to intercept her next shipment of brandy. Does she suspect your involvement? Or does she want your help?

You can tell her directly that you’ve been investigating the brandy or you can push things further with a small payment of Fate. 3 Fate will allow you to either work for the Widow, investigating the Duchess’ interest in the brandy, or investigate the Widow herself. Both of these opportunities require a good Shadowy skill to progress.

A day at the races
The biggest event in Fallen London: Shroom-hopping races at Bugsby’s Marshes. Will you attend?

You overhear two race-goers discussing the location. Today, is it? Get in while you have the chance. The speed! The thrills! The occasional amusing death! And the hats! The improbable hats!

This Opportunity Card offers you the chance to take part in the races for a cost of 3 fate. You’ll be moved to a special instance of Watchmaker’s Hill so be sure to clear your opportunity cards first, as there is a special set of cards for the races. Once you accept, you’ll find a you have repeated chances to run the races – and even to win! Bring your best hats. You should have stats at 40 or higher in order to do well here.

If you choose not to spend your fate, you can read about the results in the paper or even write a stern letter complaining about the disgraceful spectacle.

Opportunities

Many of the Opportunity Cards now include an additional option that you can choose for a tiny smidgen of Fate, if you would like special service. This is just a selection.

Mr Wines is holding a sale!

This new Opportunity Card gives you the chance to acquire Honeyed laudanum for the cost of 9 Fate.

Honeyed laudanum
A radical creation, offered only to the most select of customers. It is unlabelled. Jervaise whispers that it ensures that dreams are never forgotten, even when nightmares become too much to bear…

If you are fascinated by recurring dreams, you may be interested in this very special treat. Honeyed Laudanum will stop your individual nightmares from resetting when you next enter a State of Confusion. These vials can be stacked. One vial is used automatically as you depart from A State of Confusion or the Mirror-Marches.

A commotion in the Square of Lofty Words

This Opportunity Card offers six choices for an interesting transaction – including a use for the gems which have been appearing recently. One of them allows the transfer of Fate.

High on their poles in the square, the philosophers are arguing again. The point in contention: what is the truest gift for a true friend? You duck flung fruit as you pass, but their arguments set you thinking. What gift might you give?

If you have been social in the game, the gift of admiration will be available to you. You need two each of the following: Hastily Scrawled Warning Note, Sudden Insight, Hard-Earned Lesson and Confident Smile. These will be given to the player of your choice.

You can spoil yourself if you have Hedonist at 5 or greater. This will allow you to collect the above cards for your own use.

The gift of jewels is available if you have three each of the following: Sapphire, Venom-ruby, Diamond. More information on how to collect these gems will be available soon.

The gift of a big bag of dead rodents is available for the bargain price of 100 Rat on a String.

Or you can choose to share your Fate. If you choose to spend your Fate (either 11 Fate for a Box of Ten Delights or 101 Fate for a Box of a Hundred Wonders), you can offer Fate to another player (11 or 101 respectively, despite the names). But do you care about anyone in Fallen London that deeply?

A Plan occurs

When in a state of some confusion, you may receive this opportunity card which will move you to the Mirror-Marches for a cost of 7 Fate.

An Imperial pronouncement?

This opportunity is only available in the Tomb Colonies.

“..how this is possible. My relationship with Court can best be described as troubled. There was an early matter of an ode, you remember, and later…but the important thing is this: my reputation is restored! I leave for London as soon tomorrow!

If your scandalous behaviour has become a problem and you find yourself ostracized to the Tomb Colonies, you will find a new option under The price of forgiveness storyline. For 9 Fate, you can clear your scandal and return to Fallen London.

An afternoon of good deeds?

A new option has appeared on this Opportunity Card allowing you to enhance your reputation.

A plaster saint!
One extraordinary good deed can outweigh any amount of petty scandal.

For the cost of 4 Fate, you can clear all of your scandal and “a considerable amount” of Suspicion. If you are lucky, you might also gain a small sparkling reward for your actions.

More Time in Fallen London

You can also spend your Fate on more mundane options: an extra candle, lasting a month, will allow you to experience more of the dark city for only 35 Fate. If you are short on time, you can restore 10 actions for 10 Fate or 3 actions for 3 Fate rather than waiting for your refresh. If you are looking for a very specific Opportunity Card, you can help things along by refilling your deck for 3 Fate.

Want to know more about Fallen London in general? Take a look at our Echo Bazaar Guides.

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

Ah, so you’re still around. Feeling proud of yourself, are ya? Well, you’ve done better than most of the new kids heading out this way, that’s for sure.

No, we’ll not be mining yet. Just because you made it through one night doesn’t mean you are an old hand. Oh no, we have some work ahead of us yet to get you into shape.

You need a sword. If you don’t have one already, make it on your workbench. Two rocks on top of a stick: simple.

Now, presuming you can see blue skies outside, you should be ready to leave the nice little shelter you created. If you have any flowers, decorate out front so you might recognise it if you come this way again. Leave a torch by the front door. Make sure you have torches with you too – collect some wood and coal first if you need to. Nightfall comes quickly in these parts.

Come along now, torches and swords at the ready. Let’s get hunting.

Kill pigs, kill cows. Don’t worry about the chickens just for the moment. Alone in the wilderness and you are worrying about feather beds – newbies these days have no sense of priorities, I tell you. Stay focused. Pigs, cows. You want as much leather as you can carry and three or four pieces of pork. Grab some wood while you are out. That’ll come in useful later when your sword breaks.

If you get hurt, go ahead and try eating one of those pieces of raw pig. Drop it into a free hotkey slot and focus on it and then right-click. It makes you feel a little better, right? Now go get some more so that you’ve got some for cooking. Raw pig is only for when you are desperate.

When darkness starts to fall, think quickly: can you find your shelter? If you do not know where it is then FORGET IT and make a new shelter. You’ve got your torches and hopefully you have some dirt or rocks for building. You can make yourself a cozy corner for the night in no time at all. If you have a choice, make a leanto against a rock wall so you can do some mining but anywhere will do. I can’t tell you how many newbies I’ve heard of who made it through the first night and then killed themselves a few evenings later, running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to find their shelter. You *know* how to survive the night – lock yourself in with some torches. There’s nothing special about that hovel you built last night, just make yourself another.

Now while you wait out the night, build a new workbench. We’ve got some important crafting to do.

First, make a box: 8 pieces of refined wood with the center hole empty. Place that against the wall, now you’ve got some space to store things.

Now, make a furnace: same pattern, but using rocks, not wood. Place that next to your storage box. It runs on coal and gets mighty hot, so watch your fingers.

This place is almost starting to look liveable.

Open up your furnace and place one piece of coal and one piece of meat into the slots. Wait a short time and you’ll find you’ve got Grilled Pork, which heals for over double compared to raw meat. Take that piece out and place another chunk of raw meat into the furnace. You have to make each one individually but that one piece of coal will make a few chunks of kebab if you place the meat in as quickly as you can.

But how about not getting hurt in the first place? Well, ok, getting hurt less, in your case. That’s what the leather is for, we are going to make some armor. You’ll need to make this on the workbench and then shift to your inventory to put it on.

Here’s your basic outfit:

5 pieces for a helmet

8 pieces for a chest plate

7 pieces for leggings

4 pieces for boots

If you don’t have enough leather, don’t fret too much. Just make what you can for the moment and go looking for more tomorrow. Getting a couple of pieces made is a start, when you put it on using your main inventory, you’ll see the difference immediately. Leather armor doesn’t last long but hopefully you’ll be able to make yourself a set of iron armor soon.

Now, this next piece of advice doesn’t sound very adventurous but you’ll thank me for it later. When you get in trouble, you appear in a special place, referred to as your spawn point. When the zombies get you or you fall face-down into a mine shaft, you’ll find yourself at this place, naked and alone, just like the day you were born. It’ll be tempting to try to run and see if you can recover your stuff or strike out hoping to find the hovel you built. Don’t do it. Stop right here and set yourself up so you aren’t running around with no torches and no tools.

First, pick up stuff that you can leave like breadcrumbs to show the way – flowers, wood, cotton from sheep, anything. Drop something onto the ground to mark your spawn point. Now, go out like it was your first day: collect some wood, find some local coal, make a pick and grab the coal and a few rocks. But this time, keep an eye on which way you are going so you can head back.

Go back to your spawn point and create a little house. Place a storage box in it and make yourself some torches and tools and leave them there. Your future self will thank you.

So …what are you still hanging around here for? You’ve made it this far, you’ll be just fine on your own, I reckon. You probably want to start looking into deep mining, try to find some iron. Make some ladders before you get too deep. Always mark your way with torches. And if you hear something hissing at you, run!

Now git. I’ve got things to do.

If you’d like more inspiration for Minecraft, check out these sites:

• YouTube – Minecraft Tutorial 01 – How to Survive your First Night
• Main Page – Minepedia – The Minecraft Wiki!
• Postcards from Minecraft – Twenty Sided
• Is your teenager a Minecraft addict? – West Karana
• Live action role-playing in the world of Minecraft | Joystiq

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.