Again =)

You can find the SpecialAttack.net Freebuild server at;

http://www.minecraft.net/play.jsp?server=b5fdb5ce40c544809a1ff2fd7250b459

In order to move our server from the depths of the official MC.net server list back to a position closer to the top we have changed the port it is running on. This means you will need to update your favorites in WoM - everything else remains the same.

The new URL is:

http://www.minecraft.net/play.jsp?server=1461c27558c896565ad6bb97a13f7830

Please update your bookmarks!

Yes, that's right! Survival multiplayer has just been released and we set up a server for it. You can reach it under the following address:

smp.specialattack.net
or
85.17.102.2
(port 25565; no need to enter) 

SpecialAttack.net Freebuild address changed! Update your bookmarks!
http://www.minecraft.net/play.jsp?server=e39f11c6845a035bf823d0e6fdee7955

Mind you, the server is very, VERY buggy and epically limited in functionality (the config file has three lines, no admins, no anything). Forget about all your epic city building plans - the map will be reset when the mode is slightly more playable, especially considering items currently aren't stored between logins. Treat it as a playround experiment - the true experience will start once creeps are added, then the world will remain permanent.

Remember that you have to BUY the game at http://www.minecraft.net to be able to play Survival. As a side effect of the Survival Server going up, SpecialAttack.net Obsidian was retired, may its soul rest in peace (the server software is half-baked and semi-abandoned).

Also, here's a video of stuff that isn't working correctly on the server and you won't be able to do! Fun isn't it? (Not being able to make it work, that is.)

Due to the ever increasing popularity of our Minecraft servers (which have been up for over a month now) and some dedicated builders joining our SpA Forums Minecraft was added to the list of offcially supported games.

Before the untimely death of the fList server stats tracker (out of our control) SpecialAttack.net Freebuild managed to climb to 2nd place in the world; no pics but it DID happen.

Spikespiegel continues to extend his creative control over the SpecialAttack.net Freebuild server, implementing and watching over many themed worlds now, pictures of which are below. Also, we are continuously striving to make our servers (remember, there are F O U R of them) harder, better, faster, stronger and are preparing for a software switch on our main server - mostly due to stablity issues - in the coming weeks.

We have added a minecraft wiki to the website, to better keep track of information and rules, as well as giving people the opputunity for showing off their work. All minecraft players are encouraged to upload their work, and update existing information. The help page will be added later today, and until then, you can find the most useful codes by going into edit mode for existing pages.

Visit the wiki

Upload images

Yeah, yeah, it's getting boring with the whole front page being dominated by Minecraft news but hear me out, because we have some quite epic announcements.

First of all, we have added new maps to the main SpA.net Freebuild server but they're filling up quite quickly - especially main, the free for all map, even though its size has been increased to a hugetastic 512x512. Why is that? Hmm... Pehaps because we managed to become the 3rd most popular server in the world? YAY! :-D

I won't even go into how all the maps look because you should totally check them out yourself.

In other news - THREE new servers have been launched.

SpecialAttack.net Hyvebuild
SpecialAttack.net fCraft
SpecialAttack.net LuaCraft

They all run on different server software and fCraft and LuaCraft are more for testing purposes since they don't have many features - unlike Hyvebuild which has TOO many features. ;-)
I'd like to STRONGLY encourage people to check out the Hyvebuild server since its unique architecture allows placing portals to maps that are not even loaded and hence it is possible to give everybody and I mean EVERYBODY his or her personal map without additional server load!

Last but definitely not least, the fCraft server has been commandeered by Spikespiegel - he and two of his buddies were building a replica of Capitol Hill for almost a week. Mere words can't express how epic it is, so I encourage everybody to ask Spikespiegel for a guided tour.

You can find a little sneak-peak here, but you really can't grasp how huge the thing is until you get to see it - it's built on a friggin' 512x512x256 map!

http://list.fragmer.net/gallery2.php?hash=99a9a905b9ee74e910cedc76a5777ddf

As announced on our forums earlier this week we now how a Minecraft Server up and running! 64 slot, multiworld, online 24/7 apart from maintenance. Tasty!

Since the default Minecraft client is a browser-based Java applet you can check out our amazing creations by clicking here:

SpecialAttack.net Freebuild

For those of you not in the know, Minecraft is a strange little game based around cooperative building... stuff... Although more competitive aspects are in the works (i.e. survival, in which you fight monsters and craft items), freebuild is the only available mode to the players but boy, is it fun, once you get into it. You can build literally anything you want using 1m^3 Lego-like cubes - left click destroys a cube, right click places one and B opens up the palette.

I don't know exactly what's so appealing about Minecraft since the graphics are absolutely pxel-tastic retro but some people are so damn creative that you can just not stop but feel joy when you see their creations. Also, scuplting something on your own gives you a sense of accomplishment and wakes the show-off in you a bit, since anybody can see and explore your masterpieces.

Here's a sample of some of the stuff SpA community members and random Internet visitors made:

<

It's really hard to capture the whole majesty of things since maps are in constant flux with stuff being built, added to or even removed all the time.

We run a custom server called MCSharp, which allows us to load multiple worlds (maps) with different permissions. Main is the map you end up on immediately after connecting and is free for all - builder and caverns are only for users promoted to higher ranks to prevent random people from destroying all the epic creations. Guests are still allowed to view the maps though via the /goto command (/goto builder and /goto caverns).

Also, here are some nice isometric overviews of our maps (not caverns, since it's in-door =).

I'll be writing up some guides on server commands, rules, ranks and such soon. For now, just have fun exploring and/or building! :-D

SpecialAttack.net Freebuild

Temporary server guide:
http://minecraft.codclan.org/

P.S. You might also want to download the custom World of Minecraft client, since it allows you to fly and run really fast.
http://minecraft.codclan.org/world_of_minecraft.zip