NEW POLICY – Abandoned Builds

As the server continues to grow and more players come and go, we’re finding that we are coming across more abandoned builds in areas that may have once been isolated, but are now becoming populated. To avoid expanding the map any further before the next update, we’d like to fill in areas that are still under-developed. The first rule of building still applies that you need to give any neighbors plenty of room to expand their properties, so first and foremost, when scouting out land, please be sure there are no nearby structures, and fencing off the land you feel you may need to complete your vision is helpful.

To be clear, when we say “Abandoned Builds” we are not referring to fully constructed properties of players who no longer play. These would be considered “Retired Builds” and we do not remove those or any items inside in case the player decides to one day visit it again. We feel the world is big enough that we don’t have to tear down any of these structures to make room for new players. We also strongly feel that it represents our world’s history and makes it a more beautiful place to tour. So if you no longer play on our map, rest assured if you decide to come back we will not have removed your space without your knowledge. However, we do strongly suggest that if you have valuables or item frames inside that matter to you, that you do log back in at least one more time to place the valuables in your vault and to take a moment to re-hang item frames (which are player protected now). Also, please hang a sign above your entrance door to let the admins know who the property belongs to. We try our best to safeguard as many inactive places as we can, but we can’t be everywhere, and we are not responsible nor will we replace items that should have been safely tucked away in your absence.

NOTE: You may have noticed iron doors on your shops in the market, that is to announce to other players that the store is inactive and not to keep you out of it.

Abandoned Builds are defined as small(ish) structures that are incomplete in their build process. They lack any identifying materials inside that would let anyone know who they belong to. Sometimes one of our server kids may have been out playing, had an idea for a project, got bored and quit midway through. We try to discourage that, but it does happen. We’ve all been out exploring, it’s part of the fun, and we’ve all built up small structures to keep us safe from the dangers at night, in fact, if you look around you may find a few of Serverus’ own little explore huts he put up back from before we made the server public. We keep these around for nostalgic purposes. Using these as an example, say you find the perfect spot of land for your home and perhaps you don’t see this little shanty off in the distance and you start to build. Now it’s been days or weeks and you’re highly invested in this area and it’s too late to turn back now. Then you come across this home that doesn’t appear to have anyone occupying it and you haven’t seen anyone else around lately. What do you do? Allow us to lay out the new Abandoned Builds Protocol.

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Screen shot of an Abandoned Build with coordinates

If you should find what appears to be an abandoned build on your property please take a screen shot (F2) with coordinates (so press F3 before you press F2) of the building and post it in the group to see if it belongs to another player who maybe forgot to tear it down, is no longer invested in it, or has just moved on to something bigger elsewhere. In that case, you two may work out the details of you removing the property, and no admins need to get involved.

or…

If you decide not to post the image in the group yourself, or if you do and no one responds (remember, not all the kids have a Facebook account and you may not know their parent’s name to tag them) please, come to an admin and we will begin the protocol for removing the structure. Once in the admins’ hands we will follow this procedure:

1. We will post a screen shot in the group asking someone to claim the build
2. If a 7 day week has gone by and we have gotten no response, we will repost the screen shot once more allowing the owner one more 7 day week to claim the property.
3. If no one has claimed the build, the admins will remove the property and its contents, and the land is now yours.

We realize 14 days can be a long wait when you’re in the middle of a big project, but we ask that you consider if it were you or your child who perhaps lost internet access, or was grounded from video games for a while, or anything that would cause you not to be able to play. You would hope to be able to come back and find that your work has not been erased.

WARNING: If you decide to remove a structure that you did not build, this is considered griefing and a punishable offense. Depending on the severity, punishment could be as extreme as being banned from the server.

The rules and policies we enforce may seem strict, and for some, excessive, but even though it is “just a game” there are those of us who work very hard on this map and do take this game very seriously. For some of us, it’s our escape from the stresses and pressures of daily life and as admins, we want it to be an enjoyable place to come. Remember, we’re a Family Friendly server which means helping to mold new and young players who may not have much experience on multiplayer servers before. We want to be sure we’re keeping everything on a fair and respectful level for everyone. No one can disagree with the fact that we have some of the most awesome players living with us on our map, we all just need to remember to respect our neighbors and show a little tolerance and patience where the rules are concerned. They are all there due to past experiences we’ve had so trust us that they are for the best.

Thank you!


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