How to make a good PlayerServer:
The current quality of most PlayerServers on the CubedCraft network is low. Most PlayerServers are bedboxes, SMP's, or other low-quality servers. People seem to like them, but I won't consider them good. This is a guide for those players on how to create a good server on Cubed. Probably this guide won't be that good, but I give it a try I guess, since I really want to contribute positively to the Cubed community, even tho I'm currently permanently banned from the Network.
1) Create your server.
Yes, you can't get a good server without a server so you need to create your server first. /create (server name) (version). You need to choose a good server name for your server to stand out from other servers. I would suggest choosing a name that describes your server type (if it's a unique game), or a name that stands out from other server names. Don't give your server an inappropriate name or MOTD, it will only result in your server getting suspended by the CubedCraft staff team which is something you don't want. The version of your server is also important. For PvP servers, I would recommend using 1.8. And if you want to create a shitty bedbox/smp, use 1.16/1.17/1.18.
NOTE: Changing your version could give some problems. I've experienced this in the past by myself when I tried to change a 1.8 server to 1.16 (around 1 year ago). If that happens, just load up a backup.
After you've created your server, enable whitelist for maintenance. Just do /whitelist on, and /whitelist add the players you want to add.
2) Server dashboard.
Register in the lobby using /register. Make your account, and log in on playerservers.com. You've access to your dashboard. You can add plugins, use file manager, use console, change settings of your server, add other managers, edit the webpage of your server, load backups, etc. I added this because some people already find it difficult to make their accounts. That's why some bedboxes/SMP's don't have any plugins ok.
Add some rewards for Boosters, but don't make it pay2win. Just add some cosmetic rewards, and/or a global booster for everyone. You can give the boosters on your server a Booster rank. And when people boost your server, make it that it broadcasts it. On OneShot, it broadcasts "{username} has boosted the server! Thanks for your support <3". It's a way to show them your appreciation for supporting your server. List the boost rewards at your spawn in a holographic display so people can see what they get when they boost your server.
Also, add some rewards for voting on your server.
I would also recommend you editing the webpage of your server. It will make your server webpage look better when they check it out. Especially when your server is becoming one of the most voted servers at CubedCraft.
3) Adding plugins.
Adding plugins for your server is very important. It gives many options. There are 256 plugins in total, sadly you can't add any custom plugins, or other plugins by yourself, due to the security of cubed. You can suggest more plugins tho on https://cubedcraft.com/suggestions. You can customize the messages of those plugins by going to the config of them in File Manager on your server dashboard. Some plugins are already added to your server after creating it. Don't install too many plugins because it will affect your server performance, since a ''Free plan'' server only gets 1 GB. You can get a higher server performance if people are boosting your server. Every 2 boosts, you get +1GB, until you hit the 12 boosts.
I would recommend adding the following plugins:
Permission plugin: Luckperms, Group Manager, or PermissionsEx. Luckperms is the best to use, but I use GM due to it being the most simple xD.
Skript: Add Skript, and their addons.
Multiverse: Add mv-core. It could be used to crash servers but it's punishable to crash servers on the CubedCraft network using the mv exploit. You can also remove the mv perms from Members and/or disable the mv command for people without OP with Skript.
Punishment plugin: Add AdvancedBans.
Anti grief plugin: Add CoreProtect.
You can add more plugins if you want. But those plugins are the basics you should have to create a good server.
4) Setting up ranks.
You need to set up ranks of course on your server. Don't make unreadable prefixes, or prefixes with a lot of colorcodes, since they just interrupt the chat experience in my opinion. Give the different ranks appropriate perms (For god sake, do not give Trial-Mod * perms on your server, they don't need it, and it could harm your server if he/she/it decides to grief your server). Give ranks their correct inherits. So Trial-Mod can use Member perms, and Mod can use Trial-Mod perms, for example. No inherits annoys me on most PlayerServers on the CubedCraft network. The basic ranks after creating a server don't have those inherits. It will just cause annoyance.
I use the following ranks on Oneshot for example:
Member
Booster
Trial-Moderator
Moderator
Admin
Manager
Owner (No need to add a Co-Owner rank, it's basically the same as Owner)
How to use the different permissions plugins:
https://playerservers.com/knowledgebase/article/11-how-to-use-groupmanager
https://playerservers.com/knowledgebase/article/10-how-to-use-luckperms
The knowledgebase of the playerserver website already explains a lot about how to use those plugins.
5) Decide your server games.
You need to decide what gameplay you want to offer people on your server. Be unique, or choose for a gameplay that is popular currently on CubedCraft. GenPvP, gen servers, and farming servers do have the most chance to be popular on CubedCraft currently I guess. Bedboxes are also quite popular, but there are like >100 bedboxes, so your bedbox will probably be alive for at max a few days.
6) Server map.
You need to get server maps of course for your server. There are a few options. You can build the maps by yourself if you're a good builder, you can hire someone to do it for you, and you can use schematics. I'm personally bad at building, so I mostly use schematics, and hire people to do it for me. It's important that you have a map with a decent size, not too large, not too small. It's recommended having a nice and detailed map. Because ugly maps will make your server look less good. Don't forget to worldguard your server maps or otherwise people can build and break stuff there. If you have a PvP server, disable PvP in safezone's for example.
Guide how to add schematics to your server: https://playerservers.com/knowledgebase/article/9-how-to-insert-schematics-to-your-world
7) Development.
This is very important, especially when making a gen server, or any other game that requires a lot of skript. You need to add some skripts to your server to make your server look nicer. Adding for example a scoreboard where you can view your stats and the server stats, is making your server look better. You can skript by yourself, or hire someone to do it for you. I'm currently working on learning Skript but because I'm banned from the CubedCraft network permanently, it's a bit harder (I don't like Minehut skript tbh, idk why). Give your server a color style that will be used on tabs, messages, scoreboards, commands, etc. There are some people who are good at skripting on the CubedCraft network. You can request help with skript, or ask for any devs to help you out on your server at the CubedCraft discord. Just do /discord ingame on the server.
Skripting could be hard and frustrating sometimes. Take a break, and ask for help. Don't give up on your server. I'm pretty sure if you put a lot of effort in your server, it will become a good server.
8) Discord server.
Create a Discord server for your server. I would highly recommend you to do this. The players of your server could see updates of your server on the Discord, you can announce stuff, do giveaways, and they can talk with each other. It's a great way to have conversations with the players at your server. It's pretty easy to make a Discord server. Just add some categories, channels, and roles. Add some bots (I use Dyno for moderation, I used to use MEE6, but that's just a bad bot ngl). Add a suggestion channel, so people can suggest things to be added to your server.
Edit the roles to make people able to not talk in some channels (like #announcements, #giveaways, #rules, etc). And add a special category for staff members on your server. Add #staff-announcements, #staff-chat, #availability, Staff-VC, etc. Its pretty nice to have your own channels with the other staff members of your server so you can discuss things with them, and talk with them.
Eventually add some nice rewards for Nitro Boosters, like a special channel for them, or being able to add reactions to all channels. I don't do this on my own Discord server, but you could add it to give them an additional reward besides the nitro booster role, as appreciation for supporting your Discord server by boosting.
You could host giveaways for rewards on your server, to attract people to join the Discord server of your PS.
9) Server rules.
Add some server rules to your server. Pretty obvious why. You can edit the rules file on the Essentials plugin folder at the File Manager. I usually use a skripted rules file because that looks better.
Add some basic rules like:
1. No use of blacklisted modifications.
2. No toxicity.
3. No spam/too much caps/flood.
4. No excessive annoyance.
5. Limit asking for ranks/stuff/etc.
6. No harassment.
7. No advertising of other servers.
You can add some additional rules like ''Teams can only have a max of 3 players.'', ''no spawn killing'', and ''No combatlog'' if you're planning to have a PvP server. Don't add 35 rules, it will be very hard for the staff team to moderate those shitloads of rules. Just add some basic rules. Make a staff guide and list the punishment lengths in that staff guide.
10) Server release
And after working on your server, you can hopefully finally release your server. Remove the whitelist from the server, change the MOTD to ''We have released!'' or something like that, restart your server, and join it. Eventually, place a message on the CubedCraft Discord that your server is released. You've finally released it! Congratulations! And now it's time to wait until the players come online. Be patient, CubedCraft isn't that alive in current times.
And it's very rewarding when your server becomes popular. We all know that. Just enjoy it. Being an owner of maybe Cubed's newest successful server. After release, you need to continue adding updates to your server, listen to the playerbase, and keep your server alive. Enforce good moderation. Not too strict, but don't allow everything. Get a good server security. Interact with the server community, talk with them, play the server by yourself, just enjoy it. Its very fun to be on your own server, especially when there are a lot of people online so your server is active. My memories of creating servers since 2017 are very good. I remember my first server (TryToDie), I was just 11 years old xD, and it was quite alive back then.
Make it possible so people can apply to become Trial-Moderator, Jr-Moderator, Helper, or Chat-Moderator on your server. Make a google form and make it a good application. Only accept those who are truly dedicated to becoming staff on your server! :)
Guide to improve server security: https://cubedcraft.com/forum/topic/2230-guide-how-to-protect-your-playerserver#post-7178
I think I'm done with this guide right now. Cyaaa guys <3
I'm permbanned. :(
"And if you want to create a ****** bedbox/smp, use 1.16/1.17/1.18."
What is wrong with bedboxes? Is this just so people with ranks get popular playerservers? I agree bedbox owners are abusive, but why hate the concept in general?
iiFinals:
"And if you want to create a ****** bedbox/smp, use 1.16/1.17/1.18."
What is wrong with bedboxes? Is this just so people with ranks get popular playerservers? I agree bedbox owners are abusive, but why hate the concept in general?
1) Not unique.
Bedboxes are simply not unique. There are around 100 bedboxes on the entire CubedCraft network. And they are just a copy of each other. There is nothing wrong with really unique bedboxes, but 99% of the bedboxes on Cubed are just not unique and no effort. It's a server that people can make in 5 minutes. I rather like to see more unique servers on the CubedCraft network, they are more fun to play in my opinion.
2) Overrated.
Bedboxes are just overrated. For example, Viavir worked 1,5 years on a server called HYLION. It's a really fun PS to play, but its underrated af. Just to get beaten by a silly bedbox. Bedboxes are just a box with some gens, and there are a lot of them on Cubed. I don't know why people seem to like to play those bedboxes, but somehow, Cubed community just likes simple servers. It's just frustrating to see that good servers with effort are getting beaten by some random bedboxes.
3) Bedbox Community.
The community of the bedbox servers are usually the same:
1. Toxic. They are really toxic usually.
2. No IQ. When a bedbox owner is opping everyone who joins their server, and 80% of the bedbox community doesn't know how to play servers with effort properly, there is something wrong, right?
3. Spawnkillers. Yes, this is a big problem. Especially when a server owner doesn't know how to worldguard their bedbox, people are obviously gonna spawnkill you and me.
4. Abusive staff/owners. You've already mentioned this problem, but yeah, they are usually abusive af. Some random bedbox owner even tried to DOX someone by leaking their spoofed IP, which is kinda mentally clapped. I got permanently banned by myself for doxxing someone, but I atleast didn't leak someone's SPOOFED IP.
I'm permbanned. :(
The Manager rank is useless. Same as CoOwner and people like to use it as an easy way to gain power over other staff.
Whenever I ask what Manager does, they struggle to explain what they do. They BS their way as if they're actually useful and contribute when they don't.
Commodore640:
The Manager rank is useless. Same as CoOwner and people like to use it as an easy way to gain power over other staff.
Whenever I ask what Manager does, they struggle to explain what they do. They BS their way as if they're actually useful and contribute when they don't.
Manager rank on my server is doing staff management. Like DarkyGamer is dealing with applications/promotions/demotions on my server. So I think it's a good addition to a playerserver if the owner isn't that good in doing staff management (Like me).
I'm permbanned. :(
