Getting Started – a Guide for those new to the PirateCraft Server

(I’m putting this here for my new crew members, but it can apply to anyone and you can feel free to share the link to it as you like.  Also, I, like you, am tired of answering the same old questions, again and again.)

First let me welcome you to a wonderful world of piratey Minecraft!  These are just some hints on how to get started on this particular server.  It is understood (and hoped) that you have some basic understanding of Minecraft already, so I won’t bore you with the details of the basics. This just covers the things unique here.

First thing to understand: (IMPORTANT!) Minecraft in general provides the ability to battle each other, hence the existence of armor and weapons. This is known as PVP (player versus player).  This is a pvp server, especially since it has the theme of pirates, who are known to occasionally kill, rob, cheat, and loot.  That being said, for the most part, folks are just here for fun and understand it’s a game.  If you get killed, you re-spawn and start over again. If you get killed in pvp, you also may forfeit any items you may have on you. Understanding this up front will save you (and the rest of us) from the drama of complaining.  The trick is to learn how to be stronger, and/or wiser next time so it doesn’t happen again or you win.

In short, it is PIRATE-craft, not princess-craft, me hearties! ?

To save some typing, I will list many of the first questions everyone has and try to provide an adequate answer.  I will leave this forum post open to replies in case someone has a better answer (which I’m sure they will ? ).

FAQs

* what do I do here? – this question happens all the time, but there is no one solid answer except live, exist, try to get by and have fun, find friends, form crews and alliances, experience the dream that is piratecraft. It is rather an existentialist kind of question.

* how do I make money? – you are given a set amount to start out with that you can buy food and/or tools. Food can also be gotten through /kit sushi and tools through /kit tools.  They may be very basic, but beat a blank.  To make money – its very simple – mine, craft, sell.  There are options to make shops, and that is covered elsewhere under the Guides.

*where can I build, how far do I have to go? I combined these two since they are so closely related and usually follow each other – along with ‘why can’t I build/farm/kill these animals here?  – The server uses a great plug-in that allows a person to claim an area.  This allows grief protection for the owner. (see section on sieges elsewhere). You can claim an unclaimed area if/when you first put the chest you received on joining don some where.  This claims a 10 x 10 area. You can expand it and/ or claim more with a golden shovel, which you can buy, or craft after mining. To see how many blocks you have, type /claimlist, and to see who has claimed any particular item, hold a stick in your right hand and right-click with it. (again, more details under the guide).

*when can I sail, how do I sail, how do I make a ship? All of these can be answered in the section on sailing under the guides. Oh, and PLEASE, use correct nautical terms – it is NOT ‘DRIVE’ or ‘STEER’ a ship!  No you sail a ship.  It is NOT a ‘steering wheel’, it is a HELM.  (sorry, just a pet peeve)

*are there factions? no, crews. same concept though, sort of.

*can I join someone’s crew?  Well sure, yes, I suppose, but most crews are best served if each member has their own strong base and it works out best for everyone if you observe for a while and see what kinds of crews there are. If you rush into a crew, you may just find yourself not liking the server and quitting, just because you got mixed in with the wrong lot of pirates, or joining and quitting crews so often the folks have a hard time trusting you.

*can you trust me in an area and can I change this all around? – short answer – usually no.  People work hard to create stuff and no one with any sense will give anyone full trust unless they’ve known them for a long time.  This is because if you aren’t careful, you run the risk of other people breaking in and wrecking the place.  It is unrealistic and silly to feel offended if someone doesn’t trust you fully right away.  Would you let a perfect stranger in your house and then say, “hey wreck the place if you want”?  Be patient, all in good time. There is plenty of unclaimed areas around to build your own base. Like I said before, this makes for a stronger crew.  Your crew is there for mutual protection, to help you get started, but not to be your vending machine, or entertainment.  They usually have their own things that they are doing, so be considerate of their time.

To find unclaimed areas, get familiar with the live map and how to move it around and zoom in/out.  There are many areas unclaimed still, especially around the edges.  Follow the link above, or in-game type /map. This server has been going for a while now, so many people over a long time have been building.

Many folks are happy to help you get started. Have a cooperative and kind attitude and you will go far.

Don’t be demanding, begging, or whiny, no one likes it and they will be less likely to help.

To get places quickly, you can warp (or tp).  To see where you can tp to, just type /warp and a list will come up with locations and instructions.

*how do I rank up? – type /rank, /rankup, /status, and/or look at the section under guides about it.

*I need ____ (fill in the blank).  Well, we all started out the same and most people are self reliant.  You don’t pay to be here, so there should be no expectations of a staff of people waiting on you hand and foot. Most folks, will help sometimes, but, we all expect the new folks to work a bit to carve out their own territory and existence in the wilds of the server like we did.

So, what then should you do?

First, find a safe place to build shelter, away form the general crowds, near some good resources (trees, animals).  Read the section on sieges so that you build with the right materials as soon as you can. Get a farm started for food.

Keep an eye one the live map to see if anyone is sneaking up on you.

Trust is a currency that should be earned.  Don’t readily accept tp requests unless you know the person.

Eventually join a crew that is strong and does the things you want to do.

Above all, have fun, and remember, it is just a game!