Minecraft servers/s2/The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Server

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Welcome to LizardNet Minecraft!

Welcome to LizardNet Minecraft! You're probably reading this page because you've just been approved to play on the server, and you're wondering where to begin. Or perhaps you've tried joining the server already, but you've been a little bit intimidated by everything and you aren't quite sure what to do (don't worry, this happens to everyone!). This guide will give you a play-by-play on how to begin your life on s2, and then some tips and tricks on how to be a successful miner and crafter.

s2 is a "PvE" server, short for "Player versus Environment". This means that players cannot attack each other, and as such the gameplay can be considered cooperative. This is as opposed to "PvP", or "Player versus Player", servers where not only do you have to deal with the normal challenges of Minecraft survival, but also the threat of other players attacking you.

That being said, just because players can't attack each other doesn't mean there won't be terrors to face. Zombies and exploding creepers will still spawn at night and in dark corners, swimming in lava is usually fatal, and one shouldn't go jumping off cliffs. But as a PvE server, as long as you can best the night, you are free to do whatever you want. Whether it's to explore the infinite world, to mine for diamonds, to build massive cities, or simply to enjoy romping through a Spleef arena with friends, the server is yours to go where you want to go.

Day Zero: Finding Home

Before joining the server for the first time, first take a look at the server webmaps, a Google Maps-like satellite view of the entire explored world. The yellow "house" icon at the center of the screen is what's called the "world spawn", where all new players will appear when they join the game for the first time. In the webmaps, take a look at the area around the world spawn. Zoom in and zoom out, and look at the signs around this area, called the Central Player Village. Signs can be hovered over with your mouse to reveal the text of the sign. Often, they are used to mark off player properties, or "claims", indicating who the owner is. They also identify some major landmarks. Now, look around for an area that you want to build your house (or home base) in. Move around the map, and consider things such as the biome, for example:

• Deserts have no trees and thus can be hard to build houses in; on the other hand, sandstone is a readily available building material in deserts
• Wood is a good building material, but plains are surprisingly hard to build in due to the lack of trees and other building materials, but the flat and large open areas are ideal for building large structures; consider finding one near a forest or jungle. Savanna biomes are a good compromise between plains and forests.
• In Mesas or Extreme Hills (mountains), one can build a shelter right into the landscape, requiring minimal building material but mining tools instead.
• Especially if you plan to farm crops, being near a water source may be advantageous.
• Building near an NPC village may be advantageous as they provide an initial source of crops and villagers to trade with, but remember that the server rules prohibit you from modifying the village! (Taking crops, as long as you replant them, or items from chests is okay)

Once you've found an area you want to build in, look around you to make sure you're giving any players around you (and yourself) plenty of space to build. If you're worried about being too close to another player, ask the other player if they mind you building there.

Fast Travel Station as viewed on the webmap

Finally, note the coordinates of where you want to build. With your mouse hovering over where you want to build, look at the numbers labelled X and Z in the lower left corner of the screen, next to the Google logo. These are the world coordinates of the location you chose (ignore the r.i.j.mca text after the coordinates). If you'd like, now is the time to look for a nearby Fast Travel station, which will save you the trouble of walking all the way to the coordinates you chose. On the other hand, many players consider the Fast Travel system to be cheating, as it is essentially a teleport system. Your usage of the system is optional. In any case, if you would like to use Fast Travel, now find the nearest Fast Travel Station, or FTS, to your desired claim. Look around the map for a single-sign structure like the one shown to the right. Holding your mouse over the sign will reveal something along the lines of "Horse Plains / Fast Travel Network". For this station, "Horse Plains" is the name of the Fast Travel Station. Find the FTS closest to your planned claim, and write down its name so you know which one to go to when you connect to the server for the first time.

Day One: Homesteading

Now that you have a claim in mind, it's time to get started with a simple shelter. Shelter is all-important in survival Minecraft, as it provides a place to store the materials you gather, as well as a place to hide from the terrors of the night.