8 articles
Worlds and gameplay
Game rules, the world border, data packs, the server resource pack, multiple worlds, wipes, the MOTD and the server icon.
- How to set up spawn on a Minecraft serverSpawn is the first thing a new player sees and where players come back after dying. It's built from several parts: the world spawn point, the spawn radius, protection against griefing, a /spawn command and a region with its own rules. Here is each of them, how a first join differs from a respawn, and the most common mistakes.9 min read
- Game rules (/gamerule) on a Minecraft serverGame rules are switches for world mechanics: whether players keep items on death, whether mobs break blocks, whether fire spreads, how many players must sleep. Here's the /gamerule command, the rules that matter on a server with their defaults, and the big change of recent versions: since 1.21.11 every rule has a new name.6 min read
- The world border on a Minecraft server: /worldborderThe world border decides where the world ends. Without one the world is nearly endless: players fly thousands of blocks out on elytra, the server keeps generating new chunks and the world folder keeps growing. Here's the /worldborder command, separate borders for the Nether and the End, smooth shrinking, and pregenerating the world inside the border.6 min read
- Data packs on a Minecraft server: install, commands, safetyA data pack changes the game without a line of Java: it adds recipes, advancements, loot tables, structures and even new world generation. It works on a vanilla server and on Paper alike. Here's where it goes, how to enable and reload it, what the numbers in pack.mcmeta mean, and how a data pack differs from a plugin.7 min read
- The server resource pack: how to set it up and update itPlayers get the server resource pack when they join: custom item models, textures, sounds and fonts with no manual install. It takes five keys in server.properties. Here's what kind of link you need, how to compute the SHA-1, how to make the pack required, and what to do when players see an old version.5 min read
- Multiple worlds on one server: Multiverse-CoreA vanilla server runs one world from level-name, along with its Nether and End. The Multiverse-Core plugin adds as many worlds as you like to the same Paper server: a spawn, a creative world, an arena, a resource world. Here are the commands, world types and generators, separate inventories, and the signs that you need a separate server behind Velocity instead of another world.8 min read
- Minecraft server wipe: resetting the world for a new seasonA wipe resets the world and players' progress. Anarchy and economy survival servers run it in seasons: newcomers start on equal terms and an inflated economy goes back to zero. Here's what to reset and what you must keep, where the files live on 1.21.x and 26.x, and how to prepare the launch so day one doesn't drown in lag and cheaters.7 min read
- MOTD and icon: how your server looks in the server listIn the server list a player sees three things about you: a 64×64 icon, the description — the MOTD — and the player count. All of it takes five minutes: the motd key in server.properties, a server-icon.png file in the server folder, and a plugin for gradients and rotating descriptions.7 min read
Run the best anticheat for modern Minecraft
DGuard catches all 47 kinds of cheats in our comparison — the closest rival, Intave, has 27. Full protection on every plan, free up to 30 players online.