How to make a Successful Minecraft Server
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If you are looking at starting a successful minecraft server, you are in the right place. If you are in need of a document that informs you about the technical side of running a server (Plugins, keeping it secure etc.) Click Here.

There are a number of critical points that may determine if your server is successful or not. One of these issues is lack of planning. Many server owners do not plan ahead and this leads to more needed to be done in the long term.

How To Plan:
This might seem easy to some, but since it is a crucial step to make your server successful I will make a tutorial on how to plan.

Gamemode and Theme:
One of the most important things that need to be planned is what game mode will your server have. You could pick an existing game mode (skyblock, factions, eggwars, survival games etc) or you could create a custom one (this usually attracts more players if you create a good one). I know from experience that if you going to pick a game mode that already exists, make sure you add a twist to it or something that the thousands of other servers don't have. You could also pick a theme for your server (does not have to be done, however, it usually makes things more interesting). You could also base your server name and rank. (Examples of themes are: Medieval times, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, animals (could be based on an animal) I would also recommend that whilst you think about game modes/themes that you ask yourself: Why would I play on this server and Why would I donate to this server.

Budgets and Investments:
Most server owners try to avoid this topic and some might not even think about it, however, this one of the most important things you need to think about. If you want to be able to create and maintain a network you will need to invest quite a bit of money into it. There are many things that require money: good quality server hosting; website hosting; custom plugins and premium plugins and advertisements. Overall you need a decent amount of money to start a server, you would probably be looking around £100 - £200 to start one. Although don't make any of these numbers put you off owning one, it is still possible to create a successful network without this amount, however, it will get harder. If you have a budget, it is extremely important to keep track of it.

Plugins:
After you have picked your game mode and theme it seems reasonable that you start looking at plugins.
I would recommend going on the website || https://www.spigotmc.org/resources/ || and spend a few days/weeks viewing plugins that could suit your needs. Also remember if you're stuck or need help, feel free to contact us. The is a more detailed thread about this which can be found HERE

Advisement
Before you get into the next section which is the server itself, I would recommend watching tutorials on how to configure the plugins you want and ask any questions you are unsure about.

The Server:
Now you should have a list of plugins you know you will need for your server (more can be added later).
You should now think about “Donator Ranks” and their permissions. Also if you have not thought of a server name now is the time.

Advisement
This is a problem many server owners have had and it causes many problems. Releasing your server in alpha or beta stages is not a good idea, mainly because your server is not finished and if people join they can potentially ruin the server (griefing (if you haven’t fully protected you spawns with regions properly), glitches being abused etc.)

Development Stage:
The Server:
Now that you have completed your plan it is time to buy a server from a host. There are a lot of things that need to be done or at least started. I'm assuming that you have a basic idea how to configure basic plugins like essentials etc, if not you will need to search up how to since knowing these things are crucial to make your server. The next thing you will do is start installing the basic plugins like vault, essentials and a permission plugin. You will also need to upload a hub/spawn/map to your server, you can hire builders to make custom hubs/spawns/maps or just find one that everyone can use from forums.


The Forum:
You will also need to set up a forum page where players: can appeal for their ban; apply for staff; report players; suggest things for the server; donate and read the rules. If you have hired an Admin, this is usually what they would do, however, if you haven’t hired one, you will need to make formats, web page and rules all by your self. These things take time to write so I suggest you do a bit every day.

Advertising:
If you have a youtube channel or can get into contact with relatively active youtubers, getting a deal in place for a trailer promo upload giving sneaks peaks about your server. This will usually encourage people to join add your server and wait for the release.
When your server is near to release make sure you set-up votifier and add your server to our minecraft server list. This is a good way to advertise your server for free and give rewards to your player, for example, you can give 1 diamond to players every time they vote.

Advisement
If you don't know how to set-up votifier search it up, there are many tutorials, if you are looking for a plugin that gives rewards to players on vote try using GAL listener.

If you want to jump further ahead and start getting players right to your server its best to buy sponsored slots offered by many server lists including some popular lists like minecraftservers and minecraft-mp however it may be out of some peoples starting budget, however not to fear we have our own on this list which may be within your price range!

Hiring Staff:
You will also need to look into hiring staff for your server. If your forum is not up yet, there are plenty of other ways to hire staff, for example going on the spigotmc forum etc. Make sure when deciding who will promote, that you have read their application over and over again and check to see if it has been copied. It is also recommended (if you wish to have the best staff members) that you should take them through an interview process. You can use applications like Discord and Teamspeak to do interviews.

Is your server ready:
There are many people who think their server is bug free and ready for the public, this is not the case most of the time, it is recommended that you ask a few people you trust to play on it for a few days, most of the time you will realize there are so many bugs that need fixing etc. There is no rush, hence, patience is key.

General Advice:
Always note things down, if they are small changes
Remember that it is quality of quantity, in this case: players are most likley to want to play on a well— made server that has one game mode rather than a server with 5 game mode that is full of bugs
Listen to the community
Active ownership with updates
Have fun :)
Treat players and staff fairly
Be active
Create constant intrests for players (sales, events etc.)

I hope this document has helped you to create a successful server or given you an idea how to, if you have any questions feel free to ask.



Document Written By Article50