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GTNH has done more for Minecraft than Microsoft has, arguably. The level of care and work there is incredible- and that’s not just because I’ve contributed a bit here and there.

How many people working on Minecraft now were modders ?

And how many current persons working on Minecraft are also Modders ?

greg

That name is a blast from the past! I remember Tribal Trouble's devs mentioning they chose Java because they wanted to use "weird/unusual" languages for gamedev :-P

Out of curiosity, what was the reason you chose to do this rewrite? Was there some issue with GLFW?

> delay a snapshot

The point of a snapshot is that it's a snapshot of current main, bugs and all, even release-blocking bugs.

In my head, the order of stability expectations are (noting that minecraft doesn't do most of these levels, nor do most projects):

1. Long-term support / extended support release

2. Release

3. Release candidate

4. Beta

5. Alpha

6. Snapshot

7. Just-merged master commit

8. Unmerged pull request from a developer on the project

9. Unmerged draft pull request from a developer on the project

10. Unmerged pull request from a stranger

11. .patch file for the source code hosted on pastebin and linked by a total stranger on a cryptocurrency related discord server

12. GitHub's servers

I would expect a fairly major bug to delay a release candidate or beta.

I would expect an absolutely critical bug to prevent merge.

I would not expect any bug which passes the CI tests and gets merged to delay a snapshot, since snapshots are just effectively a scheduled cronjob of "at this date, we cut a release of current main so people can play with it and give feedback if they want without having to figure out how to compile main themselves"

Delay a release? Sure. But delay a snapshot? Why? By releasing the snapshot in this state, they learn both 1) how big of a problem those known issues are (how often does entering exclusive fullscreen crash the game on Windows? They presumably have telemetry for this), and 2) if there are other, as of yet unknown issues they need to fix before release. The earlier you learn these things, the better.

There hasn't ever been a promise that snapshots are bug free; the expectation is rather the opposite.

Pretty sure minecraft has used borderless full screen for a long time unless you go out of your way to tell it not to. Lots of platforms, services, and applications have been deprecating exclusive full screen over the past decade or so.

Tbf, exclusive fullscreen is quite exotic nowadays (as opposed to rendering into a fullscreen window). Window managers will typically apply the same optimizations to a frontmost fullscreen window as was done in the past only for exclusive fullscreen.

Well that's why it's a snapshot. It will probably be fixed in the next snapshot.

Minecraft comes in two flavors, Java and Bedrock. All of the mobile, console ports, and windows store versions are based on bedrock. Java is the one you download directly from the website. Bedrock isn't really about custom hosted servers, but there is a way.

You can run a standard Java Minecraft server however you like, and then you can wrap it to also work with the Bedrock using Gyser[1] which will protocol translate it on the fly. It can require some workarounds on the more restrictive bedrock clients but it does work. That will let you setup and control the server from Java which has more options available.

[1] https://geysermc.org/

My main advice, ignore all advice online about JVM tuning minecraft. It's dated and often just wrong.

The best thing you can do is run on the latest JVM, set your max memory as high as you can tolerate, and use ZGC. That's it.

The JVM tuning guides for minecraft will have you switching and toggling every JVM flag under the sun with extremely dubious "evidence" of the payout for the flags they switch. In some cases, they will set contradictory flags. For example, setting eden size and target pause time. The fine tuning flags disable the heuristic flags like target pause time.

KISS. ZGC has very low latency and the larger the heap you give it the less it'll slow things down (though, do keep it under 32gb. Object header compression works on heaps less than 32gb). And using the latest JVM reduces the memory needed and increases the performance in general of the JVM. Win-win.

Go to https://minecraft.wiki/w/Tutorial:Setting_up_a_Java_Edition_... for how to create a vanilla server for Minecraft Java edition (which is the best version, but is only on Windows and MacOS and Linux, unlike the significantly inferrior bedrock edition, which is way buggier but is avalible elsewhere).

If you need more performance, install [fabric](https://fabricmc.net/) and then install [lithium](https://modrinth.com/mod/lithium), but do not use mods like paper or spigot or purpur as they will mess up farms.

The edition of Minecraft on phones/tablets/etc is more locked down and limited than Java, so unfortunately your options might be somewhat limited (though not impossible).

I have run a Docker Minecraft Server (itzg/docker-minecraft-server) for years and it's been rock solid. Best part is not having to install a lot of dependencies, the image just does it all. I think they also have a Bedrock Edition server but I never got it working right (see above).

You'd need everyone to run the Java Edition on Windows/Mac/Linux systems if you want to do it with the least amount of pain. Otherwise, people are just paying for "Realms" which are hosted servers.

Most comments here ignored the kids’ preference to play on the iPad. With that in mind, you may want to check out the Realms offering. I believe you get a 10 user server for ~$7. Note that is also highly fragmented, and there are different realms subscriptions for Java and Bedrock and also different tiers.

Depends on what your goals are with the family server, Realms may not be a good fit at all. But in terms of getting kids playing together simply and quickly, it’s the easiest way to go.

As a side note, I know kids who switched to Java after years of insisting only on Bedrock and sorely regretted not making the move much sooner. This is part of growing up these days.

I've been running this[0] for a few years now, moved it a couple of days ago to a portainer VM on proxmox with 6GB ram, its running perfectly fine for 3 of us, and works fine from tablets and PC.

Can also run on the nintendo switch if you setup a cname to redirect to your server IP, i.e: mco.lbsg.net x.x.x.x play.lbsg.net x.x.x.x

Then choose the "Lifeboat" server

[0] https://jamesachambers.com/minecraft-java-bedrock-server-tog...

I've been admining our family minecraft servers for about 5 years, and just handed off that job to my 12 year old daughter who now knows more than enough of the linux command-line to do it. I thoroughly recommend it, it's been great!

There are many ways to get it done. What worked best for us was choosing java over bedrock, renting a cheap linux vps, and writing some very simple shell scripts for starting, stopping, changing worlds, etc. Happy to talk you through anything you get stuck on!

If it’s a problem you’re willing to solve with money and don’t want any special stuff like mods, you can pay for a server with Realms and then you don’t need to think too hard about it.

But the canonical way to do it that is both free and infinitely customizable is to host your own server. It’s pretty straightforward to do these days. However, before you do, I would suggest playing the game a bit to understand what the settings are/mean. You and your kids could play together a bit on a Realms server or a community/public server to get a feel for what you want in a custom server.

I recently did this so the kids and their friends could all play together. I ended up running the paper minecraft server on one of our home linux computers. It runs the java version but this is ok as there is a mod for bedrock to connect to java. I set it up so that the service starts every time the computer boots up so they dont have to run anything to start it. Then once you have it running and open the appropriate ports on your router, technically anyone with a valid java version can connect. But now its time to install 3 mods. geyser, floodgate and via version so its easier for everyone to connect from bedrock on tablets and on versions that are too high while your server is a version behind. As of writing this paper server is still stable on 26.1 not yet to 26.2.

[0] https://modrinth.com has a bunch of mods the kids have enjoyed as well.

I just run the server off of the fastest laptop and one of them also uses that machine to play and lock it all down with tailscale. Honestly probably not worth the effort when the java edition allows them to play together over the wifi network out of the box. Have not found a solution I like to open up to other kids at school.

If you want to selfhost and use docker for Java edition, this is the easiest way:

https://github.com/itzg/docker-minecraft-server

There’s also a version for bedrock (the version that’s supported on mobile devices).

Minecraft realms aren't as powerful as a server but if you are doing Bedrock to support iPads then it is certainly the easiest way to do it.

My son setup a minecraft server on a mac mini using claude, was pretty smooth. If your kids just use it in house you do no need to worry about security issues. In my case I did create a dedicated user account for the server.

Luanti with Mineclonia plug-in works well if you are willing to move entirely to Mac/Windows/Linux clients. The whole stack is open source so it's easier to make changes etc if you want. No hacky binary patching of Java bytecode. Originally I was going to try Minecraft proper first since I'd already paid for that, but Microsoft doesn't honor old licenses and in the end the Luanti path probably works better.

https://content.luanti.org/packages/ryvnf/mineclonia/

Minecraft servers are resource hogs even when idle. Enable the built-in idle server shutdown (IDLE_SERVER=true). It automatically stops the server after a few minutes with no players and starts it again when needed. It's not enabled by default.

I run it on fly.io quite well

https://pdx.su/blog/2024-07-08-running-a-minecraft-server-on...

GeyserMC will be your friend if using Bedrock and Java.

But the big thing is that community is a little all over the place. I use ChatGPT to walk me through everything to securely set up a couple of servers. Kids love it.

Most chatbots will be smart and recommend things you need for permissions, rollback, backups, and most importantly, whitelisting. For giggles I left an unprotected Minecraft server up on the default port of my residential IP and the thing was griefed to heck within days. The griefers were just griefing other griefers.

I've been on this journey! I am definitely not doing it the easiest way, but I've got it deployed on Kubernetes with https://github.com/itzg/minecraft-server-charts and then use prism launcher on my kids computers to get the versions to match up and stuff. I also use automodpack so I can install some quality of life mods on the server and they'll just sync to the clients.

Docker compose + systemd, automated backups (bonus points for coordinating with restic/borg + rsync cronjob), and ram disks. Ram disks in particular are a game changer for game feel. For the backups you'll need to leverage a feature that exports the world. This used to need to be a mod, but it's possible it's been folded into vanilla.

I run the itzg Docker Image behind a Wireguard VPN, all hosted on an embedded board (a armbian powered Radxa 12L with 16 GB Ram).

So far so good, we have an offline server, so even if the Microsoft Server is down, we can play (we use PolyMC on PC with offline accounts as well, for the same reason). By default, new users are in "spectator" mode, so they can't do anything without an activation from admin.

Friends get Wireguard QR codes, periodically we rotate them.

https://pufferfish.host/ they have the most powerful and easy to use panel.

Genuinely, install Ubuntu Server Edition into an old computer, set up SSH then tell Claude Code the account and IP for login.

You can ask if to set up damn near anything you want and it'll do it.

If you're using a laptop make sure it disables all of the sleep on lid close stuff, as well as other laptop-specific power optimisations.

A VPS would work too if you want something always available with a datacentre network connection.

You can actually host a server for bedrock https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock The version that mobile and console uses and that in PC you can choose

I'm surprised no one mentioned https://github.com/pumpkin-mc/pumpkin in this thread. It's the fastest Minecraft server implementation and it's written in Rust.

If you decide to do mods, you can make your life much, much easier by using a launcher. I use Prism, but I haven't looked for anything new in the last few years so it's possible there are better options now.

Also, find a world backup solution and use it.

The server is simple, theres plenty of docker examples online. Cross play between bedrock and java edition, and connecting to custom servers on eg switch is the harder part. And using linux as a client is more advanced.

I run a docker image with the Java server and GeyserMC to allow Bedrock clients to connect to it so my son can play from my iPad while I use my computer.

If they’re playing from MacOS/Windows then the GeyserMC layer isn’t necessary as they can run the Java client.

I tried running my own but it turned out to be more complex than I was expecting (and desiring). I ended up paying a bit for a hosted server at ShockByte.

Just run the either the Java or bedrock server as a docker container. There’s good community-maintained containers out there.

I had Claude code do this for me last night. Setup the whole thing in about 10 minutes with directions on connecting

I ran geyser with paper for years.. now I pay for 2 realms, and it's so much easier for them and their friends

Are all of your family playing on Bedrock edition? There is a version split between console editions (plus some Windows users) and the original Java edition, with most of the (verbal?) online community playing on the latter.

If you are not all playing on the same edition, you can use something called GeyserMC (https://geysermc.org/) to allow Bedrock players to join your Java server.

Modding your server can greatly improve your server performance. Java is the platform with the best modding support. The modding APIs are however community built, due to historical and upsteram reasons. The subjectively best API for development (in my opinion) is Fabric (https://fabricmc.net/), but many older mods have only targetted Forge. Due to a split in the Forge development team, this API was recently superceded by NeoForge (https://neoforged.net/). Most relevant mods support both Fabric and NeoForge.

To explore mods, I would recommend using Modrinth. It has a pleasant and powerful interface, and links to source code on open source mods.

https://modrinth.com/

Here is a search filter for an overview of server-side optimisation mods:

https://modrinth.com/discover/mods?g=categories:fabric&l=ope...

To set up your Minecraft server, I would recommend NixOS (https://nixos.org) for devops with nix-minecraft for server configuration:

https://github.com/Infinidoge/nix-minecraft

Feel free to ask clarifying questions if you have any, I might have written this somewhat compactly!

I run the crafty controller Docker container on my unraid machine and it's easy and pretty hands off.

Just buy a Realm subscription from Mojang.

I ran a private server for my kids for a while and it was a huge headache. Bedrock is purposely made to not make it easy to DIY. It was difficult for their friends to join, everyone was mad when it was down when they wanted to play, and I had to take great care to not lose their progress.

Paying for a Realm doesn't scratch that DIY itch, but your kids will actually get to enjoy playing, which is really the point, isn't it?

Alternately, run a Java server and use the Java-to-Bedrock plugin / proxy / adapter.

No joke serious - play GTNH. You can turn off the mobs if needed and the quest book is phenomenal and the feeling of accomplishment is real.

And you can stay in steam forever if you wanted.

i did this and it’s so worth it.

just get everyone on java. i play on my framework laptop, my wife on her mac and my son on a steam deck.

Minetest?

itzg has OCI container images and kubernetes helm charts

https://itzg.github.io/docker-minecraft-docs/

I used a Docker image. Good enough as is for LAN usage. I assume it could be exposed online with a Cloudflare tunnel but I wouldnt trust it to not be hacked. Docker may also make it harder to customize (install mods).

I didn't know Chocolate was getting SDL3 port moreso by icculus himself.

Of doom ports I know, Woof! already did migrate https://github.com/fabiangreffrath/woof

Unless some dapper people won't screw all the things up...

Soon enough it'll read email [_]

_ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Zawinski#Zawinski%27s_La...

Not sure, but they were able to get Wayland support working out of the box in this update. Previously it required workarounds, and even with workarounds, new issues would pop up in a game of whack-a-mole, and nobody really cared because running MC in XWayland was good enough for most people. Whereas SDL3 has very solid Wayland support out of the box. Minecraft only really uses GLFW to create the window, set the taskbar icon, go into fullscreen mode, and accept input, with everything else being handled by raw OpenGL, so this was an easy switchover. Now that Minecraft supports Vulkan, it's able to use a fully modern stack on Linux desktops / Steam Decks.

> I'm always wondering whether or not SDL would be better

SDL supports mobile; GLFW doesn't. Maybe they're unifying codebases between the platforms.

Edit: BTW SDL3 still works even on Android 4.2. I made an app using it and ImGui, without any Java.

For one, input method editor support.

SDL is more of a "platform" you can use anywhere. It includes literally everything you'd want from the OS layer (windowing, graphics, audio, input, network code, threads) whereas GLFW is just windowing, graphics context and input, you need to bring your own audio, network code and threading library. Not a big deal for some but SDL does do more... Plus it's even more portable than GLFW.

You could make an entire 2D game using the SDL API without OpenGL/vulkan.

On Linux, often times you will be using SDL3 regardless, as sdl2-compat and sdl12-compat are the default implementations of SDL2 and 1.2 on some distros. This has a lot of benefits, from more apps working natively on Wayland (which gives lower latency than XWayland) to better controller support. Not sure what this meant for osu but I wouldn't be surprised if it made the actual switch less impactful for some users.

I was, however, somewhat surprised to learn Ubuntu 24.04 didn't even ship SDL3 to begin with. Turns out SDL3 is newer than I remember. This is likely part of the explanation why SDL3 adoption is lower than expected.

osu! has spent a lot of time trying to switch from SDL2 to SDL3, but due to their high platform coverage (all three major desktop OSes + iOS and Android) and an attempt to keep all functionality native (so properly working Wayland supporr, along with other things) delayed the switch by around 2 years total. For the first time, the current switch seems actually final

SDL3 changed several APIs, which doesn't help, especially if using it from binding libraries.

They actually switched from GLFW. In that case you would naturally pick SDL3 and not SDL2.

The only thing you need to have a very modded game is a large enough user base. A little bit of binary patching and dll injection never stopped a dedicated modder.

In a good way or a bad way?

Mineflayer, a bot framework built in JavaScript, is also available in Python. [0]

Also a more easy language to look into for Minecraft would be SkriptLang [1]. It has a big community and is mostly easy to understand.

[0]: https://github.com/PrismarineJS/mineflayer/blob/master/examp... [1]: https://github.com/SkriptLang/Skript/

Or once again change the login system in some way that locks tons of people out

All of my gamer friends exclusively play Java edition and so do I. Also minecraft's most active speedrun category (any % glitchless, random seed) uses version 1.16.1 on Java edition. The biggest server of minecraft youtubers, hermitcraft, runs on java edition. I suspect some younger gamers whose parents bought the first copy for them on the microsoft store play bedrock?

Yeah I think most of the people who super into Minecraft still play Java Edition if they can. Also MacOS and Linux still don't have Bedrock edition (officially) for some reason.

> I thought it's all bedrock now?

What gave you that idea?

This fixed a lot of bugs related to input. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you can see all the bug fixes from this snapshot, there are a lot related to input.

You can compile in only the used stuff with various build flags, not sure if they did that though. I've done that before to make a pared down SDL that only does audio playback.

> SDL3 has a whole software renderer

Does this mean SDL3 has a built in 3d renderer or it's the modern meaning where anything is a serverless renderer or something like that?