Welcome to MineQuack!

MineQuack is a Minecraft server hosted by the University of Oregon, School of Architecture & Allied Arts. The site is meant to be enjoyed by Duck and Minecraft fans of all ages, so we please ask that you keep chat friendly and no grieving of other folks work.

Basic Server Etiquette When Playing Minecraft

What is Server Etiquette?

Minecraft servers are a great alternative for players who are bored of playing solo or want to enjoy the game with friends.

To join and play on the MindQuack server please follow good server etiquette. “Etiquette” is defined as proper behavior, like showing table manners at dinner or behaving politely around family friends. Server etiquette envelopes everything that is expected of players, from rules to social behavior and respecting others. While it may seem like common sense, server etiquette is not always followed by other players. The following steps will teach you etiquette, and help you avoid being banned.

1. Follow the Server Rules

It’s always a good idea to read the rules before joining someone else’s server. Many larger servers have the rules posted on their webpage, or in a community forum. If you don’t see any rules, try asking other players when you join the server. Even if the server doesn’t have any official rules, the act of asking itself shows that you are respectful of others. For example, a survival server may have a rule against stealing from other players, while a PVP server might not.

2. Be Friendly and Polite

You don’t have to be best friends with every player on the server, but it doesn’t hurt to say hello once you join and log on. Who knows, you might even make some new friends! Make it a point to respond to other players when they talk to you, or ask you a question (even if you can’t help them). People are much more inclined to be nice to someone who is friendly towards them. Who would you trust more, a player who is kind and familiar, or a player who is rude and doesn’t talk at all?

3. Respect Personal Property

It’s rude to rummage through and take items from other players chests, or destroy their buildings.

When you invite your friends over your house to hang out, you probably expect them to stay out of your closets and not steal your belongings. On servers where players have their own land and homes, it is rude to steal items from their chests or destroy their personal property. On many servers, this behavior is a one-way ticket to getting banned.  So focus your energy into building your own home instead of destroying someone else’s.

4. Watch What You Type

As well as being polite when chatting with other players, you should also watch exactly what (and how) you type.  This is an open server available to all ages. You should assume that very young Duck fans are visiting the server and conduct yourself appropriately.  In some cases, disrespectful language is a bannable offense. Typing entirely in CAPS and spamming player chat can also get you into trouble. You can still talk to your friends, but avoid foul language, griefing, and giant walls of text. Be sensible.

5. Don’t Grief Other Players

Griefing is deliberately bothering other players through various methods in the game. On a Minecraft server, this can be anything from destroying blocks to building offensive structures (depicting nudity or foul language, for example), spamming chat, and spawn killing. If any of your actions on a server result in the torment of another player, then you are participating in griefing. While rules vary from server to server, griefing is widely frowned upon by most Minecraft players.

6. Don’t Beg or Make Demands

It happens in every online game: new players whisper veterans with requests for gold, food or gear. There is nothing wrong with asking for some help on a server, but you have no right to spam your requests or make demands of other players. The worst thing to do is start begging for items from other players, even if they have a lot – Player A is not required to share their five stacks of diamonds with you. Chances are that players will start ignoring you. Playing online isn’t very fun when no one else wants to play with you.

Following server etiquette is required and expected. Try putting yourself in another player’s place: would you want to play a game with someone who was rude, spammed chat with requests for items and complaints, and destroyed your personal structures because they felt like it? You can still enjoy your Minecraft server experience, but let other players (and moderators) enjoy theirs as well!

Come Join Us @ MineQuack.uoregon.edu

Sincerely,
Karl Owens
Technology Services Coordinator
School of Architecture & Allied Arts