Tempest_Au

Tekkify. Well, it’s “almost” a good server… Firstly, all the buggy and overpowered parts of Tekkit are disabled. This also means that Equivalent Exchange and Computer Craft are disabled in their entirety (which may or may not be a good thing depending on your point of view), and also several core components of Industrial Craft / Build Craft (such as Advanced Pipes, Pumps and Project Tables) have been removed due to either bugs/exploits or lag issues. In spite of the fact that there are many disabled items, numerous restrictions on items (e.g. Timers are restricted to a 1.5 second minimum cycle, Cobble Generators are banned, Block Breakers are restricted, etc) and in spite of the assertions of the server’s staff, the server is very laggy – especially if more than about 100 people are logged in. Although the /lag command is not enabled for players, the degree of block lag etc I encounter lead me to believe that a TPS of 6-10 is “average” during peak periods – and there are peaks (or is that troughs) where it sinks lower. If you don’t mind breaking the same block 3 times when mining, then this server may well be worth a look – although be prepared to do a lot of walking to find somewhere to build. The map is bordered at about 4500 from the spawn point, however most of the land has already been claimed. Generally speaking, you’ll need to walk at least 1500 from the spawn just to find anywhere vacant, and much further if you want to eventually claim say 3x3 chunks (i.e. 2304 squares) to build on. The anti-grief / claim system used is primarily based on voting – so the longer you are on the server (and therefore number of times you have voted) the more area you can claim. Of course, this also adds to the difficulty you will find if you are new to the server. There is also a thriving player based economy – although once again it is heavily biased in favour of “older” players. There is a very limited area there player shops are allowed to be established, and older and more successful players typically claim several areas to vend their wares. Due to lag and a deliberately low monster spawn rate, some items (such as Ender Pearls etc) are almost impossible to obtain, particularly for “newer” players. This is further exacerbated by the fact that building any form of mob trap is against the server rules. There is a Resource World that is reset every week, however any plans of setting up a quarry there will have to wait until you become a “Trusted Member” (which occurs after 25 hours logged on to the server). Also bear in mind that the Resource World (and several other areas) are completely off limits until and unless you Vote on at least one of 3 sites on a daily basis (or there about – I’m not sure of the exact timing). With all the restrictions and difficulties a new player will encounter, the “Donor” options may look like an effective way to get established. In particular, the $15/month “Donor Status” may look tempting as provides access to the “Donor Area” and “Donor Mine”. Realistically, don’t waste your money if you are after the “Perks” – the Donor Mine is simply a regeneratable area which randomly spawns basic minerals and glowstone (as 1 unit spawns) with a density approximating what you can find normally (albeit without the clustering). Granted, an Admin can reset it if it becomes depleted (and there is usually an Admin around – particularly during peak times) although the block lag does generally make it even less useful during the peak periods. Donor Status also gives you access to teleportation (via /tpa and /tpahere), which is kind of nice (albeit probably not worth $15 per month). Another Donor Option that initially looks great is the “In-Game Currency” – which looks like a bargain at $15000 per $5USD (or even better at $85000 per $25USD)… although bear in mind that the Server Shop sells HV Solar Arrays for a cool $500000 per unit, and items like Ender Pearls regularly sell for $1000 each. It’s not all bad news however - there is a notable plus for Tekkify. On the whole the Staff are better than on many other servers. Sure there are still some double standards (e.g. you can expect to be warned by staff for dropping an “F-Bomb” moments after they drop one themselves), but at least they don’t hold themselves “above the law” and go around griefing etc at will. In conclusion, while Tekkify has a lot of potential, if you are not already a player on the server then I suggest you look elsewhere – at least until the next map reset.

Before I launch into a review of this server, in the interests of clarity, I wish to point out that Tekkitcraft are currently running some sort of competition at the moment for reviewing the server here. While this competition has given me the impetus to provide the following review the site here, I will honest with my opinions – and hence don’t really expect to win. Disclaimer done, here’s my review of the server. I’ve not played a lot of Tekkit servers, but from my experience with other Minecraft Servers (including as an admin on one for a while), this is certainly one of the better servers out there – provided you are looking for a SURVIVAL server. Tekkitcraft is Tekkit SMP like it should be – a challenge, but not an overwhelming one. To achieve this some “core” Tekkit mods have been changed or removed, and players wanting a “pure” Tekkit experience will be disappointed. Most of Equivalent Exchange is currently banned (due to duplication bugs or “overpoweredness” – although the Staff are working on fixing the worst of the exploits), and items such as the “Compact Solars” are disabled. In short, if it’s buggy or makes the game “too easy” then it’s been disabled. The server has a remarkable lack of rules – basically if you don’t cheat, and don’t act like a complete cretin, then you can pretty much do as you please. Staff are (almost) always online to deal with problems, but be aware that the server is generally run with a policy of “minimal interference” – so don’t expect items to be spawned for you, or a detailed explanation of how to do stuff. In fact, if you are new to Tekkit then you should probably get some experience (either playing SSP, or on another server) before joining Tekkitcraft, because the learning curve is STEEP. While not a PVP server per se, most areas (outside of towns) are PVP enabled. Camping near the Spawn points is frowned upon, but other than that you are free to kill (or be killed) wherever and however you like. Griefing is also frowned upon, but not actually prohibited. Protection for your constructions is provided via Towny and LWC, and the general rule is that if you couldn’t be bothered protecting your stuff, then don’t complain if someone smashes it! The server does have a player-run economy, although it can be a little difficult at first for new players to actually find the shops! If you need something, you can generally find someone selling it through the trade channel in chat. On the subject of the economy, the unit of currency (the “Tekkit”) is also used to purchase and pay “Land rates” on Towny areas. As you can easily obtain 4 days worth of “Fees” every day by voting on a voting site, there is no real need to get involved in the economy unless you actually want to (which is nice for old hermits like myself). In spite of the relatively “hands off” approach the Staff of the server take, compared to other servers there seems to be a proportional lack of “dickheads”. Personally I believe this is attributable to the disabling of the more exploitative components of EE etc. On the down side, it can sometimes take a bit of asking to actually get Staff to assist you (even if you have a genuine issue that they need to assist with). One innovative and pleasant feature is “mining world” – a separate map for the sole purpose of mining / quarrying, which has largely removed the “Swiss Cheese” effect seen on many Tekkit servers. Players should note that the Mining World is reset every Wednesday – so don’t accidently make major constructions there! All in all, provided you actually want a challenge and don’t expect everything to be handed to you on a plate, then I thoroughly recommend Tekkitcraft to any player with a basic understanding of the Tekkit mod pack.