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Post by Peter on Aug 9, 2012 7:56:01 GMT -7
A few friends of mine and I are planning a Minecraft business venture, selling buildings to server owners/single users.
It would work by you order (and pay for) a specific building off a web site (with a server for you to go and experience the building) - you would then upload your map file with a location marker of where you want the building. We would then import the building into your map and return your map save..
I was wondering what you guys thought of such a service... Prices would range from $1 for a basic (but well detailed) 30x20x20 ish House up to say $50 for a huge epic (200x400x150) cathedral or similar... All buildings would be very detailed inside and out, and would be updated with new blocks/features as the game brings these out.
Adding the building into the map is a simple process through the use of MCEdit schematics.
Obviously there are many sites where users can upload their own MCEdit schematics for others to use, but these largely tend to be crap buildings and tend to age badly as new features are added. Our USP would be the highly detailed buildings we would sell, together with them always being updated to the latest version (at the time you buy them of course)
We're aiming for only the best buildings to use that give the "WoW I must have that" reaction...
And before anyone asks, no we're not looking to use any of the buildings people have submitted here, or copy any from MineColony!!!.. They would all be built from scratch by us (or selected partners who would gain a percentage of sales for their buildings) and would not resemble anything already in the mod/user submitted..
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Post by Peter on Aug 9, 2012 7:57:08 GMT -7
BTW Yes we are going to check the EULA etc for the game prior to launching this I'm sure it will wind up as the Legal "your paying us for our time creating it rather than paying for the actual building etc... which is the full property of Mojang " or similar
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Post by Peter on Aug 11, 2012 15:42:15 GMT -7
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Post by rscott6666 on Aug 13, 2012 19:06:42 GMT -7
Its very nice. I've heard of people who are paid to make structures on servers on such. Have you looked into that?
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Post by Peter on Aug 14, 2012 1:30:14 GMT -7
Yeah this idea came about as I was building another building on a server, and within 48 hours I had 3 offers of employment (generally "I'll give you 50% of all donations to the server!!" type offers) - thing is building on a particular server takes time.. Our idea is to pre-build and then load the buildings into maps (Ultimately one day straight by the user via a mod without our interaction - looking to employ a mod coder for that at some point ) - therefore you only need to build a building once, but can sell it multiple times.. This makes it a lot cheaper for people to buy.. The Châteaux for example took me 30ish hours... If I was charging each time to build that I would want several hundred dollars a time ($10/hour).. Doing it our way I can spend 30 hours building it once, and then charge say $30 per time to load it into someone's map.. - 10 purchases I'm even, 20-50 purchases I'm quids in.. and it's 1/10th the price for the purchaser over paying a builder... We can also easily create alternatives.. i.e. we have a set of small medium and large townhouses, identical except one set has wood roofs, the other cobble roofs.. both look different, but are very similar.. We only built one set, then copied them and re-built the roofs.. A simple and quick task.. I actually have a basic demonstration server up with the Chateaux and townhouses on (and future buildings) - if anyone wants to log-in for that to take a look, PM me
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Post by Peter on Aug 21, 2012 0:10:32 GMT -7
OK, Have a lot of my buildings up on the server now, also have my first $50 order secured Have also developed a tour railway system that gives you a flyby of all the buildings (if your just browsing) and a warp system that you can warp to any building directly... As I have the sever securely locked down now, I can give out the general IP to all - 46.20.119.34:28465 Please take a look Thanks, Peter
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Post by Peter on Sept 4, 2012 9:18:56 GMT -7
Ok Peeps.. Service is Launched!!! Website is up and running at www.block-construction.net (Still going to tweak a few things with it, not least the "home" page) Demonstration server is running. Please take a look and let me have any feedback Anyone who wants to order anything, please use the coupon "minecolony" for a 50% discount until the end of the year !!! Thanks, Peter
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Post by joeyddarkling on Nov 1, 2012 19:36:30 GMT -7
you said the files are MCEdit? I do not have that:( I thought it would be floorplans ( or have that file type option ) STILL want the Player Villa LOL I think it would sit nice in a NPC village on the Plains with a MineColony Presence to advance the village into something above disorganization .
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Post by Peter on Nov 2, 2012 8:14:23 GMT -7
You don't get the MCEdit files from this, as people could distribute them around to every man and his dog.. You send in your map file, and the building gets loaded in for you
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Post by Peter on Nov 2, 2012 8:15:50 GMT -7
I MAY think about changing the model in the future to a "free" download of the buildings in return for a strong prompt to donate Seeing how it goes with the selling, getting a few orders here and there.. Only Issue is MC-edit is so behind the curve and doesn't handle all blocks properly - so have to do some manual "tweaking" in every map :<(
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Post by joeyddarkling on Nov 2, 2012 18:27:49 GMT -7
that is impracticable I thinks : my world save for my game: MCW is the title for it : it is 157Mbs : don't think it would fit in the email:) I do see the problem, it is a common Internet problem : even programs that are done neatly with all kinds of " protection " get by-passed and handed around. But that is the risk we take. your proposed method is yummy: but I thinks, personally, once a person with Minecolony or MyPeople have it they can scan it and either build it anywhere in their worlds, or post it anywhere.... besides, what if you put it too far to the left of the sign I leave you in my colony where I would want it? do you have insurance against bitchy town planners? I KNOW it sounds silly , almost complicates the entire venture with a harsh reality that players with minecolony and/or MyPeople have tools that basically strip away your well laid plans and expose the Lava pool of the Internet beneath. I would say the best defense is a ULA : the user agrees to not share the plans without permission of the designer. if most of us were not Honest people, Minecraft files would be all over the Internet, altered and adjusted in ways that would put them straight out of business : why pay for it when you can get it free : with cookies? It is not a perfect world, but while we fear the dishonest people, they are actually rare, even on the Internet they are extremely rare and mostly Annoying people are often confused as being dishonest but they are just Jerks. out of all the Internet viruses and Trojans : less then 3% can actually harm a user's computer, the rest are just annoying. out of all the Spyware on the Internet: only 0.33% actually have the ability to do damage , most internet " issues" are the results of careless users.
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Post by Peter on Nov 3, 2012 7:22:15 GMT -7
It is in the terms and conditions of sale that they do not distribute.. And yes nothing to stop them scanning and distributing upon receipt, but there is no way to 100% lock it down, but I have to do what I can..
As I say, i'm considering a change to a donation model, and letting the schematics go out their openly, however I also need to wait until there is a version of MCEdit that can actually handle the new blocks..
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