Are you debating if your child is ready for a multiplayer server? Do you keep putting it off because you're just not sure? Do you have questions, but you're not sure who to ask? Or maybe you are not even sure WHAT to ask.
The purpose of this topic is to provide you with a little information and insight that might help make it easier for you to decide if now is the time to move to online multiplayer Minecraft.
1.) Is my child too young to play on Famcraft? Only YOU can determine this. We have players as young as 4 years old who do just fine here with a little guidance from a parent or grandparent. As cliche as it may sound, no two kids are the same.
Does your child follow basic instructions well? Are they able to understand simple corrections?
Would they be able to understand when they see another "character" in an online multiplayer game, that they "character" is another
real person, and their actions can effect one another in the game?
If you feel like your child is old enough to get the grasp of these basic concepts, then keep reading!
If your child is a bit off from being able to understand these things, then it might be best to let them explore in single player Minecraft for a bit longer.
2.) Will Famcraft go extra-easy on my child because they are young? Simply put, no. We treat all players fairly and equally. We do not show favoritism or make exceptions to the rules for very young players. We expect everyone who joins the server to make a genuine effort to follow the rules. We do not collect the ages of our players anywhere. Even if we did, we would not ask the staff team to memorize players ages, and treat them differently based upon their age. We have had over 3000 join in just the past 6 months, so clearly, treating each player according to their age or anything else is simply not an option here.
3.) Will my child see a lot of swearing on Famcraft? No- ideally your child will see absolutely no swearing on Famcraft. We are incredibly strict about the no swearing rule. We have staff on almost continually. Chat is closely watched and moderated. In the event someone does swear, they are promptly banned and the screen is cleared of the offending text.
4.) My child does not read or type yet. Can he/she still play on Famcraft? Absolutely. Just keep in mind that not being able to read does not exempt them from the rules. We will count on you to go over the rules with your child and make sure they understand to follow them.
Players are not required to use chat or communicate with other players. They are welcome to play on Famcraft as if it is vanilla single player if they wish, as long as they are always respectful of other player's they might encounter
and the homes/areas of those players.
5.) What if my child breaks a rule?
They will be warned, kicked, muted or banned just like any other player would be.
6.) But my child is very sensitive to criticism or being corrected. Again, all players are treated equally here. If your child becomes very upset or very defensive when corrected, that may be a factor to consider when deciding if they are ready for online multi-player games.
7.) What if my child needs help on the server? The staff team can offer BASIC help, such as answering questions about plugins and commands. The staff team will NOT give your child free items, build a home for your child, play with your child or play the game for your child.
While we do offer a staff-guided tour to help new players get started on Famcraft, we do assume all players who join have some sense of how to play Minecraft, at least in single player.
We do not teach players to play the game. It will be your responsibility to show your child how to play Minecraft if they do not know.
8.) What if my child has not broken any rules, but clearly needs help from a parent? If a player is behaving in a way that leads us to believe they need a parent present at the keyboard, we will try asking the child to go get a parent.
If the child does not understand, they will be "jailed" in a bright and friendly well-lit, mob-free area that looks like a playground. The area has signs clearly posted asking them to go get Mom or Dad.
Most of the time, even non-readers get tired of being unable to leave the area, and bring a parent to the computer to see what's up. At this point, a staff member will be able to speak with you and explain the situation so you will know how you can help your child on the server.
9.) What if my child is too young to understand how to use grief-prevention? Are other players allowed to break their house or take their items just because they do not have a protection field? Absolutely not. Your child is protected by our very strict no griefing rules. If they find their home has been damaged just let a staff member know and we will fix it.
10.) What if my child breaks something that belongs to someone else? If your child breaks something on accident, he can tell a staff member so we can help fix it. If your child breaks something that belongs to someone else on purpose, then they will likely be banned. Every block transaction on the server is logged and recorded making it very easy for us to tell which player has broken something.
11.) What if my child is very afraid of the Minecraft mobs. There are mobs on the map. The map is set to normal difficulty. There is a small mob-free city where players are allowed to build.
12.) What if my child is very afraid of the dark/night time on Minecraft? There are normal day and night cycles on the server. There are some areas that are always well lit and mob-free such as /spawn, /warp mall, and /warp farm. We do not turn it day upon player request.
13.) Does "multiplayer" mean my child will always have someone to play with? No, it doesn't. We have all ages and all different types of interests on Famcraft. Often, players get very busy with their own projects. There is never a guarantee your child will always be able to find someone ready to play.
14.) Are there a lot of group participation activities? No, not on the server in general. Famcraft has a fairly free-style play environment. We do however have "clans" which are like little clubs or groups of players who often do clan-related things together.
15.) My child can only play occasionally. Will their items be removed if they do not log in for an extended period of time? Nope. We never consider anything on Famcraft to be abandoned. We always assume everyone will be back.. eventually. So even if your child is offline for a year, they should return to find their home just the way they left it. They map is unlimited and we have no need to remove player's things.
16.) I heard this server has an economy. Does my child have to know how to use money to enjoy Famcraft? Absolutely not. Some players disregard the economy entirely and play more similar to single-player vanilla style Minecraft. And for those who do want to participate in the economy parts of the game we offer simple jobs that pay you automatically as you play. We also offer a free daily allowance at /warp eco.
17.) Does my child have to put in a whitelist request? And what is a whitelist anyhow?
A whitelist allows us to control the flow of new players. This allows us to keep a comfortable staff:player ratio so we can take care of all our players. The whitelist if off for many hours each day. This means players can come and go freely most of the time. Being on the whitelist just gives you access to the server 24/7, even when the whitelisting is turned on. You can feel free to request that your child be whitelisted here:
http://u.famcraft.com/6v18.) I have two or more children who would need to share the same account or I would like to share an account with my child so I can help them learn to play. Is this possible? Yes, as long as everyone with access to the account follows the rules, sharing an account is fine.
19.) What if I allow my child to try out Famcraft, and the server is not right for us. Then we would encourage you to explore other options, and come back to Famcraft if you ever want to give it another shot.
20.) I still have questions. Is there a way I can speak directly with a staff member before I allow my child to play here? Sure! Just join the server and ask to speak with a staff member. We can chat with you in a semi-private channel and answer any questions you may have.
