News

We’ve been doing a fair bit of work on the website, and there’s finally enough to warrant a post!

🏠 A homepage we’ve outgrown

Our website has been a labour of love for years, but we kept adding features without really making room for them. The homepage section built for three links had grown to twelve, and we still had important pages buried in the sidebar.

We’ve redone the navigation so you can find things more easily, brought news and upcoming events onto the homepage, and added a couple of little Minecraft characters to keep you entertained while you’re there.

💬 A new home for the forum

The forum was our first home on the web. Even after most of the conversation moved to Discord, our modded Minecraft YouTube feed kept bringing people in, and we still used it for the occasional poll.

It was also one of the last pieces of our original setup: a big virtual machine on our own hardware, in one region, with a disaster recovery plan that… could have been better. 😅

We’ve now migrated it to our own custom forum, running on the same cloud-based, serverless setup as the rest of our website.

The existing posts have been brought across, and we’ve worked to preserve the familiar styling and features. A few things to know:

• New address: craftdownunder.co/forum
• Sign in with your Tesseract account.
• Old links still work and redirect to the corresponding new pages.
• The modded Minecraft YouTube feed is still running, with new posts appearing automatically.

Looking familiar is only the start. The old XenForo forum was expensive to maintain and develop for, which made it hard to justify doing much with it. Having our own code gives us far more freedom to improve it and properly connect it with the rest of CDU.

🗳️ The modpack voter has moved

Our replacement for the old Strawpoll votes started as a prototype. Somehow, it’s now been running polls for about 13 months!

You’ll now find it at craftdownunder.co/packvote.

The features are the same, and we’ve kept the interface close to what you’re used to, with some performance improvements and a bit of tidying up.

⛏️ There’s more happening in-game

Alongside the throttling system, we’ve been working on things like:

• Plot rentals, coming very soon: players and staff will be able to mark out plots within their claims and rent them to other players.
• Faster logins: recent changes have cut login times by around 50%.
• Better staff tools: ongoing improvements to make moderation and helping players easier.

Another experiment we’ve been running is targeted performance patches for individual modpacks. We’ve trialled these on Prominence 2 over the last couple of weeks, as well as Project Infinity and SoulRend, fixing issues in mods with the whole pack in mind.

These work alongside our broader lag mitigation features and public performance mods, and have already made a real difference. It’s something we’ll keep experimenting with and expanding.

Some updates are fun to show off. Others take just as much work, but you’ll mostly notice them when things load faster or cause fewer headaches.

💚 Thanks for making this possible

Craft Down Under isn’t run for profit. Building this community has been a passion of mine and the people contributing to it since 2022.

Development is our biggest expense by far. Everyone who plays here, buys a rank or donates helps us keep building, fixing and trying new things.

If you like what we’re doing and want to support more of it, consider upgrading your rank or making a donation. It really does help.

Have a look around, let us know if anything’s broken or hard to find, and thanks for being part of CDU. ❤️

Howdy Y'all in the CDU servers, Proxy here.

The OFFICAL 1.0 for Mayview is upon us, a new season of extras have came. A lot has changed but a lot has stayed the same. I am glad to see new life breathed into this modpack, half of CDU came for the release, and I am glad to be on the news team when this released and I am happy to see how many of y'all.

MODPACK CHANGES (config, additions)
POKEMON CHANGES

• MORE RIDABLE POKEMON

  • Pokémon that was broken (camera won't follow) has been fixed, try out all of your rideables.

• BREEDING

  • You can now officially breed Pokémon, though until stated otherwise be mindful of how many eggs you carry at once, best to keep to one egg per person, fill your shulkers and bags but you must be sure to not accidentally lag out the server by having more than one actively hatching egg.

• SIZE NAME CHANGES

  • Those who have seen the sizes as "Small, Average, Large" now will see the names become "Smol, Average, BigChadGuy" which is a nice reference to Joe's previous modpack, BigChadGuys+

• IV/EV changes

  • Ever wanted to know your IV/EV of your Pokémon? NOW YOU CAN! in the stats screen you can now see all the values which was previously hidden, it will be located around your Pokémon portrait.

• RAID DENS

  • Raid dens now spawn in new chunks and now can be used to find powerful Pokémon to fill your roster.

MOD ADDITIONS/READDED

• ICARUS readded
  • did you miss taking to the skies with your own wax wings? well now with 1.0, icarus has been readded, now you may fly like you could in version 0.4, though in my personal opinion riding on Pokémon or flying in planes feel much better
• STARCATCHER
  • did you find the brief vanilla fishing we have to be boring? well now you may catch fish from Star catcher. there are plenty of fish in the sea and, like the Pokémon, you have to CATCH THEM ALL
• PLUSHIESSSSSSSSS
  • I missed being able to place little plushies around my base, and now I don't have to go back to BCG+C to get them! plushies are officially on Mayview, ready for your collecting needs
• DEATH, REDEFINED.
  • now if you die on Mayview you might have noticed a paper spawn in your hotbar after respawn, this is to counter the /back bug that has plagued CDU for a while now, collect that corpse and if you die again in retrieval, no worries as another paper will appear on respawn to take you right back, no commands needed!

MANY MORE changes that helps make create and other mods that brought the server to it's knees now has been modified and operational, server lag still exists but it runs much better than before.

POKELEAGUE ON MAYVIEW
Since this is my first news I will catch everyone up on what the league is doing.
The current E4 is minecraftanime, YT562, BarsMC (sub: num1goof), and BoulderGaming. no champ exists as far as i am aware of, and more gyms are popping up. BOULDER'S ENCHANTMENT NEXUS
Boulder's nexus has been updated with an experience shower, keep in mind the XP runs on donations mostly but if you need to squeak a little more levels out of something it is there for all to use, and no risk of death at the Piglin killing chamber, I am small and they keep sniping me when I have my shrink charm on, now I don't have to die again while getting XP to go to my corpse.

And with that i bid you all adieu, keep farming Y'all, and training those Pokémon.

Craft Down Under News #4 - December 9, 2024

It's time for the fourth edition of the Craft Down Under news - and the silly season is upon us!

With that in mind, it's time to mention our latest giveaway...

Rank Gifting Holiday Event

Celebrate the holiday season with our Rank Gifting Holiday Event! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply the joy of the holidays, everyone is welcome to join in the festivities. Let’s spread cheer and give back to the community that makes CDU so special!

Receiving a Rank
Want to receive a gifted rank? It’s simple! Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a rank contributed by another community member. Here's what you need to know:

• Link Your Account: Use /mclink in #botspam on the Discord or create a ticket if you're experiencing issues.

• Rank Eligibility: You won’t receive a rank that is less than or equal to any rank you already own.

• Fair Play: The giveaway is not weighted—everyone has an equal chance in each pool. Some pools may exclude users with ranks equal to or higher than that pool.

Giving a Rank
To contribute a rank to the giveaway pool:

• Visit our store and check out the new "Gifting Event" category.

• Purchase a rank from this category. Ranks bought here are automatically added to the giveaway pool.

Rewards for Giving Ranks
When you gift a rank, you’ll earn points and secure a spot on our leaderboard. At the end of the event, contributors will receive exclusive prefixes—and even ranks—based on their total contribution compared to other participants.

• Top Gifter: Luminary - Includes Eternal Rank

• Top 3 Gifters: Radiant - Includes Ascended Rank

• Top 10 Gifters: Shimmer - Includes Partner Rank

• All Gifters: Twinkle - No Rank Included

The leaderboard is on the #gift-event channel in the Discord!

Event Duration
This event ends on Christmas Day, so don’t miss your chance to grab seasonal prefixes and give back to the community that makes CDU amazing. Some ranks have already been added to the pool as a thank you to our incredible members. Let’s make this holiday season one to remember!

CDU Build Battle: November 2024 Results!

The indefatigable PRofessor Penguin would like us at the newsletter team to report on the great success of the last monthly CDU Build Battle, Fall Fever!

This wonderful spooky edifice is Pumpkin Manor, and it was built by the competition winner, TooTicky2! Spectacular, isn't it?

If you'd like to check it out, it's at (6322, -8459) on the Project Architect server!

But as one month's Build Battle ended, another one has just begun - and the theme is simply wonderful:

If you're interested in participating in the December Build Battle, head on over to #build-battles on the Discord server and check out the rules! Submissions close on Christmas Day and voting ends on the last day of December, so make sure to not miss out!

Let's take a look at some of the trending topics and modpacks within the wonderful world of Modded Minecraft, shall we?

• Archmodder Direwolf20 recently showed off a new upcoming feature in his pack JustDireThings - Polymorphic Wands!

• The folks at CyberFuel Studios continued their exploration of Minecraft Forever Factory, the hotly anticipated sequel to Mechanical Mastery, by setting up an early-stage storage and autocrafting system!

• Meanwhile, ChosenArchitect has just begun his journey into the massive All The Mods 10 modpack!

For our next New Modpack feature, let's talk about a brand new addition to the CDU server portfolio: Monifactory!

Added to the Craft Down Under server family on November 19th, the name of this pack might be familiar to some of the more hardcore members of the community - that's right, it's a 1.20 remaster of the beloved Nomifactory, which was itself an homage to notoriously challenging progression pack Gregtech.

This modpack is not only a remaster but adds its own features and quality-of-life additions, such as retextures of old items and the removal and replacement of tired mods and mechanics.

If you're one of those people who enjoys staring wistfully at tech trees and planning your way through one tech upgrade to the next - Editor Espilae is exactly this sort of person - then you should try Monifactory out. Right now!

Let's take some time to shine a spotlight on one of our most popular and well loved Modpacks - BigChadGuys Plus!

Pokemon as far as the eyes can see. Berries of all colors hanging from the trees and too many biomes to count. Modpack creator Joe has spent an insane amount of his time perfecting this modpack to be the amazing experience it has become.

BCG+ gives you the opportunity to get completely lost in any adventure that you could imagine, whether you're looking to settle down in your cozy farm and enjoy the seasons, wanting to battle pokemon with other players in gyms, or you want to fly with wings and explore what the world has to offer.

This modpack is always busy with players ready to help one another succeed and find pretty much anything and everything you are looking for! We can not get enough of BCG+ and hope that you can get a chance to hop on and see what all the fun is about.

For this week's Staff Spotlight, we had a Moderator volunteer, and that Moderator was Mika!

Many of you know or have seen Mika if you have ever interacted with the Craft Down Under Discord due to their pretty consistent activity within the community.

Mika did mention that in their almost 10 months as staff they have yet to grow tired of helping and getting to know everyone in the servers from staff to players. If you think you have seen them not only helping but also playing in the servers you most likely spotted them in the VaultHunters world where they have accrued approximately 1100 hours of play time!

Now let's look at some fun facts that Mika shared, including their height which is at six feet seven inches tall! That is just one inch off of your average door frame height, kind of perfect huh? Aside from that fun fact, another one of Mika's many skills is that they are a chef four days of the week! They're always making many wonderful things, including pizzas and dishes like carpaccio and bruschetta!

We want to thank you Mika for everything you do for Craft Down Under and if any of you see them out there, don't be afraid to say hi!

That's all from us here at Craft Down Under News! See you in two weeks!

Operating and managing a large Minecraft server community can be challenging, especially when it comes to the technical side of things. Finding the right server host for our needs has always been daunting, but in most cases over the years we have been able to find hosting companies that not only provide what we are looking for, but are easy to deal with and engage with us in good faith.

This unfortunately cannot be said of the former host of our EU servers, Surf Hosting.

It must be said that, initially upon us coming on board with them, we were handled professionally and it seemed like they were doing all they could to provide a quality service. Indeed, the first time we encountered an issue, things were resolved amicably.

This first issue was in June when the EU server hosted by them went down for five days. They accepted responsibility for that outage, which was described as hardware failure on the machine, and moved the servers to another unit that they rebuilt.

We were also provided hosting credit - on top of three months we already paid - to pad us out until the rest of the year, something which we did not ask for and we thought of as a generous gesture. We would later be proven wrong about this.

Things would take a sudden turn on September 27, when the new server they had provided to us failed in the same way. We reached out to support, and after two days of no success, we were contacted by the Director of Technology at Surf Hosting, Connor C.

The immediate response from him was to ask us point-blank if we made any changes to the hardware of the server to cause catastrophic failure, and that it appeared that he was also blaming us for the first incident as well.

Our response was that we had made no changes except at the very beginning of service - changing the fan profile from temperature control to 100% speed, which is something we have done to every server that hosts us. In addition, Surf Hosting also provided hosting for us on a machine in Chicago which has not failed once despite having the exact same settings.

At this very moment, there are at least ten other machines running with this modification and our servers in other hosting companies, and none of them have ever experienced the kind of incident that Surf Hosting was accusing us of causing.

In fact, the only common denominator in this situation would appear to be Surf Hosting. With this in mind, we rejected any suggestion that we were the source of the issues and decided to appeal to management.

When moves were made to escalate to a SLA claim, Lev A., the Vice President of Surf Hosting, contacted us.
It became clear that not only did they hold us responsible for the failure of two of their machines, but that they would be terminating their further service to us as a result. Our request for SLA compensation was denied on the grounds that we were already receiving service "free of charge" until the rest of the year as a result of the incident in June - something we again, did not ask for and was provided for us, we assumed, in good faith.

To have that thrown back in our face at the first opportunity is not only frustrating but also extremely unprofessional. In fact, the credit that they provided only came into effect on September 6 - eleven days before the incident. It is with this loophole, that they created, that our service was terminated with no recourse left to us but to recover our data and move on to another host.

They did cooperate in the transfer of our data, and as of today we are no longer hosting anything on their machines, including the unaffected Chicago service. We have since moved to a better host with upgraded equipment, and everything is working smoothly again for our European servers.

Finding the right host is a tricky prospect for most people due to the sheer amount of services on offer, and it is disappointing to see Surf Hosting contributing to that difficult environment by treating a loyal customer in this way.

We would advise anyone considering to use Surf Hosting to avoid making that decision, and at the very least avoid anything they host in Europe.

Posted on behalf of the Craft Down Under team

Craft Down Under News #3 - November 11, 2024

Well folks, it's time for the third edition of Craft Down Under News - a little later than planned, but we should be fairly regular from here on out: more on that later.

The Craft Down Under website -

- is continuing to get better and better; Iberius has been tirelessly grinding away at new features and performance upgrades, including:

• Lightning Fast Leaderboards - what was previously a delay of 2.5s to load has now been reduced to just 473ms, which is an 80% improvement! Stats are refreshed every 8 hours.

• Sign-in Button - available in the top right corner

• Cookie Consent - now proper cookie management exists for better user privacy

There's more on the way, too! And with that, it's time to continue on with this week's news.

Recent Events in the Community

Recently we have been trying to amp up events to get everyone together for the holidays - as well as just for fun - while at the same time raising awareness of the amazing community within CraftDownUnder.

The first big event recently was the BigChadGuysPlus PokeTournament, as mentioned in the last blog. The runners-up were Squidpotato, adrikun and Cleocola, with the champion of the tournament being CelestialShado!ChampionShado (as they wish to be called now) won the choice of any Ultra-rare rarity Shiny Pokémon, and a TM also of their choice! Well done, Champion!

After the tournament, we held a spooky Halloween Event that left players running from building to building in a spooky map. There were killers on the hunt searching high and low for the survivors hiding in any spot they could find, desperate not to be caught. It was an amazing event and left a lot of people wanting more!
We hope you enjoyed the awesome builds from our building team and had fun playing alongside the community here at CraftDownUnder!

DeceasedCraft was a special event modpack we put up just for the spooky season. With a prefix title and badge on offer for those who were willing to kill an incredible amount of zombies in a dead city, the server was soon filled with dead players - and undead mobs.

Please keep an eye out for upcoming events in our discord under the server-events section and don't be afraid to jump in and participate.

For our next New Modpack feature, we'd like to talk about a new addition to the CDU server portfolio: Craftoria!

This modpack was added to the Craft Down Under server family on October 19th, and is definitely worth checking out. The only limit to what you are able to accomplish is your imagination. There is a beautiful blend of exploration, mystical magic, and technology that will keep you busy completing one task after another. You can start your adventure however you please, and once you are settled and ready to really dive in, the Craftoria quest book will assist in leading you through all the activities that are available for you to discover.

When entering this new world, you will not only see new structures as well as new biomes but you will discover all the little changes and additions including new skins to your favorite items, powerful equipment and trinkets to implement into your regular mining activities.

We don't want to spoil all the fun, so when you're ready, hop online and start your new adventure in Craftoria. See you there!

This time on the pack spotlight feature, it's time for us to acknowledge a fan favorite here in the community - Create Astral!

Create Astral is a modpack that is out of this world - literally and figuratively.

While there are plenty of progression packs that involve space, most of them only let you go there at the very end of the journey. Not so with this pack! You'll be setting foot on the Moon, Mars and Mercury in no time - while harnessing the unique properties and mechanics of Create, of course.

There are so many unique structures to discover and alien landscapes to build on and innovate in. It's clear this pack was made with progression enjoyers in mind, so if that describes you, you're in for a treat.

It's been a Craft Down Under staple for quite a while and it still remains fairly popular, so check it out while you can - it even impressed blogger editor Espilae so much he's just dying to jump right on in when he has time!

It's time to focus on another hard-working member of staff - this time around, it's The_Nooby_Noodle!

Noodle is one of the longest serving staff members in Craft Down Under, having been here for about two and a half years. Apparently, they were even the first staff member, not counting Olivia and Sauramel!

Their favorite thing about working with Craft Down Under is the community - like a family, but in a supportive way, not an overbearing way. Noodle is also the one behind the Craft Down Under YouTube channel - while the channel has been on a bit of a break as of late, they plan on making new videos for it soon. Watch that space!

Noodle's favorite modpack at the moment is All The Mods 10, because of all the magic and tech mods they've managed to stuff inside. However, Medieval Minecraft will always have a special place in their heart, as it was their very first.

The_Nooby_Noodle has been a great subject for the spotlight, and we thank them for stepping on into it!

That's all from us here at Craft Down Under News - but first, a small announcement: this blog will be released from now at a regular pace of every two weeks, on a Monday. So stay tuned, and see you then!

Craft Down Under News #2 - October 9, 2024

Well folks, it's time for the second edition of Craft Down Under news, and it certainly has been an eventful couple of weeks in the community, hasn't it? With your assistance, the CDU Discord reached - and now has well exceeded - its milestone goal of 15,000 members. In addition, a number of fascinating stats came to light about what's been done on CDU servers (as of September 21, 2024), including:

• 4,743,779,831 blocks broken!

• 2,572,216 deaths!

• 764,661,191 blocks fallen!

• 198,954,160 mobs slain!

• 121,963 players taken down in PvP!

• and, a combined total of 201.56 years played!

The community didn't go without any rough patches, though - there was a massive outage affecting CDU's European servers, and the service was out for a number of days while the situation was resolved. It turned out to be an issue with the hosting - and more will be said about exactly what happened with that hosting service in the coming days.
However, in the end bad news turned into good - CDU secured an alternate host for the European servers, one with better specs and performance!

Those of you visiting the Craft Down Under website -

- may have noticed some welcome changes; yes, our genius webmaster Iberius has been working hard as of late and provided it with updated features such as a new sidebar, new subpages, an improved server list and general performance upgrades. Iberius has assured us that more work on the website is forthcoming, so stay tuned!

Introducing CDU's Inaugural Premier Poké-Tournament!

Craft Down Under and the BCG+ community are proud to present the first ever 1.5 Tournament for BigChadGuys Plus! This is a competitive tournament, where the best of the best will go head-to-head in a bracket, eventually leading to 2 champions fighting for the Grand Prize!

To qualify, all you need to do is assemble a team of 6 Pokémon, with only 1 being mythical/legendary and only 1 being a non-pseudo mega! Items and TM's are allowed. After you're satisfied with your team, you will be required to fill in an event entry sheet, indicating the Pokémon you are submitting and the items equipped. These sheets will be public when the event starts, allowing players to adjust their moves for upcoming battles!

The event rewards are as follows:

• Grand Prize: Choice of any Ultra-rare rarity Shiny Pokémon (or below) + a TM of choice!

• 1st Runner-Up: Choice of any Rare rarity Shiny Pokémon (or below) + a TM of choice!

• 2nd Runner-Up: Choice of any Uncommon rarity Shiny Pokémon (or below) + a TM of choice!

• Participation Reward: TR of Choice!

This event will take place on Saturday, October 12, 2024 9:00 PM (American Eastern Standard Time) within the Global Arena server and will last until the battles are over and a champion has been decided! Click here to register for the event! Once registered, your team will be documented and cannot be changed! Be sure to properly adhere to the tournament's Pokémon limitations and event guidelines and prepare yourself for the battle ahead!

For our second New Modpack feature, we'd like to talk about a new addition to the CDU server portfolio: Opolis, Inc!

It's a tech-based automation modpack for 1.21, and it's all about starting your very own small business, using the resources you generate to trade for more upgrades and more progression! It looks pretty brilliant, but don't just take our word for it - here's an official letter just handed to us from the offices of B. Benlaw, the maverick developer behind the pack:

Dear Applicant,

Welcome to Opolis Inc. We thank you for your interest in working with us. Your job, should you choose to accept it, will be to harvest and generate natural resources in order to produce increasingly complex parts to sell. This will grant you access to Bucks which will help you both to buy more powerful items and to increase your productivity. All the technology you need will be provided to you, including a license for the full suite of machines from Mekanism Ltd, matter-energy storage networks from Applied Energistics Technologies, cutting edge crops from the Mystical Agriculture Research Center and a suite of Opolis Inc's very own machines.

This includes the basic Opolis Utilities package, as well as brand new Casting machines and the Market. Casting will be an integral part of your resource automation, allowing you to melt, mix and cast various fluids, and the Market will allow you to sell the items that you create.

This position was created by Opolis Inc. Founder and CEO B. Benlaw, in collaboration with Opolis Inc. COO E. Zoro.

We look forward to your future employment with us.

B. Benlaw

Sounds exciting, doesn't it? So what are you waiting for? Get out there and make some green!

This time on the pack spotlight feature, it's time for us to acknowledge a fan favorite here in the community - Fantasy MC Fabric!

Let’s take a step into another world, one like the world we already know but with so much more!

In Fantasy Minecraft you can either run in with a whole team looking for the fun that awaits or adventure off as a solo looking to create their own personal story. This mod pack really has it all from magic and beasts all the way to enjoying the vanilla basics.

You enter the world and choose your new origin that will come with a book and all the information you will need to live your best life. Will you be a small Pixie that zips through the sky smaller than a dandelion, or maybe an Orc who needs two-block-tall doors to even enter any building? Maybe we can meet in the middle and pick from any of the other “average” sized origins that still harness their own amazing abilities and secrets. Picking one is just the first step into the adventure that awaits.

This modpack has everything you could need - you can run out into the wilderness and find the perfect spot to set up base, or, you can even pick a pre-existing location to call home and jump right into action! The stories to come with this world are never ending with the help of not only their amazing quest book but also the grind of the skill tree that you get to personalize for your own perfect experience. An amazing part of all of this is even once you start, if you want to try something new that option is there! Not only can you respec your skill tree but there is even an item you can get at a later time to re-select your origin!

So please, come take a look and explore the world of Fantasy, befriend many beasts and mounts, defeat never-ending enemies and write your new story!

After asking around we were able to convince another staff member to step into the spotlight, and this week, we are talking about Crow!

When we first started talking, Crow swore they were too boring to be chosen for this, but we have come to find out that is far from the truth!

Crow has been a staff member with Craft Down Under for almost three months, but they've been such a great leader from the start - the proof is with their recent promotion to Admin! When we asked what one of their favorite things about working with CraftDownUnder is they mentioned that they love meeting so many new people that are from all around the world - not only other staff, but also players.

If you ever wonder where you can find Crow other than in our Discord you might have a chance checking their personal favorite mod pack which is All The Mods 9. They have been trying to get back into playing; if you do see them online there is a good chance they are watching a movie while playing so feel free to say hi!

Outside of CraftDownUnder Crow loves to play DnD which has always been an escape to relax with friends and escape the stresses of everyday life. On top of taking part in adventures in DnD they write their own novels that they have even published on Amazon - they're also currently working on their first book with the goal to have it published through a publishing house 539 pages and counting!

Thank you for stepping into the spotlight Crow and keep up the amazing work!

That's all from us here at Craft Down Under News - see you all in the next edition!

Craft Down Under News #1 - September 19, 2024

Welcome, folks, to the first ever edition of the Craft Down Under News - a fortnightly newsletter that not only lets the community know about upcoming events and giveaways, but will provide a spotlight for new and existing modpacks and community members.

This is a two-person operation, and your humble editors are:

• Shadycat is a first-time mom and long-time Minecrafter, working with Craft Down Under as a fun side hobby. She enjoys getting to know and helping the community any way she can, while learning new things about modpacks and the servers that support them. Her favorite modpack is BigChadGuys+, and is the proud owner of two black cats and dogs!

• Espilae is a modded Minecraft tragic, having been around in the Craft Down Under community for a while. He enjoys progression and quest-based modpacks, particularly expert ones for that extra grindy tech tree challenge. He's a freelance writer by trade, and plans to get into Chroma Endless 2 when he has a spare second.

So, with the introductions out of the way, it's time to get on with the news!

Craft Down Under is about to hit an incredible milestone of 15,000 members! There are literally only fifty places left in the competition, so act fast!
Until the CDU Discord server reaches that milestone, all members are entitled to one free entry for the chance to win the following prizes:

• 2x Ascended Community-Wide (LIFETIME)
• 2x Mythic Server-Specific (LIFETIME)
• 1x $50 Steam Wallet (AUD)
• 1x Discord Nitro (12 Months)

All you need to do to enter is join the Discord, if you haven't already, and hit the button at the bottom of the post in the #announcements channel.
Good luck!

For our first New Modpack feature, we'd like to talk about a brand new pack that has just arrived on two Craft Down Under servers: Jetpack Cat!

This massive modpack is best described as "Minecraft, Pokemon and Doom, all at the same time", and boy howdy is it an experience and a half. With over 1,600 different mobs and almost as many variant mob textures, you'll be given a gun and a prayer to fight your way through a crazy combat-driven world.

This pack is all about survival, mobility and exploration - lots of tools and powers to find, as well as the 12 Eyes of Ender needed to reach the End and complete the game.

Jetpack Cat is now online on the Craft Down Under network, with both US and AU server locations to choose from.
If this sounds like your jam, check out the trailer, and we'll see you in game!

It's time to shout out a pack that we've had for a while at Craft Down Under, and it deserves all the love it can get! It's Cottage Witch!

If you feel like getting to be one with nature and exploring a world that has magic from your wildest dreams, then it's waiting just around the corner! The Cottage Witch Modpack is a beautifully blended mix of vanilla Minecraft meeting the world of magic.

Interested in decorating your hut in the woods, perfect for brewing your favorite potions? You can! Want to tend and raise mythical creatures? You can! or How about hopping on your broom and exploring, learning and fighting along the way? You absolutely can!

This modpack is described as “modern, contemporary eclectic witchcraft practice that utilizes domestic magic”, and with these practices you are able to craft spell books personal to you in order to be ready for just about anything! The best part is, once you have gotten past the awe of entering this server there is a helpful questbook that not only helps familiarize yourself with all the different content but also keeps you busy looking for new things so you don't get bored.

Check it out soon - your comfy witch life awaits!

In every newsletter we want to give a shout out to those who make CDU possible, and one of those contributors is our staff member, events manager and admin, Doc!

Doc has been with Craft Down Under for over a year now, and we love to see that kind of tenure. They work on tickets and general tasks around the server like helping other staff learn the ins and outs of the community, all the while brainstorming with our events team for the best experiences they can put together for us to enjoy. Even in the busiest and wildest times, we are still able to trust that Doc will be there helping along while also bringing their positive energy and excitement!

Fun fact: we knew Doc was cool, but little did we know they spent their free time not only working on motorcycles BUT they also own a 1992 Softail and ride it to relax and enjoy their downtime. Admin, events manager AND a biker? What else don't we know about you, Doc?

Doc's favorite mod pack is All The Mods 9 even though recently you are more likely to see them playing on Fantasy Minecraft. Doc is hoping that moving forward we can call attention to our Community Game Nights so that all of you can come join us when they are announced in the discord, we would love to see you there so keep an eye out. Let's give a round of applause and a big thank you to our one and only Doc and thank you for being the first of what we hope will be many staff member spotlights!

Now here's a preview about an upcoming event, just to whet your appetite before we leave you!

Who loves fall and the spooky season? We do, and we can not wait for Halloween! We love being able to celebrate the seasons with our community and always urge our players and other community members to keep an eye out for upcoming events, whether they be for a holiday or be it for a special occasion of our own. We heard it through the grapevine that there are going to be some events coming up soon and one of those will have you running for your life!

Be sure to get ready to be sneaky and courageous while exploring a map to save yourself and those around you as fast as you can. There is going to be a player that resembles an evil you all may already know lurking around, are you one of the people that will make it on your own? Or will you try to help out your fellow survivors on the way? Be ready for a frighteningly good time to come, how will you survive?

That's all from us here at Craft Down Under News - see you all in two weeks!

Ahoy, mateys of the Craft Down Under seas!

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the glorious weather and fair seas of the
month of June. It be a grand time to hoist yer colors high and be proud of who you be! Whether
ye know exactly who ye are or yer still charting yer course, know this: ye be loved, appreciated,
and cared for, exactly as who ye are. Each of ye are a prized and proud member of the CDU
crew, and never let anyone tell ye different.

A special shoutout to the Gilbert Baker 9-stripe flag (all pirates love flags, and this be no
exception to that rule). Baker, a true hero of the LGBTQIA+ community and the original
designer of the first pride flag, be a name worth rememberin'. Did ye know, the original flag had
a pink stripe? Aye, it was sadly dropped due to the price of the dye, but many feel a strong
connection to its meanin' even today.

Baker’s final addition before his passin' in 2017 was a lavender stripe, representin' diversity. And
what better way to celebrate than with our own diverse crew here at Craft Down Under, all
united by our passion for creativity and self-expression? Cap’n Baker would be proud of each
and every one of ye, and we be glad to have ye aboard!

But there be more news brewin' in these waters! We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership
with Surf Hosting (and what’s not ta love about that name, eh?) They be providin' hostin' for our
most voted-for modpack this month. With nearly 100% uptime, free offsite backups, DDoS
protection, and lightnin’-fast performance, Surf Hosting be the perfect first mate for our
adventures.

They even have a special promotion for our crew: use code PLAYCDU for an exclusive 50% off
yer first month! And there’s yet more good news to show you the kind of hale and hearty crew
they be. They be funding carbon removal and tree planting with a portion of their profits, which
is about as good a cause as any this one-eyed, hook-handed pirate can think of. Setting sail with
them starts at only $0.75/GB, and that’s with all the firepower of Ryzen 9 processors.

You can find more treasures about Surf Hosting on their Discord and their website.
Don’t head below decks just yet, mateys, there be more news ahoy. To all ye landlubbers and
seasoned sailors alike, there be another exciting bit o’ scuttlebutt: Helper applications be open
once again!

If ye be loyal to our community for at least a month, active, and at least 16 or show maturity
beyond yer years, we welcome ye to apply. A clean (or nearly clean) record’ll help your odds
too, but we be understandin’ folk (not all crew start out perfect, after all). These be more
guidelines than strict requirements, so there’s a bit o’ wriggle room.

So lend yer hand (or your hook), grab yer gear, and apply to be a Helper if ye feel up to the task.
The seas of Craft Down Under need bright, helpful souls to steer the ship true.

Remember mates, be kind to one another and keep yer spirits high. Happy Pride Month, and
here’s to many more adventures on our grand Minecraft server network!

Here’s a sneak peek at next week’s blog—I had hoped to detail the comings and goings at the
Academy Arcanum, but with the news we’ve had so far this month, I didn’t have room to do it
justice. Next time though, we’ll be delving into the secrets of the three (and maybe more!) magic
systems being taught under the fine tutelage of the fearsome (but friendly!) staff of the MC
Fantasy college of all things magic. Whether it’s war sorcery, utility spells, or the rites and
rituals of nature that capture yer fancy, there be something in that vast sea of knowledge for you
to immerse yourself in (and plenty of treasure beneath those waves of wisdom).

We’ll close with a bit of Minecraft lore and (if you’ll indulge me) a joke about pirates,
considering I be one.

Parrots are well-known and fine companions of those who sail the wide and fearsome seas. But
did you know the noises they make aren’t just random utterings? Not at all. They’ll always
mimic the noise of the nearest hostile creature—and turn in its direction to give you an indication
of where the closest threat may be lurking. Fine animals, they are.

And did ye know why pirates are superior to ninjas in every way?
THEY JUST ARRRRRRR!

Until next time, may ye have fair winds and following seas!

PirateBingo & The Craft Down Under Crew

Hey all!, Welcome to the first biweekly blog. You may not know me, but my name is ZeeByte! I'll be your host, writing this blog in a dimly lit room that I call "home." But besides that, a question that may be on your mind is, "Why is there a blog?" or "What will we talk about on this blog?" And with that, I can proudly say that this newsletter will be used to talk about important things in our wonderful community, such as events, news on sales, updates on modpacks, and much, much more!

But with that being said, I know I've been yapping for a little bit, so why don't we get straight into it!

Wait, I've seen this before..
Feeling déjà vu with this blog? I don't blame you; this isn't the first time that Craft Down Under has done a newsletter or blog. We did used to have one run by Sauramel, but due to not having enough time to run it, we had no choice but to shut it down for the time being. However, I am glad to announce that this one is here to stay, as I quite literally have nothing to do when I'm not at college.

What do you mean they made Minecraft "better"?
Do you need something to do? Check out our brand new server for Better Minecraft! Whether it's taming dragons, dungeon crawling with friends, or even just opening up a humble bakery, with over 250 mods, there is a bucket load to do. Load up CurseForge, download BMC4 and join our server with the IP "bmc4.playcdu.co"!

They're always after my Flash Sales!
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we will be holding a special sale. For 48 hours only, EVERYTHING will be 33% off!! Whether you're eyeing up Paragon, Benefactor, or even Initiate, now's your chance to seal this deal. This sale will run for the entirety of March 17th, so make sure to take advantage of these discounts before they disappear like gold at the end of a rainbow!

Ye ol' humble village!
If you find yourself exploring our BigChadGuys+ NA1 server, you might want to keep an eye out for a beautiful medieval village. This stunning area was built by Phreyja over the course of a month, and you can clearly see that time was well spent! If you're ever on the server, I highly encourage you to pay it a visit. And if you happen to bump into Phreyja, be sure to tell them that ZeeByte says Haii!! (Images will also be attached below)

An Egg-citing Easter!
Are you ready for an egg-static Easter egg hunt? To celebrate Easter festivities, we're hosting an Easter egg hunt on our BigChadGuys+ modpack. Join us on March 31st (AEST) during our community games night and get ready to scramble for Easter eggs! Our talented build team has crafted a stunning map for you to explore as you hunt down as many eggs as you can within a limited time. And don't worry, you're not just hunting down these eggs for the sake of it; there are egg-citing prizes up for grabs too! So don't be a chicken and hop on in to join the fun!

Thank you all very much for reading and I hope you enjoyed my first blog! <33

Craft Down Under Weekly Newsletter

---

Exciting Updates and News

Fractureiser Malware Drama - We Stood Strong
The modded Minecraft community recently experienced a security breach involving Fractureiser malware, impacting many popular plugins and mods on Curseforge and dev.bukkit.org. This malicious software posed a significant threat by propagating to all jar files on the filesystem, potentially stealing various credentials, and replacing cryptocurrency addresses. Please exercise extreme caution while downloading any Minecraft mods, regardless of the origin. We are relieved to report that CurseForge has since addressed the issue and declared the platform safe once again. More details can be found in their Official Announcement

New Modpack Vote Underway!
Our latest modpack vote is now open! You can now have your say on our next modpack for the European server. Cast your vote at THIS LINK and select up to 5 options. The modpack with the most votes will be hosted next. An exclusive poll will be hosted for our @Ascended members to choose a second pack to launch after the initial poll concludes.

Ongoing Pride Month Sale - 15% Off!
In celebration of Pride Month, we continue to offer a 15% discount storewide on all in-game ranks. Take this opportunity to show your support and enjoy significant savings on Craft Down Under. Visit our store at THIS LINK to make the most of this offer.

BigChadGuys+ Ranks Merged
We're thrilled to announce a significant change to our rank policy for BigChadGuys+ servers. If you purchase a 'server specific' rank for any BigChadGuys+ server, you will now get it across all of them. This change aims to increase the value proposition of the server-specific ranks and synchronize the policy with our action of synchronizing other data between these servers for a cross-play experience.

Welcome to Our New Bot Developer
We're pleased to announce that we've hired a talented developer to work with us permanently, focusing on our Discord bots. They've already added loads of new features to help both staff and players, and we look forward to seeing more exciting enhancements in the future.

---

Stay tuned for more thrilling updates, events, and community initiatives as we continue to enhance your Craft Down Under experience!

Your Craft Down Under Team

Craft Down Under Weekly Newsletter

---

Exciting Updates and News

New BigChadGuys+ Server in Europe
The BigChadGuys+ modpack continues to gain popularity, and we are thrilled to announce the launch of our second European instance! The demand for this amazing modpack is ever-growing, and we are excited to provide an optimal gaming experience for our European players. Join us on the new server and delve into the immersive world of BigChadGuys+!

Welcome to Our New Staff Members
Craft Down Under extends a warm welcome to our newest staff members, HavocStudio and GamingPigeon! Their expertise and passion for Minecraft will further enhance our community and ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for all players. If you see them around, don't hesitate to say hello and seek their assistance when needed.

Pride Month Sale - 15% Off
In support of Pride Month, we are running a month-long sale! Enjoy a 15% discount on selected items and services as we celebrate diversity and inclusivity in our community. Take this opportunity to show your support and enjoy fantastic savings in Craft Down Under.

Server Migration for Improved Stability
To provide a more stable connection for our players, we are migrating all modpacks that remain on our previous host to our new hosting provider. This new provider offers a robust and reliable infrastructure, ensuring a smoother gameplay experience for everyone. Thank you for your patience as we make this transition.

Enhanced Item Compensation Process
We are excited to announce an update to our Discord bot, which now includes a new self-service item compensation process! If you've lost items due to a server fault, you can now easily retrieve them without the need to coordinate with staff. This streamlined process allows for quicker and more convenient item recovery, ensuring a seamless gameplay experience for our players.

---

Stay tuned for more thrilling updates, events, and community initiatives as we continue to enhance your Craft Down Under experience!

Your Craft Down Under Team

Craft Down Under Weekly Newsletter

---

Exciting Updates and News

Collaboration with KaptainWutax - Full Player Data Sync Mod
We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with KaptainWutax, a developer on the vault hunters team. Together, we are working on bringing a full player data sync mod to our BigChadGuys Plus servers! This exciting development will enable seamless synchronization of player data across servers, offering a unified and immersive gaming experience. Stay tuned for more details on this innovative mod, which may extend to other clustered servers on our network in the future.

Expansion of BigChadGuys Plus - Additional US Instance
Due to the overwhelming demand for the BigChadGuys Plus modpack, we are preparing to launch an additional US instance. This expansion aims to accommodate more players and provide an optimal gameplay experience. Get ready to dive into the exciting world of BigChadGuys Plus with our expanded server availability.

Temporary Relocation due to Mold Outbreak
We regret to inform you that we have been temporarily pushed out of our home/office due to a mold outbreak. We are actively working to resolve the situation swiftly and efficiently. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

Record Bot Updates - Alt Account and User Rank Tracking
Our record keeping bot has undergone further updates! It now has the capability to track ranks, alt accounts and users within the same household. This enhancement enables our staff to handle rank tickets more effectively and maintain accurate player records. Our commitment to maintaining a fair and transparent environment continues to evolve.

StatsMC Update - Tracking Vanilla Game Stats
We are excited to announce an update to our StatsMC mod! It now includes the ability to track various vanilla game stats, such as blocks broken, distance traveled, mobs killed, deaths, and more. Monitor your progress, compete with friends, and strive for new achievements as you explore the vast world of Craft Down Under.

Memorial Day Sale - Limited-Time Discounts
Join us in commemorating Memorial Day with a special sale! Take advantage of our limited-time discounts and seize the opportunity to enhance your Minecraft experience. Don't miss out on the chance to grab exciting deals and enjoy exciting adventures in Craft Down Under.

Structured Cabling for Reliable Connection
In preparation for the future, we have commenced structured cabling work in the new home of our servers in AU. This endeavor ensures a reliable and fast connection to our servers for years to come. We are dedicated to providing an optimal gaming environment and appreciate your patience as we continue to improve our infrastructure.

---

Stay tuned for more thrilling updates, events, and community initiatives as we continue to enhance your Craft Down Under experience!

Your Craft Down Under Team

Craft Down Under Weekly Newsletter

---

Updates and News

Enhanced Vote System
Our vote system has received a major update! We have implemented a new vote manager that sets a daily vote goal. Once the goal is achieved, we will trigger a network-wide "vote party" to celebrate. All participating players will be rewarded with levels, diamonds, fireworks, and special effects. Keep voting to earn these exciting rewards and contribute to the success of Craft Down Under!

Command Dispatcher and Broadcaster
We have introduced a command dispatcher/broadcaster, empowering us to efficiently make network-wide announcements. Stay tuned for important updates, events, and news as our team keeps you informed about the latest happenings in Craft Down Under.

Official Hosting Partnership
We are thrilled to announce our official hosting partnership with the BigChadGuys Plus modpack! Craft Down Under is now the official host in three regions: AU, US, and EU (Germany). This partnership allows us to provide an optimized experience for players in these regions. Explore the vast possibilities of the BigChadGuys Plus modpack with our reliable hosting services.

European Dedicated Server
In response to the growing demand from our European players, we have deployed our first dedicated server in Europe. This new server ensures a low-latency experience for our European community members. Join us on this new server and enjoy seamless gameplay with fellow European adventurers.

Game Rank Synchronization
To enhance the integration between the game and our forum, we have implemented game rank synchronization. Your in-game rank will now be synchronized with your forum account, allowing for a seamless experience across platforms.

---

Thank you for being a part of our vibrant community! Stay tuned for more exciting updates and events in the world of Craft Down Under.

Your Craft Down Under Team

Craft Down Under Weekly Newsletter

---

New Customized Forum is Live!
We are excited to announce our new forum that's been custom-built just for our community. It comes with a unique theme, personalized profiles, and bespoke icons. Thanks to our custom integrations, users can now display their Minecraft avatar and playtime information directly on their profile!

---

Smarter Vote System and Server List Reduction
Our new and improved vote system can now direct votes to the server a user is on. This update has allowed us to reduce our server list site listings by approximately 40 times, enhancing our rankings among them.

---

Host Migration Complete
We have successfully migrated all instances from the affected server to a new host due to the previous one not being able to provide an up-to-standard connection. We look forward to a smoother and more reliable gameplay experience!

---

10,000th Ticket Submitted - Celebratory Sale!
Our Discord support channel hit a milestone with the 10,000th ticket submission! To celebrate, we're offering a 35% off sale. Don't miss out!

---

Server Query API Update
We've made some changes to our server query API. Now all server list queries for votes, linking, and the player count bot are done via the internal/private IP of servers. This is to fix a bug affecting some players.

---

Traffic Update
In the past week, we saw a massive 8.6TB of traffic to our servers. Thanks for keeping Craft Down Under busy and bustling!

---

New Modpack Servers: Prominence
We're thrilled to introduce 2 new modpack servers, Prominence, for our AU and US players. Join us and explore new possibilities!

---

Thank you for being a part of our community. Here's to another great week ahead!

Your Craft Down Under Team

The first pre-release of Minecraft 1.20: The Trails and Tales update is here! At this stage, you can expect the developers to focus on bug fixes, with occasional updates that do not adhere to the regular Wednesday snapshot schedule. Here's a rundown of what's new and what's fixed in 1.20 Pre-Release 1.

Changes and Technical Updates

One significant change in the gameplay is the ability to dye Colored Wool, Carpets, and Beds to any color of your choice. This update opens up new possibilities for in-game customization and creativity.

On the technical side, two new damage types have been introduced: outside_border and generic_kill. Players outside the world border will now be hurt by the outside_border damage, and forcibly removing an entity using commands like /kill will use the generic_kill damage type.

The encoding for server.properties files has also been updated, and these files are now read initially in UTF-8, with previous encoding (ISO 8859-1/Latin 1) as a fallback. They are also now written with UTF-8 encoding.

Loot Table Random Sequences

The game now uses named random sequences to produce loot for loot tables deterministically. Each random sequence produces a unique sequence based on the world seed and sequence ID, leading to consistent loot table results in the same world when ran with the same parameters.

Bug Fixes

This pre-release addresses a wide array of bugs, from issues with entering spectator mode and nether portal animations to language inconsistencies and missing music composers in the credits. Significant fixes also include preventing the Ender Dragon from not spawning when placing an end crystal upon entering The End, and addressing a deadlock caused by supporting block checks during world generation.

The Minecraft community's feedback, bug reports, and creative ideas have been integral to these updates. This pre-release is another step towards the final release of The Trails and Tales update, promising a refined and enhanced Minecraft experience. Keep an eye out for the next pre-release and happy mining!

Snapshot 23W14A, recently released for Minecraft: Java Edition, is packed with exciting changes and improvements. From modifications to Sculk blocks and Enchanting Tables to new Quick Play functionality and a refreshed main menu panorama, the latest Minecraft snapshot promises a revitalized gaming experience.

Sculk Shrieker and Sculk Sensor Modifications

Waterlogging Sculk Shriekers now silences their shriek sounds, and they've been added to the Redstone Blocks tab in the creative menu. Sculk Sensors, both normal and calibrated, now strongly power the block they're placed on, and their default redstone output has been adjusted for more reliable distance calculations.

Calibrated Sculk Sensors, in particular, have seen significant changes. Their active cooldown has been reduced from 2 seconds to 1, and they can now detect vibrations up to 16 blocks away, double the previous limit. Additionally, their compatibility with other Redstone components has been improved.

Technical Changes: Quick Play, Loot Tables, and Tags

Snapshot 23W14A introduces the Quick Play functionality, which allows players to launch directly into a world using command-line arguments. This update makes it possible to log type, identifier, port, name, gamemode, and lastPlayedTime upon joining a world.

A new loot table function, "reference," enables functions to call sub-functions. Tags have also seen changes, with the addition of replaceable_by_trees and sword_efficient tags, and the removal of the replaceable_plants tag.

Improved Aesthetics

This snapshot updates the Minecraft: Java Edition logo and introduces a new main menu background: the Trails & Tales panorama. The Desert Temple now features a more collapsed roof, with a block of Suspicious Sand always visible in the top layer.

Bug Fixes

Numerous bugs have been fixed in this release, including transparent blocks negating bonuses from bookshelves when placed between them and enchanting tables, Z-fighting issues with various entities, and inconsistencies with commands and textures. Issues with sniffers and suspicious sand have also been addressed, significantly enhancing gameplay.

In conclusion, Minecraft Snapshot 23W14A offers an assortment of changes that improve gameplay, aesthetics, and functionality. Whether you're a Redstone engineer, a builder, or an adventurer, these changes promise to enrich your Minecraft experience. Keep mining and crafting, and enjoy all that this latest snapshot has to offer!