Project Autumn
Project Autumn was the code name for the server host transfer from ebelle. The Minecraft server management was transferred to Heron, and the Discord ownership was transferred to Bog. The update included the forth iteration of Pyrrhia, the addition of Pantala, several new systems and plugins, and marked the start of Generation 4. Following the update, ebelle stepped down from the role of owner and into the role of administrator.
Conceptualization
Near early 2023, after nearly seven years of hosting the server, ebelle notified the admin team that she would not be able to continue to run the server into 2024. On February 15th, 2023, the admin team organized an initial outline for the project which was named Project Autumn. Topics of discussion included resetting the world, changes to the Discord guild, technical updates, the automation of the royalty system, the implementation of Project Birdhouse, how the server would be hosted, and how it would be funded. On the 18th, the admins brought the discussion to the rest of the staff team.
Development
Pre-release
On February 25th, Project Autumn was announced[1]. The announcement included a FAQ document including a form that allowed players to submit their build to be transferred to the new server.
In March, a discussion was sparked about unofficial offshoot servers run by player royalty, which were problematic. Different solutions were proposed, eventually settling on the creation of a second Discord guild for tribe-exclusive channels.
On April 17th, Bog exported the first draft of the Pyrrhia map that had been in progress since February. Over the following days, staff members would be able to view the world and give revision suggestions. A total of nine exports were done over April and May, with dozens of changes from the initial export.
On June 3rd, Heron opened the server to level three insiders to test the capability of the server. The hardware proved very capable of running the server, but the network connection was too limited for a stable experience.
Following the server test, the staff team allowed players to sign up to help build structures for the new world. There were weekly sessions each Saturday in which a certain project would be the focus. Building continued throughout June and July.
On July 29th and July 30th, an in-game party was hosted to celebrate the update. It featured games, special items, and competitions, taking place in the New World Party Cavern. Events included Hide and Seek, Stand-Up comedy, Free for All, JMA Staff Head Hunt, Build Battle, a firework show, and speeches. Following the party, the premiere of the Project Birdhouse Official Reveal Trailer was released, making public the addition of Pantala.
On August 1st, the royalty raffle was opened to decide the starting royalty positions after the reset. Players could sign up for the possibility to be randomly assigned to a royalty position. The results were chosen and revealed on the 9th.
On the 28th, the original author of the classic server icon, originally known as Grapecakes, contacted the staff. Now known as spookadoodle, he designed a new server icon featuring the same SkyWing/SandWing hybrid mascot name Louie.
On the 1st of August, 2024, Bog made a formal announcement about the completion of the new server. It included a message thanking ebelle, a download link for the old world, and a summary of changes made to the new world, including the new hub, the move from Sediment Canyon to Highland Terrace, details about transferred builds, the addition of toggle PvP, the updated claim system, and the server address and version. The server opened the following day, and Heron published a second announcement detailing the tribe change system, the in-game roleplay system, and the Tribes of Pretarsi sister server.
Post-release
Updates continued to be made after the initial opening of the server. On the 4th of August, Berries++ and Cakes++ were re-introduced to the server by Heron. On the same day, the Discord guild ownership was transferred to Bog.
On the 10th, Heron made an announcement introducing the RedBubble and Patreon in order to help fund the maintenance of the server.
On August 23rd, the End portal was opened and there was a server-wide Ender Dragon battle.
On August 30th, the Block Pit was moved to the underground location, featuring a new refill and block switching system, allowing more types of blocks to be available. The same day, the new Mob Pit was announced and released.
Trivia
- A frequently-asked-questions video about the project was planned, but never executed.
- A lore team was considered for the update, but was scrapped.
- The Block Pit was initially planned to be spread out among different towns, (for example, sand in Possibility and ice in Among-The-Evergreens) but was scrapped.
- A palace design competition was considered, but was scrapped.
- Shiny, who had been SeaWing ruler uninterrupted for years before the reset, won the position of SeaWing ruler in the royalty raffle.
