Minecraft | TechEdOnline

Feb

Adventures in Minecraft Pt. 5

by Briana in Programming Comments: 0 tags: Adventures in Minecraft, Minecraft, MinecraftEdu, Python

As the 2015 Snowmageddon blanketed Chicago, I found myself with time to get back to my adventures in Minecraft! Last we met I had created the start.server.command file, which actually launched the server. Next step, create the StartCanarymod. command file.

After figuring out that TextWrangler works best for writing command files, the StartCanarymod.command file was pretty easy. From there it was a matter of downloading the RaspberryJuice plugin and copying the necessary file to the Canarymod folder. The last step was to download and copy several different files to the My Adventures folder. These were included in the 1.6.4 version, so I just copied them to my new folder.

Time for the moment of truth…

And, we’re a go! The server, plugin and world all initialized!

Now, to test the Python and see if my server accepts the programming! Launching IDLE, I wrote my first program for Minecraft.

Cue happy dancing! There’s my first Python programming of Minecraft! See it? Minecraft said “Hello Minecraft World”! Your first program…always an exciting time.

After several weeks of challenges, I finally have a working Canarymod Server and files to give the avtivities in Adventures in Minecraft a go!

Jan

Adventures in Minecraft…Pt. 4

by Briana in Programming Comments: 0 tags: Adventures in Minecraft, CanaryMod, Minecraft, MinecraftEdu

So, let’s recap. I wanted a fun way to engage my students in programming and I found this awesome looking book, Adventures in Minecraft. I bought it, dowloaded the required files, tested it on my work computer and tried it on a student computer. It worked on my computer, but not on a student machine. The book provided guidance for creating your own files, so I went in search of those, only to run into a DMCA. That takes us to today (Tuesday).

Creating my own Bukkit server wasn’t an option, but the book also suggested creating a server using CanaryMod. Off to the CanaryMod site I went in search of the necessary downloads. I found and downloaded the file for MinecraftEdu 1.7.10 and pulled out the directions.

CanaryMod

I set up my folders nad copied the files to the correct folder. The next step was to create an executable file that would launch the server. I opened TextEdit, careffully typing in the text provided. I saved the file as instructed, but it refused to save as a .command. It wanted to be a .rtf, so some manual editing of the file name was needed. File completed and placed in the correct folder. The next step ws to open Terminal, type a command and NOT press enter. Instead, I had to drag the previously made file onto Terminal then press enter. So, I did and things started to happen! Yay, it’s working, I thought. And then, the message…

No such file or directory
Unable to access jarfile Canarymod.jar
logout

So close! I went back and checked all of the files for errors or incorrect file names. Nothing. I started over using a different text editor, but to no avail.

The one issue I noticed was the guide indicated a file path of AdventuresInMinecraft\Canarymod. Now, doesn’t a backslash in a path name indicate one level/folder up? I know I’m a bit rusty with the technical stuff, but this isn’t right. I compared all of the files and folders provided in the preconfigured Bukkit server for 1.6. Everything looked right. Okay, time to walk away for a bit.

A few days later (Thursday)…I sat down to work on this post feeling defeated. I did everything the “guide” said and things didn’t work. After all the excitement and work, I ws really disappointed nad a bit annoyed at myslef for buying a book that I couldn’t use.

While I was working on this post I took a few screenshots of what had been happening and looked through things again. Again, I typed everything as instructed, I created all the correct folders, I didn’t press enter when I shouldn’t have. I just didn’t get it. While telling my colleague what had been happening I decided to copy the start_server file from the preconfigured Bukkit server and paste that into the CanaryMod start_server file I had created. Since the text was exactly the same as the CanaryMod (with the exception of the .jar file name, which I changed) I figured it wouldn’t work. But, what the heck. Copy, paste, edit file name, save the file. Double-click the file…and…

Cue office chair happy dance and exclamations of success! The libraries were initialized! The XML database was created! The world was started!

CanaryMod Initialized

This might actually happen!

Jan

Adventures in Minecraft Pt. 3…DMCA? What!

by Briana in Programming Comments: 0 tags: dmca, Minecraft, MinecraftEdu, Programming

Here’s what we know:

Adventures in Minecraft works on a teacher computer! Yay!
Adventures in Minecraft doesn’t work on the student computers! Boo!
Adventures in Minecraft does work with Minecraft Edu!
I need to build a Bukkit server compatible with MinecraftEdu 1.7. Gulp!

Creating a Bukkit server is a new challenge that I’m up for, so let’s get started.

Okay, I needed to download Bukkit…easy! I started by reading the directions. I know, imagine that! Reading the directions first. Who the heck does that. I created the required folders and searched for a Bukkit server. My Google search led me to http://bukkit.org/. I skimmed a few forum posts, read how to set up a server, making my way to the BukkitWiki where I found a link to the downloads (http://dl.bukkit.org/downloads/bukkit/A).

Screen Shot 2015-01-14 at 9.50.54 AM

Alright, I’m on a roll. I click on the info for a few versions to learn about the differences. I finally located the version I needed and clicked the download button. And what do I see…

Screen Shot 2015-01-14 at 9.51.03 AM

WHAT! Confused, I do another Google search in hopes of finding the download elsewhere. But wait, this is the OFFICIAL Bukkit site!?! What’s going on? So, I read the DMCA notification and found this:

Screen Shot 2015-01-14 at 9.51.10 AM

So, this guy, Wesley Wolfe is claiming copyright on the Bukkit server. Alright then, I’ll go to his site to get the download. Highlight and copy the GitHub url…paste and we’re good! Right?

I hit the GitHub page and skim the repositories. Several Bukkit options, so I dig in. I start with Bukkit-Bleeding. I skim through and stop at the Read Me…again with the reading thing, I know! As I read on I see…

Ummm…did I miss something? The GitHub site is leading me back the to Bukkit site, which has a DMCA prohibiting the download of the Bukkit server files because of Wesley Wolfe’s claim on the Bukkit server.

Running into a dead end, I went back to the GitHub site to look at the other repositories. Oooh! CraftBukkit! That’s it! I click on CraftBukkit ready for my download!

Really! How is this possible! Can you DMCA your own files? Even more confused, I clicked on the notice and see:

Screen Shot 2015-01-14 at 10.23.44 AM

On first glance I was quite confused by the fact that this person (presumably) had DMCAed his own work, but I notices the “source” is the Bukkit-Bleeding repository. I spent some time digging through the files in the Bukkit-Bleeding repository, but couldn’t find a simple .jar file to download and I don’t know how to create one myself. So, time for option two…CanaryMod.

Jan

Adventures in Minecraft Pt.2

by Briana in Programming Comments: 0 tags: Adventures in Minecraft, Coding, Minecraft, MinecraftEdu, Python

So, where did we leave of? Oh, that’s right…to the computer lab!

As a tech admin I have greater powers than a classroom teacher and, of course, than students. As such, my excitement over writing my first Python script for Minecraft was tempered by the fact that my students might not have the permissions necessary to run all of this fun.

I scooped up my laptop and external hard drive with all of my files and settled in for some testing. Hopes were high. I pull up a student login, got signed in and copied over the Adventures in Minecraft files.

I went to launch Python and noticed it was no longer on our computers. What? Off to the tech office I trotted, donning my best smile and most pleasant voice in hopes of convincing someone to drop everything and install this software for me. Bad form on my part knowing how many people try this everyday and how often I have to gently tell someone that there are others needing more urgent assistance. But, I did it anyway. The upside is that I can download and install the sofware myself, I just needed a password! Lucky me, our tech was willing to pop in and enter the password for me.

Signed in as a student…check!
Adventures in Minecraft files…check!
Python…check!

Let’s do this!

I launched the Bukkit server from the Adventures In Minecraft folder and launched Minecraft…Edu version. As I mentioned before, I knew this might be an issue, but I had to try. Everything launched, but because of the way our version had been packaged students do not have access to the launch Minecraft option, only the Edu version. It’s testing, so I launched Edu and tried to connect to the Bukkit server. No dice!

Okay, our existing configuration wasn’t an option, but I knew we were almost ready to launch the 1.7 update. I scrapped my files and moved to the computer we were testng the 1.7 update on; starting the process all over.
Before I began I knew this would be a longshot, because I was using a Bukkit server for 1.6 with a computer running Minecraft 1.7.Minecraft users know what happened next. It didn’t work! No surprise since it’s already know that your server and client need to be running the same version.

Screen Shot 2015-01-14 at 2.23.08 PM_1

So, what’s a girl to do? Make her own Bukkit server compatible with 1.7, of course!

Jan

Adventures in Minecraft Pt. 1…Maybe

by Briana in Programming Comments: 0 tags: Coding, Minecraft, MinecraftEdu, Programming, Python

At the beginning of December my coaching partner and I were busy planning Hour of Code activities. During our planning I had the opportunity to dig deeper into Python and really enjoyed my learning journey. This journey got me thinking about how I could teach an elective on Python during the next session, so I started researching ideas, projects and resources geared toward middle school student.

And what did I find? Well, the holy grail of programming electives…Adventures in Minecraft! I came across this book thinking that it could have some fun ideas for my after school MinecraftEdu class. You know, build ideas, challenges, other fun things to keep the kiddos focused. Turns out its WAY MORE that fun things to build in MCEdu, it’s about how to use Python to program Minecraft! Whoa…wait…what…? You can do that? You can actually program things in Python and have something happen IN Minecraft! I was hooked. I bought the book then and there, tossed aside the work I should have been doing and began learning how one programs Python!

As I began reading the book and downloading files from the companion website I had a sudden realization that all this may be for naught. Why, you ask? Because I am using MinecraftEdu and work in a school. Nothing every works the “way it’s supposed to” in a school. I proceeded anyway determined that it would work, one way or another! As I continued along I found that this book, published in November 2014, was already out of date (as is often the case with techie books). The book is based on Minecraft 1.6 and I’m on 1.7 MCEdu! Ugh! This isn’t going to be easy.

Skip to Friday morning…I knew my work computer was still set up for MinecraftEdu 1.6, so I downloaded and installed the necessary files to my laptop while the Chapter 1 how-to video guided me through the process. Adventures in Minecraft folder saved to the desktop, Python downloaded, Bukkit server up and running! We’re a go! With all of the setup completed, I becan my first Python program for Minecraft! Here it is!

Here what is, you say? Right there, in the chat! I made that happen…WITHOUT typing it into the chat window! Okay, so that may not seem so impressive, but every programmer starting a new language must start with a Hello world! script!

With the knowledge that I could program Minecraft on a school computer as a teacher, I set off to the computer lab to see if a student could do the same. Fingers crossed!