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Adventures in Minecraft…Pt. 4


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!