I recently purchase minecraft. I haven't played it too much yet. I was wondering what servers you play on? I'm kind of leery about playing on some random server and will probably just play solo for now.

To add to what Thomas said, if you type the address of the vanilla server into your browser, you will get the world map. I haven't tried it with the tekkit server address.

If you're new, then a few mods might make life easier for you:

1. modloader (you need this for all other mods - it just allows them to be loaded)
2. rei's minimap (a proper map of the world)
3. optifine (loads more graphical tweaks like clear water, mipmapping, and supports HD textures - I'd recommend sphax texture)
4. too many items (for when you are playing off-line) allows you to have a better creative mode, toggle times of the day, etc)

Just google them and the search will take you to the unofficial minecraft forum.

Wow, what an amazing server. You guys have been busy! ...

I'm so new to this, I don't know how many times I rebuild a wall due to exploding creepers.

I have a small residence in the side of a mountain for now. (says "Roy Residence" on a sign at the door ). I haven't looked up recipes yet, been fun trying to figure them out on my own.

I'll probably have to move as it isn't far away from the spawn (a hill near a beach).

Ah, yeah, I seen that, I'll have to check it out. At one point I was standing on a pyramid someone made, I littered it with torches because I was out at night with no home yet. Then I found the entrance to it and cowered inside.

I died at one spot underground, fell too far, everything I had should still be strewn about I think. I just remade it all, I haven't a clue where it was I fell.

I think my lava spire isn't as impressive as my 4 story castle with farm on the old server, but didn't spawn near any high mountains. Now have to find a new place to dig because everyone has built around me and dug so my massive underground house isn't so massive due to every one's tunnels around mine . Will get on later and go exploring for a second home locale to build on.

Think it is a new server.....not sure though. Here is the map thus far http://mc.tomasu.org/#/-12040/64/4536/-10/0/0

Would love to have an island like this all to myself to do some kind of massive build
http://mc.tomasu.org/#/4446/64/-6278/-3/0/0

Could my son join the server, he keeps pestering me to let him join a minecraft server that is run by somebody I know so he can join in? he's only 6 but he knows the rules for minecraft multi-player and doesn't grief or encroach on land. He knows absolutely every single thing about every block type and how to make everything from electric sticky-piston doors to automated farmers and mob traps, more than I do, tbh

We've already got some pretty young kids on the server. Feel free to let him join

You people and your free time.

Wow, I died too far far from spawn, lost everything... starting to regret buying this.

I made a bed, just not where I was. And I used a boat to get there so... no way I could get back, plus the sun was setting just to add to the fun. I think maybe I'll stick to programming. Maybe give that game another go another day. I guess you have to carry a bed around with you or something.

If your stuff dropped far away from where you respawn, you actually have tons of time to get your stuff back, as the area it's in will have been unloaded from memory. The five minute limit won't be imposed until it gets loaded back again when a player enters the chunk. Just hope that nobody else happens to go there.

Just one isn't much help, as you need to carry it on you to redeploy each night. Then when you reclaim it the next morning, you have nowhere to respawn to. It's best just to be very cautious when exploring new territory. Or, do what I do and wear a full set of diamond armour with each of the various resistances on the items.