Minecraft server issues cause impromptu free-to-play weekend

by Griffin McElroy on Sep 19th 2010 1:00PM

If the latest Penny Arcade strip filled you with an interest/mortal fear of Markus Persson's indie sandbox title Minecraft, you'll be pleased to learn that the game is free to check out today (and possibly even a bit longer). On the game's official site, Persson reported, "Minecraft got way too popular for this humble server," leading him to temporarily shut down a few of the game's online services. Luckily for us spendthrifts, Persson decided to institute "a 'free-to-play weekend', or however long this will take to fix."

You'll have to purchase the game and register a new account once things get back up and running, but this seems like a pretty great chance to see what the game's all about without paying for it up front. That is, if you couldn't suss out from the title that it mostly focuses on mining, and then crafting.

Via: Big Download
Source: Minecraft

Tags: free-to-play, markus-persson, Minecraft, online, pc

Reader Comments (39)

It should be noted that along with the minecraft.net website having problems we are too (forum and wiki). While the wiki remains accessible, it's very slow and the forum is close to inaccessible 90% of the time, hopefully we can fix these issues. This might be a problem for newer players as the game can be quite daunting at first, the wiki is the resource most players rely on and with it offline.. well :(

Apparently the friday Penny Arcade comic got a shitton of people to check out the game. Bet Notch is pleased overall though.

@zerokku Yeah, sales went from 5k a day to 7k. I made some fancy graphs of sales here: http://m00d.net/minecraft/sales/ they don't update right now because minecraft.net is offline (doesn't report sales any more) but you can see the last day I have charted they shot up a huge amount, that was down to minecraft on penny arcade :-D

@zerokku But in all seriousness; what can you turn the stick into??

@citricsquid
The game's really a time sucker, how many games cause you to brag to your friends about how deep your mine is?! Haha

@Pure Black World Tendency
It's basically just a piece to make weapons/tools.

@Pure Black World Tendency
Off the top of my head: Torches, Axes, Pickaxes, Shovels, Swords, hoes, fishing rod, bow, arrows, fences, signs, minecart tracks, ladders, levers, redstone lights, and paintings.

So, it pretty much only makes everything.

@Pure Black World Tendency

It only does everything

@Pure Black World Tendency

In the context of Penny Arcade, I'm sure Gabe was thinking about wangs. Wangs everywhere.

If I purchase this game, is single player free to play and multiplayer pay to play?

Or do you have to subscribe to play the game regardless?

It looks fun, but I don't want to have to subscribe for single player.

@NeoCloud Classic mode is free for anyone (it's called creative) in either single player or multipler, Survival mode (currently referred to as "Minecraft Alpha") is paid for both singleplayer and multiplayer BUT as the article states you can play it for free this weekend while Notch fixes the site.

currently you can play survival and you don't have to pay anything, but once the site is fixed it'll go back to costing 10 euros.

@NeoCloud You only have to pay one time (once you have to pay again, anyway).

@NeoCloud - Watch out for the enemies that come out at night. The first time I played, I got raped by a spider.

@NeoCloud

To be extra-clear: Minecraft isn't a subscription. Minecraft is a one-time purchase.

I don't know why but this game just looks god awful boring. Is there a free trial or something I could do?

@StrikeFear13 Did you read the article? It's free right now, you can play as much as you like.

@StrikeFear13

Someone didn't read the article....

@StrikeFear13

Except you don't even have to read the article, only the title of it, which you had to click anyways to get to the comment section

In short, you're either blind as a bat, or stupid.

@StrikeFear13

It has nothing to do with getting "wound up".

You commented on an article talking about how the game was free to play for a short time asking if there was a free trial to the game.

I am pretty sure you are getting a lot more wound up then I am.

I can't grasp the conept of this game.

I once saw a youtube video of a mine cart going through a giant course inside caves, mountais, it was awesome, but I didn't quite get it.

Maybe it's because I never played it? Gotta try!

@Ashkental The concept is simple:

You can mine/harvest/dig/chop/kill things and end up with raw materials from them. You combine the materials into other things like tools (pickaxe, axe, shovel) and eventually get a little more complicated with glass and such. You can hollow out caves and mine ore (for iron, gold, etc) and make fortresses, 1 block at a time.

The survival mode adds zombies and skeletons and spiders that attack at night, so you need to spend some of your time on protection, and some on expanding what you have.

The game is really, really simple. Yet it's amazingly addictive.

If you want a better idea of the game without playing, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VWnQHS-ffs was a good video. (If a bit slow.)

@WC Actually, that isn't the video I originally saw... This one is not as boring as that one. :)

@Ashkental Minecraft will not hold your hand or change your diaper.

I read the article just fine, thank you. I meant in general. I don't have time to play it this instant.

@StrikeFear13

"Classic mode is free for anyone (it's called creative) in either single player or multipler, Survival mode (currently referred to as "Minecraft Alpha") is paid for both singleplayer and multiplayer BUT as the article states you can play it for free this weekend while Notch fixes the site.

currently you can play survival and you don't have to pay anything, but once the site is fixed it'll go back to costing 10 euros. "

Posted just 2 minutes before your comment.

@sonicspike41

Yeah, I already had the comment open to post. Didn't see that. Thanks.

If you are at all interested in what this game is like without actually playing yourself you owe it to yourself to read this EPIC playthrough on RPS. Really well written and funny and probably also part of the massive increase in sales for the game:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/mine-the-gap/

EPIC I tell ya!

I can't play this game anymore now that it was mentioned by the steaming pile of shit that is Penny Arcade.

@UseSplash

I agree. A shame that your webcomic doesn't get the recognition that PA does, you're so much more witty and insightful.

....waitaminute, you're just some boring asshole!

@ThePenIsMightier

I guess by that logic you can't judge any video game as bad. Since you don't have one.

@UseSplash Use more Splash Attack. I think it's working...

@Cleric

I don't? Shit, what else haven't I done that I thought I did?

No wonder you're spending so much time posting on a website, your career as a psychic failed. "Hmm....I am an unfunny untalented asshole posting here, ergo so is everyone else!"

Seriously though:did I miss the "mentioned by Penny Arcade patch"? I haven't booted it up in a few weeks so I don't know what updates and changes were made to the game specifically from being mentioned by PA to ruin it. Enlighten me!

I bought this game for 12$. I get all the expansions and updates for free.
You guys should hop on it while it's still in Alpha, it's going to be an amazing game when it finishes (And the guy quit his job to do this, so massive respect).

I tried it. I dunno if I can get into this one :/

More power to you guys though, if you enjoy it, then run with it :).

The people who make MInecraft probably owe something to Seananners and Pyropuncher, who have generated a shit-ton of publicity for this great game.

I am sorry to anyone that tries out this game.

You will be lost in it for, at the very least, a week. I've been addicted for a few days now.

I didn't make my fire.

I died.

Must...keep...DIGGING!

Does anyone know how to play multiplayer?

I've been working my way down a list of servers (http://servers.minecraftforum.net/) for about 20 minutes now and they're all either

1. Full
2. Connection Times Out
3. Kicked by Admin before even entering the game world
4. "Not on Whitelist"

Some free weekend this is.

@slickie Those servers are hosted by average joe's. You want a server? Make one. Or dig around your favorite game forums and see if anyone else has made one.

Minecraft

Minecraft server issues cause impromptu free-to-play weekend

Reader Comments (39)

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:08PM citricsquid said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:10PM zerokku said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:28PM citricsquid said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:29PM Pure Black World Tendency said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 3:33PM Crimsic said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 6:28PM Crimsic said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 7:14PM Magetto said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 7:53PM Crayola Q Pants ESQ said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 11:11PM zerokku said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:27PM NeoCloud said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:30PM citricsquid said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:34PM Benjamin said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 3:01PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 4:53PM Arashikou said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:32PM StrikeFear13 said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:34PM Benjamin said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:36PM Huey2k2 said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:12PM zerokku said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:17PM Huey2k2 said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:35PM Ashkental said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:12PM WC said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:13PM WC said

Posted: Sep 20th 2010 12:32PM BigD145 said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:38PM StrikeFear13 said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 1:57PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:02PM StrikeFear13 said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:11PM Fillem said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:18PM UseSplash said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 8:00PM ThePenIsMightier said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 9:45PM Cleric said

Posted: Sep 20th 2010 12:33PM BigD145 said

Posted: Sep 20th 2010 5:11PM ThePenIsMightier said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:45PM Special Agent Steve said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 2:56PM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 3:40PM Rob Liv said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 4:18PM Fo0dNippl3 said

Posted: Sep 19th 2010 7:28PM CaptainProtonX said

Posted: Sep 20th 2010 12:12AM slickie said

Posted: Sep 20th 2010 12:35PM BigD145 said

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