Editor's Note by Mapthor
You know, this time last year I was stressing over the anniversary video. Damn, time flies because that felt like yesterday. Anyways, welcome back to The MCME Times. Our server’s anniversary is upon us once more so I want to take this time to thank everyone for their hard work and contribution to MCME over the past year. We could not have gotten this far without you. Whether you're creating music, designing Moria Halls, leading tours, editing videos, or even taking part in jobs as a commoner, your time and dedication is greatly appreciated. Here’s to another year of MCME!

Happy Sailing
Mapthor


Anorien - Lead: @draonic_slayer | In Progress
Report by Draonic_Slayer

3 more weeks of solid progress in Anorien. The village with the watchtower is slowly coming to completion, with several of the houses now being finished, with a few yet to be started. With the complementary field system for Section 6 being nearly fully planned, work can nearly get started on them. Along the road to Harlond the fields are starting the be filled with crops as well. For the main part of Anorien, w0rld and his army of helpers have helped bolster the number of trees available to be used for the forests, and several large oaks have also been made ready for the Firien Woods. Additionally, another project has opened in Anorien. The plain section of land which lay between Osgiliath, the Pelennor and Andrew’s Fort has had a planning revamp with loads of new fields and roads added to it to help jazz it up. aVeryAngryBadger has taken this project up and is looking for help in building it.



Cair Andros – Lead: @Andrewpioneer | In Progress
Report by Andrewpioneer

Jona made some bridge concepts.



Harlond – Lead: @Mershy | In Progress
Report by Mershy

Progress very slow past couple weeks due to Rwyland and I being busy. Some plots are progressing through.



Lond Daer – Lead: @mattlego | In Progress
Report by mattlego

The palace has had major progress with many parts of it being fully ruined and with lots of vegetation being added as well.



Moria – Lead: @DoctorDaom | In Progress
Report by Mershy

Progress is also very slow due to Daom being also busy for a while.






Anniversary Award Winners
Thanks to Iru, you can now view both this year's Award Winners and Nominees, along with every other year's, here!


Become a Donor
Keeping MCME running is not free, every month we have to pay $265 to keep up all our work. Donations help us keep doing what we love and providing you with amazing builds to look at. Donations are not required but greatly accepted, if you want to help us in our feat of rebuilding Middle Earth in Minecraft you can donate here.
Viewing Donation Drive: Community Costs
Our Donors

• SpeakySpack
• bruceboy55
• aylalya
• EllaBellaBingoo
• puddingsenpai
• Exeterkered
• Johnyeric
• Jubo
• PastaBologneseV
• fbokane
• grub1saq
• _IHaveATreeBeard
• Wyattrox03
• Guest
• chipped_cherry
• Anonymous
• junoknight
• D3rr3x
• Auryk

#MCMEdoesnotrunitself



Supercat_14: We finally have a new Guide! Supercat has been helping a lot of new players and did a bunch of minigames/tours in her trial period. Good to see her now in the teal colour and part of the team. Congratulations on being promoted to Guide!
Promotion

_w0rldunder: With the loss of 2 important Foremen who resigned last time, we now got 1 great builder back: w0rldunder! He has been showing he wants to climb the MCME ranks and now got himself Foreman after a nice job. Congratulations w0rld! (what rank next?)
Promotion



1. What keeps you motivated to be on the server and build?
I’d say the people you meet; for instance, I met my boyfriend Sean (Sean_the_O_Sean). He is the very best and I love him! Without MCME we would have never found each other. Separately, the wonderful texture pack is a major bonus, because I frequently experiment with different block combinations and build methods as I hyper-focus on different things like castle battlements, kitchens, furniture, etc. in addition to frequenting other people’s creations for inspiration.

2. What brought you to MCME and how has your stay been?
The classic Node video brought me here in July of 2019, after which I left for about a year, only to return during the start of the pandemic. I got Commoner shortly after in June of 2020. It’s been a strange ride, during my time here I’ve managed to find myself in a few controversies, but it’s been all-around incredible. I learned a passion for stone architecture, met some amazing people, and contributed a few builds to Mainworld. The bulk of my time, however, is dedicated to my personal Freebuild region, nicknamed “The MPire”. It acts as a pseudo-department store, so you can peruse its structures to find a million designs and inspirations for your own creations and projects.

3. Explain to our Euro players what American hours are like.
American hours are when you say things that get you personally pulled aside by Credoo.

4. Who is your favorite Mod and why?
I don’t have a favorite Mod exactly, mostly because I don’t talk to them all that often (hard to believe, I know) but nevertheless I appreciate all the work they put into keeping this server as friendly as possible, even if I don’t entirely agree with some… erm... build restrictions. If I had to choose though, it would come down to Iru, Juno, and Eriol.

5. What’s your greatest aspiration that you hope to achieve on your time on the server?
One of my greatest aspirations is, unlike most, not to become a rank like Artist or Guide, but instead to finish my personal build projects. I consider myself to be a liberated Artist, free to build as I wish. With that being said, I hope to finish my library that I’d been working on for a year now. It alphabetically stores over 700 in-game MCME books on its shelves, as it is the largest MCME library in both size and selection. If you ever find or write a book I’d love to add it to the collection! Additionally, I intend to build Dracula’s castle from Netflix’s Castlevania. Such a build would span the entire 384 new block height limit, so it needs the 1.18 update to be finished in Freebuild. It would serve as my personal residence. Construction on such a project will start soon. That’s “soon” in MCME language of course.

6. What is the meaning of the name? Plz we all wanna know!!!
MPMC1408 is a name I haven’t changed since day one of my Minecraft account creation back in August of 2013. I have written a book on its secret meaning, but it’s a puzzle. So maybe you’ll just have to find that book on the shelves in my library and solve it. Spoilers: it’s not quite worth the effort!

7. Out of all the jokes and memes on the server, which one is your favorite.
I’d probably have to say… the dungeon(s). Those who know… know.

8. If you could change anything on the server, what would it be and how would you change it?
Oh boy do I have a laundry list. I would start by adding weather and time commands like /ptime cycle and /pweather cycle, to give us some more variety and ambiance, maybe instead, make the default time and weather cycle, and allow players to control their own settings. I would also add a /walk command, that gives players slowness, making them take more leisurely strolls through the more scenic parts of Middle Earth with possible varying levels of slowness like /walk 1 or /walk 2, this in conjunction with /rp variant footprints off, causing the texture for footprints to turn clear, making the world more immersive for the people who don’t need the trail, or if people siMPly want a challenge. For donors, I think we also need a /donortag off command, so yellow donor name tags can be turned on or off so they don’t get in the way during screenshots. More donor perks too would be nice, perhaps a /perk boat command similar to the current horse perk

Then for textures, I think rp:h deserves a textured armor stand like the dwarven resource pack, so just placing the skeletal dwarven texture into the human resource pack would allow for more accurate skeletons and stone statues. I also believe the bone texture in the Dwarven resource pack should also appear in the Gondor resource pack, in addition to the siMPle updating of the openable bookshelf texture in rp:h so it fits in with the modern wood design. I also believe the donor sit perk should be adapted to sit on slabs and the cactus chairs so they look more realistic when sitting. A few last notes include adding regeneration on Mainworld, for the Pelargir arena, and if we add a /pvp on mode, that I think would add a fun element to MCME. /pvp on would basically allow you to die by fall damage, lose hunger/eat, and hit people. An aspect should be added that only people in pvp on mode can attack other pvp on people, preventing invincible players. I think the unlocking of bows, crossbows, fishing rods, snowballs, and eggs too would be great, if we make it so they don’t interact with certain things like target blocks or chorus fruit. Those would be my ideas that would vastly iMProve the server, however, I coMPletely understand this would be an absolute sidetrack from our already busy teams. So however wonderful these ideas are, they will likely never actually be iMPlemented.

9. After your time on the server what would you like to be known for?
I am the King of Freebuild and the Librarian of MCME. These titles do practically nothing, however, I feel that I have earned them by living in Freebuild for so long as I build everything under the sun. Additionally, having the largest collection of books the server has ever seen, isn’t exactly nothing, but nevertheless, they are just fun little names. On a slightly more serious note, I know that the days of MPMC1408 are numbered. I hope to be remembered for my major builds, such as the Hazbin Hotel, The Belmont Hold, and the Dracula Castle to-be. I hope people recognize my dedication to detail and accuracy, as I live on through my creations that I have poured 4 months of playtime into. When I was a new Commoner, I explored nearly all of Freebuild, and I am building the things past-me would have loved to stumble upon. Nothing feels better than finding some amazing hidden creation you recognize. So, I do these builds for those adventurous and dedicated commoners. Also because they look f#ckin cool mannnnn! My job on MCME is to build cool sh#t and to look bad#ss doing it.

10. What is your opinion on Minas Aduial, and anything to say about it?
In my opinion, Minas Aduial is ugly, and despite what some people may say, it isn’t a castle. It is however a Disney “castle”. This means it has more aligned with an ornate palace, rather than an actual defendable military fortification. It has terrible tower battlements that offer no additional fields of fire, and their placements are so strange. Oftentimes completely ignoring possible advantageous positions. Not to mention some of it’s towers are just straight up fake. I also think the excessive placement of buttons on every available block just makes the build so chaotic and noisy in addition to the clashing colors of the blue and tan with the white and brown fences. It’s all a mess. I find it sad, because the build location is great for an impenetrable castle, but the builders chose looks over function and it doesn’t even look good. Additionally the interiors are garbage at worst to mediocre at best. It doesn’t get the MP seal of approval and it gets a 2/10. It’s a shame, the rough shape is nice. It could have been a badass gothic castle with some fantasy elements, but any positives are overshadowed by the terrible design choices made. If I wanted to make it better, I’d build a more traditional European style fortification for the first half, then a more gothic palace keep for the second half still separated by the drawbridge. It’s best to balance aesthetics and function, just how it was done historically. I don’t mind some more fantastical elements but they need to be done properly, and Minas Aduial is exhibit A on putting too much fantasy in a “castle”.

11. Anything you wanna say to your fans?
I’m not sure I like the term fans, for I don’t feel as though I have any fans, such a label feels weird, but what I do have are some people who appreciate my work. And to those I say thank you, I pour my heart and soul into all of my projects, and I express myself in many different ways whether it’s absolutely insane meme builds, or more serious builds. And with the utmost sincerity, to all the people of MCME: Keep being amazing. I am glad to have been a part of this wonderful community, and it's incredible to know that even I have left an iMPact, however small, on it.

Interviewer: Soarz9 a.k.a Smores9 a.k.a Snorz9 a.k.a Storez9 a.k.a Soarin a.k.a _Soarz a.k.a Tourz9 a.k.a Chorez9 a.k.a UnderScorez9




This week we have another round of amazing builds and Media posts. We only choose from the best every time, so hard work does pay off. Sometimes it can get competitive and that is what will win a place here. Please give a warm welcome to this Times, winners of this week.

Media Winners
Didn't make captions for each screenshot this week, folks, got a lot of video work to take care of. I also only got the usual two weeks worth of shots this Edition. Last week's shots will be accounted for next edition, no worries. I will say I'm very happy with how many screenshotters we've had contributing to the Media Winners recently. And hey, if your favorite shot didn't make it in, feel free to ask me for some pointers on making it in. Or don't, your choice, lol


Theme Build Winners
(http://imgur.com/a/iQZx2eM)


Looks like the Lore and Question of the Week are missing again! Don't worry, Hover's gonna get that to us as soon as possible. In the meantime, have a riddle.

The Riddle:
Alive as you but without breath,
As cold in my life as in my death;
Never a thirst though I always drink,
Dressed in a mail but never a clink.

Presented by: Soarz9 a.k.a Smores9 a.k.a Snorz9 a.k.a Storez9 a.k.a Soarin a.k.a _Soarz a.k.a Tourz9 a.k.a Chorez9 a.k.a UnderScorez9




You know us, we love sharing our progress and Twitter is the perfect place. Give us a good follow and always have something to look forward to on your daily scroll. Just to spice it up, comment your favorite parts of our builds at MinecraftMiddleEarth (@MCMiddleEarth) | Twitter. You won't be disappointed!

Sometimes you just want to enjoy some quality pictures, we got you covered. Head on over to our Facebook account, try following us there too Minecraft Middle-Earth

It doesn't matter if you just woke up or after a busy day at work; scrolling through Instagram and seeing a cool project you have worked on, or just amazing graphics from your favorite server on your favorite game- MCME's Instagram is the right place to be. Check it out at mcmiddleearth on Instagram, or this perfectly good link to take you straight there.

But of course, the most important and obviously most used social network is of course Planet Minecraft! Be sure to give us a diamond there. It costs nothing! Minecraft Middle Earth Minecraft Server