Pype Ware GmbH ran HorstBlocks.de, a German Minecraft network focused around the Citybuild gamemode. I was responsible for implementing most of the content on the network. I also worked on backend sytems, infrastructure, bugs, systems administration and customer support.
I was originally hired to update the network from Minecraft 1.12.2 to Minecraft 1.16. Due to technical reason it was decided to completely rewrite the network from the ground up, which meant rewriting a lot of essential systems and figuring out how to setup the new infrastructure. I setup new servers, created a flexible core framework, rewrote the plugins and migrated old data to new databases. The new 1.16 content was publicly tested and after a few weeks of bugfixing it was rolled out to the entire network.
Key systems I want to highlight:
Player Data Sync: A flexible system for sharing all kinds of player data across all servers in the network. This included items, health, money and other things. The system came with a detailed log viewer which allowed admins to see what exactly a player was doing at all times.
Map sync: Helped create a system that synchronized maps across all servers in the network. This was done using Mixins to hook directly into the server code. The maps where stored in a MongoDB database and loaded dynamically when needed.
Server Orchestration Service: Created a Docker-based service where players could rent private servers which would then be provisioned on the machines. The servers came with a feature rich administration panel for the renters.
Jobs: A distributed plugin where players could create so-called jobs, which were basically buy/sell orders of specific items. This allowed players to earn ingame money by filling the orders of other players. The jobs would instantly update when progress was made and used a complex Redis backend.
Plugin Sync: Backend system for syncing plugins and config files to all servers based on flexible templates. Plugins were built using a GitHub runner and would then be distributed to all servers on the next shutdown.
Item Price: Backend service for determining the values of ingame items based on configurable formulas. Players could view the price history ingame using charts.
I worked at Pype Ware GmbH for three years.
