Ticking areas in Minecraft realms.

[acoustic hawk]

Hypothetically speaking, would chunks within ticking areas remain loaded in a realm when there are currently no players in the actual realm itself, technically making a real time day counter? I was thinking of creating time based events / rewards, and wondered if realms could possibly provide this.

I've heard that the world in the realm actually shuts off when there are no players online (what's the point of even having one then?) and so I just wanted to confirm that.

If so, then I could just make a ticking area with a scoreboard timer that equates to like, 1 week or something like that.

[grizzled blaze]

As far as I know and from my own experience, the realm is "stopped" if no player is in it in

[acoustic hawk]

Yeah, that's what I thought. That's such a shame really, realms are already overpriced as they are and yet they don't even provide the main function that all Minecraft server hosts have.. That is, 24/7 running time.

[grizzled blaze]

Instead of paying for a Realm you could use a old phone or PC with 3-4 GB of Ram and host a Server on it

[acoustic hawk]

That's what I already do, and with a 32GB RAM PC on top of that.

But of course I can't just run it 24/7, that would just melt my CPU lol

[grizzled blaze]

Then you could buy a server hoster instead of a realm

[acoustic hawk]

Yeah I was about to say that, but there aren't really that many great options on bedrock edition. Most providers for bedrock are bugged beyond redemption

And the few ones that are actually decent aren't really affordable

[grizzled blaze]

You could use a java server with geysermc

[acoustic hawk]

My world is on bedrock tho

[grizzled blaze]

You can probably somehow convert a bedrock world to java world

[acoustic hawk]

Also, I got add-ons in it. I don't think Java would be able to convert that.

The entire server is made exclusively out of add-ons and commands, as most bedrock servers are

[grizzled blaze]

But have does have some good plugins

[acoustic hawk]

The thing is, those famous bedrock servers use their own personal providers.

Which aren't publicly accessible of course

[grizzled blaze]

What add-ons do you use on your world

[acoustic hawk]

Eh, there's some pretty good ones on bedrock as well. To be honest tho plug-ins aren't even my main priority, I just want a server that runs 24/7 lol

[acoustic hawk]

Those that I make myself of course.

[grizzled blaze]

That's what we all want 😂

[acoustic hawk]

Yeah, almost as if that's the entire point of servers lmao

Apparently, the bedrock team is just too oblivious to understand that.

The most efficient way would be to just setup an actual physical server, but I don't have the budget for that nor do i know how to build one.

I also don't want my house to be catching on fire or something

[acoustic hawk]

Holy f * ck, I can use virtual machines

I'm a genius

[tawny ivy]

Since ure using add ons already, u might as well just use Script API
There isnt rly much reason to keep a server open 24/7 when no one is online unless ure running a clock on it — which if u were only using commands, u would need to
But with scripting, u can get the Date and Time of the server, which sorta removes the necessity for this

I cant imagine any reason ud want a server kept online 24/7 wo players online besides for a clock — tho i agree that its stupid asf that they dont stay online when that is lit what u pay them for and a basic commodity

[acoustic hawk]

I don't see how the script API could keep track of the game's ticks in a realm where there are no players online.

[tawny ivy]

It doesnt keep track of it, it lit calls the world time

Script API is super powerful

[acoustic hawk]

Define "world time"

[tawny ivy]

Commands are obsolete if i have and are comfortable w add ons included

[acoustic hawk]

Also, I've already described the reason: time based events.

Like, daily rewards and stuff like that

[tawny ivy]

Honestly, never used it myself, but it doesnt matter what time u grab — as long as ure able to compare the wake time to the close time, u can find out how long its been offline for

[tawny ivy]

Yeah ikik, but like i said if no one is online u dont need to do all that so long as u can call the time directly

Ofc w commands tho i totally get the frustration since it is necessary to run the clock

[acoustic hawk]

Well yeah, I'm afraid the whole reason I'm asking this question is because I don't want to manually do that lol

[acoustic hawk]

Hm. And how is that supposed to work 24/7 without me having to keep the world online all the time?

[tawny ivy]

It doesnt work 24/7 but thats what we’re tryna say; unless ure using commands only, u dont need that, since u can just directly grab and compare the world time

[grizzled blaze]

For a daily reward system it doesn't have to be always loaded

It only has to check for a player if he claimed the daily reward

[acoustic hawk]

And again, that's not what I'm asking. I already know how to do a reward system, I just don't want to turn it on and off manually all the time, every day.

That's like, the whole reason I've opened this thread in the first place

[tawny ivy]

Im just confused on why u need it open while no one is online?
If no one is online to get rewards and such, then why waste the resources?

[acoustic hawk]

I already do that, and it gets pretty tiring after a while.

[acoustic hawk]

Man.. I'm trying my best to not sound rude, but what exactly do you think the point of "daily rewards" is?

I need a system that keeps track of the time 24/7 so that I can automatically calculate whenever a day has passed, or more if needed.

And only a machine that's always running the server can do that

[tawny ivy]

Yeah ik, thats what im saying; Script API can automatically get the world time — u dont need to keep track of a world clock, since u can just grab the world time directly
That is a clock that is already there for u to use, no need to make ur own

[grizzled blaze]

You don't need 24/7 for a daily reward system

[tawny ivy]

When i refer to world time, i mean the irl world time

The ac global time in the world

Script Api is able to grab that

Like i said, i get ur point for commands and i totally feel ur frustration — but since ure already using add ons there isnt any need for all that

Commands are completely obsolete since ure already comfortable using add ons, so its recommended u dont rly fw commands

[acoustic hawk]

It can get the world time even when it's not loaded?

[tawny ivy]

It gets the world time when a player comes online, because now the world is loaded
If a player isnt online, u dont need to get the world time, because there is no one to give the rewards to

Script Api can be used when any player comes online to call the IRL global world time

U now are able to find out how much time has passed since the player was last on the server

Thus, u can grant them the rewards

[acoustic hawk]

Man, I really don't think you understand what I'm trying to say.

The whole point of a counter is that I don't have to manually do that: if there are no players online then the script doesn't run of course, but how is the script supposed to keep track of 24 HOURS if it's not running?

[tawny ivy]

Because it calls the irl world time

[acoustic hawk]

Think of it as a daily login

[tawny ivy]

Thats what im tryna say

[heady forum]

it gets the real life time. You can base your events of of real life time, its way better

[tawny ivy]

It doesnt matter if the realm is online

It gets the irl time

[acoustic hawk]

Hold on, let me get this straight.

[tawny ivy]

If the last time a player logged on is 01/02/2025, and then the current date is 02/02/2025, then a day has passed

That means the player is now illegible for their reward

[heady forum]

https://developer.mozilla.org/de/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date/now

[grizzled blaze]

Brain ain't braining😂

[acoustic hawk]

So, basically this script keeps track of the last time the world went offline, then it compares that time with the current hour in real life?

[tawny ivy]

That is what u can do, yeah

[heady forum]

you shouldnt tho

[tawny ivy]

Thats what i been tryna summarise
U can keep the player’s last logged Date and Time, and then compare it to the current Date and Time when they first relog

[grizzled blaze]

You can use the script I sent for an example you just have to change how to open/use it

[acoustic hawk]

Thing is, I'm not exactly that experienced with the scripting API so that would be kinda difficult for me to implement.

[grizzled blaze]

https://youtu.be/CS7ONoPkibk

That's the video to the example script

[acoustic hawk]

Also, the daily rewards were just an example. What I need fundamentally is something that keeps track of the time so that I can use it with external systems

Just even a simple tag that's applied to the player is enough, I can do the rest with commands since it's a server.

I find the command syntax to be much more comprehensible than the javascript API, since I'm also very experienced with commands myself

[tawny ivy]

If ure looking to do a proper server, id recommend turning to steadily learning script api

Like i said earlier, commands are severely outdated and obsolete nowadays compared to script api, and no proper servers use them anymore outside of small indie developments

[acoustic hawk]

Meh, I realized that I can do most of the things I want to make just using commands and basic behaviors / resources. I've already got an add-on that enhances the vanilla commands to introduce the API into a comprehensible syntax using scoreboards and tags.

Nonetheless, I still use JavaScript to make some of the more complicated stuff, or just things that are impossible to make with commands alone

Also, I am a small indie developer lol.

[tawny ivy]

The script api work flow is infinitely faster and more efficient, and its a lot more performance friendly too

Id defo recommend pivoting towards it and steadily adapting old systems, cus it is just better in every way, shape, and form (im the biggest command advocate, but even i cant help but notice how superior scripts are)

Commands are mostly a statement piece more than anything nowadays; if u choose to use them over scripts its more of a personal challenge than a practical endeavour

Unless ure a poor console player (like i am) and just dont have access to scripts, then ofc commands are great and have lots of capabilities

[acoustic hawk]

I'm aware of that, and I completely agree with you. Which is why I'm slowly starting to learn the basics of JavaScript

As of now, I keep using commands because I have better control over them and can mix them dinamically, compared to the basics of JavaScript that I've learned so far.

They're also much faster to use compared to the API

[acoustic hawk]

Also, before I start using this system: is it the Official or Beta release?

Because if it's the beta one, then hell nah.

[tawny ivy]

Stable

[acoustic hawk]

I'd just be spending the rest of my days updating the syntax constantly

[acoustic hawk]

Thank god

[tawny ivy]

Nth wrong w using beta though generally if ure upkeeping

[grizzled blaze]

It is stable but I don't know if it still works ist a bid older

[tawny ivy]

There is only ever one beta at a time, so dw u wouldnt have to do it for long lmao

[acoustic hawk]

I just don't have the time, nor understanding to keep updating it lol

[tawny ivy]

I feel u

[acoustic hawk]

If it's stable, then chances are it's still working.

[tawny ivy]

Im a scripting beginner so i feel the pressure dw

[acoustic hawk]

Also, I'm pretty sure most of the hive server is still programmed using commands (and plugins for particular features)

[tawny ivy]

No no no, not even close

No official server uses commands

Plugins are also java

[acoustic hawk]

What makes you say that so surely?

[tawny ivy]

Servers use custom server software and scripts and such; they never ever use commands

[acoustic hawk]

Uhm, no. There's plug-ins for bedrock as well, you just need a hosting service

[tawny ivy]

@heady forum ure more knowledgable on the ins and outs of servers; tell em wassup

[heady forum]

they use a custom server software written in php, so no command or no script api

its a modified version of pocketmine as far as I know

[acoustic hawk]

I mean sure, but to say that all of them do is kind of a big assumption.

[tawny ivy]

I thought the scripts part mightve been a little wrong, whoops

[heady forum]

all big server, using commands will not support that big amounts of player

[acoustic hawk]

Kinda depends on how you use them honestly

[tawny ivy]

Commands arent used at all on any official server, that is just an objective fact

[acoustic hawk]

Most big servers consist of several smaller worlds for each gamemode anyways

[heady forum]

yeah, they consist of lots of little smaller servers

[acoustic hawk]

Yep

[heady forum]

you cant really achieve that with commands, as you cant transfer data between worlds, but thats fine for smaller "indie" servers

[acoustic hawk]

I mean.. Not to sound rude again, but says who? Like, if one server used commands you would have no way of knowing that (unless there's some kind of huge leak)

[acoustic hawk]

Oh yeah sure, that's not what I was implying at all.

Of course you can't transfer inventories between worlds using commands, but you can use said commands to make the gamemodes themselves.

[tawny ivy]

Well one reason is, it just doesnt make any sense
Script API is more powerful, and has a better workflow in all ways than using commands — especially in larger teams — so it would be totally redundant to use commands

And trust me, the performance distance is huge between them

Commands cannot handle a fraction of the capacity that scripts and other tools can

The custom server software is essentially a standard staple of all official servers, as jean said

[heady forum]

thats a different level of dedication tho, start of with commands, move to script once your comftorble and wanna make more proffesionall stuff and if you wanna go really big, use custom server software

[acoustic hawk]

Yeah sure, I'm aware of the change in performance that the two have. It's just a normal side effect of having code run directly by the game instead of executing it

[acoustic hawk]

To be fair, I'm pretty positive that I won't make it big enough to handle a huge amount of players: I don't even want to. My server isn't exactly fit for handling too many players, the maps aren't even that big to begin with.

[heady forum]

Yeah no its fine

[acoustic hawk]

The server as a whole is designed for a smaller playerbase, which is the whole reason as of why I'm using commands instead of scripts

I use a copium amount of commands to make pretty much anything, and I can say from experience that it doesn't affect the performance as much as you guys think it does (at least not on a smaller scale)

I see little to no lag whatsoever when I'm playing, expect for some very minor lag spikes that occur periodically.

It's not like I'm running them all at the same time (although some do)

Commands are pretty great if you know how to make workarounds. Although limited, they definitely require much more creativity then just coding premade things in the game so I guess it's also stimulating lol

[tawny ivy]

Its more so ab the quality and context of the commands than the quantity itself
While the quantity ofc makes a difference, it is pretty negligible

Where the big part comes in is what exactly the commands do
Lets say u want to grab the player’s exact coordinates and print them in chat; this would take a lot of performance up since there are s lot of subcommands and data being thrown around for each player

With scripts, this is basically a one line job

[acoustic hawk]

Well to be fair, I did say that I also use an add-on which lets me integrate the API into commands.

So for me, that'd be pretty easy to do with commands as well lol

But yes, I do get what I mean. And I'm not denying that, I'm very much aware of how limiting it can be.

Which again, is why I decided to download this pack.

(Even though I don't use it as much as I should due to the add-on having to be updated everytime Minecraft releases an update) ((yes, it is the beta API))

Anyways, going back to the original argument: I wanted to rent a virtual machine just so I could find a way to host my server, instead of just running it manually.

Simply for the mere fact that it would allow for players to join whenever

[acoustic hawk]

Also, I just realized that this is a very basic system that gives items based on a custom UI system, which is definitely not what I was trying to do so I would have to rewrite the whole system just to do that lol. I think just knowing what component I need to use would be more than enough!

[acoustic hawk]

Like this, much better

Dunno why it's in German, but alas

[acoustic hawk]

This is a preset that gives a player the items based on the daily log-in, so of course that would be easy since all I have to do is change the ID of the items.

Expect that's not what I need at all lol, so yeah..

I mainly just need the script to give the player a tag or scoreboard based on the established time, that's really just it. No one's gonna die if I use a singular command chain to change the state of a few blocks (and even if it does create lag, I'd gain the same results by using exclusively the API since it's the chunk update itself that lags the same)

But even then, it's just a single update. I've already got all of my systems set up, just need to understand how this date thing works.

[acoustic hawk]

This could get pretty confusing pretty fast tho, because what if I want to make a weekly reward instead and the player logs in just a couple of days before the next week starts?

If it actually can do math, then sure. But if it only compares the previous date with the current one to see if they're different, then I'm afraid that's not gonna work.

And what if the user just.. Doesn't log off at all?

Because from what I'm understanding, this component can only compare the time between the last time that the user logged in and the current time. But what if the user just stays in the world during that time? How would it be able to detect it then?

I fear that's the main reason as of why I need a timer.

[grizzled blaze]

You can make a function that checks the time every second or every minute