Bug Fixes
First, let’s talk fixes. Items in your hand should no longer activate on a simple right-click, so spawning mobs from spawn eggs, firing fireworks, and similar actions won’t happen accidentally.
These were minor issues, though, because the biggest headache was saving items in chests. Chest contents would occasionally reset with a server restart, and in some cases players simply lost their items—or worse, it created “renewable resources.” Because the bug was so random, tracking down its cause was practically impossible, but…
…the fundamental change is that items are no longer stored in chests at all; instead, they go straight into the database, where all other shop data has always been kept. And that brings us to the positive changes.
Changes for the Better
Now you can sell practically anything in a shop without losing any item data. You can sell, for example, the fireworks mentioned above, and when players buy them they’ll see all attributes in their inventory. The same goes for dyed leather armor, renamed items, or anything with unique properties. This should remain true for future updates, no matter what gets added to the game—unless Mojang or Bukkit surprises us with something that breaks even what shouldn’t break. With an ironic smile: it wouldn’t be the first time.
So what happened to the chests? Simply put, they’re gone—they’re no longer needed. Yes, you read that right. Since everything now lives in the database, there’s no reason to fuss with chests anymore. Shop signs can be placed right next to each other. Plus, any change is saved instantly, so even in the event of an unexpected server crash (which has now been prevented), shop inventories won’t revert to their previous state.
New console messages. Another improvement is notifications about newly created shops. When someone creates a shop, everyone in the [trade] channel will see it. Useful in the long run, though if someone decides to build a shopping mall it might get spammy—just leave the channel with /ch leave trade.
Some newer item names were missing from both the in-game list and the website shop overview. Now every item name should be present, including those coming in version 1.5.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back?
This isn’t about an alcoholic’s walk home; it’s just the usual phenomenon that accompanies these updates. In other words, expect that these fixes and new features may introduce hidden bugs that weren’t caught during testing. Reminder: any bugs you find must be reported immediately. If someone knowingly abuses a bug, it’s a serious rule violation, and they can expect the same fate that has befallen many before…
Finally…
This update isn’t the end of shop improvements—it’s just another milestone—but the music of the future will play another day. Right now there are still other bugs and new features with higher priority. There’s always something to look forward to—and for once, I’m looking forward to the first shops selling fun pyrotechnics…
…yours, Jonathan Gecko ;)