Frequently asked questions

The builds #

Where do the buildings come from? #

From OpenStreetMap, the free map that anyone can edit. Blocktown builds what is mapped there: streets, building footprints with their height or floors, parks, water and trees. Coordinates can come from any map app, Google Maps included, but the buildings always come from OpenStreetMap.

Why does my place look empty? #

Because little of it is mapped. Big city centres are mapped in detail; small towns and new neighbourhoods often have streets but few buildings, or buildings without a height (those get a height from their type: a house has two floors, an office block four). You can add what is missing at openstreetmap.org, and the next build of that place picks it up.

How big can a square be? #

From 16 to 64 blocks a side on Free; one block is one metre, so 64 covers a city square or a street corner. Pro, coming soon, goes up to 1,024.

What happens to what was there? #

Everything inside the square and its 4-block border is replaced, from three blocks below street level (the block under your feet) up: to six blocks above the tallest new building, or to the highest block already there if that is higher, so no hilltop, tree or floating island is left hanging over the build. Outside it, nothing changes. Try it in a test world first, and keep undo: true.

Can I undo a build? #

Yes, the last one in each world: /blocktown undo puts back every block it replaced or cleared, also for a build stopped halfway. The blocks are kept until the next build in that world, even across restarts. What chests, signs and other blocks with contents held comes back too, as long as the server has not restarted since the build: the server can keep those contents in memory only.

Will the server lag? #

The build goes in a few thousand blocks per tick (blocks-per-tick), so players keep playing while it runs. Lower the number if your server is small.

Are there hills? #

Not on Free: every build is flat, at the height of the block under your feet. Real hills and valleys come with Pro.

Do the buildings have insides? #

They are hollow, with a floor every three blocks and windows in the walls, so you can walk in and build rooms. Furniture and stairs are up to you.

Does it work for Bedrock players? #

Players who join a Java server through Geyser see the build like everyone else: it is made of ordinary blocks.

The plugin #

Do I need WorldEdit? #

No. Blocktown places the blocks itself. WorldEdit can stay installed; they do not get in each other's way.

What does it send, and to whom? #

Each build asks one OpenStreetMap Overpass server for the map of one square: the request carries the square's corners and the plugin's name and version, from your server's address, and nothing about your players. The servers are listed in map-data.servers; if one is busy, the next is tried. Blocktown also sends us an anonymous usage report once an hour (versions and player counts, never player names or the places you build; telemetry.enabled: false turns it off, and /blocktown telemetry shows the exact data of the last report). See the privacy policy.

What if the map does not load? #

The map servers are sometimes busy. Blocktown tries each server in map-data.servers in turn and, if none answers, says so in chat; try again in a minute. A failed download does not count as a build.

Why is there a daily limit? #

The map data comes from public Overpass servers that volunteers and companies run for free, and they ask everyone to keep their use light. Three builds a day per server keeps Blocktown free for everyone. The count starts again at midnight, server time. Pro, coming soon, has no daily limit.

Can I use the build on a public server, or in a video? #

Yes. The map data is under the Open Database License, which asks for credit: show "Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors" somewhere players or viewers can see it, such as a sign at spawn or your video's description.