2269 words / 13 min
Preface
HydCraft is a Minecraft creative-mode server centered on urban construction and railway construction, established on September 1, 2018. This charter is used to define HydCraft's basic positioning, operating principles, and governance structure.
Construction Principles
HydCraft respects normal communication, cooperation, building, and creation among players. The server encourages players to build freely, initiate projects independently, and participate in planning together, while also recognizing that different players vary in time, ability, interests, and degree of participation. As long as server order is not disrupted, other players' normal gameplay is not harmed, and the basic boundaries of the community are not violated, players may in principle decide their own way of building and pace of participation.
HydCraft does not impose a unified construction goal forced by the management, nor does it set official mainline projects or mandatory tasks. Buildings, railways, machinery, cities, landscapes, and other projects are in principle initiated, built, discussed, and advanced by players on their own.
On unoccupied land within the server, or land explicitly reserved for future settlement, players may build freely as long as doing so does not conflict with other people's existing work, public planning, or existing agreements. In principle, the Management Committee does not intervene in players' construction direction, architectural style, project scale, or pace of participation.
The premise of free construction is that it does not infringe on the existing achievements of others. Without permission, no one may damage, demolish, alter, block, obstruct, or occupy another person's existing buildings, roads, railways, stations, machinery structures, reserved space, or other construction achievements. If an impact is caused by misoperation or misunderstanding, the parties involved shall communicate promptly and restore the original state as much as possible.
Matters involving public facilities, public areas, or the scope of other people's construction shall be communicated with relevant parties in advance. This includes but is not limited to trunk railways, public stations, main roads, city access, route reconstruction, public landscapes, and cross-regional projects. In principle, such matters shall only be implemented after a basic consensus has been reached.
The Management Committee follows the principle of non-intervention unless necessary, and is mainly responsible for server operations and maintenance, order maintenance, conflict coordination, and public risk handling. The Committee shall intervene only when there is malicious destruction, long-term land hoarding, serious impact on public areas, clear infringement of other people's achievements, construction disputes that cannot be resolved independently, or significant operational risks.
The server is essentially a social community. Cooperation, planning, and long-term projects among players are built on sustained communication, mutual trust, and shared maintenance. The server encourages players to build together, visit one another, and negotiate jointly on the basis of respecting others' boundaries. Normal gameplay, stable coexistence, and enjoyable participation are the foundation for the server's long-term existence.
Community Governance
HydCraft is primarily composed of players from mainland China. The server's operation, content management, public expression, and dispute handling all take the relevant laws and regulations of mainland China and community stability as their basic boundaries.
HydCraft is not a space for real-world political discussion, nor does it serve to accommodate real-world political expression. Any content that may trigger serious confrontation, damage community unity, affect the server's normal operation, or fail to meet the legal and public-order requirements of mainland China, including but not limited to ideological confrontation, regional disputes, political slogans, and sensitive real-world social controversies, shall not appear in HydCraft.
Players may communicate normally, play together, cooperate on construction, and form project teams. Normal friendships, construction teams, railway teams, city teams, or long-term partner relationships shall not be simply regarded as clique-related problems.
It is prohibited to use cliques to exclude, attack, isolate, besiege, pressure, or manipulate public opinion in ways that affect other players' normal participation in the server. No member may use seniority, position, personal connections, or group relationships to suppress normal opinions, interfere with public discussion, obstruct other people's construction, or influence the Management Committee's independent judgment on disputed matters.
Management System
Management Committee
The Management Committee is the highest governance and decision-making body of the HydCraft server. It is responsible for decision-making, authorization, and supervision concerning the server's systems, long-term direction, season planning, appointment and removal of core positions, major disciplinary actions, resource direction, and long-term maintenance matters.
The Management Committee follows the deliberation principle of consultative discussion and centralized execution. For matters involving the server's direction, the launch of a new season, major version updates, adjustments to core positions, system revisions, penalties, and other issues affecting the server's long-term development, the Management Committee shall fully solicit opinions from the Council of Elders and treat the Council's collective opinion as an important reference and basis for consultation in decision-making.
The Management Committee consists of a Chair, Standing Members, and Advisory Members. The Chair is the guiding role responsible for coordinating the overall deliberations of the Management Committee, collecting members' opinions, confirming meeting conclusions, and representing the Management Committee in promoting the formation of resolutions and explaining them externally. Standing Members are the core members of the Management Committee who actually participate in server decision-making, operational coordination, and execution of affairs. Advisory Members do not assume fixed daily executive duties; they are members who have participated in server development over the long term and are familiar with the server's history and community relationships.
After being appointed, the Server Owner and Deputy Server Owners automatically become Standing Members of the Management Committee. In principle, the Chair of the Management Committee is concurrently held by the Server Owner, but may also be concurrently held by a Standing Member of the Management Committee according to actual circumstances. In principle, Advisory Members shall concurrently be members of the Council of Elders.
Server Owner
The Server Owner is the highest executive person in charge and external representative of the HydCraft server. It is the core role authorized by the Management Committee to be responsible for the server's concrete operation and implementation of resolutions. The Server Owner is responsible for the server's technical operation, resource coordination, major incident handling, external representation, implementation of Management Committee resolutions, and long-term server maintenance.
For matters involving server security, data risks, technical infeasibility, excessive maintenance costs, or potential serious harm to the server's long-term development, the Server Owner has the right to veto or suspend execution at the technical and operational level. When exercising this power, the Server Owner shall explain the reasons to the Management Committee and, where conditions allow, propose an alternative plan.
The Server Owner does not directly replace the Management Committee in making governance decisions. For matters involving the server system, long-term direction, launch of a new season, adjustments to core positions, major disciplinary actions, and similar issues, the Server Owner shall respect the resolutions of the Management Committee and be responsible for converting executable resolutions into concrete execution plans.
When the Server Owner is unable to perform duties or grants temporary authorization, a designated Deputy Server Owner shall act on behalf of part of the Server Owner's duties. During the acting period, the Deputy Server Owner shall prioritize stable server operation and promptly synchronize major matters with the Management Committee.
Deputy Server Owner
Deputy Server Owners are core operational and executive roles of the HydCraft server. They assist the Server Owner in handling server operations, technical maintenance, content development, event organization, player management, announcement communication, map planning, tool development, and other affairs.
Deputy Server Owners may take charge of different areas according to their abilities and actual needs, including but not limited to operations Deputy Server Owner, content Deputy Server Owner, technical Deputy Server Owner, and player affairs Deputy Server Owner. The specific division of responsibilities is proposed by the Server Owner and takes effect after confirmation by the Management Committee.
Within their respective areas of responsibility, Deputy Server Owners have the authority to handle daily affairs and the right to make execution recommendations. Matters involving major server changes, high-risk technical operations, major disciplinary actions, adjustments to core systems, or changes to the long-term direction shall be submitted to the Server Owner or the Management Committee for discussion and confirmation.
Council of Elders
The Council of Elders is an important venue for opinion solicitation in the HydCraft server. It is a standing consultative body composed of long-term active members, veteran members, regular players, and core participants of the server.
The Council of Elders does not directly replace the Management Committee in making formal resolutions. For matters involving the server's direction, the launch of a new season, major version updates, adjustments to core positions, major system revisions, permanent bans, and other issues affecting the server's long-term development, the Management Committee shall in principle fully solicit opinions from the Council of Elders and treat the Council's collective opinion as an important reference and basis for consultation in decision-making.
The Secretariat of the Council of Elders is the standing coordination body of the Management Committee within the Council of Elders. It is responsible for coordinating Council topics, organizing opinion solicitation, summarizing major consensuses and disagreements, and maintaining discussion order. The Secretariat has one Chief Secretary and several Deputy Chief Secretaries. In principle, members of the Secretariat shall be members of the Management Committee.
Members of the Council of Elders are confirmed by the Management Committee based on long-term participation, community contributions, member relationships, and other factors. New members may be recommended by existing Council members, the Server Owner, Deputy Server Owners, or Management Committee members, and may join after discussion by the Council of Elders and approval by the Management Committee.
The Council of Elders has no fixed term. Members who have been unreachable for a long time, seriously damaged community relationships, leaked internal information, maliciously provoked conflict, or violated major server rules may have their Council membership suspended or removed after discussion by the Management Committee. Former members who withdrew or remained inactive for a long time may have their eligibility restored after renewed confirmation by the Management Committee if they resume stable participation in server affairs.
Succession Method
In principle, the server's core institutions do not have fixed transition cycles. Core roles such as Management Committee members, Server Owner, Deputy Server Owners, Chief Secretary of the Council of Elders, and Deputy Chief Secretaries follow a consultative succession system.
When current members are unable to continue performing their duties due to studies, work, real-life affairs, long-term inactivity, or personal willingness, they may voluntarily step down and recommend suitable successors. Successor candidates shall be fully discussed by relevant members, the opinions of the Council of Elders shall be heard, and the appointment shall take effect after confirmation by the Management Committee.
When a core role cannot be fulfilled for a long time, involves serious dereliction of duty, seriously damages community relationships, or when the person's conduct may clearly harm the server's long-term stability, the Management Committee may, after fully soliciting opinions from the Council of Elders, adjust, suspend, or reconfirm the relevant role.
Builder Ranks
The server maintains builder ranks to record each player's level of participation and long-term contribution in construction, while also serving as a reference for identity display and building records. These ranks do not affect any actual in-server permissions, nor are they used as a basis for dispute handling or management decisions.
Rank evaluation considers construction experience, degree of completion, stylistic consistency, and long-term participation as a whole. Cities, architecture, railways, landscapes, interiors, planning, maintenance, and related directions are all within scope; no single standard is used as the sole measure.
Builder ranks are not fixed labels. The Management Committee may adjust them according to a player's long-term status. Players may also proactively submit works or construction records to apply for promotion review. From highest to lowest, the ranks are Chief Architect, Senior Architect, Practicing Architect, and Apprentice Architect.
Chief Architect
A very small number of players whose building level and personal style are the most mature and outstanding on the server. Their works show high completion quality and strong recognizability, and can to some extent represent the server's construction standard. The rank is strictly limited, is not decided by a single work or short-term performance, and is not granted lightly.
Senior Architect
Players who have participated in the server's construction over the long term and delivered steady output in architecture, urban building, railways, or large public projects. They usually have a relatively clear personal style, or have long been responsible for construction areas and public matters of a certain scale.
Practicing Architect
Resident players who are already capable of completing works independently and make up the main body of the server's day-to-day construction. They are not required to have an especially distinctive style, but should possess basic aesthetic judgment and the ability to complete works in harmony with the server's overall environment. Outstanding new players may also be directly promoted to this rank after observation.
Apprentice Architect
New players who join the server begin as Apprentice Architects by default. They may participate in construction freely and can be promoted according to their actual performance after collaborating with others or completing personal works.
Supplementary Provisions
Matters not covered by this charter shall be interpreted and handled by the Management Committee according to the actual circumstances of the community.
This charter may be revised according to the server's operating conditions, changes in player composition, and practical governance experience. Major revisions shall in principle solicit the opinions of the Council of Elders and take effect after confirmation by the Management Committee.
Approved by the Management Committee on November 20, 2023
Updated 6/28/2026, 00:00
2269 words / 13 min