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Create Your First Structure

Welcome! In this tutorial, we will build a very simple Magic Altar. It will be a flat, 3x3 structure. When a player completes it and interacts with the center, it will send them a congratulatory message and launch some fireworks.

By the end of this guide, you will understand the basics of creating and loading any structure.

Step 1: Create the File​

All structures are loaded from the structures folder. Navigate to your plugin's structures folder and create a new file named magic_altar.yml.

Open the file in your favorite text editor (like VSCode or Notepad++).

Step 2: The Basics​

Let's start by defining the core properties of our structure. Copy and paste this into your new file:

magic_altar:
  name: "Magic Altar"
  check-block: DIAMOND_BLOCK
  orientation: false
  • magic_altar: This is the unique internal key for your structure.
  • name: The display name.
  • check-block: The block the player must Shift + Right Click to activate it. We are using a Diamond Block.
  • orientation: false Our altar will be symmetric, so the direction the player builds it doesn't matter.

Step 3: Draw the Blueprint (Layout)​

Now we need to tell the plugin what the structure looks like. We will do this using the layout section.

Add this right below the basics:

  layout:
    levels:
      level0:
        level: 0
        type: STANDARD
        checkers:
          types:
            D: DIAMOND_BLOCK
            G: GOLD_BLOCK
          main:
            - "G*G"
            - "*D*"
            - "G*G"

What did we just do?​

  • level: 0: We are building on the ground level (no underground or raised blocks for now).
  • types: We created a legend. D stands for a Diamond Block, and G stands for a Gold Block.
  • main: This is the 3x3 grid!
    • The corners are Gold Blocks (G).
    • The center is our Diamond Block (D), which is also our check-block.
    • The * symbol represents any ignored block (or air), so players don't have to fill those spots.

Step 4: Add Some Magic (Options)​

A structure isn't very fun if nothing happens when you build it! Let's use the options section to add a chat message and some fireworks.

Add this section below orientation (and above layout):

  options:
    notify:
      message: "<white>You have awakened the <aqua>Magic Altar<white>!"
    fireworks:
      type: RANDOM
      amount: 3
      power: 2

The Complete Code​

If you followed the steps, your magic_altar.yml file should look exactly like this:

magic_altar:
  name: "Magic Altar"
  check-block: DIAMOND_BLOCK
  orientation: false
  options:
    notify:
      message: "<white>You have awakened the <aqua>Magic Altar<white>!"
    fireworks:
      type: RANDOM
      amount: 3
      power: 2
  layout:
    levels:
      level0:
        level: 0
        type: STANDARD
        checkers:
          types:
            D: DIAMOND_BLOCK
            G: GOLD_BLOCK
          main:
            - "G*G"
            - "*D*"
            - "G*G"

Save your file!

Step 5: Test it In-Game!​

  1. Restart your server or reload the plugin to load your new magic_altar.yml file.
  2. Go in-game and grab 4 Gold Blocks and 1 Diamond Block.
  3. Place them on the ground to match the 3x3 shape: Gold in the corners, Diamond in the exact center.
  4. Sneak (Shift) and Right-Click the Diamond Block in the center.

Boom! If you built it correctly, you should see your chat message and fireworks going off in the sky!

🎉 Congratulations! You have successfully created your first structure!