 | |
| Video game | |
| Minecraft Middle-Earth | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Developer | Mojang |
| Platform | PC |
| Release Date | 10 October 2010 |
| Genre | Sandbox |
Minecraft Middle Earth (MCME) is a Minecraft build server recreating the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Founded by q220 on 10 October 2010, it is one of the longest running Minecraft building communities and has been called one of the “best Minecraft servers” according to the PCGamesNMagazine. The map is 29,000 by 30,000 blocks. This makes an area of 870 square kilometers - the same size as Berlin, Dallas, or Fort Worth in Texas!
History
A couple of weeks after Minecraft implemented the Multiplayer functionality, discussions popped up on the Minecraft forums of creating middle-earth inside the game. The original idea for MCME came from that post. The project was founded by a group of players in 2010, who dreamed of re-creating Middle-earth in Minecraft. Their objective is to build the whole of Middle-earth as a community all while remaining as accessible as possible. Therefore MCME does not use any mods. Another important consideration early on, was the time at which the server should be set, after deliberation by the community, it was decided to set it to 22 September, Bilbo’s 111th birthday T.A. 3001.
Given its popularity and shallow learning curve, Minecraft was a good medium in which to work. In the server’s early days, players had to apply in order to join the server, as there were no tools that protected builds. The project started on a vanilla world and players had to flatten and build all of the terrain by hand. Along with the multiplayer Minecraft community, MCME evolved to include world protection and terrain editing plugins. However, given the limitations of the game, it was hard to create realistic builds. MCME’s commitment to accessibility meant that there were certain limitations that they could not overcome by modding game files. While MCME used resource packs (RP) from the beginning, changing textures in order to more closely resemble the aesthetic needed, this would not allow for new blocks to be added to the game. Clever workarounds, like splitting the map into different RP regions and using different block states, had to be developed, making the server infrastructure behind the build project an impressive project in itself. MCME currently maintains five resource packs to cover styles such as, Dwarven, Human, Elven, Mordor and Rohan.
The project is not affiliated to Minecraft, Mojangor Microsoftin any way. MCME is a non-commercial, volunteer based online group of Lord of the Rings enthusiasts who enjoy building Tolkien's world in Minecraft. The project is funded by Donationsand does not generate any profits.
Current Organization
Minecraft Middle Earth aims to recreate J.R.R. Tolkien’s world in Minecraft. They do this by organizing themselves in groups, such as Guides, Builders, etc. Comprehensive research is effectuated, which concludes into a planning document that gets posted and updated on the forums. The server has a very experienced group of build staff members who set up jobs where everyone can help, plots that are assigned or claimed individually or with friends, and build events like build days, where the whole community comes together to work on one area. Builds are inspired by various interpretations such as the movies and real life information and architecture, but always refer back to the books wherever possible. Other details are added to the world to help explorers feel more immersed. For instance, the project has its own soundtrack, composed by volunteers. Additionally there are tours and minigames each week and many community driven events during the year.
As of 2024, MCME has been presented at the German Tolkien Society's Tolkien Days Convention three times.
Progress
Regions and locations which have been completed as of May 2025 include, Minas Tirith, The Shire, Rivendell, Rohan, Lothlórien, Isengard, Dol Amroth, Pelargir, Osgiliath, Paths of the Dead and Lond Daer Enedh. Currently there are many projects underway. These include, but are not limited to, Mordor, Linhir, Gladden Fields, Anórien, Emyn Muil, and Moria.
Participation
You can participate by, building in a job where you are supervised by a Foreman, building on a plot, or you can practice your building on a biweekly theme plot, using /theme. Additionally you can apply for roles such as Artist, to build more, Guide, to host tours and minigames, and lots more. There are many other background teams that develop and maintain the server. These include, a Media team, a monthly magazine team and RP developers.
At the moment the server is explicitly for Java Edition and is on version 1.21.4. The server IP is build.mcmiddleearth.com. You do not need any mods to join, simply toggle server resource packs to enabled and there you go!