Can one edit their FTB Server save files using MCEdit or something similar?

[hotmaildotcom1]

So I have hosted countless vanilla servers before, and edited them down to the last detail. I added pluggins as well with no issues and I'm sure this doesn't impress anyone, I am just establishing a basis of my knowledge.

For the last day or so I have been absolutely struggling with trying to either:
1: get pluggins on my server so that I can install world edit
2: successfully use MCEdit on my level.dat file and achieve any results what-so-ever
3: find any other alternative to import a building into my ftb monster server from a previous vanilla server.

My research trenched up something called Cauldron. This used to be called MCPC+. While I can download it in my windows environment just fine, the download links aren't working for my in my linux terminal based server that the ftb server is running on. I feel there must be an easier way than this anyways. I feel like MCEdit is the right tool and that Im just using it the wrong way, or missing additional files that I also need to edit.

When I use MCEdit to try and edit the level.dat file, the file opens just fine. The world is indeed my world and ,minus some abnormalities, is exactly how I had left it when I last stopped the server. I then backup the level.dat. Edit the level.dat, and replace the pre-existing level.dat with the new "editted" one.When I launch the server the level is exactly the same as it was previously.

If anyone could be of any help at all I would be very grateful. I am trying to establish a good knowledge of the workings of these things so that I can open my server to a small public group. I just need some guidance and teaching lol. Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Narc]

Cauldron would let you install WorldEdit, if you can figure out how to get it working, as well as other bukkit plugins that might be useful. It would be the right direction for the long term, especially for a public or semi-public server.

Short term, though, the steps you say you've taken to try using MCEdit to edit the world feature an interesting apparent misunderstanding: level.dat does not contain the world; the region folder has files that contain the actual blocks in the overworld -- level.dat just hints to where the rest of the world is. If you really are saving your edited world somewhere else, and copying only level.dat back into the server world, you're not actually changing anything (except, perhaps, for the world spawn point).

 

[hotmaildotcom1]

Thank you for you quick response.

I'm still today working on the Cauldron project, to no avail. It will come with time I'm sure.
As far as MCEdit is concerned though, I have poked through the region folder with no results. What file or files would actually be useful for me to be modifying? I'm sure that my misunderstanding of the situation is still apparent but I can't think of a better community to help out.

Thank you again for all your help

 

[YX33A]

So I have hosted countless vanilla servers before, and edited them down to the last detail. I added pluggins as well with no issues and I'm sure this doesn't impress anyone, I am just establishing a basis of my knowledge.~snip~

You might be surprised. I'm impressed, because people far too often can barely edit CFG files and rarely know they exist, and you seem to know your shit.

 

[Kirameki]

Thank you for you quick response.

I'm still today working on the Cauldron project, to no avail. It will come with time I'm sure.
As far as MCEdit is concerned though, I have poked through the region folder with no results. What file or files would actually be useful for me to be modifying? I'm sure that my misunderstanding of the situation is still apparent but I can't think of a better community to help out.

Thank you again for all your help

http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Level_Format
The above link may be of use to you in helping you understand how Minecraft stores your world. I don't know exactly what you're trying to change, but actual world data (blocks, tile entities, etc.) are stored in the region files. Level.dat basically says "here are the parameters for how to generate this world and the rules governing it."

 

[Narc]

As far as MCEdit is concerned though, I have poked through the region folder with no results. What file or files would actually be useful for me to be modifying? I'm sure that my misunderstanding of the situation is still apparent but I can't think of a better community to help out.

When you open the level.dat, MCEdit understands to open the region folder associated with it. When you save, MCEdit writes everything associated with the level.dat you opened, including the regions. In fact, MCEdit's primary reason for existing is to give you a way to visually edit what's in the region files. So if nothing changed on the server when you edited its map, I'm guessing it's because you're not editing the world on the server because you copied it out to some other working location. Copy the world back. Including the regions.

For a general overview, @Kirameki's link to the Minecraft wiki looks helpful and worth a read. Good stuff!

 

[hotmaildotcom1]

I had indeed left out all of the region files when I made the copy. When I would open the modified level.dat, MCEdit would show me the edited world. I now know why. I will attempt to copy the region files as well as the level.dat and see what I can do. Thank you guys again for all your help.