Better MOTD

Optimization

- Reduced final plugin jar size by removing unused bundled logo asset. - Excluded development-only config schema from runtime jars. - Removed Maven metadata from packaged jars. - Cached preset weight totals to reduce work during server-list pings. - Cached static hover lines when they do not contain placeholders. - Avoided building preset selection debug reason strings during normal ping handling. Full Changelog: https://github.com/AREKKUZZERA/Better-MOTD/compare/1.8.1.…

Fixed

* Fixed max online calculation: fake/random online no longer affects the maximum player count. * justXMore now calculates max based on real online players instead of fake online. * Fake online is limited by the calculated max, so the server status no longer shows online higher than max. Full Changelog: https://github.com/AREKKUZZERA/Better-MOTD/compare/1.8.0.…

Changed

* Removed the public animation/motdFrames logic from the config and schema. * Old motdFrames are kept as legacy and now load as separate presets.

Fixed

* Fixed fakePlayers.random: it now actually randomizes correctly and properly handles ranges. * Fixed colors in hoverLines: strings are now parsed as MiniMessage/legacy format and sent to hover with colors preserved. * Fixed sticky-state synchronization so old IP records no longer break the limit logic.

Changed

- Updated plugin target to Minecraft/Paper 26.1 - 26.1.2. - Set plugin.yml api-version to 26.1 so 26.1, 26.1.1, and 26.1.2 can load it. - Switched build baseline to Java 25 and Paper API 26.1.1.build.29-alpha. - Fixed Java null-safety warnings in preview address handling and default icon resource loading.

Added

- MiniMOTD config import command: /bettermotd import minimotd [path]. - Maintenance mode with separate server-list profile and join gate. - Maintenance bypass permission: bettermotd.maintenance.bypass. - Custom Paper hover/sample player lines via playerCount.hoverLines. - Preset conditions by hostname, protocol version, and online player count. - Random icon pool per preset via icons: [...]. - Optional PlaceholderAPI support through placeholderAPI.enabled.

Changed

- Version is controlled from pom.xml; plugin.yml uses Maven resource filtering with ${project.version}. - Default config.yml now documents the new features while keeping risky options disabled by default. - config.schema.json now covers maintenance, PlaceholderAPI, hover lines, random icons, and preset conditions. - README updated with current commands and production notes.

Fixed

- Rejected unsafe icon paths such as absolute paths, parent-directory traversal, and non-PNG files. - Removed static-analysis warning around optional maxPlayers config parsing. Full Changelog: https://github.com/AREKKUZZERA/Better-MOTD/compare/1.6.0.…

Fixes

- Fixed PER_IP_STICKY animation (frames are now truly stable per IP) - Fixed weightedRandom(...) seed behavior - Fixed edge cases in sticky state cleanup - Fixed single-line MOTD normalization

Improvements

- Removed reflection from Paper integration (faster and cleaner) - Improved random generation using SplittableRandom - Optimized MOTD rendering and placeholder handling - Reduced allocations and unnecessary processing

Cleanup

- Removed unused code and constants - Simplified internal logic across multiple services

Notes

- Fully compatible with Paper 1.21.x - No config changes required

1.5.0 - Stability & Build Refinement Update

This release focuses on build stability, runtime efficiency, and internal code cleanup. BetterMOTD is now fully formatted, warning-free, and optimized for production environments. ---

Performance Improvements

* Removed redundant operations in preset selection logic * Optimized weighted random selection * Improved sticky state maintenance efficiency * Reduced allocations in the server list ping hot path * Zero compiler warnings under -Xlint:all ---

MOTD Rendering Enhancements

* Static MOTD frames without placeholders are fully cached as parsed Components * Placeholder frames are only parsed when necessary * Improved formatting fallback detection and safety * Cleaner and more predictable frame resolution logic ---

Codebase Cleanup

* Removed redundant (int) casts and minor inefficiencies * Simplified preset cache rebuild logic * Cleaned up legacy branches and deprecated patterns * Fully spotless-compliant codebase (Palantir Java Format) * Improved internal logging clarity ---

Build & Tooling

* Java 21 enforced build * Updated maven-compiler-plugin (3.13.0) * Spotless formatting enforced (spotless:check) * JUnit 5.11.3 test suite verified * Clean mvn clean verify pipeline * Production-ready JAR output ---

Stability

* All unit tests passing * Verified reload stability * Improved exception reporting behavior * More deterministic preset selection behavior

1.4.0 - Performance & Cleanup Update

This release focuses on performance, stability, and simplifying the plugin configuration. Several experimental features were removed to make BetterMOTD cleaner, faster, and easier to maintain. ---

Performance

* Cached MOTD frame rendering for frames without placeholders * Optimized placeholder replacement with a single-pass renderer * Reduced server list ping overhead and allocations * Improved stability under high ping load ---

Cleanup & Simplification

* Removed all whitelist-related features and configuration * Removed hostname / virtual host routing * Simplified MOTD rendering and profile selection logic * Reduced internal complexity and removed unused code paths ---

Icon Handling

* Default icon is always created and loaded * Missing or invalid preset icons safely fall back to icons/default.png * Improved handling of icon-related warnings ---

Configuration Changes (Breaking)

* Removed the following config sections: * whitelist * routing * Configuration is now smaller, clearer, and easier to manage

BetterMOTD 1.3.0 - Update

Improvements & Fixes

* Fixed MOTD color and gradient rendering on Paper servers * Improved MiniMessage compatibility and legacy fallbacks * Reworked player count handling to avoid unsupported API usage * Increased stability of server list ping logic * Added safer fallbacks and warning-based error handling

BetterMOTD 1.2.0 - Patch Update

Color & MOTD Fixes

* Fixed incorrect handling of HEX colors and gradients Full compatibility with [Birdflop RGB presets](https://www.birdflop.com/resources/rgb/)* * Correct parsing of MiniMessage, legacy (§ / &), and JSON MOTD formats * Removed broken and non-working animation logic

Stability & Safety

* Improved config validation with safe fallbacks * Plugin no longer throws exceptions on invalid configs * Warnings are logged instead of crashing the plugin * Added reliable default preset fallback

Cleanup

* Removed experimental and unused configuration options * Simplified MOTD processing pipeline * Reduced internal complexity for better maintainability

Improvements & Stability Update

New

* Profiles system with runtime switching * New admin commands: * /bettermotd reload * /bettermotd profile <name> * /bettermotd preview <profile|preset> * Fallback preset for invalid or empty configs * Hidden player count and “just X more players” logic

Cleanup

* Removed experimental rule-based and maintenance configs * Simplified default config.yml * Removed icon frame animations

Stability

* Strong config validation with warnings instead of crashes * Safe reload and improved internal caching * Plugin never crashes due to bad configuration

Compatibility

Minecraft: 1.21 – 1.21.11* Server: Paper / Spigot* Java: 21+*

Improvements & Fixes

This update focuses on stability, configuration cleanup, and simplifying server icon handling. ---

Changes

- Simplified server icon logic - Improved default icon fallback behavior - Added clearer warnings for missing or invalid icon files - Improved internal caching and reload safety ---

Cleanup

- Removed unused and experimental configuration sections - Simplified config.yml structure for easier maintenance - Reduced internal complexity to keep the plugin lightweight ---

Compatibility

- Minecraft: 1.21 – 1.21.11 - Server: Paper - Java: 21+ ---

Notes

- Server icons must be 64×64 PNG - Fully backward-compatible for standard presets