PorteCoulissante

Build redstone powered portcullises, without using commands!

Features:

  • It doesn't use commands. Just build the portcullis and it will work.
  • Stateless, i.e. it does not have to save anything on the server.
  • It's redstone powered, giving you flexibility in controlling it.
  • It is realistic. The portcullis does not disappear, but moves up and down just like a real one would.

Demo server: mc.pepsoft.org

Check out the PorteCoulissante and RetractableBridge demo Minecraft server at mc.pepsoft.org. It shows examples of both plugins in use, so you can see what you can do with them, and how you use them.

Note that you can't build or break anything or go too far from the town. You can use chests, beds, furnaces, etc. Hostile mobs won't spawn inside the walls at night, but they do spawn outside the walls. If you want to have some fun, there is food in the inn's kitchen, and weapons in the armoury. Note that the gates don't open from the outside!. If you lock yourself out or you get stuck, use the /kill command to kill yourself and respawn. Please let me know if you encounter any problems, if the server is full, or if you find any evidence of griefing!

Server admins, feel free to direct your users to this demo server so they can see how to use the plugins!

Usage:

  • Build the portcullis itself by stacking rows of fences (wood or iron), at least two wide and two high.
  • Build the wall around it to contain it. Leave enough empty space above the portcullis to allow it to go as high as you want it to go.
  • Power the portcullis by powering one of the blocks adjacent to it on either side, by attaching a lever or redstone dust. For now, the power has to come from the side.
  • The result should look something like this:

Simple example of a portcullis

  • When the block is powered, the portcullis will start moving upwards, and will keep going until it hits something and can't go any further. It moves slowly, since a portcullis is heavy!
  • Important: make sure that when it is in the up position, it is still in contact with a powered block (the same one, or a different one).
  • When the power goes off, the portcullis will drop down (a lot faster than it went up).
  • Decorate the gate by building walls in front of and behind the portcullis to cover the empty space and to make it appear the portcullis is moving in a groove. Of course you can make it look any way you want! Here is an example:

A finished portcullis

Tutorial:

Check out this tutorial created by the folks of UK Gaming Troops:

Hints and tips:

  • It is possible to create diagonal portcullises! You do it be having a series of small, two block wide portcullises next to each other in a staggered fashion. You have to be careful with the redstone layout though. See the DiagonalPortcullises page for details. There are also two examples on the mc.pepsoft.org Minecraft server.
  • The portcullis can be any size you want, as long as it is at least two blocks wide and two blocks high. It must be rectangular though, and have no holes. If the portcullis breaks, it won't move any more until you repair it.
  • Try to make the empty space above the portcullis one block less high than the portcullis itself (like in the first picture above). That way, you only need to power one block (the one in the middle on either side), since that block will always be in contact with the portcullis.
  • Of course the empty space can be even smaller, if you want. The portcullis only has to go up two blocks to let people through, or three if you want the passage to be a little less claustrophobic.
  • The portcullis will go through (and hold back) water and lava, so you can make water gates and water or lava traps with them.

Configuration:

The plugin is configurable via a configuration file. See the Configuration page for details. Aspects you can configure include: the hoisting and dropping speed; which materials the portcullis can be made from; which materials are allowed as power blocks (the frame blocks through which the redstone power is delivered to the portcullis; by default they can be any type), whether "floating" portcullises are allowed and various aspects of the sound effects.

Known problems:

  • If a chunk containing a moving portcullis is unloaded by the server (because you log out, or leave the area, or teleport away), the portcullis stops moving. When you come back, it may be half way up. Just power cycle it to raise or lower it fully again. If it stopped while not being adjacent to any redstone powered block, you may have to stick a button or lever on the side temporarily to get it to move. (I recommend to build it in such a way that the portcullis is always adjacent to a redstone powered block; the same one, or different ones.)

Source code:

The source code for this plugin is hosted on sourceforge.net. See the Source Code page for details.

Feedback:

Please let me know what you think of this plugin! Are there any bugs? What can I improve about it? Leave a comment on this page to let me know. And if you're a server admin and you're using my plugin I'd love an invitation! ;)

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