A new version of Minecraft was released on December 9 by Mojang. Version 1.8.9 fixes a few minor bugs and improves support for Realms. The JDRGaming Minecraft server is now running version 1.8.9, and the Minecraft page on this site has been updated with the latest information.

Ever wonder why more games don't have mini-games in their otherwise boring loading screens? It's because of a stupid patent. That patent - held by Bandai Namco - is finally expiring. Expect to see much more fun and interesting loading screens in the coming months.

There's finally a proper server list at the Minecraft forum site. I've added the JDRGaming Minecraft server to the server list.

The main router has been replaced. Connections to the JDRGaming game servers should now be much more reliable.

The IP address for all JDRGaming servers has also changed. The new IP address is 96.49.178.198. The previous address was 96.49.181.168.

The router between the JDRGaming game servers and the Internet is acting up. It started rebooting itself frequently about a week ago. When it reboots, any active connections to the game servers are dropped.

I've been unable to find the source of the problem, so I'm planning to replace it later today.

I apologize for any inconvenience.

Microsoft has always had a great attitude about backward compatibility. They know people are more likely to upgrade to a newer version of Windows if they can still run their old software, especially games. Contrast that to Apple's attitude.

Anyway, there's bad news for anyone wants to run (or is already running) certain older games on Windows Vista, XP, 7, 8 and 10. A recent Windows security update effectively disabled the (already much-reviled) Safedisc DRM software.

Anyone who wants to run the affected games (which include Battlefield 1942) can try a clunky workaround provided by Microsoft, or they can look for a 'no-CD' patch from one of the game copying sites on the web. If you choose to do the latter, be very careful, because some of those sites and the files they host are loaded with malware.

This web site now works a lot better on mobile devices. Everything is still here, but there's a different top menu, and some things on the two sidebars have been rearranged a bit. If you can't see something where it used to be, try scrolling down a bit, because it may be way down on the right sidebar. What you see, and how it's displayed, depends a lot on your display and your browser width.

Please check out the site and let me know if you run into any problems.

Note that the TPU stats pages are still not mobile-friendly, and they're likely to stay that way.

Nintendo continues its bullying ways. Their latest move? Taking down fan-made YouTube videos that were created using unofficial tools. Keep in mind that the only reason those unofficial tools were used in the first place was that Nintendo was slow to provide anything official. Will somone please replace the corporate drones in charge of Nintendo with someone who actually plays and enjoys computer games?

(Updated 2015Sep13 to correct a few things.)

As of September 8, the Battlefield 1942 master server we've all been using since Gamespy went away has been moved to a different IP address. Initially it looked like this would be temporary change, but they later announced that the change was permanent. The old IP address will continue to work, but the service operators recommend using the new one (94.23.196.155).

If you haven't already done so, you'll have to use whatever method you used previously to switch to the new master server (at 109.71.69.254), to switch to the new server at 94.23.196.155. In my case, I modifed my gaming PC's HOSTS file:

#109.71.69.254 master.gamespy.com
# New IP circa 2015Sep11:
94.23.196.155 master.gamespy.com

I also changed the HOSTS file on the TPU server, so players should be able to join and the server should update its status on various server trackers as before.

In related news, the server list at http://master.bf1942.sk/ is back online.

I just posted a new link in the Site Features section of the left sidebar: Server Status. The linked page describes all the methods by which you can find out what's going on with all the JDRGaming game servers. Check it out!

Update: I accidentally left the new page flagged as a draft. The problem has been fixed. Sorry about that.