Frequently Asked Questions
Installing the Pack
This pack lives on Modrinth. The easiest way to play is the Modrinth App, which installs the pack and keeps every mod up to date automatically each time you launch, no manual updating required.
- 1.Download and install the Modrinth App
- 2.Search Above The Clouds (or open the pack page) and click Install
- 3.Hit Play, mods download and stay up to date automatically
Visual Guide
1. Search Above The Clouds and click Install
2. Hit Play, mods install automatically
Playtime Ranks & Rewards
Link your Minecraft account to your Discord and you'll climb ranks automatically as you rack up playtime. Each rank raises how much land you can claim, your max chunks.
| Rank | Playtime | Max chunks |
|---|---|---|
 | On link | 4 chunks |
 | 8h+ | 9 chunks |
 | 24h+ | 16 chunks |
 | 72h+ | 25 chunks |
 | 216h+ | 36 chunks |
 | 648h+ | 49 chunks |
Boost the Discord for +9 chunks on top of your playtime rank's max.
Server
What's the server about?
Above The Clouds: Season 2 is a Nations SMP focusing on centralized production, aerial transport, community building, and light lore.
Where do I download the modpack?
Check the Modlist page. If you'd like a Modrinth-compatible build of the pack, join the Discord and ask for a new Modrinth build to be pushed.
How do I join the server?
Install the modpack and connect via the IP shown on the home page, no whitelist needed. Sign in with Discord and link your Minecraft username to start earning playtime ranks and rewards.
My pack crashed! Help?
Send us a crash log in #crash-reports on the Discord server.
Can I add extra client-side mods?
Yes, as long as they don't provide an unfair advantage. When in doubt, ask a staff member first.
How big is the world border?
The border sits 5,000 blocks out in every direction from 0,0, so the world is 10,000 × 10,000 blocks. Spawn is slightly offset from the center, out on the spawn island.
What's the player cap?
The survival server holds up to 30 players, and the queue server has room for another 100 waiting to join.
How's the TPS?
Solid, we run at a stable 20 TPS. It'll naturally dip as more ships, farms and contraptions get built, but the baseline is very healthy.
Can I chunk-load or force-load?
No force-loading, sorry, the server simply can't afford the lag it would cause.
Is the End open?
It's locked for now, just while the season finds its feet. It'll open later, we just want to make sure elytra don't instantly outclass every aero build the moment they're available.
How long does a season last?
Indefinitely. We only start a new season when a large chunk of the playerbase wants one, usually once things start to stagnate. (Season 1 only lasted about a month, shorter than intended, thanks to the TPS issues and crashes that plagued it.)
How did the server get started?
Atlas just wanted a server for Create, and happened to be in the right place at the right time, launching around the Aeronautics release and pulling in 400 whitelisted players for Season 1!
Land & Claims
How do I claim land?
Press M to open the map, right-click the chunk you want, and choose Claim Chunk.
How do I claim more chunks?
Play more! Your claim limit is tied to your playtime rank, the higher your rank, the more chunks you can claim (see the rank table at the top). Boosting the Discord adds +9 on top.
How do I make a party?
Run /openpac-party create.
Create & Resources
Are there other ways to generate SU?
No extra fluff, SU generation is pure base Create. That said, Powergrid is available if you'd like to supply the server with electricity for SU.
Will you add a thruster / propulsion mod?
No, sorry. We want to keep things feeling like a vanilla-ish Create & Aeronautics server, blimps and light, old-style planes rather than fighter jets. You're welcome to build wild contraptions, just not with the propulsion mod.
Copper and Zinc aren't renewable!
Correct, and it's intentional. A little resource scarcity keeps the economy healthy when so much else can be automated. Grab Fortune 4 via Enchantment Industries and a tunnel bore drill, or strip trial chambers for their copper, there's plenty around, it just takes some manual labour.
Nations
What's a Nation?
Nations are groups of players who have joined together for mutual benefit: access to resources, shared infrastructure, and representation on the admin council.
How do I join a Nation?
Ask its leaders! Most nations are open to new members.
How do I start a Nation?
You'll need at least 3 guilds (or 6 businesses), land to build on, and you must pay the monthly tax to The Skyward Council. Nations without dues lose their council seat.
Guilds
What's a Guild?
A guild is a group of at least 2 players who produce raw intermediate materials in bulk, not final goods for players, but ingredients used to make them.
What can a Guild do?
Guilds harvest or produce intermediates (flour, molten metals, logs, cobblestone, etc.) and offer generalized services contracted from nations.
How do I join a Guild?
Ask its members. Guilds are usually happy to expand.
The Skyward Council
What is The Skyward Council?
The Skyward Council is the highest governing body on the server. It sits above nations, guilds, and businesses, the closest thing this world has to a sovereign authority. It is made up of representatives from every recognized nation, and all major decisions are settled by democratic vote.
What does the Council actually do?
Quite a lot. The Council green-lights large community projects (sky bridges, shared rail lines, public storage hubs), manages server infrastructure, sets and adjusts coin exchange rates, collects national taxes, and can vote to subsidize struggling nations or fund new initiatives. If it affects the whole server, it probably goes through the Council.
Who sits on the Council?
Each officially recognized nation holds one seat. Server admins also hold a seat each, with one vote apiece. Lose your nation status (missed taxes, disbanded guilds, etc.) and you lose your seat until you're back in good standing.
Can the Council reject things?
Yes. A majority vote can block a project, refuse a subsidy, or overturn an exchange rate even if it was previously listed. The Council's word is final. Appeal to the collective, not to any single member.
Can admins veto a Council decision?
Admins hold the power of veto, but it is not a tool for personal interest. It exists solely to protect the server as a whole. A veto should be rare, clearly justified, and rooted in a selfless concern for the health of the community. An admin who wields it for personal gain or political leverage is acting outside the spirit of the role.
Can I petition the Council without being in a Nation?
You can raise concerns through your nation's representative. Independent players and businesses don't hold a seat, but the Council is expected to weigh the interests of everyone on the server, not just the nations at the table.
Does the Council interfere in everyday trade?
Rarely. Day-to-day commerce between players, guilds, and businesses is your own affair. The Council steps in when something affects the broader economy or the server as a whole: runaway inflation, a monopoly choking out competition, that sort of thing.
Businesses
What's a Business?
A business is run by at least one player and sells finished end-products directly to players: food, tools, potions, refined building blocks, etc.
Do I need to be in a Nation to have a Business?
No, businesses are independent and can be set up anywhere, though they have slightly more restrictions than guild-backed operations.