503 is what the dodgily written website returns when it's overloaded with people trying to log in.
So even if I've logged in on the main screen it still needs to connect to the minecraft server when connecting to teh server?
Yep.
Well, no. It doesn't need to, strictly speaking, but I think because the server has a whitelist and due to the way it has been implemented means that's what it does.
Used to have this problem on a regular basis before (like every Friday evening), but now it's only really around new releases when there's a lot of simultaneous connections.
Right. I had assumed when people said they were having the 503 error it was when logging in on the first screen, nit the server connecting bit. Obviously lots of people trying minexrsft with 1.8 now released.
Given it a more substantial go now and... yeah, underwhelming as all fuck.
What this game needs most is: more block types/processes/stuff to make.
Yeah lots more interesting things to craft would be good. Things like the pistons were a nice addition and fairly interesting.
I really like 1.8's terrain generation (although I can't find any fucking snow). The ravines and mountains and rivers all make it even more lovely than it already was. The combat change and stuff are all quite cool too but unfortunately catering to a different type of player than the peaceful hippies of Teh. :(
Should make a special chest (8 wood + 1 redstone) inside which you can layout redstone circuits, and then if you place the chest on a workbench and combine it with sticky stuff and whatever then it produces a custom circuit-in-a-box, so people can condense all those stupidly large circuits into a few squares, and thus enable some insane sorts of contraptions to be made from the results.
Aye, I've said that many many times.
Say it louder and towards Sweden so Notch hears and does something about it.