FAQ

General FAQ

What is this?

Miners Movies is a new unique way to record and replay what you do in Minecraft. It allows you to record your games inside Minecraft without installing any mod. Later you can view or share your recording with other players. They can then view your recording right inside Minecraft. Again without installing any mod.

How does playback work?

I provide a special Minecraft server. For playback, this server sends you all information needed to recreate the world exactly as the recording player perceived it. You'll see every Mob, Block or Chat message recorded.

You can freely roam around inside the recording and see the action from different angles.

How do I record?

There a two ways to record. You can use the Desktop Recorder or the special miners-movies Minecraft server. You'll have to login using your Minecraft account. This is needed to log in on other servers, so you can record on them. Once you have logged in, you can start recording on any server. Everything you do on that server will be recorded and will be available as a replay.

Does it add any lag?

If you're using the miners-movies Minecraft server, there will be more lag while playing. Currently this service is running on a server in Germany. When you record, the connection to the server you record on will go through my server. So if you're from the US for example and want to record on a US server, your packets will travel to Germany and back. So if you can, try to play on EU servers. You can expect a fast connection to them.

I the future, there will be a US based server. Stay tuned.

If you want to record without lag, consider using the Desktop Recorder. It's a program you can download that will allow you to record without using the miners-movies servers. That way, there is now additional lag.

Can I be banned on servers for using this service?

Probably. Please make sure you read the rules of the server you want to record on. Even if miners-movies isn't denied in those rules, better ask the server admins before using this service. Just use good judgement: If you gain unfair advantages using this tool (for example if you use it to look into otherwise inaccessable bases), don't use it! You'll probably get banned.

If you're using the miners-movies server to record, there's another thing to be aware of: Since all recording players connect to the target Minecraft server from the same IP address, the server might think that you and other players that record on the same server are alting (aka using Multiple Accounts on the same server). Be sure to read the servers rules.

Why do I need to login with my Minecraft Account?

This is only needed if you want to record. You can play back any recording without logging in. To understand, why your credentials are needed for recording, lets first explain how recording works:

When you want to record on a server, your Minecraft Client first has to be connected to our server. When you start a recording, our server starts a new connection to the server you wish to record on. Our server sits in the middle and captures all data that flows between your Minecraft client and the server you record on.

When setting up this connection, our server has to login as your player on the server you wish to record on. This login requires a valid Minecraft access token. The only way to get this token is to ask you for your Minecraft credentials. Using them, our server can contact the Mojang server and get an access token which can then be used to log in to other servers on your behalf.

What's an access token?

An access token is a 32 digit string that can be used to log in to Minecraft servers on your behalf. Each player can have multiple access tokens (for example if Minecraft is installed on a Desktop PC and a Notebook). Access tokens can only be used to log into other servers. They cannot be used to change account settings.

Do I have to provide my credentials?

This service needs your access token if you want to record. Providing your credential is one way for this service to obtain this access token. And it's probably the easiest for you. If you don't want to provide your username and password and know how to use a tool like curl, you can still login by providing only an access token. Use this page to do that.

I logged in and now I cannot connect to other servers!

Don't worry. This just means that the access token your Minecraft Client is using expired. Just close Minecraft and restart the Minecraft Launcher. This will generate a new access token. You'll be able to log into other servers as usual.

There's nothing I can do to prevent this from happening, since the expiration is done on Mojangs side of the authentication system :(

Why should I trust you with my Minecraft credentials?

This one is difficult. The simple answer is: I won't do anything stupid with it. It will only be used once to get an access token from Mojang. This access token can then be used instead of your credentials to connect to other servers so your actions on that server can be recorded. Of cource there is always trust involved. In theory I might use your credentials for malicious activities. But that would be a stupid thing to do. I'm trying to grow this service into a respected way to share Minecraft experiences. Tampering with credentials would harm this vision.

On a different note: I'm programmer for more that 20 years with experience in web development, server programming and administration. I'm interested in security and know how to keep a web page safe. As an example, I finished this Security related Capture the Flag Competition at No. 9 of 7000 total players (of which 980 completed the challenge).

This server is using strong encryption (SSL), so your credentials are safe from snooping by third parties.

Will you save my username and password?

No. Your username and password are only use once to request an access token from the Mojang servers. After that, all traces of that information is gone. It will not be saved. The access token is later used to log in to other servers if you want to record on them.

What will you use my access token for?

The access token will only be used if you want to record on a server. It will never be used for other purposes.

I logged in. Now I don't want you to have my access token.

That's fine. If you ever feel that you don't trust me with the access token, feel free to log out of the site. If you logout, your access token will be invalidated and removed from our server.

It will also be removed after 7 days automatically.

Misc FAQ

I'm a server owner. I don't want any recordings of my server

Ok. There a two possible ways to prevent using MinersMovies. Of course you could ban the entire IP. Since I might add/remove IP addresses at any time, I provide another way to detect players that are joining your server: Upon login/respawn, I'm sending a custom Plugin message on the channel MinersMovies|User. The payload is a json that currently only contains the user's original IP. Example: {"source":"1.2.3.4"}.

I might provide a Bukkit plugin to handle that in the future.

I want to record events on my server. How can I do that?

The easiest way ist to have a dedicated account for recording purposes. Just login to your server using this service. Everything around that player will be recorded.

It might be possible to have bukkit do the recording instead. This would require a bukkit plugin that captures the traffic sent and received from individual players. I'm not experienced in modding minecraft using bukkit, so I cannot really tell how difficult implementing this would be. But it should be doable. Contact me if you want to help.

Can I merge recordings of two different players into one recording?

Nope. That's not possible at the moment. Sorry.

Desktop Recorder FAQ

What is the Desktop Recorder?

It's a program you can use to record without using the miners-movies Server. You basically start a minimal miners-movies Server on your own computer. How awesome is that? Recording that way doesn't add any lag, since it's running on your computer. Once you're done recording, just upload the recording to miners-movies to watch them.

Why does the Desktop Recorder want to access Minecraft Launcher information?

When you start the Recorder, you can allow it to access information stored in the Minecraft Launcher. The Recorder will use the access token saved by the Launcher. Using this access token allows the Desktop Recorder to login to servers so you can record. The Recorder doesn't access any other information and does not change anything. The access token is only used to log into other servers when your start a recording.

I'm using Sync with Launcher and I cannot record

If you're not using the default Minecraft Launcher, please contact me. If might be possible that your Launcher saves its configuration outside the normal Launcher configuration file. If that's the case, the Desktop Recorder doesn't know how to handle this. If you contact me, we might figure out a way to add support for your Launcher.

You can always use File > Advanced > Manual Login to use the Desktop Recorder without using the Launcher configuration file.

I don't want to allow the Desktop Recorder to access Launcher information

That's possible too. Just disable File > Settings > Sync with Launcher. When you do that you'll have to manually enter an access token. You can use File > Advanced > Manual Login to do that. You can either provide your normal Minecraft credentials or you can provide an access token manually.

What are the credentials used for?

The Desktop Recorder has to record packets that flow between your Minecraft Client and the server you play on. To do that, the Recorder starts a local Minecraft Server on your computer. You connect to this server at localhost. The Recorder then connects to the server you want to record. To do that, it needs a way to authenticate with your username.

When you provide the credentials to the Desktop Recorder, it will request an access token from mojang. This access token is then used to authenticate you on other servers. Your credential itself is not saved and is immediatelly forgotten after the access token was requested.

I don't want to enter my credentials!

If you don't want to enter credentials or want to allow access to Minecraft Launcher information, you can still record. If you know how to get an access token, you can also use that to log in. Open File > Advanced > Manual Login and enter your access token there. Please see this FAQ above.

I want to uninstall the Desktop Recorder

That's easy: Just delete the MinersMovies.exe file. Then open an explorer and go to your user Directory (you can type %UserProfile% into the location bar). There is a directory called .miners-movies (with a leading dot). This is the directory the Desktop Recorder uses to store its configuration (in config.json) and all recording you created (in the sub directory recordings). So just delete the directory .mines-movies.

The server I want to record on runs on a non-default port. How can I connect?

Use <server-address>.<port>.using.miners-movies.com. So for example: example.net.30000.using.miners-movies.com.

Using File > Upload doesn't work!

For this to work, you must have a miners-movies account already. If you don't have one yet, just connect with your Minecraft to our Minecraft Server at miners-movies.com.

Uploading doesn't work!

Please contact me if you're having problems.

I recorded and now I cannot connect to other servers!

Don't worry. This just means that the access token your Minecraft Client is using expired. Just close Minecraft and restart the Minecraft Launcher. This will generate a new access token. You'll be able to log into other servers as usual.

If you allow the Desktop Recorder to access Minecraft Launcher information, this problem shouldn't occur, since then both your Minecraft game and the Recorder share the same access token. So consider activating Sync with Launcher in File > Settings.

What type of data will the Desktop recorder access/send/save? And why?

During start up, it will query the miners-movies server to see if a new version is available. The only information sent to miners-movies.com is the current version you are using. This is used to notify you when a new version is available.

The Desktop Recorder will open the configuration file created by the default Minecraft Launcher. If will use the username stored there to provide a sensible default value when you open the dialog to do manual logins (File > Advanced > Manual Login). If you allow Syncing with the Minecraft Launcher (File > Settings > Sync with Launcher) it will also read the access token stored by the Launcher. The access token is only used when you record. The Minecraft Launcher file is not modified. It is only read by the Desktop Recorder.

When you create a recording or change the server address, the Desktop Recorder will contact the specified Minecraft server. It will also contact Mojang for authentication. This is the normal Minecraft play/authentication flow.

When you log in (File > Advanced > Manual Login), the Desktop Recording will contact Mojang to request an access token. Your credentials are not saved and are immediatelly forgotten. Only the access token is saved. See the uninstall question for information about where the Desktop Recorder keeps its configuration file. The access token is then used to log you into servers when you start a recording.

When you log in using an access token (File > Advanced > Manual Login), the Desktop Reocrder will contact Mojang to validate that access token.

When you use the "Upload" menu, it will first contact Mojang to simulate a server join. Then it will submit data to miners-movies that will allow the miners-movies server to validate your account. The data sent contains a random value, your player name and a target url on the miners-movies server. This data is sufficient to generate a link that will log you into miners movies, so you can upload your recordings.

Why do I have to download an exe file? Create a Minecraft Mod already!

I probably won't. Here is why:

I thought about doing this as a Minecraft mod instead of a native program. But that has a few disadvantages:

  • I'll be dependent on the release cycles of MCP to build the mod. This might delay the release of a new version, since I'd have to wait till a working version of MCP is available.
  • From a developer perspective I personally don't like the client side modding environment: I looked into it and found outdated/incomplete tutorials. Broken examples or tutorials on Youtube. That's just not an environment where I feel like I can reliably provide a mod that is stable and available when a new Minecraft version is released.

If you prefer a mod, as it seems less scary than an executable file, think about this: If you mod your Minecraft, the mod has the same access to your computer as a native binary. It doesn't really make a difference. So it basically is a trust thing. If you don't trust me, a client side mod won't help in any way. See also this FAQ above.

Is there a Mac/Linux version?

No. Not at the moment. Sorry about that. Contact me if you think that should change :)