How to plan a server season
A seasonal model: duration, start, content, finale, and preparing the next season without losing the audience.
Updated August 13, 2026
A season is a cycle with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It solves the main problem of survival: content runs out, but the world remains.
Duration
2–3 months is the working range. Shorter — players don't have time to develop; longer — interest fades.
Calendar
| Period | What happens |
|---|---|
| Week −2 | Announcement, waitlist signups in Discord |
| Week −1 | Teasers: map, mechanics, rewards |
| Day 0 | Start at the announced hour — everyone joins at once |
| Weeks 1–2 | Peak player count, exploration |
| Weeks 3–6 | Events every week, new zones |
| Weeks 7–10 | Major content: boss, event map |
| Finale | Results, rewards, build archive |
A Single Launch Time
The most important decision. A server opened “sometime during the week” attracts a sluggish trickle. An announced hour brings everyone in at once — and creates the sense of an event.
What carries over to the new season
- Donor ranks.
- Titles and achievements.
- Archive of builds from the previous season — World reset.
What does not carry over
Resources, money, claims, levels. Otherwise, the new season is pointless.
Preparing the next one
It starts in the middle of the current one: while the season is running, you are already assembling the map, mechanics, and edits. By the finale, everything except the announcement should be ready.
