(07-01-2017, 08:24 PM)TEO Wrote: I haven't played multiplayer that long, so this is going to sound like a noob, but...
I find the whole claim and protection business confusing. I have been very careful with my builds, going out in the wilderness, walking the area looking for other builds, then using my golden shovel to protect a plot and building within those borders.
But, reading in the forums, it appears "protecting" and "claiming" are two different things. Apparently you can claim land just by putting up a sign or wall or pillar. I've searched the forum and rules and (maybe I've missed it) I can't find that officially spelled out, but many players seem to consider it the rule.
A while back I circled the border of the world, visiting all four corners. The border is transparent, so you can see what lies beyond, even though you can't visit. In one spot, an Ocean Monument was just across the border. Someone had put up a sign, claiming it, even though it can't be reached. What is the point of that? But, on the accessible side of the border, that sign has made everything within 100 blocks unusable.
The hundred block rule is a pain, too, since there is no easy way to tell if you are building within 100 blocks of claimed land. A command like "nearest_claim" that would list the distance and owner would be nice.
TEO
Well, I agree the sea monument thing seems kind of silly. Frost may expand the borders at some point, making such places accessible, but I don't think it's very fair for people to claim stuff on the other side before that happens. That's just my opinion, though; I have no idea whether there's an official policy covering that.
Yes, the generally accepted rule is that you can stake out a large area of land by putting down
You can, incidentally, also contact the person who put up the markers to negotiate. They may be willing to release part of the area in question if they haven't used it as they expected, or to allow you to build within it. It's also possible that they've been absent long enough that the area may be deemed abandoned by staff, and available for others to build in again. No guarantees, of course, but if there's a spot where you really want to build within someone else's borders, it's certainly worth checking. (If the owner isn't named by a sign or by any claim blocks in the vicinity, you can use the /cinfo command to check a door, chest, or other lockable item, or staff may be able to tell you who placed blocks in the area.)
As far as determining whether you're within a hundred blocks: 100 block equals 6.25 chunks. Hit F3+G to turn on chunk borders and count them off. If you're at least six and a half chunks from anyone's build in any direction (allowing a small margin of error,) you should be good. My understanding is that the rule is not enforced for deep underground builds, though basements and other large structures that are fairly close to the surface could complicate matters (thus, such a build might be one of the cases where actually using claim blocks would be a good idea.)