PingNachricht — Custom Player Count Display for Minecraft

PingNachricht: Customize Your Minecraft Server’s Player Counter and Hover Message

Every Minecraft server owner knows that first impressions matter. When players scroll through the multiplayer server list, the tiny details—like the player counter and the hover message—can make your server stand out. That’s where PingNachricht comes in. This clever plugin lets you rewrite those details entirely, giving you full control over what potential players see before they even click to join.

What Is PingNachricht?

PingNachricht is a Spigot plugin designed to overhaul the server list ping information. Normally, the player counter simply shows something like “5/20,” and hovering over it reveals a basic online player count. PingNachricht allows you to change both the look of that counter and the text that appears when someone hovers over it. Whether you want to display a witty message, show per-world player counts, or craft a completely unique counter format, this plugin gives you the tools to do it.

Key Features

• Customize the player counter text with placeholders and static text.
• Change the hover message (PlayerCountMessage) to anything you like.
• Display per-world player counts using the {w_(Worldname)} placeholder.
• Use dynamic placeholders like {ONLINE} and {MAXONLINE} in the counter.
• Lightweight and easy to configure through a simple YAML file.
• Works seamlessly with ProtocolLib, a must-have library for many advanced plugins.

How It Works

PingNachricht intercepts the server list ping packet and modifies the data before it reaches the client. This means the changes are visible to everyone browsing your server in the multiplayer menu. The plugin relies on ProtocolLib to hook into the network layer, so you’ll need to have the correct version of ProtocolLib installed for everything to function properly.

Installation Guide

Setting up PingNachricht is straightforward. First, make sure you download the correct version of ProtocolLib that matches your server software. Without it, PingNachricht won’t work. Then, follow these steps:

1. Download the latest PingNachricht jar file from the official Spigot page.
2. Place both the PingNachricht and ProtocolLib jars into your server’s plugins folder.
3. Restart your server (or load the plugins with a plugin manager if you prefer).
4. Check the console for a message from ProtocolLib that says something like [WrappedGameProfile] Plugin PingNachricht created a profile with "PingNachricht_X.X" as an UUID. If you see this, everything is working.

For those who prefer a streamlined experience, you can even manage this plugin via the foxygame.net launcher—a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher that lets you download mods and plugins right from the menu, making setup a breeze. Once installed, all that’s left is to tweak the configuration to your liking.

Configuration

After a successful installation, open the config.yml file generated by PingNachricht. The main options you’ll want to adjust are:

• HoverMessage: The text shown when a player hovers over the player count. You can use the {w_(Worldname)} placeholder here to show how many players are in a specific world.
• PlayerCounter: The format of the player counter itself. Use {ONLINE} for the current online count and {MAXONLINE} for the server’s maximum player limit. You can mix in any static text.
• ChangePlayerCounter: A true/false toggle that enables or disables the custom counter. If set to false, your counter format will be saved but not applied.

After editing, run /pn reload to apply the changes without restarting the server.

Commands and Permissions

PingNachricht uses a simple command structure. All commands require the pingnachricht.main permission.

Main Command

/PingNachricht or /pn – Displays a list of available subcommands.

Reload

/PingNachricht reload or /pn reload – Reloads all YAML configuration files, applying your latest changes instantly.

Set Counter

/PingNachricht setcounter <args> or /pn setcounter <args> – Allows you to change the player counter format directly from in-game. Note that if ChangePlayerCounter is set to false in the config, the new format will be saved but won’t be visible until you enable it.

Placeholders

These dynamic tags bring your custom messages to life:

• {w_(Worldname)} – Replace (Worldname) with the exact name of a world. If that world exists, the placeholder shows how many players are currently in it. This is case‑sensitive and works only in the HoverMessage.
• {ONLINE} – The total number of players currently connected to the server. Usable only in the PlayerCounter.
• {MAXONLINE} – The maximum player slots as defined in your server.properties file. Also for the PlayerCounter only.

Why Choose PingNachricht?

Small touches often make the biggest difference. A cleverly worded hover message can intrigue curious players, while a stylish player counter can convey professionalism. PingNachricht gives you that creative freedom without any complex scripting. It’s lightweight, actively maintained (just be sure to grab the latest version from the Spigot page), and works harmoniously with other server-side plugins. If you’ve ever wanted to turn your server’s listing into a tiny billboard that advertises your world’s personality, PingNachricht is the tool you need.

Conclusion

PingNachricht transforms the humble server list entry into a canvas for your imagination. From showing world-specific player counts to crafting a memorable hover message, this plugin helps your server make an unforgettable first impression. Install it alongside ProtocolLib, tweak the config, and watch your server listing come to life. Whether you’re running a survival world, a minigame hub, or a roleplay server, PingNachricht adds that extra polish that keeps players clicking “Join.”