History of Hardcore Factions - Revision history

Theo: /* The closure of HCFactions, 2015 */

2026-09-16T15:27:39Z

The closure of HCFactions, 2015

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:27, 16 September 2026
Line 139:		Line 139:
	The server closed in August 2015. A community collaboration video, '''The Finalé''', was published on 20 August.<sup>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TMrPwMUW_Y s]</sup>		The server closed in August 2015. A community collaboration video, '''The Finalé''', was published on 20 August.<sup>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TMrPwMUW_Y s]</sup>

	HCFactions returned on '''12–13 February 2016''' under a new staff team of former players, announced by [[StabbdNtheTumy]] with a full revamp.<sup>[https://www.reddit.com/r/hcfactions/comments/45m1uq/the_official_announcement_of_hcfactions_return/ s]</sup> The trailer is [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQNsiaM2KlI here].
	</div>		</div>

Theo at 15:26, 16 September 2026

2026-09-16T15:26:17Z

Show changes

Theo at 15:24, 16 September 2026

2026-09-16T15:24:36Z

Show changes

Theo: /* Timeline at a glance */

2026-09-16T15:15:07Z

Timeline at a glance

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:15, 16 September 2026
Line 11:		Line 11:

	== Timeline at a glance ==		== Timeline at a glance ==

	{\| width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse:collapse; margin-bottom:0.4em; text-align:center; font-size:88%; color:#ffffff; font-weight:bold;"		{\| width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse:collapse; margin-bottom:0.4em; text-align:center; font-size:88%; color:#ffffff; font-weight:bold;"
	\|-		\|-

Theo at 14:45, 16 September 2026

2026-09-16T14:45:00Z

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 <span style="color:var(--hcf-redstone);">''Needs: who ran HCGaming and when it launched, the exact Shotbow merger date, and when the deathban was first implemented.''</span>
 </div>
@@ Line 45: / Line 71: @@
 [[HCTeams]] ran its Alpha map on 26 October 2014 and Map 1 on 15 November, then settled into a cycle of roughly four to six weeks per map through to the end of 2016. On [[Kohi]], [[EOTW]] was not held at all for the first six maps.
 * [[HCTeams]] opens in 2014
@@ Line 60: / Line 88: @@
 This period contains both the format's largest maps and the beginnings of its decline. '''[[Kohi]] merged with Badlion''' between Maps 25 and 26, a move most of its playerbase resisted and which is generally treated as the point the scene lost its centre. On '''16 December 2016''', '''johnzeh''' founded '''[[HCF Revival]]''', which ran its first map in April 2017.
 The slowdown is visible in the map cycle itself. [[HCTeams]] ran maps every four to six weeks through 2016, then stopped after [[HCTeams Map 16|Map 16]] on 30 December 2016. [[HCTeams Map 17|Map 17]] did not start until July 2018, eighteen months later, and was the network's last.
@@ Line 146: / Line 176: @@
 |-
 | 15 November 2014 || [[HCTeams Map 1|HCTeams Map 1]] [[SOTW]]
 |-
 | February 2016 || Minecraft 1.9 released; the community rejects it
 |-
 | 16 December 2016 || johnzeh founds [[HCF Revival]]
@@ Line 172: / Line 206: @@
 == See also ==
 * [[Hardcore Factions]]
-* [[Kohi]] · [[HCTeams]] · [[MineHQ]] · [[Lunar]]
+* [[HCFactions]] · [[Kohi]] · [[HCTeams]] · [[MineHQ]] · [[Lunar]]
 * [[Map archive]]
 * [[SOTW]] and [[EOTW]]

Theo at 22:53, 15 September 2026

2026-09-15T22:53:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:53, 15 September 2026
Line 6:		Line 6:
	The stretch from roughly '''2013 to 2018''' is widely described by the community as the golden era, the point at which player counts, competitive faction play and outside attention all peaked at once. It spans the second, third and part of the fourth sections below, and is shaded gold throughout this page.		The stretch from roughly '''2013 to 2018''' is widely described by the community as the golden era, the point at which player counts, competitive faction play and outside attention all peaked at once. It spans the second, third and part of the fourth sections below, and is shaded gold throughout this page.

	<div ~~style~~="~~border:1px solid #d33; background:#fff5f5; padding:10px 14px; margin:1em 0; border~~-~~radius:6px;~~">		<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--danger">
	'''Parts of this article need sources.''' Player counts and closure dates in particular require citations. Forum archives, VODs and server-list history are all acceptable. Please do not add claims from memory alone.		'''Parts of this article need sources.''' Player counts and closure dates in particular require citations. Forum archives, VODs and server-list history are all acceptable. Please do not add claims from memory alone.
	</div>		</div>
Line 19:		Line 19:
	\| width="20%" style="background:#5a6b7a; padding:10px; border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;" \| 2021–2024<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">Later</span>		\| width="20%" style="background:#5a6b7a; padding:10px; border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;" \| 2021–2024<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">Later</span>
	\|}		\|}
	<div style="text-align:center; font-size:85%; color:~~#666~~;">Gold segments mark the 2013–2018 golden era.</div>		<div style="text-align:center; font-size:85%; color:var(--color-subtle);">Gold segments mark the 2013–2018 golden era.</div>

	== Origins (2012–2013) ==		== Origins (2012–2013) ==
	<div style="border-left:6px solid #4a7a5c; background:~~#f2f8f4; padding:12px 16px; border~~-~~radius:0 6px 6px 0~~;">		<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note" style="border-left:6px solid #4a7a5c; background:var(--background-color-neutral);">
	HCF was created on a server called '''HCGaming'''. It distinguished itself from ordinary factions servers by two additions: a timed ban on death, and a map that ends and resets rather than running indefinitely. Together these turned a sandbox into a season-based competitive format.		HCF was created on a server called '''HCGaming'''. It distinguished itself from ordinary factions servers by two additions: a timed ban on death, and a map that ends and resets rather than running indefinitely. Together these turned a sandbox into a season-based competitive format.

Line 35:		Line 35:
	* Early YouTube coverage and its effect on player numbers		* Early YouTube coverage and its effect on player numbers

	<span style="color:~~#a00~~;">''Needs: who ran HCGaming and when it launched, the exact Shotbow merger date, and when the deathban was first implemented.''</span>		<span style="color:var(--hcf-redstone);">''Needs: who ran HCGaming and when it launched, the exact Shotbow merger date, and when the deathban was first implemented.''</span>
	</div>		</div>

	== Expansion (2014–2015) ==		== Expansion (2014–2015) ==
	<div style="border-left:6px solid #c9a227; background:~~#fdf8e8; padding:12px 16px; border~~-~~radius:0 6px 6px 0~~;">		<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note" style="border-left:6px solid #c9a227; background:var(--background-color-neutral);">
	The format consolidated and spread. Mechanics that had varied wildly between servers settled into a recognisable standard, and the largest networks began drawing consistent four-figure concurrent counts on map launches.		The format consolidated and spread. Mechanics that had varied wildly between servers settled into a recognisable standard, and the largest networks began drawing consistent four-figure concurrent counts on map launches.

Line 52:		Line 52:
	* YouTube and streaming as the main driver of new players		* YouTube and streaming as the main driver of new players

	<span style="color:~~#a00~~;">''Needs: peak concurrent figures per network with a source, and when Kohi launched.''</span>		<span style="color:var(--hcf-redstone);">''Needs: peak concurrent figures per network with a source, and when Kohi launched.''</span>
	</div>		</div>

	== Peak and fragmentation (2016–2018) ==		== Peak and fragmentation (2016–2018) ==
	<div style="border-left:6px solid #b8860b; background:~~#fbf4e0; padding:12px 16px; border~~-~~radius:0 6px 6px 0~~;">		<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note" style="border-left:6px solid #b8860b; background:var(--background-color-neutral);">
	Minecraft 1.9 released in February 2016 with a rewritten combat system: attack cooldowns, off-hand items, a swing timer. The HCF community overwhelmingly rejected it and stayed on 1.7 and 1.8. Servers became pinned to old versions, and the genre's technical base gradually diverged from the game most players were running.		Minecraft 1.9 released in February 2016 with a rewritten combat system: attack cooldowns, off-hand items, a swing timer. The HCF community overwhelmingly rejected it and stayed on 1.7 and 1.8. Servers became pinned to old versions, and the genre's technical base gradually diverged from the game most players were running.

Line 68:		Line 68:
	The model was contentious. A format whose appeal rested on gear being earned and losable now had progression that could be bought, and much of the competitive playerbase treated the pay-to-win elements as a departure from what HCF was. Whatever the reception, the model spread: later servers including '''FaithfulMC''' adopted the same crate-and-rank structure, and it became the default commercial template for HCF servers that followed.		The model was contentious. A format whose appeal rested on gear being earned and losable now had progression that could be bought, and much of the competitive playerbase treated the pay-to-win elements as a departure from what HCF was. Whatever the reception, the model spread: later servers including '''FaithfulMC''' adopted the same crate-and-rank structure, and it became the default commercial template for HCF servers that followed.

	<span style="color:~~#a00~~;">''Needs: Arcane's launch date, its map count, and a source for the community reaction at the time.''</span>		<span style="color:var(--hcf-redstone);">''Needs: Arcane's launch date, its map count, and a source for the community reaction at the time.''</span>

	* The 1.9 combat update and the community's refusal to adopt it		* The 1.9 combat update and the community's refusal to adopt it
Line 77:		Line 77:
	* Peak map turnouts and the most contested seasons		* Peak map turnouts and the most contested seasons

	<span style="color:~~#a00~~;">''Needs: exact date of the Kohi merger, and which networks attempted 1.9.''</span>		<span style="color:var(--hcf-redstone);">''Needs: exact date of the Kohi merger, and which networks attempted 1.9.''</span>
	</div>		</div>

	== The Lunar era (2019–2021) ==		== The Lunar era (2019–2021) ==
	<div style="border-left:6px solid #8c6a4a; background:~~#f8f3ee; padding:12px 16px; border~~-~~radius:0 6px 6px 0~~;">		<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note" style="border-left:6px solid #8c6a4a; background:var(--background-color-neutral);">
	With [[Kohi]] and [[MineHQ]] both gone, the scene did not fragment so much as pass to a single successor.		With [[Kohi]] and [[MineHQ]] both gone, the scene did not fragment so much as pass to a single successor.

Line 96:		Line 96:
	* Migration of players to other Minecraft PvP formats		* Migration of players to other Minecraft PvP formats

	<span style="color:~~#a00~~;">''Needs: Lunar's exact launch and closure dates, its map dates, and closure dates for MineHQ.''</span>		<span style="color:var(--hcf-redstone);">''Needs: Lunar's exact launch and closure dates, its map dates, and closure dates for MineHQ.''</span>
	</div>		</div>

	== Later period (2021–2024) ==		== Later period (2021–2024) ==
	<div style="border-left:6px solid #5a6b7a; background:~~#f3f5f7; padding:12px 16px; border~~-~~radius:0 6px 6px 0~~;">		<div class="hcf-callout hcf-callout--note" style="border-left:6px solid #5a6b7a; background:var(--background-color-neutral);">
	After Lunar closed, HCF continued as a smaller, more concentrated scene. Surviving networks ran established rulesets for a committed core, while revival attempts and nostalgia maps drew temporary spikes without sustained recovery.		After Lunar closed, HCF continued as a smaller, more concentrated scene. Surviving networks ran established rulesets for a committed core, while revival attempts and nostalgia maps drew temporary spikes without sustained recovery.

Line 113:		Line 113:
	* Present state of the format		* Present state of the format

	<span style="color:~~#a00~~;">''Needs: which networks were still running maps at the end of this period.''</span>		<span style="color:var(--hcf-redstone);">''Needs: which networks were still running maps at the end of this period.''</span>
	</div>		</div>

	== Period summary ==		== Period summary ==
	{\| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"		{\| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
	\|- ~~style="background:#3a6b8c; color:#ffffff;"~~		\|-
	! Period !! Years !! Defining development !! Trajectory		! Period !! Years !! Defining development !! Trajectory
	\|-		\|-
	~~\| style="background:#f2f8f4;"~~ \| Origins \|\| 2012–2013 \|\| Created on HCGaming; official on Shotbow, November 2013 \|\| Emerging		\| Origins \|\| 2012–2013 \|\| Created on HCGaming; official on Shotbow, November 2013 \|\| Emerging
	\|-		\|-
	~~\| style="background:#fdf8e8;"~~ \| Expansion \|\| 2014–2015 \|\| HCTeams opens; class system standardised \|\| Rising		\| Expansion \|\| 2014–2015 \|\| HCTeams opens; class system standardised \|\| Rising
	\|-		\|-
	~~\| style="background:#fbf4e0;"~~ \| Peak \|\| 2016–2018 \|\| 1.9 rejected; Kohi merges with Badlion \|\| Peak, then splitting		\| Peak \|\| 2016–2018 \|\| 1.9 rejected; Kohi merges with Badlion \|\| Peak, then splitting
	\|-		\|-
	~~\| style="background:#f8f3ee;"~~ \| Lunar era \|\| 2019–2021 \|\| Kohi and MineHQ gone; Lunar succeeds them \|\| Declining		\| Lunar era \|\| 2019–2021 \|\| Kohi and MineHQ gone; Lunar succeeds them \|\| Declining
	\|-		\|-
	~~\| style="background:#f3f5f7;"~~ \| Later \|\| 2021–2024 \|\| Revival maps; smaller committed core \|\| Stable, small		\| Later \|\| 2021–2024 \|\| Revival maps; smaller committed core \|\| Stable, small
	\|}		\|}

	== Key dates ==		== Key dates ==
	{\| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:92%;"		{\| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:92%;"
	\|- ~~style="background:#3a6b8c; color:#ffffff;"~~		\|-
	! Date !! Event		! Date !! Event
	\|-		\|-

Theo at 16:37, 15 September 2026

2026-09-15T16:37:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:37, 15 September 2026
Line 16:		Line 16:
	\| width="20%" style="background:#c9a227; padding:10px;" \| 2014–2015<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">Expansion</span>		\| width="20%" style="background:#c9a227; padding:10px;" \| 2014–2015<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">Expansion</span>
	\| width="20%" style="background:#b8860b; padding:10px;" \| 2016–2018<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">Peak</span>		\| width="20%" style="background:#b8860b; padding:10px;" \| 2016–2018<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">Peak</span>
	\| width="20%" style="background:#8c6a4a; padding:10px;" \| ~~2019–2020~~<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">~~Contraction~~</span>		\| width="20%" style="background:#8c6a4a; padding:10px;" \| 2019–2021<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">Lunar era</span>
	\| width="20%" style="background:#5a6b7a; padding:10px; border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;" \| ~~2020–2024~~<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">Later</span>		\| width="20%" style="background:#5a6b7a; padding:10px; border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;" \| 2021–2024<br /><span style="font-weight:normal;">Later</span>
	\|}		\|}
	<div style="text-align:center; font-size:85%; color:#666;">Gold segments mark the 2013–2018 golden era.</div>		<div style="text-align:center; font-size:85%; color:#666;">Gold segments mark the 2013–2018 golden era.</div>
Line 43:		Line 43:

	In '''2014''', itsjhalt opened '''[[HCTeams]]''' on MineHQ. Alongside '''[[Kohi]]''', it became one of the two servers that defined the competitive scene, and the two networks between them account for most of the era's documented map results.		In '''2014''', itsjhalt opened '''[[HCTeams]]''' on MineHQ. Alongside '''[[Kohi]]''', it became one of the two servers that defined the competitive scene, and the two networks between them account for most of the era's documented map results.

			[[HCTeams]] ran its Alpha map on 26 October 2014 and Map 1 on 15 November, then settled into a cycle of roughly four to six weeks per map through to the end of 2016. On [[Kohi]], [[EOTW]] was not held at all for the first six maps.

	* [[HCTeams]] opens in 2014		* [[HCTeams]] opens in 2014
Line 58:		Line 60:

	This period contains both the format's largest maps and the beginnings of its decline. '''[[Kohi]] merged with Badlion''' between Maps 25 and 26, a move most of its playerbase resisted and which is generally treated as the point the scene lost its centre. On '''16 December 2016''', '''johnzeh''' founded '''[[HCF Revival]]''', which ran its first map in April 2017.		This period contains both the format's largest maps and the beginnings of its decline. '''[[Kohi]] merged with Badlion''' between Maps 25 and 26, a move most of its playerbase resisted and which is generally treated as the point the scene lost its centre. On '''16 December 2016''', '''johnzeh''' founded '''[[HCF Revival]]''', which ran its first map in April 2017.

			The slowdown is visible in the map cycle itself. [[HCTeams]] ran maps every four to six weeks through 2016, then stopped after [[HCTeams Map 16\|Map 16]] on 30 December 2016. [[HCTeams Map 17\|Map 17]] did not start until July 2018, eighteen months later, and was the network's last.

	=== Arcane and the shift to monetisation ===		=== Arcane and the shift to monetisation ===
Line 76:		Line 80:
	</div>		</div>

	== ~~Contraction~~ (~~2019–2020~~) ==		== The Lunar era (2019–2021) ==
	<div style="border-left:6px solid #8c6a4a; background:#f8f3ee; padding:12px 16px; border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;">		<div style="border-left:6px solid #8c6a4a; background:#f8f3ee; padding:12px 16px; border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;">
	~~Player numbers declined across~~ the ~~genre~~. ~~Established networks closed or changed hands~~, maps ~~ran shorter~~, ~~and~~ the ~~pool of active~~ competitive ~~factions narrowed to a smaller group~~ of ~~long-running names~~.		With [[Kohi]] and [[MineHQ]] both gone, the scene did not fragment so much as pass to a single successor.

			'''[[Lunar]]''' picked up where [[MineHQ]] and [[HCTeams]] left off. Launched by '''Jordan''' and '''Physci''' with Map 1 in '''2019''', it ran nine maps through to its closure in '''2021''', making it the main competitive HCF server of the period.

	~~With both~~ [[~~Kohi~~]] and ~~[[MineHQ]] gone, nothing united the scene~~ the ~~way they had~~. ~~The community fragmented across a number~~ of ~~smaller servers rather than consolidating anywhere~~.		Its origins were technical as much as competitive. [[HCTeams Map 17\|HCTeams Map 17]] in 2018 was the first HCF map to run a client-side anticheat, '''CheatBreaker''', and Lunar launched on substantially the same system. When CheatBreaker shut down, '''Lunar Client''' took over that role and went on to become one of the most widely used Minecraft clients.

	* ~~Network closures~~ and ~~ownership changes~~		Player numbers still declined overall. Maps ran shorter, turnouts shrank, and the pool of active competitive factions narrowed to a smaller group of long-running names.

			* [[Lunar]] launches in 2019 and runs nine maps to 2021
			* Client-side anticheat arrives with CheatBreaker on [[HCTeams Map 17\|HCTeams Map 17]]
			* CheatBreaker closes; Lunar Client succeeds it
	* Shrinking map turnouts and shortened cycles		* Shrinking map turnouts and shortened cycles
	* Migration of players to other Minecraft PvP formats		* Migration of players to other Minecraft PvP formats
	* Consolidation of the remaining competitive scene

	<span style="color:#a00;">''Needs: closure dates for MineHQ ~~and other major networks, and where the playerbase went~~.''</span>		<span style="color:#a00;">''Needs: Lunar's exact launch and closure dates, its map dates, and closure dates for MineHQ.''</span>
	</div>		</div>

	== Later period (~~2020–2024~~) ==		== Later period (2021–2024) ==
	<div style="border-left:6px solid #5a6b7a; background:#f3f5f7; padding:12px 16px; border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;">		<div style="border-left:6px solid #5a6b7a; background:#f3f5f7; padding:12px 16px; border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;">
	HCF continued as a smaller, more concentrated scene. Surviving networks ran established rulesets for a committed core, while revival attempts and nostalgia maps drew temporary spikes without sustained recovery.		After Lunar closed, HCF continued as a smaller, more concentrated scene. Surviving networks ran established rulesets for a committed core, while revival attempts and nostalgia maps drew temporary spikes without sustained recovery.

	[[HCF Revival]] illustrates the pattern: after three maps across 2017 it went quiet for over five years, returning in June 2023 and running four maps through to June 2024.		[[HCF Revival]] illustrates the pattern: after three maps across 2017 it went quiet for over five years, returning in June 2023 and running four maps through to June 2024.

			The scene also spread regionally. AU and AS factions such as [[Fruit (faction)\|Fruit]] ran across a dozen smaller networks between 2020 and 2024, a part of the format the older archives barely record.

	* Revival maps and one-off events		* Revival maps and one-off events
	* Community-run and open-source server implementations		* Community-run and open-source server implementations
	* Reuse of historic network names by new owners		* Reuse of historic network names by new owners
			* Regional scenes outside NA and EU
	* Present state of the format		* Present state of the format

Line 115:		Line 127:
	\| style="background:#fbf4e0;" \| Peak \|\| 2016–2018 \|\| 1.9 rejected; Kohi merges with Badlion \|\| Peak, then splitting		\| style="background:#fbf4e0;" \| Peak \|\| 2016–2018 \|\| 1.9 rejected; Kohi merges with Badlion \|\| Peak, then splitting
	\|-		\|-
	\| style="background:#f8f3ee;" \| ~~Contraction~~ \|\| ~~2019–2020~~ \|\| Kohi and MineHQ ~~both~~ gone \|\| Declining		\| style="background:#f8f3ee;" \| Lunar era \|\| 2019–2021 \|\| Kohi and MineHQ gone; Lunar succeeds them \|\| Declining
	\|-		\|-
	\| style="background:#f3f5f7;" \| Later \|\| ~~2020–2024~~ \|\| Revival maps; smaller committed core \|\| Stable, small		\| style="background:#f3f5f7;" \| Later \|\| 2021–2024 \|\| Revival maps; smaller committed core \|\| Stable, small
	\|}		\|}

Line 130:		Line 142:
	\|-		\|-
	\| 2014 \|\| itsjhalt opens [[HCTeams]]		\| 2014 \|\| itsjhalt opens [[HCTeams]]
			\|-
			\| 26 October 2014 \|\| [[HCTeams Alpha\|HCTeams Alpha]] [[SOTW]]
			\|-
			\| 15 November 2014 \|\| [[HCTeams Map 1\|HCTeams Map 1]] [[SOTW]]
	\|-		\|-
	\| February 2016 \|\| Minecraft 1.9 released; the community rejects it		\| February 2016 \|\| Minecraft 1.9 released; the community rejects it
	\|-		\|-
	\| 16 December 2016 \|\| johnzeh founds [[HCF Revival]]		\| 16 December 2016 \|\| johnzeh founds [[HCF Revival]]
			\|-
			\| 30 December 2016 \|\| [[HCTeams Map 16\|HCTeams Map 16]] [[SOTW]], the last before an eighteen-month gap
			\|-
			\| January 2017 \|\| itsjhalt releases [[Arcane\|Arcane.cc]], introducing crates, keys and ranks
	\|-		\|-
	\| 8 April 2017 \|\| HCF Revival Map 1 [[SOTW]]		\| 8 April 2017 \|\| HCF Revival Map 1 [[SOTW]]
	\|-		\|-
	\| 2016–2017 \|\| [[Kohi]] merges with Badlion between Maps 25 and 26		\| 2016–2017 \|\| [[Kohi]] merges with Badlion between Maps 25 and 26
			\|-
			\| July 2018 \|\| [[HCTeams Map 17\|HCTeams Map 17]], the first HCF map with client-side anticheat
			\|-
			\| 2019 \|\| Jordan and Physci launch [[Lunar]]
			\|-
			\| 2021 \|\| [[Lunar]] closes after nine maps
			\|-
			\| June 2023 \|\| [[HCF Revival]] returns after five years
			\|-
			\| June 2024 \|\| [[HCF Revival]] Map 7, the most recent map recorded here
	\|}		\|}

	== See also ==		== See also ==
	* [[Hardcore Factions]]		* [[Hardcore Factions]]
	* [[Kohi]] · [[HCTeams]] · [[MineHQ]]		* [[Kohi]] · [[HCTeams]] · [[MineHQ]] · [[Lunar]]
	* [[Map archive]]		* [[Map archive]]
	* [[SOTW]] and [[EOTW]]		* [[SOTW]] and [[EOTW]]

Theo: /* Peak and fragmentation (2016–2018) */

2026-09-10T15:21:01Z

Peak and fragmentation (2016–2018)

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:21, 10 September 2026
Line 58:		Line 58:

	This period contains both the format's largest maps and the beginnings of its decline. '''[[Kohi]] merged with Badlion''' between Maps 25 and 26, a move most of its playerbase resisted and which is generally treated as the point the scene lost its centre. On '''16 December 2016''', '''johnzeh''' founded '''[[HCF Revival]]''', which ran its first map in April 2017.		This period contains both the format's largest maps and the beginnings of its decline. '''[[Kohi]] merged with Badlion''' between Maps 25 and 26, a move most of its playerbase resisted and which is generally treated as the point the scene lost its centre. On '''16 December 2016''', '''johnzeh''' founded '''[[HCF Revival]]''', which ran its first map in April 2017.

			=== Arcane and the shift to monetisation ===
			Around [[HCTeams Map 16\|HCTeams Map 16]] in '''January 2017''', itsjhalt released '''[[Arcane\|Arcane.cc]]''', a second HCF network running a softer ruleset built around [[Glossary\|crates]], keys and purchasable ranks.

			The model was contentious. A format whose appeal rested on gear being earned and losable now had progression that could be bought, and much of the competitive playerbase treated the pay-to-win elements as a departure from what HCF was. Whatever the reception, the model spread: later servers including '''FaithfulMC''' adopted the same crate-and-rank structure, and it became the default commercial template for HCF servers that followed.

			<span style="color:#a00;">''Needs: Arcane's launch date, its map count, and a source for the community reaction at the time.''</span>

	* The 1.9 combat update and the community's refusal to adopt it		* The 1.9 combat update and the community's refusal to adopt it
	* Version-locking to 1.7/1.8 and its long-term effects		* Version-locking to 1.7/1.8 and its long-term effects
	* HCF Revival founded, 16 December 2016		* HCF Revival founded, 16 December 2016
			* Arcane.cc and the arrival of crate-based monetisation, January 2017
	* The Kohi–Badlion merger and its failure		* The Kohi–Badlion merger and its failure
	* Peak map turnouts and the most contested seasons		* Peak map turnouts and the most contested seasons

Theo: Undid revision 314 by Theo (talk)

2026-09-10T15:20:53Z

Undid revision 314 by Theo (talk)

Show changes

Theo at 15:20, 10 September 2026

2026-09-10T15:20:42Z

Show changes