Hey guys, this is my first plugin. please be kind.

Introduction

The idea for this was born from a need on my own server. Whenever we would have some sort of PvP event, such as an arena fight, spleef, or a Hunger Games, the referee would need a way to start the match. it was very difficult for the ref to count down in chat. This caused many false starts and mess ups. it was very frustrating. We tried building redstone contraptions with lights, but they were time consuming to build didn't always work right. This plugin, upon command, will count down for you in evenly spaced chat messages, without lagging the server at all.

I looked around on bukkitdev and couldn't find a plugin that would provide these features without stalling the server, so I wrote it myself. Hope you enjoy!

Current Features

a countdown on command /countdown <time to count down from><spacing between counts>
countdown does not lag the server all
uses a regular chat message rather than full server broadcast, so that it is compatible with any chat-modifying plugin. The countdown will only be heard by people who would hear you chat anyways. Great for servers where chat is limited to the people close by you, so that you don't countdown to the entire world's chat.
does not impede regular chat message typing, so it's possible to have a command typed an ready, and press enter as soon as the countdown is over.

How to Use

The plugin only includes one command, /countdown. /countdown has 2 arguments; the number to start counting down from and the spacing in seconds between counts. for example: if you were to type /countdown 5 1, it would count down from 5 to 0, with one second between numbers.

Permissions

none. I couldn't think of a reason that anyone would need to not have access to this command. if you need them for some reason, P.M. me and I can add them.

What it can do for you

this plugin is incredibly simple, but also gives massive amounts of functionality. here are just a few of the possibilites:

start competitions fairly
use when threatening (i'll give you 10 seconds to get out of the way... 10...9... etc)
do quests (you have 5 minutes to retrieve the diamond)
server shutdown (the server will go down in 5... )
and SO MANY MORE!

Future Features (TODO)

somehow create a redstone power output when the countdown is over. not sure how to implement.
run a command when the countdown is over (such as /countdown 5 1 stop, which would do /stop after a countdown from 5 at one second intervals)

CountdownTimer