Better Party 1.1.0

A major update focused on new features, improved compatibility, and better usability.

Highlights

• Full synchronization with Minecraft vanilla teams
• New party member locator with dots, player heads, and outlines
• Freely movable and scalable party HUD
• Improved invitations with slot reservation
• Fixed colors for all ten party slots
• New interface for future Better Party add-ons
• Numerous visual and compatibility fixes

Vanilla Team Integration

Better Party can now automatically connect parties to real Minecraft scoreboard teams.

• A matching vanilla team is automatically managed for every Better Party.
• Party members are also added to the corresponding vanilla team.
• Mods that read vanilla teams can recognize Better Party groups more easily.
• /team leave also removes the player from their Better Party.
• Moving a player to another vanilla team managed by Better Party also moves them to the corresponding party.
• If the target party is full, the team change is reverted to prevent an invalid state.
• Changes made through vanilla team commands are automatically detected and processed.
• Party names and visible vanilla team names are synchronized.
• Renaming a party through Better Party also updates its vanilla team.
• Renaming the vanilla team can update the corresponding party.
• Party PvP and the vanilla team's friendly-fire setting remain synchronized.
• Disbanding a party also removes its corresponding vanilla team.
• The party HUD disappears immediately after changing teams or using /team leave.
• If the party leader leaves their team, leadership is automatically transferred when an eligible member is available.
• Duplicate party names are no longer allowed.
• A clear error message is displayed when a party name is already taken.

Better Party never takes control of unrelated vanilla teams. If a player is already assigned to a team managed by another mod or an administrator, that team will not be overwritten.

Vanilla team integration is enabled by default and can be disabled in the server configuration if necessary.

New Party Member Locator

Party leaders can enable or disable the locator feature for their party.

Each member can then choose how party members hidden behind blocks should be displayed:

• Off
• Dot
• Player Head
• Outline

Additional features:

• The locator is only active when a party member is completely hidden behind blocks.
• Visible players continue to be rendered normally.
• Dots and player heads work at distances of up to 128 blocks or 8 chunks.
• Outlines work at distances of up to 64 blocks or 4 chunks.
• Visibility can be adjusted individually from 10% to 100%.
• Intensity is adjusted in steps of 10%.
• Player heads use the player's normal skin without an additional color tint.
• Outlines use the color assigned to the corresponding party slot.
• Outlines have been standardized as clean contours across all supported versions.
• If the locator is disabled for a party, members see a corresponding message in their HUD settings.

Fixed Colors for Party Slots

All ten available party slots now have their own fixed color.

• Slots 1 through 10 use clearly distinguishable colors.
• Colors are never assigned twice within the same party.
• Players do not carry their color over when joining another party.
• When joining, the player receives the first available party slot and its corresponding color.
• Colors are used consistently across the HUD, member lists, head borders, and the locator.
• The party leader continues to be marked with an additional crown.

New HUD Layout Editor

The previous HUD position settings have been replaced with a visual editor.

• The party HUD can be moved directly with the mouse.
• The HUD can be resized using the mouse wheel.
• Arrow keys allow precise positioning.
• Horizontal and vertical layouts can be switched directly inside the editor.
• A complete preview shows how the HUD will appear in-game.
• The preview can be configured to display between 2 and 10 players.
• Preview members use different names, health values, levels, and party colors.
• The information panel automatically moves out of the way when the HUD overlaps it.
• The Reset button restores the position, size, layout, and preview player count to their default values.
• Position and size are saved automatically.
• Redundant HUD size and layout options have been removed from the regular settings screen.
• “HUD Display” has been renamed to “HUD Settings” for improved clarity.
• HUD settings can be opened before joining a party.

Improved Inventory Button

The Better Party inventory button has been completely reworked.

• Two selectable icon variants are available.
• The preferred icon can be changed in the personal HUD settings.
• Position and size can be adjusted in a dedicated editor.
• The button can be moved with the mouse.
• Its size can be adjusted using the mouse wheel.
• The information panel automatically moves out of the way while repositioning the button.

Party Menu and Member Management

• Player portraits are now displayed in the invitation list.
• Member heads use a border matching their fixed party color.
• Member lists can be scrolled when not all members fit on the screen.
• Parties with up to ten members can therefore be managed completely.
• Long player names are automatically shortened or repositioned.
• Long names no longer overlap the leader crown.
• An access description is displayed directly below the selected access type.
• The Party Settings and HUD Settings layouts have been reorganized for better clarity.
• Invitations entered through the player name field are now sent by pressing Enter.

Improved Invitation System

Active invitations now reserve an actual party slot.

• No more invitations can be sent than there are available slots.
• Previously sent invitations are included when calculating the remaining party capacity.
• A player joining through the public party browser can no longer take a slot reserved by an active invitation.
• When every slot is occupied or reserved, additional players are shown as unavailable in the invitation list.
• The interface updates immediately when an invitation is accepted, declined, expires, or otherwise becomes invalid.
• Invited players receive a green checkmark next to their name.
• A removed member can immediately be invited again without reopening the party menu.
• Invitation entries no longer remain incorrectly disabled.
• The invitation window now closes correctly after the timer expires.
• A short invitation cooldown still applies after a player declines an invitation.
• Attempting to invite the player again too early displays a clear message.

Party Settings

• The party leader can enable or disable the party member locator.
• The XP sharing radius can now be switched between:
  • 1 chunk – 16 blocks
  • 2 chunks – 32 blocks
• Access settings now include clear descriptions.
• Changes are only applied after saving, preventing accidental modifications.

Add-on Support

Better Party 1.1.0 includes the foundation for future standalone add-ons.

• Add-ons can register their own settings pages inside the HUD settings.
• The Add-on Settings button is only displayed when at least one compatible add-on is installed.
• Without an add-on, the regular settings menu remains unchanged.
• This allows future map, waypoint, or claim integrations to be distributed as separate mods.

Bug Fixes

• Client state now updates immediately after external team changes.
• Invitation windows no longer remain open after expiring.
• Reserved party slots are correctly considered when players join public parties.
• Invitation buttons update correctly after kicks, declines, and expiration.
• Long names no longer cover the leader crown.
• Incorrect window and rendering order inside HUD editors has been fixed.
• The preview, information panel, and HUD are now rendered in the correct order.
• Inventory buttons no longer appear behind or in front of incorrect GUI elements.
• Numerous issues involving different GUI scales and screen resolutions have been fixed.