People who often look through maps on Java Realms or take a stroll through the Minecraft Marketplace may be familiar with the name Yeggs. This group of talented programmers, builders, and artists have been producing maps for Realms and content for the Marketplace for years. On top of that, they are known to host events for their communities like mapjams and minigame competitions.
“Yeggs was formed by Conor and Taj. I joined them in late 2019, when they started uploading maps to Minecraft Realms,” says Supersette, a Yeggs staff member and the main host of Yeggs mapjams. “Currently it’s Chopper and Conor running the Bedrock Marketplace team, which is where we get the funding to support the events we run on Java Edition. I’ve always really liked the mapjam tradition, so I decided to take charge of running the last few jams, with some help from Chopper and Conor here and there.”
As was the case for the mapjam of Spring 2025. Participants had 96 hours to create a fully-functional map from scratch, using at least two of the three themes that were provided: scale, dungeon, and fantasy. This was all while using no mods, no previously coded things, and limited help from plugins. Quite the task, so how does one go about speedrunning the creation of a map like that?
“We pretty much make all our mapjam maps in the same way,” Vilder50 explains. Vilder50 and Pollieboy are the creators of AUREATE SACRIFICE, the overall winning map of the mapjam. “Pollieboy makes the resource pack and most of the builds, and I make the datapack and shaders. I tend to make the mechanics one at a time and try to make them flexible. This means the map isn’t really playable for most of the jam, but comes with the upside that we can easily expand on our map idea.”
“For this mapjam, we really liked the idea of collecting items and putting them on weighing scales, and we knew ‘dungeon’ would be an easy theme to work with,” Vilder50 continues.
Easy was good, because they had been too ambitious in their last three jams, according to Pollieboy. “We tried to code completely unique mechanics, build entire worlds from scratch, and develop an entirely new artstyle,” Pollieboy says. “This time around we decided to rely more on the vanilla Minecraft mechanics and aesthetic.”
In this map you fight mobs and collect items to keep the ancient god that granted you invincibility happy. The catch? He requires a sacrifice equal to the damage you have taken. The scales that measure this out are a central part of this map, and turn out to have been very complicated to create. “I ended up hard-coding nineteen different states the scales could be in,” Vilder50 says.
The idea for The FISH Dungeon, a map created by A-Duration and which was a co-winner of the Most Fun prize, did not come as easily. “I looked at the themes and started brainstorming,” A-Duration recalls. “I couldn’t think of an idea, until I realized that the word ‘scale’ can mean the scale of a fish. This quickly sparked the idea to combine it with the dungeon theme, which is how I got the idea to make a fish themed roguelike.” In this map you fight fishy enemies using various special fishing rods, while collecting small fish scales to retrieve the fabled golden fish scale.
Having good themes is a key ingredient in a good mapjam, according to A-Duration. “The themes should invoke your creativity and make you think outside the box. Making maps is the most fun if you’re sharing your experience with other participants, so a friendly environment is also important.”
According to Vilder50, the duration is also key, especially considering the commitment that is needed to make a map. “I definitely prefer shorter mapjams, so you can spend all your time on it without going completely crazy. In my opinion, the best time is during a vacation, or at least mostly over a weekend, so you don’t have to spend too many days going to work or school while the jam is ongoing.”
The creators of neither map are new to the map-making scene. “My first couple of maps were not good, but with each map my skillset improved, and now I’m here,” A-Duration starts. “The thing that I love the most about making maps is the ability to create something new, something for the world to experience.” He also highlights the versatility of map-making, which goes beyond just coding and building.
That sentiment is one Pollieboy agrees with. “Minecraft offered me a world in which I could express my creativity,” he tells us. He has been making maps for ten years, nine of which were together with Vilder50. “Vilder is a really great coder, with great imagination, but he was not as great a resource pack artist or builder. Together, we have made more than ten maps.”
“The thing I really like about making maps in Minecraft is working around the limitations of the game, and making something which doesn’t feel like Minecraft,” Vilder50 adds, “although our mapjam map AUREATE SACRIFICE doesn’t really tick that box.”
The format of a mapjam works well to help them create a map. “If you are like me and you are prone to procrastinating, having a set deadline can help to overcome the initial block and limits the scope of the project,” A-Duration explains.
“It might sound like a negative thing, but the deadline forces you to finish and release something,” Vilder50 agrees. “Sometimes it’s good to just make something and get some feedback from other people, instead of spending weeks trying to perfect it.”
The time crunch is good for yet another reason, according to Supersette. “It pushes you to learn quickly, so your skills grow a lot by the time the jam is over. Mapjams are great moments to improve map-making skills and connect with other creators.”
A-Duration also mentions that jams help to become more knowledgeable with the process of making maps. “The Yeggs mapjam is great for that, since you are working along a large number of map-makers. They can provide a lot of detailed feedback helping you improve.”
“Mapjams are a great place to show other people what you are able to make, and works pretty well as an entrance into the map-making community,” Vilder50 adds.
“Mapjams make map-making less daunting,” Pollieboy tells us. “Excitement can turn a simple idea into a complex one, and perfectionism can drag out the process. Even if you finish a map, it can be equally difficult to find an audience for it.” Mapjams don’t have this problem, he says. “They guarantee an audience that will play it. Seeing how your map is received always makes it worth it.”
When it comes to advice for new map-makers, they all agree you need to start small. “It’s easier to make something new using new knowledge than it is to fix an old thing,” Vilder50 says. “When you feel like you have a pretty good idea of how to make things in Minecraft you can start to do mapjams. They are a great way to get other people to play your maps and to get feedback on what works well and what doesn’t.”
They also mention it’s important to focus on your strengths, especially when you join a mapjam. “If you’re a strong builder but lack datapack or coding skills, it’s best to center your map around the impressive builds you’re going to create, while leaning on Minecraft’s existing mechanics to support the gameplay,” Supersette says. “You only have a short time during a jam, so lean on your strengths and scope your project wisely.”
A-Duration underlines this point. “Don’t overestimate your abilities, and plan out ahead what you will put in your map. It’s just the worst feeling when the mapjam is almost ending, and you have barely started making the map.” He also adds some secret advice: “Don’t try to make a good map. Try to make a map that is fun to play. Your map can be very detailed and filled to the brim with impressive commands and mechanics, but people won’t stick around to see all of that if it is not fun.” But his most important advice for new map-makers? “Don’t give up. Your first maps won’t be great, and that’s completely normal. Don’t compare yourself to professionals, focus on making maps, have fun with it, and learn new things.”
You can check out and download the mapjam maps on the Yeggs website here.
The next Yeggs mapjam is coming up this weekend, starting Saturday 13th September at 5pm BST / 12am EDT and lasting for 72 hours. Teams can have 1-3 members, and there is a $200 USD prize pool. You can sign up for the mapjam through this form, or stay up to date with Yeggs news in their community Discord.
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