Since 2018, we’ve released 3 versions of our programs so far. The first one being called SpigotCourse, released back in 2018, then next year followed our first Project Orion and Java Masterclass versions, and last year Project Orion 2.0.

When launching Project Orion 2.0, we thought of splitting it into three parts: Standard edition containing Java course plus Spigot/Paper program, Premium edition and Platinum edition.

That turned out to be a little confusing for users. Many people did not know that Project Orion Standard contained Java, others wanted to grow their networks and thought that we only teach coding plugins.

Starting today, we’ve reorganized and changed that into three separate programs.

#1 Java Masterclass 2.0

This program only covers Java SDK and is suitable for people who have never coded before, or those who need to fill in their gaps or coming from another coding language.

Its key goals are to prepare you for coding standalone, object-oriented Java applications with focus on high coding standards, and clean code.

If you were a part of Project Orion you will notice many lessons from Project Orion Standard were reorganized there, and we have migrated access to existing students so you can now access those lessons in Java Masterclass. We use Minecraft to teach to make it fun, lighthearded and visual. Some lessons got updated, namely IntelliJ setup due to the new UI.

If you just want to learn Java, this is a great program to start. Click here to learn more about Java Masterclass.

#2 Project Orion 2.5

This is mostly an unchanged version of the Project Orion 2.0 we begun working on last year (and finished this year), where we simply reorganized the structure of the course to now contain 7 weeks of content purely around coding Minecraft plugins.

Project Orion is the best program for any Minecraft server owner looking to make his own Minecraft plugins and build highly customized networks from the ground up.

Regardless if you are planning on launching a 2.0 version of your dream network, or are already running an establish network and looking to push it to the next level, Project Orion shows you how to create unbelievable plugins and open a new realm of customizing options for your network.

It works with Paper/Spigot and we if you do not have Java knowledge, we gift you Java Masterclass for free when enrolling in Project Orion so you can learn it.

Existing students have been migrated automatically. You will notice that weeks 3-7 come from what was previously placed in Project Orion Premium or Platinum.

Click here to learn more about Project Orion and start making your own Minecraft plugins.

#3 Black Nova

We are launching this as a “test” and created this off of the last week from Project Orion Platinum. Black Nova is a premiere no-code program helping Minecraft network owners scale their servers, grow their player-base and retain players.

You won’t be coding Minecraft plugins in Black Nova, instead, we give you the strategies to scale your server through a deep understanding of players, positioning yourself as a market leader, and mastering organic and paid ads while monetizing your server the right way to ensure you have finances to withstand scale.

With Black Nova we will gift you Project Orion and Java Masterclass so that you, or your developers can code customized solutions for your network, but coding is not necessary here. Black Nova is our latest and newest addition for people who are serious about running a successful Minecraft servers and look to “think differently” to differentiate them from the pack.

Click here to learn more about Black Nova and learn to grow and build a successful Minecraft network without coding.

Existing student migration

Here is how your account was migrated depending on the program you paid for:

  • If you bought Project Orion in 2019-05.2022, you now have access to Java Masterclass, Project Orion and Black Nova.
  • If you bought Project Orion Standard or Project Orion Premium, you got access to Java Masterclass and Project Orion.
  • If you bought Project Orion Standard or Project Orion Platinum, you got access to Java Masterclass, Project Orion and Black Nova.
  • If you bought NMS Advanced, nothing changes, except that for you, Java Masterclass got fully updated since previously students of NMS Advanced had the previous Java Masterclass course available.
  • If you bought Java Masterclass, nothing changes.

Free trial and inactive accounts purge

Our database was slowly getting overloaded by stale accounts so we purged all free trial accounts as well as people who did not use our site for 2 years.

If you lost your free trial account you can open a new one at this link.

In the rare circumstance that your paid account was closed simply contact us and we’ll reopen it to its full capacity in 1-3 business days.

New branding kits

We have reworked our assets you can use to invite people to join Project Orion.

We currently run an invite system where you can invite a friend and he gets a small 25% discount, and you get paid 25% off of his enrollment fee to your PayPal.

If you are an existing student, you can access this system inside “Invite a friend” menu link in your portal.

Closing words

Not only we’ve redesigned our programs but we’ll be steadily coming up with new content (such as AI-related videos as we did a few months ago) based on demands and your suggestions.

We also updated our homework/Action Items centre for Project Orion to cover all 7 weeks.

In the following weeks, we plan on adding new Discord channels for #java-masterclass and #black-nova, add @tag feature to our Hub portal as well as work together with famous YouTubers to help spread the word about MineAcademy, and finally, continue releasing free YouTube content to grow organically.

MineAcademy is on a mission to become #1 Minecraft education platform and we hope to bring you value and grow you as a person, both professionaly and personally. As always, it’s a pleasure to be working with so many of you (we have had over 2,000 people enroll so far!) and feel free to get in touch of you have tips, I am all ears!

-Matej