BetterGlow

# BetterGlow **Let every player glow their own way — no permissions, no commands to memorize, just click and glow.** BetterGlow is a lightweight, GUI-driven glow & particle cosmetics plugin for Paper servers. Players pick their own glowing outline color (including a full rainbow/RGB-cycling mode) and/or a particle aura, entirely independent of each other, entirely from a simple inventory menu. All choices persist across logouts and restarts — no database required. ## ✨ Features - **`/glow` GUI menu** — pick everything by clicking, no need to memorize commands. - **16 static glow colors** for the classic glowing outline (Scoreboard-Team based, fully vanilla-compatible). - **Rainbow mode** — the glow outline continuously cycles through 10 colors for an RGB-style effect. Cycle speed is configurable. - **8 particle auras**, completely independent from the glow outline — mix and match freely: - Enchant sparkles - Flame - Heart - Portal - Snowflake - Witch - End Rod shimmer - Electric Spark - **Glow and particles are independent toggles** — enable both, just one, or neither. - **No permissions required by default** — every player can use it out of the box (easy to restrict with a permission plugin if you want it VIP-only). - **Persistent player data** — colors and effects are saved per player and restored automatically on join. - **Configurable performance** — particle spawn rate/count and rainbow cycle speed are adjustable in `config.yml` to fit servers of any size. - **TAB compatibility built in** — optional PlaceholderAPI integration (`%xglow_glowcolor%`) so glow colors keep working even when TAB manages your scoreboard teams. See setup below. ## 📋 Commands | Command | Description | |---|---| | `/glow` | Opens the GUI menu | | `/glow menu` | Same as above | | `/glow toggle` \| `/glow on` \| `/glow off` | Toggle the glow outline | | `/glow color <colorName>` | Set a specific static glow color | | `/glow rainbow` \| `/glow rainbow on` \| `/glow rainbow off` | Toggle rainbow/RGB glow mode | | `/glow effect <effectName>` | Enable a particle aura | | `/glow effect off` | Disable the particle aura | | `/glow help` | Show the in-game help message | Aliases: `/xglow` **No permission nodes are required** — the plugin is designed so every player on the server can use it immediately. ## ⚙️ Configuration (`config.yml`) ```yaml particle: interval-ticks: 4 # how often particles spawn (lower = smoother, more performance cost) count: 6 # particles spawned per tick rainbow: interval-ticks: 3 # how often the rainbow color changes (lower = faster/smoother cycling) ``` ## 🔧 Compatibility with TAB / nametag plugins TAB (and similar plugins that manage scoreboard teams for tablist/nametag coloring) will, by design, block other plugins from assigning their own scoreboard teams — this affects **any** glow plugin, not just this one. If you use TAB, BetterGlow's colors won't show up out of the box. **Fix:** Install PlaceholderAPI. BetterGlow will automatically register the placeholder `%xglow_glowcolor%`, which returns the player's current glow color code (empty if glow is off). Add it to the **end** of your `tagprefix` in TAB's `groups.yml`: ```yaml _DEFAULT_: tagprefix: '%luckperms-prefix%%xglow_glowcolor%' ``` Then run `/tab reload`. Full details: (https://github.com/NEZNAMY/TAB/wiki/How-to-make-TAB-compatible-with-glow-plugins). ## 📦 Requirements - **Server software:** Paper (or forks) 1.21 – 1.21.11 - **Java:** 21+ - **Dependencies:** None required. PlaceholderAPI is optional (only needed for TAB compatibility). ## 📥 Installation 1. Drop `BetterGlow.jar` into your `plugins/` folder. 2. Restart (or `/reload`) the server. 3. Players run `/glow` to open the menu. ## ❓ FAQ **Does this need a permission to use?** No — anyone can use `/glow` by default. Add your own permission check via a permissions plugin if you want to restrict it (e.g. behind a rank). **Can I run glow and particles at the same time?** Yes, they're fully independent — enable both, either one, or neither. **Will player data survive a restart?** Yes, everything is saved to `plugins/BetterGlow/playerdata.yml` automatically. **Does rainbow mode support true RGB colors?** Vanilla Minecraft's glow outline color is tied to the scoreboard team color field, which only supports 16 legacy colors — true arbitrary RGB isn't possible through this system. Rainbow mode simulates it by rapidly cycling through those colors. --- *Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue on the project's source repository.*