Timeline System

Timelines let you schedule actions to happen at precise moments — like a script for a play. You define “at tick 0, show a message; at tick 40, play a sound; at tick 60, give the player a reward” and Journey runs it all automatically.

They’re perfect for reward ceremonies, NPC dialogue sequences, and anything that needs precise timing.

How Timelines Work

A timeline is a map of tick numbers to actions. When launched, Journey counts through the ticks and fires each action at the right moment.

Key concept: 20 ticks = 1 second.

{
  "timeline": {
    "0": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<gold>The adventure begins!')"
    },
    "40": {
      "type": "command",
      "command": "playsound minecraft:entity.experience_orb.pickup player {player}"
    },
    "60": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.add_flag('intro_seen')"
    }
  }
}

This timeline:

Tick 0 (immediately): Sends a gold message
Tick 40 (2 seconds later): Plays a sound
Tick 60 (3 seconds later): Sets a flag

Tick Timing Reference

Ticks	Time
1	50ms
5	0.25 seconds
10	0.5 seconds
20	1 second
40	2 seconds
60	3 seconds
100	5 seconds
200	10 seconds
1200	1 minute

Action Types

Molang Actions

Execute Molang scripts with full access to all player functions:

{
  "type": "molang",
  "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<gold>Hello world!')"
}

You can use any q.player.* function here — send messages, set flags, give items, launch other timelines, apply buffs, and more.

More examples:

{"type": "molang", "script": "q.player.add_flag('cutscene_complete')"}
{"type": "molang", "script": "q.player.apply_buff('speed_boost', 1200, 1)"}
{"type": "molang", "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<red>BOOM!')"}
{"type": "molang", "script": "q.player.remove_item('minecraft:tnt', 1)"}
{"type": "molang", "script": "q.player.progress_levelable('story_progress', 50)"}

Command Actions

Execute server commands. Use {player} as a placeholder for the player’s name:

{
  "type": "command",
  "command": "give {player} minecraft:diamond 5"
}

Commands run as the server console with full permissions. You can use selectors (@a, @p, etc.).

More examples:

{"type": "command", "command": "playsound minecraft:entity.player.levelup player {player}"}
{"type": "command", "command": "particle minecraft:explosion_emitter ~ ~1 ~ 0 0 0 0 1"}
{"type": "command", "command": "title {player} title {\"text\":\"Victory!\",\"color\":\"gold\"}"}

Multiple Actions at the Same Tick

When you need several things to happen simultaneously, use an array:

{
  "timeline": {
    "55": [
      {
        "type": "command",
        "command": "playsound minecraft:entity.generic.explode block {player} ~ ~ ~ 0.5 1"
      },
      {
        "type": "molang",
        "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<red>BOOM!')"
      },
      {
        "type": "command",
        "command": "particle minecraft:explosion_emitter ~ ~1 ~ 0 0 0 0 1"
      },
      {
        "type": "molang",
        "script": "q.player.remove_item('minecraft:tnt', 1)"
      }
    ]
  }
}

All four actions fire at tick 55 (2.75 seconds).

Complete Examples

NPC Dialogue Sequence

A professor talks to the player over several seconds:

File: config/journey/timelines/professor_intro.json

{
  "timeline": {
    "0": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<gray>[<green>Professor Willow<gray>] <white>Welcome, young trainer!')"
    },
    "40": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<gray>[<green>Professor Willow<gray>] <white>I see you have chosen your first Pokemon.')"
    },
    "80": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<gray>[<green>Professor Willow<gray>] <white>Your journey starts now. Good luck!')"
    },
    "100": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.add_flag('professor_intro_complete')"
    }
  }
}

Pacing: 2 seconds between each dialogue line gives players time to read.

Reward Ceremony

A dramatic reward presentation with sound and effects:

File: config/journey/timelines/gym_victory.json

{
  "timeline": {
    "0": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<gold><bold>CONGRATULATIONS!')"
    },
    "20": {
      "type": "command",
      "command": "playsound minecraft:entity.player.levelup player {player}"
    },
    "40": [
      {
        "type": "command",
        "command": "give {player} minecraft:diamond 5"
      },
      {
        "type": "molang",
        "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<green>You received <bold>5 Diamonds<reset><green>!')"
      },
      {
        "type": "command",
        "command": "particle minecraft:totem_of_undying ~ ~1 ~ 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.1 20"
      }
    ],
    "60": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.add_flag('gym_badge_boulder')"
    }
  }
}

Conditional Actions

Use Molang ternary expressions for branching within a timeline:

File: config/journey/timelines/secret_door.json

{
  "timeline": {
    "0": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<gray>Checking access...')"
    },
    "40": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.has_flag('secret_key') ? q.player.tell_minimessage('<green>The door opens!') : q.player.tell_minimessage('<red>The door is locked.')"
    },
    "60": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.has_flag('secret_key') ? q.player.execute_command('tp {player} 100 70 200') : 0.0"
    }
  }
}

Explosion Sequence (Production Example)

A real timeline from a production server — Professor Willow lights TNT:

File: config/journey/timelines/tnt_scene.json

{
  "timeline": {
    "5": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<gray>[<green>Professor Willow<gray>] <white>Agh... The TNT wont ignite!')"
    },
    "35": {
      "type": "molang",
      "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<gray>[<green>Professor Willow<gray>] <white>Ah! Got it')"
    },
    "40": {
      "type": "command",
      "command": "playsound minecraft:entity.tnt.primed block {player} -584.00 80.11 -20.67 0.5 1"
    },
    "55": [
      {
        "type": "command",
        "command": "playsound minecraft:entity.generic.explode block {player} -584.00 80.11 -20.67 0.5 1"
      },
      {
        "type": "molang",
        "script": "q.player.tell_minimessage('<red>BOOM!')"
      },
      {
        "type": "molang",
        "script": "q.player.remove_item('minecraft:tnt', 1)"
      },
      {
        "type": "command",
        "command": "particle minecraft:explosion_emitter -584.00 80.14 -20.62 0 0 0 0 1 normal"
      },
      {
        "type": "molang",
        "script": "q.player.add_flag('tnt_exploded')"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Launching Timelines

As a Task Reward

{
  "rewards": [
    {
      "type": "timeline",
      "data": {
        "timeline": "journey:gym_victory"
      }
    }
  ]
}

As a Levelable Reward

{
  "level": 10,
  "required_experience": 1000,
  "rewards": [
    {
      "type": "timeline",
      "data": {
        "timeline": "journey:level_milestone"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Via Molang (from any script context)

q.player.launch_timeline('journey:celebration')

This works in task script rewards, zone entry scripts, timeline actions, and anywhere else Molang runs.

File Location & Naming

Timeline files go in config/journey/timelines/:

config/journey/timelines/
├── professor_intro.json     → journey:professor_intro
├── gym_victory.json         → journey:gym_victory
├── tnt_scene.json           → journey:tnt_scene
└── level_milestone.json     → journey:level_milestone

The resource ID is journey:<filename_without_extension>.

Tips & Best Practices

Timing

2-3 seconds (40-60 ticks) between dialogue lines gives players time to read
Sync sound and visuals — put them at the same tick in an array
Test in-game — server lag can affect timing slightly

Actions

Use Molang for player-specific things (messages, flags, items)
Use commands for world effects (particles, sounds, title text)
Batch simultaneous actions in arrays for synchronized effects

Organization

Use descriptive filenames: quest_complete_celebration.json not test2.json
Keep a planning doc with tick breakdowns for complex timelines

Limitations

Timelines are fire-and-forget:

They cannot be paused or resumed once started
They cannot loop
They cannot wait for player input mid-sequence
They cannot be cancelled after launch

For interactive sequences, combine timelines with tasks (the task controls the flow, timelines handle the presentation).