Improve Realm Join Failures with Load Screen or Clear Error Message (Java)

Minecraft Realms go inactive when no one is online, causing a common issue: the first player to join after inactivity always fails to connect, typically receiving a generic error message. This can confuse players—especially new or casual ones—who may assume the Realm is broken, or that they’re not invited.

This behavior, while expected, makes Realms feel buggy and unreliable. To improve the user experience, I’m suggesting two simple changes:

Proposed Fixes:

1. Add a Load Screen or Progress Bar
   Instead of showing an error immediately, show a fake loading screen or message like:

   “Waking up your Realm…”
   This would give the Realm time to start up in the background and ensure the first connection attempt succeeds, rather than failing outright.

2. Provide a Clear Error Message
   If the first attempt still fails, display a helpful message such as:

   “This Realm is currently inactive. Please wait a few seconds and try again.”

Either of these changes would improve the connection process, reduce confusion, and make Realms feel more polished. They would be especially useful for smaller Realms where only one or two people are online at any given time. These fixes are simple and would make a big difference in the overall user experience.

Thanks for considering this suggestion!