2 Years. 2 Long, well observed years. That is how long I have been on the Minetown server. And it is for that long, I have observed the Economy in Minetown fluctuate time and time again.
I will start off by saying that mob spawners, our economy issue, and the apparent lack of a close knit MT Community like it had been in ages past, are all symptoms of the same problem. And that problem comes in the form of a player-based economy, an overall sense of general laziness, and the promotion of donators having a higher 'importance' then general server members. I have seen many things, and was here well before MTC ever existed. Back when Minetown still had a material-based economy. Back when It was Diamond, Gold and Iron as the currency. And back before individual players attempted to out-do, outbid, or out class each other simply for show and power, nor of players and their increasing inability or want to participate in laborious chores without demanding an absurd amount of compensation in the form of players being greedy for their own gains) for the said job/work done.
The MTC being added to Minetown, was the single greatest mistake I feel the server has made. Minetown's economy only started to slide downhill upon it's implementation. Voting originally, simply had provided diamonds in the form of the reward but now with the almost exclusive amount of MTC shops, I find it neigh impossible to buy items and such in Diamond, like I had all these long years. On more then one occasion, I was refused service or the ability to shop, due to not accepting the MTC, which is why I have had to focus on being self-sufficient.
I find this a betrayal of Minetown's original principals, and it's true nature to be a survival server. This is why when I lead nearly a year ago now, that Millenium that rejected the MTC in favor of the traditional forms of currency. And should the economy prove to continue to decline as it keeps doing with each passing day, I will endeavor to have Japan adapt and move to a material based trade system instead where the MTC will have no value to trade with.
I have also come to find that spawners, while useful and have resulted in an influx of items, have created a sense of unlimited capability, unlimited resources available to any given player on a whim which has become a 'taken for granted' notion. While this is a good trait in it's own right, this also has had devastating consequences for the economy in the form that spawners and items can be easily and cheaply mass produced with little time and effort, thus causing drastically reduced amounts of players to mine, collect, gather, farm and forage in sake of easier and cheaper methods. A prime example are logs and stone, which are high valued/sought items, that nobody wishes to put forth the time and effort to collect, refine, and distribute in sufficient supply to the general server and it's populace.
Lastly, I address the issues of the donators and how it has caused the tight-knit MT Community, to fade. The promotion of and push to have everyone donate as much as they can for fortune and recognition, to be considered worthy of being a member of the community.. Which quite frankly, makes me sick. Minetown was not always like that. This is another betrayal of MT's original state.
Donators have caused a divide in the MT Community. People pay attention now only to the fancy tags, to the colored names. The players with the most commands and abilities. The white, untagged names (as I observed with PandaPshyc, and others who have not donated) are now largely ignored. Are from what I have born witness to, looked down upon or not thought of to be the same quality or level as a donator. That the donor has the more importance then the common folk.
I do not mock nor discredit the need for donations to the Minetown server. By all means, donations are what keep the server running and alive, after all. But at what point does the need for donations and the divide it causes between players and their abilities, outweigh a sense of a community? At which point should it be reconsidered, that it isn't how much you donate that determines the quality of a player, but rather their actions, personality and integrity be worth more then a lump sum of cash?
Minetown used to be a donation only server. It would take a $5.00 donation to get into the server. There was no application system either. This did separate those who could afford to buy entry to Minetown, to those of anyone (even of good quality character) to be unable to join. Since we added the application system, things have come to pass that I believe were not intentional. I fully believe that all Minecrafters (albeit, those who follow the rules) be allowed to play on Minetown, simply be treated as full equals to each other, nor their actions and contributions to the Minetown server in general, be forgotten.
If these issues are addressed, and actions taken to fix them are taken, then I believe a sense of a close community will return and that the Economy will return to a stable and beneficial one. But it must take into account that the economy should become a regulated/set one like it had been previously, and no longer a player-based one. So that a sense of wealth in both materials and MTC are consistent throughout each and every player, and every last town and city on the server. To reintegrate a sense of balance to the server.
These have been my observations, my experiences. There are quite a few others that have been here longer then me and quite possibly see things in a different light then I do. All I ask is for everyone to fully reflect and be open minded in these issues. What is done now will directly impact how the future of Minetown itself will be. Will we be careful enough to make the right choices to make the server more beneficial in the future, or be careless/greedy enough to cause it's continued demise?