You spend at least 2 hours digging up cobble just so you can die out in the wilderness with no supplies...A "Normal and mature person" wouldn't play on a server that begs for players and displays the information that this is not a prison server when it obviously is... You start off with no freedom, being bossed around by people higher in the food-chain that you...
I am not a mod on this server. I went through the vetting process. In other words, been there, done that. So here's how it goes:
1. Your first few hours on the server are spent in a closed-off environment. For kicks, the environment is a prison. But the point is not that it's a prison, the point is that it's closed off from the rest of the server. That way, griefers are weeded out in a safe environment.
2. Pretty much all of the people who play on this server are friendly and helpful. This is especially true of the mods. They don't jail anyone unless that person has done something to break the rules, which can basically be summed up in "Don't break or take it if it's not yours" and "Play nice". If you break something or steal, they will try to find out why you did it. If you lie or are belligerent, that is what gets you into real trouble.
3. This is a survival server. So once you show you're a player not a bot or griefer in prison (which can be done in as little as 30 minutes, by the way), you get sent to an island to survive, the second and final step in the vetting process. "Die in the wilderness with no supplies"? Really? You're allowed to take the stuff you've gathered from prison! You're placed on an island that is rich in natural resources! There's a tree-assist plugin! It's the ideal survival environment, and all you're asked to do at this point is spend a few days building something cool and surviving. After that, you're promoted to full member and you get to join the rest of the world.
So let me tell you my experience, which from what I've seen is the rule rather than the exception. If someone debating whether to try the server out, hopefully this will help.
I logged in, died in lava (big deal, not like I had anything yet anyway), read the signs. Then I walked around the prison to see what was up, where stuff was. I didn't break any blocks or try to get out (seems like a no brainer but tons of prisoners do this "just to see if they can"). I made myself tools and got to mining. There were a couple things I couldn't figure out even after exploring (things that seem obvious in hindsight), so I asked for help and was told what to do. I worked quietly, not disturbing the other prisoners and not badgering the mods with constant questions or demands. I built my house when I was about halfway done with my mining quota and spent some time and effort building it. Then once I had the required balance, I went and broke down my house and said that I was ready to go. Well, that was dumb because the mods need to check to make sure you have a house. Whoops. So I quickly put together a wooden box, because that's really all it needs to be anyway, and got out of prison. No issues, no jail time, no problems. New Island was fun for me. I almost exclusively played single player survival up to that point, so the island was like that but way better. I mostly kept to myself and worked on the task at hand. I built my house, accumulated goods, was on the island for about 2 or 3 days, and then I was promoted to a full member.
Now I've been playing for some time. I have not once been griefed or stolen from. There are fun things to do beyond building and mining on your own, like contests, minigames, etc. So if you're a loner, you can do your own thing, and if you like playing in groups, you can do that, too. I could not be happier with the server, and if I were asked to go through the vetting process again to continue playing, I would without hesitation.
2
I am not a mod on this server. I went through the vetting process. In other words, been there, done that. So here's how it goes:
1. Your first few hours on the server are spent in a closed-off environment. For kicks, the environment is a prison. But the point is not that it's a prison, the point is that it's closed off from the rest of the server. That way, griefers are weeded out in a safe environment.
2. Pretty much all of the people who play on this server are friendly and helpful. This is especially true of the mods. They don't jail anyone unless that person has done something to break the rules, which can basically be summed up in "Don't break or take it if it's not yours" and "Play nice". If you break something or steal, they will try to find out why you did it. If you lie or are belligerent, that is what gets you into real trouble.
3. This is a survival server. So once you show you're a player not a bot or griefer in prison (which can be done in as little as 30 minutes, by the way), you get sent to an island to survive, the second and final step in the vetting process. "Die in the wilderness with no supplies"? Really? You're allowed to take the stuff you've gathered from prison! You're placed on an island that is rich in natural resources! There's a tree-assist plugin! It's the ideal survival environment, and all you're asked to do at this point is spend a few days building something cool and surviving. After that, you're promoted to full member and you get to join the rest of the world.
So let me tell you my experience, which from what I've seen is the rule rather than the exception. If someone debating whether to try the server out, hopefully this will help.
I logged in, died in lava (big deal, not like I had anything yet anyway), read the signs. Then I walked around the prison to see what was up, where stuff was. I didn't break any blocks or try to get out (seems like a no brainer but tons of prisoners do this "just to see if they can"). I made myself tools and got to mining. There were a couple things I couldn't figure out even after exploring (things that seem obvious in hindsight), so I asked for help and was told what to do. I worked quietly, not disturbing the other prisoners and not badgering the mods with constant questions or demands. I built my house when I was about halfway done with my mining quota and spent some time and effort building it. Then once I had the required balance, I went and broke down my house and said that I was ready to go. Well, that was dumb because the mods need to check to make sure you have a house. Whoops. So I quickly put together a wooden box, because that's really all it needs to be anyway, and got out of prison. No issues, no jail time, no problems. New Island was fun for me. I almost exclusively played single player survival up to that point, so the island was like that but way better. I mostly kept to myself and worked on the task at hand. I built my house, accumulated goods, was on the island for about 2 or 3 days, and then I was promoted to a full member.
Now I've been playing for some time. I have not once been griefed or stolen from. There are fun things to do beyond building and mining on your own, like contests, minigames, etc. So if you're a loner, you can do your own thing, and if you like playing in groups, you can do that, too. I could not be happier with the server, and if I were asked to go through the vetting process again to continue playing, I would without hesitation.