As you all know, since the 1.3 update, the server has been given an overhaul on how the server runs. I'm doing this critique to analyze all the differences of the previous Homestead/Bedlam combo system, seeing as there has been some mixed feelings when it comes to this. Another note, this is not just about the plugin, this is about the new spawn and other technical changes.
Towny has literally changed the very fundamentals of the game. No more free building, you must pay for land to build on, and the Green Zone, just to name a few. Towny, at first, was a very intimidating change to most people, including me, but now a month has passed and I've been playing for a while now, so i'm pretty much used to the system.
The Pros:
--New spawn
It was about time the changes i've been preaching have been put in the server. Information upfront instead of not being written anywhere is a good thing, however, it's not laid out how I had in mind, it's just all there at once, nothing is making anyone read it. As for the spawn's layout, It's rather efficient to find the portals and the market, only thing I'd change is to remove some of the trees and such blocking view of the portals and add some signs.
--100% grief free (sorta.)
Without being able to build without claiming land, nobody can touch your stuff except you! However, if you're a part of a town, an unruly assistant would be the only person to do anything to your things. Pick a town with good staff!
However, there was really no grief before anyways. Having to be registered+ to build in Homestead, very few people were actually griefers. On top of that, griefers were cought very quickly and demoted. And on top of that (again), people could use residence to protect their property in the first place. This is almost not a Pro for the Towny change.
--A self-cleaning server
The server basically cleans itself. If a town dies or a plot is unclaimed, the chunks are regenerated.
However, the map is so big that ruins would not be an eyesore on the server.
--Extended map lifetime
People won't be as bored during the end-game because they have to spend time maintaining what they have. It's also harder, as well as taking more time, to gain materials and wealth, thus, keeping people interested longer.
The Cons:
--The player market
Where is it?
--Still not beginner friendly
It's not obvious enough to new people what to do. Like I said about the spawn, nothing is making them read anything, whether it be a sign or a book. The massive glob of signs are just sitting there being walked past. Not to mention Towny is a complicated plugin, even after reading the signs a new player probably wouldn't understand how the server works.
--Too advanced for people new to the game
Say, hypothetically, a player has the knowledge to create a town. Okay, but if they're new to the game they can't maintain or grow it. I would not be where I am if it weren't for my knowledge of the game (diamond finding, enchanting, monster killing techniques, etc)
--Limited Building
While this could be a good thing to stop people from building everywhere, it really stops people from playing the game. Basic natural resources may be hard to obtain, such as water or sand. The very fact that people are limited to the land they buy is very deterring to their want to play on this server.
--Forcing people to play because of the threat of losing all of their possesions
This is probably the worst thing about Towny. People have to come back and make money to keep their stuff, or they lose EVERYTHING! Some people will just realise this and just say "forget it" and not play altogether. Others won't be so lucky, not play for a month and come back with all of their things gone due to land regeneration or a town owner clearing their plot.
My Summary:
Towny seemed to fix problems that didn't exist, on top of that, creating big, new, glaring ones, not to mention not fixing the problems from before: the lack of active, new people. While there may be more of a sense of accomplishment, there's always something holding you back and giving you negative thoughts about the system. This seems to be a downgrade from an active community server, to a passive server that's "just there" and needs no attention. The feeling of being completely free to do whatever (to an extend) is gone. The only thing out of this whole change that was completely positive is the new spawn.
We could have done better than this