I'm getting back into my Pokemon fix, and starting to be a little more active on servers again (frequenting a server is a good thing, I used to poke my head in and never come back). I've started looking for a server that I could get into. But I'm both ashamed to ask due to the high standards I'm looking for, yet I'm curious to know if something similar to what I'm looking for is around.
White-listing is fine with me, I'll apply and everything; I'm a very honest and sensible person, which makes it easy to join a server... I know that sounds like gloating, but in general, the rule is "don't be a dick", and I've never acted like one on a server, nor have I lied to get into one. Seriously, if griefing ticks you off, it ticks me off, so I don't do it. If the server's Public, that's fine too, but I stay quiet in large crowds, and don't care for constant socializing.
The server needs to have something other than the Pixelmon mod... I don't mean Pixelmon plus 100 other different mods, but something to keep me playing past the basic game. Pixelmon is a great mod, but every time I play it, I grab a couple Pokemon, make a decent team, feel satisfied, then never play it again for months. -Maybe it needs a challenge? Puzzles?- PVP is helpful to keep everything going (I mean, a social scene always makes things last longer), but when it comes to PVP, I start going into min-maxing, and that's not fun. I did that with the PokemonMMO (that uses FireRed) and I got frustrated because it became a chore to min-max all the time. I guess, if there is a PVP scene, it's not heavily structured towards making the best Pokemon, but rather, just casually playing.
Basically, it needs something to keep me coming back daily (if not daily due to real life, close to daily). The server I've been frequenting has daily quests. Even though I can't progress any further (due to luck or lack of currency), the dailies help me progress superficially. By which I mean, I gain things like server experience (which does nothing), currency for long-term goals, or little presents. But events are not enough, there needs to be a bit of an "adventure" to it. Basically mimicking the original games (getting X badges, completing the elite 4, that sort of stuff), but not something that's impossible to implement. What I mean is, I highly doubt someone took the time to place and customize the exact trainers needed to replicate the Kanto region; for example.
It shouldn't focus on the Minecraft aspect. The problem I have with the Pixelmon Mod, is that I'm doing 90% Mining, and 10% running around finding Pokemon and training; half the time, just finding a Pokecenter and using it as a base. This presents a problem for me in that I'm doing all the background work (building a town, creating a base, gathering supplies etc.) and not enjoying the mod (the Pokemon). And although the main focus would be the Pokemon, some of the Minecraft aspects should be present, such as building. Yeah, I just said that doing so takes away from the mod, but being able to do that on your own -not-ruining-the-official-pokemon-region- plot gives it a bit of a personal touch.
It seems pretty simple, but most of the servers that I've looked at all have just the base mod. And the ones that have an official region map don't have any information on them: ""Official Pokemon Region!" And?". Or at least, those are the servers that I've found. I know that a lot of you are going to be mad and say "Just look for yourself you lazy bum (they're in the server listings you idiot)", but with every server touting they're the best, and seeing everyone's opinion on it ("I love it" - Why?) doesn't help on my decision to pick one ^^;; . What got me into the server I've been frequenting, was that I watched videos on it and went "OMG, that looks like a ton of fun, I should go and join!" and even then, I had to watch a good number of videos from various different people to get that impression. Because at first, the server looked like an over-hyped social gathering where you couldn't do anything but fart around and play VERY BASIC mini-games.
If you're reading this paragraph (last or first), you're probably thinking to yourself: "What a stupid question". Well, I'm pretty stupid in that case then, aren't I? I just don't want to get into a server only to pop out in a week; it emphasizes an A.D.D. kinda attitude, and it bothers me when I stop working on something. That includes getting a game (or joining a server), and putting it down, only to never touch it again for months.
I'll keep on looking my self, but to put it simply, help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.