http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1212125-closed-map-experiment/
What happens when you pen players in with limited resources.
Interesting that the assholes are the ones to basically survive it all. Always surrounded by assholes :P.
They were the ones who caught on first that's for sure, to an extent we have a similar problem on our server regarding cows (or the visible lack thereof anywhere near spawn).
Interesting thought experiment though!
Actually thinking about it it's sort of like the opposite of the Minecraft Survival Island challenge map (played Ironman style), where you need to team up to survive. Though certainly not on the same scale. I think this map experiment shows more about the dangers of server factions really.
I can try and re-populate the cows / sheep / chickens / pigs if desired? But most SMP maps have problems with everything stripped at spawn.
What's interesting about the griefers in that scenario is not that they built a good base, but that they actively took away other peoples' opportunities to gather resources. Instead of being cooperative, they were belligerent and they retained their status due to better armaments. I assume everyone on the server was eventually gunning for them.
Actually thinking about it if it weren't for that small group actively trying to screw people over things might have gone differently, the fact that they were in there messing the world says a lot too.
Yeah, sure there are "limited resources", but at the same time there are lots of "renewable resources". Lava plus water will give you cobble, and saplings can be planted to turn into trees. Iron can be gained from zombie farms, bones for bonemeal to make your wheat and trees insta-grow can be gained from skeletons.
Really, if everyone'd cooperated then they could've built just about anything (especially with being allowed to go the Nether and roam its entirety). But even just growing trees and cows for everyone would've made a huge difference. Sure, iron and diamond (for tools) would've eventually run out, but stone works just fine.
I guess the question was whether this was intended to be a PvP server or a cooperative server, or whether that decision was left up to the players. I probably would've set up the high base as well, but I would've shared my renewable resources with anyone who didn't attack me (classic game theory tit-for-tat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tit_for_tat)).
From the article factions were encouraged by setting a rule that removed server wide communication, they literally had to contact each other IRL. From there it moved to groups of people who were talking to only themselves with limited cross group communication.