About 5 years ago I set up a small server for my friends on an old PC that was otherwise just collecting dust under my desk, mostly because I was the most tech savvy one in the group (I mostly just knew how to google things). Ever since then everyone kind of plays it on and off. Somebody starts nagging us to jump on, everyone plays like maniacs for a few weeks and then it goes quiet until the next time, rinse and repeat.
What makes it work well for a group like ours is that nobody ever has to be online at the same time. People have jobs, kids, other games and hobbies, so the server was just there and people would pop in to see what everyone was up to. Everyone has their own thing going, one friend makes silly redstone contraptions, another tries to build impressive stuff the whole time, and a few completionists get the strongest gear and make automated farms. I mostly try to connect peoples builds with roads and things like that. It feels so nice to login after work and a few of your friends are already ingame hanging out.
Lately, a few of the guys have been saying they'd like to try something else, which I get, so we're looking at a few different options, though I'll keep the server online for now (and back everything up, of course). We are wondering if anything has this same type of feel minecraft does, where everyone can do their own thing and just hang out without much pressure. We are thinking either something like Valheim or some MMO, probably something casual since most of us don’t have that much free time to game. So maybe something like Palia or Loftia when it comes out, those look pretty cozy. I’m just wondering if games like that will give us a similar feeling of freedom we get from minecraft.
I think there's something kinda magical about how Minecraft sits right between a creative game and a more goal oriented one, feels just as rewarding to sit around and work on your base as it does to go out adventuring.
I was wondering if anyone has played something that gives a similar feeling like minecraft does with a group. At least for a bit if we wanna take a break, I don’t think we will ever fully quit minecraft, it just feels special and it keeps getting updated.