RE: Minecraft (1.4 Discussion)
The new snapshot was released today!
Here's a link to download, along with a complete list of everything new.
I can see these updates really embracing PvP. You and a band of buddies join a server, and start creating a base. You mine tons of iron together, while fighting off other factions. When you have a bunch of iron from mining and raiding, you all go to the Nether and try to find a Nether fort to get Wither Heads, and defeat the Wither together. With the Wither defeated, you can now create the Beacon Block and fortify your faction base.
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if they added vanilla factions. Like, the only way to 'claim land' is to have it encompassed by a Beacon block. Want a bigger plot? Need more resources. That way, it makes it really hard for one person to be a faction, but with 5 folks, getting enough iron is a lot easier.
Perhaps if your faction owns land with the Beacon block, enemies can't break blocks, but only the Beacon. So your faction has to defend the Beacon from attacks. Maybe the land is only claimed if the beacon is shining in the sky, so that it has to be exposed.
Man, if they don't add this, it'd make an epic plugin.