I recommend a sorta futuristic spawn using redstone and other stuff. Like have a noob room: "Press button for noob kit!" Stone tools fall down. And piston doors to get in and out of spawn.
I disagree about the "more potions" part. I don't want MineCraft to be some sort of Dungeons and Dragons game. Bad enough there's a dragon, potions, and enchanting. I just want MineCraft to be how it was meant to be: Where you can build, mine, craft, basically do anything you want. Make your own world.