http://betterverse.net

The title says what it's intended to be; single-player, but better: More people and features without the griefers.
Teamspeak Info:
voice.betterverse.net

The Betterverse

Launching in May, The Bettercraft quickly rose to become one of the top providers of Minecraft-related fun. The community had grown to such a point that it had become difficult to please everyone with a wide-reaching rule set, and game-play suffered. In mid-December, the decision was finalized - Bettercraft was going to expand. Bettercraft itself would not be changing; another server came from it, BetterAnarchy, and it would represent the rougher aspects of Minecraft, which could not be fully reached in the economic Bettercraft.

Mature Management
I have spent six months managing The Bettercraft, so far, and it has done exceptionally well. What started as an entertaining hobby has turned into a full-time project, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. While I tend to focus only on the large issues; hardware functionality and general server stability, I have appointed / accept multiple moderators under me.

These are not the immature, item spawning Moderators that you will find in most serves. Each member of the staff is hand picked, known for their maturity, understanding of the rules, and ability to enforce them. This is not saying that people do not and have not made mistakes in the past, but people learn. Unless you are on the wrong side of server law, you will find your experience with staff to be pleasant and enjoyable.

Powerful Machines
Both Anarchy and BetterCraft, and the server to come next, are hosted in high quality datacenters in America. We have excellent latency, even for our friends overseas, and the hardware is more than equipped to handle what we're throwing at it.

As of 24NOV2011, The Bettercraft has been holding a fundraiser to purchase its own hardware, a beautiful box that out performs anything we could think to rent at any sort of reasonable price. Once this is secured, your gameplay on The 'Craft will increase from good, to stellar. And life will be grand.

How to connect
There are two ways to make your decision with the server. You can read this entire post and have an accurate idea of what you're walking into, or you can connect to Betterverse.net and be presented with a general idea of both servers, connect to whichever one you please, and walk through a detailed Tutorial (On either server) that will explain to you how you are expected to play on the server in question.

The BetterCraft

Intelligent Systems.
Utilizing a series of custom - or customized - plugins, players are introduced to the server in a Pledge state. After a brief tutorial which explains the basic functions of the server, and some general rules, they are introduced to a closed environment. Guestland is where all new players stay for their first day or three in Bettercraft; it is a rough land, and it does not represent the main population of Bettercraft. Its purpose is simple, to serve as a barrier between the everyday members, and the wandering griefers and harassers.

It does not take long to get out, so long as you try. And believe me, it is worth the wait.

Quality Modifications
Experience.
As you explore the server, you will notice several things that shift your online game-play, while keeping the core of Minecraft intact.
The first thing you'll notice is that you get Experience for the different acts in Minecraft. There is mining, woodcutting, even archery. The more you do something in particular, the better you are at doing it. For harvesting skills, such as mining, you can even get extra drops.

Money.
You might also notice, as you run around, that you are given what we call Chunks on the server. The easiest way to gain this money is to just play the game, it'll build up over time. There are many ways to gain your chunks, and even more ways to spend it. The economy is looked at closely, with many checks to keep it balanced.

Open Security
Sparing you the question of if you can trust your neighbor, and making misdeed tracking so much simpler, everyone is given the tools to determine who damaged what, when, and how. They can then submit a ticket with our Moderation queue system, ensuring a prompt return of their demolished building or illegally stolen goods.

Creation.
Sometimes you feel like building, and sometimes you feel like really building something special. Bettercraft offers this in two modes. Outside of the regular Survival Worlds, there is a shared creative world, which periodically resets, which any member can access from the comforts of their home. No damage is suffered and no items are lost. All items are infinite, and you will find increased flexibility in your permissions.
Then you can have your private world, which resets only on your request. Anyone may visit your world, to see what you have created. Yet, if you do not add them to your friends list, then they may not edit anything.

RULES
The Bettercraft is primarily a survival server, although any grand creations you make are just as well insured against our anti-griefing methods as anything could be. We strive to maintain a mature environment; and the general rule of thumb is to not do, what you don't want done to yourself. Because it will probably happen, many times.
The rules are always subject to change, so posting them in multiple locations can lead to people being confused. For that reason, there is a central location for all behavioral guidelines: http://bettercraft.net/rules

The BetterAnarchy

Unique Experience.
In all my time scouring the internet, comparing the competition to myself, I have not found a server which supports this form of protected raiding. Aside from the single BetterCity, there is no throughly protected land. You are on your own. You have your wits, your friends, your sword, and absolutely no rules.

If they can break it, they'll smash it. If they can steal it, you'll never see it again. But don't be discouraged! The same goes for you; if you want it, grab it and go. Where most serves have Grief rules, Anarchy puts a twist to them. Just about everything is destructible, raidable, and liable to be stolen. However, even as they are digging up your floors and smashing your walls, your home is coming back.

What happens is that they pay a certain fee to break blocks, gambling on the notion that you have valuables hidden somewhere. But your home is not lost; seven to fourteen minutes later, everything will begin to regenerate. They may have your diamonds, but the mansion you've built will remain intact.

TLDR: Chests are vulnerable, blocks are not.
Try it out. A lot of money has been sank into this plugin's development, and it is not done yet. I think you'll enjoy it.

Additional Notes

A central Hub for all that is Better.