Argentis wrote:If I remember correctly purity pre-providence was based on purity nodes that were finite in numbers in the server. It didn't give any chance for new arrivals to catch up as all the nodes would have been claimed by big factions and veteran players.
Nah, every resource had its own unique node map and even if that was somehow the case in the old system (it definitely was not on Jamestown and many/most of the nodes were unclaimable so I doubt even a significant fraction could have been taken on the other servers), Providence is massive so it's like saying that granite boulders could run out... Sure it -could- happen but realistically, no.
Argentis wrote:I like the new purity system better as, sure it is linear but, it gives everyone some equality. This is balance at work. Moreover new arrivals can speed boost their purity through buying high purity seeds and products which encourage either trade or secret holding, mechanics that are both core to Salem.
The same was true of the old system.
The things they did with Gluttony in the new system are awesome, I love how the ever increasing complexity of it ties into driving you towards expanding your industries to cover the various bases and push yourself further...
Purity used to be the same as well, you could get ok purity that would give you 20-50% higher values without too much effort by buying a few things or finding a decent water source, but to get really high values you had to really invest in it across your industries but you still weren't king of the world unless you did that with all elements, and even then you couldn't find all the nodes so there would always be the potential for someone to have a fundamental edge over you. Mishaps with adjustments and pre-patch legacy goods made that be not quite so true but that was just a dev screw up, not fundamental to a more complex purity system.
I thought the nodes were pretty cool and added a lot to the game but they also limited it in other ways. Alternatively, I've always wondered if there might be some mechanic that could let you influence purity nodes so that a faction could take over a region and start investing in it but that gets complicated and kind of weird... lol. Could be cool though. I mostly just would like more complex purity across multiple elements and purity used in and drawn from more things, with or without foraged purity.
Anyways, glad to hear its on your guys' minds, JC.