Game Development: Under Pressure

[tweenprinc3ss]

Before:
After:

So at "clearly unstable" it's 0.01% more pure. I'm pretty sure there's something amiss here...

Yay. Seems like there is little point in pressure cooking atm.

[qbradq]

Some clarifications:

1. Forestry does not require Horteculture
2. Nails do not have purity
3. This game is about grinding
4. 100% anythings probably won't be possible

Also, I find it very amusing that the same people complaining that they can't "catch up" are now saying they are going to quit the game for a while. How the heck is that going to help you "catch up"? Just find ways to make progress day by day. Last Thursday I stopped focusing on crop purity and started focusing on getting high yields of 3rd tier crops. This Thursday my mine purity campaign just got a higher priority, and my once-proud chest full of 10% Concordant of Worms now makes me weep a little

Everyone is right about one thing: it's a hell of a grind. But guess what? Salem is a game where you set you're own goals. It's not like WoW where you have to level up no matter what. Maybe your goal is to explore and map your server. Maybe it's to crank out iron and get filthy rich. But if you're goal is to get 500 humors and punch through houses, well, you're going to have to work for it.

[iamah]

Okay.
Today I have blown up one of my pressure cookers and frowned at worms for several hours.
You know? Sod it.
I'm going for a wander, without my buckets, ignoring granite lime and clay deposits, refusing to look at alchemical values, and pretend that I just dont care.
Look out bears, I'm pissed.

funny, since previous update I'm wandering around with my canoe, seeing the woes of my previous happy neighbors... exploring is now the best part of the game for me, everything else is kinda putting me off, if there was a packable leanto and a less annoying tinder drill(craftable anywhere) I'd become a wanderer for life

[Scilly_guy]

sensible stuff

Exactly, the game is beta, my personal aim is adapting to the changing mechanics, thats what I enjoy, I can't wait for the "reset brigade" to go away.

[qbradq]

It's funny that no one is screaming reset in this thread. I thought for sure the "wormagedon" update would make mere mortals with worm fetishes into gods among men.

I'm lookin' at you chief

[Tylan]

Also, I find it very amusing that the same people complaining that they can't "catch up" are now saying they are going to quit the game for a while. How the heck is that going to help you "catch up"? Just find ways to make progress day by day. Last Thursday I stopped focusing on crop purity and started focusing on getting high yields of 3rd tier crops. This Thursday my mine purity campaign just got a higher priority, and my once-proud chest full of 10% Concordant of Worms now makes me weep a little

Everyone is right about one thing: it's a hell of a grind. But guess what? Salem is a game where you set you're own goals. It's not like WoW where you have to level up no matter what. Maybe your goal is to explore and map your server. Maybe it's to crank out iron and get filthy rich. But if you're goal is to get 500 humors and punch through houses, well, you're going to have to work for it.

I've been thinking about this since last week's update. I think that the problem is people have yet to adjust their expectations as a direct result of dev silence. If things are going to be like this from here on out with 100% puity becoming nearly impossible to achieve in production, they should say so. Someone should say so. People with 200, 300, 500 humour characters have viewed increasing production, efficiency, humours, and skills as their goals. Now humours has effectively been knocked off that list. If that's intended, if this is all intended to cap the growth of characters, that's fine. But at least own up to it. The problem is that characters that have reached those high levels now have nothing to do. Why grind good granite, lime, and water of each element for pots for trees for compost etc etc when your compost will never reach a level that will effectively assist in continuing the humour process?

What I think is necessary for all of those considering quitting is a change in perspective. rather than being upset that you can't keep humouring, accept that you've hit a soft cap. This isn't the end of the game, but rather an opportunity to explore other features of the game. Make a new character. Test out the new mechanics. Your heavy hitter will still be around should this stuff change back. And in changing perspective, maybe those of us who are dissatisfied will discover something new that we enjoy about this game.

It's important to remember that this is STILL a beta test. All of the features need to be tested, not just how well you can attack/defend a base.

[martinuzz]

I've just put a 19% pure pressure cooker (57.28/11.21/12.28/19.24) into a ditto pressure cooker. Let's see how that turns out.

Also,

Are we really supposed to place worms in a container and feed them before placing them in a compost bin to get better hummus? This sounds really stupid to me.

Me as well.

I enjoyed farming in this game. Now I could care less, it is un-fun and grindy.

I went from tending to 350 fields to 0.

Same. I went from tending 200 fields to only pushing for island cotton on 12 fields.

[Darkside]

I've just put a 19% pure pressure cooker (57.28/11.21/12.28/19.24) into a ditto pressure cooker. Let's see how that turns out.

brilliant!

[colesie]

Make sure the purity of the plant is higher than the worm purity or it likely won't touch it

[Spazzmaticus]

Chucked 2 somewhat sulphury branches in the cooker for interesting results!

Both branches before:

Branch 1 at increase:

Branch 2 at increase:

Notice that the change is now 0.5 from the "lesser" elements for a +1 in the "greater" element. Also note that the branches, despite being in the same cooker and of the same elemental composition, have become unequally unstable. One is "a bit chymically unstable" and the other is "slightly chymically unstable".

EDIT:

Branch 1 at the next increase:

Branch 2 at the next increase:

So another +1 for salt and a -0.5 for the lower elements. Branch 2 is still ahead of branch 1 in instability.