New world trading

[saffgee]

Just an observation, but I currently see little linkage to the old world aside from a few honorary mentions like English battle flag or rights of the Englishmen. My feeling is that in order for trade to function properly, we need to have a 'home' market. What made the 13 colonies great was their ability to sell goods unique to the new world back to the old world. So I'd like to suggest a couple of things:

- Introduce more cash crops (eg Tobacco, sugar cane, vanilla, indigo, etc) and other sellable commodities (gold, silver, copper),etc, as well as derivatives of these (inspirationals, weapons, tools, furnishings, etc)
- setup a trade system in Boston where you can sell goods (potentially only in bulk) to 'home nation' traders, thereby earning perks or 'ins' with that faction if you do well; I'm not suggesting a market to sell all trade goods, just some good basic ones for each nation, with a few buyable perks maybe in return from these traders (like special weapons, statuses, rights, etc). Eventually this may lead to a 'mission' type structure if it works well. At least then the grinding will lead somewhere.
- not strictly related and likely suggested before, but maybe a profession specialisation at some point; a pilgrim can choose to focus on one area and will then have additional skill levels available to him in that profession. it makes little sense for everyone to be good at everything I'd say. Maybe a professional trader can earn more silver with 'home nation' traders for instance.
- where are the buffalo and the boar ? I would argue both were vital early on in the colonies and would make hunting slightly more interesting.
- where are the natives ? they could have representation in/near Boston and would also provide interesting ideas for trade and barter, as well as tie right in with my perks idea above.

None of the above ideas are incompatible with PvP - they can be used effectively to get the balance right between grinding and reaping/fighting.

Also, separate idea specifically on PvP and towns - couldn't the churches or town halls (which I'd really want to have introduced as well) be 'safezones', where combat won't work. Sort of along the lines of the townsfolk huddle in the relative safety of the church whilst outside the raiders maraud and pillage. That might set the cat amongst the pigeons a little since it could be 'gamed' a bit and may force a little more role-playing than just hack, slay, permadeath. Maybe have that church bell ring when under attack for instance.

[MagicManICT]

You might want to dig around a bit and see what the devs have already planned before suggesting some stuff. Many of these things are already planned. (To note: indigo and vanilla are products of Africa. This hasn't stopped them before, but Paradox is known for their historical games.) Some of this is currently in discussion between players or with the devs, too, and it's preferred that you use existing threads to discuss existing ideas..

1. More metals are planned. no idea about crops (wouldn't be surprised and I've heard a few things they'd like to do with the servers).

2. Check out the Massachusetts Bay Company store. Many items can be sold for transport back to England and you can buy many imported items there. There's a company merchant in every colony. Anything special will likely be a cash store only purchase, though, and the devs are wary of putting anything up that makes the game Pay 2 Win (being open PvP and permadeath).

3. Specialization has been discussed. Given the needs of some of the crafting, this is already in place. More will likely be coming. The only other way I can read this is "give me classes" to which we respond "it's a sandbox. you can do what you want"

4. More creatures (not just animals) yet to come.

5. Natives have been discussed. For now you'll just have to make do with RPing English pretending to be natives. For specific character models, it's been discussed. Some clothing may be available.

[saffgee]

I haven't seen a thread which details future additions from the devs tbh - sorry if I missed that.

To note, I didn't just throw that out there - I'm a paradox afficionado because I like my history too: Baptisia (false indigo, wild indigo) is a genus of about 35[1] species in the family Fabaceae (legumes). They are flowering herbaceous perennials with pea-like flowers, followed by pods (sometimes inflated). They are native to woodland and grassland in eastern and southern North America.Several other of the genus and especially Indigofera tinctoria and Indigofera suffruticosa are used to produce the dye indigo. Colonial planters in the Caribbean grew indigo and transported its cultivation when they settled in the colony of South Carolina. Exports of the crop did not expand until the mid-to late 18th century. When Eliza Lucas Pinckney and enslaved Africans successfully cultivated new strains near Charleston it became the second most important cash crop in the colony (after rice) before the American Revolution. It comprised more than one-third the value of all exports.
Also: Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (V. planifolia). The word vanilla, derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina (vaina itself meaning sheath or pod), simply translates as little pod.[1] Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples cultivated the vine of the vanilla orchid, called tlilxochitl by the Aztecs, and Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is credited with introducing both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s. Vanilla was extensively used instead of spices in early colonial settlements in North America.

How does the Massachusetts bay company actually work ? Never seen any reps in Jamestown. I've read many posts that allude to it, but never seen hide or hair of it. ie. What and where is it ? Is it the stall that buys my cricket teams and savage charms ? or the guy that sells wallpaper. If it is, that's not really what I meant.

Yes you should read that as 'give me classes' - making a town or village work should depend on the alliance - uneasy or otherwise - of different types and characters. As it is right now, the ueber-permadeath players are the best farmers, the best miners, the best foragers, the best builders, the best traders, the best fighters and most likely the best lovers all rolled into one. At least make them work for the title of best by making it impossible for one character to be everything at once. Catching an ueber-player un-awares with his farming twink logged on sounds like guaranteed fun if you ask me. Adds another level of complexity and means people will have to decide what is more important to them. If you don't want to nerf the existing, just add it on as 'another layer' to earn.

[MagicManICT]

That's because there isn't "a thread." With a staff of two, it's hard to keep things organized into one location. (I know some devs do it, but others don't.) Google is probably the most reliable tool in trying to find out what the devs have discussed.

Thanks for that bit about indigo. I didn't realize there were varieties native to the US. I've never been much of a plant guy, and just recalled something from some time in the past discussing that the dye was traditionally imported from parts of Africa. I'll stand corrected on the Vanilla.

The Company Store is simply a stall located in the town square. I haven't paid close attention, but I believe their the white stalls (vs the player stalls that are blue). There may be some scattered around, too. They work much like the player stalls, but when you right click them, you get a buy and sell option. You can buy a variety of items that can't be crafted or otherwise obtained in the game, such as glass, some convenience items, and "necessities" like iron bars and nails that are needed when a server first starts. What makes this game "free to play" is the sell option. You can sell a variety of items that were valued back in Europe such as hides (a premium for New World hides), some craft items, and a few other odds and ends.

[ElCapitan1701]

3. Specialization has been discussed. Given the needs of some of the crafting, this is already in place. More will likely be coming. The only other way I can read this is "give me classes" to which we respond "it's a sandbox. you can do what you want"

I can`t see how giving me the choice to specialize in one direction is interfering with "you can do what you want". You would have been right, if you meant "you can do everything with one char at the same time" because this wouldn`t work anymore. And that would be a step in the right direction because only hardcore players are able to play chars having all skills. If there would be some sort of specialization a casual player also would be able to play on a competitive level in his small discipline.