Game Development: Wells Go Far

[qbradq]

The game is still in Beta. The order of feature implementation is going to be a bit odd. For all we know wells could have been code-complete for weeks now and the artist just finished the model. Or it could be that water purity is part of their next big step, and putting wells in was a pre-req for that.

I'm not trying to discourage folks from voicing ideas, just try not to get too caught up in the order in which they are implemented.

Also, did anyone else notice the clay texture in Jamestown Boston turned to dirt? I kinda liked the clay

[T0ne]

The game is still in Beta. The order of feature implementation is going to be a bit odd. For all we know wells could have been code-complete for weeks now and the artist just finished the model. Or it could be that water purity is part of their next big step, and putting wells in was a pre-req for that.

I'm not trying to discourage folks from voicing ideas, just try not to get too caught up in the order in which they are implemented.

Also, did anyone else notice the clay texture in Jamestown Boston turned to dirt? I kinda liked the clay

I appreciate where you are coming from, and this is not an attack, but this type of mentality is a huge problem with the gaming industry nowadays. Simply put, you cannot always "play the beta card" in response to any suggestions or criticisms, more so when your game is actively advertising and accepting money from users. It comes down to design and development philosophy as well as prioritization.

I wont argue how much of a pain in the ass some of the manual labor in this game can be, more so when starting out. I am by no means saying make it super easy, that would ruin things. I am saying that currently you can fill a bucket with water, click the bucket and you are given the option to drink, and literally nothing happens. Why not finish this functionality, something that would not only be beneficial existing users, but also lessen the barrier to entry that new players currently face.

Also, the beta argument for this game seems a bit silly when Haven & Hearth was considered an Alpha, and contained all of these features + more. Regardless, glad to see changes and new content.

[Potjeh]

Because free phlegm defeats the whole point of the humour system.

[Sachaztan]

Do the 10000 silver chains have any practical purpose or are they "just" decoration?

[iamah]

time to craft some buckets!

[qbradq]

Do the 10000 silver chains have any practical purpose or are they "just" decoration?

Bling baby! What practical purpose does a gold chain have IRL? Only to show others that you have the money to buy one.

Trying not to derail too much, but the beta status thing is a player's choice. If you don't like your games constantly shifting on you or being incomplete, don't join the beta. When I started playing Salem I went in with the expectation that any accomplishment I may have could at any time be made immaterial, either through changes to the game mechanics, server wipe / data loss or closure of the service.

I will say that many "production" games still have beta-itus. Minecraft springs to mind. I agree that it's a major problem when the game is billed as "production". That said, maybe the front page could be a little more clear that the game is in beta.

[Kandarim]

Trying not to derail too much, but the beta status thing is a player's choice. If you don't like your games constantly shifting on you or being incomplete, don't join the beta. When I started playing Salem I went in with the expectation that any accomplishment I may have could at any time be made immaterial, either through changes to the game mechanics, server wipe / data loss or closure of the service.

I will say that many "production" games still have beta-itus. Minecraft springs to mind. I agree that it's a major problem when the game is billed as "production". That said, maybe the front page could be a little more clear that the game is in beta.

Personally, I feel that being "in beta" is abused by a lot of gaming companies to say they are still developing it. For MMO's, being in constant development is more or less a requirement. When the devs are actively changing core mechanics and adding features at the rate we were/are seeing in Salem, that is what I call a beta

[iamah]

priority should be a safe trading system and chat, I'm so poor right now I can't wait to get tired of the game and drop it at once... tried to go through the trading motions but talk about a hassle... I gave up and deleted my trade tread

[Wournos]

Well water node using woo woo wand
My alt has crappy skills so I dont even have the build well option - wonder what skill unlocks it

Well, that sucks. Chasing after water nodes to build a well, and essentially a new camp, because water hauling (probably) isn't one of the first things a character can learn.
Ah well, could be worse. Thanks for the clothes vendor. I'll check out that shop soon.
...and a cautious thumb up for the planned purity change.

Disclaimer: puns were intended.

[Jalpha]

If you are considering developing purity mechanics I liked the idea which was thrown around a while ago which required an investment of player time. People could polish bars or something. I'm aware this would probably end up a direct duplication of the quality system in Wurm Online so may not be the best option.

Another idea could involve having ordinary primary production items (ie. dross, boards, grass) rarely morph into items of a random purity modifier. These items could affect the quality of buildings like wells, smelters, windmills etc. which would subsequently improve the purity of items produced using them. Similar in a fashion to the way purity works with food. This would have interesting effects on the way players interact with towns they conquer.

Of course multiple items of the highest quality would be necessary to ensure output of the highest quality, this could be exceedingly difficult.

Random parts rarely harvested from creatures could also be used to influence the purity of otherwise ordinary items, or as a replacement for them. It would also be nice to see useful bones could be harvested from the skeletons of particularly highly humored characters.

To be perfectly honest the idea of a newb using a 100% pure flint to build his first wall tickles my fancy.