Game Balancing PvP and Sandbox: a solution proposal

[Polar BearPosts: 44]

regarding balancing pvp and sandbox parts of the game.

to dev. please think about it.

what you always wanted to know about quitting. (but were afraid to ask.)

note upfront: Tux will not like it, short after also the non-NPC-Chaos will say “pff” but above this link might be enough explanation to prepare you for it and re-evaluate.

(edit: direct linking to a certain post seems not to work… so the solution proposal is September 23, 2017 at 1:22 am server time)

[Polar BearPosts: 44]

(additional point added in September 23, 2017 at 2:18 am server time in said link. explains how such a setting would solve an other, previously mentioned thing too in one go.)

[Polar BearPosts: 44]

and here are all suggestions for further development of dogs cobined, as compact as possible.

points 1 and 2 from my point of view, plus based on experiences in game and based on talks with other dog owners are high priority, rest for later, when time to sit on details.

1) down command was already mentioned in the post about the down command – and I can only stress and repeat that you can work with them even now AND even just this one command would help a lot, so this one implementation would solve many burning issues there. just this one first when time.

2) ability to tip them so they go out of the way when they block you. patience is crux for handling dogs, but when you are training them, or need to escape from something or when you want to fight a certain NPC foe yourself, your dog(s) blocking you should not happen. also not really handy when you got one in the house and need to reach something… they should not block you. (so imagine default setting when a dog owner targets an own dog would be tipping, default reaction would be going one tile or such. with this being default, the current default what happens when you target an own dog would not be there anymore – then accidental hurting/damaging own dogs, as happens way too often to people would happen to owners less)

the other suggestions are for later. when more time to sit on the details.

3) ability to group them.
one dog does not stand aside of an other that is being attacked by a wolf or such and stares into the air.

4) for farmers: ability to assign farm animals for them. a dog does not stand aside of a sheep being attacked by a wolf and stares into the air. a hornet attacking a chicken might happen to be curiously ignored by a dog, occasionally. that uhm happens indeed in RL too.
so a surprise exception here that would make such a hornet (that would not attack the dog but a chicken) be ignored -sometimes- by a dog to whom the chicken was assigned would cause a “hm” and a smirk from me, but not wolves attacking sheep. or anything in a farm where a farm dog is standing. a wolf in a farm and dogs patiently waiting until it´s their turn? come on.

to be continued probably. maybe. need to think, maybe I can remember other points I dropped here and there in chat but I think that would be it. my 3 and a quarter cents. for now.

[Polar BearPosts: 44]

I read feedbacks about this game. on diverse other pages.

voices from people who tested it.

before I registered my account here to test it myself, to see if it´s really so misbalanced.

a number of voices raising attention at the fact that this game is supporting bullies.
by settings that make bullying, destroying, stealing easy to do and defences expensive.

I do know there were minor changes implemented (like making towers a tad bit less expensive) but look at this new result:

a residence with an inner stone core, outer wood ring and in total… 10? I think around 10 towers. did not really help much.

[Polar BearPosts: 44]

or maybe an other server?

(talking about a future way far ahead of course, but – maybe that would be a solution?)

what if reactions of players show you that they do like the building and crafting system (and in my case, really enjoy some of the additional features like the dogs), and sure have fun occasionally looking around the uw but not all of them are particularly interested in pvp?

people are people.

bullies will be bullies.

some people vent because this or that, some won´t like the hair style of an avatar, others will enjoy an empty chat with an occasional your-mom-joke and prefer not to read anything else there, and then just go out to destroy just because they forgot that there is an ignore feature they could have easily used instead… there will be always half of a gazillion of “reasons” people will paint for themself just to pose as reasonable when bulldozing someone´s residence. most of you will have read the thread by tirioll. just look at some of the comments there. “afk”-ing in a farm… “farms are not fair” – they will create any explanation imaginable – may that be an as obviously ridiculous one as that one – just to “explain” bullying and mobbing.

a non-pvp-server. as an even easier solution. the suggestion posted in the “about quitting” thread would be not necessary then and all that would be needed would be basically a copy of the game with pvp disabled. including destruction of a structure built by someone. with a deterioration rate slowed way down (starting only when a player was not on for a longer while) and the supposed issue mentioned by admin (the risk of “walling in”) – of locking someone in – would be a risk that I personally can live it and players on such a server would too. walling someone in is time intensive. requires ressources and leads to skills that they want to keep low to keep fighting skills high.

what would interest me about such a solution? well aside of the fun of playing on such a non-pvp server, I would be interested in the playerbase statistics. will there be patterns visible in the playerbases on the two servers? will players from certain countries or continents show a preference for one of those? for which one?

[Polar BearPosts: 44]

commercial opportunities.

I was talking/chatting (direct messaging) with one of the players when I was still playing this game about options for commercials. one ad on the main screen before logging in (not ingame ads… just one before you log in: such a commercial would not be disruptive)

combining this with the 2-servers-suggestions, here is my musing about it.

on the PvP server, based on gameplay you could one day get requests from gun shops to post ads for them there. the current code makes only one development in one direction possible: a rush and race of/for weapons. chaos OP? well give players stronger weapons that can meet that. towers thrashed too easily, too quickly? well give them tower upgrades. etc., etc.
ad infinitum.
a gun shop or the NRA then being one of the most interesting ad buyers would make sense. (with parents from other countries, say countries with a gladly and happily very restrictive gun legislation, quickly reacting and banning their teen kids from visiting this page.)

on the non-PvP server, there might be advertisement requests for say, Wolters Professional (Wolters is a dog harness producer, the version Professional among those available truly one of the best and beating other producers by far)
or a cute company that sells not only “salmonberry”-similar seeds but even nutgrass seeds. for a fair price with interestingly low delivery costs.

at this point at the latest, playerbase statistics evolution would be interesting to watch.

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