Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Phase III testing has begun! During this phase, our realms will be open every day, and we'll only have downtime for updates and maintenance. We'll keep everyone up-to-date about downtimes in Discord.
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Phase III testing has begun! During this phase, our realms will be open every day, and we'll only have downtime for updates and maintenance. We'll keep everyone up-to-date about downtimes in Discord.
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Freeholds, Player Housing, Crossroads, Encampments Rework (Because Current design is a Failure)
Slyfers
Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
Let’s be real here: no one cares about Crossroads or Encampments, they're basically useless. But with a few changes, like adding some form of player housing, they could actually help retain a larger player base six months after launch.
(Assuming the number of players that can be on a server at one time is 8,000–10,000, with a server cap of 20,000.)
Current Designed:
Freeholds: are the only way to create late- to end-game processing resources, and since there are only a few thousand available, the game effectively locks out 41% of its professions from the vast majority of players, while charging $15 a month.
In Settlement Housing: Still a work in progress and is limited as well.
Apartments/Inns: Who cares and furniture
Redesign for Player Housing (You Can Still Lose Them): Don’t read too much into the numbers or names, they're just being used as examples.
Freeholds: Stays the same.
In Settlement Housing: Still limited, but here are some ideas to make them worthwhile.
They could provide buffs to players, but only if the player pays a gold fee that goes directly to the owner. They could also include superior crafting stations, where items like weapons or armor crafted there start with higher stats due to the existing tempering system. Alternatively, they could allow the creation of items that are 3% better than those crafted at Stage 5 settlements.
Apartments/Inns: Stays the same
New: Tent Plots for Encampments, Wagon Plots for Crossroads. These are plots located within the settlement cork and are placed close together. They can be purchased with gold, glint, or a combination of currencies. However, they do not grant citizenship and only available when a Node is vassalized.
Tent: A smaller version of a Freehold, with your tent placed at the center of your plot. You can have up to 3 processing stations (1 Master and 2 Grandmaster), each with 2 slots that can process a maximum of 20 items at a time. Each station can be used up to 50 times before entering a 48- or 72-hour cooldown. You’ll also be given 12 spots around your tent to place farm animals or Rooting Balls, and you’ll be able to decorate the inside of your tent with furniture.
Note: Allow players to use their previously purchased Freehold skins on tents and processing stations. Immersion isn’t a valid argument, you already sold mount skins that break immersion. If it really bothers you, just put a 20-foot wooden wall around the entire encampment and call it a day.
Wagon: You get 2 processing workbenches (which can be upgraded up to Grandmaster), each with 2 slots that can process a maximum of 10 items at a time. Each workbench can be used up to 20 times before entering a 24-hour cooldown. You also get 4 spots around your Wagon for farm animals or Rooting Balls. The key difference is that if you own a Wagon Plot, you can create a crate tied to that Crossroads zone. For example, if your Wagon is in Hecribba Crossroads in the Jundark, you can craft a crate there and take it anywhere to sell it for gold.
So, if you missed out on a Freehold, you can try to get a mini version of it that’s more suited for casual players. If you’re more focused on commerce, a Wagon Plot would be the better option.
Bottom Line:
The game risks being dead on arrival by denying most players the ability to progress through 41% of the professions and due to limited player housing. Alternatively, you can accept the possibility that the game might only retain 2,000–5,000 players six months after launch. And if there are only going to be 2,000–4,000 Freeholds available, then what was the point of limiting them in the first place, if that ends up being your entire player base?
The redesigned system could result in one or two full servers—or even more.. It allows players to continue progressing in processing professions if they choose to and significantly expands player housing and customization options. Intrepid could also monetize this system by selling cosmetics for tents, smaller processing stations, wagons, and processing workbenches.
(Assuming the number of players that can be on a server at one time is 8,000–10,000, with a server cap of 20,000.)
Current Designed:
Freeholds: are the only way to create late- to end-game processing resources, and since there are only a few thousand available, the game effectively locks out 41% of its professions from the vast majority of players, while charging $15 a month.
In Settlement Housing: Still a work in progress and is limited as well.
Apartments/Inns: Who cares and furniture
Redesign for Player Housing (You Can Still Lose Them): Don’t read too much into the numbers or names, they're just being used as examples.
Freeholds: Stays the same.
In Settlement Housing: Still limited, but here are some ideas to make them worthwhile.
They could provide buffs to players, but only if the player pays a gold fee that goes directly to the owner. They could also include superior crafting stations, where items like weapons or armor crafted there start with higher stats due to the existing tempering system. Alternatively, they could allow the creation of items that are 3% better than those crafted at Stage 5 settlements.
Apartments/Inns: Stays the same
New: Tent Plots for Encampments, Wagon Plots for Crossroads. These are plots located within the settlement cork and are placed close together. They can be purchased with gold, glint, or a combination of currencies. However, they do not grant citizenship and only available when a Node is vassalized.
Tent: A smaller version of a Freehold, with your tent placed at the center of your plot. You can have up to 3 processing stations (1 Master and 2 Grandmaster), each with 2 slots that can process a maximum of 20 items at a time. Each station can be used up to 50 times before entering a 48- or 72-hour cooldown. You’ll also be given 12 spots around your tent to place farm animals or Rooting Balls, and you’ll be able to decorate the inside of your tent with furniture.
Note: Allow players to use their previously purchased Freehold skins on tents and processing stations. Immersion isn’t a valid argument, you already sold mount skins that break immersion. If it really bothers you, just put a 20-foot wooden wall around the entire encampment and call it a day.
Wagon: You get 2 processing workbenches (which can be upgraded up to Grandmaster), each with 2 slots that can process a maximum of 10 items at a time. Each workbench can be used up to 20 times before entering a 24-hour cooldown. You also get 4 spots around your Wagon for farm animals or Rooting Balls. The key difference is that if you own a Wagon Plot, you can create a crate tied to that Crossroads zone. For example, if your Wagon is in Hecribba Crossroads in the Jundark, you can craft a crate there and take it anywhere to sell it for gold.
So, if you missed out on a Freehold, you can try to get a mini version of it that’s more suited for casual players. If you’re more focused on commerce, a Wagon Plot would be the better option.
Bottom Line:
The game risks being dead on arrival by denying most players the ability to progress through 41% of the professions and due to limited player housing. Alternatively, you can accept the possibility that the game might only retain 2,000–5,000 players six months after launch. And if there are only going to be 2,000–4,000 Freeholds available, then what was the point of limiting them in the first place, if that ends up being your entire player base?
The redesigned system could result in one or two full servers—or even more.. It allows players to continue progressing in processing professions if they choose to and significantly expands player housing and customization options. Intrepid could also monetize this system by selling cosmetics for tents, smaller processing stations, wagons, and processing workbenches.
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