Dreki
January 2, 2017, 2:20am
376
I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR THE NECRO. I was just flagged in the 2017 Features discussion that the current feature I indicated that needs a total rework is in fact the one being discussed here. Here are the thoughts I put down in response to that discussion, so if anyone would like to tag onto or help flesh out this idea, feel free:
1. Totally rework a broken MAJOR current feature:
Plot monopolies. I realize this is a design feature currently, and that the devs may want to encourage guilds of players monopolizing large swaths of land and the resources beneath them, however, I am urging caution and would like to see greater restrictions of this.
And besides the mass monopolies, there is absolutely nothing more frustrating to me than seeing a lone beacon sitting somewhere with no indication of progression or building or interaction from its owner in who knows how many days. This is something that is unfortunately a deal-breaker for me. If a beacon goes unused for so many days, have it go back into the player’s resources to be used elsewhere.
Real estate is the most valuable resource here in Boundless, and if the current state of the game with its resources being tied to specific regions and/or worlds stays true, the first order of business will be to run around throwing beacons and plot extenders around as fast as you can level mining. I can see people selling or even renting plots of land - which could, admittedly, be an OK thing. But, this can also get out of hand very quickly. We simply do not have the active player base to see any potential unforeseen consequences of implementing such a feature. I would advise steps be taken to limit and curb such behavior, rather than retroactively try to undo problems arising from monopolizing behavior that could potentially shut out players who just want to grab a pretty mountain peak and build next to their friends…who have neighbors who have taken up every mountain peak and interesting landmark in the surrounding area (check the large town on Solumn).
Right off the bat, I can see issues with griefing and (this one being more the case) absent players. Player “JaneDoe123” decides to go play something else for a few months and has a half-made eyesore right in a prime area, or has a few beacons scattered right vertically above where someone wants to extend an underground ice cave, which effectively prevents them from going through with the project because of how the plot system works at the moment. What kind of time frame can players be expected to have to preserve untouched property? Indefinitely - I sure hope not. I can recommend a time frame, but there are all sorts of scenarios where players could reasonably be absent from the game with intentions of coming back to keep working (I am military; 120-day deployments are a thing).
My Suggestion : Maybe have them build a plot preserver that you could feed into the beacon, and you can only build so many before the world begins to reclaim your beacon? I dunno, something so that the player has to premeditate the hold on their property. I’m thinking you would only need to feed a beacon that you aren’t currently or recently manipulating, so you could either feed your beacon with preservatives or run to every one periodically to interact with it. Perhaps a 10 day natural preservation, with an item that preserves the beacons in 10 day increments up to a max of 120 days. Plus, you would be able to email a support ticket for extension requests, and should you come back earlier, the bonus extension disappears.
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