I am curious when these “buffer” zones will be released on Testing @James.
EDIT: From our understanding a buffer zone is a set of reserved plots that are automatically put around plots we put down. They are set to ensure no one can plot beside you until you both friend up and/or turn off that feature. This was done to ensure people had a little but of a buffer around the plots they put down especially in regards to settlement annexation.
As much as I supported the idea in the initial conversations around them, I think I have reversed my position and feel they are not a smart thing to implement this far into the game. We missed our window. Had we just started or wiped and restarted then it would make sense, but any changes to how plots work should be seriously considered before just trying to solve a “minor pain” people feel.
I feel that the buffers will actually cause more problems between people and with the game in general than help.
Obviously this is still pure conjecture because I don’t know all the specifics beyond the spacing that was expected (2-3 plots). Until we can see it on testing I figured I would do this post to highlight a community dump of general scenarios that need to be covered correctly or people will be hurt more than helped. This thread it to bring to light these situations to ensure they are protected at some level because they will happen.
I live in a city and have decided to replot my build from one ALT to my other ALT OR from my account to a friends account so they can have the location. I have builds with different people all around me. I unplot and then try to replot. I cannot cover my whole build now because the reserved plots went into effect on all the people around me. Shrinking the plot space I had and I wouldn’t be able to cover my build at all.
I find an expired build in a city that I want to save for the community. I cannot cover the whole build and the outside 2 plots around the whole build will be lost because of the reserved space.
I am stuck in a situation where I have this previous build I cannot fully cover because of the reserved area so I try to reach out to all the people that have builds around me to allow us to “touch” plots and remove the reserved space but I have no way to connect to them. I can’t match their name in discord. I cannot message them via chat if I had never talked with them before. They don’t have a mailbox where I can message them. No one knows who they are. They have GC and have gone on hiatus like many players. They quit but someone else manages their build and I have no idea who.
I try to fill in a road or some other feature in an existing city or newer city but cannot find people to let me fill in the plots… so we have huge gaps of wild land… imaging how a floating city will be once this is enabled… Or a lava city… people will fall in the gaps a lot…
The basic point that we don’t have the answer on is how are existing plotted areas going to get this feature enabled. Any change in plots will cause problems in some form or fashion. And being that it is nearly impossible to contact and engage across plot owners in a non-guild community people and cities will go crazy.
The feature makes complete since in a fully wild area where the person is plotting space that has no plots for many chunks around it. Any other situation where builds are already touching, being transferred because of a mandatory plot/unplot, or expired builds will basically be hurt and sooner or later ■■■■ people off more than the buffer helps.
We need to be honest on why we wanted the buffer - protection from settlement take over and protection from a person building right beside you in a wild and new area. That is no longer the case in this game. We have established cities. We have players that come and go and we cannot contact in any way. Plus multiple other situations like this… So I think if we want the settlement issue fixed we need to fix it correctly and not use this feature.
I was fully on-board with buffer zone too at 1st. I viewed them as a possible solution to the beacon/plot issues. Then the guilds were added which changed things a good bit. I was really unhappy with that change, but I tried to adapt.
Now that buffer zones are coming…I am highly concerned how this will impact existing plots, beacons, cities, guilds, etc. Within the large cities and market towns are smaller guilds, plots/builds that don’t have a guild at all, a mix of both right next to each other, etc. Even if the buffer is just one or two plots wide, that will affect the homes & shops that are right next to each other or only have a one-plot road between them. Who owns that buffer? Who is allowed to plot the empty plot between or behind them?
This may cause everyone to spread out so that buffer zones aren’t touching or affecting the next person.
This is all speculation, of course, because I have zero idea how this will impact existing plots.
EDIT: From our understanding a buffer zone is a set of reserved plots that are automatically put around plots we put down. They are set to ensure no one can plot beside you until you both friend up and/or turn off that feature. This was done to ensure people had a little but of a buffer around the plots they put down especially in regards to settlement annexation.
Well the buffer was owned by I guess the first person that put the plots down. So you could turn it off or let people make it so they can touch plots.
Mostly I started thinking about this during your Ruins thread in situations where beacons expire and people want to save them… how will all this work in existing areas… I’ve very concerned how stuff will be lost because of this.
In the wild it is different with no plots around… in tight spaces that exist… big issues.
Im more worried about excisting buildings.
If this goes through and goes live…
Something goes wrong in the worse case you could lose you own plots that become “buffer plots”.
Whos gonna reverse it if i have my workshop next to someones building and after the update its not mine anymore. Especially in bigger cities
Not everyone want to align their beacons with the guild .
I’m going to wait until I see it in testing and work with others to test it out before worrying about bringing up issues with it. No point in speculating and getting a bunch of people up in arms for what could be potentially nothing. I’m sure we all keep our pitchforks sharpened and will be able to pull them out pretty quick if actually needed.
With the only way we can transfer plots now being to unplot them manually then let someone else plot them…what if those are in the new buffer zone? Can those no longer be re-plotted? So if you are in a city or a market, we will eventually end up with House XXX House XXX House XXX or shop XXX shop XXX shop?
One solution is that it could be by default off and then players will have to turn it on themselves to have the buffer, that way in existing builds, if buffers were added active players in the cities can replot there plots without inactive beacons around there base creating a buffer
Sorry, pitchforks are still on back order from the farming update riots. Everyone will have to get their pitchforks of rioting elsewhere this time 'cus I’m done.
Depending on how it will be implemented and hope we will have a time to test it before release, It just gonna be a mess for city management part.
Having to run/reach around citizen and ask them permission to be able to get the plot near them when another citizen builds goes wild. I just feel this is not right.
since this thread is about bringing to light possible issues so that the developers can cover all scenarios and build the feature correctly now before testing and not just create a worried situation or pitchfork riots…
I already did consider that option but didn’t post about that. The “default off” certainly solves the issue but only for about 1 second. Any person in any situation that enables it would still result in most of the problems I outlined in my original post. All situations are basically in trouble now when you really start to look at the feature as it was outlined.
Any time a plot goes away and is near other plots we will have issues in some form or fashion.
Overall we just need clarity on how they plan to handle these situations… or if they hadn’t thought of it then I hope this thread shows why the idea doesn’t make sense right now.
or maybe I’m just worried about nothing and everything will be fine 
