In the end if there is not enough of a color of a material to really build with then does it really have any value at all? Black gleam as an example. Unfortunately it makes the best clear glass so of course there would be demand, despite the OPS opinion even if you could paint gleam. Making it that rare may make it a trophy item for some players, but all I see is a color that is too rare to really consider using in any build. And players wonder why others are looking forward to creative mode and private planets? At least then, players will not be hamstrung in their builds by an artificial scarcity of materials made scarce in order to preserve some aspect of the economy. Of course if the big builders leave, who is left to buy your expensive black gleam then?
Spraying gleam would be a bit clunky given the current system, I agree. That doesn’t mean there can’t be additional steps/progression/whatever put in place to allow us to attain more of these gleam colours.
The colour system is one of the best parts of the game, and to me it seems a damned shame to keep so much of it locked away. (That’s not to say I want everything easy or that I want some creative mode).
@james indicated awhile ago he was open to introducing some sort of “progression” for spraying natural blocks- though I’m not 100% sure if that includes gleam. It’s my hope it will, and that it won’t be a cakewalk to fill your inventory with X gleam, but will be something you can work towards.
Gleambow event can always be adjusted. It could drop more gleam, it could drop rare components used in new gleam based recipes. Omg, I just got a oorty soul from my gleambow, now I can go make a super prestigious gleam oorty!
I’m ok with sprays affecting gleam-built things like glass that doesn’t morph gleam. Might be nice if it took more sprays than just one to keep the value at least mildly up, but it would better open up builds in a fair way
What if the sprays affected glass so goo farmers can sell black paint and then people can use the black paint to spray glass?
As a side note, anyone want to sell me black gleam?
I don’t know i have 395 of these and there are plenty of builds with less gleam than that. Especially of a single color. I haven’t used it yet but it’s enough to pave over several plots. I’m thinking of using it to accent my Kol build. Some ramp borders, some chiseled decor, etc…
Just because there isn’t truckloads of it doesn’t make it useless.
There’s still scarcity/RNG involved with spray painting or obtaining a specifically-colored gleam because:
- Goo crops are not endlessly sustainable at the current balance tuning
- Goo crop color mutations while somewhat controlled, are not guaranteed
I understand how it will be private or not. The cost of renting a planet will decide if I rent two planets or one. If I can afford two I will. If not than I will get a private one.
But this artificial forced rarity is keeping me from playing the game.
What use is protecting the economy if you have no one (or very few people) playing the game?
When you need the gleam to create glass panes that are not tinted in a color that does not fit your build or at least are tinted in a neutral color like black then you need a lot of black gleam. Having a few hundred black gleam just would not cut it.
Edit: Also are in a color you can actually see through versus the most common colors of gleam which make horrible glass panes.
Maybe does not make it useless but certainly makes it used less in designs and everything else. I fail to see in a game with building as a central theme, why this is good for the game. All you get is players frustrated that they cannot get what they need/want to build. But if the goal is to continue to frustrate players that want to build without color restrictions so they leave the live universe or the game then this is probably a good path to continue down.
I think the forced rarity is part of the game though, I believe the game is supposed to be more than just a builder game. Things and aspects are still being implemented. But I think that is why they are coming out with creative for those who just want to build without restrictions or rarity issues.
I believe boundless is supposed to be economy centered, with social interaction, to create a city type play with seeing the new compactness idea.
But you can still be solo if you want, just makes it harder because you are needing to do more since you are not doing the social bit.
Ultimately I don’t feel boundless is intended as just a build freely game.
If this was true then why create all the blocks to build with? Why do we need 3 types of rock on each planet and all the variations that can be made from them (bricks, decorative, mosaic, etc.)? Why do we need all the variations of glass? If building was not core to the game, then you could merely have prefab structures that could be crafted. You would still get your “cities” and your social interaction, but eliminate all the building and the demands that makes as well as addressing the compactness you bring up. If you cannot build roads and everything is a prefab then the compactness is more of a given.
Ultimately playing solo or with a group of players has nothing to do with rarity of items. If a color or an item is only around during “special events” and even then is not common, then group or solo, you are likely to not get enough to actually use in a large build.
I just dont think it is supposed to be handed to us. You have to work at it. Building is a core mechanic of course, but there has to be a “game” portion to it, otherwise it is just a creation studio.
I also dont think it should be handed to us where all blocks are readily available. But I like the competition and exploration parts of the game. I like the complex crafting and rarities. To me, that is what keeps me here. I dont want a creation studio, I want a game.
I am not saying it should be handed to you either. That is creative mode. But if you want black gleam and needed several smart stacks, do they even exist in the universe? It is one thing to be able to go and gather black gleam or to paint gleam black, but when it does not exist at all then no effort at all will allow a player to get it. You should not have to buy something in order to get it and right now, that is the only option.
I don’t think farming goo for spraypainting counts as anything being handed to people 
I want my Super Enriched Bonding Agents back from crafting 40 stacks of marbles before the update.
You already made huge impact to the market once, Devs. So twice or third wont be any matter.
Oh yes, spray painting and farming goo definitely doesn’t fall into that category.
I see, good points for sure. So you are more referring to the occasional frequency of it’s appearance in the game more.
I still don’t get the bassackwards thought process that gives anyone the impression of making everything tintable is “handing it to us.”
I can confidently say that I own one of the largest goo farms in the game and I’m still constantly expanding. I’ve spent millions on kernals, gathered thousands upon thousands myself and I have produced countless pigments in the process. I still struggle to find the amounts of any one colour I need, even coupling my own efforts with every active paint shop’s inventory. I constantly run into dry spells just trying to paint the amounts of marble or wood I use in my builds.
GOO IS A LIMITED RESOURCE.
IT COMES FROM EXOPLANETS.
WE CANNOT MULTIPLY IT.
GLEAM AVAILABILITY PLAYS ABSOLUTELY NO PART IN THAT.
Gleam’s role in goo farming and pigment producing is limited to the abilty to mutate colours. As any veteran goo farmer is fully aware, you don’t need every colour to achieve any particular colour. Not by a long shot. It helps immensely, but it isn’t a necessity. Ultimately I find this topic self serving and it gives off a fairly ignorant message overall.
As a footnote… I am genuinely tired of some players trying to dictate what others will or won’t be able to do in the future of Boundless. /o/…
/endrant
Good points for sure. Are there any negatives to being able to spray paint gleam? @anon64701652
Also I wasnt calling spray painting or goo farming “handing it to us”. I am also beginning a goo farm myself. So I know it takes a lot of work. Just trying to understand.
Just for clarification, very few people on here who are against color rarity are asking for creative mode or to be handed things. Many of us are well beyond the point of needing the economy or worrying about the coins required to purchase anything we would need. I literally give away “rare” colors because they are useless to me in such low volumes since my builds are usually fairly large.
The problem with artificial color rarity is that it is just that, artificial. Its a byproduct of the universe not being large enough, not the devs trying to keep colors away from us. Can you really imagine @Leahlemoncakes and @james maniacal laughter as they delete exo’s that have new colors? (Don’t answer that.) The real game problem is we lack any rarity in the areas of the game which would truly benefit from it. Like combat trophies, exploration, dungeons, fishing, and so forth. Areas like these are were rarity would shine, and there have been a ton of threads throughout the last few years bringing up how these things could be implemented. Areas where you can have something that is achieved through actual effort in-game that can showcase a real player accomplishment.
As a side note: The second they allow private planets into the public universe, it will bring with them pretty much all the colors people have been wanting. So the fear of a rare color of a basic item becoming common is more of an inevitability. Give the goo makers the ability to turn a profit on their efforts while they still can.