Prestige Value of Natural Materials - a Small Rant

General
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When I started playing Boundless, shortly after release, I followed what I feel is the typical new player progression: I followed the tutorial, fumbled around a lot, died to basic wildstock a few times… but eventually I figured out what was what, ditched my campfire for a real beacon, and settled down to build a home.

I’ve played voxel games like this before though - some game about mining and crafting, I don’t remember the name - so I wanted to build more than the typical Big Ol’ Cube o’ Ugly. So I planned a little bit, and learned to chisel, and generally made my little castle (as it eventually shaped up to be) look interesting and pleasing to the eye.

But here’s where I went wrong: I thought my home planet had some pretty nice looking natural resources. I ended up using the local sedimentary rock for my build, because I liked the pattern it made and didn’t really like the blocky artificial look of the stuff I got when I put said rock in a crafting machine.

As I built, I watched as other people built their own homes, and created villages, and towns, and cities, and I thought surely my house is big enough to at least qualify as a lowly settlement? Nope, not at 10,000 prestige yet. Not even close. Gee, 10,000 prestige is really hard to get! How is everyone else able to build up prestige so fast while I’m struggling to get a thousand or two?

How naive I was. Now I know the secret: don’t build with the natural rock. Because as pretty as it is, as much as it reminds me of real world marble palaces, it’s actually as lowly as mud, as far as the game is concerned. Actually, mud may even rank higher, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.

So now, here I am with what I consider a pretty decent looking build - it’s not huge and doesn’t involve any advanced chiseling, but I’ve put weeks of effort into it and I think it’s pretty, dang it all. And now, just a few days ago, someone new moved into some plots nearby, threw up a Big Ol’ Cube o’ Ugly with refined materials and gleam and already has a settlement.

What even is this nonsense.

I understand from reading up on the forums about this that the devs have their reasons for making natural materials second class citizens. But I think it’s a shame that those reasons have resulted in the devaluation of all the pretty blocks that they’ve spent so long hyping in their press materials. These planets all look so cool - why can’t we build with their materials and create something that actually compliments the landscape without said build being labeled a hovel? Why do we need to make giant eyesores of gleam and gems in order to be considered prestigious?

:frowning:

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I love this post and think this needs more attention. I’ve given up on prestige simply because I like the look of the “simple” natural materials. Hopefully they look at this because it does promote builds that are let’s say, less than pleasing to the eye.

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My settlement (a rustic town) is built from natural materials, as it keeps the town looking humble. Prestige be damned. You can cheese the prestige by hiding higher valued blocks underground or wherever. You don’t HAVE to do this of course.

I agree, I like the natural looking blocks, as the refined ones gain that shine and beveled edge, making them look like tiles, and too identical. Great for certain looks, of course.

Either, hide some higher prestige blocks, or say screw the prestige score. Once I clear the objectives concerning prestige, I’ll be done worrying about it. It’s an interesting concept, but oddly implemented, and needlessly distracting (if you let it).

You’re not alone. There are others like myself who love the look of, and to build with, unrefined materials in order to achieve a particular look or theme.

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Don’t be discouraged by this. It doesn’t matter how much time you need to reach settlement. :hugs:
You are not alone to build with natural blocks. All my walls are rocks, stones and timber. +100 plots used, and still under 50k prestige (maybe I will never reach this).

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I have to admit, I’m not as attracted to some of the neon anthill slums that pop up. But some of them are pretty interesting… And Epic. My fear has been that they would surround me and in my opinion, …harm my scenic view. So I build largely underground… And try to find more subtle high prestige blocks like machined metals or lanterns to up my prestige values.

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I also have chosen to give prestige a miss, I like the look/pallet of sand blocks as walls too much, to value prestige at all. I also prefer the look of unrefined timber.

But I guess that prestige only really matters if you’re competing to become a city, or relying on coin from footfall? As why it doesn’t bother me too much

I really love the prestige system and understand that they need a way to ‘judge’ the level of a settlement, but prehaps in different way? What that way is, is unknown to me, but maybe someone has a better idea?

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Just build your town the way you want and reserve an underground “landfill” plot filled to the brim with prestige. The difference between 10,000 prestige and 50,000 prestige is 10 footfall coins per visitor - make 300 coins per day from footfall instead of 200 wooooo.

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Hey @Enjaye!

Just build the way you want to and forget about prestige. I still think the prestige system is making people choose between opting into that particular feature, or simply building the way they want to - and is ultimately limiting creativity for those people who want a pretty looking settlement.

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This the first I knew of prestige. I think my base is listed as a settlement. I thought it was from having around 20 plots. I’m guessing from the OP that it is because I used the blocks from my starter planet. I don’t really like the color of the stone or blocks from my new home world, they are, to me, ugly. I’m picking what I see as nice, not what I think will impress anyone. Visited a level 3 planet to get gleam and found a abandoned base that has a lot of yellow refined stone. I’m getting it not because it is refined, but yellow is my favorite color. I like the natural blue/white streaked rocks underground so am getting a lot of them. Saw in a video I watch today by Dad and Dax play games (I think his name here is DonBab) and loved the white rocks on the planet he was on. Want some of that. I want to make designs in my base; but I don’t want a gaudy eyesore like some I have seen in some planets shops I have visited. Glaring, like something that is all pimped out.
I don’t care about fancy, getting a lot of status, just something that I like to live in, to come home to after a day of exploring, hunting, mining or whatever I have been doing.

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Totally get this, ive used about 20 000 ice on my new skycastle in Antar VI capitol. Kinda depressing loosing a couple of k’s of prestige.
Wanted to make clouds, did.not.succeed.
The stairs of the castle are made of golden gleem, so i guess that balances it out.

Too bad i dont have the ability to plan in my head visualizing and knowikg what it would look like. Envy those who can.
Well it looks interesting though, clouds or no clouds.

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Same Tomir. I kind of just wing it. The thing I’m working on now I’m trying to draw out a little on grid paper as I need it, but I have no idea what it will look like when finished, lol.

The worst is picking which color blocks to use…