We can paint tree timber & rock = natural blocks…therefore, we should be able to paint mud, gravel, ash, tangle, thorns, etc. 
(hey, trying doesn’t hurt lol)
4 Likes
A couple of questions:
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Do natural, not-plotted resources/land effect our farms?
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Do nearby beacon plots belonging to other players effect our farms?
If the answer if yes to either question…then this is going to open a whole 'nuther can of griefing worms.
If I build my farm & Jimmy comes along and decides to build a rock wall on his plot, next to my farm (with items that refuse to grow near rocks)…then my farm is essentially griefed.
If I have a farm in the middle of nowhere, with nearby rocks & water that my plants love…& Jimmy comes along one day & mines out all of the rocks & water that I couldn’t plot…then I log in & see a dead farm.
Some of the diagrams that people posted previously show resources several plots away effecting plant growth. This would mean that farmers would have to use a ton of plots/buffer plots to avoid issues with their farms 
I think this is a really valid question and needs an answer but my experience is nothing more than 3 blocks away from the planted block will affect it. That still means what you have brought up could happen, but I think it is limited to the plot immediately adjacent to your build.
Maybe I can get someone on test around me to try it and see what happens.
6 Likes
Could you please link to some evidence of this…?
Everything I’ve seen and tried in testing points to a very small radius where things will actually affect crops.
As Kal said:
I am asking because I’d like to know how much something that isn’t in our own beacon/plots will or will not effect our farms. I think it will be helpful to know so that we can decide where or how we will build our farms.
Updated OP with details of Testing 224.6.
13 Likes
So is there any discussion on the idea of allowing the player to either max seed production or crop production? Or is that idea dead?
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It’s not dead - but it does make the presentation of the crop conditions much more complicated.
In general we do want to try and make the game simpler. Presenting the player with something that says:
Copper - increases seed yield but decreases crop yield
Silver - increases crop yield but decreases seed yield
… seems pretty complicated to wrap your head around.
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I’m not a huge fan of item variants for the sake of item variants, but I think this is a case that could work.
Say if seeds could possibly be processed in, say, a refinery, with something else related to farming or fuel or whatever you feel is appropriate (the new inorganic fuels or peat come to mind though) and you could make a more seed/produce prone seed variant?
It would avoid touching the complexity of layouts and would add optional depth to how you decide to use your seeds.
That’s a random idea off the top of my head, but I’m sure other people can develop on it or come up with something better that is more clear cut without adding unnecessary complexity. 
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I will agree that it is more complicated and you know that I do not think complicated automatically equals better or more fun. But if I have to gather seeds after each harvest or search the universe for seeds to buy I personally might be willing to trade that time sink for a way to do it with the farming mechanic. Even if it is more complicated. In the end I do know you are trying to do what is best for the game.
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Would it be an idea to add the locked knowledge items into a separated category?
Plenty of times I’m on an alt that doesn’t have everything unlocked yet even tho she’s gathering mats and would be handy to check recipes then that my crafter uses…
1 Like
I’d agree there is no reason to add additional features because the root discussion is still along this same topic: Is seed return on crops balanced correctly to the Developers expectations of the game play (work/reward) VS is the seed return set to the expectation of what a select group of members of the community want. (There are those of us that feel the drops are looking ok at this point so that is why I said a “select group”)
Either that select group finds ways to influence the Developers to change the seed drop percentage or they don’t… adding new things won’t change anything. We saw this with Oort Amalgram. Let’s not recreate the same scenario with “seed retention.”
The solution I would actually like is to offer: “learned objectives” and “learned items”, and “discovered objectives” and “discovered items” then players can view everything if they want, or let the game reveal them.
The problem with the current system is that if you want to create a portal and that objective hasn’t been unlocked, their is an unknown path to unlocking it. So the game is being unhelpful. But the help is actually in there - it’s just hidden away. And the player wants to “jump ahead” and the game is keeping everything hidden.
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Ah so if AeneaAlt2 hasn’t unlocked knowledge of portals she can still look things up about it once she has discovered them?
That sounds good to me actually!
that actually sounds like a great idea! you should totally do that 
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Change up optimizing blocks to either get more seeds or more crops. This means no new machine or recipe and uses the current mechanics in farming.
you could make it so the yeald affecting block could go on the under side effecting the roots.
Oh no! I’d have to move my entire farm up by one block 
1 Like
Is someone planning ahead?
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