Player Own Towns - Time to deliver, Portalarium!

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Malchor, May 27, 2018.

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  1. Malchor

    Malchor Avatar

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    Hello SotA team. I purchased a holdfast on 07-12-2015 with the promise of having a fully customized town. I paid in full, immediately completed the "town details" online form and carefully submitted it in a timely manner. I updated the information throughout the process, whenever requested, and ultimately chose a static model, since I felt it most closely fit the initial vision sold to me by Portalarium. I have waited for a "personal design session", which seems to have never materialized.

    I am now approaching my third anniversary of being a PoT owner and sadly, have seen no progress with my holdfast. I have been very patient and understanding, but have the sense that this is not a priority for Portalarium and therefore, may never happen. I have contacted developers in the past regarding the same and was advised to consider a dynamic model and decorate the town myself -- of course, this model requires me to purchase more items. It also does not allow me to shape the town as originally envisioned. I really feel that waiting nearly three years for a town design is excessive.

    While I have been happy to see improvement in so many areas of the game, I am very disappointed with Portalarium's ability to deliver on our PoT purchases. We need a clear timeline for deliverables, with accountability.

    This is not how early, loyal supporters should be treated.
     
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  2. Sir Frank

    Sir Frank Master of the Mint

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    I'm sorry. You're wrong. He is owed a custom build session. It may be a long time coming, and maybe never happen, but that's what choosing static is supposed to mean.
     
  3. Lazarus Long

    Lazarus Long Avatar

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    Yep.. Misread the OP :)
     
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  4. Rufus D`Asperdi

    Rufus D`Asperdi Avatar

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    He's got a legitimate beef... As do the Dukes.

    What features should be delayed to satisfy them? The Dukes number in the hundreds... there are likely a couple of dozen Governors who've opted for the Static template over the Dynamic. What work should be put off to commit the resources required to satisfy those commitments?
     
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  5. 3devious

    3devious Avatar

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    Some of us have bought things we will never get and I don't see the need to pile on the OP and hope that Berek will come in and do something. Those of you clamoring for that deserve what you will get.
    Good luck, Malchor.

    @Rufus D`Asperdi They should drop everything until this game runs like butter on my machine! :p
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2018
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  6. Browncoat Jayson

    Browncoat Jayson Legend of the Hearth

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    Since Duke rewards we're promised during Kickstarter, they need to be finished before starting on Episode 2. Player Owned Towns were after Kickstarter, so while they need to be done as well, honestly I don't think they need to be a high priority. New spaces for towns will open with the next episode, so if these features come online alongside that episode...
     
  7. Humbert_Humbert

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    Wow I can't believe he is catching flack for this. It appears he has been more than patient. I hope Berek is around on this Sunday too so maybe he can let a dev know. Things like this should be top priority.
     
  8. Malchor

    Malchor Avatar

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    I'm really happy to see that there is so much emotion behind this topic on all ends, but let's remember to keep some realistic perspective here.

    I have obviously been a supporter of this project, or would not have made such investments. That being said, I do not think it is demanding or unreasonable to expect a product delivered or at very least some specific communication regarding its status over a three year period. There was no delay in Portalarium processing payment.

    In terms of misreading anything, this is not the case. Having been an early purchaser of a PoT (prior to the static and dynamic designations), I watched the process evolve and subsequently, the rules and promises change. I entered with the understanding that this game was in development and with knowledge that things could change, but there is no excuse for Portalarium's poor communication and seeming disregard for those of us whom have purchased PoTs. It is just poor form on their part.

    Mirriam-Webster defines a forum as "a public meeting place for open discussion". Utilizing our forum for this purpose should not be perceived as shaming or attacking anyone, but rather as a means to discuss issues which may, at times, escape our hard working devs.
     
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  9. majoria70

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    The only players who get the meeting with the devs if they request are the static towns. All others do not get it. Lord Baldrith was informed of this early on. They just didn't have time to meet with everyone for this consultation. If you have a static town and need to have this meeting to set that up that is one thing but do not expect it if you do not. So since you purchased a static town all you can do is take that up with the Devs and yes I agree you should hear from them about it and a timeline although since 2015 does seem like a long wait. @Berek could you comment and pass the world and @DarkStarr. Please contact this player regarding his town.
     
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  10. Cerus

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    Greetings Malchor,

    Unfortunately, I cannot address this concern at this point in time, but I will make sure to pass this on, so the team can have a look at it after the weekend/Holiday.
    Please bear in mind, the forum is indeed to discuss, but if you have issues or questions about your individual account/town, a public discussion is not the right place and will generally not help. Please, direct this type of concerns via PM to a team member or to support@portalarium.com.

    Thanks and have a good weekend!
     
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  11. DarkStarr

    DarkStarr Executive Producer SOTA Developer

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    I can completely understand your frustration at how long this has taken and how much it has changed since the beginning. As we stated in a few separate hangouts and threads we failed to anticipate the level of interest players would have in this feature and when 10 times the number of people showed up we had to pivot. So we focused on providing a set of tools for owners to dynamically update and change the town for themselves using templates that they could choose from (and change at will). We felt that this would provide the most flexibility and power to the town owners and at the same time keep our small team focused on world building for the story. This meant that any work on static towns had to be placed on hold until we completed all the world maps first.

    Happily 97% of the town owners have embraced the dynamic model and done some amazing things with it. Along the way we have added more templates and expanded the toolset based on their feedback as they used the kit. As of Release 54 we are also increasing the decoration limits for POTs (and player lots).

    Again I completely understand your frustration and it is totally warranted. Please know that you (and anyone else) should always feel free to PM me about such matters so we can try to work out solutions. To that end I have started such a conversation with you to see what we can do in the near term while the static town work is on hold.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2018
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