What Do Decorators Want?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Bedawyn, May 30, 2020.

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How do you feel about modern and eclectic (non-medieval fantasy) content added to the game?

  1. Please, please, make it stop.

    33.3%
  2. It bothers me a bit, but I can ignore it.

    7.0%
  3. I don't care either way.

    12.3%
  4. I enjoy some of it, but I'd still rather have medieval fantasy content.

    28.1%
  5. I love the modern and eclectic stuff, but I wouldn't miss it if we had new medieval stuff instead.

    8.8%
  6. Star Wars and beach towels for the win!

    10.5%
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  1. Bedawyn

    Bedawyn Avatar

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    In another thread, someone brought up a couple ideas that have been mentioned before: that SotA is catering to the decorator population, and that the portion of the overall decorating gamers who want to live in a medieval fantasy world is too small to support a game.

    I'm not at all convinced that these propositions are true. Yes, I think Catnip is trying to cater to the decorator population, but I don't think they're doing so successfully. And while the medieval fantasy decorators may not be numerous enough to support a WOW or Second Life, I do think there are enough of us to comfortably support a small but stable niche game, especially if the game has things to attract non-decorators too.

    And while it wasn't mentioned specifically recently, there's sometimes a hint in these conversations that "catering to the decorators" goes hand-in-hand with ignoring other parts of the game, that the decorators all want their new deco first and foremost and don't care what else gets neglected in the meantime. And I don't think that's true at all.

    After all, we're here, aren't we? Not in Second Life, not in the Sims. For whatever reason, we chose to live in a medieval fantasy-based world. I have my own OpenSim. If ALL I wanted was to decorate, I could do it to my heart's content there, never spending a real-world dime, never having to grind to pay taxes, never worrying about lag or about what my neighbor thinks is aesthetically appropriate, limited only by the amount of time I put into it.

    But I'm still putting time into SotA instead. Because I want to decorate, but I also want to adventure, and I want to do both in the same medieval fantasy world, shaped by its own story narrative and its own consistent cultures, and I fell in love with the world SotA created. There's value for me in an immersive medieval fantasy world that a modern or eclectic environment wouldn't provide. And I don't want to have to juggle two worlds and decorate in one while I get my adventuring fix elsewhere.

    But I'm only one person, and obviously, some of our population have very different ideas than I do about what's appropriate deco content. So I'd like to get a feel for where the other decorators stand on these things. Are you here just as a decorator, or do you combine decorating with other activities? How high is decorating content in your priorities for the game? And what kind of decorating content is your priority? Why are YOU here instead of Second Life or the Sims? What is it that you get, or hope to get, out of being here? What is it that would make you feel you're getting the right value for your money and your time?

    For clarification: In the poll above, clockpunk/Kobold tech absolutely counts as part of the "medieval fantasy" theme, not as "modern and eclectic." Also, these questions -- the poll and the ones in my post -- are really intended for people for whom decorating is a significant part of your playstyle. If deco is being added supposedly to market to the decorators, it's the decorators themselves whose opinions I want to test out. If you're not a decorator, you can't really say what a decorator wants out of a game any more than I can say what a min-maxxer what's out of their game.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2020
  2. Titania Xylia

    Titania Xylia Avatar

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    They need to add dye-able pavers and building blocks with smooth stone options like marble and concrete. Want to empty them wallets that's going to help.

    Edit: I disagree that this is a medieval game. The ultimate technological progress just doesn't belong to humans. The Kobolds are the most advanced race in Novia and I want to live in their cities and watch Koboldflix and have lightning guns. Swinging swords and summoning fire is hard work.
     
  3. Rook Strife

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    Think there's more than enough decorations in the game as it is.

    Would rather see them spend their time elsewhere.

    Maybe do an occasional player requests here n there.


    Hows it goin Titania lol
     
  4. Sulaene Moon

    Sulaene Moon Avatar

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    Maybe the Kobolds will share they rocket technology with us so we can have hover boards and landspeeders when rideable mounts is a thing.
     
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  5. Bedawyn

    Bedawyn Avatar

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    No disagreement there! I was using "medieval" as short-hand for a broad range of tech levels between "barbarian" and "steampunk Renaissance." I love that this world has multiple diverse cultures with different tech levels, I just want things to be consistent with the cultures that are part of the game-world. :)
     
  6. Violet Ronso

    Violet Ronso Avatar

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    I really dont mind all the deco, and honestly, I think deco items are both a quick win, and does not slow down most of the remaining content that needs to be pushed out (notably crafting rework, combat balance and bug fixes, all these can be done with 0 artwork required, which means people who work on art can still push these out). Also, I think that technology in this game has a nice place, and the more diversity, the better.
     
  7. Cora Cuz'avich

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    Deco that fits the world instead of mardi gras holiday garbage.
     
  8. Bedawyn

    Bedawyn Avatar

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    Am I correct in thinking that what you're really getting at here is not so much a specific item as a end goal but "tools that allow us to better build the type of environment we're envisioning?"
     
  9. Morgathys

    Morgathys Avatar

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    Your options make me laugh:
    1. no!
    2. no but ok
    3. dont care
    4. ok but no
    5. yes but no
    6. yes!
    Do you want us to choose `no` ? :D
     
  10. Alley Oop

    Alley Oop Bug Hunter Bug Moderator

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    what bothers me is glowing/pulsing/color-cycling/aether/etc. i don't really care if someone has something anachronistic if it's not waving its arms to get my attention.
     
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  11. Bedawyn

    Bedawyn Avatar

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    :) What I was getting at is that it's more nuanced than a simple yes or no.

    In particular, the idea that just because someone might like a floppy hat or a beach towel, that doesn't mean that's what they really want out of the game. I'm making chili for dinner because that's what I've got in the house, and I'll enjoy it because I'm hungry, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer cheesecake and lasagna. :)

    I'd like to be able to better estimate what ratio of the decorators (who supposedly are being enticed to spend money) actually want the modern/eclectic content for its eclectic nature and would be willing to keep paying for it, versus the group that like new deco because it's new and provides a bit of variety (and is being given out as login rewards that they're not actually paying for) but would prefer to have more world-themed content and be willing to pay for that. I'd LOVE to see the stats for the crown shop, broken down by which items actually sell most in their categories.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2020
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  12. Bedawyn

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    YES! I don't mind the floppy hat at all, because it's small and isn't going to affect the experience of anyone except the wearer and their friends. Plus, while that particular shape of hat is associated with the late 19th/20th/21st century West, it's not all that different from hats in other places and eras; there's no reason natives in the SotA world might not have developed it. But when you get to the stuff that causes even a slight performance hit, or that can be seen from miles away....

    And I'd add size to that list too. Something huge enough to be seen from all over town can be immersion-breaking even if there's nothing anachronistic about it; it can still be unrealistically attention-getting to have them in every front yard. But that's a different pet peeve for a different thread. :)
     
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  13. Barugon

    Barugon Avatar

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    I want more craftable items and unique items that can be obtained through quests.
     
  14. Toular

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    Most of the Ultima series has always been a mix of medieval/renaissance with a bit of steam punk and an occasional flat-out sci-fi - the hovercraft and spaceship from Ultimas 1-3 come to mind.

    UO was the only Ultima that was medieval/renaissance. Okay, maybe Ultima 9 too.

    What I find jarring and "immersion-breaking" are the bright neon pulsating dragon statures and neon signs screaming, "RECIPIES!".
     
  15. Oakenhammer

    Oakenhammer Avatar

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    To add a point of lore here, remember that we (the Avatars) are "Outlanders" from another world (contemporary Earth) and not native born to the planet. We bring with us our knowledge and culture and it is not unexpected that we would try to recreate some of what we left behind in this new world.
     
  16. oplek

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    I tend to wonder how much of the load times and memory requirements are just for decorations. They can't keep adding them ad infinitum.
     
  17. Bedawyn

    Bedawyn Avatar

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    Yes! This also very much affects what I consider immersion-breaking or not. Bringing in influences is one thing. Bringing in items wholesale is another. If something is small enough that an Outlander could conceivably have been wearing it or carrying it in their pocket when they arrived, I'm okay with it. But if it's not.... it's not just a question of whether they want to recreate it. It's also whether they have the knowledge, the skills, the materials, the equipment to recreate it. I think it's a safe bet that most of us appreciate refrigerators and would certainly WANT to recreate them if we were suddenly transported to a world without. But how many of us would actually be able to build a refrigerator on our own, even with all the resources of Brittany at our disposal? And if we could, would we realistically be able to mass produce it? I'd love to have an icebox in game, but I want it to look like something that the best New Brittanian artisans could produce with local materials. Even if they got the idea originally from Outlanders, do we want an icebox in SotA to look like a 21st-century Frigidaire? Or should it look like something hewn by hand out of an ice chunk, or produced in a Kobold factory?
     
  18. Cora Cuz'avich

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    I was just going to post a similar desire. I especially want to go back to the days where a craftable version was put in the game, and an ornate version in the store. In almost every instance, I preferred the style of the "plain" craftable versions of things. I think the only ornate thing I ever bought was the greenhouse storefront, because I only had one row lot at the time, and wanted both functions.
     
  19. Beaumaris

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    This is my first reaction to the OP's question on 'what decorations do we want:' I want to be able to plop down monster NPCs in player run dungeons, where I want, just like I can with player vendor NPCs. Needing a special dungeon room with totems is too limiting for dungeons. And Catnip could make some cash selling monster NPCs.
     
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  20. Duke Gréagóir

    Duke Gréagóir Legend of the Hearth

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    I like the medieval and Perennial Coast themed items. The new Electric Katanas fit into this category too.

    I did not vote above as all choices are geared towards one answer.
     
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