When its time to pick lots based on pledge level...

When this was last mentioned in the streamathon deep dive they talked of dangers when trying to find lots in far off places, having to game to get there.

So it seems that control points and everything like that was in their thinking back then... Which is kinda crazy.

 

I think a web version would be an easier path but I have always enjoyed the land rush aspect in-game. Gets the adrenaline pumping. The thrill of claiming the spot you wanted or in area you wanted before someone did. The taste of bitter defeat if you narrowly missed getting the spot you wanted.

 

I have heard some people want the ability to move their plots or not have structured plotting. I can tell you from experience in EQN and AA, that you definitely do not want that. Having someone put their plot just so so you can't get your's in is freaking annoying. In AA, the first server we were on was so filled up we held back and waiting until they opened up a couple more the next day. We got in and found what we wanted without much hassle. Have shards or servers been looked at as to what might be needed?

 

A hypothetical scenario:
Let's say I have 10 RF accounts, get to access the the web application before most other people, and it takes me 5 seconds to claim 10 contiguous lots in a prime NPC area. Then I can sell them at a premium to the highest bidder.

Would that be possible?

P.S. I do not have a RF account

 

of course, each account would have to be at least citizen level, but as far as i know yes that is quite possible, and likely.

 

All plots/lots in SotA within NPC Towns are designated plots by the devs with specific size allocation and access. So there is no way that anyone can place something that blocks someone elses plot.

There are no shards and there will be no shards.
Check out what the "Selective Multiplayer" concept stands for and you will see its pretty cool.

 

You have to log out and log back in to each account. And while you're doing that, all the other RF accounts at the same tier are able to pick at the same time. It is highly unlikely one person would redeem 10 different accounts in one area before anyone else got in.

 

Been thinking that there should be an updatable Wiki page for how many of each lot size are still available in each town throughout the rush.

This would be difficult for one person to do by themselves but if certain people were assigned certain town clusters it could be easier and close to up-to-date.

 

I think a Web Based solution would be best as it would be able to look at the city without running though the entire city trying to decide what lot you want and if the servers are still in beta at the time you could go look at the area. Because requiring the game to be played for a 24 hour window that your pledge level gets access would cause issues for people traveling and not able to play as people have pointed out.

Another thing I don't want to see is pledge levels just being early access time it wouldn't give unfair advantage to people that can play more if they only grand early access based on tier account you have. If a RF Citizen has 48 hours over a Founder Citizen but the Founder Citizen person can play more, ie vacation or no school etc, then the Founder Citizen person can get further into the story and get to the lot the RF Citizen couldn't because of work/real life.

 

How is the land rush a bigger risk? You are GUARANTEED a non-POT plot in the land rush (according to Portalarium), so there's zero risk actually.

However if instead of taking a non-POT plot, you choose to take a POT plot, you can get booted by the owner of the POT at their whim (presumably) and then you are completely screwed. There wont be any non-POT plots left to use since they will be taking first, and you are now at the mercy of POT owners everywhere. No thanks. This mechanic is going to be a big problem is my guess.

I would only ever consider putting my secondary plot in a POT. For example at my pledge level I get a town plot AND a village plot. I would never put my main town plot in a POT in case I ever got booted by the POT owner. But I would consider putting my village plot there since its my secondary home and not as important if the POT owner decides to boot me.

 

BlackstoneBluff.com We dont boot ppl.

Our town operates much like an NPC town. Except you can get your lot guaranteed. No worries.

 

I hear what you are promising and I'm sure you are trustworthy, but at the end of the day its just a promise and promises can be broken. Nothing is stopping you from booting people, and why would I trust you instead of getting a guaranteed non-POT plot that has zero risk?

There needs to be a game mechanic way to guarantee your plot is safe in a POT or why would a sane person ever take the chance of missing the one time only opportunity of getting a non-POT plot and be safe forever?

 

Im not going to boot you because it would cost me lots of money. If I started booting ppl and not fulfilling the promise Ive made for the last year or so, word would spread really fast. Its in my best interest not to boot ppl.

I have zero interest in what Innessa is doing as long as it adheres to SotA's TOS.

 

I agree with you in principle, and again I reiterate that I'm sure you personally are a trustworthy and smart person, but again there is no guarantee you wont do it, so why would I risk it with my primary property when I have zero risk if I put my plot outside of a POT?

As well, theres no reason not to think that in the future you could leave the game or not be able to play anymore, and whoever took over would not have the same ideals as yourself. Again, why would I bother when theres risk vs no risk going the other way?

Theres also no reason to think that others may not be as "principled" or as good a businessman as yourself.

Since Portalarium has guaranteed everyone a non-POT plot anyway, theres no need to take any risk at all.

 

It takes getting to know people and to trust the owner of the POT you decide to live in. It took trust for those first Kickstarters that Richard, Starr, and Dallas would produce a game and not vaporware.

I, for one am willing to trust and therefore my NPC lot space will be freed up by then because I'll be living in a POT. You'll find my hubby, son, and myself living in Blackstone Bluff as soon as it is available.

 

To each their own, and I applaud your ability to trust people on the internet, I'm sure Blackstone Bluff will be a great place to live. Hopefully it never changes hands and puts you in an awkward position down the line.

For me personally, the land rush is a one time only event that will never come again and could be critical to the game years in. If missed, I'll never get another chance at it, and if I place in a POT instead of a guaranteed safe spot, there is a possibility I might get booted at some point. I suspect many others will feel this way as well, and since theres absolutely no need to take any risk at all because theres enough non-POT plots for everyone, why bother? That's my feeling anyway.

 

Yes, I hope Portalarium puts in enough NPC communities that the land rush won't be horrific.
But I am very glad that we have another option of joining a POT and therefore no fighting tooth & nail to get a lot to live on. (I've lived through too many land rushes to enjoy that kind of fun)

Yes, I agree that others most likely feel similarly to how you do. This maybe the one and only land rush, although I have read chatter that there will be new lands that open up in later episodes, so there maybe other future land rushes. Very likely we will know more in a few months.

As for why take a chance on a POT?
Well, some POTs were made so friends or guildmates would have the chance to live together. Some were made to let a function of the game to flower such as roleplaying, crafting, or PvPing. Some were made just to make sure there would be room for all that wish for a lot. Some were made as a potential business investment. And I'm sure there are other reasons.

The reasons why I'll be living in a POT is that it will be a nice place for roleplaying and to sell my crafting and to be with some of my new friends and it will be a beautiful community, but most of all I won't have to do the land rush (I already know exactly where I'll be living). The reason why that is important to me is that by that time I'll be waiting on pins & needles for the needed, but dreadful call that a kidney has turned up that is compatible for my hubby and we need to get to the hospital immediately. So the possibility of losing my lot in the distant future isn't very high on my stress list at this time.

We all have different stresses, but I am very glad we have a choice in SotA on how we get a place to live.

 

You and I are in agreement on everything (and by the way I wish you all the best for your husband; nothing like a health issue to put problems into perspective quickly!).

The only question up for grabs here is whether a person feels that they are willing to take the risk of a POT over zero risk of a non-POT. In your case, you are willing, but I would be surprised if the majority felt that way. We shall see come land rush time which way people go.

I don't think land rush will be all that bad, because they've already stated theres at least one non-POT plot for everyone in the game that has a plot from their pledge. That being the case, the only so called "rush" that may occur is getting a preferred location over a non-preferred location. Everyone will get a plot, just maybe not in your ideal location. That depends on your pledge level and join date, and indicates the order you get to pick before others.

In addition, if there are people such as yourself willing to put their primary plot into a POT, that should open up other non-POT plots for the land rush that would have been made available to you by Portalarium, and further reduce the land rush effect.

Finally, if the land rush does not take the form of actual in game rushing to a plot sign, but rather a web based "pick-a-plot" experience, the rush itself shouldn't be too painful at all. Especially since pledge levels and join dates act as a buffer for everyone selecting all at the same time.

Like I said previously, I am more than willing to consider putting my secondary village lot in a POT, but theres no chance I'm putting my primary town lot in one. For me, its just too risky since I plan on playing this game for many many years to come and don't want to chance a POT owner booting me out months or years down the line when I'm fully established and running my business.

 

I think that is a feature and not necessarily a problem.
The only place that in theory can stop real griefers seem to be POTs.
In an NPC town your neighbours can bully you all day long to get you to give up your spot and move on. As long as they stay wihin the TOS. While in a POT there is actually an authority to take the issue to.

We have already in these prealpha releases had this happen on several occasions so I can only imagine what will happen come release when such behavior could turn lucrative.

 

I think i would prefer to place my larger lot in a 'npc' town and possible the smaller in a POT

Personally i think a web interface would be best. Give everyone a number and using it they can reserve a lot but if someone with lower number want they can displace it then they gets sent a mail
and has to find a new place again.