Final Wipe and Lot Selection

Have you supplied your market research to Portalarium? I'm sure they would be interesting in seeing it.

 

This is the old software development trope where you show a working prototype of a large project with only a few features to a naive person (who has no clue about the software development process), and seeing the few parts that are implemented run so well makes them think it must be almost finished. So it seems to me that that guy is a fool or an idiot. Uptime does not imply feature completion.

I've only been on this ride since R20, but a lot of stuff has changed since then, and I'm seeing generic placeholder systems turning into something like what they have said they want to make. Maybe these changes are hard to notice unless you actually play each release for a few days, but the lack of crashes and downtime certainly doesn't indicate being close to feature complete. It just means they started with a firm foundation that they got working right before throwing a bunch of stuff in, and they're not a bunch of clueless hack coders who could make even Hello World crash.

One of the big reasons that I'm here is because I want to see all the things fill in in real time, and play the game in all its intermediate variations full of quirks. My motto is "a new game every month!" And I'm getting what I wanted.

It's like seeing a building foundation that has just been poured, and as the skyscraper is being built, saying "Hey, I'm not falling through the floor, it must be almost done, right? Why isn't the furniture in here already?" And when the building is half furnished and people start to occupy the furnished floors, assuming that all work will stop at that point.

There seems to be a lot of that in the forums from SP people who act like FInal Wipe implies no more work on content. Nope, folks, "release" does not mean "end of development". This is not the '90s when you cut a CD-ROM, put it in a box, and that was the final version. MP isn't even going to be "finished" at Final Wipe anyhow, they'll still be working on content that SP needs. And they still have four more buildings (episodes) to make, too.

And some of the content is hidden around corners, so you can't even see how much there is by just looking at the overworld map. A few weeks ago I stumbled on the "old" part of Spectral Mines (remember, I started in R20), on my way out with a full load of ore, and it blew my mind after having gone there so many times just for mining ore. Not all the content that is already in there is where you can see it.

I don't know why you think Final Wipe is about testing level-based stuff. Final Wipe is about persistence and placing lots and getting the player economy started. This game is about a lot more than kill mob collect gold, finish quest collect gold. There's an economic game in there too (EVE very lite), and it depends on player interactions over a long period of time. Three months is barely enough to get it started, and you can't just give everybody free gold to "test" it. They also need to get the control point areas into the world, and I think that's part of the timing for final wipe in July.

Wipes made it easier for them to change the format of character data in the database, now they'll have to have downtime before releases to run database migration jobs if existing character data needs to be reformatted. And if exploits happen, now they have to clean up the mess instead of letting a wipe take care of it.

That is probably the main problem I have with SotA as it is and apparently is intended to be. The random glyph system requires you to look at the freaking hotbar to know what you can do. In the six months that I've been playing, I went fixed-bar-only so that I knew where everything was. Except since my right hand has to be on the mouse to target all the various UI elements on the screen, that meant that I had to look at the screen all the time anyhow. Now that I've learned how few things I really needed fixed, this past week I've gone 1-5 random (it's much easier to hit a key with your finger hovering over it than to aim the cursor all over the screen) and 6-0 fixed.

One thing I'm going to miss about FFXI was that while you could have 20 "quick" macros ready (0-9 with ctrl and alt, and an easy way to repeat one from each half when using joypad controller), you could use ANY ability via JRPG-style menus (you could count how many times you went up or down without having to look), or with a / command if you could touch-type. And those 20 macros? They were actually up to 6 command lines each. A lot more complicated to learn but a lot more powerful. When in a healer role, I usually went command-line only for casting spells because it was easier to choose individual party members. SotA requires you to stick something on a hotbar (even the non-combat bar) before you can use it. There's not even a right-click "Use item". Also, being based on D-pad JRPG input model (because PS2), I didn't have to target tiny UI elements with a mouse, I just did a bunch of up/down/enter/exit stuff with the joypad.

 

I miss ffxi too, as a samurai I have dreamed on weapon skills in this game
But this game is my new ffxi

 

How would the lot selection be if you are in a PoT? Does the times and dates still apply? If yes, and you place in your PoT does that then stop you from placing your secondary rent free plot?

 

In a POT all rules still apply. During lot selection, you can only place one lot until the end.. if you place it in your POT that still counts against the one lot limit. And you can't start placing until your time slot even in a POT.

 

I can one up you. I've mostly been playing it on PUP. Can't even get that experience on FFXIV. Gonna miss having a tarutaru too, cute and plucky, and reminds me of two of my earliest child memories that are from a low point of view.

 

Heh, that would generally be crazy though wouldn't it? Say you have a good selection...you place your plot in PoT, owner of said PoT decides for whatever reason to kick you out...then you lost that spot anyways...I guess you could just go to one of the 250ish other PoT's.

 

Oh, I understand it - I was warning them about this very review at least one year ago.

But I'm still honestly persuaded that they could sustain themselves with a good SP - for which they have already at least four DLCs scheduled - besides an MRPG that replaces subscription with whale hunting by cash shop. IF they manage to release SP in a finished state, I mean.

It's the mixing and matching of the two that causes my eyebrows to raise (and do double backflips).

We have time to wait and see. At the moment I can't play because the graphics are just a garbled mess, go figure.

 

Huh? I was responding to the question from UnionJill... if you place a lot in a POT can you still place a lot elsewhere during the lot selection window... what does your response have to do with that? I wasn't arguing anything for or against POT's... just pointing out you can only place one lot during your window no matter where you place it.

 

I was just stating why would you use a prime time to place in that situation...that's all.

 

... except this part makes no sense in regards to my answer. Assuming a person for whatever reason did get kicked out of POT... they could always go back to an NPC town... what does the '250ish other POT's" have to do with anything? I get it you hate POT"s... but please stop reading more into peoples responses than what's there.

 

Wouldn't that be a golden prank. All the POT owners band together and evict everyone just after lot selection.

 

Please don't tell me what I hate...my scenario was one where after all selection was done and that happened....no need to get all defensive about a situation like that. It was honestly just a though that popped into my head. The 250 other PoT's was because at least there should be still lots available, even if it wasn't your first choice and if you were fine with a Pot in the first place.

Just because it's not a good scenario I get why it is prickly, but since this is both a final wipe and lot selection thread it is something to consider.

 

Pot meet Kettle...

 

*crooks finger at Katrina* Windows (10 in spite of not being supported) is waiting... come on over to the dark side

 

As the devs have continually said, they're wiping their hands clean of this and are not getting involved. They're leaving that trust between the player and the POT owner. But rune brings up a great point about this being even more critical and sensitive during the land rush.

But I'm guessing like 99% of all players are going to put their home in an NPC town during this land rush because location, location, location. This was evident with every post-wipe Release, like when R26 opened. All the popular NPC towns filled up in like 30 minutes...yet there were 250 mostly empty POTs.

But hey, what could go wrong? C'mon rune, I know you want to place your home in Rat's Nest.

 

I don't know why people want to gloss over that, like it's taboo to even mention it. The average user won't know this.

 

Cuz 98% of PoT owners are nice people and arnt in it to screw with people?

note: (they are nice)

 

Can't speak for any other PoT Governor, but no lots in my town will be open to selection by anyone other than those for whom lots are reserved. Those reservations would only be made after the tenant and I have met and achieved a mutual level of trust and agreement that we are an appropriate match. I'm mildly offended at the suggestion that I might for whatever reason evict anyone just to screw them over.

 

Am I right in assuming that one can only place their lot around the July 28th scramble? And that, after playing the first few adventures? I really enjoy the housing element and have had a chance to experience it before a wipe. As long as it's "fair" I'll be there!