Number of POTs - too many, too few and the dilution problem it may present.

i always believed there will be an influx, albeit i never wanted to speculate how large or if it would provide more backers than were lost so far.. i also always believed this was the reason for the +30% more lots in the first place.

 

It would be interesting if for POTs on the map that their visibility were directly related to the amount of activity and people living there.

 

I'd be for that.

 

I don't see how having POTs would have any effect with people losing interest. Yeah, they're those small spots on the over world map, but what's the chance of people going through all of them for no reason? I can see when the final wipe comes, people will stick to the NPC towns that buy loot items for higher price like Owl's Head or Ardoris. So that's where the action will most likely be regardless how many POTs are out there. At least until big guilds gain foothold in the game and start generate their own events and contents.

 

That's actually in the plan, if you go read the 'Post Wipe' section of DarkStarr's post:

 

It would be cool if that applies to the nested POT as well. The bigger size and occupancy the better looking Oregon trail cart or boat will be.

 

Most (actually all), of the POT's I have visited are ghost towns now. There's just too may and the fact that to live in one someone has to foot a real $$ cost to place a plot in them makes it more likely that many will remain empty.

One solution is to make several shards "like the old UO", with small groups of POT's shared amongst the shards, making it easier to fill them up with people living on each shard, as opposed to scattering dozens of POT's around a single server and hope we get enough people interested in the game to fill up the massive the amounts of space available.

Also, ending the money grab and making lots more accessible for both town owners and would be settlers, would go a long way to filling up the vast spaces too. Either that or compact the size of the Player town maps down a little so they don't look so empty.

 

That's not even remotely accurate. The only person that HAS to pay money is the person that owns it.

 

???
Uhm, many POTs charge nothing to live in them. If you check out the listing in the POT forum most are for friends/guildies and those that are not usually have some sort of open registration.
Yes there are some that want to charge either in game gold or out of game cash - but those are the exception - not the norm.

Lux Sanctuary for instance charges nothing of its citizens and never will.

 

As well as Wizards Rest that is on the cliff behind Owlshead will never charge anything or have deco rules for it's residents. Not everyone's player owned town will be complicated or restrictive. Many players just want a place to live so they can be off enjoying the game and not have to worry about that aspect.

 

Sorry but posts like this are so uninformed I don't really know how to respond anymore. So please SHOW me were a majority or even a lot of PoT's are charging for space, I've been following/involved with PoT's for a longtime and know for a fact it's untrue. Those charging are totally the exception , NOT the rule.
Interesting first post. *sigh*

 

Oh. @Sean Silverfoot pointed out that this was your first post.(on my phone) If so I apologize for the short answer above. Then you couldn't possible know all of that which we regulars take for granted.

So let's go through these from that angle.

1
The pots
Yes most of them are ghost towns right now. But that is because it takes a lot of effort setting up and deco and maintaining a POT after every wipe.

So expect that to change this summer.

Also in the future the icon on the overland map will change dependent on occupancy so that you could spot which is a ghost town vs a bustling one by miles away.

2
The selective multiplayer with instance sorting is a much better long term concepts than shards. This since everyone share the same world and the same economy. But you will still be sorted with likeminded players.

Let me know if you need a full explanation in that topic.

3
The perceived so called money grab is essential to the game. This since it is crowdfunded. Without the high pledge tiers this game wouldn't be made at all.
However parts of it is already going away you can see this in the weekly updates where it is outlined the coming expiration events which will end pledges this summer.

However note that the business model still dictates that ownership of land in game will continue to be very rare and the only shortcut is cash.
But, ownership of land is not necessary to play nor to enjoy the game.

Since you've obviously played UO you will recognize that it usually took forever to acquire land unless you bought it from a player.

With that said welcome to the game and feel free to fire any questions my way.

 

It's impossible to tell at this point if there are to many PoT's to support the community its going to depend on how well the game is received at launch.

 

Welcome Ironclad2000!

 

My opinion is that whether POTs are too many is rather dependent on the number of PRTs. This since the number of deeds is the determining factor and that is a relatively known factor. While if PRTs will be as many as predicted then there simply isn't enough deeds to fill the POTs. Which means either ghost town POTs or ghost town PRTs

Edit
Oh and I should add that a percentage of POTs being sort of ghost towns is totally fine and expected.

 

Keep in mind that people can own infinite numbers of lots in POTs, so in theory, you could have your main house, guild house, in-law's house, wife's vacation home, mistress' hideout, or vendor house, etc.

So if the POT owners put enough effort to make their towns look appealing, I am sure it will be far being ghost towns.

Again, what's the chance of anyone just dilly dally into some random towns these days anyway?

 

I purchased a PoT for a few reasons and I will share my thoughts since its new.

As odd as it sounds I bought my PoT for me. It will be attached to my guild and alliances PoT's with overland access.

When I say I bought it for me I mean for me to place lots and deco as well as running events. I will have a tavern and plan to run PvP tournies at it. If people decide to live there with me than great if not I will enjoy my own little island kingdom.

I backed this game for the long term do that gives me lots of time to deco my ghost town or for like minded people to place a home there

 

Just to qualify the statement, PoT owners have to purchase lots just like anyone else. The PoT just comes with space.

 

nor will The Drowned Mountains.. mainly it will be for guildies, but there will be some invites beyond that, i'm certain. - the only charge for people to live there will be for those who have placed without a tax-free lot deed.

the whole thing will be a sort of...gated community, where the gate is the invite or guild membership.

 

Welcome to Shroud of the Avatar Ironclad 2000,

Always good to see UO players over here. I am one myself. Keep up the post, it is a great way to learn a lot in a relatively short period of time. Even better read a bunch of them if you have not. Pots, Housing, ect have been a favorite topic around here for a long time and I imagine always will be. One thing to keep in mind. This is not UO!
SOTA is a game unto itself. While similar at times with UO and other games. The direction and path are unique.

As far as the number of POT's and their potential for success! That is impossible to predict at this point in time. There have been many surprises in this games development over the last few years. Even the dev's are caught off guard often. They have said many times that they expected to sell a few of them. No one had any idea that the player owned towns would gain popularity that they have.

I would not sell short all the people who have shelled out their hard earned money to pay for something they really wanted to be a part of. A large majority of the players in this game are affuent and mature gamers who have played a lot of different games. I would not be surprised as the months and years go by, if the network of POT's become the backbone of the game.

The power of a group of players working with common goals is amazing to behold when unleashed in proper fashion. Especially if the best items in the game will come from crafters who most likely will have united in small or large groups to harness their capabilities and resources. Pot's are resources in their own way. Being able to offer someone a place to call home early in the game and share the town's knowledge with new players while they build friendships and hone their skills is what makes the game fun and unique.

A lot of the games best ideas have come from players living and playing together in player owned towns. There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of town, NPC, PRT, and POT's. All need to be successful for the game to be healthy and prosperous.

POT's have been a big plus to the coffers of the developers and they look to be doing their best with the budget they have to make them all successful. If all the pot's turn to ghost towns. That will mean the death of this game as far as being economically successful IMHO. Yes there will be a good bit of them that never have smoke pouring from the chimneys and all the lights on for sure. Some pot owners want it that way. Others who have bad concepts or are looking to rake in large amounts of gold will probably be severely disappointed unless the game is a runaway freight train and becomes far more successful than even the wildest forecast.

I read this type of negative post and it does frustrate me a bit. It is very easy to see things with a critical eye, especially if one does not see the whole picture or understand the history of the people behind the movement.

I have thousands invested into this game. I want it to be a awesome game and a very successful. I don't expect to ever get my money back out of the game. But if I have 5 plus years of fun and make a host of friends then I am going to be very happy. To see guilds living together, and fighting with other guilds, conducting commerce, and building city/states within the game would be awesome to be a part off. To see bands, poets, writers, actors and actresses gain fame and notoriety within the online world would be really cool. This game is about community and innovation on a level that may have never been reached before. We have come here seeking something more. No other game out there, that I know of is capable of doing that in the way that SOTA is. Not that I am a expert, just my experience as a player.

There are a lot of things that are being put into the game because of the money that has flowed into Portalarium's bank account because of POT related purchase. Just look at what is for sale in the add on store? 50% of it is due to POT's.

Portalarium see's there success as an critical part of the game going forward. A lot of people including myself have spent a lot of time and money over the last couple years, testing out and setting up towns in an effort to find the right idea and formula for success. The constant wipes have grown old so it is nice to see that coming to an end. To see the majority of the pot's not be successful would be a big, big, disappointment.

There is a core group of players who are spending far more than what one would think is a normal amount upon a online game. While not the only part of the game that is important. They are very important as their money funds a big part of the game. To see others whacking away at their ambitions and trashing the town owners and actively pushing for their demise is disappointing, but becoming a regular occurrence around here the last couple months. I have yet to see one of the town owners do anything to other players in this game in a negative manner. Yet POT owners are being constantly attacked by others. Not sure if it is just the normal shallow negative mindset that many people walk around with in their day to day lives or if there is an active effort by low spirited individuals who have an agenda to...

The lack of players due to other circumstances is the main reason they are empty. A lot of people log in for a couple weeks when a release comes out then disappear until the next one. That along with the game not being completed or launched for lack or a better word. It is impossible to get POT's going full steam until that stops and new players flow into the game en masse..

The developers are looking for word of mouth and players as a whole to be an asset in their efforts to recruit new players. As a new player I would think that one would wish the game success as it will directly impact the fun one can be expected to get out of playing the game.

peace,
Sea Bear