On Fairness

And then there's me. I'm just happy I got a game I enjoy playing.

 

Interessting.
Are you sure? Because I could swear it was there like forever.
Funny how ones mind plays tricks sometimes.

 

SOTA is a feudal game and the feudal model is at it's heart imbalanced. The wide variation in packages reflect the built-in trappings of power. Someone at the Lord level will have advantages in crafting tools, tables , residences and other rewards greater than anyone with a starting pledge.

But to unlock the full potential of a residence as a powerbase you need followers. Which is why many hought pledgers bought POTS and why the more organized or larger guilds own them. The real power in SOTA is a solid community which will maximize any shared resources it's members will throw in.

No individual , no matter what inititial advantages he/she has , can match this. Specially when trading/economic system hits its full stride and pack animal /ship/airship convoys start mass transport of goods and services.

 

True feudal communities did not require the lower classes to 'opt in'.

The picture painted of lords and town owners setting the pace and tone in game because they paid more doesn't attract many people eager to be out done by someone 'born' with advantages Sui they can be considered serfs

 

True, but a guild can do all that I described - and a guild doesn't have to be feudal. Or an organized group of individuals- which is basically the same thing.

 

They could be democratic. Though e-democracys have the habit of ending in a flaming disaster....^^

 

This was an issue for me. The hardest part was finding the correct information for a fix. I harbor no hard feelings for staff over this issue though; it was a difficult problem to diagnose, because it was a problem with Unity and not Shroud specifically, so it doesn't even give a crash log, and it started at a time in the games development when devs really had their hands full with so many other problems.

It does suck that the day I finally found the solution was the day after final lot selection hehe.. but it's not enough of a big deal for me to complain that there should be a wipe out of fairness. It wouldn't be fair for all the people who have done RMT since final wipe and would certainly damage the population where it hurts most; the biggest fans of the game being screwed over.

 

It's the basic risk of letting everyone have their say

Personally, I'd love to see someone attempt to recreate the Hanseatic League in SOTA. No center of rule, just mercantile towns with common trading interests

 

I feel like we are making separate points if that is what you are referring to. Prospective players aren't enticed by "Hey, come and work in this other players interests because they are a Lord and you are an outlander'

 

And a lot of $$$....

I mean, someone was selling a Lot (location only) in OH for 6000$...
I am sure that person would get pissed if there was a new "wipe"

Not my problem i guess, but, hey...

 

Oh there are quite a few of those. Just by other names.
I, for one, still want to create the crimson caravan ;-)

 

True enough. I hope, as the months tick by, that people remember they paid for the advantages, they weren't inherited or given to them for free.

And having a starting pledge doesn't mean you can't achieve the same level of individual success as a Lord pledge, it will just take you (muuuuuch) longer (and I agree 100% about the power of the Group).

 

Since this discussion moved from overall fairness of changes to the fairness of the pledge levels I would like to know why you think that a starter pledge will need much longer.

 

Just to frame the discussion, I don't have any issue with the pledge levels nor do I think they're unfair. To try and answer your question though, higher pledge rewards can save time/gold and can be sold for gold/traded for other resources. Gold is an accelerator to better gear, additional (tax-free) lot deeds, ample resources, etc. In contrast, the starting pledge is budgeting for reagents/arrows/better gear/crafting resources/training funds/a vendor, etc. and will progress more slowly in the beginning due to having less initial resources at their disposal.

 

I believer the extra few months of persistence will just help the game more than hurt it. I can't see many coming in and saying it's not fair you have been playing since day 1 and I only just started. There are other things we deal with early that will be cleaned up prior to release, like putting a bunch of points in multiple shields just to have them no longer stack.

I believe the main reason for persistence, was not to buy an early advantage in skill gain but, to get the housing and economy going before release. So, that players coming in new to the game don't see empty towns with empty houses. The world will look alive and lived in.

 

Another wipe and I am gone.

 

You and many others. I wouldn't be very pleased myself as I put a great deal of work into my Library already. I don't feel like starting over again.

 

I think that defeats the purpose of early-access. When the game launches, Portalarium doesn't need new players entering 200+ towns that are a blank slate making the game look unfinished or dead. They need to look vibrant, impressive and full of life.

 

I guess we just look at it differently

 

There was supposed to be a full wipe at launch. When they "changed" development models, it killed the final wipe at launch. That change was relatively recently done prior to final wipe/persistence. So you are correct, and so is evillego6... fun paradox there. 8^)