Player-Owned Town (POT) Owner FAQ

Discussion in 'Player Owned Towns' started by Elgarion, Sep 29, 2020.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

    Messages:
    3,223
    Likes Received:
    9,292
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Gender:
    Male
    Greetings!

    Player-Owned Towns (POT) are one of the most amazing game features in Shroud of the Avatar, but they are also highly complex! To assist governors and stewards, below are common questions about owning a POT most specifically in regards to what types of things can be requested or modified for your town. For gameplay and in-game management features, please still see the Player's Guide for more information. Please feel free to ask additional questions about POTs by replying to this thread. We'll do our best to add common questions to the FAQ guide or the Player's Guide, whichever is most appropriate.

    To assist in finding your question more quickly, utilize the CTRL-F (find) feature in your browser.

    POT Terms

    • Town: In Shroud of the Avatar (SotA), “town” often refers either to an NPC Town or a Player-Owned Town.
    • NPC Town: An NPC Town has certain qualities, such as a Town Crier, crafting stations, NPC merchants, and two or more buildings. These towns are implemented by developers. NPC towns are not managed by players, although most also include housing lots that players can claim as their own.
    • Player-Owned Town: Player-Owned Towns (POTs) are implemented by developers but owned and managed by players. The owners act as governors and can add lots for players to claim and decorations to enhance the town’s appeal.
    • Governor: A governor is a character on the account of the player that owns POT. The governor of a POT is displayed in the UI while on that POT. The name of the listed governor can change, as it will be the character most recently used by the owner.
    • POT template: The basis of each POT is its template. Multiple POTs may use that same template but each will be made unique with different names, town sizes, housing lots, and decorations. Although each POT has ways to define its own uniqueness, the terrain, rocks, flora, docks and default exits of a template are shared by every POT using that same template and cannot be changed.
    • Upgrade: A POT’s town size dictates the allowed number of decorations, lights, etc. that can be placed within it. POTs are initially purchased at the smallest size, a holdfast, but players can buy one or more upgrades for their POT at any time. Each upgrade increases the POT’s allowances.
    • Overworld: There are several continents in our game. Each one has its own special “overworld” travel map. Many POTs have direct access from one of SotA’s overworld scenes (Novia, Hidden Vale, or Mistrendur). The access points for these POTs have special decorations that could include a cluster of buildings, a cave entrance, or a boat that leads to a nearby island. Some older POTs don’t have overworld access and are considered “nested” within a scene, meaning they can only be accessed through another POT or NPC Town.
    • Interconnection: SotA developers use the term “interconnection” when they place a teleporter that sends players to a second location, and that second location has another teleporter which can send players back to the first location—the two locations are interconnected. For example, a nested POT is interconnected with its “parent” town.
    • Player-Owned Town Submission Form: Also called the “online POT form,” this web form is where a POT’s most current design requests are stored. POT owners can update their form an indefinite number of times, but a locked form cannot be changed without developer intervention. Once an online POT form is locked, our developers will learn about the changes desired by that POT’s owner. POT owners can find their town’s web form located here: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?page_id=4557#tab-4

    POT Implementation

    I just bought a POT. Which overworld continent can it be located on?
    Any POT with overland access permissions can be located on Novia or Hidden Vale. POTs that were bought or updated with Episode 2 purchases can be located on Mistrendur, Novia, or Hidden Vale.

    On the overworld, can my island POT be placed on a river?
    No, an island POT cannot be placed in a river or inland body of water. Island POTs can only be placed in the open ocean. The associated teleporter boat will be placed at the closest shoreline.

    On the overworld, can my POT use the props for a different biome type?
    No, each biome uses the most correct props on the overworld. This means an island POT uses island decorations, an underground POT uses a cave, and all other POTs use the common cluster of buildings.

    On the overworld, where can my POT be placed or moved?
    Every POT can be placed on Novia or Hidden Vale, but there are some options and restrictions you should know about.
    • POTs bought or upgraded with Episode 2 purchases can be placed on Mistrendur, Novia, or Hidden Vale.
    • Non-island POTs must be placed on open terrain.
    • Island POTs can only be placed in the open ocean and not in a river or inland body of water.
    • POTs cannot be placed on mountains, in rivers, or any feature that blocks travel.
    • POTs can be placed next to roads, but not on roads.
    • POTs cannot be placed where another town or adventure scene is located.
    • POTs cannot be added into the Brittany buffer zone (see below).
    On the overworld, can you place my POT decorations next to Brittany?
    Probably not. The Brittany “neighborhoods” have a special “buffer zone” surrounding them in which we don’t place any POTs or other scenes. The Brittany buffer zone was implemented to keep Brittany clearly special and not lost within a larger sprawl of towns.

    There are a small handful of POTs that were placed before the buffer zone rule was implemented. Each is allowed to stay in place, but if any moves then the buffer zone rules immediately apply to the space it leaves behind.

    There are a lot of POTs just outside the buffer zone. If you can find a spot you like that’s close to Brittany, outside the buffer zone, and not already taken by another POT, then we’ll happily move your POT to that location.

    Can my POT be set to “PvP”?
    Yes, our developers can change that setting for you. If your town’s form is already unlocked, indicate your desire to have PvP enabled on the form, then submit/lock the form. If your town’s form is not already unlocked, purchase a Minor Work Request Voucher to have your form unlocked for this purpose. Contact support@portalarium.com to notify customer service and indicate that you’ve purchased a form unlocking voucher.

    Can my POT be set to “No Ransom”?
    Yes, our developers can change that setting for you. If your POT’s online form is already unlocked, indicate your desire for a No Ransom town in the form then submit/lock the form. If your POT’s online form is not already unlocked, purchase a Minor Work Request Voucher to have your form unlocked for this purpose then contact support@portalarium.com and tell our customer service team that you’ve purchased a form unlocking voucher.

    Can I change the default entry location for players that enter my POT?
    Yes, you can do that. Instructions for doing that are in our Player Guide:
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/...Pbp8dTWa73hmuCXI11WttFv6Ou/pub#h.do0lpcyfxbu3


    POT Terrain and Water

    How can I remove trees or grass in my POT?
    You can use a “Tree Remover” or “Grass and Tree Remover” to remove them. A list of current removers are shown below:

    [​IMG]

    Can I change the type of water in my POT?
    Yes. All POTs default to freshwater, but you can change your POT’s water type to saltwater or fetid water using a special decoration. Using the in-game Crown Store, there are two relevant items you can purchase:
    • Magic Saltwater Tuna Statue: Changes your POT’s water type to saltwater.
    • Magic Gar Fetid Water Statue: Changes your POT’s water type to fetid.
    Only one water-changing statue decoration can be placed in a POT at a time. Once placed, the water in that POT will be converted to the applicable water type and remain so for as long as the statue is present.

    Can you flatten out this bump, remove a rock, or change the shape of a river in my POT’s terrain?
    Unfortunately, no. This is because the terrain and props in your POT are not unique to your POT; the terrain and props in each biome type is shared with every POT that uses that same biome type. Changing these things for your POT would alter it for every other POT that uses the same biome type, and that could adversely affect the currently-placed lots and decorations in the other POTs.

    Can my cardinal directions be rotated?
    Yes, our developers can change that setting for you. In addition to the default compass directions and skydome rotation, you can request that they be rotated “right” (rotated 90 degrees), “left” (rotated -90 degrees) or 180 (rotated 180 degrees.)

    If your POT’s online form is already unlocked, indicate your desire for a cardinal direction rotation in the form, then submit/lock the form. If your town’s form is not already unlocked, purchase a Minor Work Request Voucher to have your form unlocked for this purpose then contact support@portalarium.com and tell our customer service team you’ve purchased a POT form unlocking voucher.

    I want to make changes to my POT. Will my residents be evicted?
    Only changing your POT’s name or biome type will require us to evict all your residents from your POT.

    Prior to an eviction, you should let your residents know it’s about to happen. This is in case they want to save their homes in the Property Manager, so they can replace them with ease afterward.


    POT Teleporters

    Will you to place a POT-to-POT teleporter in my POT?
    Our team no longer places POT-to-POT teleporters within POTs. Governors who would like to interconnect with other POTs can purchase teleporter decorations from the in-game store.

    Developer-placed POT-to-POT teleporters that are already in place will not be removed. Also, POTs that undergo major changes will be allowed to keep those teleporters and their targets.

    Will you to place a POT-to-NPC Town teleporter in my POT?
    Our team no longer places POT-to-NPC Town teleporters within POTs. Governors who would like to interconnect with other NPC Towns can purchase teleporter decorations from the in-game store.

    Developer-placed POT-to-NPC Town teleporters that are already in place will not be removed. Also, POTs that undergo major changes may be allowed to keep those teleporters and their targets.

    I have interconnection teleporters near the center of my POT. Could you move them to the edge of the scene?
    No. All developer-placed teleporters must remain within a centralized location so that other players can locate these teleporters more easily. However, slight changes to the orientation of these teleporters can be requested (such as moving a wagon from one end of a bridge to the opposite end or moving a boat to the opposite side of a dock platform), but these teleporters always remain near the central teleporter hub for the POT.


    POT Changes

    How do I unlock my town’s form?
    A town’s form is unlocked during the following processes…
    How do I upgrade my POT to a larger size?
    POTs can be upgraded either through Crowns of the Obsidians (a.k.a. Crowns or COTOs) or via the web store interface. To upgrade via Crowns, contact support at support@portalarium.com with your POT upgrade request and the name of the POT. If you would like to upgrade your POT via the web store, visit your town’s entry on your account page and select the “upgrade” option.

    [​IMG]

    I’ve recently purchased/upgraded a POT. Since my form is unlocked, can I make change requests in conjunction?
    All POT upgrades include unlock the online form for that POT which allows for any changes permissible with a Major Work Request Voucher. Be sure to notify support at support@portalarium.com once you’ve upgraded your town via the web store (or if you’d like to upgrade your town with Crowns) and we’ll help you move to the next step in your upgrade.

    How do I make changes to my POT, such as name, biome, or location?
    All changes to your POT are submitted to our developers after you update and lock your POT’s online form.

    If your POT’s form is already unlocked, enter your changes then submit the form. If your POT’s form is not unlocked, purchase the appropriate voucher needed to perform the work you desire. Some tasks, such as a name or biome change, can only be performed with a Major Work Request Voucher.

    Here are the two vouchers available for making POT adjustments:
    Important! Please keep in mind that name and biome changes for towns require a town eviction.

    What is an eviction, and when is it required?
    When a POT changes its name or its biome, that POT must be evicted before that change goes into effect. “Eviction” means every item in that POT, whether on a housing lot or not, will be removed from the POT and sent to the respective owner’s bank. Evictions are performed by developers anywhere from two weeks before a release update to moments before a release update.

    Before a POT is evicted, we recommend that all players with property in that POT pack up all their decorations/belongings. Players can either drag their House, Basement and Dungeons into the Property Manager to store them in a decorated state, or they can simply dump the items into their banks as loose inventory items.

    Important! All items are not stored before the eviction will dump into the respective owner’s bank. For example, when a property has some of the decorations belonging to one person and other decorations belonging to another person, each decoration item will sort itself and return to the actual owner of the item as was last determined by the permission system.

    Can I convert my Nested POT to be an overworld POT?
    Yes, our team can help you with that change. Nested to Overworld conversions are allowed via purchase of a Major Work Request Voucher.

    When you purchase the voucher, contact our support team at support@portalarium.com and let us know you’d like your POT’s online form to be unlocked.

    After your form is unlocked, indicate in the form where you’d like your town to be on the overworld. Be sure to provide location guidance such as “/loc” coordinates or a screenshot of the location.

    Note that some location selection limitations exist. Some examples are below. Specific and additional details can be found elsewhere in this FAQ.
    I’ve recently purchased/upgraded a POT, but I don’t see the changes in-game. How long must I wait? How long will my changes take once submitted?
    If you’ve already updated your online POT form, please make sure that you’ve locked it. After your online POT form is locked, our team will get an alert and we’ll add your changes to our to-do list. If your form isn’t locked, then we don’t know yet about the changes you’d like us to implement.

    POT changes that are submitted early in the month will probably be done for the upcoming release which is usually near the end of the month. We’ll also try to implement any change requests we receive later in the month into that same release, or a subsequent update, but sometimes late requests will be implemented for the following release.

    I noticed change request vouchers allow for a lot of different types of changes. If I didn't utilize all of the allowable changes on a previous voucher, can I still use that voucher for additional change requests at a later date?
    No, vouchers are redeemed per service request. All changes within the town's form are considered with each voucher, and all allowable changes permissible within the confines of a single voucher are performed during a single service request. Once the request is closed, that voucher is no longer usable and a new voucher must be purchased for additional work.


    POT Ownership

    Can I transfer my town to another player?
    Yes, our team can help you with that transfer. When you and another player come to an agreement for a POT transfer (outside our venues if it is RMT), one of you needs to purchase 1 Major Work Request Voucher. You must notify customer support at support@portalarium.com with the name of the POT, your intent to transfer the town, and the name of the person you are transferring the POT to. The other player must also notify customer support at support@portalarium.com with the name of the POT, confirmation that they are accepting its ownership, and the name of their Shroud of the Avatar game account that will be the new owner. After both parties contact us with this information, the transfer will occur and the POT’s online form will be unlocked—the new owner can perform any change requests which are permissible within the scope of the Major Work Request Voucher.

    Note that while we allow POTs to be transferred between players, all players are reminded that there are strict rules against utilizing Shroud of the Avatar official communication venues to arrange for or to advertise Real Money Transactions (RMT). This means players cannot utilize the Shroud of the Avatar forums, Discord server, in-game chat or other Shroud of the Avatar social media pages to arrange for such transfers. If players are reported for engaging in such RMT activity within our venues, account action could be taken, depending upon the circumstances.

    I have questions about managing my POT.
    We have instructions for POTs in the Shroud of the Avatar Player Guide that you might find helpful. Look for the “Player-Owned Town Management” section. Here’s a link:
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z-svq1OvcZwViqGxFCKdjH3NCn2LTfLuGny5qaAqjTM/pub#h.cbo43mp42gv3


    POT Miscellaneous

    I would like to suggest a new POT biome.
    Great! We’d love to hear your suggestions. The addition of a new biome is a very rare event and the suggestions of players will help us decide which POT biome will be next to be created.

    We have a “Wishlist Request” forum where players post new items and other changes they’d like to see in the game. Please post your POT change suggestions there.
    https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?forums/wishlist-requests.32/
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2021
  2. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

    Messages:
    3,223
    Likes Received:
    9,292
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Gender:
    Male
    (reserved)
     
  3. A'chelata

    A'chelata Avatar

    Messages:
    835
    Likes Received:
    1,504
    Trophy Points:
    105
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Texas
    Great informative post. Thanks Elgarion for your hard work.
     
    StarLord, Elgarion and Wilfred like this.
  4. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

    Messages:
    3,223
    Likes Received:
    9,292
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks -- this was mostly @Sannio with some work from me. We're trying hard to make the POT tickets work as smoothly as possible. Improvements to our process it seems every Release :)
     
  5. Anpu

    Anpu Avatar

    Messages:
    7,944
    Likes Received:
    9,015
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Location:
    Hemut
    This is really good information. Even as someone who doesn’t own a POT, this was very clear and easy to understand. Thanks for doing this. This will definitely be helpful for the people who do have a POT.
     
    Coswald_Dirthmire likes this.
  6. Fiero Nord

    Fiero Nord Archived Account

    Messages:
    182
    Likes Received:
    242
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Gender:
    Male
    "all other POTs use the common cluster of buildings."

    What's the formula to determine how many buildings appear in that cluster? They seem to go from empty to 5? Is it based on number of buildings, POT square feet used, lots claimed by different people? Does POT size figure into the equation, i.e., will a Hamlet at max sq footage be considered full whereas a Metropolis with equal sq footage used is not?
     
  7. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

    Messages:
    3,223
    Likes Received:
    9,292
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Gender:
    Male
    If you're talking about buildings appearing on your overworld marker based on your POTs population, it's easy to max the number showing. As a metropolis, I would show all the buildings once I had about 20 or so buildings in my town if I recall. You can see some of the scaling info by looking at the devotionals entry on sotawiki: https://sotawiki.net/sota/Devotionals
     
  8. Fiero Nord

    Fiero Nord Archived Account

    Messages:
    182
    Likes Received:
    242
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks, @Elgarion . So it's strictly based off number of lots claimed, regardless of the size of the lot or POT.
     
  9. Ancev

    Ancev Avatar

    Messages:
    1,150
    Likes Received:
    1,956
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Awesome collection of info.

    Would be nice if the forest02 template varieties could have deco surface added to the bridges throughout the template to give some additional appeal. Some of the other templates seem to have quite an advantage with their large docks and cobbled flat area for housing, but I could be biased.
     
    Jay Nord likes this.
  10. Barugon

    Barugon Avatar

    Messages:
    15,675
    Likes Received:
    24,288
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Gender:
    Male
    It's definitely more than that. I have 21 lots claimed in my town and here's what it looks line on the overworld.

    [​IMG]
     
    Jay Nord likes this.
  11. Fiero Nord

    Fiero Nord Archived Account

    Messages:
    182
    Likes Received:
    242
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Gender:
    Male
    It would also be nice if we could deco on the static docks. The only thing I've found that can be placed on the docks is NPC's.
     
  12. Fiero Nord

    Fiero Nord Archived Account

    Messages:
    182
    Likes Received:
    242
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Gender:
    Male
    @Elgarion
    New questions for the FAQ:
    1. What is the maximum number of NPC town interconnects for one boat/wagon/hatch/balloon?
    2. If I already have a maxed out boat/wagon/hatch/balloon, can I add another of the same or different type and max that one out as well?
     
  13. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

    Messages:
    3,223
    Likes Received:
    9,292
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Gender:
    Male
    Since soon those dev added teleporters will be old concepts, probably a bit moot to work that into the listing. We already don't add new ones going to POTs since players can add their own. NPC Towns soon will also be removed, so people will only be able to make small adjustments to existing teleporters via vouchers. That description revamp will come (with new FAQ's) once those player teleporter changes go live with R83.
     
    Jay Nord likes this.
  14. OgreSmall

    OgreSmall Avatar

    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    3
    I've been reading up on some of the forums, not really finding information in regard to town size vs keep castle lots. My biggest question, can there be a castle keep lot on a smaller city? Or... is there a restriction to castle keep lots reserved only for larger POT's? I'm debating on buying one, the main hold back for me is the idea of a location 1st, second is castle keep placement within the POT, and 3rd is will the keep and lot deed come with the POT if I buy it? It's rather difficult to find castle, keep deeds in the game )) Any help would be greatly appreciated and answers even more-so Thank you!
     
    Time Lord likes this.
  15. Alley Oop

    Alley Oop Bug Hunter Bug Moderator

    Messages:
    15,671
    Likes Received:
    19,466
    Trophy Points:
    153
    even the smallest pot size, holdfast, has enough acreage to place a castle lot plus a bit. buying a pot does not give you any deeds or houses. smaller deeds can be upgraded with crowns to larger sizes, though there are some caveats to check before you plan for it.
     
    Time Lord, Anpu and Elgarion like this.
  16. Raven Swiftbow

    Raven Swiftbow Bug Hunter

    Messages:
    1,151
    Likes Received:
    2,326
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Louisiana
    Question - if I wished to upgrade my POT with Crowns (I'm 'not there yet', but if I were....), and lets say the upgrade cost was $800.

    Would that be 80,000 Crowns? Or 84,000 Crowns? (i.e. is it figured as 10,000 crowns = $100? or as 10,500 crowns = $100) I only ask because the basic formula for crown value used to be 1 crown = $1. But that was a long time ago.

    Thx!
     
  17. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

    Messages:
    3,223
    Likes Received:
    9,292
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Gender:
    Male
    80000 :)
     
    Anpu and Raven Swiftbow like this.
  18. Maluca

    Maluca Avatar

    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    3
    I bought a Hamlet and filled in the form (name of town, location prefered and agreed to the terms). But there is not town at the location. Did I do something wrong ?
    Thought it would be implemented by release 93....
     
    Elgarion likes this.
  19. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

    Messages:
    3,223
    Likes Received:
    9,292
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Gender:
    Male
    Ah I see, looks like the form was just saved and not submitted/locked. Sannio usually gets situations like this expedited, where someone didn't lock their form. You likely won't need to wait until R94, it could possibly patch in soon. I'll PM you the link to your form. Once its locked (double check all your work just in case), it'll automatically enter into Sannio's work queue. I'll give him a nudge to keep an eye out for it. :)
     
    majoria70, jrs99 and Tahru like this.
  20. Maluca

    Maluca Avatar

    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    3
    I did summit and lock meanwhile...so I just need to sit back I guess
    Thank you
    Maluca :)
     
    Elgarion and Tahru like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.