Rats Nest: Join us in R34

As we near the end of the land rush, people will no doubt look at all their opportunities and find that Rats Nest is not one of them.

It should be little surprise that I have been waiting to build the town because I didn't think the current templates were suitable to host Rats Nest. Yesterday it was revealed during the telethon that new Swamp Island Templates would be available to select during R33 and players could see and use those templates for the first time during R34.

This means that Rats Nest will not be available until R34. Probably a few weeks after R34 to be precise.

As the Rats Nest town crier is fond of saying, "People don't live in Rats Nest because they want to. People live in Rats Nest because they have to." The quote has a double meaning though. For some, it means that all they can afford is a row lot in a location that wasn't part of the land rush. For others it means that they wouldn't dream of living anywhere else.

I expect to live beside both in Rats Nest. But my goal is to help start something memorable and meaningful that we collectively call home. My hope is that your alts live there long enough that you no longer consider them your alts and you forget why you had other characters to begin with.

So I challenge you to enjoy your time in other towns for the next month, and if you find yourself longing for more adventure and challenge, consider moving in R34.

 

i put a row down in Brittany Docks...Might need to move it to rats nest.

 

Ahhhh Yeah...

 

Soon.

 

Not a bad idea.

 

I'm going to be living in a swamp?!? I thought it was a paradise island template with palm tress and parrots

 

@Bow Vale
- Bring plenty of mousse, the humidity plays havoc
on the hair. Maybe a few barrels of mosquito spray for trade.

 

How is the building of it going? Hope no issues with quicksand slowing you down.... and any new pictures of hell, sorry....home

 

No new pictures to share yet. I probably won't post much until the end of this month. Besides the new template though, I'm also waiting on a few more improvements that we'll hopefully see available over the next 3 to 6 months. (this time frame is a total guess on my part) I think Rats Nest will be developed slowly over time, probably in phases...

Phase - 1: Initial Lot Placement and detail work like adding attractions and easter eggs and integrations with the lore. This could happen sporadically for several months before it becomes more of a continuous process.
Phase - 2: Special Global Enhancements. There are several items I'm hopeful will make it into the game that will really allow Rats Nest to become more dynamic and interesting. One of those things is NPC Guards with working AI. I'm not ready to talk about the other things yet. Just know that if Rats Nest has any noticeable changes in the future it was very likely planned for years in advance.
Phase - 3: Meaningful PVP. When we first start out there's simply not much to keep the town from becoming a gank fest but for the people that live their. It's my hope that people help out their neighbors, and take some pride in where they live so that the "tourists" don't use it as their personal playground, but that's going to take a lot of time and effort to build up a community like that. I have a design in mind that months from now should make that easier, but it requires the completion of Phase 2 items and even then the town will presumably be very volatile and challenging. With that said, I believe that the developers have the will and the skill required to make all PVP more meaningful (certainly far more than it is now) and so eventually Rats Nest will be part of that long term solution. Maybe it's faction based or territory based pvp? I don't know. But somewhere down the line there will be more valuable and compelling things to fight over and I think we'll be very well positioned to be a focus of those battles.
Phase - 4: Wish List Items: Player Owned Dungeons are something that I assume will be a "thing" someday. I'd like to have one or two of those connected to Rats Nest. Maybe I'll own them or maybe they'll be owned by another player, we'll see.

 

Just waiting for the ability to run alt toons!

 

The first iteration of Rats Nest is up and running.

There are a handful of lots available that do not require a reservation and anyone is welcome to claim those. Because the default is set to "Resident" when you place a POT lot, I didn't change all 500+ lots. So if you'd like to become a resident and have your pick of any available lot, please send me a PM with your character name and I'll put you on the list. If I don't get to your PM by tomorrow morning it may take awhile for me get you on the roster (as I'll be out of town this week). Please be patient with me.

Also, please note that as the game continues to support POT owners, I'll add more to the town. I have a lot of big plans, but there are key assets that have not been added to the game. I believe by official launch Rats Nest will be a great place to live. Now's the time to stake your claim.

Keep in mind that there are only 2 rules to living in Rats Nest.

1. Do not attack the owner (that's me!).
2. Pay your taxes in full and on time. (all taxes have been suspended until official launch)

 

\o/

Is there any restrictions on what type Row house is used?

 

No restrictions of any kind. Just the two rules listed above.