TheTrickster

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Everything posted by TheTrickster

  1. Absolutely. We are all sharing our subjective experiences and nobody should be attacked for doing so. However - objectively - the sign says "New Server" and points to a server that opened in 2020. Many people have pointed this out. Many people have suggested a listing of servers with a bit of a summary - and there was some staff engagement in how to to go about that, for a while. Then, nothing.
  2. Actually, no, it is still very much "Don't send everyone to a single server" and "give people enough information to make their own choice" Also, there is no pretext here - that itself is avoiding addressing the issue itself. Saying "New Server" for 3 and a half years is terribly sad and represents the game very poorly. The core problem on most servers is low population density. The sign is completely counter-productive because it encourages declining populations on all servers but one - subjectively to me the second worst one in Freedom. It wouldn't matter so much if people could sail off to any other server, but once on Cadence they only have a choice of two others - subjectively to me including the worst one in Freedom. Actually, Ekcin made a good point about the issue, because Simyaci's argument is as a veteran insisting they know how newbies experience Cadence. I had a very rough start in SFI. I seriously considered simply uninstalling the game on two different occasions. Both times it was the friendliness and helpfulness of other players that kept me in the game. That is what makes a newbie friendly server - a basically friendly server. I tried all three NFI PvE servers - and "friendly" is not an adjective that I could apply. With experience from SFI, I should have had a better start, but Harmony was just ridiculous and I abandoned my Harmony character and restarted on Melody, where I wound up heading for the coast and making a boat just so I could leave. Cadence I lasted longer, but had almost zero friendly interactions. I think Harmony might have been designed to be newbie friendly, but is was like a kicked ant's nest and undeeded land was almost impossible to find. I think Melody and then Cadence were both thrown up in a bit of a hurry. Cadence wasn't particularly easy to get around on but also not particularly hard. From the current map, it does look crowded with deeds, though. The thing is, that's all fine if someone wants to go there, but currently all newbies have is that Cadence is the new one, when it hasn't been for some time. Leaving outdated information up like this speaks of neglect. If something so easily fixed is left wrong for so long it surely raises the question of whether a game's developers care at all about the state of it. If Cadence is indeed designed for new players - how about some official word on that (including HOW) that can be included in the information about each server?
  3. Fair enough. I guess it depends on where one goes. I haven't been to Cele much but I do recall finding plenty of available good ground, although it was a while ago. Likewise Indy, I have not yet been there without finding lots of available good ground. Looking at the latest maps for Cele and Indy would indicate there is plenty of available land. Deeds do seem to be clustered, but there is a lot of available ground. On Indy's 10 smallish outer islands there is a grand total of 3 deeds. Likewise several of the capes etc. That is significantly fewer than when I started on Indy. I first settled on one of the islands in NE corner and between those 2 Islands there were 8 deeds, and now there is one.
  4. I started a poll/petition in Suggestions, for what it's worth.
  5. Treat this poll like a petition, please. Multiple choices turned on.
  6. I have not been to the PvP servers, but I have explored every other server. I spent a lot more time on land available for deeding than I did on deeds - on every server except Melody (but I consider that a special case).
  7. Not sure where you have been, but this description of SFI simply isn't accurate.
  8. We are told quite often that the devs read everything in the fora. For Suggestions and Town Hall in particular this is only as it should be. This signage was put up in next to no time and would take next to no time to take down but nobody has yet. That "New Server" may as well read "We Don't Care."
  9. I was asking about this only a couple of hours ago. This is a ridiculous situation. Apart from other considerations, few things shout "dead game" more than a "NEW!" sign that is multiple years old.
  10. It really isn't. Most servers would be perfectly fine for newbies. Plenty of empty spots, flattish terrain (or even totally flat terrain) and plenty of resources. In my experience is was the least actually friendly server, so I would call it the least newbie friendly server.
  11. The "reasons" could not have been provided with the request because the stated reason did not exist until after the request was actioned. I would suggest rethinking that practice of simply removing from the game at the request of a PMK artwork that the PMK has already traded in game - if all it takes is a request from the PMK, then there is nothing stopping a PMK making many many golds selling PMK items and then simply requesting their removal from the game. It creates the appearance of staff actively participating in or at the least facilitating in-game scam. "Your reputation is your own" cuts both ways.
  12. That's all I am quoting, for space, but have to agree with the rest. I think recruitment is indeed the major hurdle here. I haven't looked, but is the "Everybody go to the new Cadence server" still up? That was only ever meant to stop overcrowding on the existing NFI servers. It was such a missed opportunity to have new players discover the many servers available. Regardless, what there needs to be is something help "seed" players into servers. SFI has several small maps, which I would have thought would be ideal for new players to start out exploring Wurm. Like Valdor, I am an explorer and although I went to most servers on expeditions, on my home server of Release I could still go for a ramble and find new stuff every time. Even sailing versus riding the roads versus getting off the beaten path can each give completely experience of the same general location. The one thing I only ever saw rarely when away from the home deed was another player. Genuinely, in 3 years of exploring Release I set eyes on another character away from my home deed 3 times - 2 of which I was passing through their deeds.
  13. I think a merged medium server would be quite doable as far as the landscape goes. It is simply creating a new map and then mapping the 4 old maps onto a new set of co-ordinates which themselves are simply the old co-ordinate plus an offset. Buildings would likewise be okay. Anything that isn't on a tile centre or tile border would likely wind up moved (i.e. no longer where it was placed). The hard parts would be object id mapping and permissions. Object id could I think be also handled with an offset. Quite possibly, that could help solve permissions too. Done well, each smaller server could be merged in sequentially. I can't see it ever being done at all, though. It is a major amount of work and all it really does is eliminate server crossings.
  14. Player characters can't pass through fences, and neither can vehicles or mounts. People will either head along the fence until they find a gate or they will just bash the fence.
  15. I seem to be missing the yellow food group lately. You know, pies, sausage rolls, pasties, spring rolls, dim sims, chiko rolls, battered savs. Seriously though, I have had many blood tests and they nearly all come back reporting everything in the range it should be. My main issue with diet isn't so much balance and variety/completeness as it is in volume. I like food too much. Or that should perhaps be I like too much food.
  16. Use something similar to the water tests for lakes, ponds, etc on grass tiles. If x number of grass tiles in say a 4x4 area are at Wild, then the area is a Meadow. Meadows resist trees and bushes sprouting, and spread grass to dirt etc tiles more quickly. Probably doesn't even need a designation - just count the number of neighbouring grass tiles at Wild. If it is 4 or more (for instance) no NEW sprouts shooting from existing trees.
  17. You are missing two somethings. Order of events and the fact that staff only acted upon request. The request came before discussion of permission. The reason for the request has been given as being the discussion about permission. Without some form of time travel, something that comes after an event cannot be the cause of that event. Regardless, people have spent golds on having this artwork, individuals made a decision to remove that artwork from the game and those same individuals who made that decision have also decided nobody gets their golds back. That part is really what this thread is meant to be about.
  18. Reading the first screenshot that Madnath provided - there was clearly discussion about refunding people BEFORE Emi said "Since I never gave you rights to use my art, I am taking those back until you respond here." (emphasis added) Later on that same day there is the other screenshot, which you have quoted, which says "You can use my assets again if you want." The content of those screenshots provided seems to indicate that the removal of the artwork wasn't due to removal of permission, but that it rather happened the other way around. Otherwise, why be already discussing the need to refund people before the permission was even mentioned? My opinion is that this was a way to "get back" at those buying and selling outside of "sanctioned" sellers. The whole "no refunds" jibes with that, as why would you be willing to give refunds to people if what they paid never got to you? As for those who DID pay the right people - I guess it's a case of "too bad, so sad, don't let door..." I think the "I am taking those back until..." was a bit of a petty hand-grenade. In that vein, the response of having the artwork pulled, blanking a lot of stuff for a lot of people who paid a lot of in-game money, was the equivalent of a strategic nuke. EDIT: Ah, seeing the new post from Emi - I was right, the art was indeed removed BEFORE permission was discussed. Thus, Madnath's whole explanation that the removal was due to the withdrawal of permission makes no sense.
  19. Merge the smaller servers into larger ones. Even with no attempts at best-fit, 4 of the 5 small SFI maps could be merged to 1 medium server.
  20. Settle, Gretel. Calm your farm. I was being constructive - by suggesting that you demonstrate that you indeed do represent the players and the community as you claim. Else, your suggestion can be taken as yours alone, in isolation, with no general support and only the particular support posted here in the thread. Part of why I said to split the poll was so that PVP wishes could be singled out. If you are going to present "We believe that it is time to take down the old PvP servers and start anew," then, at the point of belabouring the bleeding obvious, make damn sure that "we" (i.e. the PvP players) do indeed believe that. FWIW - I have overtly supported PvPers getting some joy and being brought together. I haven't seen this particular suggestion of yours before, though, so I did genuinely think "Oh, is that was the PvPers are trying for?" I get that other suggestions, requests and outright begging have all fallen on deaf ears. I am merely saying don't give the devs and company an excuse to dismiss this time around, too. Fortunately, that isn't what I was doing. I do care, and have quite clearly said so before - PvPers have got the short of the stick for far too long and the current position of "we will think about it after EVERYTHING ELSE EVER is sorted" is reprehensible.
  21. Since this is on behalf of "We, the passionate players and dedicated community members" I would suggest banging a poll at the top - 4 responses (or 6). For each of PVPer and PVEer a YES and a NO (plus possibly DON'T CARE). If you are going to represent the community as a whole, best to make sure you actually do represent the community. Not saying you don't. Just saying check.
  22. No, protection of intellectual property is a very important and fair tenet. The work of one's mind is every bit as much one's own as the work of one's hands. The person who produces the work gets to decide how they share that and on what basis. Sure, there are sharks applying exploits. That isn't new (e.g. Eddison and Bell). That doesn't invalidate the premise, or even the bulk of the system. Granted, some places do it worse than others (In the USA first to file gets the rights, regardless of who was first to create) but again, that doesn't mean that creators shouldn't have control over their creations at least for a time.
  23. The major flaw in that is if someone submits to Wurm graphics for which they do not have rights. Wurm cannot extinguish party X's rights because party A said so.