Questions as a new player.

[Neckbreaker 2]

Hello there! I was looking for a good MMORPG and I came across  this title. It looked really weird and it said that that was a sandbox game that you can build towns and all kinds of structures. I decided to find some more info online but there was nothing specific about the game out there so I came to the source- the forums. I scrolled around a bit and I was baffled "WTF is this game?" everithing is just so weird and alien about it- not the typical WoW clone with a building gimmick that I expected. I just can't comprehend what is going on so I decided to register and ask the community (I read the FAQ and I got nothing). So here are few of my qestions:
1. Is this game still alive? (obviously, but are there enough people playing to make it interesting and fun)
2. Is it and RP (role play) MMORPG?
3. How complicated is the game? Can a complete noob like me get into it easy or I will need months to learn the ropes?
4. Is the community good? By that I mean are there alot of trolls, hackers, cheaters and a-holes in general?
5. Is it a pay to win game?
6. How are new players treated? Will I get bashed by others every 5 minutes for my noobish mistakes?
7. Is the game still supported and is the community growing or dying? I am asking because the most current info I got about the game when I searched in google was from 2012-13 and that made me think that the game is going to "die" pretty soon.

Those are my questions for now I'm pretty sure there will be more later.  
I usually never ask questions about a game, I just join in and see for myself but WURM looks like a game I will not understand on my own and I will leave it in like 2 hours. I just don't want to missout on a cool game just because I didn't get it.

Thank you!

 

edit: Something else I never got is this a free to play game? I understood it can be downloaded and played but there is some kind of a subscription or something like that. Is it possible to play for free without limitations?

Edited January 19, 2015 by Neckbreaker

[Tpikol 1,057]

1 yeah its alive but currently servers are expanding too fast in my opinion spreading the players over more servers. and the player base i would say its slowly growing. very slowly because most people that try the game doesnt last long because its not what they are used to play.

 

3 the game its very complicated ad slow paced may take a few days to learn the basics but takes a long time to learn how everything works.

 

if you want to learn the basics with some help you can join a village that takes new players(villages are all player made so youll need to check the recruitment forums or ask ingame)

[Maxthx 641]

1. This game has had a fluctuating player base for over eight years. Currently it has between 2 000 and 3 000 active players I would say with approximately 800-1000 online at any given time. Different servers and different groups have varying levels of activity. The majority of the enjoyment people derive from Wurm comes from individual or small group gameplay. That being said there are large scale player activities that occur semi-frequently. For example large scale gatherings and celebrations on PvE servers, and large fights and conflicts on PvP servers.

 

2. The majority of players in Wurm do not engage in active Roleplay, however you will find settlements and groups that do. Most of the public chats in game will not have role play mechanics set up and might be awkward attempting to use it in a public format.

 

3. Because I've been playing Wurm so long it is hard for me to relate how 'complicated' or 'difficult' it is to learn because I have been gradually exposed to it. However I would say it is on the high end of game complexity and difficulty curve. There is a vast reservoir of content and mechanics in the game that can take a long time to become acquainted with. However the player community is extremely helpful with questions and advice regarding gameplay and game mechanics. There is a CA Help chat channel in game which is specifically reserved for questions of this nature.

 

4. The community will unfortunately vary depending on where and how you play. But I would say overall the community is far more positive than negative. A basic rule in Wurm is to respect your neighbors and they will respect you. Hackers and cheaters are comparatively very rare in Wurm compared to other MMOs because we are comparatively such a small community. There is also a much more active moderator presence than you would find in the average MMO for the same reasons.

 

5. Currently the only item you can purchase with real funds is in game currency, which can be used to purchase player made items and equipment. There is definitely not the normal 'pay to win' scenario where you can purchase exclusive or extremely advantageous content using real world currency. However, you can create an advantage for yourself by investing real money into the game. Generally though this is uncommon and more players will work very hard for their ingame assets as opposed to purchasing them.

 

6. New players are generally welcomed into the community as long as they are respectful and not disruptive to other player's gameplay. This will of course vary depending on location as not every start situation is the same. In general in PvE situations you will find more help and opportunity for advancement than in PvP where trust is a major asset and needs to be earned by new players.

 

7. Wurm is definitely 'growing' however you will find great debate regarding this subject in the forums here and in game. There are monthly updates that introduce new content and features. Also, there is a great amount of dialogue between the developer and the playership, in my opinion one of the most active and responsive dialogues in any MMO I have seen. The suggestions area of the forums should give you an idea of how new gameplay features/adjustment ideas are welcomed from the playership to be added to the game. I can think of half a dozen major game features that were originally ideas generated by the playership.

 

Since creating an account and trying out the game are free, I would highly recommend just jumping into Wurm and trying it out for a few hours. Most of the time you'll know within that time if Wurm is a game for you or not.

[williamwierd 390]

1. Is this game still alive? (obviously, but are there enough people playing to make it interesting and fun)

You can see how many people are logged in at the front page. Theres more than enough for wurm to be considered "alive"

 

2. Is it an RP (role play) MMORPG?

Theres not many roleplayers in truth. Theres also very little(really none at all) lore

 

3. How complicated is the game? Can a complete noob like me get into it easy or I will need months to learn the ropes?

It's more than possible to learn wurm and be self-sufficient within a week if you're quick to learn, but in truth you'll be learning more and more all the time for years.

 

4. Is the community good? By that I mean are there alot of trolls, hackers, cheaters and a-holes in general?

There really aren't any hackers/cheaters, as for trolls and "a-holes" you'll find 90% of those in epic and chaos.

 

5. Is it a pay to win game?

You can't pay for any overpowered items you wouldn't regularly be able to get in-game, but you can buy as much silver as you want, and you can buy characters from other players. It's questionable exactly how pay to win this is, but obviously theres some in that system.

 

6. How are new players treated? Will I get bashed by others every 5 minutes for my noobish mistakes?
Generally no. And most likely, unless you join a village, you won't have anyone at all to answer to. If you do, most people should be a bit patient, otherwise you're in the wrong village.

 

7. Is the game still supported and is the community growing or dying? I am asking because the most current info I got about the game when I searched in google was from 2012-13 and that made me think that the game is going to "die" pretty soon.

The game is far from dying in truth. Theres still developers, and really just as many players(less than when xanadu first came out, but plenty.)

Edited January 19, 2015 by williamwierd

[Niki 2,278]

Game has a free unlimited trial but it only allows you to play up to a maximum 20 levels in each skill.

 

Best thing I can tell anyone is to try the game out, it's very different game play compared to other mmo's this isn't like WoW when trying to compare games it's extremely unique, think of it as a sandbox building and crafting game at the end of the day with ways to make silver (currency) which you can turn into real money if you stay at it long enough, however that's just one path out of many. This video really sums it up.

 

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cxSN5zRarI

[Neckbreaker 2]

What happens when i reach lvl 20 in all skills? I imagine I will have to pay for premium to raise them above 20 but that means that I must work in-game to pay for the premium and then I must level up my skills so I can work faster and get silver faster for the next month. Doesn't that form a vicious cycle of boring grinding? I went through something similar in a different game and it wasn't fun at all. 
Otherwise Wurm looks epic and the concept is great and thank you all very much for the replies so far, you were very helpful indeed!

[Tpikol 1,057]

you can either pay for premium with real money  which is 16 euros for 2 months or work for it ingame,which will be hard at first but get easier overtime.

[Chiclet 70]

1. Is this game still alive? (obviously, but are there enough people playing to make it interesting and fun)

 

The short answer is absolutely yes, but the longer answer is that it really depends on whether you rely on people to make your experience, or whether you prefer to create your own goals and fun. There are certainly enough players playing at any given time if you look at the numbers, but they are scattered over a variety of servers and its completely possible to log in for days at a time and see nobody in your local area, particularly if you deliberately went out and found an uninhabited place with the intentions of being a hermit. There is always global chat (both server-specific and all-servers) to have a conversation with people without having actual neighbors, if you like your social experience on your own terms. But "alive" in the sense that you log into a hub and there are 50 people running around at the auction house? No, that's not Wurm.  If you are the kind of player that requires constant social interaction, your first thing in the game would be to find yourself a village to join so that you have compadres to hang out with. Going it alone is, often, very alone. 

 

2. Is it and RP (role play) MMORPG?

 

I guess you could (like joining a village that is 100% roleplay based and everybody acts out their part) but I've personally never seen it in this game. It might be out there! I casually slip into roleplay-light sometimes with my neighbors, but its not a "usual" thing by any stretch.

 

3. How complicated is the game? Can a complete noob like me get into it easy or I will need months to learn the ropes?

 

Very, yes and no. Honestly, it depends on you and how you're geared. If you can't concentrate on what you're being told (by the tutorial, by the people in the help chat, by anybody you talk to that gives you advice), you're going to have a really hard time. Wurm isn't going to really feed you anything - this is one game where you cannot breeze the tutorial, because it's teaching you how to survive. And once you're out of the tutorial, its you, some starter tools and the world, my friend. Survive -- or don't, up to you. It's complicated in the sense that you need to learn from experience pretty quickly and you'll die quite a lot unless you get yourself into a village right away. Then the curve is somewhat less of a brick wall  

But honestly, pay attention to the tutorial, try out all the basic stuff you learned there right away and you can be self sufficient inside of a couple of days. Easily killed perhaps, but self sufficient. The truly complicated stuff comes with time.

 

4. Is the community good? By that I mean are there alot of trolls, hackers, cheaters and a-holes in general?

 

I'm biased, but I think my server community is excellent (shout out to Deliverance!). I've never met a horrible person there and so many helpful ones I'd need another coffee to list them all. I assume bad guys are out there (maybe on the pvp servers?) though so your mileage will definitely vary. 

 

5. Is it a pay to win game?

 

I suppose so. I've never felt it really, but its true that putting real money into the game to purchase in-game currency can give you an immediate leg-up in the world.  High quality armor and weapon will go a long way to keeping you intact in your newbie skin and that stuff is for sale all the time. You can even outright purchase somebody's account with their skilled-up character if you wish. Honestly, that's up to you.  I've never felt worse for somebody else being better though and I prefer to earn my own skills, thanks. 

 

6. How are new players treated? Will I get bashed by others every 5 minutes for my noobish mistakes?

 

Confused, lost, frustrated new kid players are treated quite well on my server, assuming they are not jerks or asshats. Asking for help will net you lots of it, including the occasional samaritan who might even ride to your rescue while you huddle cowering in some precarious safety as a spider the size of house tries to eat your face off (assuming they can find you OR the spider )  Walking around with an entitled attitude however will land you in a bunch of hot water pretty quickly and you might find yourself all on your own to solve your problems.  The servers are very community based, so a good attitude nets you back what you put in. Bad attitude? That comes back to you too. 

 

7. Is the game still supported and is the community growing or dying? I am asking because the most current info I got about the game when I searched in google was from 2012-13 and that made me think that the game is going to "die" pretty soon.

 

I've been in and out of Wurm a few times and while the community changes, there are always the 'old faces' that have been around forever, and new faces to meet. I've never felt the game was dying, but it does change and fluctuate so some months I've been crammed in with people all over the place and local chat hopping with chatter, and other times I'm the lonely hermitess on the hillside. Wurm is very much supported by the devs and the players and this forum has more action on it than a half dozen others I could name, if that's any indication. 

 

Something else I never got is this a free to play game? 

 

Wurm is a subscription based game, so not free-to-play. However the trial of the game is very generous in that you can download and play without restriction until your skills hit level cap at 20 (maximum is 100). You can play for about a month before you hit that cap (mileage varies depending on how hard you hit the game) so its nothing you have to worry about in your first three days. 

In your first three days, water and food will be your top priority, not your Blacksmithing skill. For me, the sub is coffee money, so I buy my month of play time with real dollars and don't sweat trying to "earn" it in game. That way lies madness.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Chiclet

[Neckbreaker 2]

 

In your first three days, water and food will be your top priority, not your Blacksmithing skill. For me, the sub is coffee money, so I buy my month of play time with real dollars and don't sweat trying to "earn" it in game. That way lies madness.

 

 

Oh thats a shame I'm a student and I can barely afford to stay alive let alone pay 16 eu a month (thats not considered coffee money in my country ) I would be glad to play the game, the way all of you described it makes it sound really fun and amazing but I just can't afford it right now.

[Tpikol 1,057]

its 16 euros for 2 months so really 8 a month. if you have time to play a lot and are willing to do that you can earn premium working for people or selling bulk items until you get some skills high enough to earn money in easier ways. its doing that its hard specially at first but its  possible, i know cause i been doing it for years

[Chiclet 70]

Well, up to you - if you want to court madness trying to make premium out of in-game earnings, that's up to you.  Your best bet is to hire yourself out as a general labourer for people, particularly digging. There are players with large deeds that don't really want to go through the effort of shifting all that dirt themselves. You can also sell bulk items where quality is not a (huge) consideration - mortar (sand+clay) and stone bricks spring to mind.  Unfortunately most things for sale are only create-able by players with high end skills so you're going to struggle to make premium on new kid talent.

 

That being said, sell yourself and you could get somewhere  

 

And like I said, the 20 skill cap is generous, you can certainly try the game for quite a bit before you "have" to sub up. 

[wipeout 1,355]

having high skill is fun and makes a lot of things a lot easier but about 95% of the content of wurm can be done as a non prem player i have been playing wurm for far to many years and have sometimes just made non prem chars and decided to see how life as a non prem unknown person would be like every once in a while

after getting my small place setup some skills "maxed" out at 20 i set off to help a nearby neighbor did a bit of digging work mined for a bit earned some silver that way used it to buy better tools(instead of saving up to go prem) and it remained fun to do for a few weeks although i would recommend going prem asap due to every bit of skill you miss out on could technically bite you in the butt

but honestly i see dozens of people who start of as non prems get the hang of the game then work for someone be it digging or mining or what ever make their first 10 silver within a week time(of playing 4-5 hours a day) get their month of prem then sell their referral(1 month of prem to anyone you give it to) for like 5-6 silver sometimes more then do a bit more work for others and they are set for the next month and can enjoy about 2 months of not having to worry about money or prem and by the time it runs out they most likely have some more silver laying around for the next month and so on

1 friend of mine has been playing for about 6 years and never spend a single dollar on wurm prem time or silver and actually makes a bit of euro of it every few months by selling ingame money for euro's given that he works hard but thats besides the point

as for your 2nd question the one people dont seem to know a lot of right now there are 5 active rp communities out there that i know of myself and there are quite a few people who rp as their character in local chat and amongst friends so it is there but in a game like wurm its a bit touch and go on how well it can go unless you dive really into it and go full blown story rp with the goal to write lore for your group of friends/community through every day actions
I myself have joined an rp group or 2 over the years and they tend to last for a few months until most just give up and it breaks apart and everyone just talks casually

as for hackers there are some who keep trying to gain an advantage over others in terms of knowing where others are on the pvp servers but its really risky to do so as compared to most other games the chance of you being banned is way way higher and in general its frowned upon and once caught well good luck staying unbanned if you make a new account and even do 1 thing wrong

Also just to say wurm is unique in so many ways like i tried a lot of games similar to wurm but none quite have the charm that wurm has and ya it can be a grind but at the same time not
If you tell yourself "i dont care about reaching ql 99 tools or 99 skill within 2 months time" like some new people try to do and get burned out on you can actually end up enjoying making 600 planks to build that big house and all those fences and mine 20-30 cave walls to get 400+ shards to make all those bricks you need for that road you planned on making from your house to your neighbors
Or you just make a small hermit place small house small farm spend your days making items going off hunting and exploring meeting new people finding new places there are a lot of ways to play wurm and none of them are wrong so long as you dont try to hack or abuse people that is