The Realm of the Enchanted Forest

[Croa 2]

Greetings fellow Wurmians!

 

With 11 days until Wurm Unlimited is released, I figure it's time to announce my intentions to run a Wurm Unlimited private server.  Again, most of the capabilities are uncertain but the following is a rough road map of what I want to do with the server.

 

In-Game and Community Features

• Monthly in-game events (provided these can be scripted) - Examples would be a troll uprising and invasion of the starter city that players must defend against or holiday themed events
  
• Additional creature types if available
  
• Occasional quests offered by wandering NPCs with rewards being skill gains in a related skill, high QL items, or other rewards
  
• Pre-scheduled dragon slaying events, limited to 1 every other month in addition to whatever the current dragon spawn mechanics are
  
• Played owned deeds and alliances
  
• New items (if possible)
  
• Public Mumble server with private channels for alliances and villages
  
• If possible a web based news feed for new deeds being started, disbanded, and other notable events (event starts, dragon slayings, etc...)
  
• Fully functional in-game economy, including foraging for money and traders
  
• 10 silver to each new player that joins
  
• Patreon account to facilitate extended benefits for those who help offset costs of the project*
  
• Challenge mode featuring 60 day resets, other details to be worked out with community
  
• Starter city with access to free food, basic (10 ql) tools, and other items to help new players / characters get established
  
• Alliance / village leader boards - compete in a variety of categories with your fellow community members
  
• Accelerated skill gain, up to 5x
  

Infrastructure

• Each server is planned to be hosted on a virtual private server in a major data center, not running on a spare tower in my basement!
  
• Planned for three initial servers:  Pve, Challenge Mode, and a testing environment for testing modifications to the game
  
• Both PvE and Challenge Mode will have public Mumble server
  
• Weekly server maintenance performed Sunday mornings (OS patches, restarts, etc...)
  

Project Specifics

• Server costs - $39.95 per month (potentially more depending on resource requirements)
  
• Mumble software - open source
  
• Forum software - potentially open source, potentially licensed
  
• Web site software - open source
  
• Development and enhancements - myself / volunteers
  
• GM staff - myself / volunteers
  

 

*Patreon rewards are limited to silver and in-game items, not skill gain increases or other features that would give Patreon subscribers an unfair advantage over non-subscribers.  It simply exists for those who wish to help with the costs of the project, and is not considered mandatory.  Any money received via Patreon will go 100% to the project, and not to my wallet.

 

So why am I starting this project?  I love games, and I love Wurm.  Running a server allows me to add my creativity to the game via the modding tools and server admin tools it offers, plus allows me to provide a place where people who want to flex their creative muscles can do so in a medieval fantasy environment.  It's no small secret that Wurm is a unique game, and by running this project I get to ensure that experience is preserved and enhanced.  I also enjoy creating things for others to enjoy.  Over the years I have been a server admin for various MUDs in the mid-late 90s, ran several pen and paper RPGs, and founded / led gaming communities in various MMOs.  My favorite thing is when a bunch of players get on and enjoy what I have put together, be it roaming fleets in EVE Online, raids and games in World of Warcraft, a 10 session campaign into political intrigue around a table with dice, pen, and paper, or by experiencing a journey through one's imagination via a text based MUD.

 

I am committed to funding this project for a minimum term of one year.  If the player base grows to 15 players in the course of that year, then the project will move from a project to long-term endeavor.  If this project attracts donations, then it will be guaranteed to run longer.  After one year I would like to have 2-3 volunteer game masters, and another volunteer developer working on extending the game, if possible, or working on in-game events.

 

So what qualifies me to put this project together and manage it?  In real life, I am a server administrator / business intelligence developer with 14 years experience.  I have a deep passion for this game and for providing fun content for others.  I like to code, and I like to design elements ranging from houses to sprawling deeds.

 

If you are interested in this project, post here and let me know what you like and don't like about the plans.  I'll be updating the thread as I work through the initial setup over the next 11 days.

[neofit 78]

5x skill gain doesn't sound that much. Patreons will get more I suppose?

 

Then how about the rest of the "WO experience"? Action gauges, rolftax, decay, etc.?

[Croa 2]

I haven't really settled on a lot of specifics yet, because I don't know what the system is capable of.  I also want to leave some stuff open to discussion by the players that come to play on the server.  If 5 people say they are interested, and all 5 want 10x skill gain or 15x skill gain, then more than likely that is what I will set it at. 

 

At first brush, I like how decay works in WO so I will probably keep that the same.  When WU launches I plan on giving my server and its community a few months to sort of discuss and tweak the environment.  I can go and decide beforehand on all these variables, but for me, Wurm is a shared experience so I want to invite others to contribute to the design process as well.

 

Edit:

 

I went back and looked up the rofltax and gauges.  I hadn't heard the terms before so I was unfamiliar with them when I replied.  On rofltax, no loss from storage containers.  While I understand that in real life items in storage do decay, I also believe that in game we are allowed luxuries over real life.  Therefore, no rofltax.  I don't see a point to it.  On action timers, I think they are too long as well.  Depending on the software's capabilities I would cut all timers across the board in half.  30 seconds to repair a section of fence is too long to sit and wait while doing nothing, and the shorter timers for making bulk goods won't kill the game by being too short.

 

I'm also thinking about someway to introduce micro-transactions to allow players to save time.  My first thought is to offer potions that allow for double skill gain for 24 hours in a cash shop, something like $2 USD per potion or $1 USD per potion - something accessible to most players yet not be game breaking to those who don't want to spend money on micro-transactions. 

 

My overall goal is to encourage social interaction and economy.  I want to try and mimic an authentic medieval experience with the fantasy elements added in, but I don't want the major driver to be PvP.  I am very much open to ideas on how to achieve that.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Croa

[neofit 78]

I want to try and mimic an authentic medieval experience with the fantasy elements added in, but I don't want the major driver to be PvP. 

Plague and starvation should do the trick.

[zhatva 0]

i would like to know more about this in the coming day tho i havn't play wurm online and dont know much about the game other then its like lif:yo but less buggy tho i am still interested in learning it i allrdy bought the up coming unlimited client thing 

[BMasta 0]

Sounds great! I played this game a long time ago back when tutorial island existed and Freedom was subscription-only. I've played here-and-there since then, but I've never really dived into the game for more than a couple of months at a time. When I saw this on steam, however, I was equally taken back in surprise and excitement. I almost immediately bought it, because I knew it would mean the start of communities like this one.

 

I would be careful when it comes to microtransactions, however. They are typically a large division point within communities, as well as being a huge turnoff for many people who grow increasingly tired of microtransactions, regardless of their intent or implementation.

[iamfritch 0]

This sounds like a server that I would like to try out; I have just started learning the game though, and with it's high learning curve I've been trying to learn what I can on wurmpedia.com before actually playing.

 

EDIT: Also, I usually like having higher skill gain as I don't always have a ton of time to play, but don't know enough about this game to give a proper opinion.

Edited October 26, 2015 by iamfritch

[Dragonslayer24 0]

Are you saying we have to pay $40 or so every month to be on this server?

Edited November 2, 2015 by Dragonslayer24