Rework the Courier System

[timptheum 15]

After taking a deeper look into the wagoneer system, I think that the courier system in this game has created little reason for people to leave their deeds for goods. I believe that a good way to get wurmians traveling the continents again is to make it where trade will have to be done either via a courier like the wagoneer or physically deliver or have a pickup for items. I feel as if this would give people a reason to see each other's deeds again. While it may be driven by a sale, people would be able to explore and admire each other's deeds. This would also get people exploring areas that they may not have seen if not needing to make a trade. I believe that some things could still be sent through the mailbox. Small items mostly, such as a gem or as heavy as a clay shaper. So some tools can still be sent but certain things like weapons and such would have to have an actual interaction. I also believe the size rune should not work on the mailbox as well so the size could not be increased even in this small of a setting. I would love to discuss this idea to see what others think about it.

Edited July 13, 2020 by timptheum

[BDCKoolaid 106]

Agreed. I feel as though enchanted mailboxes really destroy a huge potential RPG element of the game and if it were gone, we would get to see things like big trade hubs and market deeds again. This would also make personal merchant contracts somewhat relevant again. I feel like the ability to troll trade chat for 2 minutes and buy something and have it sent to my deed in, sometimes, less than a minute, is a very cheap alternative to say, knowing I need something, saving for it, searching for it, traveling around, searching market stalls, or perhaps just seeing something flashy at market that I never intended to, and getting a chance to travel to different trade hubs and meet new people and inventory new wares.

[Ekcin 2,404]

-1 The delivery systems are a way to connect people over far distances. If it were not possible there would be less bulk trade, or more concentrated to easy access points like harbours. I would rather advocate an extension to wagoner transport like a stagecoach system enabling players to travel relatively safely between deeds using a wagoner type transport.

 

A due improvement to the wagoners would be the creation of more wagoner containers for public use. Especially for deliveries from other servers that would be handy.

[Lotus1 315]

I have a hard time seeing how this would make the game better to be honest. If people want to get out of their deed, there's already the transport of bulk goods, hunting, visiting a friend's deed, straight-up exploration, archaeology, sprout gathering, etc. I don't really see how forcing the people that don't like travelling to travel (and there are people like that) would make this worth while. We're just not in a dire situation for this to happen.

Edited July 13, 2020 by Lotus1

[DaletheGood 1,073]

Yeah, that's a very emphatic NO on this idea. like Lotus says, if you want to get out, then get out and explore, nothing is stopping you from that. If a person wants to grind all day every day cranking out whatever it is they're selling, who are you to tell them they have to go out in order to deliver it? Especially since the wagoner system is one of the sole drivers of the highway system, which makes it easier to go out and explore. If you (OP) want to not use the wagoner system, then don't, simple as that. Have fun delivering your 100 crates of bricks or whatever from one side of Xanadu to the other. I'll use the wagoner system thank you very much, and put all that time i saved schlepping those crates around to do what I love - which does not include playing delivery guy.

[armyskin 930]

did I miss something? can boats wagons and animals be mailed now?  

-1

[timptheum 15]

I am in no way against the wagoner system. i actually really enjoy that system. I just feel like there could be more opportunities out there for other means of transport and delivery to be seen as means to explore. If you don't want to leave your deed then that is understandable, but there could be someone who would be willing to deliver the goods for you for a certain coin and he could make a bit, you still get your goods where they need to go, or you could try to save the coin and make a trip to make a delivery. Just food for thought on ways to give people who don't have a reason to explore a reason at that point. While it may be driven by a trade, it could prosper an idea for a project, a new deed spot someone never would have thought they would like. It just seems that a game built around the medieval fantasy realm really missed an opportunity for a courier that isn't instant transportation of goods. Yes I know there are still large items that people have to deliver like boats, wagons, animals, and bulk items. Just food for thought is all. I appreciate everyone's feedback though.

[LionIX 354]

Cross server bulk transport is still a thing. Something like this might be fine if you had 1 small server, but with how big everything is, spending hours to deliver something is not fun (just like the pain of traveling to/running rifts). 
 

Incentivizing personal transactions would be cool, but that’s difficult to come up with ideas that makes visiting places you don’t normally go interesting without forcing certain gameplay styles. Perhaps expanding the wagoner/highway system. Make it where if you have a merchant or wagoner, you can advertise on the highway signs with a short description of what you specialize in. Have a bulk trader. You list prices for bulk crates. Seller can dispatch a load or if offline, buyer can come by the deed and browse and send what they want back home via wagoner. 

[Muse 2,219]

Some people don't have a reliable computer or internet connection.  It is easy to forget this when our own systems are solid and reliable. I would not advocate anything that forces someone to crash out in the wilderness if there was a way they could stay relatively safe on their deed.  For some people, staying at their forge, kiln or loom is their main reason for playing.  The mailbox allows them to offer a much needed service to customers, and trade and chat tabs still allow them to interact in a positive way (albeit remotely) with the community.

[Alpengeist 86]

so then dont use the system and go travel

[wipeout 1,355]

Ever have a look at the people who are champs? they cant leave their server so they would have to rely on others or on alts
Next to that it would just cause the wurm economy to crash even more as the mailing system was added in during a time where wurms economy was going to hell as people had stopped stocking up their merchants at trading deeds and trading deeds where disappearing as those people where quitting so something to streamline item trade was needed

If you want to travel then travel if you want people to see your deed then advertise your deed and show it off there are enough people who dont want people to go to their deeds and wall off their places because of bad experiences with stuff being stolen due to broken permission systems

anyway -1 dont get rid of mechanics for the sake of "but it might make people do this" as it wont it really wont

[Wulfgar 1,104]

+1.

We should just go back to the way it was before it was changed, when things cost more to send and less items could fit. QoL changes killing the community is not necessary a good thing, and that was one of them.

[Platyna 521]

-1. Mailing and wagoner system are some features I personally like very much in this game. There are already players who offer cross-server deliveries. I visited 155 deeds during 4 months of playing without being forced to do so, but some other players dislike to travel and no one should force them into a game play they do not enjoy. 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Platyna

[Etherdrifter 2,516]

As someone who lives a 30 min cart ride from the nearest person (another hermit), this would further exclude me from the wurm community.

 

While I can see the general idea behind this as trying to encourage people to leave their deeds, I don't think doing so with a chore is the best way forward.  Carrot rather than stick is the best method here.

[Maiya 490]

11 hours ago, timptheum said:

 If you don't want to leave your deed then that is understandable, but there could be someone who would be willing to deliver the goods for you for a certain coin and he could make a bit, you still get your goods where they need to go, or you could try to save the coin and make a trip to make a delivery. 

And all those of us that do delivery for free?

You know there is alot of trust to be earn to take over someones stuff and deliver?

Many people have tried set up a business to deliver stuff butr non have succeeded 

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Maiya

[Muse 2,219]

6 hours ago, Etherdrifter said:

Carrot rather than stick is the best method here.

 

I agree.  There have been a number of initiatives to provide entertaining places for people to visit.  If you want folk to get out more, you have to give them something worthwhile visiting.  The Labyrinth on Xan created by the Factional Fight brothers is one, the Tich memorial on Release is another.  There are a number of really good item and animal markets aimed at entertaining or amusing visitors as well as offering some great deals.  I think the best advice is still "Build it and they will come", but more than this - think about the types of folks that might visit and what they may want to see and do.  Make it a convenient location for those that visit and those that maintain the site, provide enough variety for those that visit often, and offer something to talk about for those that make their first trip, so that they spread the word.

 

Ironically I know some people have visited my deed just because I offered a public wagoner container and a public runed mailbox.  

[Lotus1 315]

15 hours ago, timptheum said:

It just seems that a game built around the medieval fantasy realm really missed an opportunity for a courier that isn't instant transportation of goods.

 

So one thing I want to point out here is that realism is not always the best idea in a video game (which is what I think you are implying with this). Just because a game is in a medieval setting, doesn't mean all of the inconveniences of the medieval age should be in the game. Just as a random example, imagine getting robbed as you traveled down a highway in game. That might sound like a cool idea at first as that also is medieval, but that could go horribly wrong very fast. 

 

So there needs to be a balance between what is realistic for the setting and what is realistic to make the game fun. If this game isn't fun, people are not going to want to play.

[Antony 280]

On 7/14/2020 at 12:52 AM, armyskin said:

did I miss something? can boats wagons and animals be mailed now?  

-1

When was the last time you bought any of those things?

[Ecrir 887]

If you want people to start traveling more then use a carrot approach for that, make exploration and travel more interesting and people will do it for exploration and travel's sake. If you force people to travel more just so they can do something else, like trade, then you haven't made exploration and travel interesting enough for it to be able to stand on it's own. That just turns the travel into a chore!

 

Besides that, taking away the current mail system in order to force people to travel  is a terrible idea, doubly so for an MMO that doesn't have regional servers. Good luck buying something from somebody on the other side of the planet, it will be a pita.

[armyskin 930]

9 hours ago, Antony said:

When was the last time you bought any of those things?

Should my play style affect what is ingame? And the answer is no, i have plenty of each, either made by myself given by friends or aquired from foes. I have sold some before, also given to friends as well,(some to foes too...).