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Is Wurm too Realistic? Could Wurm be Good for Mental Health?

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3 hours ago, CistaCista said:

 

There's navigating. 

In this thread people talk only of exploration, but forget about the art of sailing. Countless people, myself icluded on a couple of occasions, have gone terribly lost on sailing trips. Mastering navigation in Wurm for me is a great satisfaction in itself. 

There was also the trading profession, I used to spend days sailing sprouts and logs through 4-5 servers and making good money on it. 

 

Also in this thread people appeal to think of the poor souls that only have 1-2 hours of playtime each evening after taking care of job and family. To this I say, there are thousands of games that are catering for the casual, and there are only few games that appeal to players that really want to invest their time in it. Wurm used to be a game all about rewarding people that wanted to invest themself in it, like EVE Online. Not so much anymore.

Yes, there's navigating, but there is also hours and hours of staring at an almost-unchanging screen.

 

I love sailing (and riding through the countryside) and in particular navigating through unfamiliar areas, but I get quite bored with just straight ahead sailing for hours on end.  How is that entertainment?  It would be like spending one's evenings staring into a lava lamp, only less exiting.

 

Also, just because some people don't have the kind of time to devote to Wurm that other people have is not a good reason to say that they are casual or that they should play something other than Wurm.  That there is a good way to kill off a waning game, shooing off those who you think don't deserve to be "rewarded" for investing enough.

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Rambling about fast travel moved to suggestions forum:

 

 

Edited by Sheffie
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5 hours ago, CistaCista said:

 

There's navigating. 

In this thread people talk only of exploration, but forget about the art of sailing. Countless people, myself icluded on a couple of occasions, have gone terribly lost on sailing trips. Mastering navigation in Wurm for me is a great satisfaction in itself. 

There was also the trading profession, I used to spend days sailing sprouts and logs through 4-5 servers and making good money on it. 

 

Also in this thread people appeal to think of the poor souls that only have 1-2 hours of playtime each evening after taking care of job and family. To this I say, there are thousands of games that are catering for the casual, and there are only few games that appeal to players that really want to invest their time in it. Wurm used to be a game all about rewarding people that wanted to invest themself in it, like EVE Online. Not so much anymore.

Having too much time, or way more time to spend then someone else, doing whatever doesn't make you less casual or more passionate, even tho you should be rewarded per say if you feel you entilted for it.

I was talking about why someone wouldn't invest their time in something inconvenient other then lack of focus. And for me that's more expanding it's gamescope more then any catering to anyone, at this point.

If you ever find the sailing and navigating itself for hours and hours rewarding, then by all means keep doing it and shouldn't bother you if someone else find it not rewarding. Like myself, i think sprout picking is wasting the time you might otherwise invest in grinding WS. But it doesn't bother me at all if you do it.

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5 hours ago, TheTrickster said:

Also, just because some people don't have the kind of time to devote to Wurm that other people have is not a good reason to say that they are casual or that they should play something other than Wurm.  That there is a good way to kill off a waning game, shooing off those who you think don't deserve to be "rewarded" for investing enough.

 

I really don't care if people are casual or what they want from a game. To each his own. I care that casuals come to this game that I play, demand changes and then leave. 

 

Destroying sailing as a trading profession with insta-teleports has brought how many more players to Wurm exactly? None. Continuing to demand Wurm make even more Second Life-style instatravel options is not going to bring any player boom either, I guarantee you. 

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Pro tip here... I play on Xanadu. I used to explore a lot. Limited time to play, etc. etc. If you want to move very fast on a ship sail a high ql caravel with a speed rune on good wind. You sail in a breeze and then complain it's too slow? Of course it is!

Pro tip no. 2 - get a tent and bedroll with you so you can make camp and log out during longer trips. Home sickness? Yes. Need to play 8 hours cause you want to take a hike from Summerholt to Esteron? No.

I don't understand... those are intuitive solutions yet we still need teleportations, smaller worlds, whatever.

 

Fast  travel could work like in an offline mode via the hwy - while you are offline your toon walks around the hwy to the other place. Of course you would have to maybe pay for supplies or something. Or even make it free. Mortal Online, Eve Online, Project Gorgon all have this idea of offline progress.

Teleporting to deeds is too much. On the other hand people are spread out as it is and travel is another impediment in the way of people getting together. Although we do have summoning, karma spells, hmmm... I dunno. For me it's perfect like this.

 

20 hours ago, Whane said:

"For example - Travelling for hours to reach the other side of the map."

I spend a lot of time exploring and a world can never be too large for me. My first MMO was Asheron's Call which is roughly 500 sq miles and since AC, I look down with great disdain on tiny worlds. New World for example was way too small for me to enjoy it, plus there was no wilderness, just a few spots in between roads and locations so there wasn't much to explore. It felt more like an arena than it did a world. If Wurm could support a larger server than Xan, then I would move there. I'm a fan of MMO's that have one large mega-server, like Eve.

 

This goes for single player games as well but sadly most survival type SP games are set on very small islands. Typically, the older the game, the larger the world. Compare Daggerfall to Skyrim for example. Skyrim is like the size of a region in Daggerfall. I used to do run tests and then post them as videos in which I run from one end of a 'large' world to the other to illustrate just how small the world really is.

 

With that said, I don't  mind fast travel options, they come in handy when you just need to get to point B without fuss. But I would rather have a large world with fast travel options so that I can still enjoy exploring.

There was once a magnificent idea of a game called Dark and Light (2006ish). 200x200km world. I only got to play a very little bit but I was amazed by the realism of those mountains. True mountains you could climb. Because I played that I find Wurm mountains to be bizzare pointy rock formations, but gotta work with what we have. To put it into perspective that game was like 20 times larger that all southern freedom.

 

The game sadly was closed - not because players wanted little worlds or anything. Because they got sued over the use of some technology or something.

 

On the other side of the spectrum there is TESO - I always wanted to play it and it's such a well built game. I went to Morrowind expecting to relieve something of that old Morrowind feeling from ages ago. Vivec was like next door to Seyda Need. Bruh... I know the old Morrowind game had that fog effect to optimize rendering and it wasn't really that large. But still... It's literally a theme park - a bunch of different things squashed in together in a small space.

Edited by Idlamn
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On 5/18/2022 at 2:22 PM, Zexos said:

I feel that Wurm would be good for improving someone's mental health.  The slow paced nature of wurm makes it so that you might enter a kind of meditation state.  You can tend to your crops and listen to the rake slowly drag across the ground.  The timer is like a breath.  It takes it's time.   You can't rush wurm.

 

I found this comment very interesting. I don't have enough knowledge on mental health issues, but your comment resonated with me personally... probably because of how I play this game.

 

I don't rush Wurm. In fact, my pace of play is probably slower than most people in this game. The ability to take things slow and not feel the need to constantly catch up to some moving target is actually one of the things that has always appealed to me about Wurm. I play slow and I find this pace very immersive and very enjoyable. Heck, I have been building my deed for years and it's still not finished. But that's alright! I actually like the process. Let's face it, this is probably the speed at which I would build a real life deed, so I am doing alright!

 

To me, the ability to take things slow on Wurm stems from two things. First is the fact that there is no artificial moving bar that everyone on the game has to aspire to. There are no new levels to achieve, no new tier of pants that was just introduced, no expansions that force one to go out and keep up with their friends. Updates here add content to enrich the world instead, not to redefine it at a higher level. Consequently, there is no need to keep up leveling, grinding for new armour stats, or joining weekly scheduled raids.

 

The second reason is the very complexity that the OP talks about. Personally, I really like the complexity of Wurm. I realize that it's not for everyone and I know that it makes the game harder to get into, but I have played many games out there and most came out shallow to me in the end. To me, nothing compares to Wurm, even after all those years. Wurm is complex, oh so complex! But as a simulation of medieval life, it needs that complexity to remain realistic. I really thrive on how complex some thing can be, even if this means that they will take longer to accomplish or require me to call my neighbors or visit friends for help.

 

So, the combination of the complexity with the slow pace and lack of pressure is what makes the game fun. And I think that when I play it, I do feel a certain boost to my mental health. There is a certain meditative quality to the game that can be so endearing. I usually feel calm and collected when I play Wurm and I always think of it with pleasure, like something fun to do at the end of the day. I don't need a new level of stat armour that other games crank out every month. But I do need that new decorative fountain that was just added... even if it takes me a week to finish. It's okay, I got time. Wurm is not going anywhere and the fact that the fountain takes effort to complete makes it so much more enjoyable in the end.

 

Great post. +1

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On 5/18/2022 at 7:01 PM, Archaed said:

No game should claim it is good for mental health without having mental health professionals engaged in every step of the way. 

 

 

Just an FYI, I am a mental health professional.  So that being said, I think it would be very difficult to develop a specific game for mental health purposes.  What people have to keep in mind is what different people need to do for their own sanity.  Yes, if someone is addicted to the game play, that is a problem.  And yes, that is possible!  (sorry guys, but that is a legit addiction)

 

Mental health is about finding what works for you to work through stress, or anxiety, or just let go of the trials of the day.  Of course everyone can't play for hours and hours on end...there has to be a play/work/life balance.  Which is why some people take a step back from Wurm at times.  I don't begrudge those people that need.  We all need to step back from things from time to time.  For those that do enjoy playing for extended periods of time, that doesn't mean it's bad for them...necessarily.

 

A sandbox is about offering opportunities to do things, without the restrictions of "go from 1 to 2 to 3 and done!" that other games have ingrained.  Keeping to the theme of mental health, having that type of control, as in what you choose to do, how you choose to play, how you want to experience different aspects...that is huge in today's world!  We have lost so much control of things in daily life as it is, the escape to a virtual world that is enjoyable and offers that sense of choosing your own direction can be quite therapeutic. 

 

What I find interesting in these discussions is so many people will decry how other people "do things wrong."  To each their own, and just because you don't find something helpful or nice or beneficial personally, please don't dump on someone else's attempt to find what works for them.  There is a lot of truth to the idea of "don't take away someone's hope...that may be all they have!"  If this game helps people get through their day, gives them a sense of calm or control, or keeps them in touch with "friends" around the world, it is not up to us to tell them that is wrong.

 

And yes, if you really are struggling with mental health or addiction, reach out to professionals.  It's about balance, so there is nothing wrong with rebalancing your life to be happy.

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Sorry, double post...my bad :)

 

Edited by Jingerjas

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9 hours ago, CistaCista said:

I really don't care if people are casual or what they want from a game. To each his own. I care that casuals come to this game that I play, demand changes and then leave. 

You seem to be conflating time-limited play with casual play.  The two are not the same.

 

 

Edited by TheTrickster

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The game has mad me more calm and ability to concentrate has improved through my mental health struggles. I slept alot better than before feeling satisfied of that hard days work. Fun game. There is no problem with traveling long distances for me. Take in the scenery and run all over to stir up the place.

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8 hours ago, Valdor said:

So, the combination of the complexity with the slow pace and lack of pressure is what makes the game fun. And I think that when I play it, I do feel a certain boost to my mental health. There is a certain meditative quality to the game that can be so endearing. I usually feel calm and collected when I play Wurm and I always think of it with pleasure, like something fun to do at the end of the day. I don't need a new level of stat armour that other games crank out every month. But I do need that new decorative fountain that was just added... even if it takes me a week to finish. It's okay, I got time. Wurm is not going anywhere and the fact that the fountain takes effort to complete makes it so much more enjoyable in the end.

This is also what I noticed the game gets you to meditate. When I was playing on Serenity in the period when the island was basically empty and I was the only one around, when I was travelling for days and I was home sick even when seeing different places. It makes you think about certain subjects.

Then there is the fact that it forces you to be organized and look for efficient solutions. This is not something Wurm-exclusive, other MMOs can also benefit from this. In fact everything we do is  time limited. I could say, while it wasn't the only medicine I took, it did play it's part in treating any perfectionist tendencies I had and made me more pragmatic in those time-limited issues.

And lastly I think it changed the way I play MMOs. Even themepark ones - you start seeing that there is actually more freedom than people say there is. In LotRO, for example, I would find myself asking questions like "I'm a dwarf. Why would I be doing quests for those dunlendings or for the snowmen of Forochel. I'd skip straight to the dwarven holds.

Edited by Idlamn
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On 5/18/2022 at 9:47 PM, Eyesgood said:

Let's face it,  these young insta-gamer, whipper-snappers just don't have the patience us old-timers have (pointing at everyone 50+).  It shows with modern games.  They are mostly particle effects, bigger than life, stronger than possible, I-can-do-everything-and-anything scenarios.  Wurm cannot give those things and so that probably knocks out 80% of the gaming population today.

 

Is that really what modern games are now?   Or is it more so certain types of games that have become that way?  Maybe certain genres have become more popular as time has progressed. 

I don't really know though since I've not played any modern games apart from the Crash Bandicoot Remake and yeah, really was not as good as the first 3 games on the Playstation.

 

On 5/18/2022 at 10:17 PM, Spolmit said:

I find Wurm the ideal escape route from the many things that are currently bearing down on families and individuals alike, however, this can only be my own opinion as I feel sure that some people feel that aspects of the game cause them angst / anguish.

 

I am an older player and as such I may likely have a different playing style when compared to younger players. I do not rush Wurm and as a result play every day albeit for relatively short periods of time (2hs at a time max). The immersion that I obtain through playing can make the game realistic in as far as it is still 'just a game'. I love many aspects of the game and I do feel that the variety of skills / challenges- and in some cases, the complexity of the gameplay such as cooking and beverages- are very beneficial to keeping my brain youthful :) 

 

Not being a medical person, I would imagine that mental health is something that can affect people in a wide variety of ways due to many different causes and so different games may cause negative or positive outcomes to different people.

 

Maybe this is why a new genre suggesting that a game can be good for mental health has not been implemented before? Like you, (Zexos) I find playing Wurm beneficial, relaxing and an excellent form of escapism but I would not be confident in suggesting it as an 'elixir' for mental health except to someone who I knew really well.

 

You have posed a very interesting question!

 

Yeah, the complex nature of wurm could be seen as brain training in a way.  I mean some people do big maths calculations for their grinds or for max production or getting a certain type of item/dye.  I know that I used to have to calculate the amount of tiles needed to build a certain sized house, along with the carp skill required.  Then you've also got the amount of mats needed to take into account.  If you want to prep for the build before hand.

I also used to use Deed Planner alot so that = gaining planning and design skills along with mapping out where everything should be for a nice look which was also productive as well.  Then transfering that information into the game world and counting out the tiles for where everything is going to go.

Yeah, I would say that games might effect different people in different ways depending on the person's mental state but also their life's journey as a whole.

 

On 5/18/2022 at 10:28 PM, Jingerjas said:

For traveling, I tend to want to explore more, and while the endless hours of travel can be annoying, it also gives the opportunity to examine and see other parts of the world.  Now that I travel to other servers, I get a better appreciation for what others are doing with their deeds and surrounding areas.  If we just sped through everything at the speed of light, we'd miss so much.  Other games I've played I wished travel could be a little slower so I could look at the scenery or watch other things going on in the back ground.

 

For making items, honestly having to take so many steps in Wurm has given me more of an appreciation of how things need to be done IRL.  I mean, there have been a couple times working on something around the house, I'm thinking, "wow, I'd need to make this, do that, add this and then put it all together!"  I've been able to break things down a bit more in my head having to actually put the work into it for the game.  Yes,some things are still very unrealistic, but having more knowledge than I did before I take as a win.

 

As for relaxation, yes, I see my Wurm time as very relaxing at times.  I choose to do what I'm in the mood for...farming, mining, fletching...whatever.  If I want to craft more, then I do that.  If I want to travel, I do that.  I like to immerse myself in that world because so much IRL is chaotic and uncertain...when I'm traveling in Wurm, I KNOW I'll get jumped by spiders, ya know?  I can listen to music, I can talk to people or not.  I can feel in control of my worldly experience and I can't get that in "the real world."  It does help with my mental health, by keeping me focused on my interests and encouraging me to work on things I want to.  Physically I have issues, to put it mildly, so I would never be able to do this level of activity.  At least here I can still get that feeling of accomplishment and community.  So yes, for elderly it could be helpful, but the downside is the ability to react quickly in some situations, hit the correct keys for actions and be coordinated enough to keep things moving.  For some elderly people, that becomes overwhelming.

 

People pick games focusing on what they are interested in.  If someone wants the instant/quick gratification, no, Wurm is not the right game.  There are plenty of us that enjoy the experience, and since I rarely have finished any games (I have most Pokemon games 99% complete, but never finished them since I was close enough anyway), I find this structure of never ending activity to be fine.  If someone wants a beginning/middle/end, that describes most other games in existence.

 

Yeah, I know that when I used to travel, I would try and set aside quite a fair amount of hours to do it.  I remember when I first got my Corbita and sailed around the server.  It took hours and I saw lots of different deeds, statues, buildings and trolls but when I finally saw the Giant Bridge of the deed that I was a apart of, I was filled up with this feeling of joy because I had made it back in one piece.  Then I had a mini story to tell the rest of the village too.

 

Yeah, I did not know that so much stuff went into making things either.  I'm sure that with the advancements in Tech that there might be even more steps then wurm can show.  Though, I still don't really like DIY in real life even though I have a high carp skill in Wurm.  I've maybe become a bit more open to making things but in wurm all that you need to do to make things is click a mouse button. 

 

That's really good that wurm is able to help you :)    Yeah, the feeling of community in a village is really cool.  Even more so if you join a friendly and helpful one.   What actions do you need to act quickly for?
Running away from monsters I would say.  Fighting a monster not so much.  I just hit the focus button now and again and that's it.    If low on health then run away.

 

On 5/18/2022 at 10:46 PM, Nicephoros said:

with a bred hell horse and gear you speeding around maps at 50km/h

 

I've never experienced that.

 

On 5/18/2022 at 11:41 PM, Finnn said:

me thinking of traveling far -> now I am risking a mount or cart pullers' life for w/e reason if a starved aggressive mob reaches them, oh sure.. tame a riding horse... *sounds like fun*, extra things to do.. when somebody call you and you just rather alt+f4 at the spot and continue later, it's just a game... wait..

that's not really an option in wurm

unless you don't really care for small chances of rng events

 

either way.. spend 30min to travel from A to B.. well now you need to spend 30min to get from B to A.. most likely... well you have only 2-3 or whatever hours to play and do other things irl after work, so what do you do?

 

Yeah, one of my frustations was always having to go a toilet or when I want to quit and do outside and do something and yet I might be, be followed by some trolls and some hell hounds in the wild, far away from a safe deed. I always had to spend extra time trying to get to a safe area and lose the monsters and then I could finally attend to my real life issues.  (I had all of my best items with me, on my character and I also used to travel around by cart because I used to like picking up stray items.)

 

On 5/19/2022 at 12:01 AM, Archaed said:

No game should claim it is good for mental health without having mental health professionals engaged in every step of the way. 

 

Yeah, I guess that is the problem with a official seal of approval.  Then things might become very very focused on the mental health aspect instead of it being a more natural thing which happens through playing the game.  Don't need it to become the main driving focus. Unless of course it was to be a spin off version.  Like a private wurm server for example.  Which might make it more like a second life land/hub.

 

On 5/19/2022 at 2:28 AM, TheTrickster said:

It is finely grained, but I wouldn't call it realistic.

 

Take grass for example.  You cut grass, but to plant it you don't use the grass seed but make a thatch (i.e. of the non-seeded part) and plant thatching to grow grass.  Anyone seriously lawnkeeping knows that you want to AVOID thatching for healthy grass.  Alternatively you you could just plant the grass whole (seeds and all) and you get.... steppe.  That isn't realism.  Sure it is fine detail, and an exercise in problem solving, both of which are good.  But what it isn't is realistic.  Realistically, all you need is the seed and something to break open the soil.

 

To make a mast, you take a felled tree in your left hand and chop it with a hatchet in your right hand.

 

To lay down a keel for a boat, you take an 80kg section of keel in each hand and moosh them together, apart from the whole 80kg in each hand there is the whole "no tools" thing.

 

To make something small out of metal, you take your anvil and smack it down on a lump of metal.

 

Travel can be a pain if you are merely wanting to get to your destination, or need to get there by a set time.  That is at least realistic (but is it appropriate to the escapism of gameplay?  I can't decide).  Part of the issue here in relation to realism is that time is sped up 8x (far from realistic, but a practical approach) but travel/movement is NOT sped up 8x.  If you are travelling and Wurm tells you that your speed is 48kph (which is a good clip on a horse or wagon or sailing ship), you are in effect only moving at 8kph which is merely a steady sustainable jog.

 

I did not know that about grass!  Yeah, well then some parts of wurm are realistic and other parts are not.  Though maybe the realistic parts like travel can have a confusing effect on the mind.  When you know that you are playing a game with fantasy elements and you would like to move faster and yet it does not let you.    I think movement in video games can be a bit issue to get right.

I used to play a MMO game called Rose Online.  Running with your character was okay, the speed but it might take a while to get around.  The game had certain buff spells that certain classes could cast on themselves and others that would increase their walking speed for a certain amount of mins and speed depending on the level of the spell.  It also had buff spell items that anyone could use to increase their running speed from the cash shop (I think)    It also had Motor Carts that you got after level 50 but you had to complete a quest to unlock them and it also cost quite alot of money to buy them as well.  So it did take quite a while to get them.  They were double the walking speed. Really fast.  I loved using them to get around but the trade off was that you could not attack monsters while inside them. 

 

Cart Images:

 

On 5/19/2022 at 7:31 PM, Madnath said:

I just watched a few minutes of the video and felt kinda annoyed that he just seemed to be reading someone elses opinion about RDR2 having too much realism.

 

RDR2 is a game that has so much depth that we'll likely be still looking into new found things, new details and such for a long time. It wasn't that long ago, I saw an image showing how when rain falls, the dirt in the rivers increases as it's shifted or something.

That's a NEAT detail, and while most games don't have that detail, you can't help but notice that these all time favourite games tend to have one thing in common. A lot of detail. There was a video shown of what little details were put into Left 4 Dead, and while they aren't the biggest backbone, it makes you think about how much love, craft and care goes into these things. How much they added to the game overall, to make it feel alive and fun.

RDR2's problem isn't really being TOO realistic. The gameplay is polarising because it stands against what a lot of games are set up to be. RDR2 makes you ###### your lever action rifle between shots for example. So that one trigger press to fire it and ###### it in other games, is two presses in RDR2. It takes time to get used to, but by the end of it, it felt a nice bit of extra control I had. RDR2 isn't even a grindfest either, a lot of games have small periods of waiting during tasks, and RDR2 isn't all that bad in that regard.

When he then went on to describe the loop of being hungry, thirsty, I had realised he's really not even totally sure what he's trying to rant about. Because that's not an issue with realism, that's an issue with the design of the game. If your hunger and thirst is hindering what you do to that degree, it's a bad implementation of it.

 

When he starts to go on about walking simulators, I get the impression he's talking about Death Stranding.

Again, this is just another polarising game. It's a very slow paced game, simulating walking almost. But it offers you an interesting world, a great story and some likeable characters with some really well tuned gameplay. Not every game needs to be a zoom zoom fest of pretty lights and fast action. Death Stranding makes those breaks in action, the downtime into the main game and it really makes you consider how valuable that time is in other games too.

 

Can Wurm be good for mental health? Maybe, but only really as a social factor and a break away from reality for a bit. Escapeism isn't healthy, and please see an actual medical professional if you feel you cannot function without Wurm, because one day this game will fold. All good things come to an end, and all that.

 

tl;dr video is silly, not really well thought out and the points aren't good.

 

The Video was a Editted Live Stream.  I thought something was strange until I looked in the Video Info and saw it say that :)

 

Wow, that's amazing what they can do with the river levels rising and falling when it rains.  I've actually not played RDR2.  I've only ever played the first RDR and I loved that one.  I used to play it nearly all day.

Sounds like that RDR2 is pretty good then. I remember I saw a video showing off the hair cuts and beard styles too, I think.  Rockstar loves their personalisation.

 

Yeah, you make a good point about the hunger and thirst there.

 

Hmm.....I've never heard of Death Stranding.  I guess alot has happened in the game world since I've left it.  There seems to be a fair amount of interesting games.  I've only played wurm mostly for years now and sometimes Tekken 7.  I used to play a much wider amount of games on the Playstation 1, 2 and 3 before I sold it all to buy my girl friend at the time, a guitair 🎸

 

I used to spend nearly every waking moment in wurm but yeah, I think I was depressed as well and wanted to really escape the world.  Medical professionals in my view can only do so much. Though I guess it depends on who you see and what you also do away from that, to help support yourself.  It seems so strange to think of wurm going away.    Like the longer a game is around, the more it can take on a life of its own.

 

On 5/19/2022 at 9:21 PM, elentari said:

This has always been my issue after a long day of work. 

 

Look, if I want to visit my neighbour Sasha, who lives 10 locals away from me, and I've made that trip 50 times already  there is zero joy in "exploration". I know the sights. Same guard towers. Same roads. Same path because it's the fastest and most efficient. I just want to not waste 40 minutes to and from because I want to deliver him some horses. Just let me teleport with my lead animals, give them to Sasha and back. I got chores and stuff to do IRL. He has stuff to do IRL too. I am not gaining any skill in anything while I do this, it's just one of wurm's "things that loves to waste my time and insult player's time" and that's all it is.

 

Same with sailing. What is there to gain by sailing? Seeing the great ocean views, aka the same flat ocean wurm has been for 15 years now with zero events, zero anything to keep me interested? There's a reason most passengers usually bring some carpentry tools and arrows with them to improve, so at least they feel they gain something. 

 

I would prefer we had deed to deed teleporters honestly and it would improve the UX 1000x fold. Want to explore? Go ahead and enjoy wurm's mysteries. But for those who unfortunately play "on the clock" in their free time we really don't have time to do many things because Wurm refuses to respect players time. 

 

Either ramp up horse / cart /wagon / ship speed or something or add teleporters for those who want to use them.


I love exploration. But I hate the tedium of revisiting the same places over and over again because Wurm doesn't acknowledge the fact for most of us, our playtime is limited. And players when they see "travel speeds" would prefer to skip Wurm altogether and choose other games. If you want to keep players, respect their time. 

 

Some sort of teleporting would be fantastic. I've always wanted wurm to have waves on the sea and along the shoreline but that might be a pain to program. 

Though yeah, more things to do while sailing on the water would be fantastic. I mean you might get the rare Sea Serpent or maybe some Bears floating in the water but something else to do apart from fighting those few mobs would be good.   

Maybe trying to find buried ship wreaks with treasure.  I'm actually finding it quite hard to think of things to do in the sea.....  Maybe a random encounter with a ghost ship with a mission - Tied into the mission events maybe.

 

On 5/20/2022 at 10:30 PM, Valdor said:

 

I found this comment very interesting. I don't have enough knowledge on mental health issues, but your comment resonated with me personally... probably because of how I play this game.

 

I don't rush Wurm. In fact, my pace of play is probably slower than most people in this game. The ability to take things slow and not feel the need to constantly catch up to some moving target is actually one of the things that has always appealed to me about Wurm. I play slow and I find this pace very immersive and very enjoyable. Heck, I have been building my deed for years and it's still not finished. But that's alright! I actually like the process. Let's face it, this is probably the speed at which I would build a real life deed, so I am doing alright!

 

To me, the ability to take things slow on Wurm stems from two things. First is the fact that there is no artificial moving bar that everyone on the game has to aspire to. There are no new levels to achieve, no new tier of pants that was just introduced, no expansions that force one to go out and keep up with their friends. Updates here add content to enrich the world instead, not to redefine it at a higher level. Consequently, there is no need to keep up leveling, grinding for new armour stats, or joining weekly scheduled raids.

 

The second reason is the very complexity that the OP talks about. Personally, I really like the complexity of Wurm. I realize that it's not for everyone and I know that it makes the game harder to get into, but I have played many games out there and most came out shallow to me in the end. To me, nothing compares to Wurm, even after all those years. Wurm is complex, oh so complex! But as a simulation of medieval life, it needs that complexity to remain realistic. I really thrive on how complex some thing can be, even if this means that they will take longer to accomplish or require me to call my neighbors or visit friends for help.

 

So, the combination of the complexity with the slow pace and lack of pressure is what makes the game fun. And I think that when I play it, I do feel a certain boost to my mental health. There is a certain meditative quality to the game that can be so endearing. I usually feel calm and collected when I play Wurm and I always think of it with pleasure, like something fun to do at the end of the day. I don't need a new level of stat armour that other games crank out every month. But I do need that new decorative fountain that was just added... even if it takes me a week to finish. It's okay, I got time. Wurm is not going anywhere and the fact that the fountain takes effort to complete makes it so much more enjoyable in the end.

 

Great post. +1

 

I feel that the rush or not rush can also come from the person's own mental state as well.  I was finding myself rushing to finish things or putting too much stuff on my plate to do.  I did it all to myself.  So in that regard, wurm is really what you make of it.  You don't have to rush or put all of these rules and deadlines onto yourself.   

That's really good that you are able to play nice and slow like that.  I have trouble doing that sometimes.

 

Hmm....I never thought of that before to do with how the complexity of wurm helps with the medieval theme.  I think that it is good that a few things in wurm are not that complex.  Like cutting down trees or mining.  Sometimes I want to just zone out and not think too much and wurm also provides in that way as well.  I guess you can make wurm as complex as you wish as well.  It has that scope.

 

It shows how much you love wurm in your post.  That's great that you get so much enjoyment from it :)

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On 5/22/2022 at 3:50 PM, Zexos said:

Is that really what modern games are now?   Or is it more so certain types of games that have become that way?  Maybe certain genres have become more popular as time has progressed. 

Nah, there are good games made across every genre. Most modern sandbox games (Ark, Conan Exiles, etc.) are mentally engaging. Even the FPS genre has games that cater to people with more patience that want a more mentaly-engaging experience, e.g. Post Scriptum, ARMA games, Hell on Earth, DCS.

In MMORPGs they have like a couple remakes (or re-takes?) on Ultima - Shround of the Avatar, Legends of Aria, Mortal Online games. There is Pantheon in the works as well as Ashes of Creation. Wurm has a lot of competition, but also some edge. There was a game that had some concepts very close to Wurm - Life is Feudal - it closed while Wurm is still here, so it must be doing things right.

Edited by Idlamn
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I suffer with anxiety/depression so I like Wurm as an escape from it all. It certainly helps me as it is a relaxing game.

 

I was playing Wurm unlimited for the past 8 month though after leaving Wurm Online for being griefed in the game but I am now back in Wurm Online and looking forward to the challenged of a fresh start again.

Edited by DannyUK
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On 5/21/2022 at 4:25 AM, Jingerjas said:

keeps them in touch with "friends" around the world,

I think that people on Wurm can become friends. No need for the quotation marks around the world like they’re somehow less ‘real’ friends than real life friends. They’re people, aren’t they? People connecting to other people they might never have met without Wurm Online.

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When I first started wurm, You walked everywhere.

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On 5/18/2022 at 1:22 PM, Zexos said:

Well anyway, what do you think?  Is Wurm too realistic?   Could wurm's realism bring in new audiences/markets?  What things in wurm are too realistic too you and could use some improvement? 

What if it was actually someone's reality? i know, its 'fake' - electrons that can be turned off at a moments notice - except those same electrons are what power human beings.

i live life half in Wurm, half in real life. when the pain of my physical issues gets too much i come here and just make things, and i keep a balance as best as i can between physical reality and digital reality. Its not easy to be completely honest. 

as for the Question on Mental Health, first:

  

On 5/18/2022 at 4:01 PM, Archaed said:

No game should claim it is good for mental health without having mental health professionals engaged in every step of the way. 

Not that Wurm is currently claiming that it is good for mental health, however who says they dont play?

 

On 5/20/2022 at 7:25 PM, Jingerjas said:

Just an FYI, I am a mental health professional.

oh hey, cool. another one *waves*

I have been slowly healing on a mental health level for the past ~2-3 years. Building, mining, terraforming in Wurm has been a boon when dealing with my own mental demons and traumas, and as a result this has shocked my therapist and just about any other medical professional who actually knows anything about Autism

Wurm has given me a place to be myself, a community to be a part of, and a way for me to show my efforts to other people. Now i understand that some may look at the things ive done and scoff, and thats fine if they want to do that, but hey, i cant deny the results, nor can my doctors or therapist.

OF course Wurm can be good for Mental Health!

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