5 Features To Attract More Members And More $

[Longs 0]

I've been playing (and paying) Wurm for a couple of years. Just came back after a short hiatus and thought I'd post some suggestions that I think would make this game really wonderful and add some long-term paying customers (such as myself and all the members of my village/group/guild/whatever we're calling all the pasty white people I play with since EQ1)

I'm listing these in order of importance (for attracting continuing and new paying customers):

1) Towers and Mult-level Dwellings

I know there's been some hesitation from the team about adding access to the Z plane, but I beleive building up is imperative. Dwellings should be able to be formulaically built. With a certain level of both carpentry and masonry, you should be able to build a second and third story on a building. Stairs would obviously have to be part of this, but I think this is the next needed expansion. Internal pillars to support second and tiertiery floors could be required once a first floor is (for example) wider than 1 square wide. Internal walls should be included - potentially as mandatory to be "load bearing" for upper floors - more for the look/feel and the requirement to build. Towers players can build and climb including walk-able walls would lead to Castles and this would be a HUGE benefit to Wurm - especially on PVP.

2) Bridges - wood and mason both

Wurm worlds are quite beautiful once a healthy community is built up. There are many places a bridge would be perfect and look great as well as be functional. There are gorges (natural and player made) that spanning could be done via bridge. Some could (like cannals) be community projects.

3) Bigger worlds - by factor of at least 10.

If you are anything like me, you feel Wurm is VERY,VERY crowded regardless of what server (carebear or PVP) that you're on. One thing I very much enjoy about Minecraft is that the world is HUGE. When the new PVP servers went live, we built a village and didn't have a neighbor for almost 2 months. Now we have 12....ugh... There HAS to be Frontier. I would gladly abandon the villages we've spent months building up if there was untouched land somewhere!! (And pay for it)

4) Dragons - Now I'm wishing!

Hellhounds and horses are great, but where are the dragons? There should be dragons that spawn. I don't care if they are centered on certain areas, but there should be fight-able and ride-able dragons in the world, and it shouldn't be easy to beat or easy to ride.

5) NPC Villages - raidable but unbeatable

There should be NPC villages that spawn and have loot. There should be AI humanoids that fight as a group so these places are formidable. These could be 10 and 20 group requirements to raid succesfully, but in the end once the village leader is beat, there is some kind of loot and the village quickly rots

I love Wurm - it is a great game and I've spent a lot of $ on it over the last 2 years and with some improvements, I will spend a lot more on it and time as well. I think it is the greatest sandbox game out there and hope the devs take this to heart!

Thanks

Longs/PalletBoy

[John 254]

1 and 2 are underway. 3 - Affliction isn't crowded as far as I'm concerned, just full of ruins. All the servers have ruins - that's it. Maybe there are more neighbours on the carebear servers, because that's what I remember. But then again, you'd want neighbours there to promote trade and all that. Dragons are fine as is; at least as far as I'm concerned, living on Affliction and all. I hear about people getting killed by dragons all the time. NPC Villages; no. There are tons of player villages to raid.

[darthryan 588]

Chaos and Inde have TONS of wild empty space.

[Sklo:D 2,210]

1) and 2) are in develop.

-1 to the rest

[Martynas5 435]

5th will be exploitable

others are fine

[Kraljtatov 34]

5th will be exploitable

others are fine

Exploitable in the sense that you'll gain something? Yeah. The requirements would be high enough to earn the reward so I agree with it so long as they don't launch raids on player-made villages.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Kraljtatov

[Mattown 349]

5 is just silly, 4 there are still dragons in affliction.. 2 infact, and I know there are way more still roaming around epic. 3, there is tons of space and I'm thinking you said this because there are no waterfront deed spots on like deli or something. There is lots of space whether it's epic or freedom. 1 and 2 I'm pretty sure will be coming eventually.

[Kraljtatov 34]

5 is just silly, 4 there are still dragons in affliction.. 2 infact, and I know there are way more still roaming around epic. 3, there is tons of space and I'm thinking you said this because there are no waterfront deed spots on like deli or something. There is lots of space whether it's epic or freedom. 1 and 2 I'm pretty sure will be coming eventually.

Why is 5 silly? At least explain your reasoning. As for 4 it would be nice if dragons respawned every once in a while to keep things fresh. I'm not sure where all this free space is; I don't think many players want their dream home to be on a mountainside. And yes, 1 and 2 are on the way soon.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Kraljtatov

[Sklo:D 2,210]

3) not or only very hard possible with Java

4) Dragons are in this game and I only can say as fewer the better.

5) This game will not become a minecraft clone.

[Kraljtatov 34]

I've played Minecraft and I never saw any Zombie villages.

[Brash_Endeavors 4,735]

Just one thing for me -- SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH!

People have made many suggestions in the past for items such as inks from berries or flowers, medicines from herbs, alcohol from grains, herbal teas, lamp oil from animal fat. We could probably "think-tank" up a thread with a starting list of 500 Possible Uses For ... Things! The challenge would be to think up some intriguing new use for some item that is already in the game. Once devs have secretly selected and determined some new uses (additional new items can be continuously added) they could introduce a new RESEARCH SKILL that players can use to try to discover and unlock what these new properties are. At lower levels, RESEARCH might unlock the ability to make brand new tools such as: mortar and pestle, magnifying glass, astrolabe, Bunsen burner, stills and boilers, ceramic casting molds. Things that have no yet known use or practical application, but can in turn be used as a research "focii" to further their skill. Some of these might have interesting, unexpected and impractical outcomes -- a magnifying glass used on a flower might cause it to burst into flames and create burns on your hands; a still might blow up and burn your face. Research is serious business and not without risks!

Maybe early research could even start out a bit like Meditation, where you have to spend hours and hours and hours sitting and thinking on a Thinking Stool. Maybe best done under moonlight in certain mysterious conditions -- time of day, season, proximity to water, Later you might decide to use papyrus and octopii ink to make a scientific notebook to use as a study focus to further your research skills, or have access to one of the new tools and use that as a focus for your research. This would be a very time consuming skill and outcome is uncertain. Scientific Research is not really a useful skill for new players, and aimed more at veterans who feel they have achieved already basic survival and are willing to invest great amounts of time into a skill with Unknown Practical Use. Maybe you are mostly interested in medicine or in fermented beverages -- you could spend a lot of time in research yet discover nothing (not added yet; maybe never will be) and a few months late or years later, a very patient and stubborn researcher with great skill might discover something overlooked in the past, whose time had not yet come. Higher skill might determine who first "discovers" a new scientific breakthrough, and they could get fame via a world broadcast announcing JimmyNewtron Just Made An Interesting Discovery Using Oleander Leaves! Randomly (but increasing chance with higher skill) you might get an idea, perhaps one that others first discovered or (more rarely) one that the devs introduced but no one has yet discovered. You might choose to keep it a secret and research it even more for your own profit and use (the generic broadcast that you made some mysterious discovery will likely generate a lot of questions from other players; you might decide to stay mum) , or you might announce to the world the details and offer to teach this new knowledge to others who could in turn continue to spread the knowledge or research it even more. Like a disease -- but nicer!! Perhaps it only gets implemented once 25 different players have all "researched" whatever the new discovery involves.

Perhaps devs could first come up with a list of 20 New Things (but not say what they were; let players "research" for them) and later set a goal of adding one new thing a month, even if it is only trivial: pink writing ink from lignonberries or maybe a tin baking pan for lemon pie, or a wooden butter churn (even if no use yet for butter). Some implemented items may go undoscovered for many months. Perhaps some items may have amusing but limited use -- something that makes you glow in the dark for three days. Which could be useful in its own ways. Turning a cow bladder into a balloon that slowly drifts off into the sky higher and higher. Maybe you'll collect 100 cow bladders, paint them all green and red, and release them for a special celebration.

Eventually maybe we get things like: Creosote from tar, to heal wounds and preserve wooden items. Better food preservatives. Alcohol, for medicine and merriment (and maybe a brief effect in combat, followed by exhaustion). Stimulants that let you sprint for a certain time but then collapse and move very slowly before you can exert yourself normally. Acid etching on metals for use in elaborate armor designs (for visible armor, later).

Too much for one person to every fully "use" everything, and no real "power-gaming use" but still fun and practical and players are always interested whena new thing has been DISCOVERED! via research.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Brash_Endeavors

[Protunia 735]

1. Remove artifacts and all power items. ( only player made items can be used. )

2. Make Dragons spawn ( less drop )

3. Remove pets ( NPC's ) from PvP ( all of them )

4. Add Character Customization ( visual armor, face, animations )

5. Nerf Archery Period

part II

Edited August 20, 2012 by Protunia

[Tekari 133]

Just one thing for me -- SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH!

...

Please open a new thread for this suggestion Brash because I really like the idea and in here it will just go unnoticed.

This would be a great way to introduce all those little improvements the devs come up with and no one is p***** because they

are not announced properly

[Corneria 0]

1 and 2 - already in progress.

3 - They should be larger, but not at the scale you are talking about. I think Inde size is much better off, and new maps should aim for that rather than the standard 2048x2048, which sits at only 1/4 the total area.

Even better than simply making the maps larger is to streamline server travel so that the separate servers feel more joined rather than completely separate entities, especially to newer players.

4 - They should spawn, but it should not be a common thing. I think it would work well tied in with the missions. A dragon spawning somewhere that needs to be killed certainly makes a better mission than many of the others we see.

5 - No. You complained about the area being too crowded already, and NPC areas would just take up more space.

[reflexx 10]

Just one thing for me -- SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH!

People have made many suggestions in the past for items such as inks from berries or flowers, medicines from herbs, alcohol from grains, herbal teas, lamp oil from animal fat. We could probably "think-tank" up a thread with a starting list of 500 Possible Uses For ... Things! The challenge would be to think up some intriguing new use for some item that is already in the game. Once devs have secretly selected and determined some new uses (additional new items can be continuously added) they could introduce a new RESEARCH SKILL that players can use to try to discover and unlock what these new properties are. At lower levels, RESEARCH might unlock the ability to make brand new tools such as: mortar and pestle, magnifying glass, astrolabe, Bunsen burner, stills and boilers, ceramic casting molds. Things that have no yet known use or practical application, but can in turn be used as a research "focii" to further their skill. Some of these might have interesting, unexpected and impractical outcomes -- a magnifying glass used on a flower might cause it to burst into flames and create burns on your hands; a still might blow up and burn your face. Research is serious business and not without risks!

Maybe early research could even start out a bit like Meditation, where you have to spend hours and hours and hours sitting and thinking on a Thinking Stool. Maybe best done under moonlight in certain mysterious conditions -- time of day, season, proximity to water, Later you might decide to use papyrus and octopii ink to make a scientific notebook to use as a study focus to further your research skills, or have access to one of the new tools and use that as a focus for your research. This would be a very time consuming skill and outcome is uncertain. Scientific Research is not really a useful skill for new players, and aimed more at veterans who feel they have achieved already basic survival and are willing to invest great amounts of time into a skill with Unknown Practical Use. Maybe you are mostly interested in medicine or in fermented beverages -- you could spend a lot of time in research yet discover nothing (not added yet; maybe never will be) and a few months late or years later, a very patient and stubborn researcher with great skill might discover something overlooked in the past, whose time had not yet come. Higher skill might determine who first "discovers" a new scientific breakthrough, and they could get fame via a world broadcast announcing JimmyNewtron Just Made An Interesting Discovery Using Oleander Leaves! Randomly (but increasing chance with higher skill) you might get an idea, perhaps one that others first discovered or (more rarely) one that the devs introduced but no one has yet discovered. You might choose to keep it a secret and research it even more for your own profit and use (the generic broadcast that you made some mysterious discovery will likely generate a lot of questions from other players; you might decide to stay mum) , or you might announce to the world the details and offer to teach this new knowledge to others who could in turn continue to spread the knowledge or research it even more. Like a disease -- but nicer!! Perhaps it only gets implemented once 25 different players have all "researched" whatever the new discovery involves.

Perhaps devs could first come up with a list of 20 New Things (but not say what they were; let players "research" for them) and later set a goal of adding one new thing a month, even if it is only trivial: pink writing ink from lignonberries or maybe a tin baking pan for lemon pie, or a wooden butter churn (even if no use yet for butter). Some implemented items may go undoscovered for many months. Perhaps some items may have amusing but limited use -- something that makes you glow in the dark for three days. Which could be useful in its own ways. Turning a cow bladder into a balloon that slowly drifts off into the sky higher and higher. Maybe you'll collect 100 cow bladders, paint them all green and red, and release them for a special celebration.

Eventually maybe we get things like: Creosote from tar, to heal wounds and preserve wooden items. Better food preservatives. Alcohol, for medicine and merriment (and maybe a brief effect in combat, followed by exhaustion). Stimulants that let you sprint for a certain time but then collapse and move very slowly before you can exert yourself normally. Acid etching on metals for use in elaborate armor designs (for visible armor, later).

Too much for one person to every fully "use" everything, and no real "power-gaming use" but still fun and practical and players are always interested whena new thing has been DISCOVERED! via research.

on this to limit what you can descover depending in some area depending on your skills in what you have in "normal" skills. If you have maby 30 in mining you maby cant discover higher then "level 3" in "mining" recseach?

[atazs 965]

5. Nerf Archery Period

You already said this somewhere and when we asked you why, you didnt reply. Probably got killed or something

Edited August 20, 2012 by atazs

[nithon 3]

@OP

Worlds imho too big, needs more multiplayer and less hermit

[darthryan 588]

Poor Protunia, someone shot her in the face and now she thinks archery is overpowered..... Hey, all we need now are a half-dozen forum alts of hers to share the same opinion and archery can be nerfed the same way taming was!