Serfs

[wemedge 4]

     If an idea like this has been brought up before, forgive me in advance.  What if we could hire serfs? Basically bought the same way as guards, but instead of fighting off animals from a deed they could be assigned basic chores like tending fields, mining rock, clay, get logs, dirt, fishing etc. To avoid a bunch of deed mishaps like your favorite tree getting chopped or a hole getting dug in a bad spot, the mats would just come out of thin air.  The serfs could wander around like guards and could be assigned similar to way you assign guard reactions.  To me it seems nice for a few reasons. It'd be a luxury to players who don't have much playing time and don't want to spend what time they have in game doing basic tasks. Of course limits to what is gathered would be in place.  Also it would make the game some more money as well.

 

     There would be no skill gain from it of course.  The gathered results could be picked up from the pedstal or a special storage box you'd need to build.  I mean if guards can let you avoid fighting on deed, why not have the ability to avoiod some menial taks as well if willing to pay for it?  And it's not just the soloer or remote area dweller that it would benefit.  Even villages could save on the amount of mundane or slave labor tasks they'd have to dole out to their residents.  They would be no more necessary than guards to have, but a nice addition to have around. Would it hurt trade? Doubtful... may even improve it.  The casual player would have more time available to focus on making sellabe goods.  The amounts gathered wouldn't be much and it would only be basic mats.  The bulk veggie and dirt sellers, etc would still have their markets.  And nothing like planks, bricks or mortar (was hard adding that one to list) would be able to be assigned.

 

     I imagine something like this could be met with resistance, but have no idea why.  Fairly new player here, so maybe some downsides aren't apparent to me yet.  But as a crafter my two guards have let me work on my little deed in peace without constanly having to dodge all the spiders and bears that keep popping up.  This doesn't seem any more unfair or unjustified as that.

[Xor 684]

Seems reasonable, would need some limitations added such as removing the bonus from tending crops if you had your serfs do it (just because It could make a giant impact on a huge farm)

 

I like the idea of having some 'slave' labor that I can pay for though, but only for the menial chore type things... I dont think they should be able to mine out your whole deed for you lol

 

 

*EDIT* Sorry, i dont really agree with them giving you materials for work they've done either.. i'll have to think some more on this and reply later again

Edited November 23, 2013 by Xor

[rosedragon 2,282]

no, recruit players for this . if we had npcs doing our jobs then there is no need to play community .

[wemedge 4]

no, recruit players for this . if we had npcs doing our jobs then there is no need to play community .

 

How is this any different than hiring guards?  You could make the same argument there.  Want to be safe? Join a village.  And not everyone has the time run a viilage.

Edited November 23, 2013 by wemedge

[rosedragon 2,282]

Guards protect when people are not online, as for works it can be done anytime. 

[Kswords 461]

Automated caretakers... -1

Wurm life isn't supposed to be easy.

Also, this has been suggested before and shotdown.

Edited November 23, 2013 by Kswords

[Alec 728]

Yes yes yes, cuz in Wurm people don't have nuff with +2 alts, theres a need to facilitate one person running a whole village.

 

-1

 

 

And I find very, very sad people that plays with 252233553 alts, and more if that people cry if they don't have nuff inmersion.

[Maozorz 127]

-1234567890

[Mystry 20]

I have to -1 this. A bit part of playing wurm is upkeep and gathering resources. The only way I'd even consider this possible is if they are used for only renewable resources like trees or farming, and even then I'd still disapprove.

[Elen 1,013]

-1 to any npcs

[SmeJack 5,800]

Do you like to play or do you want to pay for the game to play itself?

 

-1

[Klaa 4,872]

Mmmm minions.

 

Personally Id rather go for something along the lines of taking players prisoner for ransom, forced labor, etc.

 

Rescues, escapes (slip bonds skill?), and jailbreaks would of course be possible. Body search (hehe cavities) and smuggling skills too?

 

Would require some changes to how players are defeated in PvP, going unconscious with a death timer (depending on wound types), not just straight-to-death. Yield options and the like too.

 

The forced labor could even be extended to severe slavery, at least for BL. Offhand the labor could consist of things like "make so many planks before release", and the production could even be automated (at lower skill and median ql) for offline hostages; of course, some GM monitoring would be required for anyone setting outrageous release conditions.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Klaa

[Mystry 20]

That slavery thing is both immoral and highly exploitable. Plus impossible to enforce. No dice.

[Klaa 4,872]

So is cannibalism... as far as immoral and highy exploitable. I had all kinds of fun with that one as a BL. Poor abused tower guards.

 

Whenever you were hungry, just see who was passing by.... fast food

 

Whenever the JK attacked, it was WL takeout delivered!

[Rubychez 18]

Fantastic idea........but not for Wurm.

 

-1

[Rathgar 959]

-1

[Gamurin 55]

-1. Not in WURM. If want serf hire a player. There are many people who would like work for others.

Edited November 27, 2013 by Gamurin

[Griffith 362]

+1 

 

well i could take a break from wurm and not lose all my crops and animals, and keep stuff repaired, etc, for when i come back. i like the idea.

[Radni 1,089]

That slavery thing is both immoral and highly exploitable. Plus impossible to enforce. No dice.

Serfs aren't slaves. #FeudalSystem

[Senusret 7]

I love this idea. Also you should be able to name and customize the serfs. Perhaps they could be purchaseable with in game currency.

.

[Alec 728]

+1 

 

well i could take a break from wurm and not lose all my crops and animals, and keep stuff repaired, etc, for when i come back. i like the idea.

 

Tip: Hire some players.

[Klaa 4,872]

Make serfs nameable and breedable... we can bring back the child models, even though they were really creepy.

[Pescadera 34]

Don't we already have this? As in, other players.

 

Wurm isn't a singleplayer game. I always see lots of people looking for work and posting threads that no one will hire them.

[Klaa 4,872]

Thats easy... quality levels. Make it so players can have the potential to always produce ql over a certain amount, say 30. Probably toss in quantity limitations over time as well.

[WolfeNailo 6]

-1 NPC usage is great in a game where you're not based in community and player interaction. Hiring guards or having them spawn from guard towers is one thing, it's a defense mechanic, but if you're too lazy to tend to your own fields or do your own work, you don't deserve to have it delivered to you in Wurm. Try focusing out the main point of this game, COMMUNITY, expand your settlement, bring in a few players and have a system of who does what. If that doesn't work for you, go play any number of simulator games wherein you can play singleplayer and have NPCs do the work for you.

 

While it would be a good source of revenue for the Code Club, it's impact on the servers would be phenomenally condemning. Prices for tradegoods would skyrocket to combat the fact that 1) The Market would become flooded with goods procured through these 'Serfs', 2) People would expect their newly altered prices to encompass the cost of their 'Serfs' [making it even more unlikely it would work out because of the fact that the market is now saturated with what would equate to junk, and you'd be paying 2-3 times your out of pocket expenses for this overall detrimental feature] and 3) The real necessity for any player interaction would become nil because now you could just have your 'serf' do everything for you.

 

Point three returns back to the issue of the game's main mechanic, COMMUNITY. You'd be paying more than just premium, to have the ability to pretty much ignore everyone else and live as an even worse version of the 'Hermit' style players. [No offense Hermits, I know a lot of you out there who actually live alone but are really active in the community.] The cost would never be able to recoup itself, so you couldn't have players, like some of us are, who don't have the money to pay for premium constantly and thus do jobs for others to earn silver for re-upping. Which alone would drive off even more of the community behind the game.

 

Overall - This idea is cataclysmic to the future of the game, should it ever be applied.