Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

Spoonwood · 2021-11-16 11:04:54

I never make a home marker. Like I did once a long time ago when using the default client. But, I can also remember running around a few times without a home marker and still finding my way back. People with mods, I suspect, tend to move away from making a home marker.

Now, home markers get made by new players frequently. Probably more frequently than I or you would guess. There's two issues with home markers though.

1. Making a home marker turns a skewer into a weak skewer. Now you can't till the soil multiple times with a weak skewer. Thus, knowledgeable players feel slightly discouraged from the sight of multiple home markers, since they mean lost tilling opportunity. But each new player had something to do by making a home marker. It's useful to them also to find their way around, especially if they don't have huge short term memories or don't watch their way around when moving.

2. The bigger issue, I think, lies in that experienced players will freely dig up home markers, because they need to cook a rabbit or two for needles or rabbits for food. Or to grow cucumbers or tomatoes. Don't get me wrong, experiences players have good reasons to dig up home markers. But, the effect is that the home marker is no longer there. I suspect that confuse new players a bit.

But also, towns simply look better with a home marker. It's good that players can dig up a home marker. Immovable home markers wouldn't be good for the game. But, players shouldn't have good reasons for digging up a home marker, unless that home marker takes up space.

Skewers for cooking, tilling soil, growing crops, punching latex, and any other use of skewers or weak skewers I've forgotten should be distinct from home markers.

Home markers should be their own unique object.

Last edited by Spoonwood (2021-11-16 11:08:18)

LonelyNeptune · 2021-11-16 11:30:54

Weirdly enough I agree with your statements about how home markers are awkward and most players outgrow them. I'm one of those people removing them but mostly because they're in the way.

What I don't fully understand is your suggestion that they be "their own unique object", what does that mean?

SirCaio · 2021-11-16 13:38:34

I feel home markers are just fine, I used to make one every life by digging up and setting an already existant one down again, just two simple steps, an easy enough task to do in the first 4 minutes or so.

This game does suffer from some "clutter content" and COULD (doesn't necessarily need to) benefit from some cleaning up, stuff like trash pits and aprons are quick examples that come to mind.

I personally don't think it's needed, but if home markers were to be changed, I'd merge their function with fires. Skewers then have one less use, allowing them to be employed more specifically (as you mentioned) and the motions of setting up a home marker are simplified and even automated, as the Eve gets to make the village's first fire marking her home, with every subsequent child inheriting that marker. As for the real world sense of it, with a little imagination one could interpret the fire as a source of smoke, able to be seen from afar, thus being a marker in its own way.

Spoonwood · 2021-11-16 16:18:20

LonelyNeptune wrote:

Weirdly enough I agree with your statements about how home markers are awkward and most players outgrow them. I'm one of those people removing them but mostly because they're in the way.
What I don't fully understand is your suggestion that they be "their own unique object", what does that mean?

I mean that they shouldn't get made from skewers or weak skewers. Instead they should get made from some material that is unique to homemarkers, or at least makes it so that it's likely players won't dig them up, unless they dig them up for taking up space.

Spoonwood · 2021-11-16 16:22:40

SirCaio wrote:

This game does suffer from some "clutter content" and COULD (doesn't necessarily need to) benefit from some cleaning up, stuff like trash pits and aprons are quick examples that come to mind.

My recollection is that Pein use to like the apron for the extra space. Sounds like an advantage to me, especially for a gatherer.

Trash pits I don't usually see, but I think I'd rather have them around as a possibility than not have them.

SirCaio wrote:

I personally don't think it's needed, but if home markers were to be changed, I'd merge their function with fires. Skewers then have one less use, allowing them to be employed more specifically (as you mentioned) and the motions of setting up a home marker are simplified and even automated, as the Eve gets to make the village's first fire marking her home, with every subsequent child inheriting that marker. As for the real world sense of it, with a little imagination one could interpret the fire as a source of smoke, able to be seen from afar, thus being a marker in its own way.

I like the sound of this idea. But, what if there are two or more fires in a village? I guess a large slow fire could outrank a fire, but even then, sometimes more than one large slow fire exist, for example, when players move the large slow fire from where it was in an Eve camp to a more permanent spot in a nursery. So, how would a home marker work in such a situation?

Tarr · 2021-11-16 17:19:10

Homemarkers being made from skewers was generally always useful because it was quick to set up before the game was modded to not need them anymore. Digging up other peoples home marker doesn’t change where theirs points so it was beneficial to dig up other folks homemarker to both save space and reuse skewers.

I 100% disagree with the idea of changing the recipe as the current recipe is easy enough to do, is outdated due to mods, and making it more complex wouldn’t be beneficial to the people it is targeted to.

Spoonwood · 2021-11-16 18:31:00

Tarr wrote:

I 100% disagree with the idea of changing the recipe as the current recipe is easy enough to do, is outdated due to mods, and making it more complex wouldn’t be beneficial to the people it is targeted to.

I don't think any replacement recipe should be more complex. I did not mean to imply that.

Cogito · 2021-11-16 23:10:34

I like this idea. Some options that could be used:

1. Some kind of interaction with a fire makes you 'remember' it. Potentially make it so the fire has to remain lit, for EXTRA GAMEPLAY.
2. Some kind of interaction with a well makes you remember it.
3. Some addition to a fire turns it into a 'family fire' and everyone gets a marker.
4. Some addition to a well makes it the 'family well' (which we sort of already have by anture of wells) but this addition would make it display a marker.
5. A new 'town centre' building that anyone can interact with to set their marker, and that their children inherit. Perhaps a pile of rocks, that can later be upgraded to look prettier/extend range of marker/whatever.

I think I like the town centre the most. Family fires are important in eve villages but later become part of the kitchen or nursery and lose that central aspect. Wells are very important but can take a little while to be established in eve villages, and later on tend to be surrounded by farms. A dedicated town centre would be nice.

LonelyNeptune · 2021-11-16 23:40:46

I like the fire idea. Most babies are brought to the fire when born, but this would solidify it as a family rite of passage and make maintaining the fire even more important.

I think setting the fire as your marker should be as easy as touching it.

Eve Troll · 2021-11-17 03:40:25

Yea, the fire is a really good idea and totally noob proof.

wondible · 2021-11-17 09:47:52

The problem with fire is the tech requirement. Home markers can be used in eve starts when you pick a spot, before fire tools are available. They are also useful if you find something out in the wild and want to go gather some other materials.

Having fires, wells, etc. be additional options for more established towns might be nice.

Eve Troll · 2021-11-17 17:49:59

Well and i guess fires could be an issue if you go to another village and trigger the home marker there and cant find your way back. I guess the current one enables a level of choice and that choice remains static.

Laggy · 2021-11-17 18:19:22

I usually destroy every marker thats in town.

People always put markers in the dumbest spot.

Putting your marker by the forge or right next to the fire is a sure fire way to get it chopped down.

Think it's because they are noobs.

olooopo · 2021-11-17 18:36:30

Home markers could just be a marking on a tree done with a sharp stone. The marking could be a small x or a heart or something else, maybe even a random symbol. The mechanics behind it could be the same as with the home marker right now. So, if the marked tree is chopped down or someone else marks your tree, your personal marker does not change.
In a developed city where no trees are available, markings could also be left on walls or the well.
This approach would not change too much, would still be intuitive/simple to do and maybe even a fun mechanic...

Tarr · 2021-11-17 18:50:26

Laggy wrote:

I usually destroy every marker thats in town.
People always put markers in the dumbest spot.
Putting your marker by the forge or right next to the fire is a sure fire way to get it chopped down.
Think it's because they are noobs.

Chopping them down has no effect on someone else’s marker so you should be removing them from the ground in the first place.

arkajalka · 2021-11-19 19:37:40

LMAO min maxing even skewers. People try to save in stupid places. Just make ton of cisterns and fill em up. When skewers gave only one letter piece i made this sign full of F's purely from wild skewers in one life in really advanced town. Just get on horse and get em. Theres plenty. Thats 18F's aka 3x18=54 skewers...

Spoonwood · 2021-11-19 19:53:15

arkajalka wrote:

Just get on horse and get em.

Almost surely, that's not feasible in an Eve camp starting from scratch. Farming from skewers though can be viable if people don't turn them into multiple home markers.

DestinyCall · 2021-11-19 20:33:41

Farming for skewers in an Eve camp would be a huge waste of time and resources. Just go find a wild skewer like everybody else ... or dig up the nearest home marker.

If you are going to object to someone's strategy, don't offer an equally flawed alternative. That's just silly.

arkajalka · 2021-11-19 21:01:31

Spoonwood wrote:

arkajalka wrote:
Just get on horse and get em.
Almost surely, that's not feasible in an Eve camp starting from scratch. Farming from skewers though can be viable if people don't turn them into multiple home markers.

well if the occupants waste all their resources then the camp deserves to die

Spoonwood · 2021-11-19 21:07:33

DestinyCall wrote:

Farming for skewers in an Eve camp would be a huge waste of time and resources. Just go find a wild skewer like everybody else ... or dig up the nearest home marker.
If you are going to object to someone's strategy, don't offer an equally flawed alternative. That's just silly.

I guess I wasn't clear.

I meant farming using skewers from the wild to till the soil, instead of using a stone hoe or steel hoe (since there's not even a hammer yet often).

I agree that growing skewers in an Eve camp is a waste of time and resources, and that seems extremely clear cut.

Last edited by Spoonwood (2021-11-20 01:58:11)

Eve Troll · 2021-11-19 21:26:33

Honestly i think skewers are the best thing to till with besides the plow. They're basically free and super easy to get. They can till a surprising amount of tiles. Dont waste rope or steel.

Perhaps there would be a way to default the home marker on your families well? Since thats how the other families find each other anyway.

DestinyCall · 2021-11-19 21:41:33

Yeah, the well is the obvious choice for "home" in the current game state. Home markers date from a time before we were locked into having a single family-owned well.

Making the well into a family-wide "home marker" would be an excellent change, I think. There are still uses for placeable markers - but they could work as a secondary navigational feature, like maps, rather than being the default way to find your way home.

Nameable markers would be even better, but I don't want to dream too big.

One Hour One Life Forums

#1 2021-11-16 11:04:54

Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#2 2021-11-16 11:30:54

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#3 2021-11-16 13:38:34

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#4 2021-11-16 16:18:20

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#5 2021-11-16 16:22:40

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#6 2021-11-16 17:19:10

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#7 2021-11-16 18:31:00

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#8 2021-11-16 23:10:34

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#9 2021-11-16 23:40:46

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#10 2021-11-17 03:40:25

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#11 2021-11-17 09:47:52

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#12 2021-11-17 17:49:59

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#13 2021-11-17 18:19:22

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#14 2021-11-17 18:36:30

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#15 2021-11-17 18:50:26

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#16 2021-11-19 19:37:40

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#17 2021-11-19 19:53:15

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#18 2021-11-19 20:33:41

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#19 2021-11-19 21:01:31

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#20 2021-11-19 21:07:33

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#21 2021-11-19 21:26:33

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

#22 2021-11-19 21:41:33

Re: Home Markers Should Be Their Own Unique Object

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