Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

YAHG · 2018-04-06 21:13:40

Items and buildings build up over time cluttering the server and take away from the fun of building things yourself BUT randomly
(yes apoc is random because it can happen TOTALLY outside of your control) destroying everything is not a good way to fix the problem.
Humans are WIRED to become attached to things that we create and build up, the problem needs to be solved regardless but
apocalypse is not a fun game mechanic when you are not involved in it. Most people do not enjoy being stripped of agency.

Why not just make everything we make in game decay over time, thus requiring upkeep of some sort? The timings do not have to
be realistic they only have to be fun, this also turns all new content into jobs for people to do. People like having jobs in the villages,
being a part of something and being useful is FUN and REWARDING. Spending a life making things better feels good, that is what
I would tell other people when I talked about this game to them.

An IRL day is 1440 Game Years... If I leave a steel axe in a field for that long all that would be left (if anything) would be a lump
of iron rich ore.

Adobe walls can decay step by step until they are just a pile of clay (straw isn't a forever thing).

Tools can decay in steps, (accelerated by use?) having to replace the hafts is cool and engaging, so is having to sharper or reforge
old tools (they can just turn into scrap or even plain ore). Making the one adze your people will need forever is retarded and makes
learning smithing feel like a HUGE letdown. It would be cooler if you have to keep providing a village with tools, perhaps we can
have plows to till soil?

The simple way (no new art) is to to just add timed reactions to degrade all items back through the steps. The game files are NOT
easy for someone unfamiliar with them to parse though as almost nothing is labeled (mostly just numbers). I HOPE you have some
sort of ledger on your end but timed reactions for decay are already

Example: Deep Well --> Well --> pile of stones or maybe even a pool?

If things like baskets only lasted an hour or maybe two, people could have basket maker as a job! That is a cool thing like being the
farmer or the compost maker or the tailor. It is fun to be useful and this is wired into our brains to be something that is enjoyable,
good content.

Example: Wheeled cart (wheel breaks) --> Wheel barrel --> Sledge --> Crate --> Boards --> Nothing. Imagine you are taking out
the water cart to fill up the pouches and it busts a wheel, but you manage to limp it back home.. Do you fix it or does it keep degrading
until your descendant is laboriously dragging a sledge, when it happens to him that crate would need to be fixed to be retrieved. This
is cool shit and you don't even have to draw new art, only a reaction.

If each step takes an hour or less/more for some you can make upkeep into a viable occupation instead of us just drowning in items.
This has the added bonus of all of your new content becoming jobs for people to have.. People would probably like this, they get to
feel useful.

Seeded plots can eventually grow on their own. Carrots can turn into wild carrots if in the right biome as can wheat and both can die
off eventually (maybe hour?) if not in the right biome. Soil laying out untouched for long enough can just disappear.

Some seeds do not seem to despawn, none should last longer than an hour. No food should last more than an hour.

Fences can rot (or just slowly walk backwards through the stages for art free, temp solution), those floor board roads should decay
over time too. Let us make roads but make us also upkeep them. Make road builder a job someone can do.

Animals should NOT live forever either. Horses and Sheep should die off just like people do.

These sorts of changes can fix the problems of clutter and people stagnating while also making the game a richer environment for
people to live and work inside of instead of robbing them of their agency and all sense of legacy.

Maximoose · 2018-04-06 21:23:59

Good ideas, I agree that apocalypse is not a fun game mechanic at all.

Lily · 2018-04-06 21:31:20

From the sounds of it, the clutter wasn't so much of a problem as everyone being able to easily respawn and run back to their town, so it is like impossible for a city to ever die.

Sethat · 2018-04-06 21:53:57

This is a great idea! Nature reclaims what was once hers.

Verinon1 · 2018-04-06 22:14:27

I like this idea but the problem with it is that the resources to repair or remake that stuff would evaporate over time, like we saw with trees before the Apocalypse. For example, if you need clay to repair a decaying cistern, and there’s no clay anywhere around your village, then no more cisterns, ever.

Sakkiyn · 2018-04-06 22:25:25

Maximoose wrote:

Good ideas, I agree that apocalypse is not a fun game mechanic at all.

I agree. It is one thing if Jason wipes the servers with a fair warning, I am fine with that. I expected that to happen from time to time as they did with Conan Exiles.

The original meaning of the word apocalypse is "take off or remove the cover, an unveiling, or revealing" the book of revelation, in it's original Greek, was the book of apocalypse. But it never meant destruction in any form, especially not of the entire world. Poor translation and failed symbolic interpretation created this falsehood.

Sakkiyn · 2018-04-06 22:32:35

I like the idea of item decay. It solves the problem of junk building it up.

I also like the idea of stumbling across an ancient civilization that died out. It makes exploring have a purpose, especially since the biome's are redundant.

I am fine with server wipes and resets.

But even a nuclear winter does not wipe everything out.

Why not make it a timed event with a meteor hitting the OHOL earth.

Once he makes this "apocalypse" possible, certain people will pursue it with unrestrained glee.

It is just a griefers wet dream come true.

Sakkiyn · 2018-04-06 22:35:42

Lily wrote:

From the sounds of it, the clutter wasn't so much of a problem as everyone being able to easily respawn and run back to their town, so it is like impossible for a city to ever die.

Not true at all. There were many huge cities on server two that died completely.

The work of multiple griefer's who cut every tree, dug up every bush, planted wheat in all the carrot plots.

No fire, no food. No person can survive.

It cannot even be rebuilt as there is no tree anywhere in walking distance of many years in game life, and trees do not regrow and cannot be replanted.

stickyflypaper · 2018-04-06 22:38:08

I also agree. Add items like "old rusty knife" and such

Anthraxes · 2018-04-06 22:40:39

Had to Sign Up after a lot of engaging and fun hours spent in the game. I've been enjoying Jasons concepts of games for a couple of years now (Castle Doctrine) and I absolutely have to agree.

That suggestion is fantastic and I hope it gets a lot of approval so Jason might reconsider his approach of keeping Servers healthy and less cramped of cluttered cities right now. Having some sort of well balanced decaying for player-created content, adding some sort of randomized "regeneration" of the nature (Soil, Clay, Water, you name it) would ultimately give us a decent content update (by adding lots of new tasks for Settlements) but also reduce Server load and other troubles, if well balanced.

If I had to add another thing, remove Bush griefing completely, it adds absolutely nothing relevant to the gameplay at all. No one sane enough would dig out bushes to make kindling out of them, not if you have tons of forest around you. It simply encourages griefers to harm communities at the cost of people possibly ragequitting for said reason. In the end you will ultimately harm yourself by making masses quit the game to please a few individuals having a "blast" while destroying hours and days of work.

Don't get me wrong, some sort of damaging, killing and harming way has to stay and more should still be added to the game, after all this is also what represents humanity. Not everyone is a hero, hard worker, smart person, leader. Theres cowards, masochists, crazy and malicious people everywhere. But giving them the option with one single shovel to ruin something so important to keep a community alive in mere seconds.. Way too much damage done too easy.

I've got loads of fun with the game as it is, though if the apocalypse mechanic stays in the game as it is (even in the future, with more content, making it harder.. do not underestimate individuals trying to harm others) people will simply run, quit the game and it will end like Castle Doctrine did, with a mere few ones left. I do hope you will take your time and rethink your approach and way of creating your baby, nobody is able to push you into any direction whatsoever, most will understand that your creativity and vision of the game should and will come first. My humble advice, even though im younger, try to listen to your lambs when they offer some serious input just like YAHG did and give it some thought.

Again, YAHG I thank you for these great ideas and I hope people will support your ideas and offer constructive additions.

- Anthraxes

Last edited by Anthraxes (2018-04-06 22:44:39)

veene · 2018-04-06 23:08:05

Anthraxes wrote:

Had to Sign Up after a lot of engaging and fun hours spent in the game. I've been enjoying Jasons concepts of games for a couple of years now (Castle Doctrine) and I absolutely have to agree.
That suggestion is fantastic and I hope it gets a lot of approval so Jason might reconsider his approach of keeping Servers healthy and less cramped of cluttered cities right now. Having some sort of well balanced decaying for player-created content, adding some sort of randomized "regeneration" of the nature (Soil, Clay, Water, you name it) would ultimately give us a decent content update (by adding lots of new tasks for Settlements) but also reduce Server load and other troubles, if well balanced.
If I had to add another thing, remove Bush griefing completely, it adds absolutely nothing relevant to the gameplay at all. No one sane enough would dig out bushes to make kindling out of them, not if you have tons of forest around you. It simply encourages griefers to harm communities at the cost of people possibly ragequitting for said reason. In the end you will ultimately harm yourself by making masses quit the game to please a few individuals having a "blast" while destroying hours and days of work.
Don't get me wrong, some sort of damaging, killing and harming way has to stay and more should still be added to the game, after all this is also what represents humanity. Not everyone is a hero, hard worker, smart person, leader. Theres cowards, masochists, crazy and malicious people everywhere. But giving them the option with one single shovel to ruin something so important to keep a community alive in mere seconds.. Way too much damage done too easy.
I've got loads of fun with the game as it is, though if the apocalypse mechanic stays in the game as it is (even in the future, with more content, making it harder.. do not underestimate individuals trying to harm others) people will simply run, quit the game and it will end like Castle Doctrine did, with a mere few ones left. I do hope you will take your time and rethink your approach and way of creating your baby, nobody is able to push you into any direction whatsoever, most will understand that your creativity and vision of the game should and will come first. My humble advice, even though im younger, try to listen to your lambs when they offer some serious input just like YAHG did and give it some thought.
Again, YAHG I thank you for these great ideas and I hope people will support your ideas and offer constructive additions.
- Anthraxes

Hear Hear

Nikko71 · 2018-04-06 23:22:44

When Jason got on the discord earlier today the topic of decay came out. I think he said it was going to ne very time consuming since he has to implement it for every asset. But I think he has considered it. I hope he manage to find a way. Would indeed be way better than apo

Valences42 · 2018-04-07 01:47:33

I agree! I hope this can be implemented!

One Hour One Life Forums

#1 2018-04-06 21:13:40

Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#2 2018-04-06 21:23:59

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#3 2018-04-06 21:31:20

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#4 2018-04-06 21:53:57

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#5 2018-04-06 22:14:27

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#6 2018-04-06 22:25:25

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#7 2018-04-06 22:32:35

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#8 2018-04-06 22:35:42

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#9 2018-04-06 22:38:08

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#10 2018-04-06 22:40:39

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#11 2018-04-06 23:08:05

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#12 2018-04-06 23:22:44

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

#13 2018-04-07 01:47:33

Re: Better than Apocalypse (Village Upkeep and Global Item Decay)

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