This is actually a fruit salad. I didn’t play a lot of anything in June because of the move. Only Wurm really, just to see if I could (ie check the interenet in this flat is ok). There were flowerpots to make – I managed one! And my Exodus Alliance decided they needed a challenge, so now I’m a HoTS. Which means I can write bits about PvP except everyone is paranoid about spies.
But I’ll secretly try to screenshot a tile of mycelium! Except I’ll ask the mayor first if it ok.
It’s kind of hard to comment because see I had this big lunch, and last weekend I didn’t have a proper weekend, so I … um… did try to log in, but Wurm wouldn’t load. And then I fell asleep. And then I woke up and managed to log in if I disabled GLSL shaders, but the server went down almost immediately. So I can’t really comment but!
From the forums: info on the new stuff
As is normal for Wurm, we aren’t told exactly how the new things work, the idea being that we discover things ourselves (there is debate about this strategy – who knows what are bugs?). This time around it seems we are pooling our knowledge – what a good idea – here is a very useful thread:
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82598-wurm-11-what-is-new-and-how-we-can-make-it/page-2
As an aside this thread has (well, I think so) quite fun pictures, but I think those are bugs. The website has had an update and looks much cleaner now – at least I can comment on that!
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82691-rock-shard-analyzing-in-wurm-11-knowledge-and-speculation/
I was wondering when Wurmian Balance would turn up: (Every time you add something good, nerf something that was ok = balance!) http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82622-new-farming-system/page-4
V
hopefully this will turn out not to be too dire. It’s good in a way that more people are beginning to notice the Wurk/real-life balance is off. Chores ingame can’t take this much time without becoming a problem.
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82639-how-can-we-mace-new-staffs-with-gems/
I hope the GLSL issue can be resolved because without water reflections, Wurm just doesn’t seem right 😦 I quite envy some of the buggy textures though – the carpet one on walls is awfully nice!
I’m going to pack some clothings now, but I’ll see if I can log in again in a while.
Bizarre pictures (because I like them)
(quick update) more bizarre pics!
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82651-ati-card-wrong-and-ugly-textures/
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82662-black-trees/
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82643-summer-release-11-now-live/
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82668-11-problem/
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82670-chat-window-renders-as-terrain/
I really like some of these pictures (should I worry?)
One thing I really do appreciate about Wurm is that you’re never a voice in the night. Post your technical issue and someone responds and tries to sort it out.
and …. Mr Bloodworth was back muhahahaha
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/82695-photos-of-mrbloodworths-zombies-invasion/
Eh? Eh? Well in my case I’m out of my house and into rented accommodation while the builders do their thang in 5 days time so I’m home getting the last of my barang packed up, getting stressy and will use Wurm shamelessly to calm me down via looong action timers, waits while things crash, a bugwatch, all the usual things that go with a version launch. If anything interesting happens I’ll post – and of course as a bonus you’ll have a blogside view of my pre-move nerves, you lucky things!
It says it’s vegetarian, Martha
(not the best picure sorry – it was killing me at the time!)
Village House 🙂
Sometimes, just acting from the heart someone will do the exact right thing at the exact right time and it blows your socks off.
It’s been unpleasant logging into Wurm lately… shutting things down though not quite as heart-wrenching as I feared is still dismal work, all those plans that are never going to be pursued, people who won’t be neighbours anymore. And it goes like sludge too, this being Wurm. I much prefer goodbyes not to be long drawn out affairs. By the time I hit the disband button I’ve mostly thought “oh thank heavens that’s all bliddy over!”. Independence is hard to give up. I’m doing it now though. And I’ll be keeping Celebration as planned but I’m not in my new (hopefully much easier) routine yet.
Anyway, definitely didn’t feel much logging in but got this excited pm from mayor Xal, who was jumping up and down with suppressed glee. I know I have my own things and they are nice, but there is something special about when someone puts their real time into making something for you, and Xal had made me a house. Well that’s not quite all of it, actually he’d built two and I was to pick one! hehehe 🙂 (I know he meant it, he could just have decided which one was mine.) As well as my own place I’m a villager and alliance member on Exodus, which I love! Cause sometimes I like being a villager, I just do. And this is a very nice village indeed.
I thought it was going to be hard to pick, but when I walked in my house I knew it was the one. You see, as well as a talent for doing the right thing at the right time, Xal has another even rarer talent – he builds just the right house for the person he’s making it for. Amazing. I adore Xal’s houses, and I particularly love this one. And now I’m happy playing Wurm again too though Xal didn’t even know I wasn’t. Result!
Nowhere can I escape interesting times it seems. I was thinking about successful monetisation this morning as I ploughed through 2 more forms that shot through the door. 2013 has been the Year of Unprecedented Form Flood. I keep thinking it’s over, and then more arrive. The nation is quite obviously in disarray. I have not done my household budget this year due to interesting times. A tiny amount of it is reserved to spend on games though. It will be even tinier when I do a Graet Economisation in June. So where do I spend it? In F2P games with decent cash shops is the answer. SOE have very nearly got the model right now, giving you an investment (house for example) that you can accrue to (fancy items for house) as one example. I spend by choice, as little as is appropriate to my means – or as much as I wish if I have a windfall. And I like this, so they get money now and again. And I am absolutely sure a way could be found to apply this model to endgame.
The only sub I pay is to Wurm – this is because Wurm is special enough to warrant an exception. My Wurm spending though, over the time I have played has gone down, not up, and is going to go down further. I think this is a sub problem – the same happened with WoW. Paying for time you cannot play is annoying. All games have activities that aren’t your favourite (maintenance chores, dailies) and paying for them is annoying. I kept finding ways to keep the cost down to compensate for the above two points.
Then there is the price point. A sub of £3.50 per month would be a no-brainer – I’d do it (provided I like the game ofc). £5 is about right. Anything over, and you can forget it. Why? I don’t know. I have theories…but they are bit odd, such as “I feel it in my waters” and “mostly it’s because you do a subconscious multiply on it, (price *the-amount-of-games-I-want-to-play = someamount. It’s someamount people subconsciously judge by. As in: I play roughly three games at a time, usually, so at £5 per sub my someamount would be £15.00 – look familiar?). The fact that I don’t sub for three games or anywhere near is irrelevant. Oh… lets leave my theories for now eh 🙂 It’s probs best.
So now we have an interesting price hike in Wurm to add into my musings – and once again Wurm grips my interest totally as I watch things play out and try to see patterns. It’s kind of a game itself watching the game evolve and trying to make good choices. A mad game at times, but yes, definitely fun. I did my default thing of shrinking all commitments to the absolute minimum so that I am in a better position to move/expand.
It was sad… sort of – but as I disbanded little deeds that I had kept because I enjoy playing on them I looked back and saw how built up the areas are now. I had deeded when they were wild-wurm and because they were wild-wurm. That’s another subject really, but it does tie in because if Wurm became less crowded it would be more attractive to me and I’d be thinking to expand spending again. (Why can’t studios grasp “wilderness?”. I’m tired of suburbia-with-mobs. Most of which are killed by guard towers anyway.)
Judging by the disbands on some servers, a lot of people are doing the same or similar – shrinking and rationalising their holdings. Others are seeing good places free up and are moving in. Premiums are being considered with a view to are they vanity or necessary. All in all there is a lot of shuffling about just now. So that’s one pattern.
Another is that some people would have bought ahead before 2 May to save themselves money through the year (or because they saw some real money opportunity in doing so. What will that do to the revenue? Hmmm – well, it’s good and bad. Rolf and CodeClubAB got a windfall. The hope is doubtless that with that money already spent people will be tempted to add premiums and land here and there. It’s easy to discount money already spent and see additions in isolation. I think people mentally write off spent money. A big hike plus a “soon” deadline is always a good way of bringing in a cash boost. (Otherwise known as manufactured need – not my fave). But I’m rivetted! Even with extras gradually being bought or added since people are not paying in their normal amount, (having done so ahead), will normal revenue drop too much? Ahead-payers won’t be paying regularly now…It’s so risky, ooooo, or …. are we about to see another idea to sustain that normal income. Who knows?
One thing I’m fairly confident of is that as people’s paid ahead time runs out there will be a funny patch when it’s time to renew. Some will look and decide that at the new levels it’s too much to pay and will balk. The can was kicked down the road on this. When that possibly big drop in income arrives (maybe a year from now?) I’m pretty sure there will be yet another exciting big development/change/idea/ploy/server?? to induce spending and to keep the marvellous saga that is Wurm Online online and to keep us all wurming.
I’ll leave Rolf to explain:
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/79643-regarding-the-price-raise-discussion/
I have no strong feelings or thoughts about this, but I’ll probably end up cutting payments to Wurm because I have a family to bring up which is far more important to me than supporting a game, no matter how fond I am of it, and our cost of living has gone up quite a lot too. Was planning to review involvement in June anyway due to the amount of time Wurm eats in decay mitigation, possibly leaving in December (or going dormant). If you add a 60% rise in premium fees to that, time spent on futile chores is even less attractive.
Well, I’ll have a think about it all, but definitely shed anything more than I need to keep a toehold going and if that’s not possible within my budget I’ll have to (regretfully) quit.
just so you don’t know. I never tell people if I have days off. It’s fatal. People immediately find ways to keep me busy. I intend to not spend this day I’m not having off mostly on Wurm recharging batteries and returning to my happy self!
Wurm and not another game because it’s still the best virtual world and the real one outside is below zero as well as bonkers (http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2013/03/health-and-safety-strikes-again-triangular-flapjacks-banned-from-school-because-they-have-pointy-bits/ – I rest my case).
If anything interesting happens I’ll write about it. And as a caveat I might get diverted – it happens oo a butterfly. I better use headings.
Wurm
This person is not very popular (and weekends are trrrrrrrolltime) but he has gone straight to the point. It’s a poll. Should crafting be allowed in a crafting game?
http://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/78419-dont-allow-anyone-to-create-anymore-items/
Well you tell me. The databases being unable to cope unless everything deteriorates rapidly (except deeded walls, keys and locks) has resulted in me logging in this year only to repair and improve stuff. I log in for the virtual world, the fact that development is live and ongoing, that the playerbase is interesting, that I can get real paperwork done while I chop virtual trees. Due to limited playtime (like what most people have) I’m on Wurm for a ton of reasons none of which is (currently) gameplay. Go figure.
Twitter
Still fooling about with it. Once you get rid of the obvious bots – (PR for musicians, tv chefs, football), you get people doing activism – also partly botted judging by the repeats. Activism via Twitter is ok by me, but I do think an acceptable format has to evolve so it’s not witch hunts. So far the art of using Twitter appears to be finding anyone with anything interesting to say. The Blender community is nice to follow. And I also like the Dalai Lama’s gentle reminders err …to remember to be gentle.
Butterfly
Bound to happen. Well in Wurm my brain was idling and then it spotted a string of thought that was half hidden under a piece of cheese in headspace from earlier on today. So I fired a few things up in the background and managed to get a working android emulator on the laptop (quite cool). After that I started doing xml things to play with the emulator ….. you know Eclipse is the buggiest thing I ever did see. I almost went nuts before I looked at all the complaints in stackoverflow.
I can’t pretend Wurmtime is nonproductive. Emulator will come in very handy – maybe for that spinoff. If I can find a way around Eclipse. Now my brain hurts and I’m tired, (but very pleased with myself for remembering to explore that emulator and getting it to work). Also I forgot to eat lunch!
http://www.scatterbrain.nl/ I should use it.
The changes to animal caps, movement and disease haven’t shaken out yet – but for me (at least until the latest change), for one day only, Wurm was extraordinary. Rolf is welcome to the silver I spent hiring a guard for the first time ever on Celebration because with the extra animals and mobs that feeling I used to have – of being in the wilderness and surviving by my wits and carving out my holding was back. Tis gone now unless things change again. Although there are more of them about, the aggros stay off deed so back to suburbia and my repair/improve year – I won’t be interrupted, and the guard is fired again but what a blast while it last
ed. (I’m never giving up bad poetry)
Romeo, wherefor art thou? There art potatoes needing peeled.
I’m hoping things still walk about in the perimeter – but so far not much there.
err…. you can leave those potatoes just outside
I’m really grateful for the fun – was much needed. Tx Rolf.
Why are all the house walls pink? Even the stone ones. I just noticed.
This horse and I have the same idea I think
I am a tree.
The horse has this to think about:
and I’ve got life. Let’s hope this strategy works out for both of us. Great powerful people changing bigstuff, for us both – well I’m pretty sure I’m well within the limit for domestic animals per deed size, so the horse is probably safe. But I totally understand.
Avatars of Steel 