Topic

Get rid of home streets and giant backyards. Come out an play in Ur!

I know, this will never happen... here I am asking the devs to un-do everything they've done. But these home streets greatly lame-afy the game. Now no one is out exploring Ur. They're all tucked away in their seam-street-ish homes. I run in to way fewer people out and about now, which means much fewer fun interactions with players. Also, after visiting a lot of my friends' homes, I have realized that yall are a bunch of hoarders, and yall have WAY too much stuff. The amount of resources that these home streets let you harvest is huge. This excess makes the game way too easy.

Posted 7 months ago by Listo Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • It's almost like you and I are playing to completely different games.  I am not suffering from the same experience as you.  I encounter people everywhere, especially exploring Ur, but also now on the home streets.  A) The only way to build your house without traveling around Ur is to buy things on the auctions, which means someone is doing it and B) the housing streets do get boring after a while, and it's fun to venture fourth on the land of our birth, so people do.  C) By far the fastest and cheapest way to gain iMG is by exploring Ur and collecting Qurazy Quoins.

    Finally, this game isn't about hoarding, or building, or leveling.  It's about interacting with other players.  That will always be hard, no matter how the other dynamics of the game are arranged.

    Give it some time, the social dynamics are always in flux, and future releases by the devs will also influence them.  It'll be even more different in the future.
    Posted 7 months ago by Carl Projectorinski Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Rather than take away what has been given, why don't we give the Glitchen an incentive to get back to Urth... Rook Attacks.

    Let the Rook Invasion begin, we're ready for 'em!

     ―  Mal'akhPrimate of LemPrimus Inter Pares of the Orthodox Church of the Giants of UrHubby of ArannaShriner of Mullangi Meda
    Posted 7 months ago by Mal'akh Subscriber! | Permalink
  • See?  This is what I'm talking about:

    http://www.glitch.com/snaps/PUVVI4BTHBJ28F1/13454-7a3a902616/

    How is he supposed to know he's been challenged to a staring contest when he's wearing goggles like that?!?

    Edit:  I did just have a horrifying thought, though.  What if the Rook could attack housing streets?  What if that were more likely to happen the bigger the street?
    Posted 7 months ago by Carl Projectorinski Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yikes!!!! Very scary thought! Though I would like more rook attacks just to keep thing interesting..... I however would NOT like rook attacks on home streets!
    Posted 7 months ago by Misty Power Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes have rooks attack the home streets!

    @Carl P, I disagree with point A, because, if you can grow all the resources on you home street, you only need to go into Ur for the sloths and foxes.

    And it looks like you had a fun little interaction in your snap, but Cebarkul doesn't count.

    I just wish resources were still restricted to their special places. So you had to go travel to another continent to get Eggs, instead of just clicking, "Go Home".

    Also, the houses are like shoeboxes! I miss the dynamic-ness of my old swamp home.
    Posted 7 months ago by Listo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Complaining that no one is out exploring Ur is implying that that is somehow the best way to play the game.  The game has a number of features, and different gamers focus on the various ones.  A lot of us have been wanting more sand in this supposed sandbox game, and now the Devs have come through on their promises in a big way.  In other parts of the forums, people are clamoring for more choices in this part of the game:  more furniture, windows, balconies, the upcoming group halls, and the wished for return of street projects.  I've had a lot of fun seeing peoples' snapshots of their new houses, and exploring their front yards.

    If the building aspect of the game isn't your cup of tea, and the social aspect is what you like best, nothing about the last update interferes with that.  Hold a pot luck picnic on your front lawn, buy a party pack from the vendors, ask in Global if folks want to hold a fox brushing fest, whatever works for you to get people together.  Be the center of gravity for the social event you want to have happen.
    Posted 7 months ago by KhaKhonsu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • -1 let's not overreact.  People are still getting used to the new toys and will get back to parties and random social events soon.
    Posted 7 months ago by Janitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If rooks attacked home streets, where are the shrines with which to defeat it?
    Posted 7 months ago by dm Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Use icons as mini-shrines? Have a smaller-scale attack? Maybe we'd fight mini-Rook? (I'm picturing a swarm of Rook cubimals marching down the street now, and it's equal parts adorable and terrifying. Hitchcock was on to something.)

    And -1 to undoing all of this lovely customization- I enjoy the exploring as much as anyone, but being able to make something that is truly my own and unique is an incredibly satisfying aspect of this already great game.
    Posted 7 months ago by Wrench Subscriber! | Permalink
  • At the end of the day, there is plenty to do, and many ways to do it.
    What's not to like?
    All this wrangling over how other folks should play makes me grind my teeth.
    Posted 7 months ago by CrashTestPilot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I would agree with the OP to some level, as houses tend to keep their owners out of the world.
    The original idea behind glitch was "a chance to shape the world", and while it's great to have our own private space to customize, I'm still hoping for creative projects (not talking about "street projects" here) you can build together in the streets of Ur...
    Posted 7 months ago by Lemo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ok.. Here is to hoping its just cause the sandhouses were released. Soon people will filter back into Ur.
    Posted 7 months ago by Listo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The Devs are promising more.  The framework needed to make the houses work can be used for other things, including community projects.  So, I do not think that hope is in vane!

    But, for accuracy sake, here is a list of resources you cannot find on your home street:

    Foxes
    Sloths
    Batterflies
    Paper trees
    Venders
    Shrines
    Qurazy Quoins
    Quoins of any type
    A large number of Quests
    Dust traps
    Smugglers
    Dev created landscapes
    Glitchen who hate the home streets

    This last one is a big one.  Again, since the first big drop in visits to Ur when the home streets were first introduced, I've seen a steady increase in traffic, myself.  A HUGE chunk of it is evidenced by my friends Snaps (my link to my Snap in Cebarkul is just a cheeky bit of evidence at best -- look around!).  Even so, my point is that this is an MMORPG, the main purpose of which is to interact with others.  As you say, the home streets and houses are ultimately boring and incomplete.  People will and DO get out to get together with other Glitchen, especially when they get bored with their own personal stuff.

    Also, in the spirit of accuracy, I thought I'd perform a study of how many Glitchen are exploring Ur at this very moment!  Here is the friends list of a rather popular Glitch:

    http://twitpic.com/9mgctf/full

    I did not include Cebarkul in my count, based on your assessment of that location.  As you can see, 17 out of 48 Glitchen at this very moment are exploring Ur!  Now, this is just a preliminary study, and I don't understand statistics well enough, so we would need further studies performed at different times to get a better model.  But this suggests that at this time of the day on a Friday, there should be about 34 Glitchen out of every 100 in game, exploring Ur.  That's not 100%, but it is not a small amount!

    Now, when the game releases, I think we'll be seeing a LOT of lower level Glitchen wondering Ur.  Because, my alt is only level 10 right now, and her house and street are BOOOOORRRRRINNNGGG!!!!
    Posted 7 months ago by Carl Projectorinski Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sorry about going a little overboard, there.  This problem inspired me, and though I maybe let a little snark through, I do realize that your experience in this vast game can be quite different than mine.  But I do suggest making some more friends and getting out and doing things with them.  We can make Ur an awesome place by doing awesome things in it.
    Posted 7 months ago by Carl Projectorinski Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Why doesn't Cebarkul count?
    Posted 7 months ago by dm Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I was complaining just the other day that there was no need to go out side any more and how dreadfully quiet it was out in the big wide world of UR.Then someone pointed out, Imagen when the game is live and THOUSANDS of people are playing and I mean tens of thousands. It will get busy just give it time. Then you will be wanting to go home just to get some piece and quiet :)
    Posted 7 months ago by Misha Subscriber! | Permalink
  • So, I had fun last night.
    I poured a door drink randomly, ended up in Ilmenskie, where I had not been in 180 days, chowed down a ton of Qurazy Quoins, got to practice levitation in both drops, picked up a ton of other Quoins, mined some rock, found a ton of guano, picked up three emblems I'd forgotten were waiting for me, and made my way out.

    So, yeah, there's plenty of reasons to explore:

    A) Fox brushing
    B) Ancestral Lands
    C) Old Housing Blocks
    D) Lumber-rama at the Enchanted Forests
    E) Subway badges!
    F) Random resources
    G) See who's out there! Not as crowded.
    H) See where a door drink takes you!
    I) Make a Crab Happy!

    Plenty of reasons to be on Public Streets; Plenty of reasons to be in Ur.  Something for every play style.  I love it here.
    Posted 7 months ago by CrashTestPilot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Remember gang, this game is still in beta. The streets may seem emptier (though far from vacant) with the new release, but there are some very good reasons for that:

    1. The game is in beta, meaning we have a locked number of players. In fact, unless I'm very much mistaken, invites have been disabled for the time being.

    2. It's new! And shiiiiiiny. Everyone loves new stuff. Everyone is playing the shit ouf the new streets, houses, iMG, upgrades, furniture, etc. Give it a little time for the novelty to wear off and for gameplay to stabilize. It's still early days.

    3. When the game opened (before we went back to beta), the influx was huge. Almost overwhelming. A BIG part of going back to beta was the housing release to deal with both this influx as well as making it possible for everyone to have fair access to everything (resources included). No joke, it was like locusts.

    In other words, don't sweat it. The players will return for a number of reasons. In the meantime, take advantage of the open streets. Fewer gangs of players means easier access to the stuff that used to be hard to get. Mine some sparkly in NevaNeva. You might actually be the only one there! 

    That probably won't last long :)
    Posted 7 months ago by Xev Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This is great. More metal and dirt for meeeee!
    Posted 7 months ago by MrVolare Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree with the basic assessment of the OP.. as I scan my online friends list, it is a rare thing to see more than a few actually out in the world of Ur. Sadly, it has been this way for much longer than even suggested by the OP. I remember making the same observation months and months ago to a friend. 

    It is an odd MMORP where the vast majority of players stand alone in their own personal space.
    Posted 7 months ago by Wundur Subscriber! | Permalink
  • -1

    +1 Janitch   I agree that the stay at home thing is temporary and due to the new housing possibilities. Let's give it time.

    +1 Misha  I think you are correct that when Glitch opens we will be thrilled by how many people we will find everywhere.  And, best of all, they will be new and in need of help and advice and RK and presents and it will be _so_much_fun_ and I can't wait!
    Posted 7 months ago by Miss Bobbit Subscriber! | Permalink
  • People have been huddled up in their homes for far longer than the housing upgrade. I kept track at one point about 6 months ago, and on average, 70-80% of the people on my online friends list, and in general a similar percentage for some of my friends, would be found in their home.

    This is not just a "housing is new, let's do stuff there" thing.
    Posted 7 months ago by Wundur Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think an additional reason that so many people appear to be home all the time is that they are chatting and use the decorate or cultivate option to avoid running out of energy.

    So, paradoxically, everyone looking like they are holed up in their houses could actually be an indication that they are being extremely social.
    Posted 7 months ago by Miss Bobbit Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I suppose I am not being clear in my wording.. Trying again...

    This is not a new thing: this behavior has been noted and observed LONG before the new housing ever tickled Stoot's loins. 

    And with the ability to deck out your home space with nearly every resource you need, it seems safe to infer the trend will continue.
    Posted 7 months ago by Wundur Subscriber! | Permalink
  •  "tickled Stoot's loins"   eeeew!   

    Also, 6 months ago? didn't dinosaurs roam the Urth back then? That might account for glitchen hiding in their houses too.  lol
    Posted 7 months ago by Miss Bobbit Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh dear lord!  NO no no rook attacks at our home streets please!  :<

    And yeah.. I agree with the first poster after the original post.. everything there... you have to play the game in order to do all the customisations in your yards and stuff and the home streets and even the resource routes (which I personally don't take part in, but most of my friends love them) really add to the game play IMO.  If you don't want to use them just don't use them, go explore and you WILL find people.  I recommend the mines up in Calloppee and Pollokkoo.  Also Aranna which is sooo beautiful you can't help but go up there.
    Posted 6 months ago by ♪♥~ Auren ~♥♪ Subscriber! | Permalink