Topic

Signs for the Community Gardens

Could we get signs for the entrance(s) of the Community gardens that explain that they are community gardens? With a blurb about cleaning up after yourself and replanting? No one would be forced to do anything but it would be nice if they could be made aware of what the street is and they could do or not do as they choose.

Is Beefast Heave one of the new player spawn streets? Brand new players walk around and pick up anything and everything because that's all they know to do and when they stumble upon the Community Garden, they just harvest everything because they think they should and they just keep walking.

Or that particular garden could be moved so that it is not so close to a spawning area?

Posted 18 months ago by MaryLiLamb Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • I agree some signs would be great.
    When my daughter started playing, and she didn't have enough currants to buy a house, and she needed food. I took her to the Community Garden so she could harvest something to eat... there was one tiny sprout and everything else was bare. I gave her some of my food - which wasn't a problem for me, but I wanted her to know where she could (or should be able to) find food other than meat and grain.
    I spent a bunch of currants and time planting up the garden, then hunted up the other garden areas and did the same again, because they were also pretty empty.
    Posted 18 months ago by Zany Serendipity Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You could also say it is meant to be harvested by others.
    If you like gardening, Join the Glitch Garden Club.

    From a discussion about the community gardens there:
    "I am wondering how people would like to use the community gardens. It is my understanding that anybody can plant there and anybody can take the harvest (so other people can take what you planted). Of course that's why it is called a "community" garden. It might be a good place for gardeners who already have a home garden for their own usage to come and plant things for newer players to have, kind of like a food bank. Any thoughts?  Posted 76 days ago by FrankenPaula"

    That's what I did...I planted a couple of the seeds that I had left in my inventory so that who ever wanted to pick them could :) Posted 76 days ago by sgjo | Permalink

    I planted some seed in the community garden.  Do you think people will be nice and only harvest close to the amount that they plant?  Maybe there should be a record sheet or something, so the community would know if a certain player was harvesting more than planting?  Or maybe it could be slightly more localized like a co-op, so that you have to be a member of a group or own a house on that block, etc. in order to enter the garden?  It would be very cool if each house community had their own garden!  Also, I'm curious if soil in some areas will be better than others, or if certain crops might grow better in certain area's (like trees) Posted 74 days ago by IxÆoN | Permalink

    And a part of my reaction:
    Some "free for all" patches and some "private" patches would be nice though. No rent necessary imo, just a big sign / division. Still there is the risk of someone else taking it but what is life without a bit of risk? Give people a chance to not take it and they'll feel more part of the community then by taking away their choice to do so I think. (Still people could take it accidentally, a bit like I did.)
    Posted 18 months ago by Miriamele Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't mind if other people harvest what I've sown in a community garden. 
    I just think some signs saying something explaining that the crops don't magically appear - people need to sow seeds for there to be crops. And perhaps if everyone could get a couple free seed packets from the vendor it would help - especially for newer players, who don't have the currants to buy much. Or just have a couple seed packets spawn on the ground, and let them regenerate 15 minutes or so after being taken - and maybe have a sign above them that says "Plant me here". Yes, those of us who have been playing for a while know you can get seeds from pigs, but it does take a little while to learn that, and to be able to afford giving some food to pigs in order to get seeds. 
    Posted 18 months ago by Zany Serendipity Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm against more visible verbiage in the game or on the UI.  There is a simple visual feel to the game right now, and cluttering that space with game instructions for newbies makes it more difficult for everyone else to experience the flow of the design. 
    Posted 18 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ya know.... you get a hoe and a watering can in the early tutorial.
    It would be a nothing to add a dirty garden patch and a seed packet of spinach (and preferably one of say cabbage) to the Start locations, and have the Rock instruct you on the tend / water / plant / harvest. The tree there already grows at an unrealistic pace, so the rapid-grow process wouldn't be that out of scope.

    The spinach could take the place of the pile typically given/left for people in the starting sequence. The second veg helps introduce the concept of getting energy/food from gardening, a concept which really isn't cleanly introduced (yet). Having the rock say something along the line of "There are several Community Gardens in the world" should be enough at that point. The piggy plop Quest comes fairly early if I remember right, and plop is often a (funny) pleasant surprise for those who discover it because their skill path hadn't instructed them first.
    Posted 18 months ago by Travinara Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Maybe a sign saying, "Please plant when you can and harvest when you need."

    I LOVE the idea of an occasional seed packet spawning!!!   

    I spent about three or four hours one test in (I thought it was called Caprice something... but can't find it on Locatioins) a community garden... tending and planting and harvesting.  I would leave about 10 harvested crop in front of each plot to show what was growing.  And I kept drinks sprinkled around the area.\

    At first, players that came thru would pick up one or two crops and a drink or two and move on.  But after about two hours (I think) one player just parked in the garden and started harvesting everything and picking up every drink (along with a few others who may have been summoned... not sure.)

    Not sure if it was a new player (never thought to check the player level) or someone who just decided to take advantage of the opportunity.  Either way, it was an interesting morning. :)
    Posted 18 months ago by Pirate Apples Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ Zany, I love the idea of packets of seeds.
    @ Miriamele, I often will plant things in the comm. gardens that I know will not be replanted but it's the sheer ignorance of place that I would like to combat. I don't want the area to be regulated but I think that people will be more courteous if there were a gentle reminder put at the entrances. I am at max groups. Would you send me an invite to that group?
    @ WindBorn, I am only suggesting signs in three spots out of a current 500+ in the world that are designated for specific use. Specific signage for the those specific spaces.
    @ Trav, I would love to see gardening included in the tutorial. Esp. since they're gonna give you a hoe and all....
    @ PA, they only time I got aggravated at another player in the gardens is when I had fully loaded my bags and was still harvesting and crops were dropping at the ends of rows. Since I was gardening for DB blocks for donations and not the food per se, I was plannning on leaving the food for passersby. But I was rewarded a DB5 block too and before I had a chance to walk over and get it, a player walking through snatched it up and kept walking. I pretty sure they were new but that would have gotten my a nice chunk of favor!
    Posted 18 months ago by MaryLiLamb Subscriber! | Permalink
  • ... two posts while I was (slowly) typing... lol

    @WindBorn... good point about excess verbiage... rethinking...

    @Trav.... great ideas for tutorials!
    Posted 18 months ago by Pirate Apples Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow, I thought they were just places you could garden for yourself (and wait to harvest what you planted) since almost every time I go by one of the community gardens they are almost always bare - I had no idea that others were planting seeds there for others to use and replant.  I think I did go by one one time, and it had plants, but also a couple players seemingly watching over the plots...I just assumed they had planted the seeds and were waiting for things to grow to be harvested...I think they are a great idea for those that don't have homes or need to plant more than their homes allow (apartments, smaller homes, etc).
    Posted 18 months ago by b3achy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think a brief sign at each end of the community gardens area would be great.  Something like: "Community resource: plant, tend, clean, and replant for others if you wish."
    Posted 18 months ago by jasbo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Trav-I like your idea of making it into part of the tutorial.
    Pirate Apples-I like your wording for a sign as well.
    Posted 18 months ago by Holly Waterfall Subscriber! | Permalink