Topic

Identify on home page current community projects

Where they are, a general status, what is needed.I still haven't come across the area but would seek it out if the information were available.

Posted 20 months ago by Mimi Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • Amen to this.  It would increase the project participation rate, reduce completion times and significantly cut down on chat volume in the Help channel.   For those that don't already know, you can join the New Streets group and monitor it during the game for this purpose.  It is not nearly as efficient as an Active Project Status page would be (as Mimi suggests), but it's the best there is for now.    Sadly, few people seem to monitor it and revert to using Help. Projects is one thing that I'd like to see major improvements on, and I think that the more people that participate, the more feedback/ideas we can gather to make them better. (Anyone know of a general Project improvement thread that has been active recently?)  
    Posted 20 months ago by Joe Blow Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I didn't even know about projects until the final day of the last test (my first test, clearly I'm quite new). But when I learned about them and tried to find my bearings to help, I noticed this shortcoming. Without an official central area, projects feel like and in-crowd only thing. Having a group for them, while possibly the best option at the time/at this point, only heightens that feeling, in my opinion.

    I think this is a great idea, as more players would not only know what projects are, where they are, and how to help, but also understand that projects are an official staple of building the game.
    Posted 20 months ago by Lyndon B Johnson Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There is absolutely an "in-crowd" vibe associated with projects, which is why I'd like to see more people involved.  This is partly related to the fact that the first exposure to them isn't until the semi-impossible "donate 10 ingots to a project" quest (after Smelting I believe), and the fact that some/most of the project requirements are for higher level skills, at least by the time you can get to them.     I typically set my teleport point to where another project phase will begin, and then monitor the group chat to see when they start.  The term "Group" is really a misnomer in this case, and shouldn't dissuade you from joining.  It's merely another chat channel focused on project status to use while in-game.    (Apologies for lack of line breaks...IE9 in the house.  I actually have more to say, too :( )
    Posted 20 months ago by Joe Blow Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I also didn't find out about these things until the last test, and it was because I received the "donate 10 ingots" quest (which I haven't completed, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to with how fast it fills up). I initially thought I was suppose to donate them to a giant: when donating one didn't work I sent out a query on the help channel to figure out what the heck I was suppose to be doing. Once I figured it out (with help), I realized they were pretty cool, but there should be more tutorial introduction to them. Also, there is a bit of trial-and-error figuring out what street to go to to find the active project: I think these should be marked in a special way on the map.
    Posted 20 months ago by Shepherdmoon Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The Street Projects are semi-transparent on the main map... currently they're all in Shimla Mirch. The reason for the Group in this case is to keep the constant updating out of the Help Chat. Three or four tests ago the chatter was overwhealming and many people voluntarily took specific types of chatter to Groups. There's a less frequently used one for Auctions as well so people aren't constantly asking 'can you auction a dohicky' or saying 'thingamajig for sale at 1000'. More recently, the dev's started gently nudging people to use the groups for Project and Social chatter. I've been known to join that one mid-test (when I feel like participating) and then leave it when I'm done, but most of the time I keep it up and running and check in from time to time so I can update more social Groups.
    Posted 20 months ago by Travinara Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I realize that the projects themselves are marked clearly on the map, but the place to go to speak to a vendor who can accept donations for that project is not marked. It can possibly be any number of streets that intersect with the project, which can take some wandering around to find.
    Posted 20 months ago by Shepherdmoon Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for the clarification, Joe Blow. To be fair, I haven't really explored the groups, yet. I believe I made an incorrect assumption about what they are and aim to remedy that during the next test.

    At level 13 when I learned about projects, I was only on the cusp of being able to do anything productive for them, so I'm really not concerned about my late awareness. They are certainly not meant as start-up material.

    I agree, Shepherdmoon. It's easy to find what street is being built, but it can be a small chore to figure out what street is managing the building of the new street.

    All in all, the notion that we are building the game we're playing (however false this is in reality) rejuvenated my interest. Having a project central (as a page like the auctions or skills) would give new players something to look forward to in the later levels and serve a very practical purpose for elder players actually doing the projects.
    Posted 20 months ago by Lyndon B Johnson Subscriber! | Permalink
  • After I have played a little more and investigated the project - I still think that having a projects page would be helpful - a quick link to see the status of what the project needs without having to travel all the way to it...sometimes it is pretty far! only to find out that what you need is way back where you started...and by the time you get back it isn't needed any more!
    Posted 20 months ago by Mimi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • They have future plans for multiple teleport points to be allowed, so that may fix this problem.
    Posted 20 months ago by Shepherdmoon Subscriber! | Permalink